This is a story based off a sequel for a fanfic I've written called "Short Circuit."
You can read that story right here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/83.....pters/19044199
Illustration by:  ventkazemaru

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The wind howled everywhere, thick white mist covering every part of the woods. Wolf's boot was struggling against the deep snow as he carried Fox in his arms towards safety. Another strong blow came and Wolf was forced to bend down and protect both him and Fox. He took another look at Fox, who did nothing but shiver with his eyes wide open staring at the gray-tinted sky.

"Hang in there, pup!"

No response came from him, Wolf couldn't waste another second. He decided to stand up and battle against mother nature itself, struggling against the wind each step he took forward, his prized eye-patch sent flying away from his face as a side-effect. Narrowing his eyes, Wolf tried to find a safe path through all the fog and the snow falling between them.

Finally, after painful minutes of search, he could see something resembling smoke in the midst of gray and white. There had to be someone out there who could help them, after all. He followed the clear figures to their source, finding a seemingly inhabited house in the middle of the forest, and to his luck, a perfectly functioning snow-mobile standing by outside.

Wolf wasted no time, kicking the vehicle's door open and accommodating Fox inside. He laid the vulpine down in the cushion, as if to sleep. By then, he noticed the vulpine's eyes had shut down. Wolf put a hand to check on his throat, and to his horror, he realized Fox was only barely breathing. He desperately climbed on top of the vulpine and placed both of his palms against his chest next to his lungs, pushing them as hard as he could.

"Breathe, pup! Breathe, dammit, breathe!"

Wolf's ears twitched when a 'click' sound came from the outside, he turned around and was met with a man aiming a gun towards him, immediately making him raise his hands up. "Get the hell off my car, motherfucker!" The angry German shepherd demanded from Wolf as he pointed the shotgun to the lupine's face.

He studied the dog's style, the way he held that gun, and acted accordingly. "Look, I don't want any trouble. See, my friend there is sick, he's not breathing, and I need to take him to a hospital! Just look!" The shepherd shifted his sights from Wolf, eyeing the unconscious Fox. He walked towards the vulpine, and in this moment, Wolf grabbed the gun from his arms and twisted them to be held against his neck, choking him.

"Listen well, asshole. You're gonna drive this thing to Corneria City and get my friend there a doctor right now. And you can bet if he dies because of you, he ain't gonna be the only one with a tombstone. Now, go!" Wolf ordered the man, quickly removing the gun from his throat and aiming at him from the other side of the vehicle while the shepherd hurried and got the snow mobile running in a frantic frenzy. Soon enough, the three of them were back on the road.

Wolf held his gun for a second and went back to nursing Fox, pushing against his chest in a desperate attempt to wake him up. After a few tries, the vulpine finally reacted, shooting his eyes open and having a serious cough attack that would last for an entire half of a minute. "Keep going, Fox. You're doing good!" The lupine told him as he kept pushing against his chest.

"S-so, hi-his name's Fox, eh?" The German shepherd commented.

"…You don't know who we are?" Wolf asked back at the man as his ears perked up.

"Oh, I get it now, you guys are movie stars!" He answered, followed by a soft muttering. "…that's why you act like an asshole…"

Irate, Wolf picked the gun up and shot centimeters away from the man's face, shattering the window in the process. As the shepherd looked at him, Wolf started commanding. "Did I tell you to start talking, bitch!? Get your head in the road and keep your mouth shut, got it!?"

The panicked shepherd nodded understandingly and continued driving through the snow-covered track. As the frenetic Fox continued to cough trying to breathe, Wolf held his own breath and shared it with him, their muzzles connecting as the air passed through from Wolf's lungs to Fox's. He continued to repeat this pattern until he could sense the vehicle was decreasing in speed.

"H-here we a-are. T-this is th-the nearest hospit-t-al I kn-now!"

Looking out the window without letting his arm down, Wolf confirmed the claim. He reached the back of his pocket for something, to which the other man assumed to be another firearm and covered his face. "Don't shoot!" Next time he looked, his shotgun was left in the other side of the vehicle, and on top of it was a roll of 1,000 live credits. The shepherd picked it up and started feeling the money, shocked out of his wits as Wolf carried Fox inside.

"T-thank you, man! Show me one of your movies sometime!"

Wolf heard the man shout fading away with clear disgust as he approached the front desk, all eyes from the few people inside following him. He held the coughing Fox in his arms, showing him to the receptionist in front of him as he told her. "You gotta help, he's not breathing!"

Everything happened so quick after that Wolf couldn't quite remember it. He recalled the receptionist calling someone, the ICU taking Fox away in a stretcher, him trying to break into the room but being restrained by the staff and forced to take a tranquilizer pill. Now he was there, sitting next to the reception with his foot tapping in the floor as he waited anxiously for any news regarding Fox's condition.

An hour or so later, another person entered the hospital, but Wolf didn't want to look back. It was only after a pair of hands had grabbed his shoulders that he dared to look up, ready to hit whoever dared to disturb him. The sight of dark shades made him stop, however, and realize who was in front of him.

At first, Wolf mentally panicked, trying to form a coherent word to explain why James' son was internalized, but his parted jaws wouldn't move at all. It was only after James squeezed his shoulder again that he calmed down. Giving a reassuring smile, James told him: "Don't need to explain anything, it wasn't your fault." He then opened his arms as the lupine, as tall as he was, threw himself onto James' comfort, having his back patted a few times as the other man held him close. Both separated, with James still holding onto Wolf's hands. "C'mon, let's see how Fox is doing."

The two of them walked towards the receptionist, who was ready to call the staff again to take care of Wolf. "I'm sorry, but unless you're a relative of the patient, you're not allowed in the treatment room."

"Do you know who we are, ma'am?" James asked her in a reprimanding tone.

"I guess not. Who do you think you are?" She asked the vulpine back.

"I am James McCloud, former leader of Star Fox, and the father of the patient. And he-" Said James, as he pulled Wolf close together to him side-by-side. "-is my son."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The receptionist apologized, picking her phone up and tapping into it. "I'll call someone to escort you. Please, sit by and wait for just a little while longer."

James and Wolf then returned to the waiting area, sitting in two chairs close to each other. The vulpine's hands then laid on top of the lupine's, grabbing them. They both turned to each other and made eye contact, with James speaking first. "Alright, Wolf. I got you in. Now, I need you to do something for me."

"W… what do I need to do?"

"Just close your eyes…"

---

Eyes finally opened, just to see nothing was different than when they closed. The ground didn't feel as cold anymore, not that this meant it was warm by any chance. And all the pain that previously enveloped him… it was suddenly gone.

Fox rose up from his slumber, taking quick notice at how everything around him was dark. He looked at his own body, and saw himself shining in midst of all the nothingness.

(…Am I dead…?)

He asked himself as he looked around once more. Fox couldn't understand it, the questions continued to flow in his conscience. If he was supposed to be dead, shouldn't he be in either heaven? Or hell? What did all this vacuum mean? Was he in limbo? Why would he be in the purgatory? He'd never done anything wrong in his life… or did he?

No! He'd spent his whole life fighting for justice, for the legacy his father had left for him, he couldn't be a bad person! No way! "HEEEEEEEEEELLLLP!" The vulpine screamed in fear, trying to find anyone else in that endless void of darkness. But no one came. "HEEEEEEEEEELLLLP!" Fox didn't want to be there, he didn't want to be alone like that. He wanted someone, anyone to be by his side.

It was then he heard, the footsteps; someone coming to help him. Fox was relieved, turning to the sound's direction with a smile. Another figure glowing in the dark came, a figure lit with a gray light enveloping him. Fox had become afraid one more time, gasping and walking backwards to distance himself away from the approaching figure. He fell, and the ground that seemed solid beneath him was turned into another empty space in that piece of nowhere, only for him to hit another 'solid ground' – if he could call it that – and break his legs. There was no pain, however, only acknowledgment that it happened.

Before he could process, the figure had reappeared, looming above his broken state. Fox couldn't contain himself anymore. By all means, he was either dead or dying, so there was no point in trying to seem strong at that moment. Taking that in mind, he hung his head down and began to weep.

"Just do it." He muttered to Wolf, or whatever was 'Wolf' supposed to simbolize. "I'm sick of it, just end it all already."

"I'm not here to hurt you…" The figure's voice told the downed vulpine, soft and understanding. "I'm trying to help." He stretched his arm out, opening his hand for him to take.

"Liar!" Fox angrily swatted the arm away and yelled at him. "You've been waiting for this your whole life! You…" He trailed off, retracting his legs and holding them together close to his chest. "…You've made me into this." Fox then started to break down entirely.

"I know." The vulpine's tears stopped momentarily, and he stared up at Wolf in shock. "I know I can't blame you for hating me the way you do. I've brought a lot of pain to your life, and nearly ruined it… That's why I'm here now," Wolf stretched out his hand once more. "So I can help you get it back together."

Fox narrowed his eyes and turned away from the offer. "How can I trust you? After everything you've done?"

"Because if you don't accept me, you are going to die." Fox's eyes opened in disbelief, and he looked at Wolf once more. "Do you really think I'd be here if I wanted that to happen?"

Even with knowing that, Fox hung his head down once more and hugged his legs tighter. He was afraid, afraid he could ever let the past go and trust the same man who had betrayed him and his father more than once. The images of Wolf, all his deeds, all his fights, all his insults… they were imprinted into Fox, as though he were born with them.

He kept stared at the empty ground, tears rolling down his face and confused as to which path he should take from there, which was the worse option… Suddenly, two arms enveloped him, a furry head resting on top of his, and he was pulled closer into Wolf's embrace. The back of his head was being caressed by one of the hands, as whispers came between his ears.

"I'm sorry, Fox." The voice spoke his name, slow and careful. "I've done a lot of horrible things for you, and I know you'll probably never forgive me for them. But I promise…" Wolf then started to stand up, taking Fox up in his arms just like before, as the vulpine's hands clung tight around him, never to let go. Together, they walked towards the darkness, fading away from it.

And just like before, Fox began to lose consciousness. Much less like a painful experience from before, and more like falling asleep into a beautiful dream, with his last words echoing through his mind:

"…I'll never hurt you again."