Chapter Seven: All The Things I Could Say

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Too late now,
Afraid now,
Of all the things I could say now,
Its too late to,
complain you,
Don't deserve a word.
NO!

Limp Bizkit - "Let It Go"

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The confrontation had put a large haze over the entire team. Nobody spoke to one another, nobody made eye contact, and nobody was happy. The battle may have been complete, but the war was far from over. Fox had been pacing the bridge for quite some time, pondering what action should be taken. Both Wolf and Falco were extremely important parts of the team. With Falco being the best pilot by extremely unfathomable lengths, and Wolf having an amazing sense of value and trust, he would find both of them having to leave be a tough choice. While he had done it before, he knew things wouldn't go well without them. The Star Fox team was one big family, and if one member was cut off, the family would become dysfunctional. Fox didn't want that.

"God dammit guys." He thought aloud. " They had to do this now?"

His mind was clouded with the sight of the grey lupine charging at him, even if it was a mistake, it stuck with him. What exactly brought him to this point? Knowing Falco, he must have flapped his beak too much. It was the only logical explanation since Wolf rarely got that mad with someone. He kept this drilled in his mind as he stopped pacing.

Fox had reached a decision, and it wasn't what he wanted, but it was definitely in the best interests of the team. His posture became slumped and droopy. For a moment, he felt like he would tear up, but it passed. He had spilt way too many tears over much more pressing matters.

"Okay…" He sighed. "Time to do this…"

The walk to their quarters would feel like the longest journey imaginable.

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Wolf and Falco were brought out to the lounge by the vulpine, who was still thinking about his decision. He swiftly dismissed everyone else from the premises and took a seat on the leather couch. Neither the wolf or bird even attempted to sit, they stood nervously. Their silent breaths echoed off the walls, making them flinch.

"Okay, I honestly don't care what happened and why it happened. All I know is that it shouldn't have!" Fox stated while outstretching his arms, further emphasizing the point. " To me, you both were at fault. And I don't want to hear anything from either of you because frankly, neither of you deserve a word on this." He was stern, but hidden in all the seriousness was a small hint of sincerity. He still wasn't sure if this was the right way to go.

Falco immediately cut off any further comments. "But Fox, we were going to-"

"Falco, I just said I don't wanna hear it!" He countered back, heavily annunciating the last four words. "Something tells me your trap had something to do with this. I hate to point fingers, but I'm ninety percent certain that you provoked Wolf in some way, shape, or form!" He was belittling the avian as if he were a child who was caught stealing cookies, and Falco didn't like it. "See that's your problem, you've always had a God Complex. Your big fucking ego has made you to be the center of attention, making you think you can say whatever you feel like!"

Falco had heard enough, he let out a loud "humph" and walked toward the exit.

"Falco, get back here!" The avian replied with a feathery middle finger, making Wolf cringe with disgust. Fox placed his paws on his face and took some deep breaths. "Sometimes, I think he'll never learn."

"I know…"

"Look, just because he just got on my bad side doesn't mean you're scotch free. I don't appreciate the fact that you charged at me." Wolf held his head down in shame. "What I was going to tell you guys was that I think you two should take some time off from Star Fox, and re-evaluate your actions."

"Time off, I'm used to that phrase…" Wolf responded in a lowly tone.

"Hey, I know you don't want to but I think it would work to your benefit at least. I personally don't know about Falco." He looked over toward the window, seeing that they were soon to be approaching the Cornerian atmosphere. "What hurts so much, is that I believed him to be a true friend. But now, I just think he's fallen back into his old habits." The lupine couldn't help but think the same for himself, everything was coming full circle. He feared that soon enough, it would be unstoppable.

"You know, I had a dream a few days ago. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it had the qualities of one. I was at the edge of a cliff, and Krystal was with me. She was in her tribal clothing that she had when I first met her. It was an odd sight to behold if I do say so…but that's only the tip of the iceberg…"

"What happened?"

"Well, she turned to me and asked me a simple phrase: "Are you ready to fall in?". I didn't know what she meant, but I said yes. Before I knew it, I could feel her paw pressing against me, putting force on my chest. Suddenly, I was falling away from her!" Wolf was astonished at the detailed description of the dream.

"She pushed you off the cliff?"

"Yeah, and when I woke up, I realized what she meant." He looked the lupine straight in the eye. "She wanted to know that I was prepared to go on without her." The vulpine placed a paw on Wolf, taking in a deep breath.

"Are you ready to fall in Wolf?"

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Fox told the team to remain isolated from one another until they landed. Everyone obeyed those orders and began to pack up for their trip to the headquarters, save two of them. By the time the Great Fox III had arrived, it was late at night with stars twinkling all around them. They walked down the ramp toward General Pepper who was fitted in his usual red suit decorated with numerous medals and ranks.

"Evening gentlemen." He barked while saluting the team, completely unaware of what had occurred. "How was the trip back?" Fox looked back at the general uneasily.

"Eventful…" Fox grumbled.

"Well, I'm sure that it was all sorted out. I just wanted to see that everyone got back okay. So I'll see you all at the HQ in an hour."

"Well actually General…" Fox interrupted. " We'll be two short. Falco and Wolf are on temporary leave." There was an awkward silence, everyone seemed to freeze at the remark. Tension hung in the air as the team waited for the general's response.

"I see…" Was all he could say. He was at a loss for words.

"We'll see you in a bit. We need a moment with our departing party first though."

Wolf and Falco could see that the rest of the team had turned around. They exchanged glances for what felt like an eternity. While the two of them made sure not to look at each other, they would end up glancing in the corner of their eyes to make sure the latter wasn't.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there, or say something?" Falco snapped.

"Oh my god, not this again." Wolf said, lightly tapping his head.

"Blow it out your ass wolfy."

"Falco, ENOUGH!" Fox demanded, the team was in awe at the frustration of their captain.

"Fuck you guys!" He stormed off, not giving a care about the team or what they had to say. The avian never looked back at what he believed to be the faces of death that would greet him. But in reality, everyone was somber and silent. Nobody could speak, it was all too much for them.

"I'll see you guys later…" Wolf uttered before walking off toward home.

"Wait!" Fox interjected.

"What?"

"Good luck…" The lupine turned back and grinned at the vulpine. He would need all the luck he could get.