Note: As it's October, it seems like the right time for this story to have more updates, right? If each chapter wasn't so long, that would be the case. However, I just want to improve upon the original and make it more interesting. Before we move on, I have something to say to two reviewers.
Big Bossk Man 92: Well, Fara and Orlando will appear again, so I wouldn't say that they're biting off more that than can chew. Stay tuned for it.
The White Wolf named Alex: Thanks for the review. I hope that you're ready for what comes next.
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter five.
Chapter 5: Suspicions Arise
When morning came, Falco woke up with a jump. The pheasant was having a nightmare all throughout the night. During said nightmare, Star Fox was going through a black hole, which caused them to turn into blobs. Falco was the only one who remained in one piece, causing his transformed teammates to attack him. The avian could only scream as they enveloped him, dissolving his body little by little. He woke up from this dream before it could get worse, being shaken by it.
As he got up from bed, Falco could hear something in the distance. Curious, he left his room, deciding to see where the noise was coming from. The pheasant went down the hallway, where the sound got louder. It was an odd beeping sound, almost like something was malfunctioning. The moment he got out of the hallway, the avian saw Krystal sitting on the couch, being dressed in her black hoodie.. She was holding a communicator in her hands, presumably working on it.
Walking over to Krystal, Falco saw that she was holding a screwdriver in her hand, using it on the communicator. Not only that, but she had two other communicators with her. It didn't take long for Falco to figure out that the cobalt vixen was fixing them. However, the pheasant wondered why she was doing so. Slippy had promised to get to work on them at some point, but he wasn't.
"Alright," Krystal said to herself, "when I get done with this one, I'm getting some breakfast."
"You're working on the communicators?" Falco asked.
"Yes, but it's because I volunteered to do so." The cobalt vixen said, having sensed the pheasant moments prior. "After all, Slippy was working on his Arwing, so he couldn't fix the communicators."
"Makes sense." The avian stated.
After screwing something on the communicator, Krystal watched as it came back on. Now that it was fixed, she put it aside and went to the kitchen. Knowing that he had to eat as well, Falco went there as well. Once he entered the room, the pheasant saw Krystal in the fridge, searching for something. He was about to offer help, but the cobalt vixen got out of the fridge with the jar she had brought back to the Great Fox. The avian only tilted his head when he saw it, even as the vulpine put it on the counter as she got the bread out.
"Krystal, what is that stuff?" Falco asked.
"Jelly." Krystal said, getting out a butter knife.
"What kind of jelly?" The pheasant said. "It doesn't look like strawberry, it's too dark."
"It's a new blend of fruits that was recently put on the market." The cobalt vixen stated. "The fruits that were used are grapes, red apples, cherries, and pomegranates."
"That's a weird combination." The avian said. "Is it any good?"
"I haven't had it yet, so I can't tell you." The vulpine said.
After putting the jelly-like substance on the slice of bread she had gotten out, Krystal took a bite. The cobalt vixen smiled, looking like she was enjoying the taste. She walked out of the kitchen, going back to fixing the communicators. This caused Falco to go near the counter, his eyes locked on the jar. He tilted his head, looking closely at the substance inside. Nothing about it seemed right to the pheasant, and he wanted to know why.
Sticking his finger in the jar, Falco got some of the jelly on his finger and licked it off. Upon tasting it, the pheasant gagged. The jelly didn't taste anything like the fruits Krystal claimed that it was. It had a copper taste, almost like the avian was licking a penny. He struggled to swallow it, unable to get past the taste. Despite that, he was able to get it down.
"Falco, don't touch that!" Krystal yelled from the other room.
"Sorry!" Falco said. "Want me to put it in the fridge for you?"
"Yes, I'm busy!" The cobalt vixen said.
Putting the lid back on the jar, Falco put it back in the fridge. After that, he got himself something to eat, wanting something to get the awful taste out of his mouth. While eating, the pheasant wondered as to why Krystal would keep a jar full of jelly that tasted awful. It seemed odd to him, considering how she wouldn't keep something like that unless it was for the team to research on. Not only that, but the cobalt vixen had lied to him. The vulpine had never lied to her teammates about anything, as she was always honest to them.
Taking the taste of the jelly into consideration, Falco thought about why Krystal was acting different. Not only was the cobalt vixen lying, but she was avoiding sunlight. It also seemed like her body was rejecting food, given how she vomited after breakfast yesterday. Having noticed the bloodstain on her hoodie as well, Falco began to suspect that the vulpine had done something else to the Bobcat Thug. Not only that, but the substance in the jar was the right shade of red to be considered blood. He had seen enough blood in his life to know its shade.
Why would Krystal keep a jar of blood in the fridge? Falco thought to himself. Isn't she a vegetarian? She wouldn't eat meat or drink the blood of an animal!
"Falco, your communicator is fixed!" Krystal called into the kitchen.
"Leave it on the table, I'll get it later!" Falco said.
A few minutes later, Falco walked into the main room. Krystal had left, saying that she was going down to the docks. However, this didn't prevent the pheasant from having suspicions about her. Picking up his communicator, the avian ran to his room. Upon getting there, he saw that he had missed a call from Katt. He only pressed on the notification, deciding to call her back. After a few seconds, Falco was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Hello?" Katt's voice came out of the communicator.
"Katt, it's me." Falco spoke.
"Why, Falco, I've been trying to reach you yesterday!" The pink cat spoke.
"Sorry if I missed you, but the communicators were down." The pheasant said. "Look, I need to speak to you in private, would you like to go somewhere on Corneria, like a restaurant?"
"Are you asking me out on a date?!" The feline gasped.
"It's more of a private meeting between us, but we can treat it as a date!" The avian said.
"When do you want to meet up?"
"Anytime. I'll see you."
"I'll see you, Falco!"
Once the call had ended, Falco left his room, deciding to head out to the docking bay. Taking the elevator there, the pheasant was hoping to find Slippy. He did, after all, need his Arwing to go down to Corneria. Once he entered the docks, however, the pheasant saw Slippy sitting down. In addition to that, he saw Krystal holding a package in her arms. The cobalt vixen seemed to have trouble carrying it, as the package appeared to be heavy.
"Need some help?" Falco asked.
"No, I've got it!" Krystal said, despite the strain in her voice.
"What's in that package?" The pheasant asked.
"It's more jars of that delicious jelly!" The cobalt vixen stated.
"You've been sent more jars of it?" The avian asked. "Where did you even get the first one?"
"A baker gave it to me as thanks for helping him out." The vulpine said. "If I hadn't, he would've died."
Falco was not convinced by this. It was clear to him that Krystal was lying. The cobalt vixen had said the same thing about the jar, sticking to her story. However, not only did the pheasant know what the jelly actually was, but he had a feeling as to where the vulpine could've gotten it.
"Krystal, I know what's inside the jar." Falco said. "But, what I don't know is why you even have it. Who gave you that jar, and why are you keeping it in the fridge?" Why are you lying to us?"
"Look, Falco, you don't understand what's going on." Krystal said. "If I told you the truth, there would be horrible consequences. Not only would I get in trouble, but so would everyone else!"
"You can tell me, I won't tell anyone." The pheasant said.
"That's the thing: I can't!" The cobalt vixen said. "Please understand, I don't want anyone to get hurt!"
Hearing the slight panic in Krystal's voice, Falco decided not to ask her about anything else. While the pheasant still felt suspicious, he decided to stop asking the cobalt vixen anything. By doing so, it would've probably made her more upset. Knowing that he promised Katt, the avian climbed into his Arwing. Setting a course for Corneria, he decided to head to Katt's house first. He flew out of the Great Fox, leaving Slippy and Krystal in the docking bay.
Once Falco was gone, Krystal let out a sigh of relief. She went into the elevator, deciding to take it up to the main room. Upon reaching it, the cobalt vixen went into the kitchen and set the package down. The vulpine opened it, revealing that there were roughly twelve jars of the preserves she had been eating, like she said. She took the jar she had in the fridge out, deciding to get rid of it to make room. Her stomach ached, demanding that she fed it.
Opening the jar, Krystal got out a spoon and began to eat the jellied blood. She didn't want to eat it, but she had no choice. Either the cobalt vixen ate the substance, or she would have to feed on some poor sod that came her way. This was one of the last things the vulpine wanted to do, despite what Wolf had told her. As she ate, she hoped that it would prevent her from feeding on people for a while. Krystal was eating so much, she only had a few spoonfuls left in the jar.
Careful, don't eat it all in one sitting! Wolf's voice echoed in Krystal's head.
I need to make room for the other jars! Krystal responded with her telepathy. Besides, it's not like I have a whole lot of choices! It's either this, or feeding!
And it seems that the bird is getting suspicious of you, isn't he? The lupine's voice said.
Yes, he even had a taste of the jelly! The cobalt vixen stated.
Don't worry, I'll take care of it. He calmly responded.
No, don't do anything! The vulpine sent another telepathic message.
Relax, it will be an attack from me and the boys. Your teammates won't suspect you. As for you, hang tight, I'll come for you when the time comes.
Upon hearing the message, Krystal found herself unable to move. Wolf had used his telepathic command to force her to hold still. The cobalt vixen let out a sigh, feeling overwhelmed by everything that was happening. It was bad enough that she had gotten turned into a vampire, but now Wolf was going to send his team out to attack Falco. As much as the vulpine didn't want him to find out what had happened, she didn't want the pheasant to suffer for rightfully being suspicious. Now that she was frozen in place, the only thing that she could do was send a telepathic message to her teammate.
Falco, heads up! Krystal created a private telepathic message. Star Wolf is coming, and they're going to attack you! When you see them, run away! I can't help you, I'm stuck at the Great Fox! Please, heed my warning!
Meanwhile, on Corneria, Falco was at a restaurant with Katt. He had picked her up moments before, even notifying her when he would be there. The pink cat was wearing a cocktail dress, wanting to look good for the date/private meeting that she agreed to. As for Falco, he hoped that the restaurant they were at was loud enough for them to have the conversation. The place was rather busy, so it was his luck. Despite that, he had the gut feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Katt was drinking some wine, waiting for the food to arrive. While doing so, she saw Falco looking down, as if he was thinking of something. Not only that, but the pheasant looked bothered by something. Curious, the pink cat spoke up, wanting to know the reason.
"What's wrong, hon?" Katt asked.
"Nothing." Falco said. "It's just that I think that something weird's going on."
"Something weird?" The pink cat asked. "Like what?"
"You know Krystal, right?" The pheasant spoke. "Well, since yesterday, she has been acting different. She's dressing up in a hoodie, she vomited after eating breakfast, she shouted at Fox, her hoodie got a massive bloodstain on it during a mission, and she was eating some weird jelly this morning. I tasted that stuff, and you're not gonna believe this, but it tasted like blood!"
"You're kidding!" The feline said, absolutely shocked.
"I wish I was, but I'm not." The avian said. "Worst of all, she keeps lying to everyone."
"Maybe she just has new tastes and likes to keep to herself? I can't explain the blood-tasting jelly, though."
With everything he said about Krystal in mind, Falco came to a conclusion. He didn't want to come to it, but he did. The worst part was that it was true. Remembering the weird markings on Krystal's neck, the pheasant knew that his suspicions were confirmed. They weren't moles, but rather teeth marks. Everything made sense, from the hoodie to the consumption of blood.
"She's a vampire!" Falco said. "Krystal's a vampire!"
"Oh, hon, there has to be a logical explanation for this." Katt calmly said.
"Katt, it all adds up!" The pheasant said. "I mean, why would she be eating stuff that tastes like blood if she's a vegetarian? Why would she wear a hoodie on a sunny day?"
"Calm down, I'm sure that we can talk to her when we head to the Great Fox." The pink cat said. "Let's eat first, then we can talk to Krystal, and see what's really going on."
An hour later, Katt and Falco finished lunch, having gotten their bellies full. They had paid, left a tip, and were ready to leave. Before they could walk out, Falco felt a chill go down his spine. Knowing that something bad was about to happen, he quickly led Katt outside. The pink cat was taken aback by his actions, but saw that something was disturbing him. She didn't drag her feet, seeing as it was an emergency.
Falco and Katt were inches away from his Arwing. They were about to get in until they heard loud, echoing footsteps. Stopping in his tracks, Falco looked around for the person who was making the noise. However, Katt saw a familiar being approaching them. She gasped, nudging her friend's shoulder. Upon seeing what the pink cat was seeing, Falco only drew his blaster, aiming it at the person who was approaching them.
"Hello, Lombardi."
Note: Oh boy, who could be approaching Falco and Katt? Is it a member of Star Wolf? Is it another vampire? Is it Orlando? Is it an ally? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter.
As I said before, I will be unable to get the story done before Halloween. Maybe I'll have it finished for the next Halloween? I don't know for sure. Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!