Yeah, I know it's been awhile, but life's been hell, so whatever. Enjoy!

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Pacing up and down the hull of the ship, Slippy's face stared down, a blank look on his face. For days, the passengers of the Great Fox have waited for a transmission signal, a sign that their leader and friend was still alive. But so far, none had come.

Falco sat in a chair in the living room, staring out at the clusters of stars. Usually the sight of space lit up their faces, but now it was just a sad memory. The stars had been Fox's favorite sight, just looking at them had put him under a trance.

Sighing, the bird rose. "Slip, c'mon, we gotta hit the beds." Slippy stood still, pausing his constant shuffling for only a moment.

"But...but I can't sleep." Slippy shuddered and looked up at the avian, his eyes bloodshot. "I haven't in days. I just...just...can't stop thinking...about-" Slippy was cut off by Falco, slicing the air with his wing.

"I know, Slip. But ya gotta try and hold on. Not just for me, but for Peppy, the general..." He paused and walked over to Krystal's door down the hall. Leaning against it, he heard sniffling. It had been going on for 76 hours straight.

"...for Krystal. Please, Slip, you gotta hold on."

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Fox and Wolf wandered aimlessly through the thick of the woods, hopelessly lost. Fox continuously tapped his wrist communicator, hoping it would spring to life, but to no avail. Wolf was getting angrier and angrier as nothing came to them, and after awhile he got so fed up he punched a nearby boulder.

Fox jumped at the surprising sound behind him. He turned to see Wolf breathing heavily, his paw dripping with blood. The boulder had a fist-shaped crater in it. "What the hell, Wolf?"

"Pup, I can't do this anymore! There's gotta be another way!"

Fox gritted his teeth. He hated Wolf's little taunting pet name for him. "Well, Wolf," he sighed, "what do you suppose we do?"

"I...I don't know." The lupine shook his head. "Maybe..."

He was interrupted by a vibrating from the ground. Through the row of trees opposite the space animas emerged about two hundred of the red-faced beings Fox had been ambushed by before. He remembered them clearly.

"Damn..." he said under his breath, so only Wolf could hear.

"You've seen these before?" Fox simply nodded, looking at the ground. He remembered having to fight off these thugs, and there had been less of them before. About fifty towered above the rest. "Well, what should we do?"

Fox's mind raced. These guys wouldn't let up. If he was on a mission, he'd have to go easy, in case one of them had information. But his days of missions were over. Now, his only mission was to survive and get out, and the creatures just stood in the way. No holding back.

He looked up, wearing a smirk unfamiliar to Wolf. "Kill them."

Wolf looked at him a second, wondering what was going on with Fox. Whatever it was, it made him even more lethal – and Wolf was enjoying it. He chuckled. '"With pleasure."

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Ooh, slight hanger there. So, your choices are to imagine any type of punishment these two dish out, or wait for the next chapter (It'll come soon, promise!) Later!