Chapter 2 of 3: Welcome to Cerinia

The edges of Fox's vision began to transition from white into color; and eventually, the blank white canvas morphed into a picturesque overlook of a clear, blue ocean. The sound of birds chirping and the consistent roar of the ocean waves began to fill his ears, and the sensation of a warm wind breezed through his fur. He found that he was standing on a white beach next to Krystal, who was clad in the clothes he had found her wearing when he saw her for the first time. As before, their hands were linked together.

Momentarily, Fox glanced down at his chest and nearly jumped when he noticed that his body was covered in blue fur, with a large patch of white on his chest. White glyphic tattoos encircled both of his arms, and he assumed that Krystal's spiral designs had been painted onto his thighs. However, he was unable to determine this because he was wearing a pair of snug-fitting white breeches that reached to his knees. As with Krystal's attire, Cerinian symbols and patterns were woven into the soft, white fabric.

"What happened to me?" he asked his mate, who released her grip on his hand and smiled at him, her tail swishing back and forth behind her back.

The vixen stepped forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I thought it would be better for you to fit in while we're here."

"You mean…?"

Krystal let out a quiet laugh and patted Fox on the shoulder. "Yes, Fox! Welcome to Cerinia! What do you think?"

"I…It's beautiful," he stammered, looking around and taking in his surroundings. From what he could tell, he and Krystal were standing in a clearing surrounded by forest trees of many different varieties. Palm trees made up the majority of the leafy expanse, although mahoganies and willow-esque trees were plentiful as well. Looking behind him, Fox could see a tall mountain range dotted with ancient stone ruins. Curiously, the tree leaves on the upper areas of the mountains were red rather than green.

He turned to ask Krystal why this was, but before he could speak, Krystal answered his question. "It's because it's autumn right now. The leaves down here don't change, but there are different kinds of trees on the mountains." She paused and smiled at Fox before continuing, "We can go there later, but for now…"

"What, Krystal?"

"Follow me," she said with a coy smile, walking along the shoreline beside the ocean. Not knowing what to expect, Fox followed her lead and walked alongside her. The position of the sun overhead indicated that it was midday, and the temperature was significantly warmer than what Fox was used to. He presumed that it was even hotter than a Cornerian afternoon in the dead of August. For reasons unknown to him, however, it felt ideal.

The two vulpines strolled down the beach until it ended in a thick forest, which Krystal began to walk into. A very faint dirt path had been cut through the dense wood, although it had the appearance of a route that had been used very lightly—or possibly quite often, but by only one person. The native plants and flowers emitted their sweet, tantalizing aromas into the forest air, giving Fox a sense of elation akin to euphoria. "What's with the plants?" he inquired, stopping next to a sizeable white lily and giving it a tentative sniff. The scent of the flower was beyond pleasing, and it caused Fox to wonder what the native fruit tasted like.

"Do you like it?" Krystal sweetly asked in return. "They're not dangerous, so smell them all you like. Pretty, aren't they?"

"I'm sure Slippy would love to get his hands on one of these and analyze it," Fox replied. "It would make his…" He noticed Krystal frowning at him with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"That's what doomed this planet in the first place, Fox," she muttered. "Andross came here when I was little and started analyzing everything on the planet that he could get his filthy hands on. It was only a matter of time before he discovered the buildup of Cerinia's core and attempted to extract it for his own research." The vixen looked down and took a deep breath. "That's when the planet started to decay. Volcanoes that hadn't erupted in millennia started up again. After that, powerful earthquakes shook the entire planet and destroyed most of our civilization. Finally…" she paused as a tear began to form in her eye. "…The core was compromised and the planet was pulled into the sun because of the loss of gravity. I wish I hadn't looked back. It would have been better if I had never known how it died."

"I'm…sorry that I brought it up," Fox mumbled. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you didn't, Fox," she sighed, "It brought my anger to the surface, that's all." With a deadpan expression tinged with anger, she muttered, "I'm just glad Andross is dead."

Fox shot his mate a concerned, puzzled glance. "That doesn't sound like you, Krystal."

"I know, Fox," she retorted, trying to avoid sounding bitter. "I don't think I've ever hated anyone more than him. I've felt some level of sympathy for most of my enemies—even the really corrupt ones—but something about Andross' death makes me feel satisfied." She continued, "I know it's wrong. My parents told me to forgive regardless of the situation, but what he did was so unthinkable that I can't bring myself to do it."

Fox placed his paw on her neck; and with a harsh, raspy voice, he said, "You're not the only one. I'd bring him back again just so I could kill him a third time—and it still wouldn't be enough. I like to think that I'm over it, even if I'm not. To tell you the truth, you're the main reason I feel like I have something to live for. Waking up next to you every day is the most amazing feeling."

"Same to you, Fox," she replied, feeling her anger beginning to subside. "Did I ever tell you that I was a loner on Cerinia?"

Fox "Really? You never seemed like that to me."

The vixen grinned and flicked her tail to swat a fly that had been bothering her with its noise. The insect careened into a nearby carnivorous plant that quickly swallowed it. For a moment, she giggled at the fly's misfortune before she reverted back to her conversation with Fox. "I didn't have very many friends. I'm not sure why, actually. I guess I didn't feel comfortable around them. I used to spend a lot of time out in this area. Hardly anyone knew about it, so it was a perfect getaway," she explained. "I always wondered what was out there, beyond the horizon." With a wince and a sigh, she murmured, "Maybe the planet being destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me; because if it hadn't been, I never would have found you."

Feeling that the vixen was in a position to receive his affection, Fox put his arms around Krystal's body and kissed her, affirming her statement without saying a word. The Cerinian seemed a bit taken aback at first; but within seconds, she found herself practically melting into his kiss. She recalled that he had been laughably bad with his kisses at the beginning of their relationship. However, over time he had become quite talented at gifting her with both physical and emotional expressions of love. Smiling with her cheeks glowing red underneath her fur, Krystal thanked Fox and said, "That was wonderful."

"Now," she continued, "Let's keep moving. We don't have much farther to go."

Krystal led the way up the dirt path that started to become very steep. Fox found himself beginning to sweat from the effort he was exerting, but when he looked ahead at Krystal, he shook his head in amazement when he saw that her fur was perfectly dry. After an additional five hundred feet of walking, the path leveled out and eventually came to an end in a small clearing. Krystal stopped once she had exited the forest and turned around to look at Fox, who was covered in sweat. "I hope there was a good reason for that," he muttered, walking up to Krystal and taking several deep breaths.

"Oh, there most certainly was," she replied, pointing out at the horizon with her finger. Fox followed her cue and took in the view that caused him to sigh in amazement. He and Krystal were standing on the edge of a sandstone-colored cliff more than two hundred feet above the surface of the ocean. Miles of clear, blue sea could be seen from the elevated perch, along with an amazing view of the clearing where they had formerly been standing. In the distance to the right, several mirror-like towers were visible, reflecting the sunlight with a regal magnificence. "Whoa," Fox gasped, unable to come up with the words to aptly describe the view from the cliff. "It's beautiful."

"Come, sit," said Krystal, crossing her legs on the lush grass at the edge of the cliff. Fox willingly seated himself next to her and put his arm around her neck, gracing her collar bone with his fingers.

Looking into Krystal's eyes, he admitted, "You know, I always told you that I wanted to see Cerinia; but really, it was mostly because I wanted what I couldn't have. Now that we're actually here, I…I don't know what to say. You always told me that it was more beautiful than anything else you've ever seen, but I didn't expect it to be anything like this."

"Not very many people knew about it," said Krystal, stroking Fox's chest. "It was the best-kept secret in the galaxy. We had a few ships, but we didn't leave the planet much after we realized how blessed we were to live here. There was something very special about Cerinia—almost as if the Maker put a little more time into creating it."

For the time being, Fox and Krystal admired their surroundings, listening to the birds and the insects along with the distant crashing of the waves far below them. Without warning, a small finch with iridescent yellow feathers landed on Krystal's shoulder and happily chirped into her ear, prompting a smile to appear on her face. The bird held a pink lily flower in its beak; and to Krystal's delight, it flapped its wings and placed the flower next to her ear before returning to her shoulder and allowing her to pet it. Fox simply stared in awe of the bird that seemed completely unafraid of Krystal, when a 'normal' bird would never have tolerated being handled by something so much larger than itself.

"Did they really let you do that?" Fox asked, still not believing what he saw.

"They can tell if you have good intentions," she replied. "Birds love me—even the ones on Corneria."

"Try telling that to Falco."

"Well, not that kind of bird," Krystal reiterated, "But I have a special bond with these."

Feeling unsure of himself, Fox asked his mate, "Do you think it'll let me touch it? My fur is blue, after all."

Smiling from ear to ear, the vixen replied, "Go ahead—but don't expect too much."

With extreme caution, Fox slowly extended his hand towards the finch; but before he came anywhere close to touching it, the bird squawked and flew back into the forest. "What did I do wrong?" Fox demanded, clenching his fists while Krystal laughed at him for scaring the bird away.

"I told you not to expect too much," she answered. "Anyway, I think it's time to move again."

The vixen stood up and brushed off her legs, and Fox followed suit before turning around and walking back towards the forest. He had barely set foot into the shade of the wooded area when he realized that Krystal wasn't following him. Turning to face her with an expression of confusion on his face, Fox asked the vixen, "Is something wrong?"

Krystal smiled and replied, "No, Fox. Come back here."

"Uh…okay…"

Krystal's grin seemed to broaden as she asked him, "Fox, have you ever gone cliff diving?"

"Oh no…"

"I'll take that horrified look as a 'no,'" Krystal replied, quietly laughing to herself. "It's simple, really—you do know how to dive, right?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Oh, lighten up, Fox!" she laughed, giving him a quick hug. "It's not any different from jumping off the diving board into our pool."

"…Except that if you screw up, you die," he retorted.

"You won't die," she affirmed. "Just make sure you let your hands do the work. Protect your head and use them to cut through the water. I've jumped from here before, so I'm positive that there aren't any dangerous rocks down there."

"Whatever you say, Krystal…"

"Ready, Fox? 1..2…and…go!"

Without the slightest hint of restraint, Krystal raced towards the edge of the cliff and launched herself into the open air, somersaulting in mid-air and then putting herself into a spread-eagle position as she fell. Fox balked when he reached the edge of the cliff, but he knew that Krystal would be displeased if he failed to follow through with the jump. So, with his heart in his throat, he stepped back to the edge of the forest and sprinted towards the edge of the cliff. Every protective reflex in his body screamed for him to stop, but he ignored the warnings and leapt off the cliff. With his nerves getting the best of him, it was surprisingly difficult to align his body into a proper diving position; but with a reasonable amount of effort, he was able to position himself for the coming impact with the water.

Seconds later, Fox crashed into the deep ocean, the velocity of his descent causing him to find himself more than twenty feet underwater. Because most of his oxygen had been depleted by panic during his dive, he immediately struggled for air. Bubbles fled from his mouth and nostrils, and he feared for the worst. He began to feel lightheaded, but he forced himself to swim upwards while using as little energy as possible in hopes of conserving the limited amount of air that he had left. To his relief, it worked; and he surfaced with a deep gasp. He looked around for Krystal; but strangely, she was nowhere to be found. Two seconds later, the vixen emerged from beneath the surface of the water. Her face was riddled with frustration; and it wasn't until Fox noticed something missing from her chest area that he realized what she was bothered about.

Although he had an idea of what had happened, he compassionately asked Krystal, "What's wrong?"

"I lost my top," she explained, feeling horribly embarrassed even though Fox was her husband and therefore had the shameless pleasure of viewing her in her bare fur on a daily basis.

"Why is that a problem?" Fox asked.

"It's…it's not a problem—I just want to find it," she replied with an agitated voice.

Grinning deviously, Fox commented, "I'm not sure I'm going to help you with that."

"Oh, come on, Fox!" she moaned, taking a deep breath before disappearing beneath the waves.

Trying her best to ignore the salt-inflicted pain in her eyes, Krystal dove underwater and scoured the relatively shallow ocean floor for the copper-colored top that had been pulled off by her rapid entrance into the ocean. Fox followed suit, although it was obvious that he wasn't legitimately trying to locate her missing piece of clothing. He wanted to come across as being sympathetic to her, even though Krystal's telepathy told her otherwise.

For several minutes, Krystal searched for the missing accessory until she found it on a flat rock deep beneath the surface of the water. The clasp on the back had come unfixed due to the velocity of her initial dive, leaving her body uncovered above the waist until she snatched it up from the rock, surfaced, and began to reattach it, much to Fox's disappointment.

Sensing Fox's displeasure now that the she had covered her chest, the vixen smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

"Aren't we the only ones here?" Fox asked, looking around for any signs of intelligent life and finding none. "You don't need to wear that."

Still grinning, Krystal laughed and replied, "I wanted you to focus on the scenery, Fox—not me."

"How can I not? You're gorgeous," he shot back.

"Very nice, Fox," she chuckled, swimming towards the vulpine and putting her arms around his neck. "You're not too bad yourself. That blue fur looks good on you."

"Speaking of that…" Fox muttered, "…how did it happen?"

Krystal sighed and planted a gentle kiss on Fox's cheek. "My mother used to tell me 'the dreams of a Cerinian are beautiful things.' We can do anything we want while we're here."

Treading water while holding Krystal in his arms, Fox asked, "How long can we stay here, then?"

He feared that his experience with Krystal on Cerinia would be short-lived, but the vixen quickly eliminated his worries. "As long as we want," she replied. "I've sustained dreams for more than three days before. Until you think it's time to go back, we'll be here."

"That's amazing," he said with a smile. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. It feels so real—I can't believe this is all a dream."

"Don't get too used to it, Fox," Krystal replied, "This takes a lot of energy. I'm probably going to be very tired when we wake up." She continued, "Actually, that's why I've never done this with you before. Since we're off work for the next few days, I figured that it would be a good time for it."

"Definitely," Fox answered, letting go of Krystal and swimming alongside the sheer cliff wall. Krystal rolled onto her back and swam beside him, effortlessly cutting through the water while Fox struggled through the mildly choppy waves that crashed against the cliffs. Deciding that he needed a breather, he stopped swimming and used a nearby conical rock for support. Krystal followed his lead and swam in place while her mate regained his strength.

Surprised at Krystal's aquatic prowess, Fox asked the vixen, "Did you use to do this a lot? I didn't know you were such a good swimmer."

"I came out here quite a bit," the vixen explained. "A lot of times, I just wanted to get away. No one came out here except for me and my friend Jasmine. We'd spend a lot of time here, just talking about various things. It started to get lonely when she found a mate. We didn't talk much after that. It was just the moon, the waves, and me from that point on. I remember sitting on the beach in the clearing and dreaming about finding somebody to share my life with, never thinking that I'd actually get it."

Fox gave her an understanding smile before Krystal quietly spoke once again. "Did I ever tell you about the dream I had when I was a girl?"

"No. Tell me about it."

"It happened when I was 13 in Cerinian years…I think that's 16 in the Lylat System. I fell into a deep sleep and had a lucid dream about you making love to me." Fox gasped, but Krystal raised her paw and silenced him. "When I woke up, it was all a blur; and I didn't realize what it meant until our wedding night. That's when I discovered that it had been a vision of the future."

Stunned, Fox asked her, "Does that mean that it was meant to be?—that there's a reason for us being together?"

"That's what I think," Krystal replied. "And there's no one I would rather have than you, Fox. Now, come on—let's get back to the shore. I've got so much more to show you."

The vixen led the way through the waves until the water became too shallow to swim in. However, instead of walking out of the ocean and onto the dry sands of the beach, Krystal sat down on the edge of the water and allowed the tranquil waves to crash onto her. Fox arrived near the shoreline fifteen seconds later; and when he found himself in water that he could stand in, he trudged towards Krystal and flopped down beside her on the wet sand. He ran his fingers through her damp, salt-tinged hair and placed a kiss on her ear, causing it to flick out of reflex. Without giving much thought to his actions, he reached out his paw and placed it on Krystal's leg, slowly sifting through her soft fur and massaging her tired muscles. The Cerinian vixen let out a quiet moan and breathed deeply as Fox worked his loving fingers into her leg. She knew that she had to be careful not to react too 'passionately' to him, because in her and Fox's heightened dreamstate, inhibitions were dramatically decreased or eliminated completely. As much as she wanted to rip off her clothing and mate with Fox on the spot, she knew that it would have an adverse effect on her when she woke up back on Corneria. But the temptation to cave to her desires was almost overwhelming…

Fox stopped rubbing her leg when she let out a quiet, lustful growl that he didn't hear very often from her. "I…is something wrong?" he asked, wondering if one of her thoughts had caused her to become angry.

The sudden interruption of her passionate train of thought brought Krystal back to her senses. "Oh… it's nothing, Fox," she murmured. "Let's get moving. I want to show you the mountains."

AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):

Well, that's part two of this short story. I suppose some of you probably wanted to see Fox and Krystal go at it on the beach; but this story is rated T, and it's going to stay that way. Anyway, I'll have the next chapter out to you before too long. Until then, you'll just have to content yourselves with this.