A/N: Will you look at that – over a month without an update! Sorry for the massive delay, and hope this chapter doesn't disappoint too much.

And there is such thing as a Bacoon – it was in a Star Fox comic I read. The fact, however, I made up. So anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

/\/\/\/\ Chapter 4: Feeling /\/\/\/\

Wolf had hastily turned in for an early sleep and Leon had left to examine the discs found on the Cornerian ship. Therefore, it was only her and Panther in the conference room.

The said feline offered a wide grin. It was apparent that he, too, was aware of this fact and wanted to make the most of it.

Unsure what was best to do in this situation, Krystal returned a smile weakly.

"Leon and I emptied most of that box there, but some of it is pretty useless." He took out a broken mug handle from the box's depths sullenly. "These would have been so nice as well…If I was in charge of the cargo rather than Wolf, then perhaps some of it would still be in one piece."

The vixen gave him a pointed look. "China would never have survived such vigorous movement, no matter who the pilot was."

Panther's yellow eyes peered over the handle, emotions hidden as they misted up. "I guess so," he agreed grudgingly, replacing the china with the rest of the mug. "We found some clean clothes for you though."

Both pairs of eyes drifted across the table to a folded bundle of pink uniform, its fabric crisp and seemingly light. At the bottom was a pale jacket, blending with the cherry bodysuit like a marshmallow. A helmet sat atop the throne, a deep shade of plum with a grey visor across the eyes. A 'c' was on its centre – the sign of the Cornerian military.

"It's not much," the panther noted guiltily, "but we thought that your uniform isn't exactly…Star Wolf."

She knew where he was coming from. The material clung to her like a falcon's talons, and the tiny aroma of Fox still lingered from when he last hugged her – a whole two weeks ago now. She remembered when the vulpine had handpicked it out for her, claiming it matched with her fur perfectly. They were so happy then, and she had even offered a purple helmet to him.

They had laughed so hard together…

Mentally shaking the thought aside, she reached out a hand to caress the new uniform. This was her way out of Star Fox. This was her way into Star Wolf, to make her believe she was part of the team.

But still, she knew she was hovering in the middle. She really needed to get her act together.

Panther fiddled with his whiskers idly. "I know pink isn't exactly to your taste or mine, but that was the only one Cornerian fighters wear."

Looking up slowly, she couldn't resist a smile. "Don't blame yourself. Pink is perfectly fine." She took the bundle of clothes into her arms and picked up the helmet with her spare hand. "I'm a little tired though. Where can I…?"

The feline offered a broad smile. "There are a number of spare rooms here. I'll show you the one nearest to mine."

Wolf turned onto his side to face the wall, covering his eyes. Even though there weren't any windows, he still felt the urge to shield them from the harsh bulb. A tired sigh resounded above his head.

"It's 11 already," the voice of Leon moaned, bending over to snoop in the drawers. "I recall you were the one who went to sleep early." He took out one fingerless glove, shook his head and replaced them.

Rubbing his temple with a hand, the lupine swung his feet out of bed and made eye contact with Leon. "I overslept. So what?"

The chameleon tossed him his bodysuit carelessly. "You never do, that's what. If it should be anyone, the oversleeping one should have been me."

Wolf grinned. "Did you find anything?" He held out a hand for the next part of his uniform, and the chameleon promptly passed a belt over, a gun still in its holster.

"A lot of interesting stuff, yes." Leon ran a finger over the tabletop's edge as he contemplated upon what to say next. "I would tell you, but then I'll have to say it again, but twice as slow to Panther."

The leader snatched up the mirror, raked his hair several times and secured his eyepiece. "Later, I take it?"

"Please. Panther's probably still in front of his mirror, so make that much later."

He felt his ears twitch in disbelief. "Isn't it his turn in the kitchen today?" Wrinkling his nose, Wolf impulsively dusted down his sleeve.

Leon scoffed derisively. "It was meant to be yours, but I'll take the liberty of doing it." His eyes narrowed as a sly smirk played upon his face. "Don't mind, do you?"

"Quite the contrary," the lupine mused, taking the same leather glove Leon had handpicked and soon found its partner at the very back of the drawer. He made his way to turn off the light, then eyed the chameleon still hovering by the furniture. "Coming?"

He saw Leon's eyes dart to the bottom drawer before he replied. "Yeah."

Ironically, the leader held the door open for his subordinate and closed it after him. "Remember: four plates, not three." He rubbed his right eye in annoyance as the lighting brightened again.

He felt Leon elbow him amiably to acknowledge what he said, before the chameleon left his side to the hissing doors. The kitchen wasn't in their quarters, hence the journey to the kitchen seemed more of a chore rather than the cooking itself.

Opening his eyes a little wider as they adjusted to the light, he took out a chair from around the table and slumped into it. His tail soon gave in to gravity too, and fell through the holey backrest. Tilting his head slightly, he snatched up the nearest sheet of paper and pretended to understand its message.

"'The Bacoon can grow up to 19 metres in its Beta stage…'. What?" He discarded the paper, watching it settle on top of similar sheets, probably with the same sort of biological information. "Who cares about Bacoons?"

He kicked his feet up onto the table to make a point, even though there was no one there to watch him. It just made him feel powerful. Twisting his ankle idly, he inspected the shoe from all possible angles. It was incredibly dull, being in the office alone.

Without realising where he was going, he got off the chair and made his way to the filing cabinet not for more snooping, but for something else.

There they all were, the original Star Wolf. That one moment of his life where he could take full pride into his team and his living. He had liked it then, but now it was extremely dreary. There was no fire, nothing to keep him best amused. Perhaps when Leon felt like telling his news, then the motivation may finally return.

He looked up when he heard the entrance hiss, but soon wrinkled his nose once again.

Panther had one arm around a team mate. Nothing could anger him more. Not only that, but Krystal was laughing with him. What could possibly be so amusing? Why was it he felt so hostile about it though? He had associated this seething feeling with Fox, since it only came up whenever he saw him.

Why now?

He knew he was going to replace the picture with too much force, but it was the muffled crunch from beneath his fingers that confirmed it. His gun felt close, and he almost drew it from its holster.

Instead, he strode across the room to the entwined pair, thrust the vixen aside with a ramming shoulder and took the front of Panther's collar into his grasp. His eyes hardened mercilessly as he brought both bodies onto the floor.

"Good morning to you too," the feline managed to say, one hand inching towards his throat. Krystal was simply flabbergasted.

Wolf raised his chin proudly – it's all about power. "And? What could two colleagues possibly be doing, hands wrapped around each other like a pair of lovesick doves?"

Panther arched an eyebrow with a pointed look. "Just talking. You know, that normally refers to no physical contact like this." He lowered his gaze, but Wolf made no attempt to loosen his grip.

"No physical contact? Then you were full aware of the rules, but decided to go against them anyway?" He laughed cynically for a mere second before slamming a fist right by Panther's head. "So?"

The only reply he got was a gulp. It was evident the feline wasn't going to fight back, and that the statement seemed to explain his actions.

And it was that that almost made him help Panther up and make up. Pretend it never happened, and continue through their day trying to cover up their mistakes. But not everything could be ignored. Not everything could be hidden.

Krystal had complicated things somehow, he was vaguely aware of that. Right now, she was on her side and edging towards the boys anxiously. Eyes wide with confusion, mouth hung open in visible astonishment.

He could sympathise with her, but there was something obscuring his path. It made him feel he couldn't care less, and even made him insult her several times in his head (such as 'look at those pitiful eyes and her constant wining – no wonder she has serious romance issues').

Wolf felt his claws dig further into the feline's fur, and even felt Panther's gullet bulge and recoil as he swallowed. It didn't make him reconsider his actions though. It just made him turn his nose up.

"Please! Stop this!"

He could feel Krystal tugging at his hand, trying to get it off Panther's throat. Persisting, he simply glared at the vixen as a warning. Things could get very rough if people kept getting in the way.

Raising his free hand with the intention of knocking the girl aside again, something raced past his path of eyesight. Following the general direction of the something, Wolf saw a curved knife make contact with the floor, clattering drearily as the blade pointed to the wall.

The leader felt his grip loosen, and Panther took in a few deep breaths for recovery. He only half registered Krystal rub the feline's back consolingly, for he had raised his head to meet another set of eyes by the doorway. They seemed to reflect the same anger he had.

Leon strode over to the wolf on the floor. He gave the other members of Star Wolf a fleeting look before raising a platter (presumably breakfast) higher as he squatted down. "I told you girls were nothing but trouble."

The lupine didn't bother countering that, for it was partly true. If Krystal had never come, then Panther wouldn't be so open about his flirtatious actions. And he certainly wouldn't have reacted like this.

Could this feeling be jealousy? He couldn't believe it – there was nothing logical in him thinking this way.

Wolf watched the chameleon get back up and make a beeline for the table, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Seizing the moment, the leader also felt the need to get to his feet but went into the corridor instead.

He didn't care if anyone heard. He didn't care if no one even noticed. Slumping down by the door, the lupine groaned as his head fell into his hands. His ears flopped as he did so.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than a little time to himself, something that was still within his grasp. Time itself was limited, but even a small handful would be more than enough. Just to get his thoughts straight.

Just one small handful.

/\/\/\/\ End /\/\/\/\

A/N: All right, I know this was somewhat rushed and it could have been a lot more detailed than this, but I wanted all this down in one chapter and plus I had issues where I couldn't explain myself.

So, who's with me? Any improvements to suggest, or do you think it's all right? Please leave a review with your thoughts :)