Bazookanine POV

The sky, limitless in all its glory. I always felt welcome cruising through and piercing clouds. Everything below always looks like a toy set from a child. It's been a few years since I flew because I had to scavenge a lot of parts for my mech and I'm not exactly swimming in gems. My leg feels better after crashing into that sky island, yet my left eye is still a bit colorblind. After I crashed, the Mabu around actually nursed me back to health and called me a hero, despite me actually causing some of the damage in the first place, but do I have anywhere else to go? Not back home, too many bad vibes there. A few months later, I was able to walk again, but I still needed a cane. Using that cane made me feel old, but at least it was more maneuverable than a crutch. At that time, I never knew I would get a visitor who didn't want to kill me immediately. One I never knew who decided to stop caring for the ones he wanted to help.

(Years Ago)

Such a sunny day as the light pierced through the shades of the window and hit directly to Bazookanine's snout. He wanted to sleep in, but did the world give him a choice?

Nope.

Bazookanine got up and got dressed in just his armor's black jumpsuit. After the crash, his armor had to be repaired, but he is broke so it just sits there collecting dust, and hiding a figure. Bazookanine felt a disturbance and threw a knife towards a closet door, barely missing the figure.

Bazookanine (Readying another knife): That was a warning... show yourself!

???: What? Can't a guy just greet his youngest brother?

The figure approached the young fox, the latter whose face quickly jumped from menacing, to "really?". The figure was wolf with black fur, a blue coat with a white tank top underneath it, and ripped black jeans. The only things that changed from the last time Bazookanine saw Kota was the patchwork face alongside his terrible fashion sense.

Kota: Ain't you an angry little fox? Jumps at the slightest noise and throws knifes at their brother.

Bazookanine: You may call it paranoia, I call it being an ex-bounty hunter.

Kota: Would the little ex-bounty hunter like some ramen?

Bazookanine (Scoffs): You may have changed, but I doubt your wallet did last time we saw each other.

As on cue, Kota pulls out multiple tiny gems out of his digits. He creates a fist with the gems inside and opens it up to reveal a palm-sized gem!

Bazookanine: So you learned a bit of sleight-of-hand, why does it matter?

Kota (Impersonating Bazookanine's voice): So the great Kota is loaded, do I want free ramen?

Bazookanine (Rolls eyes): Lets just get this over with. You'd better pay for all the extra ingredients.

Kota: Of course I would pay for my little brother's overpriced ramen, why wouldn't I-

The door opened and out stepped a Mabu. Kota rushes towards her like a rabid monster, who in turn ran back outside, screaming "monster!".

Kota (Laughing): That never gets old. Okay let's go.

Bazookanine rolled his eyes as he grabbed his cane and joined his brother outside. The ramen stand was just a short walk away, not short enough for Kota to not notice Bazookanine's cane and not completely burst out laughing. When they arrived, Kota ordered an extremely spicy ramen with two eggs and seaweed pieces, whereas Bazookanine ordered the summer special, which was cold ramen with fruit slices served in the inside of a melon.

Stand Owner: Enjoy, and please be careful with your spicy ramen, it's still hot.

Kota: Oi, don't tell me how to eat my food.

Kota takes a bite out of the noodles, before cringing from both the heat and spiciness of the noodles, and ending up swallowing it. While waiting for his food to cool down, he decided to make small talk with his little brother.

Kota: So, why Bazookanine?

Bazookanine set his chopsticks down before glaring at Kota.

Kota: What's wrong with Colt?

Bazookanine (Colt): I took your advice and created a name for myself.

Kota: When I said to create a different identity so no one can recognize us, I didn't mean to choose such an abysmal name. Like, Bazookanine? You don't have your own personal rocket launcher. If I had to bet, the "bazooka" part is from your mech. Might as well called yourself MECanine (Mech-Canine).

Bazookanine: (Whispers under breath) Damn that's actually good. (Regular) But that was just a front so I could join those bounty hunters.

Kota: And here I thought my little brother finally became the prodigal scientist who got the life he always wanted.

Bazookanine dropped his piece of fruit when he heard those exact words come from his eldest brother's mouth.

Kota: And if you ask me whatever happened to the hero wannabe, he kept on being labeled as his father just by appearance.

Bazookanine: So what did you do?

Kota: I don't know, haven't you checked any bounties for "Psychopathic wolf who scorched an entire village and the areas surrounding it"?

Bazookanine dropped his food again when he remembered an bounty exactly worded worded like that, except that it was targeted towards his father, who Bazookanine thought that it was his old man again back from the grave or wherever he went. Kota regained a sense of calm and started eating his food.

Bazookanine: (Picking at food) So... how's Lastimosa?

Kota: ...Well, I'm pissed. I swear, every time I hear about that peacock makes me lose it.

Bazookanine: (Visible confusion) What just happened?

Kota: Well, he got some kind of job excavating a literal ship encased in ice. And there he not only became a hero, but got powers that made his red ice on steroids, AND, he got paid 7000 gems!

Bazookanine: And that annoys you how?

Kota: Because now we got to hear him say that he was right while flaunting his red ice at our faces.

Bazookanine: You do know he is humble most of the time right? (Slurps noodles)

Kota: Since when did he became humble in his fashion?

Bazookanine choked on his noodles hearing that sentence. Goddamn that's true, he thought.

Kota: And look at us! An ex-bounty hunter and a good-for-nothing criminal, oh how we'll tell our siblings that we were better off fending for ourselves.

Bazookanine: (Nodding) But wait, whatever happened to Mustard?

Kota: If I know Mustard, he's probably sniffing flowers or helping an elderly person cross the street. I kind of miss him, his little antics, and hell, even those knitted sweaters.

A few minutes later, the two brothers finish their ramen bowls and Kota, true to his word, pays the bill.

Kota: Anyway, I gotta go. I have a sky ship I gotta ransack.

Bazookanine: Why and how did you became this. The brother I knew was rebellious in every way and still helped others.

Kota: Not every mother can choose the color of their child. When I snapped, everyone started calling me an amazing person and to not murder them, the same exact people who pelted me with stones just for looking exactly like our father. Here's a tip of advice: since you're nothing physically alike like our father, you can freely move about the universe. If you have any friends who are hesitant to hang around, ditch them. Those who are indifferent, protect them at all costs.

Kota tossed to his brother a small bag with quite the amount of gems in it.

Kota: Don't think you can depend on me if you're low on gems. Use that hobby of yours to win some gems.'Til we meet again.

Kota walked away into the horizon, at least repaying a long-overdue visit to his siblings. Bazookanine thought long about how Kota changed. If he also looked like his father, he'd be laying dead in the gutter. That still doesn't stop Kota from living his own life, albeit ending a few for others. Will he see Kota again, and hopefully Lastimosa and Mustard?

Present Time

Bazookanine: This is the place, I think.

His mech hovered over an academy built on an albeit small sky island. He thought if there was any place to start new and have a chance to find his blood brother, it's here. There doesn't seem to be a landing area anywhere, although the courtyard is a good place as any. As he set down the mech in the courtyard, he was greeted by a rude and tiny imp (and he was short for a fox).

This is probably gonna be a long day...

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I'm still alive! And I'm filled with inspiration to continue this book! I'm so sorry I've been in hiatus for so long, but I was so lazy and didn't know how to continue this story. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter and many more to come!