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In the dead of night a secret meeting was taking place inside a basement of a dark building in Karyd. There was only one torch to provide light to the small room. A fat weasel in a black cloak and cowl sat on a large wooden chair behind a desk covered in parchment paperwork. Standing in front of the desk was a thin figure also clad in a dark cloak his hood pulled back.

It was a short dark brown furred mouse called Padfoot. He was a spy and assassin, one of the best in the port city of Karyd. Those few who knew of the mouse stayed their distance. He had a well deserved reputation that many feared, for good reason. He was particularly vicious and cunning, not one of his marks had ever lived more than a few days after Padfoot was contacted for the gruesome job.

The small mouse spoke with a barely audible high pitched voice, "His whereabouts are still unknown Milord, my contacts are unable to follow him. He seems to know that he is being followed."

"Very well, do you have any other information one him?" asked the fat weasel calmly.

Padfoot shook his head, "None Milord, it would seem that he simply appeared recently but his familiarity with the city suggests otherwise. I believe he has been hiding out for some time now though where and why is a mystery."

The weasel did not appear pleased by this revelation. He leaned forward and the assassin could clearly see the deadly gaze of High Elder Brunin. "I want him found now." He said in a slow and overly calm voice that could only mean his patience was at an end. "When you find him bring him into the fold, offer him anything and everything he desires. Once he has joined us there will be nothing between me and accomplishing our goal. No one would dare oppose a figure as feared and deadly as a ninja."

The mouse's fur bristled with contempt but he kept his face passive and neutral. "Should he refuse, Milord?"

Brunin leaned back in his chair and stated simply, "If he refuses it will be his last decision in this world. Go."

Padfoot bowed deeply and smiled cruelly, "It will be my pleasure, Milord."

In a cellar under the residential district another two figures chatted cheerfully, though underneath the cheerfulness was an underlying fear. A candle sat on the floor slowly dripping wax down its too short sides. A young raccoon named Lassun sat upon a wooden crate of foodstuffs idly scratching the wood. His new clothes were a bit too small for his growing frame and they clung a little too tightly to his body.

"What do you have planned next o' crafty and stealthy hero of mine?" he asked the other dark figure sarcastically.

The shadow sitting on the dirt floor nearby that the raccoon knew was the ninja that had saved him on several occasions, sighed and smiled.

It was the third night since the raccoon was saved from the execution at the hands of the Council of Elders for thievery. The first day and night was spent in fear of discovery as he huddled in the dark cellar. When the raccoon relaxed a bit he started talking to his rescuer. He quickly grew to like the friendly ninja and that brought a measure of relief to the young boy when he thought about his dark situation.

He was now a hunted fugitive in hiding from the relentless Guard. Wanted posters were posted at inns and taverns and other public gathering places and the Guard was ever watching for him. Lassun's life had suddenly come to an abrupt change, no longer did he have he scrounge food from the trash in hopes of a meal, the kindly woman that owned the cellar he hid in brought him three large meals every day. He was now well fed and healthy but every hour he must stay in the darkness or risk discovery.

The ninja however would sometimes leave the cellar going to places that Lassun could only guess at and return hours later. He was a black fox that wore a black hood and mask over his muzzle with an odd looking black long sleeved shirt and pants. Dark blue sashes were tied at his wrists and ankles with another one around his waist. Tucked into that sash he wore a katana in its scabbard. On his feet he wore strange shoes split in the middle with rubber soles.

His new friend provided conversation for the restless raccoon to help ease his mind. "I plan on going about my normal life and leaving you here so Gurda can feed you until you can no longer fit through the cellar door. Your stomach already is too big for your clothes."

"'Tis not. I'm a growing boy, and I'm growing up not out," the boy replied indignantly.

The ninja sniffed, "Calm down big britches, don't want you to pop a stitch."

Lassun flicked a piece of dirt at his friend, "Look who's talking, you eat twice as much as me!"

The fox's eye twinkled with innocence and his voice took on a hurt tone, "I need nutrition to fuel my amazing acrobatics on the rooftops!"

"Since when? You sit in here with me more often than not you lazy bump-on-a-log," the raccoon laughed.

"Me? You haven't moved since you got down here!"

Further banter was interrupted as the cellar door opened and light flooded in revealing the raccoon fugitive. The ninja was suddenly gone. A form carrying a torch stepped down the stairs as the raccoon put his paw up to shield his eyes from the torchlight.

"Well how are my favorite scoundrels doing?" called a kindly feminine voice.

As Lassun's eyes adjusted to the sudden light he saw the familiar sight of a plump middle aged bunnywife balancing two platters of food in one hand and the torch in the other. She wore a simple yellow dress and a white apron. Linda, the owner of the cellar, was kind, sweet, and she had a soft heart for suffering creatures. She placed the torch on a mount on the wall and the food on a small table in the middle of the cellar.

Lassun smiled happily and hopped off the crate and began tearing into his food, "Great now that the food is here!"

Linda frowned. "And where is that rascal of a ninja gone now?"

The fox seemed to materialize behind her and he embraced her in a big hug lifting her paws off the floor. "Waiting for a beautiful and lovable bunny such as yourself so I can give her a bear hug!"

The bunnywife giggled and struggled slightly in the ninja's grasp a red flush coming to her joyful face. "Oh, you slick tongued charmer you! Put me down afore I belt you a good one!"

Obliging, the ninja lowered her to her paws and gave her one last squeeze before releasing her. "So my exquisite and graceful cook, what news from the streets?"

Pulling her apron up to her blushing face Linda laughed, "Hiroto, you brazen flatterer, if you would give your gratifying jaws a rest and check out there yourself you would know."

"But I love to hear it from such pleasant lips and a clear bell like voice as yours."

Lassun looked up from his now empty platter and muttered, "Suck up."

"Well," started Linda, "it seems Elder Jakon has gotten yet another young maid with child, the cad. He doesn't even look after the other six younglings of his, his staff works all day caring for them. And poor Aria, you know the Reclining Dragon's owner, lost the inn to Elder Dien over some regulation breach with the ale. Humph, as if he needs another business to fill his purse. The only regulation breach she made was to be a female. Oh I almost forgot! That gorgeous badger blacksmith, Winslow, and his wife Teah just had a child! A cute little male it was."

Hiroto listened stoically to the bunnywife's gossip occasionally picking out little details that caught his attention. The young raccoon simply sat back against the crate and let his eyelids droop slightly.

"And I hear tell that there may be a slave industry at work in our fair city. It seems vagrants go missing from the streets every night. Even the unfortunate bear that lived in the next alley over disappeared last night. He always came for breakfast before and I just know something happened to him." Linda looked over her shoulder as if expecting to see someone there before she leaned in close and whispered, "Rumors are abound the Guard is behind this somehow. Many people want the Council to call a session so they can stop call the Guard off."

Hiroto looked at the bunnywife skeptically. "You and I both know there is something else at work here, Gurda."

"Indeed I do. Though the rest of the city can only point fingers at those they see as their aggressors," was her poignant response.

"And if outright slavery is on the Council's agenda they will see who the true oppressors are. But by then it will be too late."

Lassun opened his eyes fully and yawned, "But I thought that outright slavery was outlawed in the city. The Guard always turns away slavers at the gates."

"It is illegal child, no creature is to be taken against their will and put into slavery. But many of the Council members staff are slaves in all but title," Linda said sadly. She turned back to the ninja before continuing. "I even heard that an unsavory group of merchants sailed in last night. Most are staying at the Red Horizon and causing quite a fuss it would seem. They almost started a brawl at the bar with some other merchants."

Slaves were a common enough sight in Karyd but there were many laws protecting them. The slaves of the city were indentured servants that simply owed too much and when their just sentence, usually a few years or so, was up they were freed. It was a big part of the economy.

Many people will willingly go into servitude to pay off loans and debts because they know that they will be safe from cruelty and freed when the terms of service have been served. The contract of how long the servants served was agreed by both parties, master and servant, at the very beginning and could not by altered in any way. Laws forbid creatures to be born into slavery and abduction was also punished.

Some masters bought and sold the servants but the original terms stayed as they were. Servants from the surrounding farmland were in high demand as manual laborers in the city, while in contrast the learned and intelligent servants from the city were needed in the countryside where they might go on to teach the children of a master's family.

All kinds of laws forbid abuse or mistreatment of servants to ensure that Karyd's servant industry would never turn into the malicious business some of its neighbors used. This servitude served two purposes, the first was to get cheap labor that was still pretty effective. Secondly the masters would provide good food and shelter for their servants and so many homeless went into servitude for a short time so they could get back on their paws.

Unfortunately the rise of more laws and regulations made it harder for masters to have servants. The new rules were stifling and slowly fewer servants were being kept. The decline of the indentured servants led to more homeless creatures on the street. Some commented that the whole of slavery was to be outlawed and a newer and better system would be implemented.

The ninja's eyes narrowed. He had already known about the rise of the slave trade but if Linda had gotten word of it, it must be worse than he had expected. Picking squatters off the street was not something to be overlooked; some Elder was growing too bold. Hiroto already had his suspicions on which one it was too.

He didn't let the worries on his mind affect his outward appearance, "As always your information is appreciated, Linda and it is so good of you look out for the boy. I only ask that you be careful out there, things are changing and not for the better."

Hiroto made for the door quietly. "But what of your supper?" asked Linda.

The ninja turned and smiled beneath his mask, "Give it to the boy, I want to see how fat he can get." And just like that the growing tension in the room disappeared. The ninja dodged a flying piece of food and hurried up the steps while Linda laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. All the better since she couldn't hear what Lassun was muttering beneath his breath.

Kyra paced back and forth in the large warehouse. Around her the rest of City Guard assigned to this duty were making their ways out the doors to return to the barracks. Beside her a muscled badger stood patiently, watching her tense movements. He wore the uniform of the Guard with a badge that signified he was a high ranking member. The vixen captain was mumbling and cursing as she went over the details of the warehouse in her head for the thousandth time. It had taken a little time to fill out the required forms for a proper search and now the investigation was ending in vain.

When that strange ninja had told her to search the warehouse she had made up her mind that not only would she ignore the advice but she would put it from her mind and never worry about it. Her sergeant, the badger who stood by her, had somehow convinced her that it would actually help in the investigation against the same ninja, who had attempted to break into the warehouse.

Sergeant Goze however had said that mainly to get his captain to search the place. He had seen the evils done by members of the Council and refused to stand idly while such atrocities were committed. The warehouse belonged to High Elder Brunin and there was undoubtedly something in the storehouse that would certainly finger him as a threat to Karyd.

The wolfess stopped pacing and glared at the badger. "Are you satisfied, Goze? We covered ever corner, shadow, and crevasse and still found nothing."

The sergeant blinked and said calmly, "There must be something we missed, some crucial piece overlooked."

"This is pointless," Kyra snapped. "That fox made it all up. A diversion to escape."

"From what you told me it would seem he had already escaped, Captain." Kyra growled menacingly but said nothing. She had told him that but she had left out a few details. "We missed something," Goze stated.

"All the cargo is legit, cataloged and signed in triplicate. There is nothing here," the wolfess replied angrily.

Sergeant Goze sighed. "You are not yourself, Kyra. This case is getting to you, the ninja is getting to you. Take some time off, settle down. Maybe find yourself someone to spend some time with. Let me take care of this one."

Kyra calmed slightly at her sergeants informal manner. They had been friends since they were still fresh in the Guard. "No. Thank you but no. I need to do this. But I tell you there is not a thing to be revealed here." As an afterthought she added, "About anyone."

The badger did not miss the reference and he smiled. The wolfess was a stubborn one. When she made up her mind it was nearly impossible to change her view. Now finally it seemed she may be warming up to the possibility that the Council was not faultless.

"There must be something else, besides the wares."

"We searched the floors, walls, rafters, and roof. What more is there?"

"A mystery," came the reply.

Looking around the warehouse the badger saw crates stacked in many places, placed there when the Guard had checked inside and underneath each one. The floors were wooden and had been combed over to check for underground holds and the walls were smooth featureless stone. Placed at regular intervals around the walls several feet above his head were burning torches ignored by the Guard and close to burning out. The two officers stood at the far end of the warehouse, opposite the door. Windows were placed on three sides of the warehouse at the second and third floor levels to let sufficient light in without providing easy access or glances into the building. The rafters were just above the third floor windows and above that was the flat ceiling made of stone. Tall ladders were stacked against the wall the Goze's right where the Guard had found and left them after searching the rafters and windows.

The Captain of the Guard sighed, "Enough Sergeant. It is too dark and as you have so elegantly put it I need rest. He is a liar and a thief, hardly the one to lead us straight."

Goze left off his observations and looked back at her curiously. "There is something you're not telling me?"

The wolfess was immediately on her guard, "No why would there be?"

"If this stranger could provide inside information about other criminals why won't you listen?" questioned the composed badger.

"He is a liar and he is NOT providing information on criminals. He is telling tales that a fool would not listen to," Kyra explained quickly.

Goze snorted, "You know better than that and we both know it."

The captain glared at the wall past her sergeant her tail swishing back and forth in irritation. "He treads on ground where others know better than to... intrude upon."

This comment told Goze more than Kyra would have liked. From the heated tone of her voice and the infliction of the word intrude the sergeant quickly pieced together the Captain's problem.

"This is about what he said to you. Isn't it?" he inquired.

"Of course it is. He can't throw accusat-"

"No," Goze interrupted, "the other comments he spoke. About you."

Kyra froze and stared at her top officer. He had caught her red pawed. Her reaction was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. Seeing her questioning gape he explained. "I received reports from the guards that found you and the ninja in the alley," he said referring to the first time she had chased the thief. She had told nobody about the second time. She had suddenly 'remembered' that he had told her about the warehouse that time instead of when he had rescued that young raccoon.

"They all said that something had really struck a nerve in you and a few even heard his parting words." Against her will Kyra's face flushed. She had hoped to put those memories behind her. "It would seem he is taken with you."

That snapped her out of her reverie. "He is a no-good, two-bit, filthy, sneaky, fork-tongued, misleading criminal!"

Despite the Captain's outburst Goze had a smile on his face. "I see what your dilemma is even if you do not. Sooner or later you must face the truth, and there are many truths to be revealed. Some are harder to swallow than others but you are good at heart, I know you will overcome them."

With that he started towards the door leaving the mystified Captain to contemplate his words. As a parting shot to jumpstart her thoughts he called back, "It has been a while for you I know and loneliness is a foul thing indeed."

Kyra couldn't believe what she he had alleged. Did he think that she could possibly have feelings for... no. Impossible. She was a respected commander of the City Guard and was trusted to uphold the law. Such minor things as emotions could never be allowed to get in the way of her job. Even if she did have those emotions, which I don't, she thought, it would never be probable. Criminals and law enforcers did not mix. What am I thinking? I shouldn't even be contemplating such nonsense.

Her thoughts slowly turned back to the memories of the ninja and what he had dared to do. Her anger grew white hot. The nerve of him. Such deceit I have never known before. And that kiss! Oh it wasn't even that good of a kiss anyway. Kyra then remembered the feel of his lips against hers, how his warm body was pressed up close to her, and his fur... The wolfess shook her head. She still had a job to do, she couldn't lose herself in such thoughts.

Ignoring the ache deep within her she strode through the path between crates towards the door and closed the door. She turned right, towards the barracks and her office, walking around the corner of the warehouse, and followed the wall into the alley. When she reached the end of the warehouse she stopped suddenly. Something felt out of place. The wall seemed... odd compared to the inside. On a whim she turned around and entered the warehouse again pacing the wall she had followed from the inside.

In a flash it hit her. There was indeed a problem with the wall. Starting at the back of the warehouse she slowly walked forward counting her steps. When she reached the front wall Kyra had counted to one hundred. Again exiting the building she went to the outside of the wall and started walking slowly towards the back again counting her steps.

At the end of the building was another building that connected to it but this other building was shorter and made of different red colored stone. At that building she stopped counting. One hundred and seven. The walls, being regulation style, would count for two paces, one for each side, but that left another five steps unaccounted for. Repeating the process the captain came up with the same results. There could be no doubt; there was an extension on one of the walls. Looking at the doorway and windows on the front she saw they were regulation width.

Kyra walked to the back of the warehouse frowning at the back wall devoid of windows and. The blueprints she had looked upon said that the building behind the warehouse did not allow for any windows. There were no crates stacked against any of the walls since the Guard had neglected to move them all back after the inspection. Starting at one corner she scoured the wall all the way to the other back corner finding nothing unusual.

Determined, she brought a ladder over to the wall and stepped up a few rungs and again scrutinized the offending wall. She went through the tedious work, stepped down and moved the ladder a few inches over and searched until she was at the other corner with still no results. Not one to be so easily daunted she moved further up and started again.

Finally she came to the height of the torches. Paying close attention to the holders Kyra made her way across the room. When she came to the third one from the end her efforts were rewarded. The torch holder mover slightly down at her touch. Pulling downward she strained with the device until it clicked in place and above and to the left of her head a piece of the wall, seamless until that point, slide backwards.

The wolfess smiled to herself. Let her mother complain that she never gave up now! Slipping through the hole in the wall she found herself at the top of a dark spiraling stairway leading down. Leaning out the hole she snatched up the torch.

At a window on the front the warehouse a dark figure watched her disappear into the passage. Its eye glittered in the moonlight, filled with mischief.

Cautiously the captain started down, one hand holding the torch the other on the grip of her sword. She passed what she estimated was the ground level and still the stairs led down. Long minutes passed before the stairs at last came to an end. A single unlit stone tunnel led forward with a light at the end. Sounds of steel and steel on stone on steel along with cries of pain, despair, hope, anger, and triumph reached her ears. What is going on here, she asked herself.

Dousing the torch she walked along the passageway and stopped when it opened into an enormous cavern. What she saw there took her breath away. Torches and lanterns provided light in many places but darkness and shadow were also very prominent. Stalagmites and stalactites were in various places and the walls were jagged providing a lot of gloom. Other places of the floor were open and smooth the work of laborers with torches set up on poles around them. But the one thing that caught her attention were the slaves. There had to be hundreds of them. They were everywhere, chipping at the walls, fighting armored furres in small arenas, tending to spectators, loading and hauling rocks in carts, and just rushing about all over the cavern. Kyra's ear flattened back against her head in disgust at the sight. The creatures were ragged and dirty and very mistreated wearing only strips of cloth. Slavers with whips stood menacingly by them and occasionally 'encouraged' the poor things into harder and faster work. Looking at the slaves backs she could see most of them had many long red marks where they had been whipped viciously.

Other brutal acts drew the Captain of the Guard's gaze: a small cat child crying over a still form of another older female slave, presumable its mother, another young male otter bent over a rock held by two slavers as a third whipped his back furiously, and a heavily muscled furre in armor equipped with a short sword trip a scrawny mouse slave holding a club and then fall on him stabbing ferociously and mercilessly.

The wolfess clenched her paws until her nails dug into her pads. The ninja had been right. He had not lied to her after all, but how could that be? Why would a criminal inform her of this place, even in passing? Surely such a place was a haven for fugitives and outlaws. Then another thought hit her. Did such a sight disgust him as much as it did her? Could it be possible she had been wrong about him the whole time? Perhaps all he did wrong was try to bring this crime to the eyes of the authorities only to find a stubborn Captain.

This was no mere crime, this was complete and total disregard for the law, any law for that matter. It was beyond her comprehension; servants were a common enough sight in Karyd but there were many laws protecting them from such... evil. This... this was intolerable. The very thought that this could happen made her skin crawl and her fur stand on end.

So enraptured was Kyra by the scene in front of her she did not hear the approach of a creature behind her.

Sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger. I'll make sure the next chapter is up quickly. For those patiently waiting for some yiffing I can only say hang in there.