FSE

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"Tell me baby, what's your story? Where you come from and where you want to go?" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

"STOP, THIEF!!"

Fleet smiled slightly, knowing that the outraged shopkeeper's cries only helped him move through the crowd. As long as there were no aspiring "heroes" in his path, and certainly no city guards, the crowds of people were more than happy to simply part for the thief, wanting no part in the chase.

He risked half a glance back at his pursuer, and immediately put on a burst of speed. 'Damn! For a fat old dog, he sure is fast.' He thought, quickly making a sharp right into the crowd, hoping to gain some distance. He slipped through the crowd, dodging around people, trying not to run into anyone. He winced as he heard the dog behind him, pushing his way straight through the people, possibly even gaining on Fleet with his straightforward approach.

'Damn.' He thought for a second time as he cut down into an alleyway, the shopkeeper at his heels. As Fleet came to a fence, he saw his way out, but he regretted what he had to do to achieve it.

"Here! Catch!" he yelled out and tossed the purse full of money over the head of the dog, to land in the dust where it spilled its contents of gold coins out into the alley. The shopkeeper immediately turned around and pounced on the money, knowing that if he hesitated, half of it would be gone by the time he picked it up. Gathering up his earnings, he sighed as he heard the would-be thief scrambling over the fence. His sigh only deepened when he realized that he had left his stall unguarded; at least half of his stock would be gone when he arrived back at his business.

No one ever said the streets of Kalazar were a kind place.

On the other side of the fence, Fleet ducked into the back of a small restaurant, to the surprise of the cooks there, then casually left through the front door, looking like someone who had just enjoyed a great meal. As he slowly walked down the street, he heaved a big sigh, and ran his hands through his short brown hair. Another day without a successful heist...'looks like I'm going to be scrounging for dinner again.'

As one of less than 500 humans in a sprawling city of more than 20,000 furs, Fleet had it rough. Though there was no overt racism in the city, there was always that edge that made it tougher for humans, like being passed over for a job by someone who was slightly less qualified than them. A few humans had risen to prominence in the city, there was a wealthy and respected family and a captain of the guard who were human, but most of them were lost among the lowest of the low in the streets.

Fleet had it worst than most. His father had been a decent businessman, and his mother a fine housewife, and their life was fairly good. When Fleet was only five, a fire had destroyed his entire life in one night. His mother had been able to get him to safety, only to succumb to the numerous burns she had received while saving him. After that, not even being able to remember his own name, he became an orphan, a child of the streets.

"I wonder if she would have saved me...if she knew what the rest of my life had in store." Fleet remarked to an empty street. He immediately blew away that thought with another sigh. An old adage of the streets was "Regrets feed no one in Kalazar."

'Heh, "Kalazar, Jewel of the Desert", more like hell in the middle of more hell. Sure the 4,000ish furs who are well off, and live in the wealthy center of the city must think it's a "jewel" but the rest of us...whatever.' He banished those thoughts from his mind once again, and focused on finding his dinner for the night.

* * *

Later that night, Fleet lay on his makeshift bed, barely satisfied by his meager meal, and stared up at the night sky. In a half rundown building he had made his most recent home, and hoped that this one would last. It was nice, providing him with a clear view of the night sky, and gave him shelter from prying eyes, the wind, and the occasional rain.

Thinking back to the day's events he threw a shameful arm over his eyes.

'How could I have been caught so easily? I coulda sworn that dog didn't notice me.' He thought, somewhat dejectedly. 'I guess I'll do some more 'practice' tomorrow.'

Feeling slightly better with a resolution, he turned over and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Waking up to a dull gray morning, Fleet ate a small breakfast from what was left of his food store, and limbered up for his practice. He had originally created these exercises when he was about ten years old, now being about nineteen. The first one he started out with was easy. He found a guard or salesman, and asked them a simple question they had to find the answer for. Something that they would have to go into a backroom or ask another guard about, then tried to lose himself in the crowd. His objective was to get them to spend the longest time possible searching for him, which would help him whenever he had to blend into a crowd after a heist.

About mid morning, just as he was finishing, he noticed the guards running through the small market, drawing their weapons as they ran.

'Well, looks like something interesting is going on.' Following the movement discreetly, he moved carefully to where a crowd had gathered around a building. Scrutinizing the front of the building and the officers around it, he realized that he was actually looking at a bank, superbly disguised to look like a whorehouse.

"Heh, clever, the exact opposite people who would be going to a bank house would come here. Good disguise." He muttered under his breath.

Listening to the crowd, he heard snatches of conversation. "...was the most hidden bank in this section..." "...guards found knocked out..." "...believe someone broke into one of the vaults..."

Fleet's eyes widened at the last conversation he heard. To break into a bank was unheard of, especially a hidden one. Run by the city, the banks were perhaps the one safe place in the city to store valuables.

The human turned the information over in his head 'A hit on a hidden store house? But that-'

One of the females in the crowd gave a garbled shriek, pointing to the roof of the next building over.

There she was.

Standing on the roof of the building was a female otter, dressed in an unremarkable tan cloak, holding two bulging pouches of gold coins. A simple mask obscured the features of her face, concealing her identity, but even the most ignorant of furs knew this otter.

The self-styled "Queen of Thieves".

She bowed slightly as the whole crowd stared at her. Then, jingling the bags slightly at the guards clustered around the bank, she turned and lightly sprang away across the rooftops. The captain immediately started shouting orders to the gathered guards, but Fleet knew that they would never catch her, even if they had started out on even footing. Knowing the crowd would mull around and gossip the event over until the guards dispersed them, Fleet absentmindedly started back towards his own home.

'The Queen of Thieves, here.' The thought kept rebounding around his mind. Everyone in Kalazar had heard of the almost legendary exploits of the Queen. She was the best thief in the city, without doubt. She had done things that most furs considered impossible, things that would be remembered in the city for generations of future furs. One rumor, one that Fleet had always considered far fetched, said that she once snuck into the Emperor's palace at night, and stole the cushion from under his head, and left before he ever woke up! Considering the graceful movements he had witnessed today though, Fleet wasn't so sure it was entirely unbelievable. His first feelings about this turn of events were angry. With so famous a thief now in the area, everyone was going to be more paranoid, making thieving almost impossible for someone like him.

'Maybe she's doing this on purpose.' Fleet thought, but then shook the ridiculous notion out of his head. He was far too small and insignificant for her to even take note of him. 'More likely she moved here because of the lack of known thieves.' That wasn't a pleasant thought to him, knowing that it was the truth, but wanting to shout to the rooftops that he wasn't just a little speck, a young thief lost in mediocrity. However, the feeling passed, and he held on to the steadfast determination that had brought him this far along in his lonely young life.

After wandering the town, lost in thought, Fleet finally found himself at home. He blinked in surprise as he realized the sun was already setting. Shrugging, he decided to go to sleep early, to get a head start on tomorrow.

* * *

"Great...these foggy mornings are really starting to get to me." Fleet muttered, leaning against the outdoor bar of his favorite eatery. Being right on the edge of the main bazaar of this part of the city, it was a great place to mark targets for later...and the food was pretty good too.

"An' what's this, our lil ray of sunshine finally givin' up on life?" teased the squirrel who was cleaning the bar.

Fleet rolled his eyes "Can't do that, all these years of trying have got to count for something, eh Sarah?"

"Well, if yah are finally done with all that thievery, I might be able tah convince the boss to give yah a job." She shot back hopefully.

"Oh yea, because that worked sooo well in the past. Thanks for trying Sar, but I'm not quite ready to give up just yet."

She heaved a sigh, patted him on the shoulder, whispering "Good luck" in his ear before skipping back into the restaurant to check with the owner about her next task, her tail whisking behind her.

Fleet half turned, and watched her go with one eye. Sarah was one of the few friends he had, and the only one he trusted. They had met after she caught him making a fumbling attempt at stealing a bit of food when they were both nine. When she found out why he was stealing (after beating the story out of him with a broom), she let him keep the food and reported to the manager that a stray dog got into the kitchen. They had become fast friends after that, and he became an actual customer of the restaurant instead of trying to steal from it.

Being sold to the restaurant owner when she was only 5, she had become more than a slave laborer, and had been almost like a daughter to the kindly old badger who ran the place. They both were thankful for the other's friendship, as he was the only one who cared about her enough to stop by regularly, and she was the only fur who didn't look down on him when she spoke to him.

As he watched her go, the thought popped into his head, 'Damn, when did she become such a looker?' Although she wore a formless tan smock and apron, her curves managed to show through attractively. He shook his head and smiled 'Although she still hasn't gotten rid of that weird accent.'

Turning his thoughts from pleasure to business, he scanned the usual market stalls. 'Shit, I knew it...things are not going to be easy from now on.' The shoppers and vendors all had that nervous look in their eyes when a fur can feel danger but not sense it. The customers in the streets kept one (sometimes even two) hands on their purses at all times, and the merchants watched their wares like hawks, jumping whenever someone got too close.

'Idiots, do they really think the Queen of Thieves is just going to waltz into the market and start making off with small wares and snacks? I mean, come on, I think that mask would be slightly recognizable to most people on the streets.'

Sliding down on the counter more, he sighed deeply. Then jumped slightly when Sarah tapped him on the shoulder, too deep in his thoughts to have heard her come back.

"What's wrong Fleet? Yah look really down."

"You hear about the commotion yesterday, over on Brothel Avenue?"

"No, only that there was a commotion. Why, what happened?"

Quickly Fleet filled her in on the Queen's appearance and what it meant for him.

"Daaaamn, that's gonna put a dent in yah profits fast."

"No kidding, everyone here looks like they are walking on glass." Fleet replied, gesturing out at the crowd.

"Be careful, yah got that? I got tah go get ready for the lunch crowd." As Fleet moved to head out into the crowd, Sarah put a paw on his shoulder. "Don't get caught, kay? Yah go to prison and I'll have no one tah talk with." Before Fleet could reassure her, she whisked off back to the kitchen.

Nodding to himself, then once again shaking his head at her crazy accent, Fleet slipped into the crowds.

* * *

Later that day, as the sun was setting, Fleet climbed his way back into his makeshift home.

He had gotten a relatively good haul that day. After promising some favors to the group of kids who ran amok in the bazaar usually, he had them distract a few merchants and shopkeepers while he made off with some food, a new shirt, and a couple coins. Not a great haul by any means, but enough to get him by for half a week.

Stowing the coins and uneaten food in some half broken crates, he slipped on the shirt, feeling a slight twinge of jealously at the same time.

'Damn furs, they don't have to wear this sorta crap. They just need to stay modest and that's it. I go out for too long without a shirt though...and bam, sunburn.'

For the few humans living in Kalazar, sunburns were a major problem. Even a moderate one could result in dehydration very fast, and it wasn't uncommon for severe burns to drive someone insane.

'Ah well...gotta make do with what I have.' Fleet thought, putting his old shirt aside for extra cloth if he needed it. Turning to the broken corner of walling that served as his window, he noticed that the sun was already below the horizon, and the red sky was darkening quickly. 'No clouds in the sky...I wish we would get some rain soon, but looks like I'll have to wait.' He wiped the sweat from his brow. 'At least its cooling down now, today was damn hot.'

Taking out some handmade dice, Fleet made up games to pass the time until the light was gone from the sky. As the nearly full moon rose, he was laying on his bed staring up at the stars. 'I wonder if everyone else in the world sees the same sky I do. Someday, I'm going to get out of this place, and I'll travel somewhere I can do something that actually helps people, not steals from them.' Shaking his head, he cleared away the mournful thoughts. 'Damnit, good thieves don't think like this...I'll become a famous thief first, so famous that everyone will know me. Then I'll have to leave the city, and I'll do it in style.'

Satisfied by this new resolution, he was about to roll onto his side to try to get some sleep when he heard faint shrill whistles in the air. Sitting up, he closed his eyes and focused on the distant sounds.

'Those are guard whistles, and a lot of them!' The guards used whistles to keep in contact with each other when they needed to coordinate between multiple groups. Each leader of a team had several whistles, each one meaning a different order. Thieves and assassins had been trying to break the code of what the whistles meant for decades, but no one had ever succeeded.

'Maybe they are raiding a guild house or a thieves meeting.' Fleet thought idly, glad that this time the whistles had nothing to do with him. He had run from guard teams before and noticed that one side effect the whistles had was that they were extremely unnerving when they were close to you. They sound like they are all around you, making it hard to focus on one direction of escape. 'Whatever poor bastard is running from them, I feel sorry for him.'

Listening to the whistles, it sounded as if they were getting closer and closer to Fleet's building, when suddenly they sounded as if they were heading away. Smiling wryly, Fleet chuckled. 'Nice one, no smart thief would go back towards the other teams. He musta given them the slip.' Still smiling, Fleet settled down to sleep again.

About five minutes later, his eyes snapped open. He had heard something on the roof of his building. Reaching under his pillow, he closed his hand around the handle of a knife concealed there. He didn't have anything very valuable in his home, but there were thieves who would rob him just for his house. Or worse, slavers, looking to make a quick couple coins off an orphaned teenager.

Lying very still, Fleet narrowed his eyes to slits and focused on listening. After about 30 more seconds of just lying there, he heard a distinct creak on the mess of boards that covered one of the holes in the roof, away from his bed. Stealthily making his way to a crouch, he held the knife in front of him, ready for anything.

Keeping his ears strained for any sound at all, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the boards suddenly gave way and broke with a crash. The ancient dried wood snapped and fell to his floor, making a huge dust and sand cloud, causing him to start coughing. Over the sound of the wood settling onto the floor and his own coughing, he heard a moan.

Immediately trying to stifle his cough, he warily made his way over to the pile of debris now residing in the middle of his floor. Holding the knife out in front of him, he watched as the dust cleared. When he could see again, he could barely make out the outline of a body in the wooden pieces. Deciding that whoever was in there was in no shape to attack him, he started to clear the wood off of them. As he pulled the fractured pieces off of the stranger, he heard small moaning noises once in a while, assuring him that his uninvited guest was still very much alive. Once the pieces of wood were off, the figure was left lying face down in the pile, covered by dust and splinters. Fleet flipped them over, to see who it was, and had to bite back a cry of surprise. The last person he ever expected was lying, injured, at his feet.

The self-styled "Queen of Thieves".

Jumping back, about a dozen emotions shot through him at once, the biggest one being disbelief. 'No way, this is not happening.' Noticing that she hadn't moved or opened her eyes, Fleet quickly bent down to check if she was alive. Putting a hand above her muzzle, he was able to feel a slight wind. At first glance he wasn't able to see any major injuries. 'Why did she faint? That fall wasn't exactly rough, and someone like her should have been able to catch herself...No, she was unconscious before the wood broke, she musta collapsed on it.'

A small glimmer of red caught his eye, and he turned his gaze to her left leg. Seeing a small pool of red forming below it, he lifted the leg slightly and exposed a broken crossbow bolt sticking into the back of her calf. Wincing at the injury and the slight moan she let out as he moved her leg, he carefully put the injured limb back down.

'What the hell am I going to do now? I just can't leave her here. Hmmm, I remember seeing a wanted poster for her, with quite a high price on it...No, if we don't have honor among thieves, we have nothing. I have to help her somehow.' Banishing the small thoughts of jealousy and anger from his mind, Fleet hardened his resolve to help her. 'But I have to do something about that wound, if I leave it alone, she'll die from blood-loss. Let's see...I got it, I can get some bandages from the doctors office near the market if I say my little sister is in trouble or something. Yea, that'll work.'

Picking her up very carefully, Fleet started to carry her towards his bed. As he lifted her, the small strap on the back of her mask caught on some wood and snapped easily, the mask itself falling off. Fleet instinctively flinched, but then realized it didn't matter-he didn't know who she was anyway. Shrugging, he very gently laid her on his bed, and wrapped the blanket around her. As soon as he was sure that she was ok, he sprinted to the entrance of his house, and jumped down. He hit the street running, and sped off into the night towards the doctor's house.

* * *

About ten minutes after Fleet left, the otter he left in his home stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. 'Where am I...?' She looked around the interior of the room she was in. It was broken and run down, but someone had obviously been living here. She noticed the small pieces of broken furniture and homemade, ragged coverings for the door. 'Well, it's no one rich, but that's probably a good thing.' Looking down, she noticed the covers and bedding she was laying on. A sudden thought hitting her, one of her paws shot up to her face, her eyes widening in horror when she felt nothing there. Glancing to the floor by the foot of the bed, she noticed the broken mask laying on the floor. 'Oh no...this is not good. Whoever found me has seen who I am. Wait, they aren't here...that must mean...shit! They are likely getting the guards right now!'

Galvanized into action by this thought, she tried to sit upright to get up, but as soon as she put stress on her leg, pain shot through her entire body. Groaning loudly, she grabbed at the injured limb and fell back. 'Damn, I guess the only reason I was able to get so far with that in there was adrenaline. This isn't good, I need to get out of here.'

Looking around the room again, she noticed the pile of wood in the middle of the floor. 'That must have been where I fell through...Right, I vaguely remember hearing wood break before fainting. Let's see, the only way out right now seems to be that doorway over there, but I don't think I can even crawl over there like this, that bolt has to have hit something sensitive in my leg. I need a moment to think.'

As she closed her eyes to think, her ears picked up the scraps of someone climbing the side of the building beyond the curtained doorway. Panicking, she quickly grabbed the dagger from the floor next to the bed and held it up in front of her, waiting for the intruder to enter the room.

Fleet was satisfied with what he had gotten from the doctor after his "panicked" performance about his make-believe sister. He had a pack of gauze in one of his hands and was holding some stiffer outer bandages in his mouth as he climbed back into his house. As soon as he entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the otter propped up one elbow, pointing the dagger he had left on the floor at him. Her eyes were dilated in fear, and her breath came in short gasps. He slowly took the bandages from between his teeth and held up his hands as he watched the dagger point move in wavy circles as she stared at him.

"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you."

"Touch me, and when the guards get here, all they'll find is a dead body!" she accentuated the sentence with small jabbing motions towards him.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. Calm down, there are no guards anywhere near here." He said slowly, making no motions towards her.

"Maybe not yet, but you just went out to get them for the reward on my head didn't you? Don't lie!" She was quietly shouting at this point, a feat Fleet would have thought impossible if he wasn't listening to her do it.

"No, look I went out to get these for your leg, ok? I haven't talked to any guards and I have no intention of doing so" Fleet said as he showed her the bandages he was holding in both his hands.

"...why? Why didn't you turn me in? Don't you know that I'm the Queen of Thieves? I have a massive price on my head." Her anger started to melt, the pain making it hard to focus.

"Honor among thieves." Fleet stated simply, shrugging slightly.

"You...are a thief?" she sounded more than a bit confused.

Fleet rolled his eyes "You don't have to sound so surprised."

He started forward, only to stop as the lowered dagger flew up again, pointing at him.

"What are you doing?" the otter snarled at him.

"Look," Fleet sighed, "we have to do something about your leg or you are going to keep bleeding until you pass out."

She lowered the weapon again, but her eyes remained full of suspicion. "Toss the bandages to me, I'll do it."

"Ok, but I don't think you can reach it." Fleet replied, tossing her the bandages.

Throwing him one last suspicious glance, she moved aside the worn blanket from her leg, and tried to bend her knee to reach the wound. As soon as she started to lift it, she cried out softly in pain and swooned a little. Fleet instinctively started forward to help her, and then held himself in check. She clenched her teeth and tried again, only to have her eyes start to roll back before she stopped.

"...Fine, come over here and help me."

Fleet simply nodded, sensing her injured pride, moved to her leg, and kneeled down in front of it.

"You do realize this is going to have to come out right?" He asked, pointing at the bolt.

"Yea, just a second." Taking the blanket, she folded it twice and stuck the bunched fabric between her teeth. "Do it fast." The otter growled past the makeshift gag.

Fleet carefully grabbed the end of it, and as soon as her eyes were closed, he yanked it out as fast and straight as he could. He winced in sympathy as he heard her try to scream into the cloth. Tossing the bloody quarrel away, he grabbed his jug of water from the shelf behind him and turned to her.

"You might want to keep that in, this is probably going to sting quite a bit."

The otter nodded wearily, put the gag back between her teeth, and rolled over to give him easier access to the wound. Wincing again at the size and depth of the wound, he started to flush the gash out, and clean the blood-matted fur around it. Every time the lukewarm water touched the inside of the injury, she shuddered violently, but managed to make no noises. When he was done with the cleaning, Fleet took the pack of gauze and started to gently wrap the wound, going around the leg several times before slipping the end back into the inside of the bandage. Taking out the heavier bandage, he wrapped that around the outside of the gauze, and tied it firmly but loose enough to keep the circulation flowing.

Having done this, he tapped her on the shoulder to let her know he was done. She rolled over and took the blanket out of her mouth.

"...Thank you." She said very quietly.

"No problem." Fleet said, scratching the back of his head. "With a wound like that, you aren't going anywhere for a while, so you're welcome to use that bed and my home for as long as you need."

"But isn't this your bed?" She asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Yea, but I have extra blanket around here somewhere. Really, you shouldn't be moving with your leg like that."

She seemed almost overwhelmed by that, and Fleet suddenly worried that he wrapped it too tight and it was paining her, but the look passed quickly. She suddenly glanced up at him with a strange look in her eyes. 'All of this stuff he's done for me, and I haven't even told him my name, or asked his,' she thought quietly to herself.

"My name's Sierra." She stated in a very small voice.

"Name's Fleet, and you should get some sleep after that. I'll make sure no one finds you here, ok?"

She nodded, suddenly feeling as if a wave of fatigue had washed over her, summoned by the mere mention of the word sleep. The last thoughts through her head as she closed her eyes were 'I guess my luck really hasn't given out...how many other people would have helped me? Fleet, huh? Interesting, I'll have to talk with you...in the...morning...'

As she closed her eyes, and her breathing quickly steadied, Fleet nodded to himself. He felt strangely happy after helping Sierra. Grabbing his only spare blanket from the crates, he sat down on a ledge near the door, with his back against the wall. Knowing that the morning would bring all sorts of questions and problems, he contented himself with slipping into a light doze, sleeping as he always did; with one eye open.

* * *

The next morning Fleet stirred as the first rays of light shined through the cracks in the walls. Stirring quietly, he yawned softly, then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He was confused for a moment when he noticed that he had spent the night sleeping near the door, but one glance at his bed and everything came rushing back to him.

'The Quee-No, Sierra literally fell into my life last night, it wasn't a dream.'

She seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough, undisturbed by the weak morning light. Fleet stared at her, seeing her in decent light for the first time. Without the mask her face was, in his opinion, very beautiful. Her fur was a rich brown, with a white underbelly that came up to her muzzle. Her hair spilled onto the pillow behind her, a deep brown which complemented her body perfectly. From the one arm she had above the bedcover, he could tell that she was definitely athletically built, with slim powerful muscles. Also, the one thing he remembered clearly from the darkness last night was her piercing emerald eyes. To Fleet she was, in a word, stunning.

After finally ripping his eyes away from her, he decided that he should have breakfast ready when she woke up. Going over to his storage crates, he purposefully put his back to her and started gathering up some food.

'So, what happens now, I wonder. She can probably stay here as long as she wants...I can definitely steal enough food for the two of us. Without her mask, and as soon as that wound heals up enough for her to walk, she can easily blend in around here. But will she want to? Last night I would have given anything for her to be able to leave then...after talking to her though...I feel the opposite way. Will she want to stay around here? I'm a nobody; she probably wouldn't trust me enough to recover fully here. But what if she does? I don't think many other people would help her at all in this city. And if she stays, maybe she can teach me to be a better thief! I bet I could learn so much from her if I just-'

Realizing that his thoughts were going a mile a minute, and starting to whirl together, Fleet stopped them and focused on the task at hand.

'Whatever will happen, will happen, I guess. For now, I'm just going to keep helping her.'

As he thought this, he heard Sierra stirring on the bed behind him. Glancing back, he saw her stretch and give a huge yawn, sounding very satisfied from her sleep. Still glancing back, Fleet gave her a half-nod.

"Good morning."

He saw her tense, then look over his way and visibly relax.

"Thank you."

"I'll have breakfast ready in just a second, how's the leg?" He asked, turning back to the food.

Fleet heard her shift in the blankets, then stop.

"Stiff and sore, but much better than last night...thanks to you."

"Heh, no problem." Fleet was glad that he was turned to the food so she couldn't see him blush. After gathering all the food together on a cracked, but clean, plate, he brought it over to her and set it down next to the bed.

"Oh, you didn't have to d-"

Fleet waved away her protest. "Nonsense, you are my guest, it's my job to feed you."

"Ha, in one morning I've broken your roof, taken your bed, and eaten half of your food. I suppose I should work on my manners before I come calling again, huh?"

"Calling? Don't you mean falling?"

Sierra glanced up to see Fleet with a huge grin on his face, and couldn't help but laugh. It proved too much, and Fleet started laughing also. The tension in the air cleared, they both enjoyed their meals in a comfortable silence. When he noticed that she was done he decided it was time to clear some things up.

"So, you're the Queen of Thieves then?"

Sierra froze, staring at him, not sure of this sudden question. All at once doubt and fear started to creep back into her mind.

Fleet held his hands up, mirroring his motions the previous night.

"Don't worry, I said I won't turn you in. That's a promise."

"...thank you, very much Fleet, you don't know how much that means to me. I am, as you say, the Queen of Thieves, or at least that's what they like to call me. You said something last night, about honor among thieves...?"

"Yea, I'm a thief too" Fleet said, answering the unspoken question. "I'm not exactly famous though."

"Ah, so that's why you didn't turn me in."

"Well, I also didn't think you deserved to be turned in. I mean, you've never broken any laws beyond what I have, you're nowhere near as bad as the assassin's guild in the northern city."

"Thank you again. Most people would have just thought about the reward and handed me over to the guards without another thought."

"Heh, again, no problem, you don't have to keep thanking me. One question though...what the hell happened last night?"

Sierra nodded "I thought you might ask that. Well...I was trying to rob a jeweler and things got a little...complicated. There was an undercover guard house right next door, and they saw me in one of the windows. I had to drop the loot just to make it away once I realized they were coming for me, and I still got hit in the leg." She winced at the memory of the impact. "Damn good shot, I was a running target from at least 75 yards away. I somehow managed to give them the slip, and then my adrenaline gave out on your roof. The last thing I remember before you came back was fainting on the rooftop."

Fleet sat there, nodding his head, trying to take the whole story in. As he went over the previous night in his head, he glanced back at her.

"One more question, why did you sound so surprised last night when I told you I was a thief? Do I really look that bad at stealing?"

Sierra blinked a couple times, then shook her head. "Oh, no, I was just surprised because I didn't think it would be that easy for you to do."

Fleet cocked his head, curious, and waited for an explanation.

"You see, I have seen exactly two humans in my entire life in this city, and one of them is you. I thought you'd raise such natural curiosity that it would be impossible to steal from most people."

"Hmmm...I never actually thought about that, but now that you mention it, it does seem kinda weird." He put his knuckles to his lips to think for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I guess most furs just tune humans out into the background, I'm not surprised really." He winced mentally as soon as he finished; he hadn't meant for that to sound so bitter.

"Huh? Why?" Sierra asked, confused.

"...Is this some sorta joke?" Fleet raised one eyebrow at her; she didn't seem like the kinda fur that would make such a bad-taste pun.

"No, I don't understand what you mean. I've only ever talked to you, the other human I saw from a ways off"

"Hmmm, you're right...it's easy to forget sometimes that most furs in this city have never even met a human, when I have to deal with this every day."

"This?" Sierra echoed, curious.

"Well, let's just say that most furs don't think too fondly of humans. Most of them hate us just because we are different then they are. It makes my life...difficult...sometimes. Like, a storekeeper won't sell to me or will inflate the price just for me, I'll ignored by some street vendors, or I'll be the very last to be served in a restaurant." Fleet finished quickly, slightly uncomfortable and wondering how they got onto this topic.

"I see. I never knew that humans had it so rough here...I guess I'm guilty of just never thinking about it too." She stared down at the empty plate in front of her, fidgeting. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but is that why you became a thief?"

The though popped into Fleet's head 'Why is she being so nice to me? She is someone, a very infamous someone, but still someone. Why is she wasting her time on a nobody like me?'

"Well, you could say it's the reason I'm still a thief, but not the reason I became one. My parents died as our house burned down when I was very young. I had no other way to feed myself, so I taught myself how to steal and not get caught. How about you, if you don't mind me asking."

"My mother was a thief before me. She taught me everything I know about stealing and thieving. When I was about 10, she caught the eye of a rich nobleman from the upper districts of the city. They fell in love, and he asked her to share her life with him. She took him up on his offer, and became his wife, ascending to almost the top of the political ladder in one fell swoop. Then the bitch left me out on the cold streets to fend for myself." Sierra said this all in a matter-of-fact way, since she had come to terms with it long ago.

"Ouch." Commented Fleet.

Sierra just shrugged "Whatever, I became a better otter for it anyways. I'd rather be prowling the streets then become one of their little painted dolls playing 'kiss the rich suitor's ass' in a mansion somewhere."

A bit of a silence followed, then Fleet couldn't resist.

"Well, aren't we a couple of sad cases, huh?"

That drew a chuckle from Sierra, and she smiled at him. "Thank you, I try not to dwell on it too much...but, well, you know."

"You're welcome. Now, are you going to be ok alone for a while here?"

"Huh? Where are you going?" She sounded slightly alarmed.

"I need to go get either some pants or a dress for you to cover that bandage. That skirt won't do it, and the guards will likely be looking for a wounded otter."

"...ah, ok then..."

"Don't worry, I'll be back as fast as possible. Try to get some sleep, ok? You still need to heal." Said Fleet, starting towards the door to his home.

"I will...be careful Fleet." Sierra replied, pulling the covers back over herself.

"I always am." He winked, and then ducked out behind the curtains.

* * *

As Fleet causally moved towards the nearby marketplace he found that he had to actively stop himself from skipping in joy.

'Why am I so happy? I mean, the Queen of Thieves may be staying at my home, but that doesn't mean we are going to be best buddies or anything.' He continued thinking about it as he walked. He mentally snapped his fingers as he rounded a corner into an alley. 'That's it! The reason I'm so happy is because she is the second fur I have ever met that hasn't treated me like dirt. Hmmm, come to think of it, I should ask Sarah about wear I can get some women's clothes for Sierra.'

Nodding to himself, he stepped out of the alley, and made his way through the crowd, straight to his usual spot at the outdoor bar. The place wasn't exactly hopping, Fleet saw one family in the inside of the restaurant eating, and a pair of merchants arguing at the other end of the bar. Waiting for Sarah to come out and make her rounds for new customers, he casually scanned the stalls, seeing a couple selling clothing.

'Let's see, if I remember correctly, she's a couple inches shorter than me...so I'll have to measure them against myself. Damn, guess I won't be able to steal this stuff after all. Luckily I still have most of that bag of gold left from yesterday, so I'll easily be able to affor-'

"Fleet! Fleet!"

Fleet turned, seeing Sarah skipping up to the counter. "Whoah, what's up Sar?" He asked, noticing that she was absolutely beaming with happiness.

"I'm engaged!" She cried, clapping her paws in joy.

Fleet blinked a few times, drawing a mental blank at the sudden news. Shaking his head slightly, he put on a big smile for her. "Congratulations Sarah! Do I know him?"

"Nah, I only met him a couple days ago, but he's a tall, dark and handsome panther, and he completely swept me off mah feet!" She replied, hugging herself at his memory.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but isn't this kind of sudden?" Asked Fleet, raising an eyebrow.

"I know whatcha mean, I thought it was abit fast too. But it turns out that the manager had been looking for a match for me forevah, and he thinks Adam is perfect!" At this point she had he elbows on the counter, and her chin resting in her paws with a dreamy blank stare into the distance on her face.

Not wanting her to break her good mood by having her start to ask questions about why he would need female clothes, Fleet decided that he should just try to find them on his own.

"Well, congratulations again Sarah, now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy some food."

"Our little Fleet, actually buying something? Now I know I must be dreaming" She giggled.

"Haha. Very funny. Take care Sar, see you later" he said, rolling his eyes as he started off into the market.

"Oh, Fleet, yah should stop by tomorrow at lunchtime, so yah can meet him!" she called after him.

Waving at her to show that he heard her, he turned back into the crowd and started towards one of the clothes stalls he had seen. 'Well, that killed my good mood. But, it's not exactly unexpected...just unhoped for.' He heard a small voice echo in the back of his mind 'What were you expecting? You're a human and she's a fur. There is no way that would ever work out between you two.' Flinching at his own thoughts, he silently agreed with them. 'Yea, I guess I was kinda stupid for ever hoping for anything to happen between us, I'm lucky enough as it is that she's my friend.' He let out a huge sigh that was lost in the noise of the crowd. 'I really hate this city.'

* * *

Back at Fleet's home, Sierra had managed to sleep for about an hour, before she woke up restless. Her leg still sore, she put her paws behind her head and lay on the bed, thinking about the past day.

'Everything has happened so fast...I'm not even sure what to think anymore. When I fainted up on that rooftop, I was sure I was going to wake up in prison, and be hanged today. But instead, I met Fleet, I am in a comfortable bed, and he is buying me clothes to cover up my wound and feeding me. And I thought my luck had run out when those guards saw me at the jeweler's place. I don't think I could have been more lucky then meeting Fleet though...he's the first person to do a kind thing for me since...oh no, why am I crying?' Sierra couldn't stop the sudden flow of tears from her eyes just thinking about the simple acts of kindness Fleet had done for her, the first compassion she had been shown in a long time.

A little while later, after the tears had stopped, she wiped her arm across her eyes. 'Well, I don't know what happens now, but I do know that I want to stay here if I can. Maybe what I've been missing for all this time is friendship.' She blinked, then chuckled to herself 'That sounded corny even to me, but then again, who knows?'

She let her thoughts just drift until she heard the sound of someone climbing into the building. Sitting up, she saw Fleet duck into the room, carrying some clothes over his shoulder.

"Welcome back" she said quietly, and her heart skipped a beat as he threw her a big smile.

"Thanks. Here, I wasn't sure what you wear, so I got a bit of everything." He said as he tossed her the clothes.

She sorted through the garments, finding a full one piece dress, some light pants, a full length skirt, and a couple blouses. She quickly blinked back tears again so that Fleet wouldn't see her crying.

Luckily he didn't notice her blinking, and moved over to the crates by the bedside and sat down. "So, I've been meaning to ask you, do you have a home or something? Because I noticed you didn't have any other belongings on you."

"Well...I had one until not to long ago...but the guards..."

"Ah, say no more. Well," Fleet started fidgeting and looking anywhere but Sierra's face. "if you want...I mean, as long as you need...ummm, I'll just say that my house is your house, as long as you want it to be."

Sierra could feel the tears welling up in her eyes a third time, but she tried to hold them in while she questioned Fleet "But won't I be intruding? It's your house, I mean-"

"No problem at all," He cut her off, holding a hand up to stop her arguments. "Really, you are welcome to stay as long as you want. The company is...nice." He finished, thinking about Sarah's engagement, and how she most likely wouldn't have as much time anymore.

Sierra couldn't help herself anymore, and burst into tears. Fleet jumped up, looking confused as she started bawling her eyes out.

"What's wrong? Did I say something? I'm sorry-"

"No, no," Sierra sobbed, "it's just...just...no one has ever been this nice to me...I can never talk to people...I'm always so worried they'll recognize me...I just..." She lapsed into incoherent sobbing again.

Fleet slowly moved over to Sierra's side, and knelt down next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. His eyes widened as she threw herself onto him, holding him tightly and sobbing into his chest. He knelt there awkwardly for a few seconds, then slowly put his arms around her, gently stroking her long hair. After almost half an hour, she had sobbed herself almost into a doze in his arms. Fleet lowered her into the bed, and gently tucked her in, sitting by her side until he was sure she was deeply asleep.

After she was sleeping, he got up and spent the rest of the day cleaning up the broken wood on the floor, and thinking to himself.

* * *

The next morning, Sierra slowly opened her eyes, the previous afternoon coming back to her in a rush. She looked around the room, and then saw Fleet leaning against a wall nearby, dozing lightly. As soon as she sat up, the rustling of the blanket caused Fleet to open his eyes.

"Good morning." He said softly, starting to walk over to her.

"I...I just wanted to apologize for yesterday I-"

"No, I should be the one apologizing to you. I never stopped to think what you had gone through, I was only jealous of how good a thief you were."

"Even so, you offered me your home and hospitality; I can't thank you enough for that."

"Tell you what, you help me become a better thief when you recover, and we'll call it even" He said, smiling at her.

She returned the smile easily, "Heh, sounds like a plan."

"So, how's the leg? Any better?"

She flexed it, feeling a better range of motion then the previous day. "It's getting there, I think another day or two of rest and I'll be able to walk on it again."

"Great, I was worried when I first saw the wound, I thought it might not get better at all."

"Thanks to you, I should heal nicely."

"Heh, you're welcome." He said, bringing over some food for her. "You take it easy and eat something, I have to go see a friend and buy some more groceries for us."

"I wish I could help you somehow, but I don't have any of my money with me..."

"Really, its no problem, don't worry about it." He moved towards the door "Maybe while I'm out you might want to try on some of those clothes I got for you, hopefully they fit. I'll be back later!"

Sierra smiled, and started to eat, already looking forward to when Fleet came back.

* * *

As Fleet arrived at his usual seat at the bar, noticing that there was no one else sitting there besides himself. As he waited, he saw Sarah glance at him from the kitchen door, and wink. She motioned for him to wait a second, then disappeared back behind the doorframe. The next person to walk out was a tall, muscular black panther. His feline eyes scanned the bar, and caught sight of Fleet. The panther (Fleet remembered his name was Adam) stared at him for a second, then leaned back in the kitchen, Fleet guessed he was asking Sarah something. Nodding shortly, Adam then walked straight up to Fleet.

Standing up, Fleet put his hand out and put a friendly smile on his face. The panther just stood there, staring at the human in front of him. Fleet was beginning to sense something was wrong even before Adam spoke.

"Listen up, you stupid human, Sarah is mine now. I never even want to see you talking to her, ever again."

"Wait, what? What the hell did I do to you?" Fleet could feel the blood rising behind his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? You're a human, a dumb, inferior creature. You aren't even worthy to look at my fiancé, let alone be her friend. Now, get out of here before beat the shit out of you." The panther's voice had dropped to a low growl, his eyes green slits, full of hatred.

"This is bullshit, she has been my friend for years now, if you think I'm gonna just-" Fleet doubled over as the panther rammed a fist into his floating ribs, feeling the air rush out of his lungs. He dropped to the ground, completely winded by the cheap shot. Adam bent down, and ran a sharp claw across his cheek, leaving a deep cut in Fleet's face.

"I'm glad we understand each other." He said simply, and strutted back towards the kitchen.

Fleet glared after him, gritting his teeth against the pain. 'Someday, you'll pay for that, I swear it.' Making sure that Sarah didn't see him as he left, Fleet hurried back towards his home, dangerously close to breaking out in sobs.

As he climbed into the doorway to his house, he tried to blink away the beginnings of any tears in his eyes so that Sierra wouldn't see him crying. As he walked through the curtained doorway, he saw that she was standing up, limping around, testing her wounded leg. When she saw him, the blood dripping down from the cut in his cheek and holding his bruised ribs, she started to limp towards him, but he made sure to reach her first, not wanting her to walk too much.

"What happened? I thought you were going out to visit your friend." Sierra asked, concerned.

"I don't want to...I don't..." Fleet shut his eyes tightly and put a hand across his eyes, feeling hot tears leaking through his fingers.

"Fleet, what's wrong?" She asked, putting her arm around him.

Despite his pain, Fleet smiled to himself, reflecting on the irony of how fast their position reversed. Sitting down on the bed with Sierra next to him, he told her about Sarah, their friendship, and her new fiancé.

By the end of story, Sierra's eyes had hardened. She glanced up and whispered "That bastard."

Fleet clenched his fists in anger "I hate this city, and I hate all these god damn furs in it. Why do they have to think they are so superior? Why do I have to be so weak? I'm crying like a baby over a single punch...damnit."

"No, no you are not. You are crying over losing your best friend, and the fact that you can't do anything about it without hurting her deeply. It's ok, you aren't weak."

Fleet nodded, then looked down again, hiding his eyes from Sierra. She could feel him start to shiver as his body prepared for another bout of sobbing. The thoughts flashed through her head 'No, I can't have this wonderful person crying, this person who did everything for me, who took me in when no one else would. I won't let him.'

Those thoughts flashing through her head, Sierra gently lifted his chin with two of her fingers, and kissed him full on the mouth. Fleet just sat there, shocked, and the horrible thoughts flashed through her mind 'Oh God, he doesn't like me that way, what have I done? He'll kick me out for sure, I don't have anywhere else to go, I-'

Fleet finally realized what was going on and returned the kiss in full, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly to him. After a while of kissing, they pulled apart slightly, but remained gazing into each other's eyes.

"Fleet, I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just come out and say it. I love you. I have never felt this way about anyone else. I...I don't...would you...take me as your lover Fleet? I've never needed to be with someone like this, never even thought to be with someone like this, but ever since I met you, it just started to all make sense to me."

"Sierra, I would like nothing better than to be your lover, but it feels like I'm taking advantage of you, and I-"

Sierra put a finger up to his mouth to quiet him. "Trust me, you aren't. I've had a lot of time to think about this the past two days, and the more I've thought about it, the more I've wanted it. You are unique, one in a million in this horrible city, and I'm so lucky to have found you. I want this more than anything I've ever wanted before. It will be both our first times, so let's just take it slow and easy, ok?"

Fleet nodded, and slowly moved forward to kiss her again. She returned the kiss eagerly, wanting him to want her. It felt slightly weird at first, her muzzle against his mouth, but as they continued to kiss, it started feeling so right to her. She slowly let her lips part, not wanting to scare him, and her tongue flicked his lips. He understood what she meant, and opened his mouth to her, while wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders, and running the other through her long hair. The otter tentatively let her tongue slide into his mouth, savoring the new feelings and textures within it. He tasted great to her, not an overt taste, but like something she was missing from her own mouth that should be there. She found his tongue quickly, and marveled at how different it felt, compared to her own. Sierra knew that he was enjoying this too, and let his tongue slip past hers into her mouth. Using the chance to explore his teeth, she took pleasure in how varied they where, ranging from sharp to flat.

Fleet was also enjoying the kiss, feeling wonder at how different, yet how similar she was to him. He had never thought he'd kiss a fur, ever in his lifetime. He figured that maybe one day he would get lucky and meet an acceptable human woman, but thinking about it now, he knew this was so much better. As he continued to kiss her, Fleet timidly moved the straps of her top down her arms, unsure how Sierra would react to it. She eagerly slipped her arms out of the top, and went back to caressing the back of Fleet's neck. Slowly, almost in awe, he slipped the top down to her waist. Opening his eyes without breaking the kiss, his eyes widened, seeing his first glimpse of Sierra's bare chest. Her breasts were large and firm, much larger than most otter's breasts. Most otters had very small breasts, almost flat chested to allow them to swim fast, but Sierra's would have looked good on any animal, being about the equivalent of a large C-cup. Covered in creamy white fur, the only break was where her pale erect nipples topped each breast.

Sensing what Fleet was looking at, Sierra broke the kiss and looked away, shy and somewhat embarrassed. "I know, they are too big. Otter women are supposed to have small, pert breasts, and I'm stuck with these huge things."

Letting his hands rub their way up her sides, Fleet started to caress her chest, drawing a moan of pleasure from her. "I think they are perfect the way they are" he whispered to her.

Sierra's eyes lit up with affection for this wonderful human, and she whispered back "Thank you." Pulling him into another kiss, she started to tug his shirt off, only breaking the kiss long enough to get his shirt over his head, then throwing it aside.

As soon as the garment was off him, Fleet quickly pulled her close to him, enjoying the feeling of her short soft fur on his skin. He could tell she was enjoying it too from the small cooing noises that escaped her while she massaged his back with her paws.

This went on for a while, until Sierra grabbed Fleet's hands and entwined her fingers with his, marveling at the lack of webbing between his fingers, and slowly laid herself back onto the bed. She slid out of her dress and the bunched up top, finally sliding her panties slowly off. Fleet took advantage of the time to rid himself of his pants and the shorts under them. Laying down next to her, he pulled the covers over both of them, and resumed kissing her. Sierra could feel his erection pressing against her leg, and she shivered out of excitement and a little nervousness. Fleet started to trail his kisses down her neck, and continued kissing her until her reached her breasts. Playing with one nipple between his fingers, he started to suck on the other one, his tongue dancing around the sensitive area.

Sierra moaned loudly, feeling new sensations shoot throughout her body. Fleet, still playing with her nipples, traced around the areola with his fingers, amazed by the smooth transition between fur and bumpy skin. After giving both nipples equal attention with his mouth, he moved back up and kissed Sierra softly on the lips again.

"I think you'll have to lead, Fleet" she said, almost breathless from his caresses. "My leg is still a bit stiff."

"Ok, I'll try to be gentle."

Fleet then straddled her, and maneuvered his hips into position. Guided by instinct, he slowly pushed his erection towards her sex. When he was only a couple inches away, he could feel the intense heat radiating from it. He took his free hand and grabbed her hand tightly, staring into her eyes. He saw reflected there the same trust and love he felt welling within him. He slowly pushed into her, the contact of his head and her lips making both of them shiver with delight and anticipation. He pushed into her, until he felt like he had hit a barrier. He stopped and gave her a questioning look.

Sierra nodded, and then braced herself. As he pushed against her, she felt her virginity break and she couldn't help but whimper in pain a little, the unpleasant feeling radiating throughout her body. Fleet steadied himself, and laid down on top of her, holding her tightly until the pain went away. She hugged him to her gratefully, and gradually felt the pain subside within her. Taking a deep sigh, she nodded to him once again.

Fleet had felt truly unhappy at causing Sierra pain, so he started out extremely slowly, letting his erections slowly slide all the way into her, then sliding it out gently. Sierra quickly seemed to forget about the pain, and soon was softly moaning in pleasure at the feeling of him inside her. She started to knead the flesh on his back, her short blunt claws leaving small red lines, the minuscule pain only serving to increase the intense enjoyment that Fleet was feeling. He started to increase the pace of his thrusting, and heard Sierra's moans increase as he did. As he started moving faster and faster in and out of her, she started to reflexively thrust her hips into his, feeling the sensations become more and more pleasurable. She started to swing her tail from side to side unconsciously, the flexing muscles inside her almost pushing him over the edge.

Just as Fleet felt as if he was going to explode inside of her, he felt her sex tighten around his, and she started shaking and moaning uncontrollably. "Mmmm, Sierra...I think I'm going to...oh God, this is so...oh God Sierra!"

"Yes, please, I love you so much Fleet!"

"Unnhhhaaaaa!" Fleet let himself explode inside her, knowing that humans couldn't get furs pregnant. He could feel her still grabbing him as tightly as she could as he blew the last of his seed into her.

Both of them feeling drained but immensely happy, they collapsed side by side.

"I love you, Fleet."

"I love you too, Sierra."

Content with that, Sierra snuggled up to Fleet's chest and quickly fell asleep, with Fleet trailing off not too long after, holding her tightly.

* * *

They both awoke around dusk, woken by the sounds of a fight a couple of alleys away.

"Morning lover." Sierra said, being the first one to break the silence.

"And good morning to you too." He replied, beaming at her.

"I was thinking, though I love this place, I don't think I'll be able to stay here for too long after I heal up. I tend to get restless quickly when I don't move."

Fleet could feel his eyes widening in shock and betrayal, to surprised to reply to her statement.

"So, I was wondering," she continued quickly, "maybe when I head out, you want to come with me as my partner?"

She flashed him a huge grin, and Fleet realized that she had intended on him saying 'yes' all along.

"Ok, but on one condition. We have some 'alone time' every now and then."

"Alone time? You mean like what we just had?" After he nodded, Sierra let out a little laugh, "If by 'every now and then' you mean 'at least every night, and sometimes during the day', then I think we have a deal, partner."

Fleet laughed and hugged her tighter, knowing that he had found the real 'Jewel of the Desert'.