Don't you hate writing big points in a story? I think it's hard. Thinking of a main plot line, making sure every single detail is in check...and after all that, it may not even turn out that great! I really hope that doesn't happen with this; I thought about it a lot and desperately tried to piece together all the random snips that I felt I HAD to put in. Here's my result. I'm not calling it a "climax", 'cuz I'm not even sure it's the end. We'll all just have to wait on that one, huh? Okay, here we go...
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Stillness. Nothingness. Trapped in emptiness, floating through infinity. That's what it felt like. And sometimes, when he really thought about it, he didn't feel like he even existed.
The sensation was not death; it wasn't the end. He knew this. If he were at the end, he wouldn't even know what he was doing. He couldn't possibly have died, because how else would he be thinking? Feeling?
He did a mental self-check. His name was Fox. The name was stupid; he remembered always thinking that. He was a fox. Obviously. He was born on Corneria. He was 27...no, 28? 21? That he couldn't remember. But he could remember his fur...it was copper, sometimes appearing red as fire, sometimes golden, like wheat or the setting sun. His eyes...well, how often did he see his eyes anyway? Green, something told him.
Finally, a sound pierced the silence. A drumbeat. It sounded far-off, but Fox wasn't able to move any closer. He simple closed his eyes and listened. The rhythm seemed familiar somehow...but he still couldn't remember.
Without warning, an echo of a plucked string cut through the pounding of the drums. The twanging of a guitar erupted from opposite the addicting rhythm of the drums, melding with the beats to become some sort of melody.
This melody was not soft, in no way subtle or soothing. The sound was loud, and yet seemed familiar and almost relieving. The music sent a shot of adrenaline through the vulpine. He felt himself almost floating, being carried by the music. Behind him, the notes of the familiar rock ballad followed, lifting him through the abyss. His heart soared as he was taken higher and higher.
Suddenly, he noticed something in the distance. It resembled a big cloud of gas more than anything else. It was mainly a deep purple, identical to a bruise. However, pink flashes reverberated hypnotically from its core. As Fox neared the cloud, it abruptly changed form. Fox looked on as the shrouded, maroon mist before him transformed into what seemed to be a huge hand. The hand reached out, its ghostly fingers growing closer, closer...
Without warning, a bright light cut through the hand like a knife. The hand dissolved, and the mist separated. Fox felt himself traveling through the light-formed path. Beside him, the shadowy cloud gathered around the light, as though trying to get through to him. Fox sped up, watching as the purple gas blurred. After a few seconds, Fox felt something resembling a shove in the center of his back. Then, he was falling. Tumbling through emptiness; a white nothingness closing in on him.
Finally, he realized he'd hit a bottom of sorts. He definitely had stopped falling, as he now lay on his back. He breathed deeply, as thoughts and questions swirled around his dazed mind.
Fox felt it before he heard it. Relieved, he sat up. The music had returned. As the familiar ballad echoed through his ears, Fox closed his eyes. A small smile curled onto his face; for the first time since he could remember, he was finally at peace.
He stayed like this for what felt like forever, but Fox still wanted more. At the same time, his instincts told him otherwise. He knew there was something, or someone, out there. He needed them and they needed him. His fate was not sealed just yet. And even if he wanted to simply drift into the music for the rest of eternity, he knew it couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it.
He stood as the music grew louder. Rather than being in pain from the deafening noise, Fox found relief. The drumbeats matched his racing heartbeat, and the guitar's strings reverberated in his mind. Determination coursed through his veins, mixing with the music. His eyes shot open.
He was back.
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Wolf's eyes narrowed as the fallen enemy slowly got to his feet. The feline was breathing heavily; his shook his head trying to disperse the searing pain throbbing from his head. Wolf's kick was so powerful that it almost made him lose consciousness. He blinked his gold-toned eye repeatedly. How pathetic would that be, fainting from a blow dealt by a freed captive? No he wouldn't allow it; if he was to go down, he'd go in style.
The tiger spoke quietly, his breath still ragged. "Before you go hitting someone...don't you wanna know...who they are?"
Wolf's response was quick and cutting, which was normal for him. "Normally, I don't give a crap about scum like you. But I guess I may as well hear your name, before I beat the crap out of you."
The feline rolled his eyes through his obvious attempt at regaining himself. Wolf couldn't believe how similar the cat was to Panther. "Until the time comes, my name is X. Should be a name Fox will remember forever." Wolf's eyes widened, albeit hardly enough to notice, as he remembered the letter carved into Fox's chest.
Wolf growled, "Well, of course you'll be remembered. You'll be recorded as another sadistic wacko we had to take care of. Now that I think about it, we sorta did need your name so we could write it down."
X retorted, aggravated from Wolf's remark. "You might not want to pick that pen up just yet, O'Donnell."
With that, the tiger charged. A battle cry erupted from his throat. Wolf, grinning, ran forward as well. As the two combatants grew closer, X stopped to throw a punch at Wolf, who seemed to be going too quickly to stop. However, the smile on Wolf's face never faltered as he snapped out his right arm in a flash. Before the cat realized what was happening, Wolf's arm caught him right above his collarbone. The momentum from the rush caused X to complete a full flip in the air. But even though he was covered in armor, he was still a cat. Gingerly, he landed on the ground on a crouch, facing away from Wolf.
The echo of Wolf's footsteps barely kept up with his racing heart as he sprinted towards the cat. X, hearing Wolf coming in close, formulated a plan in his mind. Wolf's mind, too, was speeding up. When Wolf reached the tiger on the ground, he swept his left leg out. X, sensing Wolf's move, whipped around and caught his ankle in midair.
The tiger grinned, expecting to face a look of confusion from Wolf. However, he instead noticed a determined look on the lupine's face. The still silence only lasted a half second. He had taken Wolf's bait.
While balancing on one leg, Wolf shot his right foot at the cat's face. The result was just what he expected. For a split-second, he was completely off the ground; one foot caught in X's grasp, the other colliding with the tiger's face.
The tiger, surprised at the sudden attack, released his hold on Wolf's left foot. His body shifted towards the left as his face took in the impact of Wolf's strike. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wolf kicked his freed leg out at the back of the tiger's legs, knocking X's feet out from under him. As the tiger fell to the floor, Wolf balled up his paw into a fist. When X finally met the floor, Wolf sent his fist straight through the cyborg's armor and into his gut.
X's eyes bulged as he coughed up blood. Hacking on the floor, his red eye and gold eye met with Wolf's lavender ones. Wolf quickly scanned over the cat, noticing the chipped, damaged armor covering his left shoulder. The metal had met with the floor with X's full weight on top of it. Looking back into the cat's natural and artificial eye, Wolf kneeled beside X, using an arm to pin the cat down, and grinned again.
"You didn't play nice, kitty," the lupine mocked as he reached for the shoulder armor. The cat's eyes widened and he struggled to stop Wolf's claws from ripping the machinery off, but Wolf's arm felt like a ton of bricks lying on top of him. He could only watch helplessly as Wolf snapped off the armor.
Wolf faintly noticed something small and black skid across the floor, but he was unable to avert his gaze away from X's exposed shoulder. The fur that was supposed to be covering it was gone, looking as though it had been torn from the roots. X's bare skin was a bright, blood-toned red, covered in bumps, scabs and cuts. Where the outline of the armor had been moments before, there was now a huge gash, oozing blood and pus. Watching the red and yellow trickle down the cat's arm involuntarily caused Wolf's muzzle to open in astonishment.
The cat glared back at him. "You obviously didn't realize how difficult it will be to take me down." He looked back at his shoulder, grimacing. "Torture did this. Years of it. I was captured during a battle, and when they realized how close I was to Andross, the Cornerian military showed no mercy. And yet,I survived." His face contorted into a vicious, almost monstrous snarl. His mouth curled into a growl, exposing his fangs, and his eye burned with fury and anger. "And I know I didn't live and suffer through all that, just to be stopped by two mercs." He spit the last word out at Wolf.
Roaring, X pushed Wolf's arm off of him. He returned to a standing position so quickly that Wolf, still kneeling, could barely register the feline's movement in his mind. As soon as his mind caught up with what was happening, X's foot met with the side of his muzzle. The ferocity of the blow sent Wolf flying across the room, finally colliding with the opposite wall.
The impact caused the General to suddenly open his eyes, his drugged sleep interrupted for the faintest second. "W...Wo..." he attempted, but Wolf shushed him.
"Quiet, General," he spoke quietly as he got to his feet. As soon as he lifted his gaze, he saw X's fist meeting with his stomach. Wolf coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. Using the opportunity, X released a barrage of punches against the defenseless lupine.
After taking in X's violent assault, Wolf had gotten enough. As the tiger reared back to send yet another final blow into Wolf's stomach, Wolf reached out and snatched his wrist. Growling, Wolf stepped forward and sent his knee straight into the cat's stomach. As the cat kneeled over in pain, Wolf raised his right foot. In a flash, he brought his leg down on the cat's back.
X thudded to the ground, face down. The shock of pain from Wolf's axe kick was devastating. Though he'd heard all about it, Wolf's true strength still left the cat appalled. He couldn't believe how much pain one blow had caused him. Combining his power with his knowledge of weak points, and Wolf O'Donnell proved to be a huge threat against any opponent. X wondered how Fox could even stand a chance against the wolf.
Watching the cat collapse, Wolf backtracked to the scene before. The armor. Something had fallen out of it. Slowly, Wolf inched around the room, searching for the tiny black object. Realizing he would never find it by standing, he sunk to his knees and crawled about, stretching his paws out in front of him to try and find the piece.
As Wolf continued his search, X finally grew enough strength to stand. Searching around the room, he finally saw Wolf on the ground. Not deciding to be subtle, he thumped over to the lupine. Wolf, still searching, felt something bump against his paw. He couldn't see it, but it was cool to the touch, almost metallic. This had to be it.
Wolf's eyes were adjusted to the dimness of the room, so it only took a few minutes to see the object. It was a small black key, rusted on the ends. It was crudely made, as though it was made during a much older time. Wolf tried to piece two and two together. Back when keys were still used, rather than fingerprint scanners like they used in modern society, it often resembled the lock it matched to. The black, iron coating of the key clicked something in Wolf's mind. The only sort of metal he'd seen that even slightly resembled this key...was the iron coating of Fox's cuffs.
As this realization hit him, Wolf finally registered how hard he was breathing. He was sore all over; it hurt to even take a deep breath. Every move he made caused his limbs and joints to cry out in agony. Wolf sighed. If he was awake, Fox would sure be some help.
Just as Wolf tightly grasped the key, he felt a heavy weight slam into his back. The force sent him skidding on the ground, but he rolled and jumped to his feet. The tiger was dashing at him, his pace only achieved by someone who was thinking on adrenaline.
And when you're on adrenaline, you make mistakes.
Wolf's cooled mind saw X's next move. As the feline jumped in the air, aiming a kick at Wolf's head, Wolf shifted the key to his left paw. Though he was equally skilled and powerful using either paw, he needed his right one to accomplish his goal.
Wolf shot his right arm at the feline's leg, grasping the ankle. With a grunt, Wolf tossed him at the metal door separating him from Fox. Satisfied with the crunch of metal on metal, he looked on as the tiger stumbled back, dazed. The steel door, due to the impact from X, had a huge dent in it. It barely was attached to its hinges.
X was enraged. He wouldn't allow himself to be thrown like a rag doll! X charged Wolf, fist reared back as he blindly swiped at the lupine. Wolf easily dodged the pathetic shot, then dug his shoulder into the feline's chest. As the cat stumbled back, Wolf approached the door. Mustering up all his energy, he forcefully threw his foot at the door. A whining creak echoed back to him, followed by the door slamming to the ground.
Wolf jumped over the fallen door and, struggling, pushed it back to its original position. From the outside, he heard the feline howl with anger. With the door temporarily back in place, he'd bought himself about two minutes before the maniacal cat got in.
Wolf darted over the the chained vulpine on the far wall. He couldn't help but gasp softly at all the blood dripping down Fox, most of which had dried and crusted to his fur. The X carved into his chest sent bouts of rage coursing through the lupine. He kept scanning the vulpine, and was surprised to see Fox's emerald eyes looking back at him.
"No way," Wolf breathed. "You're awake? I thought you were dead." Fox chuckled, being used to Wolf's usual blunt words.
"Thought I was, too," he replied. "But hey, I made a promise. Can't back out on that. And if we both miraculously manage to survive this hellhole, I don't wanna be the one who everyone had to carry around. No way am I standing around, watching, while this freak get the shit knocked out of him."
"Now we're talkin' the same language," Wolf said. His eyes shifted away from Fox, instead looking at the cuffs chaining him to the wall. After ten seconds of useless looking, he brushed over the sides of the chains with his paw, searching for a keyhole. Finally, he found the hole of the cuff latched onto the vulpine's right wrist. He continued the process until Fox, finally free, fell to the ground.
Fox crouched on the ground, his breaths heavy. He closed his eyes, sucked in as much air as he could, and exhaled. The reverberations of a familiar melody floated through his skull, and his eyes opened. Newly energized, he stood. Nodding at Wolf, Fox looked at the door. Dull pounding noises could be heard behind it, as the cat attempted to enter.
Wolf's heart raced as the sounds grew louder and louder. As the volume increased, so did his heartbeat. His aching body moaned out to him, and he could barely register anything in his frazzled mind. Exhaustion, pain and numbness were starting to seep into him. He felt his energy slowly draining. His legs started trembling, and he felt himself slowly collapsing to the floor. Before he could his the ground, however, he felt something grab his shoulders and hoist him up.
Still in a daze, he looked up to see Fox staring him down. The vulpine had a grip on both his shoulders, trying to restrain Wolf from falling. Fox's eyes narrowed as he examined the look of exhaustion on Wolf's face.
"You alright?" Slowly, Wolf nodded. "Breathe. Get a grip. This is not the time to lose it." Fox slightly shook Wolf as he spoke, praying the lupine was listening. Wolf gulped in air, then slowly felt his thoughts rush back to him. His heart slowed, and he shook his head to rid himself of his weariness.
"I'm fine," Wolf said. Fox gave a small smile, satisfied with Wolf's response. The task before them would be very hard, especially in their current states. But years of experience had taught Fox that you really only need three things in order to win any fight. The first was skill. The second was a clear mind.
The third was trust.
Fox looked over his injuries. It was the first time he really had examined them. The crude X was so grotesque that most would gag just looking at it. But Fox was better than that. It was nothing more than a reminder. A reminder that he knew who he needed to destroy. It was also a reminder that he could do it.
He looked over at Wolf. Even though he was shaky only ten seconds before, his startled look was replaced with one of cool serenity. He licked his lips, appearing almost eager. But Wolf was no bloodthirsty cannibal. In battle, Wolf had a surprisingly logical mind, and his tactful planning could help change the course of any fight. As much trust Fox had in himself, he had in Wolf as well.
Once again, his gaze shifted to the door. He allowed the surge of energy from the anticipation flow through him, and he felt his instinct take control of his mind. When fighting an extremely dangerous enemy, Fox relied on his instincts to guide him through. So far, by either skill or a struck of serious dumb luck, his instinct hasn't failed him yet.
He and Wolf exchanged nods. They were ready.
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Before anyone gets pissed, I know there was no action in this at all. School's been taking a lot of my time, so even updating is tough. I apologize in advance for this disappointing story, but this is not the end. I will try my hardest to make the next one better. Any advice, let me know. Later!