FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Disclaimer: This story is about a society based on organized sex slavery. Though I tried to keep this story as erotica rather than smut, some of the story contains large amounts of sexual situations that could be considered "Hardcore". It goes without saying that this is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. This story is not to be distributed anywhere but Yiffstar.com. If you are reading this from somewhere else, please contact me at [email protected]

Recaptured

Chapter Seven

Challenged

"I had them rented for three days," Jagger said. "There shouldn't be any problem if they return now... unless the guards I knocked out recognize them when they see them... or if the punishers see who ran through the feeding pits... or..."

"We get it! We're in trouble!" Tee said. "Don't worry so much. We'll just have to be careful, right?" She looked at Tea who smiled in response.

"Right!"

"So the plan's all set then?" Fox asked.

"Yes. As long as we can get to the hidden passage in this corner of the pits, we should be fine." Nicholas continued to study the map on the floor, knowing he would have a hard time reading it when they left the room.

"And do we have everything we need?" Fox added. Each of them had picked out what supplies they would take and what they would leave. Fox wore his robe and carried three weapons: his bow, his concealed dagger, and a short sword that he found easy to strap to his back. Jagger wore his stolen armor and carried a large sack of food, water, and other necessities that they had taken. He also had a sword in a sheath at his waist, but at his size, he would have preferred to defend himself with something larger and heavier. The two fennecs carried nothing but their slave clothing so they would have an easier time keeping up with everyone else. Nicholas fashioned a loincloth out of his torn clothing to keep himself somewhat presentable, knowing that he'd have a chance to get new clothing when they got out.

"Not quite," Nicholas said as he stood up. He moved towards the box of stolen gold that Fox had been protecting for so long. The sight of someone else touching it made Fox feel uneasy. "I'll need to take this back." Seeing the uncertainty in Fox's eyes, he quickly explained. "This will be the key to the fall of King Atlas. Have faith, gold will not be in short supply when we are done here."

Fox made a gentle sigh. "Fine, take it." He looked away from Nicholas, his eyes meeting Tea's, which were staring straight up at him. Fox couldn't help but chuckle, resting a paw on top of Tea's head. "I guess you're my only treasure now." He heard a tiny whimper behind him. He laughed as he reached back to pet Tee as well. "Both of you are."

Tea pulled away after a moment and reached into one of the packs that they were going to leave behind. He pulled out the small fennec plush doll and turned to offer it to Fox, both of his paws holding the little stuffed toy tightly. "I don't want you to be lonely while you wait for us, Master."

Fox stared at the cute little doll and slowly extended one of his paws to take the gift. He felt the soft doll in his hand, looked into its big plastic eyes, and touched its fluffy tail. He did his best not to get too emotional, but symbolic gifts like the one Tea had given him pulled at his heartstrings more than anything else. He drew Tea into a tight hug, whispering "thank you" into his ear over and over again.

Jagger smiled as he looked at the three of them. The thought of them living happily ever after was enough to make the whole plan seem sane. He grunted as he stood, lifting his supplies over one shoulder. "Well?"

Fox looked up at him, wiped a couple tears from his eyes, and nodded slowly. "Yes, let's go." He reached into his robe until he found a pocket that was large enough to hold the plush fennec before gradually getting to his feet. He made one last look around the room that he was forced to call home for so long, drawing a deep breath as he held the two fennecs at his sides tightly to his body. "Let's never return to this place."

Getting through the pits safely was the first challenge the five had to face. Nicholas knew the way and Fox could easily see where they were going, but the other three were left to blindly cling to the two guides as they navigated the pits.

Fox suddenly stopped. "Wait," he whispered.

Nicholas stopped, as did everyone else.

They felt a small rumbling under their feet before, suddenly the floor in front of them burst apart in a cloud of dust and rubble. Everyone but Fox panicked.

"I suppose you know what we're doing," he stated calmly.

"Yes." Tea recognized the voice, as did Nicholas. It was The Black Plant.

"And you're here to stop me?" Fox asked.

"No." The plant replied. "I want to say thank you, for I no longer need your help. I have grown strong and large. No other creature exists in this pit, not even an insect. You have helped me become what I am. However, your services are no longer needed here."

"Is that so?" Fox slowly pulled his bow from his back and loaded an arrow into it. He knew they were close the escape route.

"It is. But there is one more thing you can give to me." Fox watched the ground closely as he drew his bowstring back. Their escape was not a day too soon, for this was the day that Fox had feared since he made an alliance with the plant. It had grown strong enough to no longer need Fox's assistance to stay fed, meaning that his former ally only saw him as one more meal. He let his arrow fly the moment he felt a vine brush against his toe. The pits echoed with the cry of the beast as the arrow managed to pierce one of the tough vines.

"Nick! Go to the door, now!" Fox barked. Nicholas acted as quickly as he could, gathering the touches of the other three before darting towards the hidden exit.

"What's going on?!" Tee squealed, more confused than anyone in the darkness.

Nicholas clawed at the wall until he found the outline of the hidden stone door. With all his strength, he pulled it until it finally opened enough for the four of them to get through. Behind them, they heard the sound of arrows flying and impacting into leafy armored flesh, followed by the insane cries of "flesh!" from the crazed plant. Fox suddenly dashed through the open door, colliding with his friends behind it.

"Shut it!" He yelled. Jagger remained just calm enough to help Nicholas pull the heavy stone door closed. Once it was tightly shut, Nicholas and Fox guided their companions at a sprinting pace through a pitch black corridor. After a long while of running, all five of them simultaneously sat on the ground to catch their breaths. The whole event hadn't lasted more than a minute, but the fear made the whole first phase of their escape seem to move in slow motion.

"Is everyone... alright?" Nicholas asked after a few moments.

"Yes."

"Fine."

"I'm okay."

"I don't know why we ran. I could have taken him!" Everyone shared a little chuckle when they realized the fifth voice was Tee's.

Jagger brought out a jug of water for everyone to share until they had regained their strength, but they decided not to waste any more time than necessary in the darkness and were quickly on their way again.

Much to everyone's relief, sprinting was no longer necessary. The Black Plant was far behind them now as they navigated the tunnels under The Oasis. Some of the paths branched off into dead ends or, even worse, traps, but Nicholas remembered the path perfectly, even in the darkness.

"There should be a staircase up here that will lead to the surface," Nicholas said.

There was a metallic clanging noise. "Ow! My toe!" Tea jumped back.

Fox was ready to catch the falling fennec. He chuckled. "I told you not to get ahead of everyone else."

Nicholas stepped up onto the first metal step. "Here they are. Everyone use caution; these steps aren't evenly spaced." Fox tried to guide them all through the twists and turns of the seemingly endless staircase. Tea and Tee held close to each other so they could help if one of them tripped. Jagger followed behind everyone, knowing he would have the best chance to catch someone if they fell. In the darkness, they had little idea where they were, where they were going, or just how high the metal steps were lifting them from the ground.

Finally, they all noticed a thin line of light leaking through the crack at the bottom of a door. Their eyes were so used to the darkness that the little light was enough to allow them to see each other. Everyone stopped on the stone ground in front of the door, where the stairs ended.

"This is it," Nicholas said. "You two will have to hide here until you get the signal in a few days."

Fox nodded confidently. "Not a problem. You just focus on your jobs."

"Right, we should have enough here to survive for a week, if we have to, but it would be better if we could get out in no more than three days," Jagger said.

"Don't worry!" Tee said.

"We'll work really fast! You'll be back under the sky in no time!" Tea added. It was clear that the two fennecs would never lose their optimism, as long as there was still a tiny bit of hope for their friends.

Fox drew the two little foxes into his arms and held them tightly to his body, his eyes tightly closed. "Please be careful. I want nothing bad to happen to you because of me."

The two rested against his body for a moment before Tee spoke up. "Please don't worry, Master. We'll make sure everything goes perfectly."

"By next week, we'll be wearing your collars, I promise."

Fox took a deep breath, not wanting his emotions to dampen their spirits. "Run along then." He let both of them go. "You have work to do."

Fox was grateful for the darkness of the room; it hid his tears as the fennecs simultaneously said, "Yes Master" to him.

Nicholas put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Shall we?" The two nodded. Nicholas went to the heavy hidden door and started to gradually push it open. He quickly checked to see if anyone was watching, then signaled for Tea and Tee to come out after him. He quickly whispered, "Good luck," then pushed the door closed, momentarily seeing Fox, shielding his eyes from the light of civilization. When he turned around again, the fennecs were gone, so, with a box of gold tucked under one arm, he started to walk.

"We made it out of the feeding pits alive, how many slaves can say that?" Tee's tail wagged excitedly as she walked through the halls with Tea.

"We're going to do a lot of things slaves have never done!" The two couldn't hide their excitement from each other. Not only was there a promise of a free life, love, and freedom for all their friends, but the trouble they had made and were about to make was beyond any level of mischief they had ever experienced.

It didn't take long for them to reach their cage room. After checking in with a guard, the two decided to take a quick shower and head to their cage. On the way back, however, they ran into a familiar face; two familiar faces, in fact.

"Why, hello there fennecs," a hissing voice said above them.

"Mistress Sheryl, Mistress Charlene, how good to see you!" Tea quickly dropped to his knees, followed by Tee a moment later. They lowered their heads in front of The Slither Sisters, both lizards containing their excitement at seeing "their" little slaves again.

"And you as well. We were hoping you would have come to visit us again, by now," Charlene said.

"Yes... you naughty little creatures should come spend time with your mistresses," Sheryl added, suggestively.

The fennecs looked at each other, trying to think of an excuse, but eventually, Tea lowered his head. "Alright Mistress, we'll come."

A scaled hand gripped each of their collars before Tea even finished, forcing them to their feet as they were lead up to The Slither Sisters' cage. They hoped that Jagger bought them enough time to stay out of their cage a little longer. After all, meeting with the sisters was part of their plan. Much to their delight, the two lizard women seemed to have a better grip on sanity than they were the last time they met. Perhaps their night with Tea and Tee had more of an effect than they had originally thought.

When they were inside the cage, both women sat down with their legs crossed and pulled one fennec over their laps, each. They used their cuffs to hold their ankles together and their wrists behind their backs, then allowed them to kneel.

"Now, what should we do with them?" Charlene asked.

"Well..." Sheryl started.

"We actually have something to talk to you about. You see... mmph!" Tee was quickly cut off by a rubber gag being strapped into her mouth. She realized that having a serious conversation with them was going to be a challenge.

"Bad little fox! Don't talk out of turn!" Charlene scolded Tee, and then looked at Tea. "If you want to talk to us about something, you'll have to earn it first." She took Tea's sheath into her fingers and started rubbing him until he was at a full arousal.

"O-of course... Sorry Mistress." Tea started to regret being grateful for the new intelligence of the lizards. They were much more like real mistresses; not the kind to follow the plans of someone lesser than them.

"Well, let's get them set up, shall we?" Charlene grinned at her partner.

"You mean...?" Sheryl's eyes went bright.

"Yes... just like we talked about after they left."

A gag was thrust into Tea's mouth just as quickly as it was into Tee's. The two fennecs made a few whimpers as they looked at each other, wondering just what they had gotten themselves into. The lizards worked in almost perfect synchronization with each other, pulling a cloth blindfold over each set of fox eyes at the same time. Sheryl grabbed Tee and Charlene grabbed Tea, puling them both down to lie on their backs on the floor of the cage. Tea could feel his ears rubbing against Tee's, realizing that they were both point away from each other.

The ropes came next, once again showing the skill of the lizards in intricate rope bondage. As much as they knew this wasn't a good use of their time, Tea and Tee couldn't help but get a little excited as they felt the rough hands of the women forcing their knees up to their chests, then wrapping them up in a spider web of ropes, forcing them to stay on their backs in fetal positions with their arms behind their backs.

Charlene reached down and, able to reach both at the same time, brought a firm groping hand down on both of their crotches, causing them both to squirm in their bonds and moan in their gags. "Would you mind if I played with them first?"

"Not at all," the other lizard woman's voice answered. "I'll make sure they do a good job."

Charlene smirked and reached towards their heads, pulling both gags out of their mouths. She moved over both of their heads on her knees and placed her hands firmly under each of their chins, teasing them with her claws before lowering her hips. She forced Tee's muzzle against her sex, while Tea was pressed against her tailhole. Both fennecs understood their duties when they realized where they were and began to obediently lick against their designated targets.

Tea had to pause now and then, distracted by the painful stretch that his neck had to make to reach Charlene, while Tee had a similar problem. Fortunately, she only spent a short while of moaning happily on top of the two muzzle tips. "Sheryl, you must try this, it's wonderful!"

"With pleasure!" Sheryl hissed as she took Charlene's place. The fennecs only had a couple seconds to rest before their muzzles were forced upward once again, this time leaving Tea to pleasure her cunt while Tee's tongue sank under her tail. "Ohhh! They are delightful! But the male should be working harder." Tea quickly tried to increase the pressure of his tongue, but it was too late for him to avoid "encouragement". Charlene seized his shaft in one hand and his balls in the other, squeezing both extremely tightly before starting to stroke him, giving him quite a jolt of pain with just a pinch of pleasure. After a muffled cry, more rapid licks started to assault Sheryl's sex.

Sheryl made a secret nod to Charlene, signaling the time for them to reach the last part of their plan for using the foxes. Sheryl moved completely off of Tee's muzzle and rested a good deal of her weight through her sex, onto Tea's lips. A few moments later, Tee's muzzle was smothered by the pressure of Charlene's sex. The partners embraced each other tightly and quickly locked themselves in a deep kiss while they started to grind down against the little tongues of their two living toys, covering their faces with the juices of their lusts.

Tea and Tee quickly found themselves short of breath. The lizards weren't paying much attention to their air supply as they pleasured them. However, it did have a certain level of exhilaration, not knowing when they were going to be allowed to breathe or even if they would be forced to fall unconscious.

After a long session of clitoris licking, juice drinking, and breath denying, Charlene was brought to an orgasm over Tee's face, followed only moments later by Sheryl doing the same to Tea. The lizards muffled their pleasures into each others mouths, never having let their lips part through the whole experience. Finally, they pulled off of the two foxes and sat down by their feet, each admiring the exposed and vulnerable privates of the fennec they had been riding.

"Now, what is it you wanted to say?" Sheryl asked as she reached forward and put a hand over Tea's groin. He cringed at first, but feeling the soft, unthreatening caresses, he found himself slowly starting to enjoy it.

"W...well, Mistress..." Tea took a moment to catch his breath and steady his voice. "We have exciting news and we need as much help as possible spreading it." He was interrupted by the sound of Tee squeaking as Charlene worked a finger into the grip of her sex. "We know for a fact that King Atlas will be assassinated in the next few days, and when that happens, there will be a complete slave rebellion."

"A rebellion?" Sheryl asked.

"Assassinated?" Charlene asked.

"It's true!" Tee confirmed. "We can't let everyone know the details, but the word has to spread that when King Atlas hits the floor, everyone should fight back at once."

Charlene chuckled and moved her other hand to Tee's tailhole, forcing in a saliva-slick finger. "A common prison riot; why should we support such a pointless thing?"

"Because it's the only way you two will ever be mistresses in your castle again." Tea's words hit a soft spot in both of the lizards. It was the one thing they wanted more than anything in the world.

"And you think this will work? We will be able to escape in the chaos?" Charlene curled her fingers inside Tee's both, threateningly pushing her claws against her inner flesh.

"Ah! Y-yes!" Tee squirmed a little. "We're sure! We're sure!"

Tea nodded in agreement. "It's true. If all goes as planned, no one who wants to be free will live inside of a cage. As loyal servants to The Slither Sisters, you have our word." Tea's ears swiveled as he listened to the silence that followed, knowing his choice of words had gotten his point across.

"Freedom..."

"Our castle..."

"Servants..."

"Clothes!"

"Food!"

"Love!"

"Luxury!"

"Yes! Yes! We'll tell everyone!" Tea and Tee both squeaked in surprise as the lizards thanked them by rapidly starting to stroke and finger their bodies. Tea soon felt a slick digit penetrating under his tail, as well. Normally, it would be an odd way to say thanks, but neither of the foxes expected the hands to feel so good. Charlene and Sheryl smiled at each other as they listened to the excited moans of the slaves that their hands manipulated so easily.

Every little fingertip felt perfect in its place, pressing on the most sensitive areas for the fennecs, inside and out, until they simply couldn't take it anymore. Their howls of pleasure mixed, unsure of which one of them started their orgasm first. Before long, Tee's sex was pulsing wildly and wetly around Charlene's fingers while Tea coated fingers, fur, and rope alike with the bursts of his seed.

"Hey now, what's all the racket? Shouldn't you two be back in your cage?" The sound of a guard's voice outside of the cage startled all four of them.

"Ah, yes Master, we were just about to send these foxes on their way," Sheryl said. The lizards quickly got to work untying Tea and Tee while the impatient guard stood waiting for them. After all their bonds were released and their eyes were uncovered, the fennecs stood up with wobbly knees and walked out of the cage.

"That's better," the guard said as he slammed the cage closed and locked it. He chuckled and reached down to grope Tee's chest. "Little nymphomaniacs..." Tea and Tee both looked away from the guard to hide any disgust in their face. Eventually, he stopped toying with them, attached leashes to their necks, and lead them down to their own cage, which was slammed just as loudly and locked behind them. "Now stay put or I'll see to your punishment."

"Yes Master," they both replied.

Tee waited for the guard to walk away before turning towards Tea. "I'm so glad this is all about to end."

Tea and Tee woke up after a long rest, just in time to be let out of their cage. They knew exactly how they were going to spend their day, and it started by them going to their cage-cleaning job. They took another shower to clean themselves of the marks of their earlier activities, then left the cage room to head towards the L-P single slave room. They were relieved to find that the guard Jagger had attacked was nowhere to be found and the cage he had been locked in was empty. With no one to worry about, they quickly got to work. But it wasn't cage cleaning that they were worried about.

"The rebellion begins with the fall of King Atlas. Tell everyone you know."

"The rebellion begins with the fall of King Atlas. Tell everyone you know."

The fennecs repeated the same phrase over and over again, whispering it into every cage they crossed that wasn't empty. Reactions ranged from confused to excited, but if The Oasis rumor mill was still as strong as it always was, such a strange phrase would undoubtedly spread like wildfire. It was difficult for them to keep track of which cages they had already talked to and even harder for them to avoid the attention of wandering guards. They considered themselves lucky to get through their hours of "work" without being caught.

"What's something like that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I heard two little foxes say it."

"Wait, there they are! Go ask them!"

"Yeah, ask them!"

Tea and Tee heard the questioning voices of wandering slaves around them and quickly sped up, keeping their heads down and pretending not to hear them. As they neared the door guard, the slaves backed off. They took a large sigh of relief when they stepped out of the slave room safely.

"The rebellion, huh?" Fore smirked to himself, looking around his O-class cage. Tea and Tee hadn't realized he was there in the darkness of the slave room. He had gotten a harsh demotion after taking the blame for the murder of Lars. "It's about damn time, Tea."

"Well look who's here!" Tea and Tee were stopped on their way to their next errand. To their pleasant surprise, it was Benjamin and Sapphire.

"Hi guys!" Sapphire mixed her excited, informal greeting with a polite bow. She still looked like she was living a good pet's life. She was scantily dressed, but she wore beautiful cream colored silks, with a collar that matched her clothing. She looked like an A-class slave, if not better.

"Saph!" Tea and Tee both took turns hugging Sapphire, then bowing to Benjamin. They were happy to see the two of them, but their faces quickly showed their inner anxiety.

"What are you two up to?" Benjamin asked. "You look like you're in a hurry."

It took them a little while to respond before Tea finally looked up and said, "Actually, Master, I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment. Alone."

Tee quickly got the idea and grabbed one of Sapphire's paws, tugging her off to stand near one of the walls of the hallway. "So, tell me all about what you've been doing with your master. Are you still comfortable?"

Benjamin glanced at his pet, and then looked back at Tea, lowering himself to one knee. "Alright, what's this about?"

"Master, I have reason to believe that something big is about to happen in the next few days. There will be an event unlike any The Oasis has ever seen." Benjamin was somewhat surprised by the uncharacteristically serious tone in Tea's voice. "Sapphire needs to stay in your room until it's over. I don't want her to witness what's about to happen."

"What?" Benjamin gave Tea a skeptical look. "Sapphire isn't a little girl; she can take a few unpleasant sights. And besides, she gets bored if she doesn't have a chance to walk around and..."

"Blood will be spilled," Tea quickly interrupted.

"Blood?"

"Yes, the blood of slave and master alike. Unless you're sure of what you're doing, I would like you to stay home, as well."

"Tea, you're not making any sense now. I need you to tell me what's going on."

Tea cast his eyes to the floor and shook his head. "I wish I could, Master. Please, just do me this one favor."

Benjamin stared long and hard at the fennec before finally breaking down, finding it hard to argue with the one who brought him his beloved pet. "Very well." He stood up again. "Tea, whatever's going on, please, be careful."

"I will be, don't worry."

"Oh yes! The food is wonderful! And he bathes me every day." Sapphire said to Tee as she excitedly listened to all the great things that had been happening to her.

"He bathes you?" Tee asked with a little giggle in her voice.

"Yes!" Sapphire giggled happily in return. "I told him I could do it on my own, but he wouldn't allow it." She turned as she saw her master approaching again.

"Saph, it's time to go," Benjamin said, his voice low.

"But... I want to talk to Tee some more. Can't we stay a little longer?" Sapphire begged.

"Don't be difficult. It's time to go. Leave the fennecs to do their duties."

Sapphire folded her ears back and looked at both of the foxes before bowing her head. "Yes Master."

"Good. Have a good day you two." Benjamin nodded to Tea and Tee. "And... good luck." Benjamin walked off abruptly with his confused pet looking over her shoulder.

"He knows?" Tee asked.

Tea nodded. "He knows enough."

"We're here to see one of the healer's assistants," Tea said.

"Which one?" The tiger working behind the desk in the healer's office eyed them suspiciously.

"Fyre, Master," Tee said.

"Fyre's busy." The tiger looked down at his desk again. As Tea and Tee tried to figure out what to do, Fyre noticed them. Tea gave her an excited glance, begging with his eyes for her to come over.

"Master? Is there a problem?" Fyre asked.

The tiger lifted his head again. "Ah, yes, these two slaves said they wanted to see you for some reason."

Without missing a beat, Fyre said, "Oh! I asked to have some slaves come help me with a few extra duties. These must be them."

The tiger glanced between the skunk and the fennecs, before shrugging. "Fair enough, back to work with you."

Fyre bowed her head. "Thank you, Master." She nodded to the slaves. "Come."

Tea and Tee followed her, doing their best to act natural. She had them stand by a pile of clean towels, which she folded before placing in their arms, giving them five each. They then followed her to the first healing pool room. She shut the door behind them and locked it.

"Alright, tell me everything!" Fyre stared at the fennecs, bright-eyed and excited. They both squeaked in surprise.

"T-tell you what?" Tea asked.

"The thief, the gold, the things you stole! What happened?" Fyre must have heard even more of their plan then they thought when they were last in the healer's office. She seemed far too excited, too.

"Uh..." Tea stuttered. "Miss... Fyre? Is this really something an A-class slave should be so happy about?"

Fyre laughed and tapped a finger on Tea's nose. "Let me tell you something, dear, there are two kinds of A-class slaves in The Oasis: the kind who always behave and the kind who never get caught. And when it comes to that thief... well..." Her face started to blush. "He ran past me when he was trying to escape. I... I know it's silly, but you just don't see men that handsome in The Oasis; not ones that aren't feline. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since I found out from you two that he was still alive! So you have to tell me everything about him! Is he going to be alright? Did you help him?"

Tea was still a little stunned by Fyre's words, but Tee was happy to answer. "Yep! Everything's going to be fine, but we need your help."

Fyre quickly turned her excited gaze to Tee. "Really? That's wonderful! What do you want me to do?"

"The thief is going to return to The Oasis on the day of the rebellion," Tea took over the explanation. "King Atlas will be killed soon, and before that happens, The Slave Guard Elite will be taking control of the soul sphere chamber."

"Whoa, wait. Rebellion? King Atlas? Soul spheres?" Fyre looked puzzled. "You're going to have to fill me in on a few things."

Tee smiled. "Your thief is trying to trigger a revolution in The Oasis. The slaves will be freed and the society will treat all species as equals."

"He... he's doing all of that?"

"Fox," Tea said. "His name is Fox. We're all working to make our plan work. That's why we need your help. Our plan is to..."

Fyre held her paw up. "Stop. You don't need to tell me any more than you have to." She smiled. "I will offer you and The Slave Guard Elite all my skills as a healer, if for no other reason than to see this thief, Fox, again."

Tea smiled. "I just had a feeling we could count on you."

"If you can't count on the one who brings you back to life, who can you count on?" Fyre smiled cheerfully. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get these towels up."

Tea and Tee ended up spending a few hours helping Fyre with her chores. They didn't want to leave too early and rouse the suspicion of the tiger at the front desk. In addition, they realized Fyre was a nice person to be around. Her personality was so caring and gentle, regardless of who she was dealing with. After saying their goodbyes, Tea and Tee started to walk back to their cage room.

"I don't know. I feel like we should do more. Do you really think telling a small group of slaves is going to be enough to spread the rumor through the whole place?" Tee asked as she walked with Tea.

"Well, the slaves were pretty low-class, so a few of them are probably mischievous enough to find ways to spread the word," Tea said. "But yeah, I'd feel a lot better if we were sure more slaves knew."

Tea and Tee saw a large group of slaves gathered around one of the walls of the hallway, chattering amongst each other.

"What do you think it means?"

"Do you think someone's really going to do it?"

"Wouldn't it be great if this was for real?"

The fennecs curiously pushed and wiggled their through the crowd until they saw the ghastly sight that everyone was huddled around. A guard lay on the ground, impaled by his own sword. On the wall above him, a familiar message was written into the stone with his blood:

"The rebellion begins with the fall of King Atlas"

Tea and Tee quickly made their way back out of the crowd and continued their walk to their cage room.

"You know, I'm not so worried anymore," Tea said.

Tee smiled and flicked her ears. "Me neither."

The next days were stressful for everyone in The Oasis. "The rebellion begins with the fall of King Atlas" was a phrase that spread faster than Tea ever thought possible. Guards did their best to send any slave that said it to be punished, but it was quickly becoming impossible. The walls of The Oasis were covered in countless graffiti copies of the message and still no clues were left for anyone to find out who started it. Tea and Tee were almost amused as they spent their hours observing the chaos they caused from the safety of their cage.

"It would be a great time to steal some stuff," Tee joked. "The guards are all so busy!"

And they were. There was a threat of a riot was constantly brewing in the air, even before anyone attempted to harm King Atlas. It was going exactly as planned. After all the years of imprisonment, the tiniest spark turned into an explosion of hope. There had never been an uprising of the slaves in The Oasis before and, if nothing else, many saw it as a chance to escape.

Nicholas observed the madness calmly as nearly two days passed in the same way, with each hour seeming more chaotic than the last. He walked calmly through halls filled with the constant shouts of guards and howls of slaves, both sides seeming to cry out in alternating victory and defeat. He held one paw on the pommel of his sword, while his other held the box of gold under his arm. He had cleaned, fed, and redressed himself to his former respectable appearance. With two of his best bodyguards on his flanks, he walked confidently into the throne room, passing the two guards at the door, who were busy fending off would-be assassins who were given the idea to attack the king themselves.

"My liege, I have returned with the gold that was stolen from you." Nicholas lowered himself to one knee and opened the box, holding it out to King Atlas, who was pacing in front of his throne more frantically than usual.

The king turned his head quickly, staring at his lost treasure in amazement. "Nicholas... how... how on Earth did you come out of there alive?"

Nicholas tried to not show his anger as his suspicions were confirmed. He was never supposed to survive the journey. "The Slave Guard Elite can complete any goal, Sire. Now I believe we had a deal."

The king stared blankly until he realized what Nicholas meant. "Oh! Yes, of course, your new recruits. Yes, yes, take whoever you need, if you can get them. Have you seen what's going on out there? It's madness! 'The rebellion begins with the fall of King Atlas', what kind of absurd notion is that? Someone is simply trying to stir up a riot and it's working far too well. I need you and all your men to start beating this vermin back into submission, then see that the soul spheres of whoever started this are destroyed and they're made an example of."

"I apologize, King Atlas, but my men are too busy to follow your order." Nicholas started to stand.

"Busy? Busy?! What could possibly be more important than stopping this so-called rebellion?"

Nicholas narrowed his eyes and lifted one of his paws. "Starting this so-called rebellion." His sentence was punctuated by the simultaneous collapse of the two guards that stood at the sides of the king's throne. The perfectly shot arrows of Nicholas' two body guards had pierced straight through their necks.

King Atlas stumbled backwards into his throne in shock, lifting a quivering and accusing finger. "You... YOU!!! You caused all this! I'll see you hang, Nicholas Rose! I'll see you breathe your last breath!"

Nicholas smirked calmly as he drew his sword from its sheath. "How ironic," he said as he lifted his sword, pointing the tip to the unarmed king's chest. "I'll get to see your last breath, as well."

"It happened!"

"What?"

"Are you certain?"

Tea and Tee quickly sat up in their bed. The clamor of the other cages seemed much louder than it had been.

"Yes! He's dead! King Atlas is dead!"

The fennecs quickly rushed to the bars of their cage. They knew the time had come.

"Tea! We have to pick some of the other cages, too," Tee said, quivering with excitement.

"I know, I know. We'll get all we can." Tea reached into the lock of the cage with his claw, trying to pick it as quickly as possible. Just as the door swung open, the body of a guard fell in front of them after being pushed from the platform of the higher cages. Even though all the cages had been locked to prevent the riot, it seemed as though Tea wasn't the only one picking locks, and the slaves were already using their numbers to overwhelm the guards and their weapons.

Tea did his best to focus on his job and ignore the battle around him. Slaves latched onto guards like rabid beasts until they fell under their combined strength. Nearly all of the bodies that lay motionless on the floor belonged to guards, a sight that Tea was grateful for. That hopefully meant that something similar was happening in the other cage rooms.

He unlocked each cage, one by one with his claw. Some slaves stayed inside their cage with their partners, quivering with fear, while others charged out the moment they were free, teeth and claws bared. At the same time, Tee and a few other slaves were smart enough to steal keys from the fallen guards, which they used to open more cages. Before long, every cage in the cage room had been opened and every slave that wanted to fight had been freed. A cheer filled the room as each of them realized that they were victorious in their first battle. Not a single guard was left standing.

Some of them stayed behind, but most of the slaves were ready to continue fighting or making their escape. Tea and Tee knew exactly what they needed to do, and they quickly followed the hoard out into the halls of The Oasis.

The sight they were greeted with would have been horrifying if they didn't know it was for a good reason. The halls were filled with rioting slaves and the guards that futilely tried to defend themselves against their superior numbers. As Tea and Tee forced their way through the safest parts of the crowds, they saw every slave letting loose all the urges that had built up in the time of their imprisonment. Some wanted to escape, while others wanted to destroy their captors, and still others simply saw it as a chance to do things that they never had a chance to. Needless to say, the wine cellar was quickly emptied.

After a long trip of pushing, shoving, and avoiding trouble, the two foxes arrived at their goal. They waited quietly, their backs against the hidden door that separated them from Jagger and Fox.

Nicholas and his bodyguards were forced to fight their way through slave and guard alike. Many slaves saw him and assumed he was on the side of The Oasis, while the guards knew that the blood that covered his sword belonged to King Atlas. He did his best to reason with the slaves and prove his allegiance by slaying multiple guards, but in the end, his skill with his sword and his trusty bodyguards were the only things that allowed him to survive through the halls.

He stopped in the armory which, thankfully, he was the first to get to. His bodyguards silently rearmed themselves with arrows as Nicholas found a fresh sword to fight with.

But then, something caught his eye. Resting against a wall was one of the most beautiful long swords he had ever seen. The blade looked strong and light; durable, yet somewhat flexible. Even in the dim light of the armory, the steel gleamed brightly. Nicholas looked more closely at the hilt. It was made of gold. "Could it be?" he thought to himself. He lifted the sword and looked more closely at the hilt, his eyes widening when he saw the inscription. The same symbol that hung on Fox's necklace had been etched into the sword's golden hilt. It was the sword Fox had always told him about; his most prized possession.

"Where could he be?" Tee asked anxiously.

Tea couldn't hold still any longer, himself. "He might have been captured. Maybe we should let them out on our own."

"Well, well, well," a voice said over them. "If it isn't the little fox team. There's been quite a lot of trouble today, eh?"

Tea and Tee slowly looked up into the eyes of bad luck, itself. Lars stood over them, a large battle axe hanging over one of his shoulders. "Y-yes, Master, there has. You should be careful," Tea said in a tiny voice. Tee looked back and forth rapidly, praying that a group of rebelling slaves would come help them.

Lars chuckled lowly. "Yes, I should." His face suddenly turned vicious and his large paw slammed into Tea's neck, choking him between his grip and the stone wall behind him. He snarled viciously. "After all, someone might stab me in the neck!" His laughter was filled with insanity and his bared teeth and narrowed eyes were filled with murderous rage.

"Tea!" Tee squealed, trying to find some way to save her partner.

Lars lifted Tea up against the wall by his neck, not allowing a single bit of oxygen to pass through the squirming fennec's mouth. "After I'm done with you, I'll crush your little partner, and then I'll have see to it that every last one of you god damn slaves has their head on a pike!" Lars' laughter was halted by a roar of pain as an arrow shot through the wrist that held Tea against the wall.

Tea fell to the floor, gasping for air. Tee quickly rushed to his side and pulled him out of danger. Lars blindly went after them, clumsily swinging his oversized axe with the only paw that still worked. The metal sparked as is struck the floor, inches away from where Tea and Tee were lying.

"Sorry I'm late!" Nicholas leapt over the fennecs with his sword in one hand, Fox's in the other. Demonstrating his agility, he propelled himself into the air by stepping on the shaft of Lars' axe, getting just high enough to plant his foot in the larger creature's chest, causing him to topple over with Nicholas on top of him. He stabbed downward, into the chest of the guard, through his armor. He gave his blade a strong twist before pulling it out of the motionless body.

Tea sat up. His neck still felt sore, but he was otherwise uninjured. "Nicholas? Did everything go alright?"

Nicholas wiped his blade clean in the fur of the deceased guard. "Yes, everything is going as planned. It's time to let them out." Nicholas walked over to the hidden door, then motioned for the fennecs to come help him. It was a difficult task, since the door lacked any kind of handle, but the three managed to pull the heavy stone door open, revealing Jagger and Fox, exactly where they left them, shielding their eyes as they tried to get used to the light that they hadn't seen in days.

Eventually, Fox stood up and adjusted his eyes until he saw a beautiful sight. In front of him were the two smiling fennecs that he had grown so attached to, Nicholas, who was looking better and healthier than Fox had ever seen, and in Nicholas' paws, Fox's long lost sword. As he stepped into the light and breathed the air of freedom, he placed a quivering hand on the blade of his sword. "Thank you," he whispered as he took the blade.

Jagger stepped out behind him, looking at the dead guard, the blood stains on the floor, and listening to the chaos in the distance. "I hope this all ends quickly..."

Fox pulled his hood over his head and gave a short nod, seeming much calmer about everything than Jagger. "Let's go, then; let's finish this."

Tea, Tee, Jagger, Fox, Nicholas, and his bodyguards made their way through the least populated path to the healer's office. A small amount of fighting was necessary, especially for Jagger, who was still dressed as the enemy and had to fend off plenty of slaves. Fortunately, Tea and Tee were often able to explain what was going on before the slaves had to be hurt. Guards, on the other hand, were quickly shown just how strong Fox could be with his favorite sword in his paws. Few of the guards that they ran into were fortunate enough to stay in one piece after Fox was done.

Finally, they reached the office, where the members of The Slave Guard Elite quickly welcomed their captain and his companions. More than two dozen armed members of The Slave Guard Elite filled the office, occasionally fending off any guards who tried to enter and turning away most of the slaves, unless they were injured.

Tea and Fyre noticed each other almost immediately. "Come, help me," she said, not having time for any greetings. She and two other healer's assistants were the only ones left to run the office and they were kept constantly busy tending to the injured and occasionally taking the time to resurrect someone important from their soul sphere, usually a fallen member of The Slave Guard Elite.

Jagger, Fox, and Nicholas joined the defense, finding it rather calm in the eye of the storm. Anyone foolish enough to get anywhere near the office was quickly dealt with, rarely resulting in any casualties on the side of the slaves.

"Master?" Tea tugged softly on Fox's robe, finding a free moment after nearly an hour of work helping Fyre. "Should you really be up so close to the front lines? You're the only one here who didn't have a soul sphere made for yourself."

Fox chuckled and rubbed Tea's ears softly. "There's nothing to worry about. We have this room under control and we hold the sphere of King Atlas hostage. This will all be over soon."

"But..."

"You should go back and help Tee some more," Fox motioned to the back of the room with his head.

Tea folded his ears back. "Yes, Master."

Fox chuckled as he saw his little fennec pad off. He let out a sigh of delight as felt how well everything was going around him.

"You should go talk to him!" Tee said to Fyre excitedly.

She held her paws over her blushing cheeks. "Oh, I couldn't! He's busy fighting along with everyone!"

"He actually seemed kind of bored," Tea smiled. "I'm sure he'd love to meet you!"

"Why would you think that?" Fyre asked. "I mean... I'm just a healer's assistant. I'm sure he didn't notice me when I saw him all those months ago."

"Well, there's only one way to find out if he did," Tee said as she grabbed Fyre's paw.

Tea grabbed her other paw, pulling her up to her feet. "Yeah, come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

The skunk tried to stutter out some excuses as they pulled her along towards Fox. Tee looked up at him and smiled. "Master? We'd like you to meet a friend of ours."

"Hmm?" Fox turned and looked at the brightly blushing skunk. "It's a strange time for introductions, don't you think?"

Though his question was directed at Tee and Tea, Fyre answered. "I know, I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone." She tried to turn away, but Fox stopped her with a paw on her shoulder.

"Wait a minute, you look familiar." Fox pulled his hood away from his head. Even though his fur was still a bit ragged, Fyre could see the same handsome face that she saw when she first caught a glimpse of him.

"My... name is Fyre. I... I... saw you when you first came to The Oasis. I watched you fight," she said, sheepishly.

Fox chuckled. "Oh, now I remember. You were blushing then, too."

"Oh!" Fyre quickly hid her face behind her paws.

"Now don't be so shy. Let me see that face of yours." Fox gently eased her paws from her face.

"F...Fox, I..." Fyre was interrupted by the sound of a loud explosion.

Fox quickly turned towards the sound and held out his arm, barking loudly. "All three of you, get back!" He drew his sword quickly.

The door to the healer's office had been blown to a large gaping hole in the wall by some kind of magic explosive. Rubble from the ceiling collapsed over three slave guards that were guarding the door at the time. Lion and tiger guards started to rush in with weapons drawn, heavily outnumbering the slave guards with their ambush. The last living guards in The Oasis knew the importance of the soul sphere chamber and were determined to take it back in one organized attack.

The clash of metal filled the air as a fierce battle ensued. Fyre and the fennecs held their quivering bodies close to each other in the back of the room as they watched the fight. It was clear that The Slave Guard Elite was gradually losing. Many of their fighters were talented swordsmen and archers, but few were as strong as the lions and tigers, not to mention that many of the slave guards found themselves fighting multiple felines at the same time before falling, themselves.

The three quivering forms in the back tried to look through the fray, their eyes constantly searching for Fox as they constantly hoped for his safety. What Tea's eyes did catch, however, was something much more surprising. He quickly sprung to his feet and pulled Tee along with him, shouting "come on!"

"Master Benjamin, stop!" Tea lunged in front of the blade of a familiar guard captain.

Benjamin stopped his blade just in time to avoid hitting the little fennec. "Tea?" Benjamin looked down at the two foxes with surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"Master, you have to stop fighting!" Tea begged.

"Are you mad? If we don't do something, this uprising is going to destroy The Oasis!" Another portion ceiling fell to the ground as Benjamin spoke.

"You're wrong! We did this to help The Oasis! We wanted to free the slaves!" Tee said.

"Are you trying to say you were the ones who caused all this?" Benjamin asked in amazement.

"Yes! Now please stop! You're going to kill the one we love! Our master!" Tea screamed at the guard, tears falling from his eyes.

Benjamin battled with his emotions, staring at the crying fennec and listening to the clang of weaponry behind him. He closed his eyes tightly and roared, "FALL BACK!!!" Every living fighter in the room froze to the sound of the commander's giant voice. "Drop your weapons! All guards of The Oasis are to surrender immediately! That's an order!"

The guards of The Oasis stood stunned at the strange command. One by one, they did as they were commanded to do, dropping their weapons to the ground as Benjamin did the same. "Kneel! Hands behind your head! Show no aggression!" Benjamin continued to order.

Tea turned to the sudden silence in the room, bodies lying motionless against each other on the floor. More than a dozen guards knelt in surrender, while Nicholas, Jagger, and four other slave guards were the only ones left with weapons in their hands. Tee quickly grabbed Tea and pulled him to the center of the room. They both knelt by a trembling hooded body, curled on the floor, clutching a fennec doll to his bleeding chest. They knew it was their master.

"Master?... Master!" Tea pushed on his arm. "Master! Are you alright? Master!!"

Fox slowly rolled over onto his back, looking up at the faces of Tee and Tea. He lifted his paw slowly, attempting to touch them, but failing. They quickly reached out to hold it together. Fox coughed, a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. He looked up, through the gaping hole in the ceiling, forming a weak smile. He managed to speak, "Look, my pets, it's the sky."

Holding back their tears, Tea and Tee looked up through the hole to see the sky above them. It was nighttime, the stars were shining brightly down on them.

"You'll be free now," Fox coughed. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't be free with you."

The fennecs lowered themselves to the body of the man they wanted so desperately to call master. They clung to his body, unable to stop themselves crying any longer. Fox's eyes slowly started to close.

"No!!!" Fyre cried out, rushing over to the scene. In her paws, she held a little pouch of silk. "Fox, hold on! Give me your paw!" She untied the pouch as quickly as possible and turned it inside out, using it as a glove as she held a small metal sphere in her hands. "Get off of him!" She screamed at the fennecs. The volume of her voice was so loud that they instantly stumbled backwards. Fox clung to his last breaths long enough to open his eyes. "You have to touch this. Please! Just touch it!" Fyre moved the sphere as close to his paw as possible, knowing that she couldn't touch him to guide his paw into place. His trembling paw could barely move the inch that it needed to, but eventually, it dropped onto the sphere, sending a little jolt of electricity through his body. With one paw on the sphere and the other on the blood-stained fennec doll, Fox looked up at the stars. His heart beat twice... then stopped...

The fennecs, Fyre, Benjamin, Nicholas, Jagger, and indeed, all the guards from both sides held perfectly still, all looking at Fox's body for nearly five minutes after he passed. Suddenly, Fyre reached down and grabbed the sphere from under his paw, placing it back in the pouch and quickly walking towards the soul sphere chamber.

Tea and Tee looked at each other, and then quickly darted after her.

"Did it work?"

"Is he alright?"

"Is he in there?"

"Fyre, tell us!"

"Quiet!" Fyre snapped as she started loading the sphere into the magic device that resurrected people from their spheres. "I have to concentrate. You see how blurry it is? He's just barely hanging on. I started making a soul sphere attuned to his vulpine spirit when you told me he was going to come back up here. I... needed more time to make a good one. I didn't even have anything to link him to. No fur, no blood, nothing. I've never made such an unstable sphere before."

It was indeed blurry. The fennecs could see Fox's body inside of the sphere, but it was as if he was floating in murky water. The sphere itself seemed to have trouble deciding whether to turn to metal or glass.

Fyre leaned in close to the box-shaped device. She flipped a few switches on it, causing the sphere to levitate in its chamber. Grunting in frustration, she continued flicking multiple switches into different positions. The fennecs were confused by the complicated device and had no way to help. There were dozens of switches and not one of them had any explanation as to its purpose.

After what seemed like a long time of little breath, the platform next to the device started to glow. Fyre stood up straight, holding her paws together with hope. All three of them stared at the platform as the magic struggled to draw out the soul from the weak sphere. Slowly, the form of Fox's body started to shape into existence. Fyre rushed forward the moment he had formed completely on the platform. She caught him as he quickly fell forward, the dizziness getting the best of him. He hung his head over her shoulder, his eyes tightly closed as he tried to regain his balance.

"What... happened?" He asked.

"Fyre brought you back to life, Master!" Tee said excitedly. Fox's body had returned to its true handsomeness in the process of the resurrection. It was the first time Tea and Tee got to see his internal beauty show externally.

The happy voice of the fennec brought him back to reality much more quickly. He opened his eyes and looked at the two thrilled faces staring up at him. He forced himself to stand long enough to walk over to them, then fell to his knees and gathered the two foxes into his arms, holding them in as tight of a hug as he could manage. The fennecs smiled and held close to each other inside the embrace, so happy to feel the arms that they thought they'd never be hugged by again.

Fox took a deep breath and got back up to his feet. "As for the angel who brought me back to life..." He turned towards Fyre and took her chin in one of his paws, suddenly giving her a firm, passionate kiss. Fyre stood stunned, but eventually, her muscles relaxed and her cheeks reddened, finding herself swooning in the embrace of the handsome red fox as he kissed her. He pulled back slowly and smiled at her before turning away and looking at the spheres on the wall.

"Master? What are you doing?" Tea asked.

"Looking for this," Fox said as he picked up the sphere that held King Atlas. He tossed it into the air and caught it again. "I think it's time to negotiate."

To be continued.

Love,

Tea