Death and Redemption

by Isegrim Wolf

Rated M for adult language, themes and suggestions. What happens when Fox and Krystal are captured and brought before Wolf O'Donnell? What will he do with such a tasty prize? No it's not one of -those- stories, don't worry. Well not totally anyway. Read on and find out. [Wolf x Krystal]

6. Chapter 6

Death and Redemption - chapter 6

Am liking this. The writing. The process of letting a story unfold in my mind and trying to do it justice on paper. It's still a bit of a struggle now and then, english not being my main language, so vocabulary is sometimes a thing. And I wish I had more time to devote to it. But it's all good fun.

Also to all the really really good writers out there, your stories are really inspiring and for that I'm grateful. Another part of me wants to bite you for raising the bar so high though, heh.

So what's next? I'm not telling, that would spoil the surprise. Or surprises, plural. But I can say this. Wolf gets naked. Krystal doesn't, well not until later. They share a special moment. And Krystal has a special moment of her own. And there will be bathrobes. And awkwardness.

Enjoy!

(playing: "Party Animal" by Mark Knight [radio edit featuring Luciana from Portobella], "Wolf" by Angelspit, "Dirty Little Thing" by Adelitas Way, "Suck my Kiss" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and finally"Orgasm" by Noisuf-X)

Yeah let's heat things up.

Warning sign: sexual roadbumps up ahead, don't like, take the nearest off-ramp.

---

Leon cast her a look and hissed "NOW do you understand?"

Krystal had her fists pressed to the sides of her muzzle in a desperate effort to hold back a scream. She stared blindly, her brain on lockdown while all she could think of was Fox. Fox being mauled. Fox being torn to shreds. Fox bleeding out before her very eyes. The nightmare had taken full hold of her, its claws sunk deep into her psyche.

Her subconscious had been expecting something like this ever since their capture, ever since being brought before the most fearsome of Andross' henchmen, had expected them to die exactly like this, in pain, in a pool of blood. It was a deeply rooted fear, a visceral knowledge that death was only a breath away. That fear had been with her all day, off and on, while Wolf fed them bits and pieces of a story that could be true but was probably all lies.

And when it all suddenly turned real she was fully primed to believe the images. Even after meeting Jared, even after having placed those very cuffs on him herself, it was still Fox she saw. Her Fox.

Leon silently watched the vixen as she processed the shock. After a few seconds he saw that her brain was starting to make sense of reality again and the look of panic subsided, replaced by tears of relief.

Speech was beyond her. All she could do was nod. Oh yes, she understood. She understood only too well.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, Wolf needs my assistance." and he disappeared into the bathroom.

#########

The cold water blasted away, Wolf standing in its numbing spray. He had ripped his blood-sodden shirt off and was clawing at his half-gloves by the time Leon caught up to him. Another shadow was close behind the chameleon but Wolf was oblivious, blindly staring down at his hands while he unsuccessfully tried to rub the gore from his fur.

He was panting and sounded distressed, muttering low, again and again "I can't get it off Leon, it's not washing off, I-... can't... it's not coming OFF!" He frantically clawed at his arms.

Leon stepped in close and ignored the freezing water, reached for Wolf's hands "Wolf, no, don't, no claws." preventing the lupine from hurting himself. He shot a glance at Krystal who had followed him in against her better judgement and stood in the bathroom just outside the shower stall, face tear-streaked and arms wrapped around her lithe frame. She'd recognized that something was wrong and, Star Wolf or not, couldn't just hang back and do nothing. That was not who she was.

Leon was doing his best to reach Wolf. "Take it easy Wolf. Warm water, remember? Warm water will wash the blood away, warm water and soap. Lots of soap."

She grimaced and wiped at her eyes, firmly pushing her emotions down under a heavy layer of pragmatism. Did this happen often? It almost sounded as if they had been in this situation before. Her grimace quickly faded though as her empathy kicked in. Wolf was a terrible sight to behold. His fur was matted and looked almost black where it was caked in blood, he was literally covered in it. Worse, he seemed unaware of his surroundings, in some kind of mental fugue, muttering over and over that the blood wouldn't wash away, wouldn't come off.

She didn't hesitate and stepped into the shower. Her breath caught in her throat as the icy jet hit her full on, goddess how could Wolf not FEEL that?

Seeing that Leon had his hands full with the unresponsive wolf she hurried to adjust the temperature settings and quickly increased the warm water flow. The effect was immediate and her chest felt less constricted, she could breathe again. Oofh. The chameleon should be feeling better too she thought, being cold-blooded. He hadn't shown any signs of discomfort though.

The shower stall was roomy but crowding three bodies in was pushing its limits, she had to squeeze past the green reptile to get closer to Wolf. Leon was still busy preventing him from clawing his arms open so she grabbed a bottle of shower gel from the ledge and moved in, it was obvious they needed an extra pair of hands.

Speaking up above the loud hiss of the cascading water she asked "Leon?"

"Face and head. And get some of that here." he said, indicating the bottle.

She nodded and squirted a generous amount of gel into the chameleon's upturned palm then did the same for herself, capping the bottle and wedging it in her belt.

She looked up into his face and kept her voice level, warm but firm. "Wolf. Close your eyes, I have soap here. I'm going to clean your face first, alright?" She waited a heartbeat but didn't get a reaction. "Wolf? It's me, Krystal. You need to close your eyes. Please?" The unfamiliar word seemed to reach him, or maybe it was her name, she couldn't be sure. But he nodded and even leaned his muzzle down towards her, closing his eye.

"Okay, here it comes, I'm starting on top." and she did exactly that, rubbing some of the gel into the lighter fur between his ears, then the ears themselves. The scent of the soap was woodsy, forest trees and something heavier, smokey, that reminded her of leather and cigars. Not at all unpleasant.

She worked slowly and made constant progress, applying soap to the heavier fur at the back of Wolf's neck, cheekfur and finally his muzzle. The gore was worst there and she made a face as she did her best to massage the mess out of the wolf's pelt. It was tough going, the blood had gone all sticky and she could already see that he was going to need a second washing. Damn. She persisted and got it done.

Okay what next? She hesitated.

There was one area that she'd been avoiding. "Wolf. I'm going to remove your eyepatch, okay?" She felt him stiffen. "Please. It has to be done, you want to get it all off right?" He didn't move for a few counts, then seemed to steel himself and nodded, silently giving her permission. That was a good sign, she thought, he was becoming more responsive. And a small part of her felt proud that he trusted her enough to allow such a thing.

She reached up and carefully worked the strap loose, then the eyepatch itself. Wolf had his eyes closed so the sight wasn't as bad as she'd feared, just a large vertical scar. His eyelids seemed mostly intact.

"Okay Wolf you're doing great. Here comes the soap, be sure to keep your eyes closed." She talked to him in soothing tones, the kind she used to use on wounded animals. In her younger years on Cerinia she and the other teen vulpines had regularly contributed their free time to community services, one of which had been helping out at the local veterinary station. Her people often brought in small woodland creatures that had been hurt and needed treatment. Wolf was just a larger beast, she thought to herself.

She cleansed his brow, taking care to not get any soap in his eyes. Temples next, then cheekbones, she moved her fingers in small circles, rubbing rhythmically. Was it her imagination or was Wolf leaning in against her touch?

She didn't get time to ponder that much, the shower was full of distractions. From the side and down, just beyond her field of view, she heard Leon say "Wolf, left foot." then a moment later "Right foot." and wondered what Leon was doing. Probably removing Wolf's combat boots. The cabin was steaming up now, hazing her view. Next an arm reached past her to the ledge for a brush, again breaking her train of thought. "Where's the soap?" Leon asked. "My belt." she answered and twisted her body so he could reach it. Which he did, with a silent nod.

Face done, she carefully rinsed Wolf off. Leon patted her shoulder, apparently done scrubbing Wolf's claws. "You do the front, I'll do his back." She absentmindedly nodded, adding a "Got it" while washing the last remnants of suds away. Held out a hand and got the bottle back. Squeeze, start on Wolf's throat. She winced, again lots of blood and... pieces. She shuddered. Keep at it, shut down your disgust, do what needs to be done. She ran fingers through Wolf's thick fur, felt him shiver under her touch. Probably a remnant of the earlier chill.

She slowly worked her way lower, it wasn't easy to get the clotted blood out of the wolf's thick pelt. But it was slowly thinning out, not as bad as the first parts, cleaning was becoming easier. It also helped that once past his chest, the fur became shorter and- . She happened to glance down and froze.

Leon hadn't just been removing Wolf's boots.

She bit her lip. Okay, calm down, think. Of course the blood had seeped into Wolf's clothes. So it was only logical that Leon had not only removed Wolf's boots but his pants too, right? And, um, briefs? She saw them lying in a sodden heap on the floor, along with Wolf's belt, holster, blaster and comm. Right. Get a grip. This isn't the first time you've been this close to a naked male body. Oh wait, it was. She stifled a groan and nervously licked her lips. How did she keep getting herself into impossible situations like these?

Forcing her brain back into gear she made a quick assessment. She could complain to Leon and bail, leaving them both in the shower to finish the job. But what would that say about her? That she was a quitter, that's what. That she wasn't man enough to do the hard jobs, wasn't mercenary enough to get her hands dirty. She would be a failure in their eyes. Just a GIRL. She grit her teeth. No way was she going to let that happen! If she wanted their respect she'd have to earn it. Wimping out wasn't an option.

She swallowed, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Squirted more shower gel into her hands and began working it into the fur of Wolf's lower chest and midriff. She mentally talked herself through it. This shouldn't take too long, it's not as bad here, not as much blood to clean off, no clots or grisly bits so far, just keep going, slow and easy. She ran her hands over Wolf's well-defined abs and bit her lip. No, bad, bad Krystal! Concentrate!

Wolf was quiet, eyes closed, one arm outstretched and braced against the wall, the other hanging down along his side, letting the warm water cascade over his head and muzzle. He gave no indication of discomfort. Or of anything else for that matter.

She was getting lower and had to crouch, the angle was just getting too awkward. Only after she was crouched did she realize that this brought her muzzle down into the danger zone and she quickly turned her head away, blushing furiously. Oh my goddess. Her heart was beating hard, that was more of Wolf than she'd ever counted on seeing. Keeping her head averted she cleaned his fur and.. stuff.. and after a few awkward minutes was finally able to move her hands lower and start on his legs.

She bit her lip, hard, something hefty kept swinging against her left ear. Ignore it, deep breaths, get a grip girl. No wait! Wrong phrasing she thought in a near-panic and felt her blush deepen. She glanced past Wolf's thigh and caught Leon watching her. He was working on Wolf's bushy tail and shot her a grin. Oh the bastard. She scowled and mouthed a silent "you ASSHOLE!" at him, which only made the grin widen. Damn you Leon.

Left leg, right leg, done. She slowly stood and looked up at Wolf, only to meet his amethyst stare. She blinked, acutely aware of their situation, of his nakedness, of their close proximity. And of where her hands had just been. If it bothered Wolf he didn't show it. She didn't know what to make of his gaze. It wasn't the dead level stare he had used earlier that day. If anything he seemed mildly curious, perhaps waiting to hear what she was going to say.

She cleared her throat. "Ahem. Dry yourself off. I'll ahh... go and get you a bathrobe, alright?"

He just nodded and she gratefully took that as her cue to retreat to the bedroom.

She was panting. Oh my goddess what had just happened?

#########

"It is not far, stay close to Panther."

The sleek black feline had led Fox back down the maintenance passageways, taking different turns than on the inbound journey with the other vulpine, Jared. Not that Fox was aware of that, he hadn't been down here before, everything was new and he tried to memorize the path they took, albeit with little success. The place was a veritable maze, a dark warren of narrow corridors, stairs, tunnels and catwalks. He couldn't keep track of his orientation, let alone his exact position in the station. They finally emerged into a quiet part of Sargasso and Panther handed him a long dark overcoat and a hat that had been stashed near the doorway, with a terse "Wear these." By then he had completely lost his bearings. Where the hell were they?

They went down a short alleyway. He looked up and saw only pipes and conduits. Sargasso's lighting worked intermittently here, leaving long dark patches of shadow where they had to take care to not trip over debris. Broken bottles, empty canisters and assorted garbage littered the deck, lurid graffiti adorned the walls. And it smelled. Fox wrinkled his nose in distaste, this place was a filthy rat's nest, if this was the kind of society Wolf was building he wanted no part of it. What a hellhole.

"In here."

Panther coded them through a door into a very ordinary hallway. Fox turned to look behind him, spotted an emergency exit sign above the door they'd just come through. He added the information to his mental map. Ten more paces and they reached a bank of elevators. Panther summoned one and, once inside, used an orange keycard to get access to their destination, fourth floor. Their current location read minus-two on the display, must be a basement level. Fox narrowed his eyes, taking note of every detail.

They exited into another nondescript hallway. A short walk brought them to room 416 and Panther ushered him in after using the same keycard as before.

Fox entered a small living unit, basic but pretty decent. Living area, nice furniture, open plan kitchen, a door which probably led to bed- and bathroom. The place was small of course but it was more than sufficient for a single person and was a hell of a lot roomier than a cabin aboard a CDF ship. Or the Great Fox itself for that matter.

But that's where things stopped being ordinary. Plastic sheets laid out in the middle of the floor. A coffee table had been moved aside and was laden with bottles of chemicals, surgical gloves and sharp steel implements. He recognized scissors, shears and something that might be a mechanical clipper. It all coalesced to look like a scene from a bad serial killer holoseries.

He stopped in his tracks. "Okay. I'm worried now."

Panther cut him a glance, closing and locking the door. "You should not be. You are not in danger here, Fox McCloud."

Fox turned, his anger mounting. He'd been patient so far, he'd cooperated, he'd been a good little boy. But now he wanted answers. He shrugged out of the coat and hat, tossing them onto the couch.

"Talk to me Panther. What the hell is going on here?"

The big feline eyed him impassively.

"You are alive. Wolf is working on a plan to get you and the lovely Krystal out of here, as he told you. In the meantime I am burdened with the task of rendering you unrecognizable to the citizens of Sargasso and Andross' watchful eyes. There are fresh clothes in the closet in the bedroom. Also a false identity scrip, a loaded creditcard and more. Again, exactly as Wolf has already told you."

Panther sounded testy now, an intensity entering his voice. Gone was the aloof and almost-condescending tone he had come to associate with the dark feline. He seemed annoyed by Fox's attitude. Oh yeah? Get used to it buddy, he was just getting started.

Fox narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell are YOU angry?"

Panther rounded on him, tail lashing behind him in agitation "You have NO appreciation of the risks Wolf is taking for you, NO idea of what will happen to not only you, but to ALL of us if this plan fails, if even the smallest thing goes wrong! Our hides will be flayed alive from our bodies and put on display for the whole of Lylat, do you understand that?" and continued, in a more reasonable voice "Personally Panther is VERY attached to his beautiful pelt and would not like to see it hanging from a pole in Sargasso Square. All the ladies would weep, and some of the gents as well.".

His flightsuit was half unzipped down the front, probably from earlier when he wanted to make a manly impression on Krystal. Now he ran a hand down his sleek obsidian fur, as if to emphasize his point.

"Come. Feel. It is extremely soft."

Fox made a face and backed off, what was WRONG with these people? Were they all mental?

"Err, I'll pass." And then remembered what he had been asking before he got distracted.

"Look, Panther, I know Wolf is taking risks here. I understand that means danger to you too, to everyone here." He raised his voice "What I DON'T understand is WHY he would do such a thing!"

Panther shrugged.

"He is Wolf, he has his reasons. It is not for Panther nor you to question his motives."

"But I can tell you this" he added "the lady Krystal is perfectly safe." It was meant to sound reassuring. But there was something in Panther's tone that gave Fox pause, he couldn't put his finger on it but it didn't do anything to ease his concerns, on the contrary.

"Panther, what are you not telling me?"

He only got another shrug as answer.

"I will get us food. After that we will get to work on you." And with that Panther was out the door again, locking it from the outside.

Fox fumed. That cat was just as infuriating as the rest of Star Wolf!

#########

With Panther gone Fox seized the moment to search the apartment. It didn't take long, the place being so small. He found the items Panther had told him about. Also a blaster and a comm device, neatly laid atop the pile of clothes in the bedroom. What the hell, they were giving him a weapon and a phone? That didn't make sense. He quickly checked them out and, much to his surprise, found that both were fully operational. What was going ON here?

He tucked the gun in the small of his back, held snug by his waistband. The comm and cards went into a front pocket of the jacket that had once belonged to that other fox, Jared. He briefly wondered how that was panning out. Wolf was an idiot if he believed that little criminal could pass himself off as Fox McCloud. That naive plan was going to go bad real soon, might as well kit himself out to move fast for when the shit hit the fan.

He growled to himself, letting his frustration and feelings of helplessness spill over into anger, he was done being nice. He was DONE being someone's puppet! Things were going to change, starting right now!

When Panther came through the door he walked straight into a full right hook. The suckerpunch stunned the feline and he stumbled, falling to his knees, dropping two bags of take-away to the floor at his side.

Fox kicked the door closed and was quick to disarm him. He grabbed the back of Panther's jacket, dragging him face-down to the carpet. Straddled his back, pinned his arms with his knees and pressed the blaster against the mercenary's head.

"No more games! You hear me?" he pressed the barrel harder against the cat's skull.

"I want answers and I am going to get them! NOW!"

Fox didn't exactly get the reaction he was expecting. He felt more than heard the feline's soft chuckle.

"Oh Fox, how precious." Panther managed to turn his head enough to look up with one eye. "Panther had no idea you could be so rough. There might be hope for you yet." he said with a playful grin.

"But seriously. What are you going to do? Kill me? And then what? Try and escape?" The cat snorted in derision. "All that will accomplish is that you will expose the lie that is keeping you and the lady Krystal safe from Andross' wrath. Is that what you want, you want to get us all killed? Even if you DID manage to escape, even if you DID manage to take Krystal with you, you would leave us all to die here?"

"Because that is EXACTLY what will happen, Fox McCloud."

Fox grimaced. Would he? Could he actually do something like that? He didn't owe Wolf anything, did he? Or Leon, or Panther? Not to mention Pigma and Andrew, whom he hadn't even seen yet. What did he care if they got into trouble or even got killed, wasn't that his JOB, to damage Andross' forces? This could be a chance to take out the lot of them, why was he even hesitating?

Then again, if he were totally honest with himself, Star Wolf hadn't done anything yet that really hurt him or Krystal. That he didn't understand the why of the matter didn't change that fact.

But he needed answers, he couldn't go on like this! Their lives were in the balance, Krystal's life was in the balance. And he had no way of assessing their situation. When in doubt, pull out. He grimaced at that phrase that he'd first heard at the academy, at the time under very different circumstances. Where the hell did that suddenly come from? It was good dating advice but in this context it sounded like a coward's strategy. Was that it, was he bad at handling uncertainty? He bit his lip. That, maybe. And his... okay, the feelings that gripped him when confronted with Wolf. The hard knot at the pit of his stomach, the feelings of dread, of impending doom. Say it Fox, admit it. That's fear and you know it.

Was it clouding his judgement?

No. No dammit. That might be part of it but he could handle it, had done so before!

But fighting Wolf in space was not the same thing as confronting him in the flesh. In his Arwing he felt safe, he was in control. Here though? His fear was fully justified, Wolf was scary as hell. And Fox was on his turf.

"Look at it from MY perspective! Would YOU trust Wolf?"

Panther sighed and laid his head on the carpet, the tension leaving his body. His expression was thoughtful for a moment, then turned sour.

"Wolf believes in you. I am mystified as to why this is so, you clearly do not deserve it." After a breath he continued "Panther has never seen him like this. I do not know WHY he is sparing your lives, it is stupid. And Wolf is anything but stupid, so he must have a valid reason. Leon might know what that is but Panther is not as close to Wolf as he is. Does that answer satisfy you, Fox McCloud?"

The cat hadn't told him anything. He could pull the trigger and be done with him, make his escape. Save Krystal. It wouldn't be murder, they were in a war zone, in bloody conflict, in enemy territory. Different rules applied. It wouldn't be so very different from shooting down an enemy pilot and he had already done that countless times before. Right?

He closed his eyes a moment, torn. Then gave the cat a harsh shake, pressing down hard. His finger was on the trigger and he had to fight to keep his hand from shaking. He was breathing hard. Dammit didn't Panther know just how close he was to ending him?

"NO it doesn't! You still haven't told me ANYthing useful!" he growled "Part of me WANTS to believe! But I can't do it blindly, Wolf can't just leave me in the dark about everything and expect me to play along. Not when Krystal's life is on the line!"

"Talk Panther. TALK or I end it all right here, right now, I swear!"

Panther considered Fox's words. He didn't feel much fear, if his life ended here then so be it. He had had a good run, longer than most in this business. He smiled to himself. The mercenary mindset, Wolf had taught him well. At the same time he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the dapper little vulpine, it was true that he was in a hard spot, confronted with a harsh dilemma. Perhaps it was the mention of Krystal, perhaps it was the fact that Fox's feelings reflected his own incomprehension at Wolf's actions, but suddenly something clicked into place.

"I have no information for you, Fox McCloud. But something just occurred to me." he softly chuckled and shook his head a bit, sounding bemused "Well well, our fearless leader may be more subtle than Panther gives him credit for."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you not see? He must have understood your need, he must have understood that no explanation he could give would ever satisfy you, Fox McCloud. Your distrust of him is simply too big a barrier."

"Panther thinks he is giving you time and opportunity to find the information you so desire and form your own opinion. He is giving you a gun, money, and free run of the station."

"You will do your own convincing, something he cannot hope to achieve."

Panther let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing. Fox felt a chill run down his spine. Could Wolf really know him that well, could he see that deep?

"What is more, he is giving you freedom. Stay and help with the plan, or instead use that freedom to prepare your escape. He is letting you choose."

He added, with a fond smile "Hahah, he is absolutely crazy." then turned to look up, the smile still on his lips but with a more serious tone of voice "He is extending a hand to you, Fox McCloud."

"Will you take it?"

Fox grit his teeth. It made a kind of twisted sense. And was the kind of thing he should have expected from Wolf. He was gambling and the stakes were the highest ever. And what did that bastard do? Did he play it safe? No. Hell no. He went all-in.

Yeah, all or nothing, that sure sounded like Wolf effing O'Donnell.

He breathed a heavy sigh and stood up, releasing the feline. Who also stood up and wordlessly dusted himself off, holstered his blaster. Went to put the food in the kitchen. Fox was feeling slightly guilty for hitting him. When it came down to it, Panther had done his best to help him.

"Um. About that punch..."

The cat just shrugged. "Panther can handle a few love taps, have no fear." and added with a sly sideways glance, his scar very distinctive in the apartment's subdued lighting. "Some of the ladies here have managed much worse."

Panther made his way back from the kitchen, slowly walking towards him.

"I am happy that you have come to your senses, Fox McCloud. Have some faith. We will get through this together, Star Fox and Star Wolf. We are not as different as you may think."

"Now please remove your clothing and stand in the middle of the room."

Fox could only stare, jaw agape.

"What, AGAIN? What the hell IS it with you guys?"

#########

Miyu Lynx was not in a happy place.

She was twenty-four. Her career in the CDF had been stellar. She was talented, she was driven, she breezed through all the courses they put her through. She could have gone on to become anything she wanted. But her cleverness and quick wit had marked her for recruitment by the CDF's intel branch, much to the chagrin of an infantry general who had wanted her in his sniper unit. Instead though, Miyu was trained to be a covert intelligence operative.

Miyu became a spy.

Shortly after the troubles with Andross began and the Meteo asteroid belt became a staging area for his space armada, she had been inserted into Sargasso as a one-person sleeper cell. Since then she had been building on her false identity as a Kayley Snow from Zoness, increasing its credibility, making it rock-solid until it could stand up to almost any scrutiny. She applied for a job at Sargasso's local news service and was readily accepted into the small organization. It didn't take long after that to gain a reputation as an excellent all-round reporter.

And that was good, because it allowed her to get close to Sargasso's upper hierarchy. Especially Wolf and Andross' commanders like admiral Kraille. That kind of close contact, by proxy, also gave her high credibility among the lower echelons and she used that to her advantage. She was a well-known and accepted face among the troops and at social events. She was also a very attractive feline, vivacious and witty when she wanted to be. Tomboy-ish and easy to talk to, flirtatious, sexy. She was like one of the guys but with all the female benefits. To say she was popular would be an understatement.

It put her in perfect position to collect valuable information. Information that could be vital to Corneria's survival. It also put her in position to be one of the two people who, as the main media team, had filmed the major takes on Sargasso station. Including the final horrific images of Fox McCloud's murder.

Oh how she regretted that now.

It had all gone so fast. By the time she realized what was happening it was already too late to do anything. Besides the horror and shock she mused that that had probably been the worst of it all, the feelings of helplessness, the feelings of utter uselessness. She had been THERE, she had been ARMED like most people on Sargasso but she had been able to do NOTHING. Fox had died within seconds. Murdered, torn apart. And all she had done was throw up on the carpet.

Her bitterness and self-recrimination were eating her alive.

The lynx sat in a dark room in a rarely-frequented part of Sargasso's lower levels. She held a small device in her hands. Tears blurred her vision as she choked back a sob and typed a short text. The device could only handle one hundred characters per message. When she pressed the 'transmit' button it would send an omnidirectional microburst transmission to be picked up by the CDF's deep space network of military comm buoys.

With any luck one of them would be in range. She couldn't know for certain though, since Wolf had ordered Sargasso to be relocated to somewhere deeper within the Meteo asteroid belt. But this HAD to work! People were depending on her. Krystal was depending on her!

*** F + K captive at Sargasso - Fox KIA - WOLF - visual confirmation on both - awaiting orders ***

She sniffled and pressed the 'transmit' button.

An hour later she was still in the same position, hugging herself. By now she was all cried out but the pain just wouldn't go away. It constricted her chest, it gnawed at her like a cancer, it turned all her thoughts to depressing darkness. She had failed Fox so badly. She had known him at the academy, hell had flown with Star Fox on occasion, they were her FRIENDS!

She had even had a crush on Fox, kind of, like so many girls back then, but had never acted on it. Well, not counting that one party where just about everybody had been drunk and draped across the furniture and each other. She sniffed, a small smile curling her lips. Fox probably didn't even remember the best BJ of his life, hah.

And now he never would, she thought morosely, her mind leading her thoughts back to the same tortuous circle of regrets, what-ifs and self-blame. Apparently she had a secret reserve of tears, she sniffed, moisture welling in her eyes.

Suddenly the device in her hands vibrated, briefly. She quickly wiped her eyes and raised the device so she could read the tiny monochrome screen.

Oh.

Oh shit. Really?

*** primary - terminate W - secondary - rescue K ***

#########

While the raw feed of 'Fox McCloud's' grisly death was piped almost immediately to Sargasso's newsfeed, it took a few hours longer for the recordings to be properly edited for broader distribution.

Voice-over commentaries were inserted, key scenes were adjusted for maximum impact, close-ups and other video material were added. Audio was cleaned up, amplitudes tweaked. A runner then brought the datapac to the hangar where Andrew Oikonny was standing by in the stealth transport. The young simian had his orders and, on receipt of the package, launched his ship and carefully navigated his way to Corneria, taking a circuitous route to mask his point of departure, just in case the CDF was patrolling the area. Which they were.

His careful route took him six hours. Upon arrival he downloaded the data into three small transponder modules and shot them into low orbit above Corneria. The modules were totally passive and too small to trip Corneria's planetary defense grid. Once in their proper orbits though all it took was a simple command from Andrew for them to start transmitting, pumping their data straight into Corneria's global information network. Commercial satellites were no match for Leon's intrusion software that forced its way past their defenses. There was no way the CDF could have prevented the news from reaching the public.

It was all very well prepared and executed, very professional.

It so happened that Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad and Bill Grey were all gathered when Corneria's web erupted in turmoil and every major network interrupted their services to report the horrific news.

They had come together to help analyse tactical information from the patrols that had been sent out to search for Fox and Krystal after their disappearance. Telemetry from the Great Fox led the patrols to the crash sites on Fichina but there was no trace of the two Arwings, nor of the pilots themselves. The patrols did find signs of enemy presence, a number of Andross' ships had recently landed, that much was clear.

Since then Falco, Peppy, Slippy and Bill had been tirelessly helping a specialized CDF taskforce to formulate high-probabilty search patterns, and to a lesser degree, rescue plans. It was frustrating, they first had to know where Fox and Krystal were to narrow down the number of potential targets but so far they hadn't found any promising leads. All they could do was spread their attention across all of Andross' known bases, starting with the larger ones. The going was slow and they all felt disgruntled at the lack of progress.

But then an hour ago they had been handed a major breakthrough, much to their relief. General Pepper had called to inform them that he had received reliable intel that Fox and Krystal were both being held prisoner in Meteo, on the Sargasso space station. Pepper had been uncharacteristically tight-lipped, he delivered his message and then cut the connection, leaving no room for questions.

They already new from the patrols' reports that Sargasso station had disappeared from its previous location, it was one of the first places they had tried scouting out.

Falco had been the first to comment, in his own no-holds-barred way.

"Oh that's just GREAT! Fucking Wolf O'fucking Donnell!" he yelled, scattering printouts across the plotting table they had been standing around. "If they're in HIS clutches we have to get there RIGHT NOW! Godsdammit where's my ship? Come ON, we have to MOVE, what are yous guys doing standing there!" and stalked towards the exit, his blue and red feathers in a huff.

His friends had been quick to intercept the avian and explain that this was a great break, sure, and they WOULD launch as soon as possible, which would be AFTER they had analyzed their Sargasso intel for best attack and extraction tactics. Flying in blind was a bad idea. A very bad idea. A GOOD plan would give them the edge they needed, would give them the best chance at rescuing Fox and Krystal, right?

Falco eventually gave in to the peer pressure and returned to the plotting table, albeit reluctantly and with lots of griping.

They'd been at it for the last hour when suddenly one of the many monitors in the room flashed a message. The corporal who was manning that station, a young dalmatian, immediately turned and informed his duty officer that the newsfeed had just warned of an upcoming urgent broadcast. In turn, the duty officer reported it through his chain of command and ordered the comms' tech to switch all monitors to display the incoming transmission.

Falco, Peppy, Slippy and Bill all turned to watch, of course.

In fact, all across Corneria faces were turning to watch viewscreens, datapads and handheld comms.

The anchorwoman who moments later appeared on screen tried valiantly to stay professional. She stared down at a datapad that she held in shaking hands, carefully reading her message while now and then looking up into the camera. She had been trained to maintain eye contact, to connect to her audience. But nothing had prepared her for something like this. Her distress was almost palpable.

"At 22:06 LST this evening a message was inserted into our global communications' network. It appears to have been sent by one of the more well-known henchmen of the exiled Dr. Andross, whose forces have recently opened hostilities against a number of Cornerian outposts in the Lylat system. We have been advised to broadcast the message in its entirety to safeguard the lives of those still in the custody of Dr. Andross' forces."

And here she looked into the camera.

"The following images are of an extremely graphic and violent nature. Viewer discretion is strongly advised." and added a personal appeal, her professionalism slipping "Please, if any children are still awake, don't... let them watch." She had tears in her eyes.

The image switched to a view of the space battle at Fichina, accompanied by voice-over propaganda. How the brilliant Dr. Andross had survived his exile on Venom and, instead of succumbing to the harsh environment and prison conditions, had grown stronger. He had fought for his independence and had been victorious, developing new technologies and building up a large force of like-minded individuals. He was now a force to be reckoned with and the battle at Fichina was but a small example of his power. Followed by images of multiple regiments of uniformed and armed soldiers, all marching in step, crisp and snappy. Flashes of large spacecraft, of a veritable fleet of them.

The next scenes returned to details of the space battle above Fichina, mostly the 'shooting down' of Fox and Krystal's Arwings, their capture and the cowardly retreat of Star Fox's capital ship, the Great Fox.

Falco watched, a cold knot of fear starting to form in his gut.

The report seamlessly segued into images of Sargasso, images of Fox and Krystal, first locked up together in their cage on the shuttle, then chained and shackled in the transport vehicle. Images of Wolf, aggressively in charge and ordering the prisoners to be brought before him. Images of the initial encounter in the office, ending with Fox being taken away while Krystal was forced towards Wolf's bedroom, with full audio of their shouts and of Wolf's cruel laughter.

Then came the final, gruesome sequence, and Wolf's bloody message to general Pepper and the people of Corneria.

Falco stared, beak open, tears streaming down his face. And shouted, breaking the shocked silence "No way man. No, NO WAY! Not Fox, this isn't happening, right?" he pointed at the screen, feathers shaking "That was special effects crap, right? This is all bullshit, RIGHT?"

Peppy shot him a pain-filled look that told Falco all he needed to know.

Bill Grey had sank into a chair and wasn't looking at anyone.

Slippy croaked and stuttered, crying, finally letting out a long high-pitched wail of anguish.

"Fox! NOOOOO!"

#########

Krystal had stripped out of her flightsuit and dried herself off before slipping into one of Wolf's way-too-large-for-her but deliciously-fluffy bathrobes, tying the belt around her slim waist. He seemed to like those, had a whole stack of them in his closet. All black of course, she thought with a small smile. She left her soggy suit and undies in an undignified heap on the floor.

Leon emerged from the bathroom.

"Robe?"

She handed him one and watched him retreat back into the bathroom, only to reappear a few seconds later to guide Wolf into the lounge. Wolf didn't look at her as he walked past. Leon didn't immediately follow but stayed with her, closing the door for a moment.

His earlier anger seemed to have cooled down to a simmer, if she was reading him correctly. Maybe this was a good moment to ask some of the questions that had been burning on her tongue since seeing the gruesome news report. Had that really only been ten minutes ago? It felt so much longer.

"Why would Wolf do something so horrible, Leon...?"

The chameleon let out an exasperated sigh. "What can I say? Wolf will fill you in when he feels the time is right. But I will say this. Your capture forced Wolf's hand. All our lives are on the line here. Not just yours."

"But... why would Wolf risk so much for us? Aren't we enemies? And why would you and Panther follow him in this? It doesn't make sense." she said, unconsciously mirroring Fox's exchange with Panther.

Leon grimaced "It's bigger than you, bigger than you know. But to answer your second question..." Here he paused, as if searching for words, then just gave up and shrugged.

"He's Wolf."

As if that explained everything.

"I need to go talk to him. You stay here. And Krystal?"

"Yes..?"

Leon struggled to say the next words.

"You did good." and slipped out, taking Wolf's holster, blaster and comm with him.

#########

When Leon returned to the lounge Wolf was sitting on the largest couch, perched on its edge and leaning forward with elbows on knees, the bathrobe stretched across his muscled frame. He was silently staring at the carpet, both paws wrapped around a heavy frosted-glass tumbler of what looked to be whiskey. Leon spotted the bottle on the coffee table, along with a second glass.

He carefully approached and sat down next to the lupine, laying his belt, holster, blaster and comm on the table, all still very wet. It was hard to tell Wolf's mood and in situations like these it was best to play it safe, Leon knew. No sudden moves, no pressure.

"Hey."

After a few heartbeats Wolf answered. His voice was low and sounded rough, but otherwise he seemed to have regained his composure. "Hey yourself." then continued, not looking at his teammate "What did you tell Blue?"

"Showed her the news. Told her Fox is okay. That is all."

Wolf absorbed this, well, now she's seen him for the monster he is. So be it, can't please everyone.

"Right." then falls silent again.

After a minute or so Leon quietly spoke up "You only shortened his life by a day or so." Wolf went very still. Leon continued "You know what he would have faced, in my care. You did him a favor."

Wolf was silent, paws tightening around the glass, eye downcast. There's a pain in his chest, a lump in his throat. His breathing tried to speed up but he was quick to suppress it. No, not going down that road again. After what seemed like a long time he finally replied. His voice is calm, he's back in control, he's pulled his mental armor around himself again.

He turned to look at Leon and dipped his muzzle in a shallow nod, the simple gesture conveying more meaning than words ever could have. Leon responded with a reptilian blink.

"Drink?" Wolf indicated the second glass, filling it to the two-finger mark.

Leon stood up. "I'd better pass, can't miss my launch window." Wolf stood too, took a long swig of his liquor. And acted as if nothing happened.

"Watch your back Powalski. See you in a couple of days, if all goes well." They share a look. Wolf flashed a sardonic, tired grin. "And if not, well. See you in Hell."

Leon flashed a grin back. It's understood. Then left via the secret passageway. Wolf stared down at the empty glass in his paw, then glanced towards the door to his bedroom.

#########

She couldn't take it any more. It had been over an hour and Krystal had heard nothing at all from the other room. Not that that was likely though, she thought to herself, she'd early on discovered that the doors here were thoroughly soundproofed. She tried not to the think of the reasons for that.

Getting up from the bed she bit her lip and oh-so-carefully tried the door. To her surprise it was unlocked.

What now? She couldn't just barge in without a reason. There was no knowing what state of mind Wolf would be in, it could be dangerous, should she risk it? In the shower it had seemed as if Wolf's mind had disconnected somehow. It had been disturbing, had shaken her. Okay what he had done HAD been horrible and would have traumatized a normal person - she shuddered at the memory of the images she had seen – but this was Wolf right? This kind of thing should be pretty normal for him, that's what Pepper had always told them, right? So... if he was such a heartless killer, why had it affected him like that? Something just didn't feel right about the whole thing.

On a flash of intuition she grabbed a pillow and a blanket, clutching them against her chest. Opened the door a bit further and hesitantly looked through the gap, then quietly slipped out. Wolf's bathrobe was way too big for her and its hem dragged along the carpet. It looked silly, she looked like a kid playing dress-up.

The vixen slowly made her way towards the couches, bare footsteps silent on the thick dark carpet.

Wolf was curled up on the largest couch but slowly sat up and watched her approach, saying nothing. She froze. How had he heard her, she hadn't made any noise that she was aware of?

With the blanket and pillow pressed to her chest, she spoke softly "I-... I thought you might like these."

Wolf didn't react at first, it took him a moment to understand what the vixen was doing. He's not used to small kindnesses and, to be honest, he's not very good at handling situations like these. After a few heartbeats he turned his muzzle away and as an afterthought added a quiet "Have a seat."

He had the girl in his peripheral vision. At first she didn't move and just stood there, probably weighing her options.

Krystal wants to say more, obviously, but is at a loss. Seeing no further response from Wolf she finally nestled herself in a corner of the couch, folding her legs beneath her, Wolf on the far end. She kept her posture reserved and demure, back straight, pillow still clutched to her chest.

Wolf isn't sure what to do or say either. Strangely enough the moment doesn't feel awkward, 'tentative' would be a better description. So instead pours himself a refill, takes a sip. Leon's glass is still there too, untouched. He gestures towards the vixen. "Drink up, you've had a long day".

Seeing her hesitate, he added, not unkindly "That's an order." and elaborated "Leon doesn't have any diseases."

Krystal can feel that Wolf didn't mean it as a real order, that it was just his brand of mercenary banter. But did she really want this? Not just the drink, but the invitation to... what? Talk? And where might that lead, she thought, an uncomfortable shiver running down her spine. But refuse and her only option would be to retreat to the bedroom.

And she'd better show Wolf right away that she's no push-over, can't let him establish dominance like this or it will set a precedent that will be hard to shake off later. Things were already bad enough. Don't get too complacent, she told herself, you are not among friends here.

If she wanted answers, she's left with no other option. So she leaned over and retrieved the glass, resolutely taking an un-ladylike gulp. The liquid burned her tongue and set her throat on fire. She fought hard to suppress her gag reflex.

Wolf cuts her a glance, a small sardonic smile playing along his lips "...no diseases that I know of anyway." and watched, amused, as she succumbed to a coughing fit. He said nothing and just leaned back, one leg pulled up, arm with drink resting on the couch's back. Silently watching her.

Krystal managed to control her cough and shot the wolf a venomous look, downing the rest of the drink in one go, as if to prove a point. No coughing this time, although her eyes teared up.

She bit out a reply, voice hoarse "You did that on purpose!"

He shrugged "I do everything on purpose. What's your point?"

Wolf turned his muzzle away, returning his stare to the wall opposite the couch. The large vidscreen is matte black and reflects nothing, which is just the way he'd like his thoughts to be.

Krystal, not to be so easily dismissed and not of a mind to give up, changed the subject.

"Are you okay?" Quiet voice, she's still cautious. No telling how he might react.

Another small shrug. "Why would you give a damn?" When uncertain, Wolf goes on the offensive, lashes out. In this case the words are spoken in a mild tone but yeah, he's not being very gracious.

Krystal frowned, irritation spiking.

"Oh come on Wolf!" she rebuked him "You might not be on my 'friends' list but that doesn't mean I can't care!" and in a more quiet tone "Killing someone like that... I can't even imagine what that must... do to a person."

Wolf was silent a moment, then huffed a breath. He didn't want her sympathy.

"You killed people too, at Fichina." referring to the battle in space.

Krystal flinched as if slapped, ears folded back in dismay. "That's... not the same!"

Another shrug. "Whatever." Wolf refilled his glass, then leant over towards her with the bottle. "C'mere." and Krystal rose to the small challenge, allowing him to pour another measure of the amber liquid into her glass.

"Fox is really okay?"

Wolf nodded "Yeah."

"Where... where is he..? Can I speak with him?"

Now that she switched the subject to something less confrontational, Wolf seemed more enclined to talk.

"Not just yet. Panther's probably not done with him."

"Not done?" That didn't sound good.

"Fox needs to lie low now that he's 'dead'. Andross' eyes, remember? But I can't keep him locked up for what may be weeks. So Panther is fixing that, making him unrecognizable."

Krystal bit her lower lip. Okay...

"May I ask how?"

Wolf curled his lip, a cruel glint in his eye. "Panther is dying his fur. "

Krystal's suppressed a giggle but Wolf had noticed and was already sporting a lazy smile of anticipation when she asked: "Dying his fur..? Oh my."

Now it was Wolf's turn to suppress his mirth. He failed and grinned, cutting Krystal a sideways glance. "Yep. Turd brown."

Krystal couldn't do much more than stare, eyes wide, jaw slightly parted. Wolf lost it and laughed outright, harshly.

"Bwahaha! Yeah, might have to shave some parts too!"

Krystal buried her muzzle in the pillow, smothering a snicker. Then tried to hold onto a serious, scolding expression. "Wolf, that's just childish!" But her eyes were twinkling.

Smirking, Wolf leant over to the low table and scooped up his comm. Sitting back, he composed a number and connected, while activating the comm's speaker function.

"Yo Panther."

Wolf kept his eye on Krystal, a ghost of that mischievous smirk still playing along his black lips.

"Ah hello Wolf. How goes it?"

"All is well."

"Good to hear oh fearless leader!"

Wolf rolled his eye at her.

"How are things on your end?"

They could hear the smile in the feline's voice. "Fox McCloud is a feisty one, he is. He and Panther had a slight misunderstanding but all is well now."

Wolf frowned "Huh. What kind of misunderstanding?"

"Nothing serious, Wolf. You do not yet have to search for a replacement for Panther." was the reply, accompanied by a small laugh.

Wolf narrowed his eye. Panther had just told him that it had been a close thing. Fucking McCloud. "I see." But he decided to not pursue the issue, not right now anyway.

"Are you having fun?"

Wolf can still hear the laugh in Panther's voice. "Panther is quite entertained, yes. Fox McCloud less so." A low muttering can be heard in the background. Yep, Fox didn't sound very happy.

"Are you done yet?"

"No. Panther is new to this and, well, my subject is being MOST ungracious!" In the background they could hear Fox, sounding vexed "You were feeling me up!" and Panther, in an aside while obviously holding the comm away from his maw "I was NOT! Panther simply needed to tape those parts off!"

Wolf shared a glance with Krystal, one eyebrow raised.

"Put Fox on."

Wolf placed the comm on the couch between them and nudged it closer to Krystal. She left it lying there and instead of picking it up leaned forwards to speak down towards it, resting the pillow in her lap.

Wolf quietly watched. Bathrobes weren't made to stay closed at such angles and this one, being so oversized for the vixen's slim frame, was definitely no exception. Krystal's pure white chestfur and gracious curves drew the wolf's gaze and he let his eye leisurely track her contours, caressing each swell and dip in his mind. Or closing his teeth on some parts. It's not like he can help it, he thought, can't just put a plate of meat in front of a starving carnivore and expect him to abstain. With some effort he managed to follow the conversation. Mostly. Luckily Krystal had her full attention on the comm and didn't notice his distraction.

"Wolf?"

Wolf stayed silent, letting the vixen answer.

"Fox! It's so good to hear you, for a moment I thought you'd died!"

Wolf flicked an ear in surprise at her words, belatedly realizing how it must have been for her, watching the report. She'd known about Jared, sure, but when unexpectedly confronted with the scenes of bloody murder it must have taken her brain a few seconds to catch up. And in those few seconds she'd seen Fox, her mind had been taken in by the lie. That must have been rough. And she still came after him in the shower? Fuck. He felt something clench in his chest.

Surpise in Fox's voice, and relief, but overshadowed by worry and suspicion.

"Krys! Are you okay? What did Wolf do, is he still treating you okay?"

Wolf arched a brow but let the comment slide, and instead dipped the flat canine tip of his tongue into his drink, lazy-lapping.

"Fox, relax. I'm okay, I'm safe, Wolf hasn't laid a paw on me."

Wolf grinned lasciviously and growled "Yet" at her, teasing. Or so Krystal hoped. She narrowed her eyes at him and mouthed a silent "Oh shut up". Wolf grinned wider, showing sharp teeth.

Fox missed that private exchange, of course.

"Are you sure? He's not making you say that, is he?"

Wolf frowned. That was pushing it now, just plain rude.

"Fox! Will you stop? I'm fine, I promise."

Silence for a moment, then: "Wait, why would you think I died? Wolf! What did you tell her?!"

Wolf raised both paws at Krystal, palms out, like 'hey, that one's yours' and left it to the vixen to answer. She pulled a face back at him, apparently just as loath to handle the question as he was. Well should have thought of that before opening your yap, he thought sourly.

"Um. Fox, did you see the news report?"

"What news report?"

Now it was Krystal's turn to cast a helpless gaze his way.

Wolf shrugged. But then leaned foward and growled at the comm.

"Panther. Show him."

Sounds. Talking, then a clear newsfeed audio. She recognized re-runs of the events. Silence from Fox for a while... then, as the action reached its closure...

"What the HECK? Wolf!"

"What?"

"Is... is that a fake corpse?"

Wolf bit back an angry retort and instead just replied "Don't be stupid, pup."

Then he angrily killed the connection and leaned back into the couch, frowning, slowly massaging the bridge of his muzzle. Trying to stave off a headache, it looked like.

"Nhh damn, that Fox of yours just does my head in. Fucking brat. Is he always so... annoying?"

"Mmm he's not usually like this. Not as bad anyway. I think it's your fault, Wolf."

"WHAT? How can that be MY fault?"

"Well. You..." she searched for the right words "intimidate him and this is his way of reacting to that. If you could just lighten up a bit you might discover Fox can be a very nice guy."

"Hmph. I have no need for nice guys." he grumbled, only slightly mollified "No wonder I've been trying to shoot his ass down."

Krystal let out a soft giggle. And reached for the bottle.

"Refill?"

"Fuck yes."

She poured them another two hefty shots. The drink was starting to get to her but so be it, if she wanted information she'd have to match the wolf drink for drink.

"He's not that bad once you get to know him Wolf. You'll see."

"If I don't kill him first."

"Yes. There is that of course." Krystal's tone was drily amused.

Wolf huffed a breath.

#########

The small pistol was a special model. It hadn't been particularly hard to get in Sargasso and its purchase hadn't raised any eyebrows. Hey, if a girl wanted to protect herself that was only natural, right? That the weapon held an overcharged energy cell and could only fire two shots, packing the power of a heavy carbine, wasn't any reason for questions either. If a girl got assaulted it'd most likely be in close quarters so a short-range melee gun was the sensible way to go. A pretty girl like you, you'd want to end the fight real fast huh?

The shop owner had been very understanding.

He'd have been less understanding if Miyu had told him that she was planning on blowing a foot-wide hole in Wolf O'Donnell's chest, she thought. So she didn't share that information.

"Stay safe now, miss Snow!" he called after her as she made her way out of his store, her short lynx tail bobbing attractively behind her.

It somehow felt unreal. Not that she lacked purpose or commitment, oh no, her mind was firmly on track. She knew what had to be done and had no qualms whatsoever, that whore's mongrel was going to pay. The bastard didn't deserve ANY mercy, not after what he had done. It was just that she'd never done anything like this before and still had to fully wrap her head around the idea of assassinating someone in cold blood. Hmph.

She set her jaw, resolute, an uncompromising glint in her pretty blue-gray eyes.

The slim titanium briefcase felt light in her hand as she made her way back to the office.

#########

Wolf had momentarily left the couch to get some food. He was crouched in front of the small fridge that was wedged under the lounge's modest bar. "Only have a few lonely-meals here. Your choices are General Tso's mystery meat or the Tofu surprise." He cocked an ear to listen for her answer and wasn't disappointed.

"They both sound like bad adult movie titles. And you want me to put that in my mouth?"

He barked a laugh without looking up, no WAY she had actually said that. "Oh haw! Just for that you're getting the tofu."

An off-color joke, from the always dignified and demure vixen? The drink must be getting to her, he thought, muzzle still scrunched up in mirth. Well that was good, might make the rest of the evening's activities easier. Wolf popped the tray into a small microwave unit, expression lost in thought and waited a few seconds till it dinged, then returned towards his seat, to find Krystal still sitting on the couch but now cradling his blaster in her lap. It had been lying in its holster on the low table, of course.

"Nice workmanship, if a bit heavy."

"Packs a punch."

Krystal nodded, and tapped a claw against the weapon's curved bayonet. "This blade is a bit much though..." and added, trying to make Wolf uncomfortable. "Compensating for something?"

He just laughed it off and pomfed back down onto the couch.

"Why don't YOU tell ME, Blue." he smirked "After all, you were the girl who only a few hours ago lathered down every inch of my gloriously naked body." and watched her eyes go wide, a deep blush creeping across her muzzle and cheeks. Damn she was a looker when she did the innocent-shy thing.

Krystal bit her lip and seemed at a loss for an answer. He decided to end her discomfort and continued in a more serious tone of voice. "Nicely played, Blue."

She looked up, curious.

"I get the message." he tilted his head towards the blaster in her hands "You could have shot me but chose not to."

She met his gaze, azure against violet. Nodded once in acknowledgement.

Wolf smiled and took a sip of his drink, his eye never leaving hers.

"Having said that... you don't really think I'd make a rookie mistake like that, do you?"

Krystal blinked. Had that been a test then? But she'd checked it, the power cell was full. If it was a test Wolf took one hell of a risk. Why would he DO something like that?

She silently replaced the blaster on the table.

"Mm here, have this instead of playing with my gun" and slid the small tray of food across to her, along with a plastic spork, the ubiquitous tool of all spacefaring folk. She gingerly picked the tray up and placed it on the pillow that was still in her lap.

"Bio-coded, of course." he said, giving her the answer for free.

"Oh." This was embarrassing, she should have realized that the weapon had a special safety. Now he probably thought she was naive, she thought with a sigh of frustration. Damn. Oh well no use dwelling on that now, the damage was done, cut your losses and get over it. So she changed the subject. "Aren't you having any?" She took a small bite of the food and chewed. Wasn't too bad actually. Meaty soy chunks in broth with dark green bits that were probably vegetables. Probably.

He shrugged. "Not hungry."

She gently chided him. "Come on Wolf, you have to eat something."

Another shrug.

"Already had fox." Wolf deadpanned.

Krystal stared, shocked. That was the most grisly thing ever, how could anyone even SAY such a thing? It was... it was... She bit her lip. Then put a hand over her muzzle. But it was too late. Maybe it was the timing, maybe it was the casual offhand way in which he had dropped the line, maybe it was her nerves that had been under heavy strain all day. Maybe it was all three. It started as a small snicker, then erupted past her fingers as a muffled laugh. And then she fully lost it, laughing hard!

Wolf chuckled, more at her reaction than at the joke itself. "Heh what? It's true, okay?"

Krystal finally looked up, wiped a few tears away. Caught her breath.

"Goddess Wolf, that was terrible!"

He grinned lopsidedly. "Yeah okay, that was pretty bad." he admitted and chuckled. He didn't seem very remorseful though.

A companionable silence settled between them as she ate. He watched her as she finished her meal, now and then casting a wary look his way. Done, she daintily licked her lips and stretched to place the empty container on the table, in the process retrieving her drink. Then laid her eyes on him, expectant.

Wolf's mind was elsewhere though due to the second bathrobe-failure of the evening. The vixen hadn't noticed but leaning way over like that had shown him more of her wares than was probably safe under the current circumstances.

"Wolf?"

"Oh. Right." He frowned, hastily gathering his thoughts "Okay, you've probably figured out that you're staying here with me, for now."

She nodded. "I understand that you have to keep up the pretense of holding me prisoner and ahh... abusing me as your personal chewtoy."

He winced at the way she said it, that was just a bit too close to some of the lascivious thoughts that had been plaguing him. Dammit was she doing it on purpose? He put those thoughts on a short leash and continued, hoping she hadn't seen anything in his expression. His ears were his tell, Leon had often told him. Ears and tail. Must keep a firm rein on them.

"Yes, exactly. Next few days things are gonna be up in the air, busy, have to get a lot done. I might have to leave you alone for hours at a time while I take care of business. When that happens Jeremy will stand watch over you, you comfortable with that?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Jeremy, the big wolf guard. In here, alone. With me. Oh yes why would I NOT feel totally safe?"

Wolf huffed a small laugh. Her frown deepened and she bit out a tight "What's so funny?"

He gave her a lazy grin. "It's funny that you're more concerned about Jeremy than about me, hah. I'm almost offended. And also, y'know, considering he's not exactly into your gender."

She blinked. "He's not?"

"Nope."

"Jeremy's gay?"

"Yeah."

"And... you're okay with that?"

Now it was Wolf's turn to blink. "Gods girl, what the fuck kind of intel have they been feeding you? Was that in my files, that I'm homophobic?"

His expression demanded an answer but she grimaced, loath to supply an explanation since she'd jumped to that conclusion all by herself. She had nobody else to blame, the intel files hadn't really been very informative on Wolf's love life or his likes and dislikes. She knew it was a narrow-minded thing to think but it wasn't fully groundless. As far as she could tell Sargasso's top-dog hierarchy was all male and made up of rugged individuals who had fought their way up the power ladder tooth and claw. Tough men, apex predators, not the kind she would naturally associate with... that. Wolf himself was a prime example of a male's male, a strong alpha personality with a physique to match. Flashes from the shower came unbidden to her mind and she fought to push them back down. Not now! She bit her lip.

"Ah Wolf, I'm so sorry." and looked as contrite as she genuinely felt. "I'm afraid Corneria has influenced my views more than I realized. I sincerely apologize."

He shrugged. "I'm not offended Blue, I'm just trying to understand you."

She sighed and ran a hand across her muzzle. "That's kind of you but this is really embarrassing. On Cerinia I would have never made such a narrow-minded assumption, my culture and its people were always very relaxed about relationships. If you liked someone, well, that was the only thing that mattered, basically, regardless of gender or sometimes even age."

He raised a brow at that last bit. "Within reason, I hope."

"Oh, um, yes, of course."

He smiled a ghost of a smile "Your people sound like a bunch of pagan hedonists. Running around half-naked in those li'l loincloths, doing whatever with whomever."

He was baiting her she knew but it stung nonetheless.

"Wolf! It wasn't that way at all! We... we were brought up to be well-balanced, responsible individuals."

"Hmm. So you're a good girl, is that what you're saying?"

She straightened her back, sending him a sharp look. "I'm as good as I want to be, Wolf. Or as bad." she added defiantly.

He didn't seem to take notice and took up the thread from where they'd lost it. "So yeah, I'm fine with that. Jeremy's a great guy, I trust him with my life."

She cocked her head to the side, with a small playful smile "You mean you let him have your BACK?" and had the satisfaction of seeing Wolf snort his drink through his nose.

"Mmph! Ah GODS girl, that just fucking burns!" He furiously wiped his muzzle on the sleeve of his bathrobe until he could breathe again, scowling and transfixed her with a scathing glare. It took him only a moment to calm down though, quickly recognizing the quid pro quo of the situation.

"Damn, okay, I guess I deserved that one." he chuckled ruefully, shaking his head. She was something else all right. The girl was a strange mix of chaste innocence and playful edginess, with a dash of quirky humor. Add to that a sharp mind, a strong character and a figure to die for and he was starting to worry for his sanity. How the hell was he gonna endure being cooped up in close quarters with this beauty for what may be days or even weeks? He silently groaned and cursed Fox for being such a lucky bastard. Another reason to kick his ass, grr.

Krystal saw nothing of this, he had his pokerface back in place. "You'll be safe with Jeremy." Wolf huffed, finishing the point they had originally been discussing.

"Having said that, we need to talk about sleeping arrangements."

Instantly the wary look was back in place on her pretty features, eyes narrowed, ears perked, alert for danger. It was justn't just wary, it had an edge of haughtiness to it, as if she were saying 'Don't you even DARE think of laying your dirty paws on me!'

He smirked and almost laughed, damn that was cute. He could admit to himself that he was getting off on playing this game of predator and prey, of hunter and hunted. The wolf surreptitiously drew a deep breath in through his nose, could actually TASTE the sudden spike of anxiety his words had caused. One minute they were both relaxed, exchanging easy banter, even joking. The next, THIS. Unh, that he had the power to do that to her. Fuck that was a turn-on.

Some of those thoughts must have shone through his expression because suddenly the vixen was looking decidedly nervous. Or it might have been the short silence he had unwittingly let settle between them.

"Y-yes?"

He nodded, locking his cursed thoughts away. He wasn't the type to entertain fruitless daydreams. "You get the bedroom, I get the couch."

The vixen blinked, nonplussed. This wasn't at all what she had expected, what she had dreaded.

"Um, okay."

He shrugged. "I know, not exactly what you were probably fearing but there you have it. I said I wasn't going to harm you or Fox." he sent her a piercing gaze "I may be many things Blue, most of them bad, but I'm a man of my word."

He refilled their drinks, giving her time to process the information. After a few moments she had regained her composure enough to offer a quiet reply.

"Well. For what it's worth, thank you for leaving my virtue intact."

Wolf smirked and opened his muzzle to reply with something ribald along the lines of 'the night is still young' when he suddenly realized what the girl had actually said.

"Wait, what? You and Fox aren't... you haven't... um?" he ended lamely. A light blush crept over his muzzle.

He got a small amused smile as reply.

"No Wolf, we aren't a couple yet."

Wolf blinked, confused.

"But, the way you two acted this afternoon... And everyone says you are?"

"We're just good friends Wolf. We're still dating."

"Oh." He frowned, thinking, then cut her a suspicious look. She was just yanking his chain right? "No, seriously. You screwing with me?"

The vixen didn't miss a beat and replied, keeping a straight face. "If I were, my virtue wouldn't still be intact, now would it?"

She smiled smugly at his wide-eyed deer-caught-in-headlights look, finally she 'd managed to score a point, hah! But soon took pity on the speechless lupine and continued "Aw Wolf, what's so hard to understand?" Something in his expression must have tipped her off because she tilted her head to the side and asked "Is there a problem?"

"What?" he'd found his voice again "Oh. Hell yeah there's a problem."

She arched a dainty brow. "Which is?"

He frowned. "Fox is even more dense than I thought." and scowled. "Dammit, did James drop him on his head as a kit or something?" followed by a small exasperated huff.

"Fox isn't stupid Wolf, stop that." she pulled a face and looked away "... it takes two to tango you know."

Wolf narrowed his eye.

"You're saying he tried but you weren't game?"

The vixen didn't meet his piercing gaze.

"Uhh... well... " then set her jaw and turned towards him, turquoise eyes starting to heat up as an ember of anger flared up. Now he had her blushing again and it just added fuel to the flames. "I am NOT going to discuss my sex life with you, Wolf!"

He met her angry stare with one of his own.

"Hmpf. Sounds to me like there's not much to discuss there. " He idly scratched his cheek, thinking, then asked "Is Fox a virgin too?"

"Wolf!" her blush deepened, which was kind of cute.

He shrugged. "Hey, just asking. If I'm going to send him into battle I have ta know if he has issues, right? I don't want him wussing out when I need him most, I- " his eye widened "... oh WAIT, what, is he gay?"

Krystal just stared at him, open-mouthed. Then rolled her eyes.

"Wolf, stop it! He's not a coward, nor is he gay." A small pause before she added "I think. As for virgin, I don't know nor do I care!" she pulled the pillow tighter to her chest, looking miffed.

Wolf mulled that over, watching her.

"He's an idiot."

She shot him a look. "What? Why?"

Wolf glanced down at his drink, slowly sloshing the amber liquid around and around, making a small whirlpool at the bottom of the heavy glass tumbler. When he spoke he didn't take his eye off the swirling liquid.

"You have it all. You're smart, you can think on your feet, you can fight, you're a good pilot." he turned back and looked straight at her. "You didn't cave when I put the pressure on. And I've made hardened criminals pee their pants, let me tell you." and took a swig from his drink, enjoying the punishing burn on his tongue and down his throat. "And of course, all the rest..."

He gestured with his free hand, vaguely up and down her frame. "Fuckin' drool-worthy."

He grimaced and looked away again, slightly embarassed. He hadn't meant to be so open. Must be the booze. He finished on a low note, slowly shaking his head. "Criminal negligence."

Krystal took a slow, deep breath. She'd never been called drool-worthy before. It was novel, to say the least.

"Well." she started "Any romances I may have envisioned were cut short when my planet was destroyed. Oh and then I ended up stuck in a crystalline prison cell on Sauria. And after Fox rescued me... well... things got busy alright?" She growled. Why was she even explaining herself to this ruffian? High time to change the subject. If he'd let her, that is.

"What else is on your agenda for tonight Wolf?" she leaned forward, aiming her words at him like daggers "You've captured me, chained me, intimidated me, hit me, terrified me, embarassed me, switched moods on me so often that I don't know what to think anymore!" her voice had been rising as she spoke. "What's next Wolf? Can today get any WORSE?"

The wolf's ears had slowly been flagging, folding back a fraction of an inch at each of her pointed – and accurate - accusations. Now they were all the way back, laying flat against his skull. He avoided her angry gaze.

She noticed. And understood the implications.

"What? There's MORE? Wolf, damn it, TELL me!"

He finally turned back back to her, jaw set, expression steely.

"We have a call to make."

#########

"Seriously? I can just walk out the door and go wherever, do whatever I please?"

"Of course. And I am leaving as well, Panther has a hot date and he is not going to miss it. Here." and held out the orange keycard he had used earlier. "Don't lose your way now." the cat added mockingly. "But in case you DO, my number's in your comm."

Fox stared down at the keycard in his hand, this was just unreal. He had to fight the urge to pinch himself.

"You guys are all crazy."

"Yes, I think we have sufficiently established that. Now repeat your name."

Fox grimaced. "Seriously, couldn't you have come up with something better than... ew, Jaakko Veil? What kind of a name IS that even?"

The black cat merely shrugged. "Many strange names on Sargasso, Fox. It does not sound too exotic to Panther. Also, for someone supposedly as smart as yourself, you are surprisingly slow sometimes. And you just cost me a bet with Wolf."

"What? I don't get it."

"Indeed." He moved toward the door "Bye and try not to get yourself killed. Panther will come visit you tomorrow morning." followed by "Oh and you might want to get dressed before you leave!"

Panther laughed and was out the door before Fox could reply.

Grumbling, he grabbed the fresh clothes that had been in the closet and got dressed. The only reason he was still nude was because the damn dye had to dry. They'd eaten that way, much to his embarassment, Panther bonelessly draped across the couch while he had to remain standing, holding his carton of noodles in one hand while scooping out its contents with the other. By that time he was thoroughly pissed off by the whole procedure and he'd ignored the cat, not even sparing him a look.

Then Wolf had called.

What the actual FUCK? His mind was still reeling, struggling to process what he had seen. That fox, Jared, he'd never stood a chance. Fox felt a shiver run down his spine. Was that how things would end if he ever tried taking Wolf on, tooth and claw? He liked to think he'd be able to put up more of a fight than that but a small voice kept whispering that he wouldn't stand a chance. That he'd end up exactly like that poor sap, brutally torn to pieces.

He frowned while tugging his boots on, clipped the clasps shut to get a snug fit. The more he was learning about Wolf, the more his worry and distrust intensified. A man who could do something like that had to have some seriously twisted morals. Wolf was a godsdamned psychopath. Did Andross make him into what he was or had he been rotten to begin with? It didn't matter, he thought, all that mattered was that they were in the hands of a rabid lunatic who would go to any extremes to achieve his goals. Whatever THOSE were.

The wolf had mentioned getting a shot at Andross. And that that was the reason that he had let them live. So. If Wolf was planning an uprising against Andross that was something he could get into, if only to protect Corneria and the rest of Lylat. Destroying the maniacal bastard would be so damn satisfying, he thought darkly, he would pay almost any price to be able to wrap his hands around the throat of the man who murdered his father, to squeeze so fucking hard, to see the despair in those dirty yellow eyes as the ape's miserable life ebbed away.

Yes. He'd cooperate with Wolf, if only for that.

But that didn't make Wolf the good guy. The lupine undoubtedly had his own agenda, had his own reasons for doing this. Never forget that, Fox, he told himself, never let his actions draw a veil across your mind, never let him cloud your judgement. He's just using you, using you for his own purposes and for now you have no other option but to play along.

His frown deepened. Play along, okay, but really, what were his options? Panther had said that Wolf was extending a hand by letting him have free run of the station. But maybe that was bullshit, maybe Wolf knew there was no real way that Fox could escape. If that were so then the offer was empty, just for show, and solely intended to dupe him into buying into the lie that Wolf had constructed. He wasn't sure of who exactly but at some point someone had mentioned that Sargasso was on lockdown. There, see? The point was moot, Wolf was trying to manipulate him.

Well Wolf was in for a surprise, he thought grimly. Big mistake, mister, he growled as he angrily shrugged into a maroon shirt, pressing the adhesive tabs together to close the front. You think you're smart? Then you've never played this game with a fox before.

He slid the blaster into its holster and donned the thigh-length black jacket that had come with the clothes. It was a sturdy thing and felt like kevlar or some similar tough composite. Nice. Fox turned its collar up and took a final inventory of the room. The plastic sheets and bottles of dye had been cleaned away, there was no incriminating evidence left of his transformation. Good.

He glanced at the door and inhaled a breath, steeling himself. This was it. He was heading into enemy territory.

#########

Wolf grabbed his comm. The lupine's expression had turned grim as if this were a task he hadn't been relishing, one of those things that were highly unpleasant but had to be done nonetheless. In all fairness, she thought, feeling a twinge of sympathy, he'd sure had his share of hard decisions and unpleasant tasks today. And those were only the things she knew of. What else had he had to do to safeguard his plan and with that, Fox and herself?

She shivered and berated herself. Focus Krystal, focus on the here and now. Never mind what he'd done, more importantly, what was still to come?

Wolf speed-dialed a number, put the comm to his ear and raised a finger to his lips, with a warning look for Krystal to stay silent. Who is he calling? So frustrating, he's not telling her anything!

"Put it on speaker!" she impulsively called out, then anxiously bit her lip. Damn it, that was a mistake, never order Wolf around, you know how he reacts when you challenge his authority. (him?)

He narrowed his eye at her and her heart skipped a beat. But then he relented and actually did as she'd asked, laying the comm between them on the couch as he'd done earlier during the call with Fox.

A cultivated female voice answered the call.

"Wolf?"

"Cameron. I have need of your services."

"Ooh really Wolf? That's excellent! Hold on a second while I check which of the girls are available."

Wolf shot her a glance, ears pinned back, expression priceless. Krystal almost snorted and bit her lip to stay silent.

"Cameron, whoa, it's not that kind of service!"

"It's not?" The woman sounded somewhat disappointed.

Wolf took a deep breath and forged on.

"You know I have a guest, right? She needs some professional attention."

Cameron's tone suddenly changed, was suddenly markedly less warm. "Would you care to elaborate, Wolf?"

An uncomfortable huff. "She doesn't have any clothes, just a flightsuit, need to fix that. And err, I dunno, what do girls call it? A make-over?"

"Ah I see." The woman sounded subtly relieved, Krystal noticed. Had she been worried for Krystal's safety, afraid that Wolf had something bad in mind? It had sure sounded that way. "And what kind of look are you going for, Wolf?"

He grimaced. "The thousand-Lylats question, okay. Sensual. Sexy." and after a moment's thought "Like a proper lapservant, but classy."

He avoided looking at her.

"Leathers?"

"That too."

"Collar and cuffs?"

"Mmhm."

"Muzzle?"

Wolf flicked a glance her way and upon seeing her darkening expression hastily amended what he was probably going to say, she guessed.

"Unh better not."

"Leash?"

He shrugged.

"Sure, might as well." Krystal was silently glaring by now, jaw half open in outrage.

"Hmm. How soon do you need this?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

"Size?"

"Err. Whaddayamean size?"

"Size, height, build. My dear Wolf, you want the clothes to FIT, do you not?"

"Oh, right. Err... about as tall as Keira... but built like Sasha."

"Chest size?"

Not for the first time during this conversation Wolf asked himself what he'd ever done to deserve this kind of punishment. Godsdammit all. He darted a glance at Krystal, not meeting her eyes. It was her chest he had to look at anyways. Ahem.

"… oranges?"

"Just a moment."

The line went silent. An uncomfortable silence filled the room while the seconds ticked by. Wolf caught Krystal's gaze. Her expression had gone from outraged to coldly dignified now, with an undercurrent of sharp blades and intent to maim. He was so screwed. But he couldn't say anything in his defense while the line was still open. Fuck. My. Life.

"Back. All sorted. And we will see you at nine. Mm but Wolf..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure about this?" Cameron started, cautiously but firmly. "I know it is not my business and far be it from me to interfere in your affairs Wolf but... that fox girl seems like a sweet thing. Now her boyfriend is dead and... you're planning on parading her around like some abused battlefield trophy?" Her tone stopped just shy of loathing and scorn but it was there, and she knew Wolf could hear it too. Krystal was intrigued now, who was this woman who dared to stand up to Wolf?

Said wolf's ears folded back and his voice turned hard, implacable.

"That's exactly the idea, yes. You have a problem with that, Cameron?"

To her credit Cameron didn't back down. Krystal was impressed.

"Oh Wolf, don't be like that! I'm just watching out for your interests here. Trust me when I say this won't win you any respect with the people of Sargasso."

"I don't care what they think!" Wolf barked, but his expression said differently. He grit his teeth and added in a softer tone of voice "I can't afford to."

"All right Wolf. Don't say I didn't try."

"I appreciate it."

Krystal only just managed to hide her surprise. Coming from Wolf that was as much of an apology as anyone could ever expect. This Cameron woman must be high on his list of friends if she were able to take such liberties and be let off so lightly. Friends, or rather acquaintances, Krystal wryly amended, she couldn't really imagine Wolf having friends. Then she frowned at herself, what a horrible and unkind thing to think. Since when had she become so callous, so insensitive? Even Wolf didn't deserve that kind of cold heartlessness.

As much as she tried to pay attention to the conversation it was a hard struggle, the sudden reality-check had shook her up badly. This was the second time this evening that she'd caught herself thinking biased and uncharitable thoughts, first with Jeremy and now this. She was dismayed at her attitude, is this what two years of Star Fox and Cornerian culture had done to her, had she learned nothing at all? And when had her Cerinian values begun to erode so badly? What had happened to her empathy, her compassion, her kindness? They were what defined her, she had always believed. And now they felt tainted, corrupted. Sullied.

So ironic that it had taken someone like Wolf to make her realize that.

"Nine o'clock sharp then." she heard Cameron say.

"One more thing."

"What's that Wolf?"

"Bring a first-aid kit."

A cold foreboding silence filled the other end of the line before Cameron answered. The sudden shift was strong enough to pull Krystal from her uncomfortable thoughts.

"Wolf, what have you done?"

Ears folded back, Wolf looked as uncomfortable as she'd ever seen him.

"Just the usual scratches and bruises. You know how to deal with those, right?"

"Wolf. How bad is she?" Krystal winced. If words could cut...

"Cameron, it's been a long fucking day, I'll see you at nine. Wolf out." and he broke the connection, hastily beating a tactical retreat. Tossed the comm onto the table, clearly frustrated with how that had gone.

"Fuck." he muttered.

Silence descended between them.

After a few moments he dared cast her a glance. Krystal made an effort to keep her expression neutral. "Scratches?" and, with a subtle rise in her voice "BRUISES?"

Wolf shrugged, downed the rest of his drink and stood up, adjusting his bathrobe's belt.

"Part of the plan. Finish your drink and go change into your flightsuit." he growled.

"I wanna get this over with."

#########

"All right, we have to make this look convincing. It WILL get back to Andross. He has to believe that I'm... that you're not having the best of times."

"I understand Wolf, you've explained this twice already."

He was procrastinating. He knew it, she knew it.

Krystal had changed back into her flightsuit, still wet from the shower. It must be uncomfortable as hell but she hadn't complained. Not one word. And now she sat on the edge of his bed, those guileless turquoise eyes turned up at him, calmly waiting. Waiting for him to hurt her. Fuck. He hesitated. It wasn't the prospect of inflicting pain that made him stay his paw. It was... well, damn, she trusted him, that's what, she showed no fear at all, the girl trusted him with no reservations. He saw it in her eyes. Could almost FEEL it, somehow.

Was it the alcohol? Naw, she couldn't be THAT drunk. Although, to be honest, they HAD had quite a few shots. He grit his teeth and looked away, jaws clenched. "I can't fucking do this."

Her expression softened. "Wolf..." and actually reached up to lay a hand on his forearm.

"Go on. It's nothing, I know you'll be careful" and seeing his reluctance, added "You've treated me fairly so far Wolf, treated me like a fellow mercenary, respected me as a professional. Whatever else may happen, I'm grateful for that, more than you know."

He heard her words but was at a loss. How could he possibly explain to her why it was hard all of a sudden when he didn't even understand it himself? But she was right. He was being an idiot.

She cast him a sly look. "Don't go soft on me now, Wolf..."

Say what? He narrowed his eye, ears perking forward, body language shifting in unconscious response to her challenge. Oh she sure knew how to push his buttons, he briefly thought, with more than a hint of respect. Had to admire the girl for her spunk.

"Fine," he growled, "don't move," and asked "eye or lip?"

"Eye."

The word had barely left her lips before he clocked her one, hard, his fist moving in a short vicious arc. A classic right hook. At this short range it was blindingly fast and Krystal didn't even have time to register the movement. Her head snapped to the side with the force of the punch.

"Ah OW FU*!" she exclaimed, almost swearing, and blink-blinked her left eye against the sudden pain.

He winced in sympathy. Yeah that was gonna hurt, probably more than she'd bargained for but she took it like a pro. He'd been careful and her brow hadn't split, she was gonna be fine, just some swelling.

"C'mere, hold still." and he got one knee up on the bed, other foot on the floor, half-crouching by her side. His bathrobe fell open in all the wrong places but he paid it no heed, she couldn't see him from this angle anyway. He cupped her chin in his palm and used the fingers of his other hand to carefully probe the area around her brow. "No damage to your skin, eye's fine too, is already swelling nicely." He saw a tear on her cheek, gently wiped it away with his thumb.

"Okay, ready for the fun part?"

He gave her shoulder a playful shove and almost burst out laughing when she just let herself topple bonelessly over onto the bed, landing with a soft whoomph, arms akimbo. "Do your worst." she goaded him, with a small giggle. He grinned and couldn't decide if that was the bravest thing ever or just plain foolish.

"Haw. Want a safeword?"

"Do I want a... what?"

She blinked those eyes at him, placidly gazing at him over the dual curves of her chest. Wolf blinked back, momentarily speechless. She didn't even know what a safeword was? Oh gods she really WAS as innocent as a little lamb. He slowly drew a breath, counted to three, then explained.

"It's a word that two consenting adults agree to when ahh... they're engaging in activities that might be harmful." he felt a slight blush creep across his face. "So umm, no matter how hard you yell 'no' or 'stop', the activity only really stops when you say the safeword."

The vixen had been listening attentively, ears perked, and now scrunched up her cute short muzzle. Seemed to be thinking very hard. He was about to say 'don't sprain anything now' when her eyes suddenly widened in comprehension.

"OH! Oh, I know!"

He just raised a brow.

"It's a SEX thing, right?" and burst out laughing, hugging herself and rolling across the bed in a paroxysm of giggles.

Wolf rolled his eye. Was she for real? Wow. Note to self, no more than three shots of the hard stuff at a time. And no feeding her after midnight, he mentally added, just to be on the safe side.

He watched her for a few moments because, seriously, she wasn't hard on the eyes. But he had work to do. Luckily her giggling subsided quickly and she lay there on her back, chest heaving, lips pursed every time she glanced at him, on the edge of losing it again. What the hell was so funny?

"Oh for fuck's sake." he growled, losing patience, and crawled over to the intoxicated vixen, half-turning to pin her down with one knee resting on her midriff, his upper body angled towards her feet. "Okay, hold still, legs first!"

The flightsuit's fabric was stretched tight across her upper legs, pretty easy job to get some nicely-violent looking slashes in without damaging her underlying pelt too much. This was going well. He made it look convincing, going so far as to lift her legs one by one to land a few slashes across the back of her thighs.

Wolf paused and turned to lean over her "You okay?" She was panting, expression kinda strange. "I'm fine" she breathed huskily, pinning him with sultry come-hither eyes "don't stop."

Wolf gulped. Then manned up and growled a terse "Fine, brace yourself for round two, am gonna do your front" before tearing into her again. Carefully of course. This time it was her belly's turn, not too difficult to keep the damage to a minimum there either, but when he moved higher he had to be more careful. This was the tricky part, there was a danger to the curve of her breasts. Misjudge things and he'd scar her for life and that would just be criminal with a lovely set like those, right? Also, nipples were definitely a no-fly zone.

"Now REALLY don't move, I'm not kidding." Slash, rend, tear. She let out a few small mewling cries but seemed to be okay so he grabbed her hip and rolled her over. Closed a paw around the base of her tail and lifted, bodily picking her up. "Butt up!"

She yelped, head buried in a pillow. He just grinned. Hah, this wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated, was actually kinda fun. "Now don't move. Don't wanna ruin one of your BEST features!"

And proceeded to destroy the seat of her flightsuit, ignoring her muffled cries. Slash. Rip. Slash. Repeat.

Then moved on to do the same to her lower back and, higher, between her shoulderblades. For that last bit he had to lean way over the vixen's back. Her long floofy banded tail got in his face and he spat out some fur, almost sneezing. Pushed it to the side and out of the way.

He shifted forward, bumped into her body and not for the first time since he'd started the molest-the-flightsuit mission was very glad the girl was clothed. Bent over her like this, having started out crouched behind her, put him in a compromising and damn distracting position. Bad canine jokes came to mind but he resolutely forced them back down, ignoring the tightness between his legs. It wasn't helping at ALL that his bathrobe had come undone during the rough-and-tumble either, he mentally groaned. Ignore it. Fucking ignore it.

He did what he had to do and, once done with her back, shoved the vixen onto her side and pulled her towards him, dragging her across the bed. "Arms!" A few more slashes and he was done.

"aAAAnhh..." she moaned, followed by a long breathy sigh.

Wolf froze, poised above the supine form of the blue vixen. She was sprawled out under him, was panting and looked seriously dazed. What the fuck? That hadn't sounded like a moan of pain.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem, riiight. I'm done" and added a resolute "Definitely no more booze for you tonight!"

But he didn't yet move from his position, looming over her on all fours. He licked his lips. Godsdamn she looked so fine lying there like a deliciously-mauled pin-up. Totally munchable centerfold material. Not only did she look amazing, she smelled heavenly too, her normally light musk stronger now and spiking straight into his brain. Oofh. Take it easy Wolf, he told himself, stay professional, stay frosty.

And get the hell outta here before you do something stupid.

He allowed himself a moment more of staring before finally growling "Strip outta that damp flightsuit or y'll catch a cold. See you in the morning Blue.".

Krystal managed a nod and a mumbled "...nightnight Wolf..." and rolled over, letting out a small sound, curling her tail around her behind.

Blushing under his fur Wolf back-crawled off the bed and straightened his bathrobe, re-tying the belt that had slipped loose during the tussle. Felt uncomfortable for a brief instant but then shrugged. If she had caught an eyeful of him, well, she'd already seen him naked in the shower anyway.

He slipped out of the bedroom, firmly closing the door behind his tail.

#########

Left alone in the bedroom, Krystal lay on the bed and languidly stretched her lithe and supple frame. She grasped the tab at the top of her flightsuit's zipper and slowly guided it from throat to crotch, contorting elegantly to peel herself out of its constricting confines, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The ravaged suit slid to the floor, discarded. She stretched again, limbs flung wide and enjoyed the luxurious feel of the expensive satin sheets against her nude body, now criss-crossed with shallow scratches.

She giggled. That had been... amazing.

Fox would never have manhandled her like that. He was always attentive to her needs, always considerate, always so concerned to do the right thing by her. The vixen sighed. She had no idea what he really wanted himself, she realized, had no idea of his desires, because Fox always put her needs before his own. It was like dating the perfect boyscout.

Wolf was many things but boyscout wasn't one of them.

The way he had forcefully dragged her across the bed, the way he had pinned her down, the way he had raked his claws across her body, leaving no part of her inviolate... unfh. She had been at his mercy. Totally. He could have done ANYthing to her and she wouldn't have been able to hold him off, had no hope whatsoever of defending herself against his feral strength.

Wolf had felt like an unstoppable force of nature, she should have been terrified. Instead she had felt strangely safe.

Not just safe but also... she bit her lip, quelling the wayward thought before she could voice it to herself, thereby making it real. She was drifting on the edge of sleep, comfortably wrapped in the liquor's numbing embrace. The scratches Wolf had inflicted on her still burned but she welcomed their throbbing heat, they felt right, they felt good. The day had been filled with challenges, with tests... and this last ordeal had felt like a final initiation, a last hurdle to overcome before being fully accepted into... into what exactly? She didn't know. And at the moment didn't care. It had been totally liberating and she let that feeling flow through her now, her body draped across the bed in naked splendor.

And Wolf...

It had felt unreal. Even in the midst of the worst of the mauling she had felt absolutely secure. If Wolf had lost control, if he had given his inner animal free rein, he could have done so much more than merely scratch her.

She slowly ran her hands down her chest, letting a small whimper escape her lips as her fingers crested her delicate nipples, felt them stiffen under her touch. Her trust had been unconditional, how easy it had been to surrender herself to him, how good it had felt. But it hadn't been a case of helpless prey offering herself up to the hungry predator. No, there had been an unspoken understanding that they were equals, there had been a strong feeling of mutual respect. Of care. That had been such a powerful feeling. Her head was still spinning at the deep and complex currents that had burgeoned from that like a wildfire. Feelings that had run rampant through her body and mind, a barrage of sensations that had been been all-consuming.

Nervousness, trepidation, anticipation, excitement. Consent. Trust. Sensuality. Arousal. LUST.

She breathed a low throaty laugh into the mattress, remembering the moan of pleasure that she hadn't been able to contain towards the end. And Wolf's reaction, confusion, embarrassment, before he had hastily backed off. Hahah, that had been precious. But for all its comic relief the moment hadn't been without danger, she realized, he could have so easily lost control and who could have blamed the wolf in the face of such wanton temptation? She had given him the perfect excuse while he had her under his paws, she had been at his mercy, vulnerable and defenseless. But to his credit, he hadn't. He hadn't betrayed her trust.

She felt a deep flush rise to her cheeks at the small twinge of regret that coloured those thoughts. It was embarrassing to admit but a part of her had longed for him to lose control. She bit her lip, bad Krystal, shame on you. What would Fox say? She lazily rolled over onto her belly and pulled her knees up, muzzle pressed into the pillows while her upper body rested on the mattress. At one point during the controlled mauling she'd been in this exact same position, she remembered, Wolf's fist bunched in her hair and neckruff, gripping tightly as he firmly pressed her down onto the bed, her butt in the air. That left his other paw free to slash precise furrows through her flightsuit, sharp claws effortlessly piercing the fabric and scoring the skin underneath.

Each impact of his paw had sent waves of heat rippling through her body, she remembered, biting her lower lip, each new smack adding its effect to the last until the combined pressure had been almost unbearable, it had taken all her will to not cry out. His rough touch had somehow reached deep inside her and set off something she hadn't known was there. Oh goddess it had felt so good and she caught herself thinking improper thoughts again. She softly moaned, tail moving sinuously from side to side. This position left both her hands free and she dreamily let them roam across her belly and inner thighs.

She'd have to find out how to unlock that wild side in Fox. She KNEW it was there, it HAD to be, she'd seen how fierce and take-charge he could be during combat! She'd find a way. And then... oh Fox. If only you were here now. She reached out with her psychic feelers in an effort to find him but could only sense strangers and Wolf's unreadable dark presence in the next room. She let out a frustrated whimper. She wanted to hold Fox close, right now, needed to curl her mind around his essence, longed to pull him into her arms, wanted him IN her!

She panted and let out a small cry as her hands found the heat at the apex of her thighs, sparking an acute surge of desire. Ahyess. She moaned and arched her back, cupping her delicately-furred mons in one palm, spreading the tender folds of her sex to accept the fingers of her other hand. Her eyes were half-closed as she immersed herself in a slowly-building fantasy of carnal lust. She tried to stay focused on Fox, fought to imagine his scent, his hands on her, the friction of his body, but as these things go her thoughts were not exclusively hers to control and the images in her mind kept shifting. Where her fantasies before only involved her brave fox there was now a kaleidoscopic jumble of males. Fox. Panther. Wolf. Dammit even the guards. But no Leon, thank gods.

She was panting hard by now, maw open, head pressed into a pillow, back arched and tail hanging off to the side, quivering, every stroke of her fingers stoking the languid and growing drumbeat that was throbbing in her lower belly. She was so slick, so wet, it was shameless, it was delicious.

In her mind's eye she was being held down by a powerful hard-bodied male, wrists pinned above her head and held there by strong paws, the back of her neck assaulted by sharp teeth and hungry tongue. She groaned and spread her thighs wider to match the image in her fantasy, pushing back against the male's powerful thrusts, each heavy impact of pelvis against her tight backside sending sharp spikes of pleasure straight to her molten core. She rode that edge of pleasure and pain, gasping, eyes losing focus, the rhythmic pound and grind, the heat, the BURN, they became her whole world as her consciousness shrank down to an incandescent jewel, pulsing faster and faster, it just went on and on and ON, relentless, animalistic, ahGODS...

She was close, oh SO close, was right about to trip over the edge into blissful release when a big paw suddenly reached down and closed itself around her muzzle. Wh-what? The unnamed male forcefully turned her head to the side, closing his maw over her open jaws, cutting off her panting breaths with a passionate kiss, so searingly HOT. His tongue invaded her mouth and her resistance never stood a chance, rolled over in submission. She kissed him back, hard, lustily moaning into his muzzle!

But oh goddess, oxygen, not enough and still the kiss went on, her implacable lover not allowing her to draw breath, he possessed her, he DEVOURED her! She felt herself panicking and struggled but it was no use, she was drowning, her consciousness shrinking ever further down until all that was left was that pure physical connection, the rhythmic shocks to her body, the deep burn, the all-consuming heat, she was close to losing it, her mind slipping, succumbing to sensory overload and the male's heady musk, she- nhahHHhh... AAHHH!

Krystal came HARD, so hard, her body writhing in the throes of the most intense seizure she'd ever experienced. Nothing had ever prepared her for something of this magnitude. She pressed her open maw into the pillows, literally screaming, HOWLING incoherent cries of ecstasy info the fabric as her essence burst in rolling waves from her loins, jolting through her body and mind, the powerful throbbing surges clenching her insides unlike ANYthing she'd ever felt before! AHHHhh goddess she was fracturing, she was unraveling and there was no stopping it! Taste, smell and touch bled together in a kind of synesthesia where she couldn't distinguish between discrete feelings anymore, all her senses crushed to infinite density. The resulting vortex sucked her in, drawing the shattered remnants of her consciousness into a riptide ride of carnal sensuality, cresting high, crashing down, again and again!

The vixen's hips bucked hungrily for what seemed like forever, timelessly moving in counterpoint to her loud cries, until she finally lay quivering, spent, her voice hoarse and only able to produce small whimpers, almost-words, as if she were pleading for her lover to stop, to please please show her mercy.

Or perhaps pleading for more.

A small eternity later her body finally stopped shaking and the spasms subsided. Exhausted and only semi-conscious, she let herself fall over onto her side, gasping for air and totally out of it, basking in the warm afterglow of the most intense sexual experience she had ever had. From deep within faint aftershocks sent lazy tremors through her luscious blue pelt.

Her conscience mind slowly made its journey back to reality. But with that return also came a feeling of dread, dispelling the warm bliss she had been enjoying only moments before. Something was very, very wrong. She hugged herself. What the HELL had just happened ?

She had lost control of her fantasy. No, worse, her control had been wrested from her, had been taken by force, hijacked by... something else. She concentrated, trying to recall what exactly had happened. In small stages it started to come back to her, hazy impressions slowly coalescing into recognizable feelings and images.

Her eyes widened and she bit her lip, hard, tasting blood. Oh no. Oh hell no.

His muzzle locked on her lips, flashbacks of sharp claws, of thick gray fur. A single amethyst eye fixed on her as he willfully deprived her of oxygen. That cruel glint of satisfaction as he watched her pupils dilate in the final moments before she came undone.

No, dammit no. The male who totally dominated her, who knew exactly what to do, who fulfilled her in ways no one had ever done before, who brought her to such ecstatic release... had been Wolf.

She stared into the room's stygian darkness. She was in so much trouble now.

#########

Wolf was alone in the lounge, blissfully unaware of the acts of sexual assault that his imaginary self was about to commit in the room next door. The lights were dimmed and, like Krystal, he was alone with his thoughts.

Her hands on him in the shower. He could still feel them, like a ghost touch that had imprinted itself on his body. It wasn't so much that he'd been naked or the fact that they had been in such intimate close quarters together, nor was it her hands roving down his chest, abdomen and even lower. That had been hella distracting, for sure, but he knew how to deal with arousal.

No, this was somehow different, different and more. When she'd been cleaning the blood from his face, her touch had been firm but delicate, her voice had been warm. He closed his eye and let out a sigh, remembering. He could have lost himself in that moment. No one had forced her to be there, she had no obligation towards him, but there she was all the same. And damn if it hadn't felt as if she really cared, as if she didn't see him for the monster he was, wasn't repelled by him. Even after all he had done, all she had seen. How was that even possible? And after, when they had talked. There were moments there where he'd felt so damn comfortable. He'd let his guard drop, he'd talked with her like he imagined you'd talk to your best friend. Fuck. They'd even laughed together. When the hell was the last time he'd laughed, in a good way?

He couldn't remember.

He growled, scowling down at the carpet. His hormones were making him stupid, he thought. That was it, that was ALL it was! So what if she's not hooked up with Fox? That didn't mean HE would ever stand a chance. But another stubborn part of him argued that no girl had ever touched him in that way. Had never made him feel this way.

He clenched his jaws, grit his teeth. This was madness, stop being an idiot, she could never feel for you. You're not in her league, you're a criminal, you're scum and she just fucking saw you tear a guy's throat out! She's seen you for what you are. She could still have a great future with Fox, or anyone else for that matter, don't go and ruin that for her. You break everything you touch.

Everything.

With a frustrated huff he pushed the damning thoughts away and curled up on the couch, ears folded back. Pulled the blanket over his shoulders and lay his head on the pillow she'd brought him. That was a big mistake, he belatedly realized, as it held her scent. He froze. Shit. He had a simple choice, either deal with his feelings or fling the damn thing across the room and avoid facing his demons, like some lily-livered cowardly pussy.

Well that was a no-brainer he thought with a small rebellious grin and pressed his muzzle deeper. If I'm damned I might as well be damned all the way. He drew a long breath, savoring the heady aroma that clung to the pillow's fabric. Ahhhhyess...

Fuck he could almost taste her. He recalled how it had felt to pin her down, to drag her this way and that across the bed as he scored her body with his claws. What was the word she had used? Chewtoy? Hawyes. And the way she had accepted the necessity of what he had to do and her totally unexpected sensual response to his actions. That had been so fucking HOT.

But she could never be his, he accepted that. Ah but those unforgettable moments in the shower... that had to mean something, right? His mind kept chasing its own tail, circling back again and again in frustrating circles. What the hell was happening to him? He let his right hand drift down below his waistline and groaned, taking a firm hold of himself.

It was just arousal, don't be stupid, it was just his body's urges acting up. He should have expected something like this he growled to himself, it had been awhile after all. Not the best of times to lock himself into forced cohabitation with a girl like Krystal, he thought wryly. Luckily he knew how to deal with urges.

He half-closed his eye and stared at the ceiling, slowly losing focus as he let his mind drift. Long, slow strokes soon got him into the right mindset and he kept a steady pace, letting the images flow freely, letting the rhythm envelop him in its warm embrace. He'd known a fair number of memorable girls but somehow all his thoughts returned to revolve around HER. He gave a small mental shrug. If that's where his fantasy wanted to take him, fine, no harm in that. It's not as if he were at risk of her ever finding out since they'd established that she couldn't read his mind.

It took no effort at all to make her the star of his increasingly erotic thoughts, he'd had her under him on his bed and hell, he didn't have to imagine what that had been like, it had happened only minutes ago. The struggle was his foreplay and, once out of her flightsuit, the action quickly heated up. He moved her into one of his favorite positions and roughly took the vixen, marked her, made her his. Ah damn it felt so real, he could smell her (probably the pillow), taste her (pillow!), felt her tight velvet grip around him, so hot it burned (damn you pillow!). He snarled and sank his teeth into her flesh (but it was the pillow).

Maybe he was a bit too rough but he was beyond caring, this was nothing more than a fantasy and he needed to get her out of his system. Which he soon did, copiously, making a big sticky mess of his bathrobe, abs, chest and throat. He lay panting, stunned, long red tongue lolling out the side of his open jaws. Damn. That had been weirdly intense, fucking epic even. It had just gone on and on and on, making him wonder when the hell it was going to stop. He grimaced, his balls ached. He must have been more pent-up than he'd realized.

He gave himself a few minutes to recover, lying there dazed and glazed, then roused himself from the couch and cleaned himself off with a dry portion of his bathrobe. Then he balled the whole disgusting mess up and nudged it under the coffee table with his foot. Grabbed his blanket and curled up on the couch, wearing a troubled expression.

That had felt really strange somehow.

Sleep was a long time in coming.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey, Miyu's entering the story, how cool. Kudos to those who spotted her in chapter 5 ;P

And ah the lonely-couch nights, I know them well. Poor Wolf heheh. As for Krystal, well, she sure seems to be warming up to SOMEthing. And Fox, omg Miyu, really? Bwahaha. That's going to bite him in the ass somewhere down the line, for sure. As for for the rest of the Star Fox crew and Bill Grey, hard times for them as they come to grips with Fox's brutal demise. I kinda feel for them. Well, except for Slippy. And Miyu, whoa there's a girl with a mission. Wolf better watch his back.

What's next?

Wolf hinted at a talk he was going to have with Andross. And I expect he'll be up to lots of other nefarious dealings, it's Wolf, right? Like taking Krystal out to lunch. On a leash. And Fox, having tasted freedom and the joys of Sargasso's nightlife, where will that take him? And will Panther be his wingman? Will they go clubbing? And where the hell has Leon gotten off to? And what's Wolf going to do about Andrew when he gets back? Where's Pigma? What's going to happen on Corneria? I imagine Pepper is feeling the heat by now, right?

And much more, probably. Like I said, it's hard to predict where the characters will take the story. I'm just hanging on for the ride.

Reviews and comments are welcome, as always! Don't be shy!

Take care everybody,

Ise

Oh btw, on sex in this story, for those who are interested:

This is me, sharing a few words about the erotic stuff.

Writing those intimate scenes was really really hard, no pun intended. It took me by surprise to be honest. Balance was a thing, the scenes had to be long enough to draw you in and make you a part of the action, so to speak. There had to be a believable build-up, a logical progression of the characters' thoughts and feelings that eventually lead to more heated things. And then those things needed to be explained in some detail. At the same it was important to not get lost in TOO much detail because that would affect the flow of the scene, would be a mood-killer, right? And finally, a sex scene can't be gratuitous, it has to fit in the plot, has to be intrumental in helping it along.

That's a lot of things to take into account.

To start with that last bit, did it add anything meaningful to the plot, yes, I can confirm that the scenes were as much about plot as about getting your rocks off. Something is happening between these two, something very significant to their developing relationship and, ultimately, the story as a whole.

As for the scenes themselves, what I like about them is how different Krystal's and Wolf's experiences were. It's the same damn scene, the actions in their shared fantasy aren't in any way different except for point of view. I admit I preferred Wolf's POV because Krystal has such an irresistible heart-shaped butt, ahem, but I digress!

The point I'm trying to make is that they both experienced those moments in their own personal ways. Krystal's mind resonates to the metaphysical and she's a lot more in touch with her feelings than Wolf is. Therefor Krystal's scene is full of elaborate descriptions and allegory. She experienced it as something very complex, good and bad, sweet and sour, it took her on a wild ride and made her understand things about herself that she hadn't envisioned before. Wolf's take on things were more typically male, more simple, more basic. Wolf, well, he just jerked himself off and it was surprisingly good.

Aw sorry, that's not totally fair to Wolf. He actually did his own share of soul-searching. I just can't resist messing with him, my bad. Anyhoo, onwards.

I hope I kept things tasteful enough while not losing the erotic impact. I don't mind the occasional mop&bucket romp in a story but to be honest, the most stirring stories I've read so far achieved their intended effect without having to slip into the ick-zone. As for having managed to strike a readable balance between pace and detail, oofh I dunno, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Did you enjoy reading it, did it grip you, did you get a rush out of it? Did it make sense? Did you ruin a bathrobe? =P

I sure hope so.