Author Notes: Well here's chapter seven for EOTB. Not as long as I wanted but, like Second Chances, it's next chapter will prove much longer. Anyhow. Thanks for all the support. Reviews always help...and I'll catch ya next time...

The Footsteps in the Darkness ~ SkullFox

Frag the weak, Hurdle the dead ~ Mykll



Chapter 7: Regrets and Redemption……

"She did what!?!"

Reiko's voice shot through the small hanger they'd been standing in for a short while, causing Lucy to back down looking at the floor…

"She told me not to tell you……" The hare replied shyly, "……but, I'm worried about her. I know Kursed won't hurt her. It's just that a lot of Andrew's men are going there, and even though I have confidence in Katt and Kursed……two of Andrew's generals is too much for any one or two of us to take down alone."

The dark furred Coyote growled causing the pink lapin to cringe, possibly expecting some form of physical punishment for lying to him. Only to slowly open her eyes to the fell of the animal's strong paw rubbing her head, with a sigh…

"Creed…" He called to the large fox standing nearby, "Take her to the Blind Vixen."

Reiko gave Lucy a slight push toward Creed as he walked out of the hanger…

"Where the hell are you going?" Creed called.

The coyote sighed as he stopped at the exit of the hanger, looking to the orange colored sky, "Apparently……? Sauria." He said, "If that useless bastard Seven were here I'd send him but, he's been gone…since……" Reiko cut himself off with another sigh as he shook his head looking to the floor on his way out.

Creed sighed as Lucy looked up to him, "He still feels guilty for causing Seven to leave." She said.

"Yeah I know." Creed replied resting a paw on the pink Lapin's shoulder, "Let's get to the motel."

As they walked out of the hanger Lucy looked to the towering vulpine, "Um…Creed. What will you do when we finally free Lylat? You said the Wraiths were all you had."

Creed sighed as they headed down the sidewalks of the city, "If I'm lucky? I won't live long enough to have to think about it."

******

Kursed wiped the sweat from her brow, she had no idea why, but after her nightmare she was certain that this would clear her conscience. She still wore five of the tags of the Wraiths she'd killed; the ones the assassin on Kew had given her. She hated admitting it but, he was right whoever he was, these animals were all her burden, not his. For all she knew he had nothing to do with Fox's death, for all she knew none of these twenty-three had anything to do with it. She looked out over the small plain she'd chosen, overlooking a gorgeous waterfall that was so high it seemed to rain from the heavens itself. There were so far, nineteen body sized mounds of stone, each harboring a large wooden cross near it's head, where one of the metal tags swayed in the wind. She sighed as she removed another tag and lay it around the top of the wooden cross of the nineteenth. Katt had offered to help her but, she'd refused; this was something the vixen had decided she had to do on her own. It was her plea for forgiveness. She took little time to dwell on her thoughts at the moment however, she still had work to do……

It was nearly dark again when the white furred vixen sighed, laying the last metal tag over the last cross of the final grave. It was only now that she finally stopped and looked over the small field of crosses, bowing her head and closing her eyes…praying silently that the spirits of the animals would find some way to forgive what she'd done. It was as the vixen stood there that something caught her mind however……another mind actually. Kursed moved to the edge of the cliff looking down at the massive expanse of green valley's below before removing a small device from it's place on her belt; a small scope like monocular that she kept on her person when not in space. She placed the thing over her eyes and pressed a button, causing the entire world to take on a vibrant green hue that seemed to make everything stick out. Down at the bottom of the valley she could pick out several forms moving across the valley floor in the direction of her camp. Suddenly one of the minds lurched out at her causing her to drop her scope over the edge of the cliff. Even the feel of his sick mind, caused the young vixen to cringe, and the thought of Caruso heading for her camp only made the vixen worry that much more about the two that were waiting for her…

It was as the young Cerinian rushed through the landscape toward her camp that she reached out with her mind, grasping onto that of the pink feline waiting for her at camp……

"Katt!"

The urgent call for her caused the feline to practically jump out of her fur, she'd never actually been contacted like this from the vixen before, but knew from her explanation how it worked…

"Krystal? This is a really creepy way of contacting a person."

"Just listen to me…get Lin out of there." The vixen shouted in the feline's mind, "Two of Andrew's generals are on their way to that camp."

"What about you?" Katt replied with a small hint of panic in her thoughts.

"Don't worry about me……I'm more worried about you two and what Caruso will do if he finds you both there." Kursed replied, "Just get her somewhere safe, I promised Zang I'd watch after her, and not let some psychotic rapist get his claws into her."

"Alright but, stay clear…okay?"

"I can't do that Katt. If I do they won't stop searching until they find us." Kursed replied, "It's better that I play the role I'm supposed to. If I'm lucky I'll be able to talk them out of whatever they're here for before they do anything too stupid."

Kursed finally burst onto the campsite, and sighed with relief at the fact that the panda and feline were nowhere to be found. The young vixen found her scythe and sat beside her small crackling campfire. It was as she sat there that the vixen reached for a skewered fish that had been sitting over the flames, she took a healthy bite of the fish as she waited for her breathing to calm down from her run. It was as she waited that the sound of footsteps peeked the vixen's interest from the entrance to the Hollow; they came from her favorite place on the entire planet; a small glade she'd visited several times recently between where she was in the Hollow, and the Lightfoot Village. She sighed at the thought of them coming through there, such a beautiful space she believed, should never be forced to accommodate that kind of filth. Kursed glared menacingly at the muscular black panther that walked into the area. She could already feel his twisted thoughts that started at the sight of her. The vixen however kept her composure…

With a wave of his paw, Panther's men all quickly focused their weapons on her, however with a glare from the vixen the soldiers found themselves at each other's gunpoint. It sickened her that this action only seemed to entice the panther even more then before. Kursed's eyes locked onto a familiar Lynx however as she walked onto the field…

"I would have hoped you'd take my warning a little more seriously…" The vixen said, "Trust me when I tell you that I'm not one to repeat myself……and I always keep my word."

The panther smiled brightly, Kursed supposed that he'd appear save, even debonaire to someone that couldn't see through him; but she was hardly like any other girl. She could feel every sick thought that went through his mind every moment he stood there. With that smile on his face the vixen felt nothing but the need to rush in and tear his muzzle off, anything that would wipe that smirk from his face…

"Far be it from me to see such a lovely face disgraced by an angry look." Panther said with a sweeping bow, "You may call me…" The animal froze as he found Verra's weapon's barrel against the side of his head.

"Skip the introductions." The white vixen said, "Why are you bothering me?" She half growled.

Panther smiled as the fact that he could see no color to Verra's eyes, a clear sign that she was being controlled, "I think you know well why it is I am here." He replied, "You interrupted the Emperor's plans." He replied, "Though my companion here is rather dense on the subject, I would simply like to hear your reasoning for you actions before attempting to prosecute you any further."

Kursed sighed, rolling her eyes, "Well……sir. I happen to be a mercenary before a bounty hunter." She said giving the animal a sly grin, "I simply happen to be doing my job in bringing back my contractor's niece."

Panther sighed, "Well that is another question then." He smiled, "If you'd be only so kind as to tell me this contractor's name…"

The pale vixen chuckled, "When I put my word on something, it stays to the death. You think I would break my word for you? Or you Emperor?" She said as Verra's weapon pressed forward causing the panther's head to bob to one side, "Plus there's the fact that you are hardly in the position to be issuing threats, or negotiations. Just because you work for some sort of Tyrant I'm supposed to be afraid of you?" She chuckled standing up and rolling her neck, "Let me just say that I'm not someone that has a lot to loose…so there's no point in my being afraid of anything really."

"Hmmm……" The panther sighed scratching his chin, "……you know I may be willing to hire you for a bit of……dirty work. That is if you don't mind killing someone for money." He said, "With that in mind…I'd be willing to act as though we never found you here."

Kursed gave the feline an uncertain look, he was telling the truth, but, there was a catch that he was actually managing to keep to himself, "What's the catch?"

"No strings attached." He smiled.

Kursed curled a lip in his direction, "I find that a little hard to swallow."

"Very well…" He sighed, "What if I could offer you the leader of these……Wraiths you've been hunting?" He asked causing her to look at him shocked, "That's right, we know that you've been hunting them down. I am not certain why, but, your enemy is my enemy. I find this to be little reason to be at each other's throats."

"There's always a catch." Kursed sighed thinking to herself, "What do you want?"

"I think you will find my terms………flexible at best." Panther said with a Cheshire grin.

The vixen donned a fraudulent smile, "And you brought all these soldiers with you to watch?"

"This little rabble was the Emperor's order."

Suddenly three of the soldiers with him all fired their weapons, causing them to fall to the ground, entering the Hollow would be the last memory they'd ever have…

"I don't care for liars……general."

He could tell by the look on her face that the vixen had no intention of allowing him to leave there alive; he could almost hear the Lynx's finger squeezing the trigger of her weapon, before he made an almost lightning fast motion yanking the other feline's paw to aim the weapon at Kursed just before it went off. Kursed's paw rose just in time for the projectile to strike a blue field of light before her. This distraction gave the panther the time he required to rush off into the woods throwing Verra to the ground on his way…

It was just ask Katt peeked over the thicket her and Lin had hid inside of that the other soldiers all fired on each other. The pink feline quickly rushed over to meet the white furred vixen as she stood over Verra, who lay there shaking the cobwebs out of her head. Katt quickly and very roughly used her foot to roll the injured animal over…

"We've been looking for her for a while." She pointed out, "It's too bad we couldn't get a hold of that bastard Panther."

Kursed sighed, "He was always a coward. He just tries to hide it." She said looking to Verra as she knelt beside her, "Now, you. You can tell me what I want to know, or I can take it from you……but, trust me you don't want me forcing information out of your head, it can get messy."

"Are……you going to kill me?" Verra asked slowly sitting up.

"I haven't decided yet." Kursed replied.

Verra chuckled, "Then what reason do I have to talk?"

Suddenly the feline fell to the ground screaming in pain while holding the sides of her head, it felt as if the contents of her skull were boiling, but, just as quickly as the pain had come it vanished. This time the feline lay there gasping for air while still holding the side of her head…

"The angrier I am the more it hurts." Kursed said, "I've never experienced it myself, but, I can judge well enough from the response it gets."

Verra couldn't believe the kind of pain she was in, there were tears of pain in her eyes and her sight was horribly blurred, "W-whatever you want. Just please……"

"Fine…" Kursed replied, "There's only one thing I really want to know then……" She said pausing as she looked to Katt, "Did the Wraiths have anything to do with the Star Fox murder? And try to keep in mind that I can tell whether or not you're lying."

Verra looked to the vixen curiously, "Why would you want to know?"

A sudden shot of pain caused the feline to howl in agony as she lost what balance she'd gained falling to the ground again…

"I am the one asking the questions."

This time she didn't bother getting back up, she simply closed her eyes, "Not as much as you think." Verra finally replied, "Andrew……The Emperor. Only ordered that Fox McCloud be brought to him. The Wraiths had an infamous record for……questionable jobs. Once Andrew got them into his employ he sent them to bring Fox McCloud to him alive. However, Andrew had a new guy hidden inside the tower, and when the timing was right…he struck. The wraiths did their jobs flawlessly. When the Emperor finally got his prize, he threw the Wraiths, and McCloud in prison."

"Why not just kill them all on the spot?" Katt asked.

The Lynx finally found the resolve to sit up, "Apparently he was going to use them all; he was going to have McCloud publicly executed to make the populous think twice about ever rising up against him. And the Wraiths were to be killed to keep any of the information from getting out."

Kursed glared at her, "But?"

"But…" Verra replied, "They broke out of prison. According to records Fox McCloud was shot and killed during the escape. That's all I know…"

Kursed turned to Katt with a sigh…she'd killed so many animals in the name of revenge only to suddenly have her faith in what she was doing stripped from her. She took a moment to look over her shoulder at the Lynx who was barely managing to stagger to her feet in pain. Suddenly Katt covered her muzzle shouting Krystal's name, causing the vixen to drop to a seated position on her heels before catching her scythe and driving it's blade up diagonally through the Lynx's body, causing her upper half to slide away from her torso. Lin instantly slapped her paws over her muzzle rushing off to find a place to throw up, she clearly wasn't used to seeing anything like that. Kursed however looked to the Lynx's body; her paw still clutched a small gun, who's only fired shot had grazed the side of the vixen's face…

She turned to see Katt's stunned face, "You……really killed all those people trying to avenge Fox?"

"And Slippy…Peppy…and Falco…"

Katt thought for a moment, "Krystal, come back with me. We can explain this all to Reiko. He's not a bad person he's just a little bent on his motives. I'm sure he can help you, him and Creed were the two that were captured."

Kursed sighed, "We'll talk about it somewhere else. Right now get on my ship, you and Lin." She said stepping away from the dead Lynx, "I just killed a General……where can I go from here?"

It was as she sat there thinking about whether this was a boon or a mistake a familiar voice caught her attention…

"Krystal come on!" Katt yelled from beside the vixen's ship, "We have to go now before Panther brings more men!"

It was as the craft left the ground, that Kursed looked back, even if only in thought; what did she have left now? Sauria was a special place to her, not only was it close to her heart because she'd met Fox there, but, also because the place reminded her so much of Cerinia. She trusted Katt, and knew that what she had heard was the truth from Verra, but, it was the other Wraiths that she had a problem with. Could she really trust them, knowing she'd killed so many of their friends? Only the young pink furred feline that sat across the room from her could tell…

******

The vixen woke from a deep sleep, she wasn't certain what had made her so tired, maybe it was all the stress from the day, or even her whole week altogether. Either way, she was rested when she awoke…though a bit shaken when she woke to find a pink feline curled up beside her. She convinced herself that the feline was only happy to see her though she was well aware of the feline's sexual past habit of sleeping with other females. She was still happy however to see the feline…and realize that as she woke up that everything hadn't been a dream. Though she didn't want to, she had to wake the feline…

"Hey…" She called lightly shaking the sleeping feline, "Hey, Katt. Wake up."

The feline rolled over a bit, "What?"

"Where are we going?" The pale furred vixen asked, "I'm going to leave the next move up to you."

Katt smiled pulling the vixen back down to the bed before wrapping her arms around her, "Not now…still tired."

"KATT!!"

This time the poor feline was startled by the vixen's sudden risen tone of voice, and she quickly rolled over falling out of the bed…

"What?!" She called, "What happened?" She seemed to have still been half asleep.

"I've decided to hear you out." Kursed said, "If your friends were both there, they'd be able to tell me what happened and if I'm lucky they can help me find the bastard that killed the others."

Katt sighed, there was no way that Reiko wouldn't be pissed when he found out that she was consorting with the animal that had killed so many of their friends; but, she was also certain that he would understand the misunderstanding, and if not she would make him understand.

******

Andrew's office was rattled as a desk flew into the far off door; the two hooded animals that stood by marveled in the fact that he'd become so strong over the passing years, physically he was beginning to resemble his late uncle and even more so, seemed to be building himself into a powerful warrior…

"That bitch…" The ape growled struggling to keep from hitting the window too hard, "…so she killed Verra. She was a great informant…"

One of the two animals removed his hood revealing a one eyed, gray furred lupine, "She can be replaced Andrew."

The ape spun about, "THAT IS NOT THE POINT!!!" He shouted at O'Donnell, "She's just one bounty hunter…I could crush her in an instant. The fact of the matter is the people look up to her…It hasn't mattered how much bad publicity I give her she's just like those fucks from Star Fox." He growled kicking his chair which demolished a small table against the far wall, "It didn't matter what we did to Star Fox……we had to come out into the open to finally get rid of them, and I'm not even certain that we've accomplished that."

"Then you have no intention of replacing Verra?" O'Donnell asked.

Andrew sighed, finally calming himself, "I did not say that. For now I just want that bitch dead…I want to see her pelt hung from my wall…and get that coward Caruso in here…we need to talk."

With a huff Wolf headed out of the room, leaving the second animal behind simply waiting, "Well?" Andrew half shouted, "What do you want?"

"I found some information about that other animal in the Academy." The hooded creature said, "It was indeed one of the Wraiths……Seven nonetheless. I would think that it's safe to say that Kursed has joined their little……Vendetta."

Andrew looked to a small photo that had fallen from his desk, a picture of the lovely white furred vixen, "What drives her to do something so incredibly stupid? Could she possibly have a just cause for wanting to kill Verra? Or was she sending me a message?" He asked looking to the only animal left in the room flicking the photo to the cloaked figure, "Cross reference that photo; I want all the information on every white furred vixen in this entire star system."

The animal looked to the photo, "I'll see what I can dig up."

Andrew again found himself in his office alone. Wondering how it was he was going to stop the Wraiths, whom he couldn't find. When he couldn't even stop Kursed…who was fully out in the open…