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Thus passed the next three years of Vanamee's life, living with Lord Clang as his pet. Overall it was a happy existence, and one that the wolf quickly became accustomed to. He would spend most of his days with Talon and Olaf, getting the proper education of an Imperial gentleman. Then there were two days a week that Talon did not come to teach him, a strange tradition that the imperials called a "weekend" and on these days he was allowed to go with Olaf and play. The young horse didn't have many friends it seemed (Not surprising considering how Isolated Clang manor was) and welcomed the young wolf's company as he they explored the nearby woods and the empty moors. The pair quickly became inseparable friends. They didn't get to move too fast on their little jaunts as Vanamee was not permitted to wear clothes, lest someone see him and start asking questions. The wolf's feet quickly toughened up though, and after the first few months they could move freely and quickly. On most nights the wolf was required to share his master's bed. He didn't mind much, as Lord Clang was usually gentle and was always kind to the wolf.

But then there were those nights that Darrius wasn't home or wasn't interested and on these nights the wolf was allowed to stay in his own bed. On these nights he would stand at the window to his room, looking out across the darkened woods, admiring the silhouette of Crown City in the distanced, glowing brightly in the light of the silvery moon. On these nights the slave's mind would wander, thoughts of his mother and what might have become of her. But more often his mind would drift to a pair of friends, so near and yet so far away. He would wonder how Kura and Edwin were doing, where they were, and if they had been treated kindly by their owners. Then, with a feeling of utter helplessness he would remember his promise to them, something he knew would one day be possible, but hating himself for being unable to help them at that moment. Then he would cry himself to sleep, wracked with guilt and helplessness.

Three years passed by quickly for Van, until one morning he was woken by a frantic Inga. The wolf practically jumped out of bed as the mare burst into his room, flinging the door open and shouting at him to get out of bed. The wolf looked about groggily, noticing that the room was strangely dark.

"What time is it?" The canine boy whined, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of one paw.

"About five in the morning young man." Inga responded irritably, "And we have plenty to do!"

"FIVE?" Vanamee groaned, "Why are we up so early Inga?" The mare stopped making the bed and turned to him, putting her hands on her shapely hips.

"Really now?" She exclaimed in exasperation, "Don't you remember what today is?" The wolf paused a moment, mulling it over. At last it hit him... it was the day that Clang planned to reveal him to the high society of Crown City!

"Exactly!" Inga huffed, noticing the look of startled understanding on the wolf's face, "Now get to the bathroom! I've already got the tub full of oil to get that blasted dye out of your fur!" Vanamee nodded in reply, walking out into the hall and down to the bathroom. The maid had filled the tub about halfway with cooking oils, several empty bottles standing beside the tub. For a moment the canine hesitated to get in, curling his lip as he poked a testing finger into the slimy solution.

"I said get IN the tub young man!" Inga shouted, rushing into the bathroom, a large scrub brush in her hand, "I dread how much scrubbing it's going to take to get that dye out!" The wolf whimpered as he stepped in and lowered himself down. He was dreading it too. An hour later and tons of painful scrubbing later, Van finally saw his normal, black fur for the first time in three years. The wolf reached up and pulled at one of the long hairs atop his head, smiling as he saw the old, navy blue tint. Inga grabbed his paw away however and began to scrub it hard. "The blasted dye won't seem to come out on your paws!" She grunted.

"Uhh..." Vanamee stammered, "My hands and feet were white to begin with." He informed her. The maid stopped, then began to laugh.

"You know," She giggled, looking up at the wolf with a kind smile, "I had actually forgotten that. I'm so used to seeing you being all white..." She trailed off for a moment, the look in her eyes getting a little distant.

"I'll still be the same when I'm black!" The lupine assured her concernedly, thinking perhaps it was his change in color that had brought about the change. The mare shook her head and laughed sadly.

"It's not that Van." Inga sighed, giving him a strained smile, "It's just... this day. I've been waiting on it for some time. Waiting and... dreading it."

"Why?" The young canine asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Because... it means that Lord Clang will be leaving soon." She answered. There was a moment of awkward silence as the pair dwelled on the thought. The moment passed quickly however and Inga was back into a flurry of activity, lifting Vanamee out of the tub and drying him before rushing the slave down to the front study. In his years there, the wolf had only been in that room a few times, not being particularly fond of it. A large fireplace sat to one side, with two large, red couches next to it. The maroon colored walls held a few drab, stoic pictures that set the mood for the room perfectly.

The only object in that space that had ever held the wolf's attention had been a short, but beautifully crafted sword that hung on the mantle. It was a priceless possession Clang had told him, brought back by his great-great-great grandfather, Morticie Clang from an expedition to the realm of the mysterious Dwarves in the far west. They had given it as a gift to the brave explorer for opening up trade routes between the Empire and the dwarves clans. The blade was made of Dwarven adamant, a metal that Lord Clang claimed would never break nor lose its edge once it cooled, and decorated with several strange looking runes that ran down its length. The cross-guard was made into the shape of two beautiful female canines, each holding one hand on the blade of the weapon and the other extended outward, their legs intertwining to form the hilt and part of the grip. It was considered the greatest treasure of the Clang family.

On one of those ugly red couches, Vanamee saw a black and white suit he had never seen before and which Inga picked up, showing it to him. It was a fancy and expensive suit, like the kind that he had seen many of the young city nobles wearing when they had come to visit the manor for one of Clang's famous parties.

"Put it on!" Inga said with a laugh, handing the suit over to the wolf. Vanamee gladly began to get into the outfit, sliding the fine, white, cloth shirt on and tucking it into the black wool trousers, then putting the black wool coat that went with it on. The feel of clothing on his fur was strange after three years of being in the nude. The canine simply couldn't get used to feeling something against the base of his tail, but Inga had no patience for that. "Good! It fits! Now hurry and follow me into the kitchen!" The maid hurried off with a huff, the finely dressed young wolf in tow.

The mare had a wooden seat set up in the middle of the tiled floor, a large sheet underneath it and some sort of bib laying over the back. She ordered him to sit, picking up the white bib and putting it over him.

"What is this for?" The wolf inquired, wiggling about uncomfortably as he felt the heavy coat starting to make him itch.

"We have to cut that hair of yours!" The mare replied insistently, rushing over to one of the counters and picking up a pair of small, steel scissors and scurrying back over.

"What?" Vanamee cried, "What's wrong with my hair?" The horse clamped one strong hand down on his shoulder to keep him from moving.

"Aside from the fact that it makes you look like a girl?" Inga huffed, "That sort of look simply won't pass for a man of your station!"

"My station?" The wolf repeated uncertainly. Inga simply laughed.

"Yes! You should get used to hearing that phrase." She informed him, giving his shoulder one last pat before she began, snipping and cutting rapidly and with the trained hands of someone who had done this countless times before. As Inga worked Van could hear someone else enter the room, but dared not turn his head to look.

"Talon!" Inga exclaimed, solving the mystery for him. The wolf's tail began to wag in excitement.

"I couldn't miss seeing the fruit of my labors." The old owl answered, coughing fitfully after that. The last three years had not been kind to Talon, his health having been slowly deteriorating. As he stepped into view, Vanamee gave him a cheery smile. The bird walked with a cane now, his joints giving him a constant pain. In his free arm he held a large box. "I even brought him a gift."

"A gift?!" Vanamee cried excitedly, jumping up out of his seat as Inga pulled the bib away. The owl smiled as he handed over the package. The wolf took it, placing it down on the wooden table in the kitchen before opening it. Inside was a small black tophat made of the fine felt that was popular amongst the high society, and around the base was a red ribbon. The wolf smiled broadly as he lifted it out and placed it atop his head, turning about and looking at the two other furrs questioningly.

"I must say," Talon noted approvingly, "I never would have thought it possible when I first laid eyes on you three years ago, but you look every bit the gentleman!" Inga nodded in agreement.

"Indeed! Lord Clang will be so proud." The mare giggled, coming over and giving the young wolf an unexpected hug.

"I know I certainly am." The young canine couldn't help but smile, his tail wagging happily as he returned the embrace.

"Thanks Inga." Van replied, pulling back as he adjusted his coat. "When is Lord Clang returning?"

"He's headed out into town to make sure that the catering and the bards he rented will be ready for the party tonight." Talon answered as he hobbled over to one of the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table, "He's spent the last three months telling everyone about the 'nephew' he recently found and how he's arriving in Crown City this evening." Vanamee nodded. He was well aware of the intricate web of lies that the clever coyote had been weaving over the last few months. He had faked a letter from his own brother, telling him that his brother was ill and would soon pass, but that his "son" was going to be coming to live with him. The nobleman had made sure to mention that the nephew in question was half islander, so as to explain his rather conspicuous height and hopefully fill in any gaps in the young boy's etiquette and knowledge of things of an Imperial nature.

"Now let's review!" Talon hooted, adjusting his thin spectacles on the bridge of his beak, "I want to make certain we have as few goofs tonight as possible."

"Certainly." Van responded, taking a seat across from the ailing bird, "What's first?" The owl paused a moment, considering it.

"Well," The bird began at last, "I think a review of some simple theology would be good. Gods know we don't need you spouting any of that Islander Mumbo-Jumbo to father Mancer..."

"Oh?" Inga interrupted as she dug through a nearby cabinet, getting out a press and some fresh coffee grounds, "Is that old lemur coming tonight?"

"Hmmm?" Talon muttered, turning to Inga, "OH! Yes! He is actually. Not that anyone invited him. But then again what is one to do? Wouldn't be very seemly to turn away a holy man now would it?"

"Holy my hoof!" Inga snorted as she poured some water into a pan and moved it onto the stove, "I've HEARD what he does in his free time! It's no kind of holy man that visits those disgusting... ugh... Vore Brothels."

"Now now..." The owl retorted, " I've heard those same rumors, and as far as I have seen there is absolutely no proof of that!"

"Lauralai Joran saw him go into one last week." The mare said knowingly, "She was gathering groceries at the market and saw him go into the Bloody Claw! That awful one the Senate SOMEHOW allowed to be built right in the middle of the business district!"

"By somehow I'll assume you mean they accepted a rather handsome bribe?" Talon sighed wearily.

"Of course." Inga chided, "What else could it be? Bunch of crooks and thieves the lot of them! That's exactly why Darrius wouldn't join them even when the Empress was willing to give him a royal appointment. He knows what kind of things go on there!"

"Darrius eh?" Vanamee snickered, always amused when Inga slipped and revealed just how close she and the master really were.

"Oh hush boy!" Inga hissed, "You aren't master of the house yet! I can still take a switch to you if you get out of line!" The wolf quickly grew quiet. He knew better than to push Inga on that. He was all to aware that she didn't make idle threats.

"Well if you're going to whip the boy," Talon groaned, turning his attention back to the young wolf, "at least wait till after the dinner tonight. He needs to be able to sit and not have it sting." The mare gave a laugh at that, then walked out of the kitchen to go and fetch some wood for the stove.

"Now as I was saying," The sickly tutor continued, "We should discuss some theology. You never were very good at that."

"I just don't get it." Van sighed, giving a dismissive shrug, "Imperials believe in such strange deities. And then there's Kyrael. I don't get that at all. I mean... was he supposed to be a god or a man?"

"Bloody hell!" Talon exclaimed, pausing to cough a moment as the sudden outburst caused him a bit of pain, "How many times must we be over this? He's both!"

"But that doesn't..." Vanamee began, but the owl quickly cut him off.

"What part of that doesn't make sense?" The wolf's teacher sighed in frustration.

"If he was a god then why didn't he have... I don't know... powers?" The young canine questioned.

"Because he was a god TRAPPED in mortal flesh, so that he could combat the Golden Serpent WITHOUT his powers." The bird explained for what must have been the thousandth time.

"But why not just blast the Golden Serpent into oblivion and be done with it instead of going through all that trouble?" The wolf whined, feeling more confused than ever.

"To prove a point lad." Came a rarely heard voice from the kitchen entrance. Vanamee whirled about to find Walter, the old human coach driver who lived in the barn behind the manor. Behind him stood Olaf and Olaf's father, Gunter.

"Hey Van!" Olaf greeted, only to get a stern look from his father. "Uhhh... I mean... Master Clang." He quickly corrected himself. The wolf laughed.

"No way!" Van exclaimed, "You are NOT calling me that! It's Van to you now and always my friend!" Gunter didn't seem pleased with that in the least, but held his tongue. Vanamee wasn't surprised. In the three years he had been living there he may have heard the enormous servant horse (Who simply looked like a gigantic, more muscular version of his already large son) speak three or four times. At first the young Canine had thought he was mute, but then one day he had caught him and Olaf eating some stolen pie that Inga had recently cooked. He had taken the two of them out to the barn and worn both of their tails out with a belt and then sat them down to lecture them for an hour.

"What were you saying about proving a point?" Talon interrupted, looking pointedly at Walter. The old coachman sauntered into the kitchen, still surprisingly spry for his age, looking over to the stove where Inga had left the pot of water.

"As soon as Inga gets that coffee started I'll let you in on..." The old human began, cutting himself off as the mare herself came stomping into the kitchen, several small logs in her hands.

"Don't bother to help me anyone." She groaned as she dropped the wood in front of the stove. The mare quickly opened the door of the old cast iron stove and began to shovel the wood in. Gunter, her brother, went over, putting a hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently aside. He quickly tossed the lot of the timber into the stove's iron belly, then pulled out a piece of what looked like old newspaper and a small pack of matches. The horse deftly lit the paper and tossed it into the stove to get the dry wood inside started burning.

"You were saying?" Talon irritably pressed, his focus still on the human.

"Oh... right." Walter began again, snapping back to attention, "As I was saying, he did it to prove a point. Kyrael was supposed to be Ahura-Mazda in the flesh right? Well the whole point was to fight the Golden Serpent, with all the powers that he had been given by the Prince of Evil, and do it without any advantages."

"But what did that prove?" Vanamee whined, still lost.

"That good could and WOULD always triumph over evil." Walter replied, reaching into his old trousers and pulling out a well worn corncob pipe, a roll of tobacco, and a match, "No matter how the odds were stacked against it."

"Oh no you don't!" Inga roared, rushing over and snatching the old man by the ear, "You aren't smoking that pipe in this kitchen! You take it outside!"

"OW OW OW!" Walter exclaimed, "What for? When all those fancy lords and ladies arrive tonight they're going to be smoking all through the house!"

"Yes," Inga responded dismissively, "and we're going to keep everything nice and clean for when they do so." Walter chuckled, giving a defeated shrug as he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

---

Darrius was already exhausted when he returned to the house at about 3 o'clock. The preparations had all been made and the caterers were already setting up in the kitchen. Inga rushed out of the front study, looking rather flustered.

"Lord Clang!" She cried as she saw the coyote hanging up his coat, "It's good to see you're back."

"Aye. It's always nice to BE back Inga my dear." The noble responded, walking over and boldly putting his hands on her shoulders. Before the mare could react he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "And I have some very exciting news!"

"U...Oh?" The maid replied, still a little shocked by the kiss, "What is that my Lord?"

"You'll never believe who I met in the street today." Darrius smirked, "And wants to come to the dinner tonight..."

"Who?" Inga replied curiously.

"The Empress." Lord Clang answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"THE EMPRESS?!" The mare exclaimed, looking for a moment like she was about to faint. "The Empress is coming here tonight?! Personally?!"

"No," Clang replied sarcastically, "She's sending her cousin."

"W...what are we going to do?!" Inga cried, suddenly alarmed, "Do you think the manor is clean enough? Should I tell Gunter to trim the hedges any? Oh no! What if she sees how sooty the fireplace is! I knew I should have told that chimney sweep to go over it again!" The nobleman laughed heartily at her consternation, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Everything is perfect Inga." He assured her, "Don't worry. Her highness has been here before."

"Yes!" Inga hissed, "And I had two weeks to prepare for her! Not a couple of hours!"

"Relax my dear," The coyote sighed, "It's fine." Inga seemed to relax a little at that, looking up and giving the coyote a shy smile.

"You really are simply TOO spontaneous sometimes Darrius." She told him in a whisper.

"Well it wasn't my fault!" The older canine laughed, "She had heard about my *Ahem* nephew's imminent arrival and felt it was her duty to meet the soon to be Lord of Clang manor. Which reminds me. I had something I wanted to talk to you about." The mare looked at him curiously and he was about to continue when a sudden shout interrupted him.

"MASTER!" Came the cry of the coyote's young ward. Van stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in his new suit and tophat, looking down at the pair below.

"My my!" Clang exclaimed, waving the boy down, "I must say that suit looks absolutely superb on you! I must remember to send some sort of thank you note to old fezzywig. Never even had to get your measurements! Did the whole thing on my description!" The younger canine rushed down the stairs, immediately rushing forward to give the older male a tight hug. Clang put his hand on the boy's back, giving it a pat.

"Now now!" Inga said disapprovingly, "How did Talon tell you to greet someone?" The wolf sighed, releasing the coyote and taking a step back before offering the Coyote his paw to shake. Clang snickered to himself as he shook the young wolf's hand.

"You look a lot like my brother in that getup." The noble remarked musingly, "I'm sure he would have been proud to have a son like you." The coyote paused as a light went off in his head, "Which reminds me! You should get used to calling me uncle. Might seem a bit odd if you accidentally blurt out 'master' in the middle of dinner." The younger canine nodded.

"Whatever you want mas... uncle." Vanamee replied. Clang gave him an approving nod.

"We'll work on it." Darrius told him, "Also I wanted to tell you that the Empress herself was coming tonight." The younger male responded with a blank, stunned look.

"To... to see me?" Van gasped, "But why?"

"You are to be the last of a very old and very respected noble family my boy." Came another voice. Clang looked up to find Talon now shambling out of his kitchen, "Tis to be expected."

"Ah!" Darrius smiled, always happy to see his old buddy, "I'm glad to see you Talon! I assume you'll be staying for dinner?"

"A chance to rub elbows with nearly every noble in Crown City?" The owl guffawed, "I'm fairly certain I even taught most of them as children."

"My condolences." The coyote replied jokingly, "I'm certain you must be mortified with how most of them turned out."

"What EVER do you mean?" Talon huffed, "I couldn't be prouder! Take those wonderful Garder brothers for instance! In every brothel in the city and I'm fairly certain they're trafficking 'nip' into the city now. What ISN'T to be proud of?"

"What's nip?" Vanamee inquired, looking back and forth between his master and his teacher, "And more importantly... are... are THEY going to be here tonight?"

"Nip is something you should avoid at all costs my dear nephew." Clang answered sternly, "And unfortunately yes. But don't worry. They won't recognize you."

"But won't they wonder where your slave went to?" Vanamee pressed.

"I've wondered about that myself." Inga added in.

"It's quite simple friends." Darrius expounded, "I simply told everyone that I was so excited to have my nephew coming to live here that I sold my old, used slave to pay for his ticket on a luxury ship. One that was going to be landing at a small village down the coast so that he wouldn't have to be bothered with all the bustle of the city while trying to get here on time!"

"Clever." Talon admitted, "And to answer your previous question, yes. I will be staying. As much as I hate to be stuck with all those terrors I helped raise, I simply can't pass up a chance to see the Empress one last time before I die."

"Don't talk like that!" The nobleman exclaimed, "You've got plenty of good years ahead of you!" The owl simply sighed in reply, not bothering to answer. "Now Van," The coyote moved on, turning his attention to his fake nephew. "Would you mind joining me in my main study upstairs?" The wolf nodded nervously in reply and the pair excused themselves, heading upstairs and into the small, cozy study. It was still exactly as Vanamee remembered it from the first night he had been brought there, bound and terrified.

"What did you wish to discuss uncle?" The wolf questioned. Darrius smiled to himself, happily noting that the wolf was remembering to call him uncle.

"Well my dear nephew," Darrius answered, "I just wanted to let you know, first off, how proud I am of you. In three short years you went from some wild slave boy I bought at the market, to a refined, educated young gentleman. I know that you will do just fine. You remember the things I told you about your... father?" Vanamee nodded. He had spent many evenings and a few days with the nobleman, often taking long carriage rides across the countryside while the coyote drilled fact after fact about his false father into his head.

"Favorite color was blue. Born at sea while your father was on a trade expedition. Loved business and was good with numbers. Loved to wrestle in his younger days." The wolf began, spouting off fact after fact until his master held up his hand for him to stop.

"Very good." Darrius acknowledged, "And I will leave it to your imagination to fill in the details of his life in the islands. But mostly what I wanted to tell you is that I am leaving." For a moment they both stood there silently, neither seeming to know just what to say. At last Clang continued, "But I don't want you to be sad! You have a wonderful life ahead of you! And I swear that I'll stop in every now and again to make certain you haven't driven everything into the ground!" He added with a laugh. He was rewarded with a small chuckle from the wolf. "Good... oh! And one more thing." The coyote walked over to an old wooden chest in the corner, his hiding spot for the "toys" that he used on his slave boy from time to time. "We have some time before the party guests will be arriving." He reached down, opening the box as the wolf started to blush bright red beneath his dark fur. "This will be the last chance I have to enjoy the use of my slave." He came up holding several small items, including four cuffs, some rope, a simple leather collar, a leash, and a muzzle. "What say you get out of that suit?"