Chapter 8: First Attack

Although Corneria was a light year away, the effects of Zolao's fertilization were occurring as planned. The sinister creatures of the planet Incubus lay dormant, and with each passing day, they grew stronger. The other potential queens had failed, but not this one; this queen would serve them well at Zolao's side, conquering the galaxy unchallenged. Zolao and his associate, Lord Cephil, slept in Zolao's chamber, awaiting Corneria's third full moon. At that moment, the beginning of the end for Corneria and the rest of the galaxy would begin…

"So, Vivien," Peppy asked as he and the group neared the entrance of the hospital, "how long ago did you have this close encounter with Zolao?"

Vivien shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, it was about ten years ago, but I've managed to live a life since then."

Peppy and Slippy looked confused, but Fox knew Vivien's real age. Peppy scratched his head. "Then you must've been but a teenager, right?" The old hare asked as he and the others stepped out into the cool, early afternoon atmosphere outside.

Vivien had to think quickly of something believable to tell the hare. "Actually, no." She said as she looked at a tense Fox, who still had Krystal's watchful eye on him. "I'm old enough to be his mother."

"No way!" Slippy yelped in his high-pitched voice. "Really? You look too young to be Fox's mother!"

Vivien just rolled her eyes. "Whatever." "Yes, really. By the way, have you hit puberty yet?" Slippy responded with a dirty look and stuck his tongue out.

Krystal gave Vivien a sideways glance. "For someone who's supposed to be so mature, you certainly don't act like it."

Vivien stopped walking and stood right in Krystal's face, staring a menacing hole through the Cerinian, but Krystal stared right back, undaunted. "What's that supposed to mean?" Vivien taunted, punching a finger hard into Krystal's sternum.

Krystal pointed a finger right back. "What do you think it means, you two-bit whore?"

Vivien's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. Before she could physically retaliate, Fox rushed to step in between her and Krystal. He held both girls at arms length, and they both looked ready to pounce on each other. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not get off on the wrong foot, okay, ladies? Can we get through this ordeal without a massacre?"

Slippy opened a snack-sized bag of nuts he was carrying. "Actually, I wouldn't mind a good catfight…"

Peppy lightly smacked the toad over the top of the head. "Quiet, you."

Fox sighed, still holding the girls. "Could you two at least try to get along?"

Vivien relaxed and began fiddling with her lustrous hair. "Sure. I don't know about her though." She said, nodding at Krystal.

Krystal relaxed as well. "Same here." She said; her icy stare still fixed on Vivien.

The beleaguered Fox buried the heels of his paws into his eyes and mumbled. "Whatever." He turned around and bumped into a walking figure. The figure yipped in surprise; Fox blinked a few times and saw Mina in front of him. Like almost every other visitor, she brought a gift; Mina's was a candy bouquet.

"Fox! I heard about Katt. Is she okay?"

Fox looked at Krystal, hoping for some help, but she was still fixed on Vivien. "Um, well, for now, she is."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "For now? What's that supposed to mean? What else happened?"

Fox bit his lower lip in the uncomfortable silence. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. A lot of weird shit's been happening lately."

Mina pursed her lips. "So I've heard. Could you take me up to see her then?"

"I'd have to clear you to get in, but sure." Fox looked over his shoulder at his group. "I'll be right back, so don't leave without me."

Up on the twelfth floor, Fox once again flashed his ID to the guards outside Katt's hospital room and escorted the collie female inside. Mina covered her mouth in shock, and Fox felt a queasy sensation in his gut. The sensation became a normal occurrence from the extended amount of time he had to spend inside the hospital; being around the sick, dead and dying for that long will certainly do that to anyone. Mina set the candy bouquet on the rolling table since all of Katt's other gifts took up the space on the end tables flanking the bed. Mina caressed Katt's limp paw; it was much colder than normal and that explained the extra blankets on top of her. Mina's eyes began squeezing out tears and her bottom lip started to quiver noticeably; seeing her best friend in such a helpless condition made her stomach turn.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fox noticed Mina holding her stomach while the muscles began twitching. Fox sat Mina down and handed her a nearby trashcan, just in time for a disgusting "HUUUURRRRGGGH!" sound and a yellow cascade of vomit to fall out of her mouth. Fox turned away and shut his eyes at the revolting noise, but as soon as the vomiting was over, Fox hugged Mina to comfort her. "You want to leave?"

With her stomach contents emptied, Mina groggily shook her head. "I'll…I'll stay. Thanks anyway."

With that, Fox stood up, ready to leave. "Mina, I have to get going, but if you need anything, call me or the general. Okay?" Mina weakly smiled and nodded and Fox departed.

Always one to look her best, Mina dried her tears and rinsed the ugly taste of the vomit out of her mouth at a nearby sink. Sitting back down, Mina straightened her auburn hair to the best of her ability, although her bottom lip still quivered slightly. She scratched the back of her head, thinking of something to say, but all she could do was shrug.

"What can I say?" Mina said to the unconscious body. "I don't like coming here, but I felt obligated since you're my best friend." Her brown eyes continued overflowing with tears, then she stomped a foot hard on the floor in anger. "Damn Falco! This is all his fault!" She exclaimed, burying her wet face in her paws. She looked back up with puffy eyes. "Isn't it? I mean, you wouldn't be here if he simply treated you better." Mina struggled to swallow the half-formed lump in her throat. "I dunno. I yelled at him this morning thinking he was the cause of this whole mess." Mina sighed deeply and clutched the top of her head. "Maybe I'm overreacting, I dunno. Oh, I'm so confused." Eyelids heavy from all the tears, Mina slowly slumped into her chair, falling into a deep sleep…

Peppy, Slippy and Vivien lounged outside Fox's car in the parking lot. The hare and toad periodically stole a glance at the wolf girl sunbathing on the car's hood. The pair of crew members agreed Vivien was certainly an enigma; she seemed to carry herself so carefree it was disturbing. Fortunately for them, they hadn't been around Fox when he met her…

"Guys!" Peppy and Slippy were almost startled, but they saw that it was only Fox. "Where's Krystal? And Vivien, what the hell are you doing on my car?"

Vivien answered by blowing a kiss and Peppy pointed to his right. "She's over there. She seemed a bit angry."

Fox ran over to Krystal and looked in her face. Her eyes were narrow and looking away, not focused on any particular object. She had her arms crossed tightly across her dark blue shirt. Fox gently grasped the vixen by her shoulders. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong?"

Krystal's eyes remained focused away from Fox. "Why us? Why can't she stay with someone else?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Krystal finally looked at Fox. "I hate that slut! And I hate the idea of her being in our house!"

"What? Staying in our house? Who said she was staying in our house?"

"Peppy did! He said since you know her better than they do, it's the best solution. I think it's a load of…"

Fox quickly waved off the rest of Krystal's rant. "Okay, okay. I'll talk with him and see what I can do."

He walked back over to Peppy – Krystal right behind him – and led the hare away from Vivien so she couldn't hear the conversation. "You need something, Fox?"

"Pep, I'm sure you saw what happened earlier between Krystal and Vivien, but why am I stuck with the job of making sure they don't kill each other?"

Peppy scratched his chin. "Well, I hardly think that either I or Slippy can handle them as adequately as you did."

Fox rubbed his eyes. "Have you ever heard that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? How, then, do you expect me to deal with two of them?"

Peppy chuckled softly and patted Fox's chest. "You're the leader. You figure it out."

Before Fox could respond, Peppy was already driving off with Slippy. Only he, Krystal and Vivien remained, and Krystal was less than thrilled with having to share the same roof with someone like Vivien. The drive home was going to be a long one, indeed.

The night was cold and eerie. Falco wandered aimlessly about, wondering where he was. The environment looked completely alien to him; the sky seemed to spin erratically, totally rendering Falco's sense of direction nonexistent. Panicking, Falco quickly searched for a way out of his unworldly predicament. When he turned around, his environment changed altogether; Falco found himself in a spacious Gothic style bedroom. On the bed in the distance, he noticed two horizontal figures – one of them he recognized immediately. Katt lay au naturel with a larger figure on top of her. Before Falco could make out what the other figure was, the scene in front of him zoomed in on the two figures. The second figure was Zolao in his natural state, thrusting away at his new mate. Overcome with rage, Falco screamed at Zolao to get off his girlfriend. However, what was supposed to be a scream became nothing but a haunting silence. Falco tried screaming again but still, silence. Fueled by even more anger, Falco tried pulling Zolao off Katt, but his feathery hands passed through the demon like a ghost. Finally abandoning all rationale, Falco threw all sorts of punches at Zolao in a blind rage, each one passing through Zolao like light through a window. Falco couldn't just sit back and watch helplessly, but he had no choice. Zolao had Katt firmly enveloped in his grasp and was violently having his way with her. Falco wanted to rescue Katt, but from the look on her face, she was enjoying the experience. Zolao kissed and licked Katt all over her face and neck; Katt visibly shuddered and clinched the sheets tightly in ecstasy. She began moaning, which, strangely enough, Falco could hear very clearly, and it didn't sound distressing in the least bit – in fact, it sounded euphoric. Falco just shook his head in disbelief – this nightmare was torturing him and it wasn't letting him go. With Zolao invading her loins, Katt cinched her sensuous legs around him, allowing him to penetrate even further, and with each thrust Katt moaned louder. Falco chanced a closer look at his girlfriend, hoping nothing would happen to him by doing so. The pupils of Katt's once beautiful green eyes were now reduced to mere dots. Katt visibly tensed up and, with one final outburst, unleashed a hellish shriek of delight, claws digging into the bed even deeper than before. Katt slumped limp into the pillow, panting heavily, and Falco glared at Zolao, wanting to beat the grinning demon within a breath of death for what he had just done to her. Falco then looked at Katt, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but when he leaned in close, Katt's eyes snapped open; her eyes were now empty, lifeless white orbs. Falco staggered back when those eyes focused on him and she slowly rose from the bed. The soft red blankets Katt held dropped to the floor, unsheathing her bare, shapely body. Falco watched Katt advance toward him, never feeling as uneasy in front of his naked girlfriend as he did now. The possessed feline grabbed hold of Falco and delivered soft kisses to his face and neck. The grip Katt had on Falco felt constricting, like a venomous snake squeezing its prey to death. Katt continued kissing Falco's neck when, with one swift stab, she sank her fangs into his neck. The sensation was numbing – Falco's expression turned to shock. Jerking her head about, Katt ripped her fangs away, bringing a large meaty portion of Falco's neck with them. Much to his surprise, Falco was still alive; this nightmare was definitely being cruel to him now, letting him stay alive while his girlfriend literally ate away at him. Falco dropped to his knees, blood soaking his shirt and jacket, but Katt pulled him upright by the shirt. With a bloodcurdling screech, Katt punched a hole into Falco's chest, and yanked out his bloody, throbbing heart. Falco collapsed in a heap, his eyes open just enough to see his demonized girlfriend chomp half of his heart, blood squirting everywhere. Zolao approached and Katt fed him the other half. Katt's forked tongue sensually licked the blood around her mouth and on her paws, and then jumped on Zolao, kissing and licking his face in a show of eroticism and lust…

Falco shot up like a rocket, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, feeling around his chest and neck to make sure they were both intact. He blinked several times before he realized where he was – on the couch in Katt's living room. Falco wiped the sweaty moisture on his face. "Shit. What a nightmare." Falco shivered, but more from anger that Zolao had actually been in that same house just days earlier and stole Katt away.

"I gotta get out of here. This is creeping me out." Falco stood up, stretched, and headed for his bike.

The drive home for Fox wasn't a long one, but to him, it sure felt like it. Not one of the occupants spoke a word to each other; Krystal and Fox were silent out of shock and disappointment, whereas Vivien laid back casually in the backseat with her hands folded behind her dark hair. Krystal occasionally stole a glance at the wolf in the rearview mirror, cracking her knuckles as she thought of innovative methods to dismember the unwelcome passenger. From the moment Krystal lay eyes on Vivien, she disliked her with a passion. 'Slut', 'whore', and any and all other synonyms just radiated from Vivien like sunlight, that is, according to the Cerinian. After what seemed like hours, Fox pulled into the driveway of his home. Krystal made sure Vivien was in front of her as they exited the vehicle and stepped into the spacious abode.

"Looks cozy." Vivien stated with a whistle.

Krystal kept her gaze locked on Vivien. "Don't get too cozy, or you're getting a mouthful of broken teeth."

Vivien took an admirable gaze around the house, and slowly but surely, found herself meandering toward the hallway to the left. Fox immediately started walking over to intercept her.

"What are you doing? You can't go back there."

Vivien raised her eyebrows. "And why not?"

"The master bedroom is back there, and we don't let anyone in there without our consent. Understand?"

A smirk crept on Vivien's face. "Ah, I see. You got something kinky in there you don't want me to find?"

With that, Krystal finally snapped. "That's it. You're dying NOW!" She maneuvered around Fox and made an attempt to grab Vivien, but Fox quickly grabbed Krystal from behind and lifted her off her feet. Krystal seethed with hatred and flailed at Vivien, but to no avail. Vivien pointed and laughed.

"Fox, you better put me down now."

"Not while you're angry."

"But Fox…!"

"I don't want the house to be turned into a wrestling ring just because you don't like her!"

"Gee," Vivien interrupted. "I was just kidding. All I wanted was a place to sleep."

Fox sighed. "There's one at the end of the hallway next to the kitchen."

"Cool. Thanks a bunch, foxy." As Vivien walked past him, Fox waited until she was out of hearing range and looked at Krystal.

"Now, I'm going to let you go, but promise me you won't attack Vivien while she's here, okay? You let me deal with her."

Krystal sighed with disappointment. "Fine." Fox then slowly released his grip and Krystal, true to her word, stood still before retreating to the master bedroom. Fox was about to follow her when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door, but didn't look too surprised.

"Falco, what are you doing here?"

Falco quickly brushed past Fox and slumped in one of the soft chairs in the living room. "I don't know if I'll be able to handle all this."

Fox followed his friend and sat across from him. "Why? What's going on?"

"I ran into Zolao last night at Katt's house. He did quite a number on me."

"Oh I can tell. You're bruised all over."

"Not only that, but this morning, Mina calls me and practically tells me off. Then I fall asleep on the couch and…and…"

"Well?"

Falco shook his head. "It was like a horrible nightmare. First I see Katt and then I…see…that…son of a…BITCH!" Falco shot upright and tore feathers out of his head.

A familiar voice interrupted. "You must be Falco, if I'm not mistaken." The avian turned and saw a female wolf standing in the hallway.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's Vivien." Fox answered. "Pepper said she was able to help us."

"Great." Falco thought. "Then why don't I feel any better?"

Approx. 11:54 p.m.: Corneria City Hospital

Mina woke up with an incredible ache in her neck. After all, she was asleep for almost ten hours. Hearing footsteps approach, she sat up quickly and yawned. A somewhat portly canine doctor walked in and checked on the room's only patient. Mina looked at the bed and saw Katt in the same condition she was in when Mina dozed off. Satisfied with what he saw, the doctor turned and left, smiling at Mina. Mina smiled back and stood up, stretching her arms over her head and settled her woeful stare on Katt.

"Could you please hurry and get better? I got no one else to talk to." Looking over Katt, Mina noticed that her abdomen had grown slightly. Concerned, Mina placed a hand on Katt's belly; it was warm, whereas the rest of her body was cold.

"My god, Katt. Are you pregnant?"

Almost instantly, Katt's eyes shot open; her eyes were slightly foggy and constricted. She sat up, her blank stare concentrated on Mina. The collie began to back up from the bed, thoroughly frightened.

"Katt, what's with you? You're starting to freak me out."

Katt removed the tubes, oxygen mask and dismounted from the bed. With each step Katt took forward, Mina took a step back. Katt continued advancing toward Mina until Katt suddenly dropped to her hands and knees and started heaving heavily. Worried about her friend, Mina approached Katt, but Katt suddenly grabbed Mina's ankles and pulled her feet from under her. Slightly dazed, Mina shook her head and found Katt climbing on top of her until she was in her face. Mina waited for something to happen and suddenly she saw Katt's eyes glowing red; her upper lip curled to reveal long, poisonous fangs in a sadistic smile. Mina could only do one thing: scream.

The piercing scream was short-lived, as Katt sank her jaws around Mina's neck and ripped away a chunky portion in a bloody mess. Crimson fluid seeped all around Mina's now lifeless body while Katt shrieked in triumph. Footsteps approached, and Katt turned to see the two security guards at the door with their tranquilizer weapons ready. Katt growled and latched onto the wall, leaping around the room and avoiding the guards' shots easily. One shot, however, managed to strike Katt in the leg. She fell to the ground with a thud. After calling for reinforcements, the guards picked Katt up and held on to her as they looked at each other.

"Looks like we'll need the general."

After his nightmare earlier, Falco had trouble falling asleep. His eyes were growing bloodshot from watching a movie marathon with the lights out, and his body was too weak to move. Slapping himself awake, Falco staggered from the chair and turned the television off. He was moving toward the sofa when a hand grabbed his shirt and another one covered his mouth. Falco was dragged through the living room and into another room where he was shoved onto a soft bed. The door slammed shut and the light turned on almost instantaneously. Falco quickly sheltered his eyes from the bright light.

"Gah! Turn that fuggin' light off!" Vicious slaps across the face brought Falco to life. His vision focused and saw Vivien staring at him. "What the…what's your problem? I feel like I've got a fucking hangover now, thank you."

Vivien grabbed Falco by the shoulders. "Now you listen well because I'm only going to tell you this once." She proceeded to sit next to the groggy bird. "I've already been asked 'How do I know Zolao?' Apparently, I'm the only one outside of your group of friends who does, so I'm going to tell you. All incubi are lustful creatures; it's what they live for. No love is involved anywhere; it doesn't exist to them; it's the only thing that can destroy them. If one happens to get out of line, he'll be fortunate if the consequences aren't fatal."

Falco suddenly interrupted Vivien. "Look, that's all well and good and everything, but why are you telling me this?"

With a shrug, Vivien stood up with her back to Falco, reached behind her back for the zipper and unfastened her top. Halfway between her waist and her shoulder blades were two long diagonal scars.

"Um, wow." Falco stated, unimpressed. "What happened there?"

Vivien refastened her top and sat back down. "Remember what I said about those who get out of line?"

Falco's jaw dropped. "So, you…were one of them?"

Vivien nodded. "And I'll bet you're wondering what I did that pissed them off. Well, on a planet nowhere near here a few years ago, my group ravaged a small village while everyone there was asleep. I come upon this one guy sleeping peacefully, but…he was so…handsome and beautiful that I couldn't bring myself to do what I was supposed to do. I loved him, Falco, and it felt good. But like I said, Zolao and the incubi don't believe in love, so when he found out about me, he had his associates beat me and hold me down while Zolao himself literally tore the wings out of my back. Then he curses me with this mortal body and banishes me off the planet. Not only that, but he also curses me with the lifestyle and attitude of a slutty whore, and only by destroying Zolao can I get out of it. I may not show it, but I hate living that way."

"And what's my involvement in all this?" Falco asked.

"Zolao stole your girlfriend and made her his queen. Therefore, you're the only one who can destroy him. If you don't succeed, he will."

Falco suddenly felt the weight of a tremendous amount of responsibility fall on him. "And how do I destroy him?"

Vivien laughed and patted Falco's shoulder. "I've given you a hint. Now figure it out yourself."

Suddenly, the door shot open; Fox and Krystal standing with worried looks on their faces. "Guys, it's Pepper. Mina's dead."

Chapter 9 to come! Please R & R!