The Quadrant Killer Chapter 6: Petal Storm, a star fox fanfic

Author Notes: I know I had mentioned that there would be a final chapter after this post, but there will be no more additions to this story, what was in my head actually melded together into a single chapter. All the answers to many questions are answered. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it because it has been a fun journey that stretched over two years. I can't begin to compare this to stories over 100k, but I poured my soul into every sentence. I hope it is reflected in your enjoyment. Brae rarely finishes anything in his life and it was my desire to be different here with you all. I love the Lylat Universe and hope I did it and its characters justice in this interpretation. I have full intent on continuing writing Star Fox because it is what I enjoy and hope to have you have you as readers on this journey. With Love, Brae. Here's the final chapter: Petal Storm.

His heart rate slowed, and slowed, and slowed. The machine beeped warningly but she pressed a button to silence it.

"Hey, Dougal I'm going on my lunch break." She called from behind the nurse's station holding the door open to the parking lot. "Do you want to tag along?" She smiled.

Dougal goofily returned her warm smile, "Absolutely, Emily. I've got about twenty minutes before the end of my shift. Why don't I meet you at that small diner off of Tiber Street?"

Leaning into the door, she tilted her head and blushed and smirked. "What are you up to Doug?"

Dougal picked up his radio to change to subject, "This is Oberman." He hadn't even pressed the send button. But Emily understood the game and laughed at his attempts and waved as she walked away. He put his radio back onto his belt and pulled a small box from his police uniform and gave a nod and talked to himself. "Dietrich, today's the day. I'm going to take the…"

Falco and Wolf both stepped through the hospital lobby doors. Wolf's glance met with the Doberman's, they both froze.

She unplugged the machine and pulled the IV line running into Fox's arm.

Dougal drew his gun and pointed at Wolf. "No, not today; you get on the floor now!"

Wolf stood his ground looked at Falco and shouted, "Hurry up and get to Fox!"

Falco was ready to sprint.

"You don't move either; put your blaster on the floor. Hands on your head!" He pointed the gun between the two.

The bystanders shouted and looked for cover.

Wolf held his hands in front of him, trying to calm him. "Look, you don't have to do this."

"Shut up! You killed them. You killed him, my brother."

"I haven't been in the region of Macbeth since the war. Would you wisen up, pup? Quit being the obedient lap dog and listen to your instincts. I don't come here to finish Fox or to let you finish old business." Wolf moved closer.

Dougal raised his gun threateningly. "No mind games!"

Wolf hushed him and knelt and picked up a small box, Dougal having dropped it in the excitement. "I think this is yours. Are you planning on getting married?"

Dougal shook his head, "Yes. Please, just let me arrest you. I was going to propose to her this afternoon." His words were beginning to choke.

"I know what that feels like. You can still keep your plans, go and see her. All I ask is that you let me…" He paused and opened the box looking at the simple and yet elegant ring inside.

Dougal lowered his gun. "Let you what?"

Wolf shook himself from being lost in his thoughts. "Someone is trying to hurt someone I…care for." Wolf looked at Falco who gave a nod back and smirked.

"I want to believe you. But I can't trust you."

"Don't make the mistake I made. Take every opportunity to take what you want without hesitation. Else, maybe you'll never know what might have been."

Dougal cursed and lowered his weapon, took a long wavering breath. "Okay, go."

Wolf handed the police dog his ring. "You're going to be late."

Wolf and Falco inched their way to the elevator. They called it and they stepped inside, watching the officer head off, the doors shut with them inside. Falco pressed the 8th floor.

"Wolf, he's really changed you."

Wolf sighed and nodded. "You too."

"I'm honored to be at your side."

Wolf was caught laughing. "If it had been any other time…"

"You'd have shot me down?"

He paused, got serious. "You're a better pilot than I give you credit for, Falco. You'd have been a good addition to my team. I wouldn't have to worry about betrayal."

The door chimed at the 6th floor and the doors opened. An old lady with her walker tried to get in. Wolf grabbed the walker, growled, and pushed the old lady onto her back. She screamed. Wolf quickly pressed the doors to shut.

Falco cocked a brow.

Wolf shrugged, embarrassed. "What?"

Falco rolled his eyes and laughed "Whatever happens, you're signing on with Star Fox."

"Certainly, but I'm taking command. Also, I think you forget the team is called Star Wolf and yes, you can join too."

The doors opened and the moment of peace faded they returned to the task at hand.

"I've got some questions for this girl." Wolf marched ahead in the coma unit. Stopping to see that a pair of attendees had collapsed unconscious, Wolf looked over to Falco.

"That bed should be his, Wolf." Falco motioned to the furthest bed in the corner.

Wolf tore the curtain aside. "It's empty! Where did that little bitch take him?"

"Don't think she could've wheeled him out of the hospital, do ya?" He said as he drew the other curtains aside.

There was a growling coming from Wolf's throat. He held up a petal that he pulled from the attendee's mouth and turned to see a small trail leading to the stair well. Opening the door revealed a short stair leading to the roof, and the gurney bed that had only made it half-way up on its side. Wolf entered and Falco barely caught the heavy door in his haste. He followed him in.

Wolf marched up the stairs and pushed the bed aside until he had reached the door. He kicked it open and the light flooded the stair well. Falco had to cover the sun with his hand to be able to make his way upward.

She had him cradled in her arms like a newborn pup. The sun was high and the sky blue and the city was strangely quiet. Her hostage was limp and was wearing nothing but his patient's gown. Tears had stained her cheek and her eyes were red from her crying.

Wolf took his iron bar and drove it to lock the door into place behind them.

She held him closer as they approached like some wild animal guarding her cub.

"Why did you come here? Why couldn't you just leave things alone?" Sobbing through her questions she turned her gaze toward them. She looked exhausted: her blue fur was paler and less full, she looked sickly and diminished. She combed her fingers through his mane and whispered. "I just wanted to protect him. Save him from the one I could not see."

Wolf and Falco were at a loss for words they glanced at one another for an answer.

"You, Wolf, You…You were lying with my fiancé!" She screamed those words, making her hoarse.

Wolf spoke. "Krystal, let me explain. It all makes sense to me now."

He began to tell the story:

It was an assignment from an agent of venom. I didn't know that until I received my orders and advance payment. Had I known I'd never have done it, not again; but no person pays a mercenary in advance, they can't be trusted. The orders were supposed to be simple, to pick up some natural flowers and fauna that grow on planet Fortuna. The planet only flourishes every ten years, otherwise it's an ice ball; the planet has a strange orbit, that's all I knew. There had been a mutiny from my team and I was…alone. I took my Wolfen and made the trek. I arrived and was surprised to find the rumors true, the planet was tropical, beautiful even. The payment was well over forty-k in credits, not something you would pay someone to go pick flowers in a garden; no one pays like Venom. It wasn't a concern to me at the time.

I cut my way through the jungle until I found a field, a meadow that went on for miles. I began collecting these and placing them in my Wolfen. They were all just like that flower you have there, Krystal. I only know now that the blossoms have a special lure that attracts prey, the entire planet was a predator waiting to swallow the unprepared. The lure captured me and its toxins began to rewire my thoughts, removing my desire to leave. The vines were entangling me ready to have me decompose there and be consumed.

If it weren't for Fox, I would be dead at this very moment. He freed me from the plants and fought his way back to his Arwing. The toxins were still in my system, giving my body a sense of bliss. We arrived at the Great Fox where I was going to be treated but I could not contain myself. I was robbed of my inhibitions and…made love to him on the hangar floor.

Wolf drew a breath and continued. "The flower makes you more susceptible to suggestion, Krystal, your thoughts and your desires they make their way to the surface. I had forgotten all of this when the toxin slowly worked its way out of my body. You've been keeping that flower at his bedside all this time making him ill."

"You mean it was a lie? It was me this entire time? They told me to…" She raised her voice and looked stern.

"Krystal…" Falco began.

"But it makes sense now. I did this. I couldn't see who did this because it was me all along, you don't see yourself in dreams." She shook her head and pulled Fox further in her lap. "The spirits told me they would make it all better. What did I do wrong?" Her voice squeaked in her sobs. She stood and pulled Fox into her arms and held him. He did not return her embrace. Onto the edge of the building she pulled Fox and stood there inches from falling. "I love him, don't you see? You won't take him away from me."

Dougal looked up from his meal and choked on his pasta and pointed.

Emily tilted her head "Are you okay, Dougal?" She followed his finger with her eyes and saw it too and gasped.

Standing on the edge of the building was a person, no, two people with one being hostage to the other.

She shouted "Oh my god, Dougal! You've got to do something! She's going to jump!"

He tried to keep his scope steady but the excitement was too much to contain. He stared as Falco and Wolf stood helpless there. He noticed Falco had drawn his gun and began pointing and lowering, pointing and lowering. The sniper laughed to himself as his puppets danced.

Wolf stood frozen, hesitating. "Krystal! Don't do anything stupid!"

Krystal pulled a final blossom from her pocket. "With one more we can sleep. No more visions, no more self-fulfilling prophecies. Oh spirits, why are you silent now!?" She cried.

"Krystal you can't do this!" Falco shouted.

Krystal whispered the tongue of her ancient people:

"Jece giaohe gio ijkot jou vocaq.

Xo lajke gio fohoqsu.

O ijkot omfizop u cej gio ipe umu."

(I only want you to be happy.

I have seen you perish.

It is you who pushed me, my love.)

She opened her mouth and swallowed the flower.

Emily buried her face in Dougal's shirt as those who were at the edge fell from the roof of the hospital. Dougal covered Emily. Those watching gasped and shouted.

The lonely rifle scope was abandoned now, sitting in the glass room of the greenhouse. A lonely petal dropped against the barrel of the gun. Followed by a wind that shook the flowers and they too began to drop their petals.

Wolf dropped to his knees. His breath began to escape him in sparse gasps. He gulped for air and dug his claws into the roof top's gravel. "No." He shook his head and closed his eyes. "That didn't happen."

Falco dropped his gun and took a few shaky steps to Wolf.

He continued shaking his head. "No. Nope. Not happening." He sighed.

"Wolf."

"No." He told Falco. "It just didn't happen." His voice was convincing but the truth was evident: Krystal and Fox both tumbled over the edge of the building.

"Wolf."

"We've got to find him, he's out there somewhere." Wolf nodded and turned around.

"Wolf…"

"What, what is it now?" He looked over his shoulder.

Falco threw his arms around Wolf and held him close. "He's gone. I am so sorry."

"Let go of me, he is not! He isn't…" Wolf choked and let his body give into his arms. "I can't lose…him."

Falco rubbed his back as the police sirens approached. "It's going to be okay. Okay?" He pulled Wolf back to look into his eyes. "It's going to be fine."

"Let go of me!" Wolf wrestled out of his grip and looked at the distant edge. He ran toward it.

"Wolf! I'll kill you if you try!" Falco shouted.

"I just need to see for myself!" Wolf shouted in return.

"Let's go, Wolf. There's nothing left to see."

Wolf stopped and turned around, there was too much emotion riddling him. He wasn't used to conveying sorrow and struggled to try and keep composure, struggled to keep it in. His nose was runny, his head was reeling, and he felt dizzy and sick. He sat.

Falco stepped over and sat beside him. "What happens now?"

"We could kill who's responsible for this."

"Not in your condition. Your emotions will just get you killed."

"Leave me with my emotions for now, I don't feel these often and want to mourn the loss. Want to feel the pain."

Falco extended and arm over his shoulders. He reached in his pocket with the other and removed a lighter and a cigarette. He nestled into his lips and lit it. He repeated this with a second cigarette intended for Wolf, he placed it in his mouth like a mother feeding a child.

Wolf inhaled. "I don't smoke."

Falco took a drag. "I'm planning on quitting. I almost did once, ya know?"

They both exhaled.

Wolf looked on uninterested.

"When I had known Fox in the academy I tried to offer him a cigarette. Being the goody-two-shoes he always was, he refused me. I have always admired that in him. At that moment I thought about quitting just seeing if that would put me any closer to him."

"…and did it?"

Falco shook his head. "It sure didn't. We hated each other in the academy. I bullied the shit out of him; I have no idea why he put the request in to have me on his team."

"You're more like him than you know." Wolf reached into his own pockets and pulled out a small pair of wings. "These are yours." Anything to keep him from talking about Fox like he was gone.

Falco looked startled. "Wait, what is that?"

"They were your fathers."

"M-my father's!? How did you?"

"Your father told me his last wishes, but I think he's a stupid old bird to think I'd listen to them." He felt Falco's body tense against his and tried to be sincere. "He wanted me to keep it a secret but I don't want to hide anything anymore."

Falco took the memento and thumbed over the name of Lombardi Sr.'s name.

"We flew together during the Lylat wars. I was his once squad mate. He was a mentor to me. We only knew eachother for a few weeks…but in that time I earned a respect for him. I expected more from both of you flyboys. Your fathers were good men." He took a long drag of his cigarette. "Fox was the spitting image of his father." He winced as he couldn't even avoid the subject.

"I never met his father; he was with Cornerian Defense by the time I met Fox."

Wolf elbowed Falco for his attention and used his paws to mimic Arwings. "He was damned impossible to shoot down. You see his Imbleman technique took advantage to the original N-wing model Arwing: they had weak G-diffisuers. If one were to stall just right," Wolf made the motion with his paw, "A fighter would be able to drop right behind his pursuer. This was perfect in having fire redirected at him and away from his squadron. It saved lives." Speaking tactics was easier than emotions.

"Didn't Pig-"

"No. What happened was that that maneuver takes a lot out of the ship. He didn't have the opportunity to have it repaired and during that particular fight his diffuser failed and burst. Gave Pigma just the edge he needed…the coward. That's not fighting."

"He didn't have time for repairs…he rushed to the aid of that colony…"

Wolf let his body relax in Falco's arms. "I saw your father a week ago-"

Falco's feathers ruffled. "A week!? Then he's…"

"…a prisoner of the Steel Kennel..."

"…alive."

Wolf tossed his finished cigarette. "You're a good pilot but do you really think you could shoot down someone who was ace? No…he wanted you to shoot him down, as punishment. He wanted to atone for you. He chose a hell of a time to decide to be a father."

"My… mother…mentioned him occasionally." Falco's cigarette had burnt itself out and its ashes began to roll along the rooftop. "I could see him…free him…just work for Bruno. After that maybe I can get this collar off."

"You don't need to know your father to know who you are. I can tell you how good of a…friend…you are."

"Thank you Wolf, that means a lot."

They looked at one another, into each other's eyes. Falco put his hands on Wolf's shoulders and smiled. The sirens still wailed in the distance and the city bustled with activity. Wolf shared the smile. The flickering of the reds and blues of the police lights made the streets below look purple. A helicopter fluttered above. Falco's face inched closer to Wolf's and closed his eyes.

Wolf put his hands on Falco's chest and shoved him away. "No!"

Falco was shoved onto his back and had looked confusedly to Wolf. Though they had crossed earlier, Wolf's glare pierced Falco.

"The only one I care about is dead. And you try to take advantage of my emotions? You're pathetic. How dare you?" Wolf stood.

"Wolf, I…"

"I don't want to hear it…I'm leaving." Wolf walked to the other side of the building where a fire escape was and began to climb downward, leaving Falco.

He looked to the sky for some sort of answer and then brought himself to climb down after Wolf.

Thud. The bar that was pried into the door began to shake loose. Thud. It inched closer.

A final kick freed the door and Dougal tumbled through and looked about before sprinting to the edge that the two tumbled from and looked down. He grabbed his chest and sighed. He leapt. There was a small balcony on the floor below the roof where the two foxes lay collapsed. He caught himself and checked their pulses and listened for breathing. Their chests were rising slowly and were for the most part unharmed.

He shouted into his radio, "I got them!"

"That's it then?" Falco questioned as they reached the streets, stopping Wolf by grabbing his elbow.

"There's nothing left that we have in common anymore."

"If you walk away now, then we will. You lost someone you love…walk away now and-"

"Well, then don't let me keep that from happening." Wolf pulled his arm away and began turning down the alley.

"What the hell, Wolf? What the hell do you want!?" But he was too far away. Falco kicked the nearby dumpster noticing the bullet hole. He crushed and tossed his cigarette pack into the dumpster and walked away.

…

Darkness faded from her mind but the weight and pain did not. She could still hear the voices and feel through her subconscious the events that brought her here. Each echoed in her mind:

"Gentleman Ursu. Given the circumstances of the accused's allegations and possible ties with the Quadrant Killer, I don't think it would be safe to keep this one in normal containment. I'd like to propose that, because of her ability to access minds and foresee time and her history of mental illness, she is taken aboard the Steel Kennel." It was the only suit he could find and it stretched across his body in a very unflattering way. He clicked his wedding ring against the desk anxiously.

"Given the fact that the accused is currently in a coma and unable to speak on her own behalf-"

"Who's to say, First-Among-Equals, that the accused wouldn't use her psychic ability to influence a decision? My installation has fool-proof methods that could contain her, should she awaken."

It was a quiet tribunal and the public were not permitted to attend. The small chamber echoed with the voices of the Warden and Gentleman Ursu. At the chamber's center is where they kept her while she was resting on a gurney.

"The circumstances are very different from any situation I've had before. Anything to add, General Pepper? Was she not a key figure to the events that took place on Sauria?"

"She was indeed. But I cannot say her motives in her participation or to what end. More still, since then I have lost team Star Fox and two of its members are dead or dying. I'd like to second the Warden's proposal."

She never thought of herself as a monster or as a danger to anyone. She opened her eyes to the glare of a purple grid, her mind still throbbing with her thoughts:

The great bear, Ursu, turned to Ambassador Nikita Fennec. "What say you, Ms. Fennec?"

She gave a deep sigh and nodded.

"Then we'll have her board your station; bring the Steel Kennel into Cornerian orbit so we may begin the transfer of Krystal Futa."

The Warden stood and walked over to where Krystal was lying. He looked down at her sad face and shook his head. "It's a shame, she was so pretty. Thank you." Then he excused himself.

She stood from the bed and took in the small cell and her surroundings: one bed, one commode, one sink. Tried as she could, she could not remember how long she'd be in captivity. A white jumpsuit was ill-fitted and far too large for her, clearly built for a man of at least a foot taller. She could feel a cold breath at her neck and drew a wavering breath before speaking "I knew this time would come."

"Then I suppose you've solved it, have you?" The voice called back.

"You're not a spirit. Not a ghost. You're him. You're the Quadrant Killer. You're the unseen one."

"My, don't try and flatter me, child, you weren't even present to see the magnificence of how it all played through."

"Indulge me."

"I knew my reputation would play a role in all this. Knock off enough merc heads and you're bound to spook the right people. I was aboard your ship before you'd even heard of me. I was aboard your ship and watched you and Fox share the same bed. I was aboard your ship when you had suspicions that Falco was the murderer; fascinating thing about natural camouflage, isn't it? You haven't slept a wink since I whispered into your furry ear." He clicked his lips. "Tsk, tsk. I had such a secret to share and was eager to tell you, because we all know Fox couldn't be the honest one; so you punished him."

She could hear him pacing but she did not move.

"There's a planet called Fortuna. I hid in the back of Wolf's ship when he was sent on this assignment. Venom is cooking up a mind control agent and he was going to start supplying them with the means to grow an important flower. Unfortunately, Wolf could not resist the charm of the plant life there; I didn't dare step foot on the planet and merely did Wolf the service of pressing the distress beacon on his ship. Quaint that Fox would be the one who answered. Guess he didn't want to upset his team by saving his nemesis. The credit for saving the life goes to me."

She watched his shadow move about the floor, watching as he motioned to his chest. "What do you want from me then?"

"I have a proposition for you. But that will come later, I'm still gloating. As you're not going anywhere, I'm sure you have nothing better to do. Indulge me. Where was I? Oh, yes, Wolf had thrown just the samples I needed in his fighter before he fell prey to the planet. After Fox freed Wolf he carried him off in his Arwing. I took the fighter back to my haven on Corneria and began to harvest the samples and grow my own; toxins that potent can be very useful in my field. I gave you my experiments as a means to sedate Fox after you damn near killed the poor chap. Dear me, I'm so excited that I completely forgot to mention that I originally placed the bounty on your fiancé's head, it helped lure Falco out of deep space where he was making a mess of my bounty hunting. You surprised me when you called Bruno out of his Kennel. I could kill two birds with one stone, if you will. Bounties, lovely, easy money dying to be taken; Wolf was a puppet to me, just needed to press the right buttons. Initiating the mutiny was no easy task, but you don't want to hear about that."

He sipped water from the sink and Krystal tried to size him up. "Leon."

He halted his drinking and continued and released his ability as a chameleon, revealing himself. "Charmed, my lovely. Your friend, the tadpole, stole Wolf's ship from me. I couldn't let the secret of Fortuna be discovered so I saw to it that the boy was in no position to share any of my secrets." Leon walked closer to Krystal. "Let me think…I am sure there were more noteworthy exploits. Well my proposal is this; you have a talent that I think would be more useful to me than the flowers themselves. Join up with me." He ran his hand through her mane and held her chin in his hand. "I won't judge you like the others did. You and your talents are beautiful, both, I find to be very enticing. It would help me find the bounties easier, find out what they're thinking and how much they value life in their final moments." He held her shoulders from behind and nosed her chin.

A voice called over the intercom. "Good afternoon all residents of the Steel Kennel, we will be leaving orbit in a few more moments. Please stand by."

"Oaf. Given any thought into my offer?"

"I have the ability to read minds, you poisoned it, but now I can see it clearly. You have already made your decision, haven't you? Before you respond let me say this, have you given any thought to how you're going to get off this vessel alive?"

Krystal grunted and she looked down. She watched the blood pooling through her white jumpsuit.

"You really can see the future, can't you?" He pulled the knife from her.

She grabbed the edge of his flight suit and slid off him, falling to the floor. She held her middle as she closed her eyes.

The room turned red. It went dark. It pulsed red again. A buzzing alarm screeched through the Prison. Leon stood confusedly in the cell and pressed his hands on the grid struggling to see what was happening. He turned to Krystal. "What have you done!? Tell me!" He picked her up by her hair. "I don't know what you've done, but make it stop!"

Krystal didn't respond and more so couldn't.

Someone approached his cell, he was armed and wearing a sleek black body armor. His feathers were grey from age but his beak was dark and sharp. He continued on his path.

Leon climbed along the wall and tried to pull the steel plates free on the ceiling. They wouldn't free themselves. He could hear gunfire in the distance. Failing there, he moved to where the sink was and tried to pull at the pipes. The intercom buzzed and crackled, screaming and gunfire sounded through the Kennel. When the screaming halted only two voices were left:

You? How did you…

I picked the collar years ago.

Explains how you stayed alive so long. But-

Two shots fired and the ship was filled with silence.

The ship jolted, throwing Leon onto his knee. He looked through the energy grid and watched Corneria turn into view. "Wait, what's going on, Krystal? Tell me!" His shouts were answered by no one. Even those in the cells had collapsed from their electrocutions.

It had been a lonely week since he let himself be vulnerable on that hospital top. He spent the day in his apartment before visiting the Downed Hornet, caring less to get caught by Bruno or not.

The bartender, the same old Scotty approached. "Falco? Was it?"

Falco looked up. "…if I am?"

"Hold on a moment you left something here, saved it in case you came back. He reached into the small beer fridge and pulled out a small cardboard box and opened it as he placed it on the bar. There ya go. I'd been curious…why a cake in the shape of a pizza?"

Falco's eyes widened as he looked at the cake. "Why would you save a cake for two weeks?"

"I forgot about it. It began to smell up the fridge. I was going to throw it away today but I've been busy."

Falco popped his gum. "I had a habit of saying 'piece-of-cake,' but over the Arwing's radio…it sounded more like pizza-cake."

"I see. Not that funny." The tender left the bar and began wiping down the booths with a rag.

"Funny every time Fox told that story..." Reaching for another piece of gum he found his father's wings and thumbed them in his pocket, he stepped outside leaving the bar behind him. It was a short walk through a couple of tangling alleys until he reached where he had his Arwing was stored.

Standing outside of it was Wolf.

"Wolf?"

"I've been standing outside this place every evening wondering when you'd realize that you had unfinished business. There's been a distress call from your father."

Far above, the Steel Kennel had turned around. Falco stared.

Wolf opened the panel doors and walked to the Arwing and opened the canopy. "I told you, you're with Starwolf now. Can you fly this thing?" Wolf stepped into the co-pilot's seat.

Sprinting towards his fighter, Falco leapt into the ship and powered the engines. He began preparations and began to take it into the air. He halted the ship, now fifty feet from the city streets, now quiet in sunset. Taking a final look up before closing the canopy, he places his father's wings on his jacket.

There was a great flash in the sky. The ship that hovered in orbit was no more. They could have been mistaken for shooting stars, the parts and debris that began to fall from up above. They could've been mistaken for falling petals from blossoming trees. The smoking pieces tumbled from the black flower that was the exploded ship. They tumbled all around and Falco and he stared in horror. The Arwing was still floating there above the city, with the best view of the self-destruction of the Steel Kennel.

One syllable escaped Falco, "I..."

Wolf stuttered and lowered the ship, slowly, allowing it to touch the ground.

"I don't…"

They climbed out of the fighter and stood in the street watching side-by-side. There was a click and Falco's collar tumbled off his neck, clanking with the asphalt. He looked down at it and back into the sky. He used a payphone for support, falling as the phone fell off its cradle…leaving him on his knees. "I could have known him."

"Stop squawking. I see him in you now."

"What happens now, Wolf?"

Wolf took a seat beside him and shook his head. "I can't say."

A familiar, old voice called from behind them, "Boys?"

They both turned around to see Peppy holding the shoulders of an awakened Fox McCloud.

Falco and Wolf both scrambled to their feet.

Peppy held up his hands to hold them at bay. "Easy, boys; he's still working the toxin from his system, he doesn't remember much."

Wolf stepped forward. "Fox?"

Fox's body was hunched in Peppy's grip and his eyes glanced around the floor and his head twitched.

Peppy sighed. "I'm afraid he may not even know where he his; it might take some time…"

Falco nodded and crossed his arms, "We'll be right here waiting for you, pal."

Wolf stepped closer and out stretched his hand. "Fox?"

But Fox couldn't recognize the motion and his eyes were fixated on nothing, watching nothing. Peppy nodded and backed away from Fox and held his hands behind him, rocking on his heel.

Wolf reached for Fox but hesitated looking over to Peppy, expecting interference. When no announcement of complaint was said towards him he threw his arms around Fox. For a moment he was at the meadow:

"Fox?" The noise rattled his own body and tickled his insides. The silly fox just placed him in his Arwing. He wrapped his arms around Fox as he climbed into the pilot seat.

Wolf could not help but nibble at those ears of his and whisper. "I belong here."

For a moment he was in the hangar:

He laughed as he tumbled out of the fighter right onto Fox. He rested his hand on his shoulders, pinning him down and looked into his eyes. At first Fox struggled to get his paws off him, but was caught by his glance.

"Wolf? Stop looking at me like that…"

And kissed.

Fox blinked and tilted his head as the lowering sun shone in his eyes. "Wolf?"

For a moment he could see in Fox's eyes the sorrow and longing that he saw Falco's eyes when he pushed him away. Wolf cupped Fox's chin and kissed him of his own free-will; after pulling his lips from Fox's his eyes began to well with tears. He could not help but pull him close and whisper. "I belong here…with you."

Petals spilled from the sky as the debris collided with the greenhouse. In a petal storm, the blossoms spilled and fell all around them.