FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

The boom of a heavy wooden door slamming shut was accompanied by a great clattering of steel grieves as twenty of the king's guard marched down a spiraling flight of stairs, in the middle of them all was the lord himself. Down and down they went, before long the sunlight from the above windows died away, replaced by torches that hung along the walls. Their flickering glow caused shadows to dance across the stone steps.

It was three flights to get to the dungeons beneath the city, a massive expanse of corridors and locked gates that held prisoners of every creed and type. It was a damp, dark place that no one wanted to be, not even the guards that were stationed.

Getting to the bottom, the group of knights lead the king into a particular dungeon that was set aside from others, one that was a bit more accommodating and meant for prisoners of value, such as enemy noblemen or similarly titled individuals. Standing outside of this particular cell was the captain of the guard, a burly bear that was easily the biggest man in the kingdom. He wore bright red armor that was greatly decorated, the leather of which had embroidered symbols all across its surface. It was shined up and even in the dull, dankness of the underground it seemed to sparkle.

The group of knights split and fanned out from the king as he approached his captain, of whom snapped to attention and drew the helmet from off his head to address his superior. The king was a very fit and powerfully built individual as well, though nowhere near the same size as the captain. He was a saber toothed tiger, and where other kings would have worn decorated clothing he instead chose to wear hardly anything at all. A red, velvet cape hung from his shoulders, though his torso was bare, showing a barreled chest, a fit stomach, and rippled arms. A pair of white trousers and black, leather boots encased his lower half and that was it.

It was how he preferred to present himself, not even the slightest hint of armor, for he had the philosophy that he had no reason to fear his public. And he was right, beloved by every person in the kingdom it would seem.

"My liege," the bear rumbled and knelt as soon as the king presented himself.

"Rise, Terrice," the big cat replied and gestured with his paw. The captain stood again. "This is the thief then?" the king asked and glanced through the bars of the door, though hardly any light filtered in, it was all pretty much a wall of darkness.

"It is, your grace," the bear rumbled. The tiger gave a nod of his head.

"Open the door, I wish to speak with him," the king commanded. A rack of keys was produced from the captain's side and he went about unlocking the door and drawing it open. The light from the torches eventually drew in, revealing a nearly empty room, save for a chamber pot, a massive wooden post in the corner, from which a chain was attached, and a straw stuffed cot. Laying upon that cot was someone that the king both did and didn't expect.

A thin, young raccoon as he was, he was far younger than the big cat had ever expected, but he still entitled the bodily figure of an adept thief. Small, thin, and rather feminine, the thief rolled over and glanced at his new visitor. There wasn't hardly anything about the raccoon's form that wasn't distinctly female, save for the absence of breasts. His hips were sultry and curved, his entire torso held a fit definition that wasn't angular, like what most well experienced thieves would have had.

The raccoon turned himself and faced the king, sitting up on his cot. He wore simple, tight fitting clothing that aided him in his stealth. It would not catch the wind and it would not weigh him down. His eyes were big and tired, golden irises that seemed to shimmer in the low light of the cell.

"So this is the one that attempted to steal my favorite goblet?" the king asked the room with a smirk. The thief averted his eyes to the floor.

"It is, your grace. The one with the sapphires about the rim and emeralds about the base," the captain replied.

"Why a golden cup though?" The king continued and stepped in further to the room, his question now directed at the thief. "Wouldn't coins have made more sense as a currency? Wouldn't prying the gems from the cup have been much easier to carry?" He was a mere foot from the raccoon before he stopped. "Yet as stupid of a smuggle, you were able to do it almost from directly under my nose. There was still wine in it, wasn't there?" he asked, and the coon silently nodded. The big cat took a deep breath before he turned back to the bear.

"Captain, take my men and leave the dungeon, leave two at the stairs for my escort," he commanded.

"Yes, your grace," Terrice said quickly and then turned to the other soldiers that were stationed. "Everyone on me!" he barked and then headed for the dungeon's exit. The king listened until he felt that the retreating steps were far enough away before he continued speaking.

"You allowed yourself to be caught," the feline accused, and a smirk formed over the raccoon's lips.

"That's right," the thief said, his voice showing to be boyish and young, but still that of an adult.

"Why?"

"I wanted to show how good of a thief I could be. For you."

"For me?" the king tilted his head and stepped off to the side but still kept his eyes trained on the smaller male.

"My father once said," the raccoon began and folded his knees against his chest. "If you want to be hired by someone, you must prove that you have the skill set. A knight would not be a knight without having proved himself capable, so too must a thief steal something from his would be employer to prove himself a proper thief," he explained. The tiger quirked an eyebrow and chuckled at the explanation.

Read the full story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/meet-me-in-15139051