There was a cool, crisp air hanging over the forest at the foot of Ice Mountain. It was a still air, and a quiet one; as though it were designed to lull the active woods into a deep slumber. And the woods seemed obliged to obey, as few animals or otherwise were willing to break the silence of the young night, seemingly content in finding a moment's rest in the cool air's embrace. All in all, it was a serenely peaceful night.

The only notable exception to this dark, quiet serenity was a small, crackling campfire, one that had been hastily thrown together on a patch of dirt in the most open clearing that its builders could find in their haste. Around this campfire, staying close within the reach of its pleasant radiation, sat Fox, Krystal, and the two, little dinosaurs.

Yet, even though the mixture of the cool, mountain air and the warmth of the campfire should have been creating a peaceful environment, Fox could sense that just wasn't the case.

For one, though he had no idea why, he could tell that those two, little reptiles despised each other. Though he still couldn't understand what they were saying exactly, he could tell that every word they had exchanged thus far had been a mixture of bickering and charged insults. From how virulent they had acted towards one another, Fox was surprised but still grateful that they hadn't broken out into a full-blown fight yet.

Luckily, the two didn't seem interested in talking to one another at the moment, and were instead sitting quietly as far away as possible from one another, while still being within the campfire's warm reach. The winged one seemed to be fast asleep as it sat perched on a small boulder in the dirt. Earlier, it had seemed too tired to be interested in anything happening around it, and had fallen asleep very quickly.

The EarthWalker meanwhile had been a bit more restless before he had finally tuckered off, constantly picking himself up from the patch of grass he had chosen as a bed and readjusting himself; rolling over, pawing at the grass, or pacing around in circles before lying himself back down. It didn't seem like he was frustrated or uncomfortable, rather that he just wasn't capable of sitting still for too long. He had far too much energy for his own good.

Though, before he had eventually dozed off, Fox had also noticed the kid shooting the occasional curious glance in his direction from time to time, as though observing him. Fox could tell that the kid had some kind of interest with him, though what it was, he couldn't tell.

At least he wasn't trying to attack him anymore.

Regardless, whatever tensions existed between the EarthWalker and the winged thing, they were nothing compared to the silent disdain that was harboring in the woman before him.

Currently, both he and Krystal were sitting side-by-side on the same old, dead log just in front of the crackling fire. Fox was busy tending to that nasty wound on her hand, gently wiping streaks of blood and blotches of tar away from the torn flesh with a white rag, while a tiny First-Aid kit lay ajar at his feet and his backpack leaned against the log at his side.

She meanwhile was sitting with as much of her back to him as was possible, while still holding out her injured hand enough for him to adequately treat it. That staff was also with her, laying across her lap like a slumbering child while she gently rested her other hand on its shaft. Her body was tense and her demeanor was on-edge, like she was preparing to defend herself from some hateful threat.

He didn't think she had even looked at him more than once.

He sighed softly, dabbing the edges of the cut as gently as he could. It was pretty clear she had yet to forgive him for whatever he had done to offend her in the forest. He wished he had some means of communicating with her to try and apologize for… whatever it was he needed to apologize for.

He had been tempted to ask Peppy for help coming up with something to say to her, as she had shown she was fluent enough in Saurian to speak to the little dinosaurs without problem, but he had decided against it. Things were volatile enough as is, and he didn't want to make them worse by fumbling around with words he didn't understand.

He sighed again and looked down at the gash on her palm. All things considered, she had been handling it very well. As he had made efforts to slow the bleeding and begin cleaning the wound up a bit, she hadn't protested once, and barely even made a sound, apart from the occasional sharp exhale through her nose, or a couple, quick hisses through clenched teeth. From the way she was acting, it made Fox realize that this probably wasn't the worst injury she'd ever dealt with.

For some reason, the thought made his heart ache in sympathy, and he bit his lower lip lightly while resisting an urge to glance up at her face.

A few minutes passed in silence. He had cleaned up the gash about as well as he thought was possible, and now was time to disinfect it. He knew that cuts that bled heavily didn't usually need to be disinfected, but considering the globs of sticky tar that he had been forced to pick out of the wound and how long they had waited to start treating it, he felt that it was better safe than sorry.

Even though it wasn't going to be pleasant, for her or him.

He reached down into the First-Aid kit and set the bloody rag down, before pulling out a small bottle of military-grade disinfectant. Then, leaning back up while unscrewing the bottle's lid, he opened his mouth intending to get her attention, but hesitated for a moment. The silence was so heavy. It still didn't feel right breaking it.

Even still, after a deep breath and a shake of his head, he worked up the courage. "Hey, Krystal."

Slowly, she turned her head to give him a sidelong look. There were dark rings lining the undersides of her eyes. She seemed very tired, yet he could still see anger and hatred in her gaze, enough so that Fox couldn't help but glance away to the ground timidly.

"Um… I've gotta…"

He stopped, wondering how he could best communicate with her. After a moment of consideration, he held up the bottle to show her while also pointing down at her hand, before bringing a fist to his mouth and biting it lightly. The message was clear: 'This is gonna hurt.'

She barely reacted. All she gave him was a slight, single nod of understanding, before turning her gaze away again, her face blank as ever.

Fox bit his lip, eyes falling down to her hand, the white and blue fur stained with streaks of red. Here goes…

Slowly, he took her hand in his and lifted it up, raising the bottle up and tipping it over gently. A thin stream of clear liquid sloshed out, trickling down and splashing into the open wound.

Immediately, Krystal recoiled, letting out a short, shrill yelp as her face twisted into a grimace of pain. She wrenched her hand away from his, clutching her wrist and clenching her hand tight as her teeth gritted and tears rushed to her eyes. The sudden movement had caused Fox to jump in surprise, almost dropping and spilling the bottle as he did.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He said quickly, raising his hands in apology.

As the sting of the clear liquid faded, she soon started to calm herself down, though her chest continued to heave with a heavy breath, and her eyes remained closed and her mouth agape. Slowly, after a long, deep exhale, she opened her eyes and uncurled her fingers in time, gazing down into the wound on her hand. Then, for just a moment, she glanced at Fox.

Fox could feel himself tensing up for a moment, worried she would be angry with him. However, she instead quickly turned away again, closing her eyes and lightly biting her lip. It didn't seem like she was irritated or angry. She seemed more... embarrassed.

Why? He thought. That wasn't an overreaction or anything. This stuff hurts.

"Hey…" Fox said, as softly as he could. "It's… um… It's okay. You're fine."

Slowly, he reached out and gently took hold of her hand again. She didn't resist, letting him bring it over so that he could continue tending to it. Though, she was still turned away, refusing to even glance at him. Fox wasn't sure, but it kind of looked like she was holding back tears.

"Just a little more…"

Slowly, he tipped the bottle over again and let the disinfectant pour out onto the wound. She let out a hiss as the liquid burned its way into her flesh, and Fox could feel her muscles seize up underneath his fingers. But she didn't pull away this time, pushing through the pain better than a hardened soldier probably could have. Despite himself, Fox could feel a small smile sneaking onto his lips.

"You know, you're pretty resilient." He said, not caring that she wouldn't understand him. Perhaps the tone of his voice would help to ease whatever was on her mind, at least a little.

She didn't react. She barely even moved.

Fox shrugged lightly, setting the disinfectant down onto the ground and capping it before digging through the First-Aid kit, looking for a needle and sutures.

"You're a good fighter too." He said as he came back up with the tools in hand. "You gave me a real run for my money back there."

No response.

Fox turned his attention down to her hand, ready to start stitching the cut back together. This wasn't exactly a forte of his, as he didn't have the steadiest of fingers when it came to more-delicate tasks like this. However, he could make do, though he was sad to say that it wasn't going to be painless.

"You're… interesting too." He continued, right as the needle pierced her skin and he heard her let out a small exhale through her nose. "I've never met anyone like you. You speak a language no-one speaks, and you dress and act more alien than the aliens I've met. But you don't look like an alien. You look..."

The needle passed back and forth across the torn flesh, trailing a thin, sturdy string wherever it sailed. And despite her fingers twitching a bit in protest and a couple of hisses and sharp intakes, she handled it as well as Fox could have imagined. Better than he probably would have.

"You look…" He paused, licking his lips. He had to remind himself that she couldn't understand him. "Beautiful. I mean, you're… You've got to be the most… the most beautiful woman I've ever met. You've got beautiful eyes. Your fur is so soft and so pretty… A-and you've got a great…"

He trailed off, shaking his head and chuckling lightly. He didn't feel comfortable letting that out into the world, even despite knowing she wouldn't understand him.

However, as he turned his gaze away from her hand for just a moment, he realized that she was facing him again. Her sapphire eyes were staring at him with a questioning, almost accusatory look. Discomfort piled up onto his shoulders, and he could feel himself shrinking a little underneath her gaze. His own eyes fell, refusing to meet hers, and instead focusing solely on the stitches in her hand. Though, he could still feel her staring at him for a moment longer, until she eventually turned away again without a sound.

Even though his eyes were focused on the needle as it skipped back and forth across her skin, he found that he couldn't take his mind off of her. He still didn't know what to think of her. Even though it was clear she didn't understand a word he said, for some reason, he still felt like she was getting more from him than she should have been. As if she could hear him without him actually having to say anything.

He tried to shrug off the thought, but it wouldn't go away. Instead, it brought to his mind something that had happened earlier. When they were in the tar pit, trying to save the kid, something had happened that had never happened to him before. It had felt like… like someone opening his head up for the world to see, and forcing thoughts and images into his brain that didn't belong to him. It was one of the most unsettling sensations he'd ever experienced.

The only explanation he had was that she was the one responsible somehow but… well, it just wasn't a satisfying explanation. How could she have done it? Technology like that just didn't exist as far as Fox was aware, and even if it did, she probably wouldn't have possessed any of the like. Then again, that staff seemed to be more high-tech than he had first guessed. If it really did belong to her, as she had been acting, then perhaps there was more to this strange, beautiful girl than Fox could have ever imagined.

I wish I could just talk to her! He thought with a frown. I could apologize, and we could try to work out an understanding. It would be so easy… so simple...

He sighed again as he finished the stitches, pulling them tight and clipping the string with his teeth. He was about to lean back down into the First-Aid kit looking for bandages in order to finish the tending, but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

He leaned back up and turned to see Krystal staring at him with an odd look on her face. His lips parted a bit and he could feel himself tensing again, wondering what it was she was thinking.

There was a frown on her face, and her head was cocked, as though she were debating with herself. She took her good hand off her staff for a moment and began slowly moving it upwards towards him, but stopped suddenly, pulling it back and letting her gaze fall while letting out a frustrated huff. It seemed as though she was trying to compel herself to do something, but couldn't quite make herself do it.

However, after a moment, and a deep breath as if she were preparing herself, she turned her eyes back onto Fox and stretched her hand out, slowly reaching towards his face. Though he instinctively leaned back a bit as she came close, she didn't let him escape, and brought her hand forward until it was laid gently on the side of his face. Though he could feel his heart beating wildly under the position he had found himself in, he couldn't even begin to try to push her away, as his mind had gone a bit fuzzy underneath the light touch of her palm and fingers.

Then, letting out a deep breath, she closed her eyes and started to relax herself, as though lulling herself into a deep concentration.

"Uh… what are-"

"Shh." He shushed him sharply without opening her eyes.

His lips tightened, and he allowed her to do… whatever it was she was doing.

This is weird… This is weird… He found himself thinking. Though, he couldn't deny that some small, strange part of it was a little pleasant. Her hand was very warm and soft on his face.

Her body grew more and more relaxed, as though she were falling into a trance. It got to the point that Fox was preparing himself to shoot forward and catch her if she were to lose consciousness.

However, it didn't come to that, and she soon opened her eyes again, about a minute after she had closed them. Then, as she took her hand off Fox's face and turned her gaze onto him again, she opened her mouth, as though preparing to speak.

But then, she didn't. She stopped herself, and slowly closed her lips again, turning away with a sigh and resting her head on a fist, gazing into the burning campfire with a thoughtful, distant stare.

Fox meanwhile wasn't sure how to react, so he just sat there looking at her with his mouth slightly ajar.

What was that?

He didn't get an answer, so he instead shook his head and turned back to the First-Aid kit with a shake of his head, rummaging around for bandages again.

When he came back up with a roll of gauze in hand, he saw that Krystal had moved her legs up and wrapped her arms around them so that she was sitting in a half-fetal position. She had also turned her gaze upwards, staring up at the sky above with a tired, slightly sad look on her face. It didn't look like she was searching for something, rather that she was just… stargazing. Looking for the sake of looking.

Fox didn't pay it much mind, instead turning his eyes down and taking hold of her wrist again to gently bring her hand closer. The stitches in her palm looked pretty secure, and the bleeding had all but stopped. So long as the stitching didn't break and the wound didn't reopen, Fox was fairly confident that it would heal up nicely, so long as it was bandaged properly.

So, he unrolled a long strip of gauze and, holding one end under his thumb and stretching it tight, began to wrap the sturdy cloth tightly around her hand, with long, slow, circular motions. This was the easy part. Once it was all done and she was on the road to recovery, he could finally sit back, lay down on a soft patch of dirt by the fire, and get some much deserved-

"The stars are beautiful here."

Fox stopped, and blinked, trying to process what he just heard. For a moment, he wondered if that soft, quiet voice had come from somewhere out of sight, or if he had just imagined it. But as he turned his eyes upwards back to the azure vixen, he realized with a shock that couldn't have been the case.

That was Krystal's voice.

"Wh-wha… what did..." He stuttered. "You... did you just…"

She didn't respond. Her eyes were still gazing up to the heavens above, head cocked as if deep in thought.

"You… You can… How can you… H-hello? Can you understand me right now?"

Her face had begun to fall into an annoyed frown, as though she was trying and failing to ignore him. Though, he frankly didn't care at the moment. He needed to make sure he had heard right.

"Come on, tell me! I know you just said something! Do you speak my language? Can you understand me?"

With an irritated grumble and a roll of her eyes, her gaze fell away from the sky to glare at him with a furrowed brow.

"Are you going to finish or not?" She asked bluntly, gesturing to her hand. She was speaking in his language alright, though her words were also tinted with an exotic accent that he didn't recognize.

His eyes flickered down to the half-wrapped bandage that he had momentarily forgotten about. However, instead of continuing, his fists tightened and his face fell into an angry glare.

"Not until you tell me how you did that." He said firmly. "You couldn't understand me before. How are you speaking to me now?"

She didn't look interested in answering. Instead, with a low growl, she wrenched her injured hand out of his grasp and grabbed hold of the rest of the loose bandage.

"Fine. I'll finish it myself."

Before he could stop her or even protest, she had slung her staff across her back and pushed herself to her feet, turning away from him with the intent to stomp away with the bandage in hand.

"Wait!" He said quickly, getting to his own feet and holding out a hand. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean…"

She stopped, and though she kept her back to him, he could see her let out a long sigh.

"Didn't mean what?" She asked, her tone quiet yet sharp.

"I… I, um…" He had no idea what to say. The silence was too heavy.

A moment too long passed, and he heard her scoff. "Typical…"

His lips tightened as shame pricked at his heart, and he cast his eyes to the ground below. This was going about as badly as it could have gone. Blast it, it had gone so well in his head...

His thoughts were interrupted as Krystal spoke again.

"Do you really think I have beautiful eyes?"

The question, spoken with a tone he couldn't begin to read, punched him in the gut so hard that he visibly flinched, and he put a timid hand on the back of his head as his face twisted in embarrassment.

"I… uh… didn't think you could understand me…"

Krystal looked at him over her shoulder, a flat look on her face.

"Perhaps you should be careful what you say in front of others. You'd be less liable to look like a fool."

Fox's mouth fell open as he watched her turn and start to walk away again. However, he tried to stop her one last time, stepping forward and calling her name.

"Wait! Krystal. Look…" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Can you just… can you at least let me know what I did? Can I at least have that?"

She stopped, though she still didn't turn. Yet, it seemed like his question had left an impact. Her gaze fell to the ground, she shuffled lightly on her feet, and her tail swayed slowly back and forth. Seconds passed in silence, until she eventually spoke again. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.

"Nothing. You didn't do anything."

Fox didn't think she could have given him a single answer that could have angered him more.

"You know what?" He scoffed with an irritated edge in his voice. "Fine. Whatever. Tell me if you need anything else."

With that, he collapsed back down onto the log, resting his head on a fist and staring at the fire, his face having fallen into a deep scowl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Krystal shaking her head slightly before walking off, eventually settling down against a tree a short ways away and continuing work wrapping the rest of the bandage around her injured hand. She didn't look at him once.

As if I care… he thought with a low grumble. She doesn't want anything to do with me, then I'll give her what she wants. First thing tomorrow, I'm taking the little brat and leaving her and her flying pest behind.

His eyes itched as he watched the flames dance and wave at him in the air. It was getting difficult to keep them open. After everything he'd gone through today, he was surprised he hadn't collapsed into a deep slumber already.

However, he didn't allow himself to rest just yet. He still wanted to check in with the Great Fox one last time before turning in for the night. So, with a deep sigh, he activated his communicator and signaled the ship in orbit above.

"Fox to Peppy. You still awake, old-timer?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment. No response.

He grumbled to himself. "Of course… Hello? Anyone there? C'mon, someone answer. Pep? Slip? ROB… No, never mind. Peppy? Anyone?"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone shuffling and making their way across the bridge.

"Heya, Fox." Came Peppy's gravelly, clearly tired voice. "How are…"

Fox heard the rabbit pause and let out a long, loud yawn. He sighed.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"What? N-no, of course…" Another long yawn. "Of course not. Just resting my eyes for a bit."

"Yeah, okay. Just wanted to check up with you for a minute before I turned in for the night."

"Really? Alright then. Things are going about the same for us up here. Nothing to mention. What about you? How's the EarthWalker doing, and that girl you were talking about?"

"The kid's fine. We set up a camp near the pit, and he's fallen asleep."

"And the girl? Uh… what was her name?"

Fox's face fell into a frown "Krystal. She's… I don't know. She's still mad about something, and I have no idea what it is. It's frustrating."

"Hmmm… If you'd like, I'm still available to translate what she says. Assuming she's speaking Saurian."

"N-no, that's not…" The vulpine sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't think that's necessary anymore. She suddenly decided to start speaking Basic out of the blue."

"What? Son, you're gonna have to be more clear."

"I am being clear. She… I don't know, she did something, and then all of a sudden she can understand everything I say, and talk back perfectly. I don't know how, but it's like she learned the entire language in seconds."

"So… you're saying she's fluent in Lylat Basic now?"

"As far as I can tell."

There was silence for a moment, as though Peppy were thinking to himself.

"Pep?"

"What are her intentions?" He asked, the tone of his voice making it clear he was weighing options in his head. "Did she say who she is and why she's here?"

Fox scoffed. "Who knows? I don't think she's interested in telling me anything."

Peppy didn't seem swayed. "Well, if you want my advice son, I'd recommend that first thing in the morning, you talk to this girl and ask if she'd be willing to tag along on your adventure for a little bit."

"W-what?" Fox laughed in shock and shook his head. "You're joking, right?"

"Absolutely not. What makes you think I'm joking?"

"I-I'm not gonna-"

He was cut off.

"Fox, I'm sure you've noticed that this little system we've got here isn't working so well. I'm trying to learn this language as fast as I can, but if you need to talk to this world's tribes in order to figure out what's going on and how to stop it, then we're not going to have time for you to stand around awkwardly while I listen in and try to feed words to you."

"I-I know that. But as soon as Slippy finishes the translator-"

"I don't know how long that's going to take. The slimy little frog won't give me a straight answer. It could take days for all we know."

"Okay, but-"

"But, if this girl is really fluent in both languages, then I think you can see where my train of thought is headed."

She can translate for me… Was the thought that popped up.

"Exactly." Peppy responded as though he had read Fox's mind.

"But, Peppy-"

"No 'buts'! Fox, I don't understand why you're not jumping on this idea. I'm sure we can scrape together the funding to pay this girl if that's what she's after, and as soon as the blasted translator is actually finished, then you can send her on her way. Or you can stick together if you decide she'd still be useful. What's so terrible about that?"

"It's just…" He didn't know what to say.

"Think about the big picture, son. We're trying to save a planet here. We need every advantage we can take."

"I… I just…" He eventually sighed in defeat and rubbed his eyes. "You're right. You're right. As always."

"Of course I am."

Fox could hear a loud creak, likely as the rabbit leaned back in his chair, followed by another long, drawn-out yawn. The vulpine rolled his eyes, and a smile crossed his lips.

"Hey, if you're tired up there, then you don't need to stay up on my account. You need your sleep, old-timer."

"Go soak your head. And I should say the same to you. You've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"Yeah…" And I'm really not looking forward to it…

"Well, good night then. If there are bed bugs down there, don't let 'em bite."

With that, the signal was cut, and Fox was left with nothing but the crackle of the campfire to keep him company.

He let out a long yawn of his own and leaned forward so that he was resting his arms on his knees. His eyes fell down to his boots. They, along with the lower half of his pants, had been stained totally black with a thick coat of drying tar. He was tempted to take them off, but he decided against it. He wasn't going to be able to clean them without a good supply of water, and it's not like they'd bother him while he slept. So, he decided to worry about it later.

He turned his eyes up, idly looking back and forth across the denizens of the small camp. The winged dino hadn't stirred from its slumber, and the same could be said for the little EarthWalker as it lay on its side, snoring softly. They both seemed to be as at peace as they could have been.

Then, with an exhale, he turned his gaze over to Krystal. She was curled up against the same tree, laying motionless. It looked as though she had fallen asleep as well. Her chest was rising and falling slowly, and there was a surprisingly peaceful look on her face as her eyes were shut tight. Her knees had been brought to her chest, and both her arms and her tail were wrapped around her legs as though trying to keep herself warm.

Come to think about it, Fox realized that she was laying pretty far from the fire. It must have been cold over there.

He bit his lip as his eyes flickered between where she lay and where his backpack was sitting. Eventually, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he got up to his feet and sauntered over to the pack. Flipping open the top, he reached inside and pulled out a small but heavy thermal blanket.

Then, he slowly and quietly tip-toed over to where she lay, spreading the blanket out and laying it over her body as gently and as quietly as he could. She stirred slightly and let out a soft exhale as she settled into the blanket's warm embrace, but her eyes didn't open. She was still deep asleep.

Fox let out a grumble and turned away, leaving her to sleep alone. Let's see if she appreciates that at all…

Walking back over to the fire, he chose a soft patch of grass to lay on and settled himself down onto his back. He had to pick out a couple of sharp rocks from underneath and discard them, but after just a couple minutes, he had gotten himself about as comfortable as he thought possible.

Then laying his head back and eyes staring up to the sky, he tried to clear his mind long enough for his eyes to close and fall asleep. It was difficult, as the events of the day kept nagging at him and demanding his attention, but he soon found a way to silence those loud, annoying thoughts.

And that was by turning his attention to the stars above.

They were so bright, and so clear. He'd seen plenty of stars before. He'd even flown up there among them. Yet, something about these stars felt… different. The way they shimmered through the invisible atmosphere, and the way they formed shapes and patterns in the black, crystal-clear sky. Rivers and waves and gentle splashes of thousands upon thousands of shining gemstones, all of different sizes and intensities.

As sleep finally began to tug at his eyelids and his mind began to darken, he found that he was left with one, last thought.

She was right… The stars are beautiful here…

Author's Note: I don't think I have too much to say about this one, other than I'm happy with it overall. I hope it's met everyone's expectations, and if not, please feel free to let me know what you think I could have done better. I always appreciate some constructive criticism.

Thanks so much for viewing and reviewing. I wish you all a good day, and I hope to see you all around sometime. Cheers.

Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman.