Chance Meetings
Starfox: Liberation
Chapter 4: Chance Meetings
Alaric strode down the ramp onto the sun broiled black tarmac with purpose, his plated boots thumping from the grated metal and onto the sticky pavement. Outside his rusting ship stood a couple of Lylatians. The one standing in front was a male dog of a species he couldn't recognize. The dog had a shaggy light grey coat, blue eyes, and was wearing a white and blue jumpsuit that fit his form snuggly. He had the look of youth about him, eyes burning with the exuberance of the inexperienced. He was fidgety and had an excited expression on his muzzle.
His two aides on the other hand were not dogs, but a pair of young ginger female felines, sporting the same level of excitement on their narrow orange muzzles as the canine, and wearing the same type of clothing. When Alaric stepped off the ramp the dog's face lit up like a fireworks display and he rushed over to the startled human excitedly. "Wow! A human, you guys are a rare sight out here!" The dog yapped happily, his long smokey tail wagged back and forth with glee. The female cats stared at Alaric with awed green eyes, they looked allot like twins. As they got closer, he noticed that all of them were quite shorter than himself.
Not sure how to respond to all the positive energy he had been assailed with, he replied awkwardly, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head with a bare hand. "Yes, well...uh, I guess we are."
"You look so strange, and what happened to your face?" The cat on the left asked boldly and suddenly. Shortly after, receiving a tail flick to the nose by who could only be her sister, in response to the tactless and straightforward remark.
"Hush now Cassie, can't you see that's insensitive!" She scolded quietly. The reprimanded feline cringed and sniffled sadly.
Alaric hated it when women were sad or cried, even furry alien ones. "It's okay, I don't mind." He said placatingly to the upset cat and her sister, hoping to smooth things over.
They both looked thankfully at him, happy that no offense was taken by the large human. "Sorry about that, my sister can be a little direct at times, the names Jana." The other now identified feline added with a friendly smirk.
"As I said before, it truly is no problem, and people call me Alaric." He replied with a bow of his head in greeting.
The dog who had been watching the exchange of pleasantries used this chance to introduce himself. "My mom and dad call me Collin, but my friends call me cole!" He announced helpfully with a wide grin, displaying a sharp row of gleaming white canines, and stuck his paw out, welcomingly.
"Nice to meet you Collin." After shaking the paw, Alaric got down to business. "I came here hoping that I could get my...ship fixed up and grab some necessary supplies. Can you do that?" He only hoped that their prices wouldn't be too steep and that he could afford to purchase what he needed.
The dog turned thoughtful, crossing his rolled up sleeved, grey furred arms, and stroking his muzzle with his left paw. "Yes I see, your ship could...use a little bit of work." He tried to say the obvious without coming off as harsh.
"Yeah, it's a piece of junk, but it was free, I got it from a friend." Alaric said in agreement, sticking to his cover story, but internally scoffing at the irony. "How much would it cost to fix it up and get some supplies?" He mentally cringed waiting for the blow to land.
"What do you think Jana?" Collin asked turning to her for her opinion.
The cat woman appeared to dislike being under the spotlight, (at least that's what the position of her triangular ears depicted, if Alaric understood feline facial expressions), but answered all the same. "It could go anywhere from...ten to fifteen thousand credits." She told the dog after pausing a moment, going through the mental calculations. That was more then half of his allotted funds!
Collin hummed in response and turned back to the human. "Well, you could either pay that, or do something else for us." He stated.
Cautious of what the other thing was, he asked. "What is the other option?"
"You could take a few pictures with us! Otherwise my friends and family would never believe that I met a real life human." The canine suggested hopefully. The two identical feline girls nodded, liking the idea too.
Alaric almost fell over, that's it? That's what they wanted? Pictures? "Why?" He asked in disbelief.
"You seem like a pretty okay guy and I want to really get a picture with you." Collin said simply.
"Can you do that?"
"Sure we can, it's not that big a deal around here." The canine shrugged off nonchalantly. "Not much else for the engineers and mechanic to do around here anyways. They could use the practice."
Inside, Alaric shook his head in amazement, these Lylatians were something else, they did not act like any humans Alaric had ever interacted with. Any other human would have probably want him to pay the price, or the conniving ones would try to rip him off. And here they were, willing to fix his ship for the price of a simple photo shoot. "Sure, I could agree to that." He chuckled ruefully, for the first time in a long time. Little did he know that his life would soon be full of these first in a long time moments.
Ecstatic, the canine took out some sort of tiny rectangular gadget out of the of the jumpsuit's pockets that could only be a camera, and motioned for Alaric to come on over. Somewhat hesitant he complied, moving to stand next to the lively dog. He was taken a little by surprise when the dog leaned on him, shortly follows by Cassie and Jana. (He could feel their tails as they bounced off his legs.) They all pushed together to get into the photo. The feeling of all the warm fur was soothing, even under the harsh afternoon sun of the tropical world. Alaric found that he was smiling subconsciously when he heard the clack of the shutter several times, signifying that the pictures had been taken.
"There! All done!" Collin barked, stepping away from Alaric. The dog smiled as he looked up to the human's face. "Thanks for the pics!"
"No, thank you for the free repair work!" He chuckled, the human really was grateful, truly these Lylatians were of a different sort, friendly and helpful. They were much more pleasant to be around then most other human he had interacted with. But then again he thought darkly, he wasn't exactly walking around with the best humanity had to offer during the civil war. "I appreciate it."
"Its no big deal, its good to help others. That's what my dad always told me." Collin replied with a sage look.
Alaric frowned slightly at that, he never had a father, or mother for that matter. It was a little painful to hear about it from others, reminding him of all he had missed out on, due to the sinister machinations of the SC.
One of the twins noticed his expression, Cassie, if he could tell them apart correctly, and asked about it with a voice full of concern. "Are you okay, did what he say bother you?" The canine looked to Alaric and saw his expression as well.
"In fine, it's no fault of any of you. Its just that I never knew my family." He answered somewhat quietly.
The three Lylatians frowned with sympathy and hugged him. He was once more caught by surprise by the kindness and compassion they seemed to possess as a racial trait. "I'm sorry to hear that, it must have been terrible to not have a family." Jana said giving him a powerful squeeze.
He didn't know what to say, so he just hesitantly hugged them back until they pulled away. "Say, how long are you gonna be staying here on Fortuna?" Collin asked out of the blue with a expression that could only be called contemplative.
"Maybe a few days." Aric replied distractedly, still processing the friendly hug he received.
"Hmmm....why don't you come with us tomorrow for a tour of the town?" The canine suggested. "We could show you the sights and it would be a fun time!"
Alaric took a minute to debate with himself. He had a mission to do. Should he just delay it to spend time with a bunch of furs?
"Oh please do! I think it would be great for us all to get to know each other better!" Cassie added hoping to convince the interesting human to spend some time with them. She rather liked him, it was something about his presence.
He observed all the expectant muzzles staring at him, giving him the most pleading wide eyes he had ever scene, and came to a decision. "I suppose I could take a day to explore."
The twins jumped up excitedly and meowed, ginger tails victoriously swinging. "Great!" They shouted in unison.
"Good to hear Alaric, I'll contact you later to set it up." Collin said with a beaming grin, happy that the human had agreed to go. Now he could show him to all his friends and they would have to believe him.
After exchanging information and locking up the ship, he bid his goodbyes to the trio and walked to the entrance to the spaceport, (making sure he had his issued communicator and credits). He looked back one last time and waved to them, it was a little out of character for him, but he felt a good vibe from those furs. They were genuinely nice to him, not to mention he thought the two feline women were pretty cute in their own way.
Now that he was off the ship, he tried to figure out what to do first. He could order the supplies and have them sent over, or he could go get a long desired drink. Supplies could wait he concluded and entered the starport terminal. It was the only way to get into the city proper.
The huge terminal was brimming with thousands of Lylatians leaving and arriving on Fortuna. The variety of species was breathtaking. There were dozens of dog and cat breeds not to mention a few avian ones as well. Alongside them all were a few exotic ones he had not thought there to be, panthers, leopards, bears, badgers, what looked like coyotes, and even a few red pandas. He could almost get lost in the crowd if not for his considerable musculature and height. That was one thing he noticed about Lylatians, they were naturally shorter then humans. Sure he was taller then most, but comparing them to people he had met, there was a distinct difference.
As he looked for someone who could give him directions, he noticed that a fairly large portion of the Lylatians were staring at him. He didn't blame them, humans were a rare occurrence outside their home system from what he grasped from the talks he had observed back on Terra. All Lylatians had heard of humans, but for many it was probably the first time any had seen one in person. Although, the gazes were magnified, no doubt directly resulting from his scarred visage. It didn't take a genius to puzzle out he was a veteran of many battles, or some one who was very accident prone. Yet his fearsome demeanor offered an obvious answer between the two parallels.
He spied out the information desk situated at the far end of the terminal, by the exit doors to be precise. With his target in sight, he headed over, wading through the busy crowd of fur and feathers. At the desk was a leopard female and a male fox in the clothing of clerks. The duo watched the human approach with interested eyes. "What can we do for you sir?" The fox asked politely, yet his eyes roved Alaric's face, staring at the scars specifically. The leopardess was looking none too openly as well.
" yes, I was wondering where I could find the best bar in town?" He rumbled in reply. He was not bothered by the looks from the fox and leopardess, he had long ago come to terms with his altered facial features.
"Ah yes, I believe that The Devils Folly was rated number one." The fox said as he typed away on a white pencil thin keyboard with nimble black socked paws, staring at the glowing equally thin monitor.
"Great, do you think you could get me the directions?" Alaric wondered, looking around the starport as he asked. He couldn't get enough of the sights before him.
"Sure can do sir. Just slid your wrist device over here real quick and I'll have my associate here get the directions downloaded in an instant." Alaric moved his arm over the counter and the leopardess swiped a little blue gadget connected to the monitor over it. After a moment it beeped loudly. "There you go sir, your all set. Would you like me to call up a cab? The fox inquired.
"No thank you, have a good day." He said goodbye to the pair and walked to the doors leading outside. As he approached, the sensors opened them and he stepped through. Once more he was stunned by the beauty of the city he saw when landing earlier.
The towering buildings were not oppressing, in fact they made the town seem brighter. The surface streets were free of litter and had many Lylatians going about their day. Some were obviously tourists and others appeared to he locals. Yet they all shared one trait, they all were smiling, all of them. This was a very happy world it seemed. It made Alaric begin to feel a little left out, as if he was not getting the joke that every else had already gotten. They all looked so happy either with their friends of their family, both things which the scarred and lonely human lacked.
He definitely needed that drink. Alaric opened the holo map on his device, the blue two dimensional emitter powered up with whir, and studied it for the location of the bar, finding it marked with a little bottle symbol, thanks to the help of the desk clerks. He memorized the rout fairly quickly and closed the map down. Now with it in his head, he started leave, waking away from the starport and into the warm friendly city itself.
In no time he arrived at the doors to the bar, it was a nice looking place, at least that's what he assumed. He no longer was familiar with the standards of bars, especially ones in alien space. In any case, he was thirsty, and a drink was exactly what he needed. With that in mind, he opened the doors and walked inside.
The interior held a friendly albeit rough vibe, and he was the only human inside. It was late in the afternoon, so the regulars would be the only ones in there. And guessing from the looks, most of them were okay. But as he walked to the big brown bear bartender, he heard loud drunken guffaws coming from a table in the back. He looked over and saw a group of wolves, they were obviously inebriated and rowdy. He decided to keep an eye on them as he stopped at the stained ebony counter.
"What'll ya have?" The bear asked, his voice so deep it made the floor boards rumble slightly, yet it also held a welcome tone. He did not seem to be surprised to see a human, probably having had more than his fair share stop here for a drink.
Alaric didn't have a clue of what alcoholic brands existed in lylatian space or even if the names for some drinks he did know were the same. "What do you suggest?"
The beat hummed and replied "Fuscina spitfires are my personal favorite, although their stronger then most."
"That's fine, I'll have two." Alaric decided, dropping a hundred credits onto the counter.
"They aren't that expensive." The bear said, eyeing the chips on the bar.
"Doesn't matter, keep the change, that's fine with me." Alaric waved off inconsequentially. He didn't see a reason not to be kind to these people, so far that's all they have been to him.
"I appreciate it sir, although now I feel I must ask, what's your name?" The large black bear inquired, wanting to know the name of the generous human.
"Names Alaric Vladislav." He replied, turning briefly to look at the obnoxious table of wolves briefly. They were quite bothersome.
"So Alaric, what do you do?" The bear asked his new friend as he brought the bottles out from underneath the counter and began to mix up the drinks.
He noticed that the human's expression became distant and forlorn. "I was a soldier.....but that was a long time ago."
"Ah I see, twas one myself a few years ago, but I opted out after my second term, didn't feel I could do it anymore. They wanted to keep me, saying I was too good a man to lose, but I denied it, wanted a quieter life. How about you, how did you get out."
Alaric's face quickly morphed into a regretful, pained one. "I was...captured by the enemy, I was happy though, I was conscripted by my government, did things I will never forgive myself for, but they were orders and I followed them to protect my men. Got most of these in prison." He gestured to his face. Alaric decided to tell the bear, he was a fellow soldier after all, and soldiers understood.
The big bear, stopped and looked to the man's face, it was scarred, and his trained eyes could see that the knifework was deliberate, and was probably incredibly painful when it happened. "Hmm, sounds like you've had it rough, more then I ever did. From one soldier to another, don't let what you did control your life, I did some things I'm not proud of either, but you can't change it, but what you can do is change yourself. Do what you can to redeem yourself." The bear said sagely.
Alaric considered what the bear said seriously, it was a good plan, one he decided he would follow. "Great advice, I think I'll take it up. Thanks..."
"Bjorne, names Bjorne." The bear supplied. He handed over the two drinks to Alaric, the pure white beverages were dwarfed in his paws, and fizzed faintly in the air. "Tell you what, come around here another time, and we can have a good ol talk."
Alaric nodded appreciatively. "Sounds good Bjorne, I'll take you up on that offer." He grabbed the drinks and bid the bear goodbye, walking over to an unoccupied table in the far back of the dark room. So far this trip had been a an enlightening one.
Meanwhile, a happy group of Lylatians were enjoying themselves. They were the Starfox team, legendary mercenaries of skill and valor. There efforts had saved the system from the vile clutches of Andross, a banished ape scientist that tried to enact his vengeance, against the people of Lylat. It had been a year since they fought the dreaded simian for the last time, and though they still did missions, they had not had one as important since.
Things were going great for the team, they had just finished a big job destroying a pirate base, and got payed enough to take a much needed vacation on the wonderful tropical world of Fortuna. Not to mention that no major conflict had occurred yet, it was an era of peace and happiness for the people of Lylat.
Fox the defacto leader of the group, a dark orang furred vulpine, was orchestrating the festivities, planning out where he and his friends would go. He turned to his friends and ushered them over to catch up, as he readied to cross the street.
First one to do so was Slippy, the always nervous dark green toad was his mechanic and a friend since the academy. Due to his stature and clumsy tendencies, he was often picked on in the old days, Fox coming to his rescue almost daily. Despite all the trouble he got in, the amphibian became a welcomed and determined friend. This was what Fox was thinking as he watched the huffing and puffing toad catch up, the poor guy was a little out of shape.
The one to walk up next to Slippy was a different kind of person altogether. Falco Lombardi, was a tough as nails, arrogant, red and blue feathered avian. At first, he had been an enemy to Fox, competing with him when they were in school, but by the time they graduated, had become a friend to both him and Slippy.
The next one of his team to reach the light was Krystal, the cerulean vixen had white tribal markings, and was the only non-lylatian on Fox's team. She hailed from a world long past, Cerinina, she was the only known cerininan to escape the planet's demise. Fox found her on Sauria, a world of dinosaurs, and rescued her from her entrapment by a large gem. Ever since, she has been a integral and valued member of his team, for she possessed a very special ability. Krystal was a telepath, she can read people's emotions and thoughts. Although in order to read thoughts she had to concentrate really hard, or be familiar with them. As the blue and white tribal marked vixen walked over, a duo of other females fell in step with her.
They were Fay Spaniel and Miyu Lynx. Both of them were later additions to the team. They had known Fox at the academy and only recently, a few months after Krystal joined, were welcomed into his team. Fay was a pure white spaniel, and was perhaps the youngest on the team besides Slippy. She was a year behind the others at the academy, so she could not join the team when they graduated. She had a trademark pink bow that she wore on her head and was very close friends with Miyu and Krystal.
Miyu was a tomboyish orange and black patterned lynx. Her personality was straightforward, but sometimes she could get flustered. All around though, she was a great person to know, it didn't take much for her to consider someone a friend and she and Fay had been friends since before they went to school together. She had stayed behind to watch over Fay as she finished her final year before graduation. But as soon as she completed her time, they both went to Fox, who gladly accepted them.
And last but not least, Peppy Hare rolled in behind them sedately, the older grey hare didn't have the stamina of his younger friends, and in fact would have stayed in the ship if not for their persistent insistence for him to come along. Peppy was old, not too old mind, but he had seen allot of action in his time. He was the only remaining original member of Starfox. He had served with James Mccloud, Father of Fox, and Pigma Dengar, who would later go on to betray them to Andross, resulting in the assumed death of James.
With the entire team assembled at the light, they talked as they waited for it to turn blue. "So Slip, ready for your first time at a bar?" Falco asked, nudging the short toad. They had finally managed to convince the amphibian to go out with them.
"I suppose so, as long as I have you guys looking out for me." Slippy piped back with his high pitched voice. He usually did not want to go because he worried that his usual clumsiness would get him in trouble. But after much prodding and promises to protect him, the reluctant toad agreed to go this once.
"Sure we will! Your our little squirt!" Miyu added jovially, wrapping a paw around the squat toad's shoulder and ruffling his bald head with the other. "Nobody messes with our squirt."
"Yeah! We got your back Slip!" The ever cheerful and soft voice of Fay added, patting the back of his jumpsuited back to emphasize her point.
"If you say so." Slippy said, still a little doubtful of their commitment.
That's when Fox came in, his opinion swaying the toad. "What have I always told you Slip?" He questioned, turning his view away from the street to ask, making sure to get eye contact. His green eyes, held a power that made you believe what he said, or maybe it was just the confidant aura he always seemed to put out.
"You got my back." Slippy sighed, having heard that question many times before, and knowing the response by heart.
"Exactly! And have I ever let you down?" Fox asked firmly.
"No Fox." Slippy relented, it was true though, Fox had bailed him out of trouble time and time again. And he hadn't failed to do so yet.
"Right, so don't worry about it Slip." Fox nodded as he spoke. "Plus it's only a bar, I don't think the planet is going to get invaded while we drink." As he said that, the light went from red to blue, and the team moved to cross to the bar on the opposite side of the street.
Yet, as they all moved to pass by, Slippy sat there for a few extra seconds to contemplate. He was never one for going out for social interactions, he had always felt awkward and out of place during them. As if he didn't belong there, it always made him feel inferior to his friends that seemed to have no problems at all.
Suddenly, he felt a velvety soft paw squeeze his shoulder comfortingly, the hidden claws gently pressing into his jumpsuit. "I know what your thinking Slippy, and don't worry everything will be just fine." The smooth and smoky voice of Krystal said. She had felt the worry that the toad emitted into the surroundings, her telepathic skills picking it up easily. The vixen always prided herself on taking care of her friends emotional needs, finding that she always felt good afterwards. It was a rewarding experience.
"I know your right Krystal, but Instill think that anyways, its a subconscious thing." Slippy told the blue female fox. Ever since she joined the team, she had helped the socially bumbling toad, and he appreciated that greatly.
"I know you know, I just wanted to say it, and thanks for the thought, its sweet." Krystal replied warmly, giving the toad a friendly and gentle hug. "We better hurry up, the others are almost across."she added, making them go out onto the street, crossing the walkway to join their friends.
"Jeez, don't fall behind." Falco muttered seeing then catch up outside the bar.
"Let's go already!" Slippy said with as much confidence as he could bring to bear. "I'm ready."
The others looked at this new determined toad and smiled. Fox looked to Krystal and have her a thankfully grin. He knew that she had helped the toad out with his fears. She smiled back, bring her sharp pearly canines into view.
"All right Slip!" Falco nodded proudly and opened the door for his friend to go first. The toad striae in with a confident swagger, and tripped I the carpet in the doorway, falling onto his face.
Falco held back laughter as he helped the now indignant toad to his feet. "It's okay, we won't laugh." Usually he would take the chance to rail his friend viciously, but he respected his attempt to be brave and held back. Krystal smiled as she felt the avian's considerate thought and followed after the team who went in after Slippy had recovered.
They all moved to grab a table at the back of the room, and were taken in awe at who they saw at the table next to the one they were taking.
It was a human! He was brooding over a pair of Fuscina spitfires, taking occasional sips from them. What really made them stare was his face. The human had scars on his pale face, and they weren't small ones. Most of them were faded with time, almost unnoticeable. The only prominent scar was a painful looking one that meandered down the left eyebrow and eye, across the bridge of his nose, and stopped at the right side of his chin. The man exhibited a dangerous aura that Krystal could pick up easily from her seat directly across from him. His eyes were a intimidating crimson color, and held as much rage as they did sorrow, in their depths, he had suffered greatly in the past, something that they all could tell.
Perhaps feeling all the eyes on him, he looked up from his drinks to the group, who swiftly looked away not wanting to draw his ire. He clearly was no one to mess with. Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Miyu took notice of the hilt at his side before they turned away. He was defiantly dangerous.
While they all sat at the table, Krystal got up to order a specific drink, one she remember her parents drinking all those years ago. No establishment she had been to so far had it already so she always had to tell then how to make it. As she went up, Slippy decided to follow, he felt better around Krystal, she was always helping him out.
She arrived at the bar, and flagged down the bartender. "What can I do you for miss?" He asked politely, cleaning a mug in his left paw with a clean rag.
"I was hoping you could make a specific drink for me." She replied, leaning on the counter. She found her mind wandering back to the human, he had such a deep aura of pain and rage, his life must have been a terrible one. She felt herself wanting to comfort him.
"Sure thing miss, just tell me what you need." She filled him in, and he walked away to fill her order. While she waited she heard a drunken voice interrupt her thoughts.
"Hey there pretty lady. Why don't you come over to my table?" She turned to see a clearly shitfaced grey wolf, his jaw was slack and he swayed slightly.
"No thank you." She relied quickly and turned away.
"Aww your no fun, why not?" She felt a grimy paw land in her shoulder and swing her around to face him.
"I said no!" She growled and pushed him away, causing him to stumble.
The wolf obviously didn't like that because he righted himself with difficult and stormed back over. Yet before he could do anything, Slippy, who had been wracked with indecision, finally gathered the courage to step in front of Krystal defensively. The wolf's alcohol hazed mind was slightly confused at this new development. "What do you think your doing pipsqueak?" He thundered.
"L-l-leave h-h-her a-lone." He said with as much strength he could manage, which sadly, was not allot. Krystal liked to him, thankful for his attempt at helping, but worried at what might happen.
The wolf barked in laughter darkly, amused by the defiance of the puny toad. Then he turned to look into the toads trembling face. "No." He reeled his closed paw back and launched it down to the flinching toad. The team had just noticed the commotion and jumped up to help the amphibian. They would not have made it in time, lucky for them and the toad, there was one person who had moved earlier.
The fist was firmly caught before it could finish the decent to its victim, in the furless hands of the human. The wolf turned to snarl at the intruder and blanched at the sight before him.
Standing there, with a contemptuous expression on his scarred face, was the most muscular and intimidating human the wolf had ever seen. The man's bright red eyes were blazing with disgust and anger. "Hitting people smaller then you huh, very impressive!" The human growled deeply.
"So, I can if I want to." The wolf snarled, with his judgement clouded by alcohol, and not wanting to back down with his friends watching, did the stupidest thing ever. He tried to fight back. As he brought his other paw around to claw at the human's face, the man flexed his hand holding the wolf's paw.
Liken to the sound of twigs snapping underfoot, the wolf's bones in his paw crunched in the merciless tightening grip. With a whimper and a moan, he fell to the floor, all fight sucked out of him by the wound. "And I can as well." The human muttered, and with his deed done, turned to head back to his seat, ignoring the amazed and impressed eyes watching him. But the wolf was not done yet, he would not let this embarrassment go unpunished. He drew a small dagger from his pocket with the uninjured paw and jumped to stab the unawares human.
Just as Starfox was about to shout out a warning, the man casually sidestepped the lethal lung, grabbed the throat of the wolf, slammed him into the wall, and with a snap-hiss drew his much more frighting plasma lined sword, bringing the snarling blade up to his throat. "Fool, I have taken more lives then most serial killers could dream of, and you try to stab me in the back! I have killed for less!" He roared in the now quivering wolf's muzzle. The dagger fell from a now nerveless paw, and clattered to the wooden floor of the bar. The entire room was silent, all except the purring of the blade and the whimpers from the unmanned wolf. "Today is your lucky day wolf, I don't feel like riding the world of your flea-bitten hide." He tossed the canine to the floor harshly, stepped over him, went back to his seat, sat down and resumed drinking out of his last spitfire.
The cowering wolf's friends picked him up and dragged him out of the bar. They would not be coming back anytime soon.
All the patrons of the bar ignored the retreating individuals in favor of studying this stranger, sitting so easily after what he did. Starfox watched him with a appraising eye, he certainly wasn't a normal individual. And so, with wary hearts, went over to sit at his table. They wanted to talk with this man. Yet none of them did so more then Krystal, he had store up for her and Slippy, without even knowing who they were, and yet didn't talk with them when he was done. She felt the the desire to discover who he was and why he was there.
And so, with trepidation they sat at his table, the man looked up from his drink and grunted. "What do you want?"