Author's note:

G'day, all. Before we get started, I'd like to manage some expectations and inform you that I have not personally played a lot of Star Fox games. I have, however, read a lot of wikis and watched enough playthroughs to understand the Star Fox universe and make this story as aligned as possible to the canon. That being said, if you notice any factual mistakes, I've made please let me know and I'll make adjustments as required.

The following is a non-profit fan fiction. The Star Fox series is owned by Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and their respective development partners. Please support the official release (even though Command threw Fox and Krystal's relationship into the meat grinder and I'm now making hamburgers with it).

The truth gets harder to face the longer you nurture the lies. Like a weed, deception will choke you if allowed to flourish. The only way to heal is to pull it out by the roots.

Chapter 1: Gifted and Talented

The coach's whistle screamed across the football field. Young boys converged together in two opposing teams. The brown ball disappeared in the tussle, passing from one player to the next. Bodies collided and fell. A dozen voices called out over each other in an indecipherable squabble.

Fox watched from the sidelines. A grin stretched his muzzle as the ball found its ways into the hands of a blue tod. The boy ran towards the goalpost, easily outrunning the less athletic of the other kids. Three were closing in on him, though.

"Come on, Marcus!" Fox shouted. "Run for it!" The few other parents beside him cried out to their own kids, encouraging them with as much intensity.

His blue kit, Marcus, sprinted like the devil was after him. One of his pursuers reached out for him. Just as the greyhound was about to lunge, Marcus suddenly veered out of his path. The other boy caught nothing but air, landing flat across the grass.

The two remaining kids then caught up. Marcus leaped back as the larger bull calf tried to tackle him. The boy was certain that he would bowl Marcus over and his momentum carried him too far. The third child, a dingo, saw the opportunity to come up from behind. As if by magic, Marcus sidestepped out of his clutches. He then sprinted hard again for the end of the field. Before either the bull or the dingo could make a second attempt, Marcus dived past the goalpost and the coach blew his whistle.

"Touchdown!"

Fox whooped with both fists pumped into the air. Marcus's teammates cheered him on as though he had won them the big game. Even his rivals clapped him on the back, impressed by his skill. All the while, Marcus wore the widest grin on his face.

"Alright! Let's pack it in!" the coach called. The kids lined up in front of him. "Great work today, boys. Keep this up and the next game is ours for the taking. Garcia; Jackman; Reinard; I want to see that same tenacity from you next Saturday; got it? Murphy, watch your distance next time you make a tackle like that. You'll only get one shot when it comes down to the wire. Make it count."

"Yes, Coach!" the four boys chanted.

"That's what I like to hear!" the coach nodded. "Alright, off you go. See you all same time next week."

Fox walked up to greet his son. He ruffled Marcus's sweaty fur, pushing down the curl grown out from his forehead. "You were amazing out there, champ. Great job."

Marcus beamed with new life. "Thanks, Dad." He said farewell to his friends as their families all walked towards the parking lot. Once Marcus threw his pads and helmet into the back and strapped into the passenger seat, Fox started the car and pulled out onto the road.

As was tradition after football practice, the pair stopped by the Sector B burger joint on the way home. Fox and Marcus slid into their favourite booth with two shakes, and a large order of fries each. Nothing was better after an hour of running around than a good fry dipped in thick cream.

They talked as they ate. Fox excitedly recounted a full replay of the last match back at the schoolyard. "Like, it looked as though you were dancing around those guys," he grinned. "Then the way you dodged that one behind you… You must have eyes in the back of your head or something."

Marcus soaked up his father's praise like any other ten-year-old kid would. Fox was immensely proud of his son, no matter what he did or how well he performed at it. Being here with Marcus, watching his practice sessions and getting junk food afterwards, it reminded Fox of the times he shared with his own father long ago. His joy faded away as the old memories resurfaced. Something tickled in the back of Fox's head. How many years had it been now since his father died?

"What happened to Granddad?" Marcus asked.

Fox nearly choked on his shake. "What?" he wrinkled his brow. "Where did this question come from?"

"You were thinking about Granddad," Marcus said simply. "You miss him. What happened to him?"

His mind turned blank as Fox set his cup down gently. He stared at Marcus carefully. "You could tell what I was thinking?"

Marcus's eyes darted around. "Yeah…?"

"What am I thinking about right now, then?" That tickling sensation returned inside Fox's skull. He had thought it felt familiar!

"Some old rabbit guy."

Damn! That was Fox's godfather and mentor, Peppy Hare, right on the money! Suddenly, what happened on the field snapped into a new perspective. Marcus hadn't woven around those other boys because he had eyes on the back of his head. He was able to evade them because he had been listening to their thoughts!

"How long have you been able to read minds like this?" Fox tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Marcus shrugged anxiously. "A while now?"

"Does anyone else know? Any of your friends, maybe?"

"No," Marcus shook his head. "I thought I had, like, a cool superpower, just like on TV. So, I wanted a secret identity once I learned how to use it. I haven't been around any radioactive science stuff, so I thought I maybe got it from you or Mum."

"Well, you definitely got it from one of us," Fox mumbled. His thoughts kicked up into a maelstrom of chilling realisations and panic.

'I have to talk to Kursed.' He felt himself tremble. 'I have to talk to Kursed. I need to talk to Kursed.' However, she would be out at work until late this evening.

Fox then saw the worry forming in Marcus's eyes. He quickly quashed his own turmoil. 'Stop it, Fox! You're freaking him out!' Unfortunately, no sooner had he shut down his thoughts, they popped up again persistently. Fox became aware of the various other people dining around them.

"Hey," he said. "Why don't we talk about this more at home, huh?"

Marcus nodded quietly as he and Fox carried their remaining food to the car. Of course, a child's curiosity always overtook their patience. The stream of questions spouted as soon as they hit the road. No, Fox didn't have any special powers like telepathy. By process of elimination; yes, Kursed did. Fox didn't know what other powers Marcus might have. That was something he might be better off asking his mother.

"And one thing I'll make very clear with you: People can tell when you're using telepathy on them." Fox said sternly. The tickle in his brain subsided. "I doubt your friends at practice noticed at the time; but touching someone's mind is like touching their body. They'll feel it. So, don't think you can go prying into people's heads and expect to get away with it."

Marcus flattened his ears. "Sorry…"

"I don't mind if you reach out to me, but you need to have a good reason for it." Fox pulled into their driveway. "Promise me that you'll be responsible with your powers. I know that they might seem like fun now, but under no circumstances should you use them to hurt or take advantage of people. Okay, Marcus?"

His son nodded. That was all that Fox would ask of him for now. He then flashed Marcus a smirk. "And no more cheating at football. Got it?"

"Aww…"

End note:

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but one thing I know even less about than Star Fox is American-rules football. I doubt the Australian version is as well-known across the world.