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Chapter 26: Mental Discipline

The return trip was thankfully uneventful. Their beds were moved to the far corner of the forward lounge with privacy curtains erected around it. This would ensure that Fox would not accidently intrude into their minds while he slept. He was not shunned by his friends though. They still spent time with him and his family during the voyage back to Sauria. Fox had quickly adjusted to sensing their emotions and simply avoided eye contact with them to avoid inadvertently reading their minds.

That first night after Ophelia had been put to bed in her crib, Krystal laid down a third mat for Fox in addition to ones for herself and Marcus and began her soulmate's telepathic training with his first meditation exercise. When Fox knelt on his mat, he let himself be guided by her thoughts. "Now take a slow, deep breath and slowly exhale. Let all your worries and distractions go out of you with your breath. Clear your mind....good....relax and let your mind sense your surroundings."

"I can sense you, Marcus, and Ophelia....Dash is sleeping....Fay is anxious....Falco and Katt are in their quarters...They're..."

"Do not let their emotions distract you. Just let yourself sense them, but keep focusing inward. The objective is to let your mind become completely relaxed and let your telepathic and empathic impressions of your surroundings flow through you."

Fox took another deep breath and again exhaled slowly. His mental awareness of their surroundings faded to the background of his consciousness. A calm settled over his mind. Tension that he had not realized was within him flowed out of his being._ _ "Very good. You are a fast learner."

"Could it be because I've experienced your meditative state of mind over the years through our mental bond?" Fox queried while still maintaining his newly acquired sense of peace.

"Yes. That is very likely, and it will help you in some of your training under Elder Hiroshi."

"How will this help me dream lucidly?"

"Hush....quiet your mind...that will be a technique to learn in a future lesson."

Fox acquiesced to his bondmate's experience and wisdom and took another deep, slow breath, letting his mind become still like a deep pond on a windless day.

Over the next few days aboard the Great Falcon, Fox's telepathic skills progressed steadily. By the third day, Krystal had him start his meditation exercise while Falco and Katt were sitting on a nearby lounge chair. Having minds nearby in a heated discussion on which mercenary contract they should take next proved to be a difficult challenge for Fox to not let himself be distracted while meditating. By the fifth day, Krystal gave Fox his biggest challenge yet.

Fox could not believe that Fay would so readily volunteer for this exercise. With Krystal standing behind him, he sat on one of the lounge chairs next to Fay and nervously faced the bubbly spaniel while looking down at his lap. Speaking out loud so that Fay would know what to expect, Krystal guided her husband. "Okay Fox, the way you do this is that when you look at someone, you try to not let yourself be drawn behind their eyes."

Krystal and her husband could both sense the trusting curiosity and eagerness to help from the she-dog. It went a long way to easing Fox's anxiety, and the telepathic tod slowly raised his gaze to meet hers...and felt himself fall behind those dark blue eyes and into her mind.

_"Oh my stars! He is so adorable, all nervous-looking like that!"_Fay thought, and then felt Fox's presence in her mind, followed by a burst of panic from the tod before it vanished.

Fox hastily broke eye contact and looked down at his lap. "Sorry...sorry..."

Fay blushed, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. Even though she knew something like this could happen with the telepath-in-training, she still felt mildly embarrassed, which was an emotion that Fox naturally picked up with his empathy. But before he could begin to fall over himself with more profuse apologies, she giggled. "It's okay, Fox. I knew this might happen. I think that maybe....I wanted you to know how cute I thought you're being now." She gazed up at Krystal and expressed her trust in them. "You two are my dearest friends, and I'm still willing to let you practice your telepathy on me, Fox."

It took several tries, but with Krystal's mental presence helping him, Fox was finally able to meet Fay's gaze without reading her mind. By dinner time, with his soulmate at his side to guide him, he felt confident enough to join Falco and his crew in the ship's galley. By then, it became second nature to Fox to not let himself be drawn into the minds of his friends, and for the first time since his mental powers had awakened, he found himself at ease in their company.

By the last day before their arrival back to New Cerinia, Falco called Fox and Krystal to the bridge. Peppy had contacted them on a coded frequency. With the McCloud's and the Star Falco crew all gathered together, they listened to the holographic projection of the general. "Fox, we've found out why you were a latent telepath."

A graphical representation of Fox McCloud's family tree replaced Peppy. At the bottom was an image of Fox himself, with his parents James and Vixy right above at the end of a splitting line that extended from him. More splitting lines branched out from his parents to his grandparents, whose names he vaguely remembered his parents mentioning, each accompanied by images of them. From his grandparents, the branches split again to one gray and seven orange-brown Lylatian foxes representing his great grandparents.

Then the branches split again to 16 great, great grandparents. It was here that a startling discovery was made. Twelve of the images were of orange-brown foxes, one was of a more reddish variety, two were from the grey fox line, and one was of a blue-furred vulpine male. Most amazingly, he was Fox's direct paternal ancestor in the McCloud line, the father of the father of the father of James McCloud. The image expanded to fill the holo projector's field. This tod had the same piercing green eyes like Fox's. His fur was a medium blue. A gold diadem went across his forehead with a green gem in the center that closely matched his eyes. "Apparently, your great, great grandfather was Cerinian."

"An exploratory ship named Wayfarer made first contact with the Cerinian civilization 128 years ago. The report from the captain was as you'd expect, Krystal. Your people were friendly, but reticent to interact with any non-telepaths because of your past history and previous experiences with races who either feared your people's mental powers or were envious of them."

"Yes, I do recall from my schooling that told of the visitors from your star system. We had since then limited trade with your people and had some cultural exchanges, though we still kept to ourselves for the most part." Krystal admitted.

The image then expanded to show an orange-brown vixen in the arms of Fox's Cerinian great, great, grandfather. Peppy continued to report on his findings. "Well, among that crew of the Wayfarer was a sociologist named Grace McCloud. She spent a great deal of time on Cerinia during that first contact, learning about your language and culture. And over the course of about seven weeks, she fell in love with one of your people, a tod named Takara." Peppy then concluded his report. "Not much is known about him, except that he chose to leave his home world to be with Fox's great, great grandmother and took her name when they married."

Fox began to pace around the bridge, contemplating this revelation about his heritage. "This explains so much about certain things in my life. Dad always said to me, 'trust your instincts' and I did. Even during my Star Fox days, I'd often be hit with this intuition in the middle of combat. I seemed to instinctively be able to anticipate what an opponent would do. I never knew why I was able to do that. I just did." He then glanced to Krystal. "Could I have been unknowingly using latent telepathy against them?"

Krystal tapped into her bondmate's memories of those encounters and then nodded, "Yes, knowing what we know now, it is very much looking like you were." She then laughed. "Wolf is going to throw a fit whenever he finds out. You were most likely in his head subconsciously when you outflew him in all our encounters when he was an adversary."

"I am not looking forward to him figuring that out," Fox groaned. He then had an epiphany. "Your staff! That is why it would work for me. I was without realizing it tapping into my dormant telepathy when I used it."

"And those mental exercises I had you do before our bonding. You seemed to take so easily to them. And my own powers...remember when I told you that bonded couples magnify each other's abilities?" Krystal exclaimed. "Your latent telepathy was enhancing my own....and the telekinesis!"

"Wait. Was it really you or me that was doing that?" Fox asked.

Krystal pondered the question. "The first time, when Marcus was being born, I am certain I was the one who pushed Porcos and those two guards out of the birthing room. But my telekinetic powers did come from you, I have no doubt." To prove the point, she focused on Falco's tablet which he had left on the command chair. Sure enough, the device levitated and flew to Krystal's hand.

Falco, Katt, Fay, and Dash all gawked at the display of mental power. "Great Maker!!!" they heard Peppy exclaim. Having gotten over his initial shock, Falco asked, "What about at River Rapids? Was that you that sent those paparazzi flying into the sea, or was it Fox?"

"I don't know. It could have been me or Fox, or it could have been the both of us. Mmmm. Fox, I do think that invisible wall that reporter hit might have been your doing, though. What were you thinking before you kicked him?"

Fox thought back to how he felt and what was going through his mind and nodded with a dawning realization. "It was me! I wanted him to be stopped."

"But how come were you not able to do any telekinesis afterwards?" Fay asked.

"That one is simple." Krystal replied. "In both cases, Fox was with me, and we were both agitated. His latent powers briefly flared up, and I was able to tap into them. But when his telekinesis went dormant again, I lost access to them."

"So now that his telepathy, empathy, and telekinesis are all fully awakened, your own powers are increased." Dash mused.

"And his too." Krystal pointed out. "Fox's abilities would not be as strong without our minds and souls linked."

Katt gazed up again at the image of Grace and Takara McCloud. "So I guess that means you are 6.25% Cerinian."

"Oh Spirits!" Krystal exclaimed. "That is what mother meant when she said I was one of 51 Cerinian survivors. Fox, you are the fifty-first Cerinian!"

Falco laughed, "Does that mean he'll be dyeing his fur blue?"

Fox shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'm still 93.75% Lylatian, you know."

Krystal looked upon the image of her soulmate's Cerinian ancestor and smiled. "Takara....His name translates to 'treasure' in Lylatian. It seems fitting that his great, great, grandson would end up finding a jewel of his own named 'Krystal' who was also Cerinian."

*****

Once again, the Great Falcon was on the ground at the New Cerinia landing field and Fox and his family had changed back into their Cerinian attire, which was much more suitable to the warm tropical climate. The one difference this time was that Fox himself was directly sensing the presence of his fellow Cerinians. Fox mused to himself. Was he truly thinking of them as his people when they were only one sixteenth of his heritage? And yet, he was already a citizen of New Cerinia. He had even before the awakening of his latent powers been welcomed as part of their community. He was so at ease being among them, and had fully embraced their way of life and culture. Perhaps his friends were right in saying he was going native.

With the ship's ramp lowered, Fox and his family approached Hiroshi and all the Cerinians who again stood waiting to welcome them back. When Fox felt their minds reach out to him, he sensed their inquisitiveness. He knew better than to be surprised that word of his latent telepathy would spread instantly among this particular small community. When he reached the elder, Fox slightly bowed to him, "Elder Hiroshi."

"Welcome home, Fokkusu." the middle-aged vulpine though back to Fox before laying hands upon his temples. 'Home' he had said. The elder was welcoming him as one of them. In that moment, he experienced that sense of belonging directly, in the same way his bondmate had upon their first arrival to this renascent civilization. These emotions were sensed by Hiroshi even as he probed more deeply into Fox's mind to evaluate his psionic potential.

The elder then withdrew his hands and made known his evaluation. "Your telepathy and empathy are quite strong, Fokkusu, and remarkably, so is your telekinetic potential." He then nodded to Krystal in approval. "And you have done well, Kurisutaru, in training your bondmate in the fundamentals."

Fox's wife inclined her head at the acknowledgement and handed the elder a data crystal. ** "We have also discovered why Fokkusu was a latent telepath. One of his ancestors, four generations removed from him, was a Cerinian male who bonded with a Lylatian vixen. She was part of the crew of the Wayfarer, which was the first Lylatian vessel to visit our world 128 of their years ago."**

"By the Spirits of our Ancestors!" Hiroshi exclaimed. He then stroked his chin and drew the recollection from his memories. "As elder, I am the keeper of our traditions and lore, and know of this vessel. I would hazard a guess that this ancestor of Fokkusu's was named Takara."

"You know about my ancestor?" Fox asked. "The archives on Corneria had little information on him except for his image and his name."

"Yes...I do know of him" Hiroshi sighed, and gathered his thoughts. "As you've learned, our people were in conflict with each other in violent clan wars three of our centuries ago. While we had made peace amongst ourselves by the time Lylat made contact with Cerinia, those wars had only ended just over a hundred of our years beforehand. Telepathic crimes were on the decline as each family learned to let go of old vendettas, but they still were not a rare occurrence yet."

"Oh spirits. Are you saying that Takara was exiled for mind rape?" Fox asked. The idea that he might be descended from such a person horrified him.

Those emotions pleased the elder and the other Cerinians present. It was a further testament to them that Fox was very unlikely to ever abuse his powers. Hiroshi was also happy to assuage Fox's fears. "Yes, and no. Takara had sought to avoid a confrontation with a rival from another clan that still was seeking vengeance against his for an atrocity his grandfather had committed against them towards the end of the clan wars."

Fox's ears flattened against his head in a shame that the elder quickly dispelled as he continued the narrative. "Mind you, few of our ancestors from that time were without guilt, including ancestors of Takara's rival. All sides in those wars committed terrible acts. Kurisutaru here also has a few ancestors who did terrible things during those wars. I myself have one ancestor who murdered children from opposing clans. It is this shame that motivates all of us to never allow ourselves to sink to that level again."

After Fox turned to his vixen and gave her hand a squeeze to reassure her that he did not think any less of her, Hiroshi continued telling the story of Fox's ancestor. "I can tell you that Takara was not one of those who sought revenge. He and his family had learned to let go of old grievances. Unfortunately, this individual, who was the eldest son of a rival matriarch, had learned about your ancestor's love interest. Grace McCloud and Takara were engaged to be bonded and she had expressed a desire to join our society and live the rest of her life on Cerinia, much to the delight of Takara's parents and family. However, he learned that this rival plotted to mind rape Grace and leave her broken at his home's doorsteps. Takara confronted him and in the ensuing fight, destroyed his mind."

"I cannot even imagine having to do that to someone." Fox shook his head despondently.

"And hopefully, you never will be put into such a position." Hiroshi replied before going on. "Takara was horrified with what he had done and immediately surrendered himself to the elders. At his trial, they could all sense his deep remorse and after an inquiry, learned of the extenuating circumstances. The normal sentence would have been to inject a neuron-killing compound into that part of his brain governing telepathy, forever destroying his mental powers, followed by permanent exile from Cerinia."

"What did his rival's family have to say?" Fox asked.

"Oh, the matriarch was most certainly demanding it. However, records showed that that old vixen was responsible for filling her eldest son with hatred towards Takara's clan. Consequently, the high elder overruled her and warned her that it would be she who would suffer the sentence if she did not desist. In the end, Takara's sentence was modified. He was allowed to keep his mental powers and his exile would be only until the end of the rival matriarch's life. While the other members of that rival family were still upset with Takara, they recognized the high elder's wisdom and accepted the sentence."

"Did Takara ever return to Cerinia?" Fox asked, now captivated by the story of his Cerinian ancestor.

"He did in fact, 32 of our years later when his exile was lifted. His parents were very old by then, but he was able to reunite with his family. By then, they had a 27-year-old son, your great, grandfather, and had been living on Corneria and on Papatoon for those 32 years. Accounts from that time say that your great, grandfather did not inherit his father's telepathy, and was only an empath. He and his parents did stay on Cerinia for the rest of his Cerinian grandparent's life. Takara's siblings and cousins had families of their own and were living their own lives. So the McClouds moved back to Corneria after Takara's parents died. Your great, great grandfather only returned to visit Cerinia a few more times until he and Grace passed away together. Your great grandfather was never seen on our world again." Hiroshi concluded the narrative.

"Wow....and nobody here knew he was half Cerinian. He did not even inherit his father's blue fur. It's no wonder his heritage was forgotten by his descendants until now." Fox gazed down at his son and then at his daughter who had dozed off in Krystal's arms. "I wonder if it's because I'm part Cerinian that our children all have blue fur. They are slightly over 50% Cerinian, and both are telepaths."

Hinode answered those questions for Fox. "Well, it is still about even odds that some of your future children will inherit your orange-brown fur, but because you inherited the recessive gene of your great, great, grandfather and are married to a Cerinian telepath, all your children will most likely be strong telepaths. As for your telekinesis, that is very much random and still an extremely rare ability. Do not be surprised if none of your children are telekinetic."

"Well, Foxy." Falco quipped. "You'll have quite a tale to tell your pups and grandpups."

"So what do we do now, captain?" Dash asked.

Hiroshi invited Falco and his crew. "You are all most welcomed to join us for dinner. It's the least we could do for your bringing Fokkusu back to us for his training."

"Well, it would be more of a lunch for us given the time difference, but sure." Falco agreed.

They gathered for dinner around the beach campfire, joined by Slippy and Amanda who were still working on the Legacy building's medical facilities. To his surprise, Fox found himself the center of attention among the Cerinians. For them, it was the newness of meeting an adult who was a nascent telepath. They engaged him in simple telepathic games that they had played as children. But to Fox, the mental exercises were all new experiences. With Krystal's presence in his mind instinctively guiding him, he engaged the other Cerinians in games such as, 'Who's Thinking That,' 'Guess What I'm seeing,' and 'Hide Your Thoughts.'

Renjiro though took the most interest in Fox. Being a guardian himself, the tod had developed a rapport with the retired Star Fox mercenary, seeing a kindred spirit in him. "So you've gained your bondmate's skill in the Cerinian staff then?"

"Yes, since my Kurisutaru is also a guardian. We sometimes spar as a form of exercise." Fox then told them of the time they first practiced at the CDF Headquarters gymnasium in front of other CDF soldiers, and Bulldog and Husky Squadrons and how they had wagered on who would win.

Renjiro laughed, "Let me guess. None of them won because your sparring match ended in a draw."

"Yes, we ended in a draw, but Peppy won that bet." Fox grinned.

"Brilliant! So General Hare correctly guessed how it would end because you two were bonded."

"Fokkusu also sparred against a martial arts master from a monastery in Corneria's Yazhou Mountains." Krystal supplied. "He managed to even get in a few hits before Master Bao learned to adapt to the Cerinian staff style. When I took my turn against him, we were sparring to a draw. I could not get past his defenses, even while passively sensing his intent."

Fox nodded, recalling the seminar on the Ocean Breeze on the way to Slippy's wedding on Aquas. "Yes, and then Master Bao cleared his mind so completely that Kurisutaru could not even sense his presence, and then surprised her with a staff strike."

"Yes, it was amazing. I had never encountered a non-telepath with such mental discipline." Krystal raved.

"I recall such a name. Would this be Yun Bao?" Hiroshi asked.

"Why yes?" Krystal replied. "He had even expressed interest in going to Cerinia with some of his fellow monks for a cultural exchange with our....elders..... You spoke with him, didn't you, Elder?"

"Yes, a week before...." Hiroshi solemnly. A barely-suppressed emotional pain rippled through the gathering that Fox could not help but sense from the Cerinian survivors. Each of them did their best to not dwell on the loved ones that were left behind to perish when their world was destroyed.

"He was saddened to hear what had happen. You should contact him, Elder. I am positive he will be happy to learn that you made it and will most assuredly want to meet you."

"Yes, I think I will, once I'm done training your bondmate." Hiroshi promised, thereby dispelling the brief somber mood.

"I'd be most curious to see your skill in the staff, Fokkusu. Shall we spar?"

Fox perked at the idea of pitting his Cerinian staff skills against another Cerinian besides his wife, but then paused. "Okay...but I'm not ready to mentally spar though. I wouldn't know how to telepathically attack or defend myself."

"Oh, quite understandable, since all your prior staff exercises were before the awakening of your telepathy." Renjiro replied. "So we'll keep it to physical staff skills." He withdrew his staff, which immediately telescoped to its full length and covered the ends with padding provided by another guardian. Krystal smiled, excited by the idea of seeing her soulmate spar against a guardian beside herself. She withdrew her collapsed staff and tossed it to Fox, who caught it.

Holding it in his hand, he marveled at the impression he was receiving from the Cerinian weapon. "Wow....I... can feel it in my mind... Before, I could make it work for me, but could not sense it like I can now..."

At the questioning glance from one of the other guardians, Krystal explained, "Apparently, my staff responded to Fokkusu from the first moment he picked it up. I can only guess that it sensed his latent telepathy."

Fox willed the staff to expand and immediately felt it respond to him. After covering the ends of his borrowed staff with padding that was provided to him, he faced Renjiro, who asked him. "Which abilities have you been able to perform with the staff?"

"Fire projectiles, ice blast, flight boost, ground quakes, force field, and opening locked doors." Fox replied.

"Impressive, especially given that you manage to do all that while your telepathy was still dormant. You'll only need to learn how to send electrical blasts." Renjiro then squared off against Fox. "Needless to say, we'll not be using any of those abilities."

Everyone then watched the two tods spar. Renjiro started slowly, testing Fox's skill, but soon increased the tempo of his attacks and counter attacks, matching Krystal's bondmate blow for blow. Fox managed to win two out of the five rounds. On the sixth round, they were going all out, continuously striking, blocking, and counter striking each other. All attention was drawn on the dueling pair, seeing who would find an opening to exploit. Then Fox lost his footing on the loose stand and stumble backwards.

When Renjiro moved in quickly to deliver a blow with the padded end of his staff, Fox panicked and raised up his staff to push back against the more experienced guardian's strike. Renjiro suddenly felt himself being shoved backwards into the air by an invisible force. It was only by virtue of her mental bond with her soulmate that Krystal sensed a second before that her husband was about to inadvertently use telekinesis against his opponent. Frantically, she reached out with her own telekinetic ability and managed to slow down Renjiro's fall enough so that he lightly bounced upon the sand behind him.

Hinode and Fox both rushed to the fallen guardian's side. "I am so sorry. I did not even mean to do that."

Gasping, Renjiro managed to breathe again. Hinode passed a medical scanner over the tod and sighed in relief. "No internal injuries. Only minor bruising in the lower ribs."

All the Cerinians could sense how panicked and distraught Fox was and knew that his telekinetic outburst was accidental. "Obviously, Fokkusu will need training in managing his telekinesis before any physical training can continue." Hiroshi observed.

Renjiro laughed. "He'll be our most formidable guardian once he masters all his psionic abilities and the staff. That was some wallop." He then embraced Fox and sent calming thoughts into his minds. "I know it was accidental, my friend."

"I was so scared I had injured you."

"Do not trouble your mind. I am no worse for wear."

The remainder of the evening went by with no further excitement. Fox leaned against Krystal while each caressed their children who had fallen asleep after the sun had set. He found himself looking forward to training under the elder's tutelage. Fox gazed over to Hiroshi. The old fox seemed pensive and he sensed that he was troubled. When he looked towards him, Fox met his eyes. Letting himself be drawn just behind the Hiroshi's eyes, Fox tentatively tried to probe the elder's surface thoughts, but was surprised to find himself being gently blocked. Wondering if he had overstepped some rule of telepathic etiquette, Fox thought to him, "Forgive me, Elder. I did not mean to intrude."

"Your natural curiosity is no intrusion since you did not try to pry beyond my surface thoughts, Fokkusu."

Sensing no rebuke, Fox gave thought to his concern. _ "Is everything alright, Sir? I sense that something weighs upon you."_

Fox found his mind awash with fatherly affection from the elder. "Do not fret over this old fox's concerns, Fokkusu. I have many things I must consider prior to the start of your training. Enjoy the companionship of your bondmate tonight, for I must take you away from her tomorrow."

"Of course, Sir. Kurisutaru and I understand that there are things she cannot teach me because we are bonded. Goodnight Elder."

Fox then turned to Falco. "So what are your plans now?"

Nodding to Katt, Falco replied, "We'll be heading back to Corneria for some R&R. Don't get me wrong, Foxy. This is a pretty planet, but Katt and I prefer the city life. We'll spend a week there and then start a new patrol contract between Papatoon and Fortuna. I was more than happy to ferry you and your family back and forth between Corneria and here, but we've got bills to pay."

"I quite understand." Fox assured his friend. "I was in your seat once. Remember? We'll hitch a ride on one of the CDF ships back to Corneria when my telepathy lessons are done here."

Fox and Krystal looked up and watched the Great Falcon ascend back into the sky. Both had a deep fondness for Falco and his crew, especially after this return journey to New Cerinia. Fox could not imagine being cooped up on a CDF transport with strangers while keeping secret the awakening of his telepathy. They watched the ship fly away for a bit longer and then turned around and made the short hike to Cape Claw proper, carrying their sleeping children to their cottage. After putting their pups to bed, they made love together for the first time as full telepaths. Fox tried to project his own love into his vixen's mind, but the mental technique eluded him. Krystal was not concerned, though. "Do not worry, Fokkusu. I am quite certain you'll learn how, and so many more things about being a telepath in the weeks to come."

Neither was particularly tired as their internal clocks were still set to the Great Falcon's time, which matched Corneria City's local time. They nonetheless drifted off to sleep still knotted together after several rounds of love-making that left them pleasantly sated and sexually exhausted.

*****

They were awakened very early the next morning by two pups who jumped into their parent's bed to let them know they were hungry. Yawning, Fox and Krystal roused themselves out of bed and decided to spearfish together at the mouth of the river. As a unit, the family broke their fast together on fish cooked over a campfire, supplemented with fruit from nearby trees.

After having put the fire out, Fox and Krystal walked slowly together, hand-in-hand with their fingers interlaced while watching Marcus and Ophelia pick up sea shells while following them along towards the main settlement. It was only as they approached Elder Hiroshi's tent that they began to sense that something was amiss. They could sense emotions of anxiousness and sadness from the Cerinians that walked by them. With a growing sense of unease, Fox and his wife walked towards the elder at the entrance of his tent.

"Elder..." they mentally greeted together.

Hearing their unified minds together only saddened Hiroshi all the more for what he knew lay in store for the bonded couple before him. _ "_** Come inside. We have important matters to discuss."**

Inside the tent, Fox and Krystal saw Hinode, Shinko, Renjiro, and Akina, their four closest Cerinian friends, seated upon cushions on each side of a low table. The somber mood from the two couples and the elder lent an air of foreboding to the gathering. Hiroshi gestured to the two remaining cushions. "We have things to discuss before your telepathic training can begin, Fokkusu."

Fox and his soulmate took their seats opposite each other and looked at the Cerinians gathered about them. None of their friends would meet their gaze, and to their surprise, they could not even pick up on any of their surface thoughts. Before they could voice their questions, the elder began to speak. "I want you both to understand that what I am about to say is something I fervently wish were not necessary."

Hiroshi then addressed Fox directly. "Fokkusu, let me begin by saying that your bondmate has done an admirable job in beginning your telepathic training." He then took a deep breath and exhaled in a long sigh. "Unfortunately, your mental bond to Kurisutaru is now a hindrance to your further development. You have to understand that typically, bonds are formed between adult couples who have been fully trained in their telepathy by their adolescence."

Fox frowned. He already understood that certain exercises, like shielding his mind from forced mental intrusions, would be impossible to do with Krystal since their minds were so deeply intertwined. "Yes Elder, I do understand that. Is that not why you will be taking over my telepathic training?"

"Unfortunately, that alone is not sufficient. Yesterday evening, it became apparent that Kurisutaru was unconsciously aiding you in the simple telepathic games you partook in with the others. It is an instinctive mental reflex on her part that she will be hard pressed to suppress." Hiroshi explained. "Your predicament is made all the more difficult because in all the years of your marriage prior to your telepathic awakening, your mind has grown dependent on her telepathy. This is a natural consequence whenever a non-telepath bonds with a telepath."

"So how do I make my mind less dependent on my soulmate?" Fox reluctantly asked.

Hiroshi gazed at their pups. This was going to be hard on them as well. ** "Makasu, what I am about to ask your mother and father to do will be very hard on them. It will hurt them a great deal. And it will hurt them even more if you remain here with us while I do what has to be done in order to allow your father to become good at telepathy like you are."**

*"Will my mama and papa be okay?" * Marcus asked nervously.

"Not right away, but in a few weeks, when your father has learned everything he needs to know, your parents will be much better off than they are now." the elder assured Fox's eldest pup. "So I want you to take care of Ofiria. Your little sister is too young to understand what has to be done."

When Marcus mutely nodded, Hiroshi addressed Hinode and Shinko. "Take Makasu and Ophiria outside. Bring them to one of the small gardens. Shield their minds as best you can and comfort them. Their mother will need them afterwards."

"Yes, Elder." Shinko bowed, stood up with her bondmate, and led the pups outside.

"Mama?" Ophelia called back to her mother while Shinko carried her out, reassuring the toddler, "Your mama will be out in a bit, little one."

Marcus glanced back at his parents anxiously before letting himself be led out by Hinode.

Fox and Krystal now became fearful. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they wondered what tribulation they would be asked to endure. Hiroshi then told them. "Kurisutaru, Fokkusu, let me re-iterate that if there was any other way, I would chose it instead of what now must be done."

"What are you going to do, Elder?" Krystal nervously asked.

"Your bond must be broken. I must separate your minds and your souls."

They were beyond horrified. For over six years, they had blissfully been one heart, one mind, and one soul. Memories of themselves as separate individuals belonged to a prior lifetime they barely remembered. They could not imagine a more terrible fate than to again return to such a state of desolate loneliness. Krystal and Fox lunged towards each other, wrapping their arms about themselves in a desperately tight embrace. "No! Please....Elder, we can't be parted." they cried out in mounting panic.

Renjiro moved behind Fox and gently laid a hand against the back of his neck to sooth the agitated tod. Akina also did the same for Krystal, seeking to comfort her as well. With their panic slightly abated, Hiroshi sought to speak the right words that would give them courage. "We can all sense your fear. Truthfully, it is something no bonded soulmates should ever have to endure.... But once Fokkosu has been fully trained in his own right, I will with great joy preside over your re-bonding."

Hiroshi extoled Fox. "Fokkusu, consider that you will finally be able to pour all your love into her soul like you had wished for so long. You will be able to plant the most pleasant of dreams into her mind like she has done for you. You will be able to dream lucidly with her. You will learn to mentally speak to your non-telepathic friends and confidently be able to read their surface thoughts without intruding upon things they wish to keep private."

Hiroshi then offered more words of encouragement to Krystal. "Kurisutaru, General Hare told me about the Aparoid invasion that besieged Lylat, including this world. I am given to understand that that hive consciousness frequently tried to invade your mind. It is a reminder that we cannot assume we Cerinians are the only telepaths out there. Would you not want your bondmate to be able to fortify his mind against telepathic attack? What about his telekinesis? He could potentially be a danger to himself and all those around him if he does not master control of this power."

They drew apart though still held hands while looking at each other. Krystal held her soumate's gaze with a desperate wish to not be parted from him. The abject fear in his eyes broke her heart. Never had Fox imagined he'd be faced with such a horrible prospect, and would have fervently wished for his mental powers to have remained forever dormant if not for Elder Hiroshi's promise of a stronger mental bond afterwards. Both closed their eyes and tearfully nodded.

"Renjiro, Akina, draw them into your arms. Comfort them while I work to separate them, and do not let them touch each other." Hiroshi cautioned. "Once their mind-link has been broken, they must not come into physical contact, or they will instantly merge again, and it will be next to impossible to separate them."

Fox and Krystal kept their eyes closed, unable to bare looking at each other. Both trembled when they felt the elder's hand against their temples. They then felt his mind penetrate deeply into theirs. And it went further, to the core of their very being. Fox/Krystal felt deeply violated even though this third presence was compassionate. Then came this mental wedge that interposed itself into his/her mind. It was unrelenting though gentle as it slowly coaxed their joined minds and souls apart. It was getting too much for them and they mentally whimpered, "No....Please...." and began to resist.

It took all of Hiroshi's mental discipline to not let himself be overcome with sadness at having to pull these soulmates apart. He reminded both himself and Fox/Krystal why they were being separated. "I know Dear Hearts...but be brave. Remember why you are parting and that it is only temporary...your hearts, minds, and souls will be reunited..." When he felt their minds begin to relent, he resumed gently taking their bond apart. "That's it...relax...do not fight it...let yourselves drift apart..."

The interwoven tendrils of their very being began to more quickly unravel. Both Fox and Krystal whimpered out loud and began to tremble violently. Their awareness of each other's presence began to fade. "Krystal..." "Fokkusu...." And then Fox collapsed into Renjiro's arms and Krystal likewise collapsed into Akina's. For the first time in over six years, Fox and Krystal were completely alone in their minds and both sobbed inconsolably. When they opened their eyes and saw each other through veils of tears, they lurched towards each other, unable to bare being apart, but were forcefully kept separated by their friends.

His voice choked with a profound sadness, Hiroshi commanded, "Akina, take Kurisutaru to her children. Makasu already senses his parents' anguish. Let him console his mother."

Fox felt his heart ripped out of his chest at the sight of Krystal being led away from him and curled up between Renjiro and Hiroshi where he cried long and hard.

Outside, Ophilia was bawling and Marcus was struggling to break free from Hinode and Shinko. Even through the mental barrier that had been put around him and his sister, the pup had sensed his parent's deep sorrow. A minute later, he saw his mother being led by his Aunt Akina towards him. When they arrived, the pup was unnerved by the vacant look in his mother's tear-stained eyes and lurched into her arms, which reflexively wrapped around him. "It is done..." he heard his mother's companion say.

It was then that he sensed the utter wrongness in his mother's mind. He could not feel his father's presence in her. He angrily looked around at the other three adults around them. *"Where is my Papa?!" * Then, before they could answer, he saw his father behind Akina in the distance being led away and jumped to his feet.

Before he could take more than a few steps, Marcus was stopped from pursuing his father by Hinode. "Your father is going away for a short while to take telepathy lessons from Elder Hiroshi. He has to spend time separated from your mother to learn properly. This is the hard thing the elder said your parents had to do. Your mother is going to be very lonely until your father comes back. So you must give her and your little sister all your love."

Marcus deflated and turned his gaze from his father. When he looked upon his mother and saw and felt her profound sadness while holding onto a crying Ophelia, the pup was shaken. He quickly joined his sister, throwing himself into his mother's embrace, and added his own tears for Fox McCloud's departure from their family.

*****

Krystal's absence from his mind was an open wound. With vacant eyes, he followed Elder Hiroshi through Cape Claw, past the LittleFoot Village, and all the way to Thorntail Hollow. The elder then looked around and noticed a large statue behind an old earthen stone wall. Seeing the opening at the far end, he followed the path, and soon stood with Fox in front of this entity, whose sentient presence he could sense even as it sat unmoving and silent. He then turned to his charge. "** You know this being."**

"Yes....This is the WarpStone." he answered listlessly. It had not yet sunk into his mind that even though his bond with Krystal had been severed, he still understood the Cerinian language.

"WarpStone, you say. Would there be a quiet, peaceful location on this world that was high up above the jungles of this world?"

"WarpStone, where should we go if we wanted to be high up above the jungles of Sauria." Fox asked in Saurian. It was then that he realized that he still retained his knowledge of both the dinosaur language and his wife's native tongue.

Upon hearing Fox, the WarpStone came to life and spoke in its usual loud brogue. "There are several places high up above that I could send you to: Moon Mountain Pass, CloudRunner Fortress, and of course Krazoa Palace."

After relating the WarpStone's suggestion to Hiroshi, the elder chose to bring Fox to CloudRunner Fortress.

The queen of the avian tribe was as welcoming to Fox as always. With Fox translating, Elder Hiroshi explained the purpose of their visit. They were thus provided quarters in one of the towers away from the rest of the tribe where Fox's telepathic training could begin in earnest. But try as he might, he could not concentrate on the meditation exercises the elder had tasked him with. The empty void in his mind and soul left behind by Krystal's departure was painfully in the forefront of his thoughts.

Elder Hiroshi was sympathetic and not surprised that his student would have such difficulty so soon after the bond with his soulmate had been severed. So he instead withdrew a collapsed Cerinian staff from his bag that he had borrowed from one of the guardians and had Fox practice his staff forms. Once again, Fox marveled at the fact that even with his mind no longer linked to Krystal's, he still retained the muscle memory of all the Cerinian staff forms.

Requiring no mental concentration, the repetitive exercises distracted Fox from his current unhappy situation. He spent the next few hours repeatedly going through every staff form he knew until the sun was low in the sky. After washing up, they had a quiet dinner of fruit and wild game provided by the CloudRunners. Emotionally and physically exhausted, Fox began to doze off. Though he would usually insist that Fox meditate before going to sleep, Hiroshi chose to let him turn in for the night immediately. Once he was well rested, Fox would be in a better state of mind to mentally train the next day.

Fox woke with a start in his bedroom. It took a moment for him to realize he was back at his home on Corneria. When he turned to his side, he saw that Krystal was not in bed with him. He got up and checked the bathroom. She was not there. He went to the kitchen. She was not there. He went to the living room, the dining room, and every other room on the main floor. He then searched for her upstairs and then in the basement. She was nowhere to be found. He checked Marcus' room. He was also missing. A quick look in the nursery showed that Ophelia was absent as well.

A growing sense of foreboding began to fill Fox's mind. When he stepped out into the backyard garden, he found a scene of desolation. All the ornamental trees were withered up. The fountains were dry. The greenhouse was empty. The air was still and quiet, devoid of any birdsong or insect buzzing. Fox ran back inside and called out here name. "Krystal! Do you hear me?"

Fox went back into his bedroom, through the bathroom and to their closet. To his astonishment, the door to their dungeon was gone. And when he turned around, he discovered that the closet was half empty. All of Krystal's personal belongings were missing. Panic gripped his heart. It now appeared that she no longer lived in his home. Fox rushed through the house and out the front door....and suddenly found himself in a flat, featureless landscape under a white, empty sky.

And when he turned around, his home had vanished. Fox frantically looked around in all directions. Everywhere was the same empty desolation. He was completely, utterly alone. A sense of despair filled his heart as he sank to his knees. "Krystal....where are you? Please....come back to me..."

"KRYSTAL!!!!"

Hiroshi was roused to wakefulness and saw Fox sitting upright in his bedding. His empathy and eyes could plainly see the tod was both terrified and broken. He got up, walked over to Fox and sat down next to the tod. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Fox at first was reluctant to show such weakness. He was supposed to be Fox McCloud, the brave vulpine who had once led Star Fox in multiple victories against Andross, the Aparoids, and the Anglars. But gazing into the eyes of the elder, he realized that such notions as trying to project an outward image to others were superfluous to a telepath. So he opened up and told Hiroshi how he had met Krystal, of her joining the Star Fox team, of his fears of losing her and the nightmares he suffered as a consequence. He went on to tell him about how he let those fears get the best of him by expelling Krystal from his team in a vain attempt to protect her, and the way his nightmares changed from her dying to her rejecting him when he learned she had joined a rival mercenary team.

When Fox told Hiroshi about how he and Krystal had reconciled after the Anglar Blitz and how she had used her telepathic powers to control his dreams and end his nightmares, he nodded sagely. "Your total trust in Kurisutaru speaks well of you, Fokkusu. It unfortunately also shows how dependent on her you had become to keep your mind at peace."

"What is wrong with depending on your loved ones?" Fox countered, feeling somewhat miffed at what felt like a rebuke against him and his soulmate.

"Forgive me. It was not my intent to sound as if I was chastising you and Kurisutaru." Hiroshi replied. "I only meant to say that your nightmare is a natural consequence of her absence from your mind and soul."

Mollified, Fox nonetheless sighed despondently. "What am I to do, Elder? I dare not go back to sleep without Kurisutaru present inside me."

Hiroshi walked back to his bedding, retrieved his personal communicator from his belongings, and noted the time. "Since it is only a few hours after sunset, we may as well work on your telepathic development. And your current situation shows that before you can progress further, you need to master your ability to meditate so that you can dream lucidly."

Getting up, Hiroshi bade Fox to join him on the meditation mats that he had laid out for the two of them in the center of their quarters between their beddings. ** "Let's get started."**

Seeing the wisdom in the elder's suggestion, Fox got up and knelt with Hiroshi, closed his eyes, and listened to his words of guidance. ** "You have already learned the basic essence of meditation to help center yourself. As a telepath, this is essential in order to maintain control of your powers. Now we need to help you open yourself to further mental discipline."**

Pleased that his student was already slipping into a meditative state of mind, Hiroshi mentally reached out and entered Fox's mind. "Very good, Fokkusu. Keep breathing slowly and deeply. Up until now, you have been letting your mind go clear and mental impressions of your surroundings fade to the background of your awareness. Now that your mind is calm, you need to mentally reach out to your surroundings instead. What do you sense?"

With each slow exhale, Fox thought back to his elder. "I sense small crawling animals around nearby trees..... small birds in their branches..... Fish in the lake below the fortress.... There are a few poptops swimming about on the surface..... A couple of bloops flying above...."

"What about higher life forms?"

"I can sense the CloudRunners around us..... Many are sleeping in their roosts....including the queen....There are a few sentries flying on patrol."

"Focus on those CloudRunners in the air. Imagine yourself in their place. What it must be like to fly unaided, soaring on rising thermals about their mountain-top fortress."

Fox latched on to the notion; what it must be like to spread his wings and fly among the clouds without the aid of flying machines. With each deep breath, he pictured himself beating down against the air. With each deep breath, he imagined what it must be like to feel the wind through his feathers. And Fox continued to meditate on those thoughts. A half hour later, he crawled back under the fur pelts of his bedding and dreamed about being a winged vulpine soaring into the sky with the CloudRunners and their queen. And most importantly, Fox knew that he was dreaming and reveled in the fantasy of flying.

The next morning, Fox awoke refreshed and ready to face a new day. Krystal's absence from his mind and soul was now a dull emotional ache, but he used that longing for his soulmate to motivate himself. The sooner he mastered his powers, the sooner he'd again be one heart, one mind, and one soul with his Kurisutaru. In the days that followed, Fox threw himself into his mental training under the guidance of his elder.

Hiroshi was immensely pleased with Fokkusu's progress. The young tod had quickly mastered selective mind reading of surface thoughts while avoiding those that a subject would prefer to keep private. His ability to erect mental barriers had also greatly improved, to the point that Fox could shut out the world so completely that it felt like before his mental powers had awakened. Then came exercises in mental attack and defense.

They were now in the courtyard at the base of the fortress, kneeling in front of each other under one of the ornamental trees. Fox was uneasy as he faced the elder. This was delving into the dark side of telepathy. "I don't know if I can do this, Elder."

"Your reluctance is admirable, Fokkusu, but remember what I once told you. We cannot assume other telepathic races out there share our morals when it comes to the sanctity of the mind."

"I understand, Elder.... "

"Besides, you are not violating our telepathic code of conduct. I am explicitly giving you permission to try to force yourself into my mind. Now....Begin."

And suddenly, he could no longer sense Hiroshi's presence, even though he and the elder were kneeling in front of each other. Fox reached out with his telepathy towards the aged vulpine's mind, and found himself hitting a mental wall. Concentrating on the elder, he began to mentally push harder, but the telepathic barrier blocking him only got stronger. Fox then tried shifting his focus to different areas of Hiroshi's mind. Another abrupt change in the probing tendrils of his mind did grant him a brief glimpse into the elder's thoughts before he was again shut out. After 15 minutes of intense mental focus, Fox began to develop a throbbing headache and stopped his mental attacks.

Hiroshi sighed and took a deep breath. He then smiled to his student. ** "You did well for your first attempt, Fokkusu."**

Fox sagged in place and rubbed his temples. "It sure does not feel that way. I only got a brief glimpse into your thoughts for all that effort."

"The fact that you got that far into my mind is commendable. Do keep in mind that I've been a telepath all my life, for longer than you have been alive, Fokkusu. And as an elder, I also have an exceptionally disciplined mind. So I do have an unfair advantage over you in both experience, mental skill, and telepathic power."

Fox smiled ruefully at the reminder that he was but an acolyte in the mental disciplines. "Thank you, Elder, for putting me in my place."

Hiroshi laughed, appreciating his student's self-deprecating humor. *"We'll resume when you are rested." * When he saw Fox start to immediately meditate, he nodded approvingly and left the tod to re-center himself, choosing to go for a short stroll. When he returned a half-hour later, Fox was still meditating, and he could sense that his student was at peace with himself.

So deep in a meditative trance was Fox that he at first did not notice that Hiroshi was kneeling in front of him until he heard him in his mind. _"Your progress pleases me, Fokkusu. I believe you are now ready for your next lesson, which is to defend your mind from telepathic attacks." _ The elder immediately sensed anxiety from his student and reassured him. _"Do not be afraid. I will not push you beyond your abilities in this exercise." _ When Fox relaxed again, he went on. "Now, to begin. This will be similar to erecting a mental barrier like you first learned to keep out random thoughts and emotions from others around you, but more focused instead to repel forced intrusions. I will begin by very lightly forcing myself into your mind, and wait for you to figure out how to push back."

And immediately, Fox felt the elder very gently push deeper into his mind. It took him a few moments to figure it out, but he soon began pushing back while at the same time walling out the friendly intrusion. Within less than a minute, he had expelled Hiroshi from his mind. That was when he felt the telepathic pressure against him increase. As the minutes went by, it grew increasingly difficult for Fox to keep the persistent elder form forcing his way to his mind. When Hiroshi began to shift his probing efforts into his mind, Fox began to struggle. His breathing became labored until the elder suddenly stopped.

Fox sagged in relief and gasped, "Spirits! That was hard."

"Mental defense is one of the more difficult aspects of telepathy to master. Still, you did well for your first attempt, Fokkusu." He then sent a burst of compassion and affection into Fox's mind, causing the tod smile gratefully and think back, "Thank you, Elder..... Sir, do you think I'm ready to learn how to project emotions and thoughts into others?"

Elder could not help but laugh at his student's eagerness. _"I do indeed, Fokkusu." _ He then began to instruct Fox. "Projecting into the minds of others is similar to mental attacks, except that the recipient is willing, and even welcomes it. Then it ceases to become an intrusion and more like entering through an open door." Hiroshi then sprung a surprise revelation upon Fox. "In fact, you have already mastered telepathic projection into other minds. For the last few days, I have actively refrained from reading your mind when we were mentally communicating. The only reason I knew what you were thinking was because you were subconsciously projecting your thoughts to me."

"And projecting emotions?"

"...is a simple matter of using your empathy instead....Express your emotions towards me as you have done so with your thoughts."

It took Fox a few tries until he figured out the right state of mind to do so, but suddenly, Hiroshi felt a wave of gratitude wash over him like a breeze. The joy from the young tod was palpable to the elder, whose heart swelled with pride in his student. Mentally communing as they were, Hiroshi immediately picked up on the question that formed in Fox's mind.

"Ah yes. Negative emotions have a different effect. Some of them, like fear, are not so easily projected into others as they are usually internalized to oneself. On the other hand, anger can very easily be directed towards others. The one who is on the receiving end will then become afraid of you."

"Is that a violation of the Telepathic Code of Conduct?" Fox mentally asked anxiously. He suddenly remembered Pricilla Kane and Senator Starkey who had become utterly terrified of Krystal during their confrontations with her.

"No. It is not. It serves to drive away those who would do you harm and to let them know your displeasure with you without harming them. I see from your memory that this female reporter was seeking to invade your privacy with recording devices."

Fox then felt emotions of deep contempt radiate from the elder as he made his thoughts known. "Even if her intrusion was not telepathic, her intentions are an affront to Cerinian sensibilities regarding privacy."

"They're an affront to the sensibilities of most Lylatians too." Fox thought and then growled audibly. He was distracted from his dark emotions though when he sensed the anger coming from Hiroshi.

"And this Senator Starkey.... Well, you can sense my outrage at his crime..."

"Most in Lylat were equally outraged by the grave-robbing expedition he condoned, Elder." Fox then sought to console his teacher, and focused on his memory of what Krystal did to the disgraced senator, making the old Cerinian laugh. "Oh thank you, Fokkusu. I needed to see that. When we return to New Cerinia, I must take a moment to thank your wife and congratulate her on a most excellent throwing arm as you supplied her with objects to hurl at this evil individual."

Fox continued to train under Elder Hiroshi over the following week. With each passing day, he learned to harness more fully the power of his telepathy. The most difficult discipline though was still telepathic attack and defense, but he was finally gaining mastery. Progress in this endeavor though came to a stop after one particular telepathic defense exercise when Fox was pushed beyond his abilities.

They were on the shore of the lake below the CloudRunner Fortress. He had been making steady progress in holding his own against his teacher's unrelenting and ever stronger probes against his barrier, but was growing mentally fatigued with the effort. The bastion that was his telepathic defense began to crumble, but he renewed his efforts to keep the elder out of his mind.

Hiroshi had noticed this, and was about to stop the exercise when he sensed his student shoring up his mental barrier. So he decided to apply slightly more pressure against Fox's mind. It proved to be an error in judgment on his part because his apprentice's defenses crumbled and he found himself forcefully plunging into Fox's mind.

The sensation was the most unpleasant he had ever experienced. Suddenly, he felt the elder's mind slam into his head, pushing deep into his very being. The telepathic assault thankfully ended quickly, but in that brief moment, Fox frantically tried to push Elder Hiroshi out of his mind. When he regained his sense of self, he was shocked to find his teacher in the water, swimming back to Fox on the shore. That was when a poptop attacked the elder.

Fox had always found the aggressive aquatic creatures annoying, but grew angry upon seeing one menacing the middle-aged fox. So he projected his ire towards the poptop. It uttered a shriek of fear and quickly swam away. When his mentor reached the shore, Fox helped him out of the water. "Elder, are you alright? What happened?"

The annoyance Fox sensed from his teacher though was directed inwardly, which confused the tod. "If I am perturbed with myself, it is because of an error in judgement on my part, Fokkusu. As to your first question. I am indeed fine, though a bit winded. As to what happened, that is the source of my ire towards myself. I overlooked the possibility that in your panicked desire to push me out of your mind that you might inadvertently push me away from you with your telekinetic powers."

Fox groaned and sat back heavily on the ground. "Dammit. I had completely forgotten that I could do telekinesis."

"Indeed. And with both of us being reminded of that fact, I think the time has come for you to begin training in that aspect of your powers. You are also ready to deal with the more concentrated telepathic impressions of the jungles at the lower elevations. So, my apprentice. Aside from Cape Claw, where would you like to go?"

"How about Walled City? I should pay my respects to the king and introduce you to him. He was the one who sent your people the invitation to come live on Sauria at the behest of the Krazoa."

*****

Tricky was as usual ecstatic to see Fox McCloud again and bombarded his friend with a whole plethora of questions. "Fox! You're back! Are ya on another honeymoon with your mate? How are your children? Are ya going t' have more? Do the Cerinians like their new home?"

Fox raised a hand to forestall any further questions and answered those that were asked. "I hope we can have another honeymoon soon. Marcus and Ophelia are doing okay the last I saw them. Krystal and I do hope to have many more children." Fox then glanced to Hiroshi. "The Cerinians were very happy when I saw them."

Hiroshi had by then picked up on the Saurian language, and confirmed Fox's statement. "Yes, we are most grateful to you for giving us a home, Your Majesty." He then bowed to the monarch. "I am Elder Hiroshi, leader of the Cerinian People, and am most honored to meet the one responsible for giving us a home."

"That's great! Krystal is a good friend. When the Krazoa told me about ya, I just had t' help." Tricky declared enthusiastically. He then looked around, finally noticing that the vixen was not present. "Say Fox. Where's Krystal? Why ain't she with ya?"

Fox could not completely hide the melancholy caused by his separation from his soulmate as he answered the triceratops. "She's at Cape Claw with our children and the other Cerinians...."

Hiroshi and Fox could both sense emotions of concern from the leader of the EarthWalker tribe and Saurian head of state. Seeing that Fox was struggling to contain his heartache, Hiroshi decided to answer for him. "Your friend here recently discovered that he is a telepath like his mate and the rest of us Cerinians. I've had to take him away from Krystal in order to train him in his mental abilities."

Tricky was aghast at the revelation. "Take him away?"

"It is only temporary, I assure you, Your Majesty. He has almost completed his training and will be soon reunited with her."

"Well..... okay." Tricky conceded, especially when he noticed Fox's mood brighten.

The realization that he would be soon reunited with his soulmate lifted Fox's spirits considerably. He was distracted from those joyous thoughts by another presence making itself known.

"Did I hear correctly? Fox McCloud has become a telepath?" asked this canid who walked into their midst. In contrast to Fox and Hiroshi who each wore nothing but sandals and Cerinian loincloths, this distinguished terrier was attired in embroidered finery and ornamental jewelry that matched the decorative accoutrements of the EarthWalker royal family. Deciding to make introductions, he extended a hand to Fox. "I am Ambassador Patrick McGruff, Cornerian representative to the tribes of Sauria."

Fox shook the proffered hand and immediately sensed the excitement from the diplomat, though he could not tell if it was simply from meeting him or learning that he was a telepath. He decided to proactively try to put a stop to the unwanted publicity this revelation was bound to generate. "Uh, Ambassador, I'd really appreciate it if you did not say anything about this. This is a very private thing for me."

"Oh, of course, Mister McCloud." Patrick replied, giving his best ingratiating smile.

Fox though frowned. There was something incongruous about this terrier's demeanor. "You sense it, do you not?" he heard Elder Hiroshi think to him. "Yes, I do. What I'm sensing though is confusing. It's as if his emotions and his spoken words do not agree with....each....other..." Fox finished his mental reply with a dawning realization. It was a realization that Hiroshi also sensed in his apprentice and that he chose to confirm for Fox. "And that, Fokkusu, is how you can sense deceit in others without reading their minds."

The retired Star Fox leader, and newly trained telepath closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "Ambassador, having been trained by Cerinians, I have embraced their telepathic code of conduct, and would never violate the privacy of your mind, but I don't have to read your thoughts to sense that you are lying to me."

Thoroughly embarrassed at having been caught in his fib, Ambassador McGruff tried to save face. "Ah...hummm. Yes...well, as ambassador, I do need to report all that I see back to our government... and I...uh... didn't want you to worry about it all."

Fox could still sense that Patrick was not being entirely truthful, but decided to let that matter drop with an exasperated sigh. "Ambassador, if you must report this, then let me set some facts straight. I did not become a telepath. It turns out I was born a latent telepath and that my abilities had remained dormant until recently."

"Born one? How is that even possible?"

"It turns out that one of my great, great, grandfathers was a Cerinian."

"My goodness! Why keep it a secret?" Patrick asked, his mind already spinning with all the possibilities this revelation entailed.

"Sir, surely you are not ignorant of all the grief I've had to deal with from tabloid media." Fox exclaimed, becoming exasperated with this overly-inquisitive diplomat. "The last thing I need is for their ilk to get wind of this and blow it all out of proportions."

Fox suddenly sensed unexpected emotion from the terrier. "Why are you suddenly feeling embarrassed?" That emotion suddenly flared so strongly that Fox could not help but see an image of the ambassador's personal media viewer open to various tabloid sites. Slapping his forehead with his palm, Fox exclaimed. "Unbelievable! You actually subscribe to their rubbish?"

"Wha... No... I mean... I'd never..." Patrick became completely flustered, finding himself being confronted by a telepathic Fox McCloud.

"You'd never what?" he asked hotly. "Sell this information to the tabloids?" When he sensed embarrassment and shame from the diplomat, Fox became furious, and directed those emotions towards the ambassador.

And to Patrick McGruff, Fox McCloud seemed to take on an aura that looked positively terrifying. When Fox growled to him, "Get out of my sight!" the terrier almost wet himself. He then heard the king let out a roar that was almost as terrifying. "CONSIDER YOURSELF EXPELLED, AMBASSADOR. I WANT YOU OFF OF SAURIA BEFORE THE SUN HAS SET!" Not wanting to anger a 2000-kilogram triceratops any further, the disgraced diplomat fled to his quarters to quickly pack his belongings.

Fox closed his eyes and sighed. "If it weren't for the fact I and my family all have friends on Corneria, I'd opt to live in New Cerinia permanently. I need to take control of this situation." He then turned to his saurian friend. "Tricky, I think we both need to have a talk with Chief Minister Frost."

A brief conversation with the elected leader of Corneria led to the unsurprising revelation that Uncia Frost was aware that Fox's secret. "I can sympathize with your situation, Mister McCloud. I and General Hare both agreed that your awakened mental abilities, especially your telekinesis, should be kept secret for as long as possible. Unfortunately, there is no way I can legally keep the former ambassador from revealing to news outlets that you are a telepath." He sighed and shook his head. "Then again, it was always only a matter of time before it became publically known. My advice is that you take the initiative yourself before wild, unsubstantiated stories rush through the planetary network."

Uncia then addressed Tricky. "Your Majesty, I will inform the senate of your expulsion of Ambassador McGruff. We will find a representative that is more acceptable to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Chief Minister." Tricky replied formally. After the two-way transmission had been terminated, Fox sat back in his chair between Elder Hiroshi and Tricky. "Before my powers had awakened, I had agreed to give an interview about my time here in New Cerinia with the one reporter I do have respect for. I guess the time has come to give Walter Kent another news scoop before the tabloids learn of this.

*****

The shocking revelation from Lylat News that Fox McCloud had been a latent telepath and was being trained by the Cerinian survivors to control his awakened abilities spread across the worlds of Lylat like wildfire. In his personal flat above the 138th floor offices of Star Wolf Security and Investigations, Wolf O'Donnell swore. "Unbelievable! No wonder that pup always outmaneuvered me. I don't know if I should be pissed off at him or admire him for it."

Behind him, velvety soft white-furred arms wrapped about his neck, followed by a vixen's soft voice. "Awww, do not let it get to you, Wolfy. You know Fox couldn't help it."

Glancing back at his wife, Wolf felt any lingering annoyance within him melt away. Vanessa always seemed to bring out the best in him.

At the Caruso flat in the adjacent skyscraper next to where Wolf lived, Panther and Miyu Caruso listened to Walter Kent's exclusive news report on Fox McCloud. Panther shook his head and whistled. "As much as I had once fancied Krystal, it is now even more apparent that she and Fox McCloud were truly meant to be with each other."

Miyu laughed, "I'd say. Krystal must be ecstatic to learn her husband is a telepath like her."

At Phoenix Manor, Fara and her entire family were all in the living room watching Walter Kent's report on Fox McCloud. "Wow! Cousin can actually read minds like his wife now." Kei marveled. Charles nodded to himself. "I also got reports that he had a terrifying experience at Corneria City Spaceport when his powers awoke. He ended up hearing the minds of hundreds of people nearby."

Kei became profoundly nervous at the thought. He was related to Fox McCloud. Would he one day find himself in a similar situation? "Uh... Do you know which side of his family his Cerinian great, great grandfather came from?"

"Yes," Charles answered. "His name was Takara McCloud."

"Oh thank goodness." Kei sighed in relief. "It's not Cousin Vixy's ancestor."

Fara giggled at her husband's reaction to the news and kissed him on the cheek.

On the abandoned industrial world of Eladard, a bullmastiff sat fuming at his terminal. "So, Fox McCloud is a telepath as well. Just fucking great." He got up from his chair, stormed out of his office, and marched through the maze of hallways. He barely acknowledged the rogue Cornelian Defense Force personnel along the way who had sided with him. Several of them had gone absent without leave from their posts to join him. Others lived a double life, still working for Corneria while clandestinely working for him.

The only thing on his mind was the possible impact to his plans that Fox McCloud could have. When he entered the lab he looked around. All the equipment he had procured for his chief geneticist was either stolen or acquired on the black market. When a few of the doctor's assistants saw him, they wordlessly pointed to the office in the corner of the lab before resuming their tasks.

Doctor Morris Cattus looked up from his terminal when the general walked in. "I presume you have come to see me regarding the news that Fox McCloud is a telepath."

"Yes. What is that going to do to our plans?"

"If we can get a blood sample, it will be a tremendous help actually."

"And how so? It's been over five years since you got the placenta from the birth of Marcus McCloud, and you still have not cracked the genetic code for telepathy! Five fucking years!"

The scientist that had formerly held a research fellowship at the University of Havenwood sighed and often wished he had not been convinced by the general to join him in this illegal research project. These thoughts though, he kept to himself as he answered. "General, as I once explained, having the blood samples from that afterbirth may have been a good start, but without genetic data from his mother, it would be difficult to quickly trace down the part of Marcus' genetic code that grants that pup telepathic powers. Even with Krystal McCloud's blood alone, we would have been in the same place."

Before the general could begin to rant again, Morris plowed ahead in his scientific discourse. "And I doubt we will ever get our hands on her blood sample, or any other Cerinian DNA. Their people are heavily protected and planting agents among them would be neigh on impossible since they are telepaths. But this new development regarding Fox McCloud may be the breakthrough we were waiting for. As a supposedly ordinary Lylatian member of the vulpine race, he has had physical exams in the past that involved him giving blood samples. I have already sent word to contact Nurse Greyfur at Corneria City General Hospital. She will be getting us Fox McCloud's blood samples on file."

"And how will that help?" demanded the fugitive general.

"With a genetic sample from the father and the son, who are both telepaths, we can find the common threads between them and greatly narrow down the search for the genetic sequence for telepathy."

"Excellent!" Gordon Striker clapped his hands together and left the lab in a much better mood. When he returned to his office, he sent a coded burst message to his agent in Corneria City. Once Nurse Amelia Greyfur had delivered the blood samples of Fox McCloud, she would need to be killed. There could be nothing left to trace Cornerian agents back to his secret base on Eladard.