Bright Cerinian sunlight burst into Krystal's vision as she passed through the gateway leading from her palace home to the outside world. She noticed the day was still young by the position of the sun still rising in the sky. A light breeze ruffled Krystal's blue fur as she gazed at the familiar view around her.

The palace in which she lived was located in the heart of the village surrounding it. The magnificent, ancient structure sat atop a large hill, where a stone stairway led from the palace gates to the courtyard below. Polished marble similar to that of Krystal's home made up the inspiring architecture of the courtyard, which circulated the entire palace grounds. Beyond the borders of the palace, the village surrounding it began. The smooth, green landscape was dotted with dozens of little stone houses, with thin dirt roads twisting and turning in between them.

Krystal breathed in the air and took in the sights of her village as she stepped down from the palace gates and onto the walkway before her, descending toward the courtyard below. She passed a large round water fountain, which sprayed water upward into smaller pools surrounding it before reaching the end of the courtyard and descending down another series of steps towards the village itself. Two members of the Cerinian Royal Guard stood watch on each side as the palace grounds transitioned into the rest of the village, each decorated in heavy armor and wielding a gleaming broadsword.

I wonder where I am going to find Sera, if she has even finished her training yet, Krystal paused as she realized that she did not know where exactly she was going. She turned toward the guards on her left and asked, "excuse me, but do you know if Sera has returned? She went out training with her father, but I don't know where they went."

The closest watchman, a red-furred fox, turned his head and nodded in acknowledgment to the daughter of the King. "The patrol that left this morning still has yet to return, my lady," he answered regretfully, "but they should be back at any time now."

Well that's not very helpful, Krystal kept the thought to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair and cast a glance left and right. Just when she was about to turn back and head for home, she spotted a group of soldiers heading toward her along the main path from the village. She recognized the same warriors who had witnessed the beginning of her training, except Sera and her father were both missing. It appeared as if the rest of the Royal Guard had returned without them.

"Well, looks like you're just in time," the fox sentinel commented as the patrol had nearly reached the village outskirts. "I don't see Sera with them, but perhaps you could try asking them?" He suggested.

Krystal nodded her thanks and began towards the returning guards. She almost opened her mouth to ask the question as she neared the first soldier when another idea entered her mind. Maybe this is good opportunity to practice controlling my telepathy again, she decided, allowing the patrol to pass by as she read their thoughts, searching for some useful information regarding Sera's training.

The young vixen focused her mind and concentrated on the thought patterns of the Royal Guard, filtering through each of their individual thoughts. At first, she could only sense basic information; how the guards felt and where they were going. But after concentrating harder and searching deeper, Krystal finally picked up on a lead. So Sera and her father are still training by themselves in private? The vixen continued on the thought, reading more into the mind of the guard who provided it. They shouldn't be out too much longer by the sound of it. Sera should be going to the marketplace when she and her father are done, so I might as well go there myself and wait for her.

As Krystal followed the walkway before her, she caught one last mental signal before abandoning the minds of the Royal Guard behind her. Why didn't she ask about Sera? With a sudden realization, she noticed that the thought she was reading was that of the sentinel she originally asked about the whereabouts of her friend. She must have looked quite strange after not asking the returning guards about Sera when she had just been told that they might know where she was.

Krystal laughed to herself and grinned. I wonder if he knows that I read their minds instead? Telepathy was not only an exceptionally powerful ability, but an incredibly useful one as well!

Finally, Krystal set foot into the village itself, where she stopped to observe its activity as Cerinian villagers went about their business. Among the array of stone buildings that lined the roadways, Cerinians of all kinds walked the streets, taking their time to observe the many shops and stores throughout the heart of the village. Cerinia was home to a multitude of species; foxes, dogs, cats, lizards, frogs, among many others. The excitement and activity nearly caused Krystal's head to start spinning with all the mental energy summoned by her telepathic powers.

I have some time before Sera arrives, the vixen thought, so I might as well visit my favorite shop. Taking a wide pathway on her left, Krystal headed towards the Cerinian general store, located deeper inside the village's activity. She cast occasional glances at the familiar shops she passed them, almost ignoring the physical world around her as she again attempted to train her sixth sense.

Mental images flooded into her mind like a flowing river as she focused her mind, trying to sort through all the chaos and determine one mental image from another. She came in tune with some of the shopkeepers' thoughts, reacting physically to what she heard mentally. One vendor felt upset because one of his potential customers insulted his prices; another revealed that she was pleased to make another sale. Just when she thought she was picking up on some gossip about the investigation in the southern forest, something interrupted her thoughts.

"Well hello Krystal, daughter of the King," a voice snapped the vixen from her thoughts and brought her mind back to the world around her.

With a short glance at the area around her, Krystal realized that she had wandered all the way to the general store without noticing it. She stood before a large stone structure, a building that appeared to be half house and half store. Rock and stone were positioned to create an opening for the general store in the front of the building, and the back was sealed off for the shopkeeper's house. Krystal did nothing but blink at the store owner in bewilderment, upset that she could not explore the thought that occupied her mind further.

"You don't seem to be quite with it today," the shopkeeper continued. "What brings you out and about to Desmond's general store today? Anything in particular caught your eye?" Desmond was a lizard, a strangely kind lizard, who had been a friend of Krystal and Sera's since they were kids. He had grown up with their parents, so it was no surprise that he was somewhat of an uncle figure to them.

The green-scaled shopkeeper turned his bright yellow eyes toward his wares, inviting Krystal to browse through them. He lowered the brown hood from his head and flexed the muscles beneath his armor and tunic. "Well, do you see anything that interests you?"

Krystal squinted past Desmond from where she stood behind his counter, glancing over several items indifferently before speaking up. "I'm not really here for materials... I'm here for information," the girl admitted. "It has something to do with what the guards are investigating in the southern forest, have you heard anything?" she whispered in a lower tone, leaning slightly over the counter in interest.

Desmond scratched his chin with his long, scaly claws before answering. "I don't believe I've heard anything," he shrugged, glancing away from Krystal as he spoke. "It's probably nothing anyway, I'm sure the guards can handle it."

Something seemed odd about the way Desmond reacted, Krystal thought. She paused for a moment and focused her mind on his, scanning it for more information. "You're not being quite honest with me," she frowned as she drummed her nails on the counter in front of her. "You should know that I have awakened my telepathic powers today," she continued, pressing for more information. The vixen had already sensed what she needed, but wanted her friend to tell her the truth himself.

"Oh, alright you got me," Desmond sighed as he stared down at his customer. "I should've known sooner or later you would be just like your father," the words came almost resentfully from the reptile's mouth. "I don't know much, but I have overheard the guards throughout the day as they have passed by. It sounds like something dangerous is going on in the woods. I haven't heard any of the details, but it seems like it could be a threat the village."

This time he was telling the truth. Krystal could sense Desmond's relief that he was no longer hiding anything from her, mixed with feelings of worry and doubt about the information he revealed.

"You don't plan on going there, do you? Please, leave this for the guards, they will take care of it," Desmond pleaded. "The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. You've only just awakened your powers; this is no time to go looking for trouble!"

Krystal opened her mouth to reply when she sensed another presence approaching. She spun around and almost collided with Sera, who was standing right behind her.

"Hey Krystal, I heard you were looking for me?" The crimson vixen grinned her usual closed-eyed smile. "How did your training go?"

Krystal smiled back at her best friend, taking her by the hand and leading her away from Desmond and his shop before saying a word to her. "Goodbye Desmond, see you next time!" she called as she led the way toward another shop and slipped behind it, dragging Sera along with her.

"Wait a minute, what's all this about?" Sera questioned. "Did something happen during your training? What is so secretive that we came back here just to talk?"

"Oh, sorry about that, I guess I got a bit carried away," Krystal sighed, apologizing for her lack of explanation. "My training went well. It seems like a lot to learn, but I'm getting the hang of it," she answered, continuing on to the real subject of interest. "When you left with the guards earlier, I sensed something. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but something isn't right in the southern forest."

Sera's red eyes lit up. "So you know, too? The guards mentioned it during my training, but wouldn't tell me. From what I heard, it must be important." The red vixen's tail swished back and forth in anticipation. "What else do you know?"

"Not a lot," Krystal admitted, "but I think we should go check it out. Desmond said it was dangerous, whatever it was, so maybe it's a threat to the village? We have to figure out more!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Sera rolled her eyes playfully. "Somehow I always let you drag me into these things, and after all these years I'm still letting you get me into trouble."

Krystal gave a serious look in return. She saw into her friend's mind and knew that she was just as interested as she was. As much as she hated to admit it, Sera constantly followed along because she actually really wanted to. "Come on, we both know that you want to find out what's going on," the blue furred vixen narrowed her eyes. "I see it in your mind, you want to know just as much as I do."

Sera gave a long winded sigh as she smoothed out her hair. She turned her gaze back to Krystal with a gleam in her eyes. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Krystal peered around the corner, making sure that none of the guards were nearby. The last thing they needed was to be followed, or be stopped and asked where they were going. "Come on," the blue vixen waved her hand signaling to her friend, "let's merge in with the crowd so we can get out of the village without being noticed." She let Sera lead the way as they slipped in between the ongoing villagers, walking casually to avoid any unwanted attention.

As the two left the marketplace and headed toward the village border, Krystal realized that they would inevitably run into trouble with the guards whether they avoided it or not; in the distance, she could see the enormous stone wall surrounding the village, where she and Sera would have to pass underneath an arch patrolled by two sentinels.

"Sera, what are we going to do about the entry guards?" Krystal whispered as they neared the outskirts of the village. "How are we going to get by without making it obvious?"

The red-furred fox turned her head back and grinned. "Make what obvious? How can we be doing anything suspicious if we don't know anything?"

Before she had the chance to explain, the two vixenes approached the archway in the stone barrier surrounding the village. One Cerinian guard stood watch at each end, wearing metal Cerinian military armor and wielding a staff. Their adamantium helmets nearly covered their faces, making their expressions unreadable as they stood motionless, diligently monitoring who came in and out of the village.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Interrogated one of the guards. "The forest is under investigation and is currently off limits to anyone except the Cerinian military. Even for the King's daughter," the fox barked, referencing Krystal, "we can't make any exceptions."

Sera immediately chimed in. "What about the forest? We didn't even know there was anything going on over there," she gave Krystal a subtle glare signaling for her to play along. "We won't get in the way; you don't have to worry about us!" She said, trying to act as innocent and convincing as possible.

"She's right," Krystal added, "we will be sure to stay away from it. We just want to go out for a little while, that's all."

The fox on guard gave them an inquisitive look before shrugging his approval. "Alright you two, just be sure to stay out of trouble. Leave it to the guards, we will get this all sorted out."

Without another word, Krystal followed Sera underneath the great stone archway and beyond the village they called home. Rolling hills and green grasslands stretched beyond for as far as the eye could see, twisting and turning with several trails branching out from the main road leading from the village. A tree grew here and there, dotting the calm, peaceful landscape. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, giving nothing away about the mysterious events taking place in the forests to the south.

"I guess we'd better get a move on," Krystal decided as she took the lead. "I don't even know where we are supposed to be going," she confessed. "The forest ahead is so wide and dense, who knows when we will find whatever it is that we are looking for?"

Sera rubbed the long red hair on her head, also pondering where to go from there. "That's a good question, the guards never said anything specifically..." Suddenly her eyes widened as if she had an idea. "Hey wait, you can read minds now, right? Can't you locate them from here?

Krystal rubber her chin, nodding slowly. "Why didn't I think of that?" she murmured as she came to a stop. "I'm not sure, but I'll give it a try." The vixen paused and closed her eyes, summoning her telepathic powers to scan the nearby area for mental activity. "I'm still new at this," she commented, "so give me a minute to see what I can find."

Sera simply nodded and stood beside her friend. "No problem, sis, I'll leave it to you!" Scouting out a nearby tree, she walked up to it and sat down at its roots. "Let me know when you find something!" she called.

Nodding her response, Krystal emptied her mind and focused on the plane of mental space. Locate their thoughts, she repeated to herself as she scanned for mental signals. She easily detected mental activity behind her, but that was coming from the village. Instead, she focused her sixth sense on the area south of her, heading in the other direction towards the forest. After a few brief moments, the vixen detected a small mental trace and followed it, honing in on its location.

"I think I found it," she affirmed, "but the signal is still weak from here. It is the source of the most activity coming from the forest, so it's the best lead we've got."

Within seconds, Sera was up on her feet and back at Krystal's side. "Lead the way!" she called, pointing ahead as if she knew exactly where she was going.

Krystal opened her eyes and grinned, setting off toward the direction of the mental signal she detected. "Let's get going, we still have a good distance to cover before we reach the forest."

* * *

The pair of vixenes traveled quite some time before reaching the southern forest. They kept to the dirt trail most of the way, passing numerous connecting streams along the way. Krystal's telepathic sense honed in on her target even stronger as they journeyed onward, occasionally stopping to allow her mind some rest from focusing for so long. Not only telepathy, but also the changing terrain revealed that the entrance to the woods was near, as rolling hills and light, grassy fields gave way to dense tree coverage and darker, more uneven grasslands. Krystal and Sera stopped to rest as they reached the entrance of the forest, where the trees became so thick that they concealed what lay beyond them.

"I guess this is where our search begins," Krystal murmured as she stopped to gaze into the woodlands ahead. She wondered what was waiting for them inside. What has captivated the interest of the guards so much that they had gone to investigate? The young vixen's interest and curiosity suddenly began to turn into fear and worry. She drew her staff from the holster on her back, casting an anxious glance at Sera.

"We need to be ready for anything from here on in," she warned, nodding toward the weapon that Sera kept in a sheath at her waist. "I think it's best that we stay armed; whatever is out there could be dangerous."

Sera nodded her agreement, reaching for her waist and pulling on the hilt of her weapon. From within the black sheath, a glimmering blade emerged. The crimson vixen twirled her rapier before raising it, arming herself as if confronting an enemy already.

"Alright, let's go." Sera's normally cheerful tone had become dark and somber, unsure of what might be waiting for them. "Lead the way Krystal, your telepathic abilities should take us to where we need to go."

Krystal nodded and took the first step into the thickening trees. She cautiously made each move, sensing her way forward as leaves and grass crunched beneath her feet.

"Who knows," her friend piped up with a lighter tone, "maybe it's not dangerous after all? Maybe the guards are just overreacting?"

Krystal wasn't sure if Sera was trying to convince herself, but she knew that something dark and mysterious was taking place. She had spent the whole journey thus far exploring the mental activity and signals coming from within the forest. Someone was there that shouldn't be, and they were surely plotting something. The vixen's sixth sense revealed a mixture of evil and malicious thoughts coming from among the multitude of trees ahead.

"Be careful," Krystal warned her friend as they stalked silently through the trees. She tapped again into her telepathic powers, sensing multiple mental signatures up ahead. "I think we are getting pretty close now." She continued leading the way deeper into the woods, passing through the endless clusters of trees that nearly blocked all the sun's light. They rose so high that Krystal had to squint to see the treetops enclosing around them.

Sera cast occasional glances back and forth, clearly feeling more uneasy than Krystal without being able to sense what was ahead. She said nothing but nodded silently as she followed in Krystal's footsteps.

Suddenly a dim humming noise began to cut through the lingering silence of the forest. It sounded like a dull roar, echoing through the trees and rustling the branches above with a gust of wind as the vixenes pressed onward. Just ahead of her, Krystal noticed that a faint light was beginning to filter through the canopy above, allowing more of the sun's light to beam onto the forest floor.

"The trees must be thinning out ahead," Sera murmured, noticing the sudden change in lighting.

"Do you hear that noise?" Krystal asked as she tilted her pointed ears straight ahead. "We must be approaching some kind of clearing, or an opening in the forest." The sound made Krystal feel uneasy; she had never heard anything like it before. It was unlike anything that was native to her home planet.

Sera nodded in reply, her ears searching out the echoing hum as well. "It must be what we are looking for. Let's get a little closer and find somewhere safe to investigate."

Krystal tensed as she crept forward, hoping to find out more information from her telepathy now that she was closer to her target. What had initially been a faint trace of mental activity was beginning to develop into a massive concentration of it, nearly causing Krystal's head to throb in pain as it all entered her mind. The vixen pressed her back against one of their trunks and signaled with a flick of her tail for Sera to do the same.

The blue-furred vixen was right about one thing; they had reached the edge of a large clearing, where the dense forest gave way to open grasslands like those along the forest border. But these lands were not calm and peaceful like those leading up to the forest; the entire area was teeming with activity. Dozens of foreigners swarmed the open space, while large air and ground vehicles roamed the surrounding area. Krystal had never seen anything like this before. Her eyes opened wide as she peered from behind her shelter, absorbing everything that was at work before her.

They must have been soldiers, the vixen gathered, from their uniform dress and the weapons that they carried with them as they scurried about the expanse. They were all either apes or lizards, two species that were not commonly found among the inhabitants of Krystal's home, or all of Cerinia for that matter. They wielded a variety of what appeared to be combat weaponry; some had knives strapped to their chests and legs, while others carried long, rounded weapons with circular openings and triggers for their fingers.

Blasters, Krystal reflected on what she had been told about the plasmatic weapons by her parents. Guns, a type of weapon from another planet, from another planetary system. Round, yellow orbs clung to some of their belts, and many of their eyes were covered with thin, red visors. All of them wore either a dark colored space suit or some style of jacket, again nothing like the clothing Krystal was accustomed to on her planet.

"Who are they?" Sera whispered as she observed the scene. She appeared to be just as captivated by these newcomers as Krystal was.

"More importantly, why are they here?" The blue vixen pondered.

Before either of their questions could be answered, a great gust of wind buffeted the trees around them, nearly shaking the forest to its roots. The mechanical, humming sound grew to a deafening rumble as a new aircraft appeared from out of the sky, slowly descending into the clearing as the soldiers around it guided its operator to a landing. Once the enormous, rectangular carrier ship reached the ground, the gust of wind ceased and numerous soldiers poured out from inside.

Krystal turned and pressed her back against the tree once more. Her mind was racing with questions about what she was witnessing. Who were these soldiers, and what were they doing there? Their weapons and technology were not of Cerinian origin. Her home was a peaceful planet, but why did it seem like it was suddenly being invaded?

Sera crouched behind her cover and gripped her rapier tightly in one hand while running her fingers through red her hair with the other. "Krystal, what do we do?" Turning to face her friend, her eyes were full of concern and worry.

"We came here to investigate," the young blue vixen reminded her, determination surging through her even though all her instincts told her to take off and run. "So that's what I'm going to do," Krystal whispered as she focused her mind, channeling her telepathic abilities to scan the minds of the many soldiers working throughout the clearing ahead of them.

At first there were so many different mental traces that Krystal could not identify one soldier or pilot's thoughts from another's. Her previous training had helped to sharpen her mind's eye, but she had never opened her mind to so many incoming signals at once. The initial concentration of mental energy overwhelmed the young vixen so much that she dropped her staff where she stood and grasped her head in agony. Her mind surged with mental activity as she fell forward and her knees hit the rough ground.

Come on Krystal, fight it! Remember what Father told you! Concentrate! Just when her head felt like it might burst, something seemed to click inside. Suddenly the overflowing sea of voices in Krystal's head began to slow down as unique mental traces became clear. The minds of dozens of nearby soldiers and pilots raced through the vixen's mind as she read and understood each and every one of them.

Krystal opened her eyes in wonder. "I can see them," she whispered as if speaking only to herself. "Sera," she turned and spoke to her companion, "I can see their thoughts! All of them!" It felt as if the vixen's mental prowess had grown, with the capability to track significantly more than she had could before.

"What are they thinking?" Sera asked urgently. "Find out as much as you can!"

Krystal rose from where she had collapsed, grasping her staff in her hands as she searched through the hundreds of thoughts coming from the nearby clearing. Not all of them were useful, many were seemingly useless and unimportant, but she did manage to stumble upon some worthwhile information. Their home... it's another planet, somewhere beyond our solar system... A planet called Venom...

The young Cerinian continued to explore the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of those around her. Why are you here? The question continued to fill Krystal's mind as she desperately searched for whatever answers she could find. She sorted through one mind after another, finding nothing of value until she finally picked up on one particular line of thought that interested her.

Battle... War... Destruction... Invasion! Without warning, Krystal's sixth sense gave out, and she could see nothing but darkness except for two enormous, gleaming red eyes. The cruel and malicious gaze penetrated deep into the very core of her being, consuming all that she was in their treacherous gaze. It was as if her nightmares had followed her into the waking world, and again she sensed a dark presence making itself known.

"Krystal! Krystal!" A dark and ominous voice called out her name.

Her heart began to race, beating like a drum as if it would burst from her chest. A drop of sweat formed on the vixen's forehead, slowly sliding down her temple as a teardrop formed in her eye. The world around her seemed to shrink into nothingness, engulfed entirely by a dark abyss until she heard her name called again.

"Krystal? Krystal! What did you see?"

The familiar voice of Sera stirred the vixen from her thoughts, and she realized that she was back in the woods with her friend, standing behind the tree that gave her shelter from the many soldiers in the glade beyond. She gazed at her surroundings, nearly paralyzed with fear at the recurrence of the eyes from her nightmares. The dreams had come night after night but had never followed her into the waking world until now. The vixen's forehead still trickled with sweat, and the same tear had just fallen from her eye.

"What is it, sis?" Sera asked, her gaze consumed with worry. "Are you alright?"

Krystal shook her head to clear it, swiftly wiping the tear from her eye hoping that her friend had not seen it. Quickly she explained what she had figured out, excluding the vision she had just seen afterward. "They've come from another solar system, from a planet called Venom."

Sera shuddered at the planet's very name. "Venom," she repeated out loud. "But why?"

Krystal remembered the words she had sensed from the minds of the Venomian soldiers. Battle, war, destruction, invasion. "They are invaders, and I think they seek to gain control of our planet," she whispered grimly.

"Invade Cerinia and gain control?" The crimson vixen shook her head in disbelief. "Why would they come to our planet? Why here and not a planet from their own system?"

Before Krystal could think of an answer to her friend's question, she sensed another mental presence coming from nearby. The sound of leaves crunching and rustling on the forest floor sounded in the vixen's ears, and an ape soldier appeared from within the denser part of the woodland. He glared at Krystal and Sera, halting and pointing in their direction as two lizards flanked him on either side.

"Intruders!" The soldier of planet Venom growled. "Get them!"