FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Brightest Spark A Jade Palace Story Story and Characters (c) KennyW aka Kaon 2011

*contains parental spanking*

It was strange , that living within the walls of the Jade Palace a young mind would find time to be bored. It's corridors and rooms held wonderous sculptures, alien curiosities , priceless artifacts and timeless portraits. A million and one works of art , sights , sounds and experiences to enthrall and dazzle the mind were secreted in every nook and cranny of the vast Palace of living crystal.

Yet Nikki was bored. Running a paw through her short, rose blond locks of hair , the little huskie pup tried to come up with a way to alleviate the deplorable lack of entertainment. If she'd had pockets, Nikki would have thrust her paws into them and kicked something , but clad in her customary knee length skirt an t-shirt , the pup could only click her little teeth out of sheer frustration. Idly contemplating a beautiful and brilliant statue carved from solid diamond, Nikki let out a defeated sigh and scratched at the patchy white and grey fur of her canine muzzle, blinking her light brown eyes and turning away from the dazzling sculpture. She'd seen it all before.

Time did not flow inside the Jade Palace as it did in the outside universe. Here, time was unmoving , even stagnant for want of a better word. Although the pup was but eleven years old in both body and mind , She'd lived within these walls for almost two centuries. Though that was an infitessimaly short amount of time here when compared to someone such as her Father or Mother, it was time enough to become used to it's wonders.

Nikki had been adopted into the 'Donahue' family as they were then known primarily as a companion for their natural daughter , Shana. The huskie pup had soon learned that she was just as much her Father's child as his natural daughter, with all the tender love and strict , sometimes harsh discipline that came with it. Her relationship with Shana had quickly blossomed from companion, to firm friend to secret lover and the two girls were closer than anyone knew, save for their parents.

Kaon, the pups adopted Father , had turned out to be far more than just the successful businessman he had first portrayed himself as. He was the Lord and Master of this wonderous Palace , possessed of power and knowledge the little pup couldn't even begin to fathom and when he had finally brought her to this most perfect of dwellings , Nikki thought she had found heaven itself. Everywhere the puppy had turned was another wonderous marvel, a veritable feast for the eyes and soul. Food and drink so rich and delicious it would make a gourmet weep for joy. Maids, butlers and others servants ready and willling to cater to the puppy's every whim and wish, she was after all, Kaon's daughter and therefore a princess to be loved and adored. Despite all the attention, Nikki had retained her quiet and meek attitude, always respectful and gentle and almost the polar opposite of her boisterous , mischevious elder sibling.

Right now though , Nikki was just bored. Currently , the eleven year old husky pup was wandering aimlessly around the Great Library. This area of the Jade Palace was a vast repository for priceless books and tomes of learning. Countless numbers of massive , dusty oaken shelves groaned under the weight of a hundred thousand millenia's worth of collected knowledge. Brittle parchment scrolls containing ancient heiroglyphs were stored along side high tech computer datachips whilst scribe

s , learned beings and the occasional honored guest studied beneath the librarys high vaulted roof. Distractedly , Nikki made her way towards the front of the Great Library , If Shana had been here things would have been far more interesting, but currently her little vixen cub sibling was in detention and probably on the recieving end of a light paddling thanks to some tomfoolery during the girls schooling period. An irritating , slightly acrid smell teased her sensitive husky nose. Some thoughtless beast had been smoking a cigarette in the confines of the usually smoke free library and had carelessly stubbed out their butt on one of the cut crystal tables that decorated the cavernous room. They had also forgotten their lighter. This wasn't one of the standard child proof disposable lighters Nikki was used to seeing , it was wide and thick with an attractive gold sheen to it and the curious girl couldn't help but pick it up for a closer look. It was obviously valuable , the owner would probably be missing it and seeing no-one in the immediate vacinity, the thoughtful pup examined it carefully for a clue as to it's owners identity. The only markings she could see were a tiny set of indented letters that read 'Zippo' but the pup didn't know anyone by that name.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Nikki flipped open the top of the shiny lighter , snapped it shut , then flipped it open again with a flick of her wrist. A silly giggle emerged from her throat, the lighter made her feel ten years older than she actually was. A small voice in the back of her mind , one she usually listened to, was telling her that playing around with this thing was just asking for trouble. Stupidly, the distracted puppy ignored that sage advice.

The flint wheel of the lighting mechanism drew her gaze like a magnet and dreamily , the puppy ran her thumb over it's rough surface. Nikki knew this was wrong , that it was literally playing with fire, but the huskie pup's boredom had brought her mischevious side to the surface. Readying herself , she gave the wheel a swift flick. All she wanted was to light it up , see the flame for a second , then she'd put the lighter down and not mess with it anymore , but despite her valiant attempt ,nothing happened.

No sparks , no flickering warmth, nothing. Irritated , Nikki tried again with the same unimpressive results... still nothing and the failures were beginning to irk her. Unwilling to consider the embarassing fact that she didn't even have the manual dexerity to operate a simple lighter, the huskie girl took firm grip with both her paws , placed her thumb directly over the flame nozzle and smartly snapped it down over the wheel. Third time lucky.. with a gaseous whoosh the lighter flared into life and sadly for Nikki, so did her fingers. Letting out a startled, pained yelp of shock , the suddenly panicky huskie half dropped, half threw the still burning lighter away from her and danced around for a few seconds cradling her singed paw.

It was only a minute or so later, after furious sucking on the scorched area of her paw had dulled the pain a little , did the worried little pup suddenly wonder where the irresponsibly thrown lighter had ended up, it had still been lit when she threw it after all.... To her dread , she soon found where it had gone. The lighter had skidded down a nearby aisle and come to rest inamidst a pile of loose , tinder dry parchment, the majority of which were now happily ablaze.

Cold fear welling inside her belly, Nikki dashed off in search of water. It would have been far easier to simply yell for help, but the panicking huskie was stricken with guilt , not to mention fear for her tail end should her fiery misadventure be discovered. Obtaining a glass from the one of the reading tables near the center of the library took several long minutes , the trembling puppy filled it with water from one of the coolers nearby and made a mad scramble back towards the site of the unintentional arson, slopping half the liquid on the crystal floor in her haste. It would have made no difference.

By the time Nikki reached her destination almost twenty minutes after the first infant flames had begun their destructive rampage, the small fire had exploded into a full blown conflagration. Bone dry wood shelves , ancient books and loose scrolls were being incinerated at a fearsome rate , several meters of aisle were burning out of controll and the hungry flames were leaping from shelf to shelf with terrifying ferocity , thick clouds of acrid smoke beginning to billow up into the high vaulted roof. Gripped by almost paralyzing dread , Nikki let the glass slip from her numbed paws to shatter against the hard floor , but seeing fresh flames erupt on the aisles further down and continue to spread at near hurricane speed finally broke the puppy's nerve. Howling at the top of her lungs , Nikki bolted for the library exit , her frantic , headlong flight only coming to end in the familiar safety of her own room.

It was half an hour later when someone finally came to check on her. It was her sister Shana. Nikki could see her vixen sister was badly shaken up and as the orange furred cub peeked around the doorframe into Nikki's room, the huskie caught the faint but unmistakable smell of smoke on the air. Shana looked relieved to find her safe and sound.

"Nikki! There you are! Mama sent me to find you.. all hell's broken loose on level four ... someone torched the Library!"

Level four was two levels below the Family residence, to be able to smell the smoke from here spoke volumes about the firesferocity , even if Shana hadn't gone on to explain in detail about the situation so far...

"Everyone with two paws is trying to stop the fires... Father too! He wanted to simply suck the air out of the room at first and extinguish the blaze that way but there are too many people trapped at the back of the library for him to risk using his powers! He's had to lock down that entire sector! Hope no-one gets hurt... It's horrible!"

At the mention of people being trapped in an inferno of her own making , unable to escape, Nikki broke into guilt laden sobbing , tears of abject misery streaming down the puppies fuzzy cheeks. Mistaking her sister's guilt for simple frightened concern, Shana parked her jeans clad backside next to the distraught puppy and wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"Hey... don't worry. We're safe here and I'm sure Papa will get those people out in time..."

Nikki was all but inconsolable and latched onto Shana , bawling into her chest , unable to even find the words to tell her beloved sister of her hideous deed whilst the raven haired vixen cub did her level best to comfort her sister and assure her all would be well, oblivious to the ghastly truth behind Nikki's emotions.

It all came to light however an hour and a half later when the girl's uneasy peace was abruptly shattered by the apperance of their Father , Kaon. The self styled Lord of Emerald , ruler and god of the Jade Palace was more than a little angry and both cub and pup knew it the instant the door to Nikki's room was flung open. The tall, lean, crimson furred dog fox had his hackles up and teeth bared in a snarling grimace. His normally sparkling emerald eyes were flashing with deep rage and the long, blackish green headfur that cascaded in spikes down his back was almost crackling with barely suppressed latent energy.Every muscle beneath his soot stained clothing stood out in relief, bulging with adrenaline induced fury. The big male gave but one explanation for his sudden entrance.

"A reliable witness has informed me they saw a certain young girl cub running from the area where the recent fires started.."

In an uncharacteristically rash , hasty action the girls father stormed over to where they were seated and Nikki flinched and stiffened, expecting him to fall on her with searing vengeance , however it was Shana who was seized by one orange foxy ear and roughly hauled to her feet. Instantly , the twelve year old vixen was reduced to terrified panic as Kaon began to drag her from the room.

"No! No, Daddy, please.. please listen! It wasn't me, I swear! Please, Daddy , No!!"

Kaon wasn't listening, continuing to haul his struggling cub out into the corridor and off towards his study, accompanied by Shana's yips and whimpers of pain as her sensitive ear was gripped without mercy. Nikki knew full well what would happen to Shana as soon as they entered that foreboding room.. the spanking the little vixen cub would endure would be long, slow and unbearably agonising. No matter what , the huskie's concience simply would not allow her beloved sister to suffer the harsh session of discipline the pup knew she herself deserved. She raced out of the room and grabbed her determined father by the arm, begging all the while.

"Daddy! It wasn't Shana! Please listen... I did it! I started the fire...."

Halting as if shot ,. Kaon turned to his adopted daughter , disbelief etched on his vulpine features. Shana turned also, muzzle hanging open and staring at her younger sibling through very round eyes. Nikki could see the suspicion in her fathers gaze, the huskie pup was normally so well behaved and sensible it took a lot for the big male to believe her capable of such thoughtless stupidity. Before Nikki could try to convince him she truely was the guilty party , someone else beat her to it as a heavy paw clamped itself onto the huskies left shoulder. Fern, head of Kaon's houshold , his first mate and Nikki's mother had crept up behind the puppy to block her only means of retreat. With her father in front and the similarly angry , flame furred vixen behind , Nikki had nowhere left to go.

"She's telling the truth, Kaon. Shana was with me in detention as the fire started, it couldn't have been her. I was on my way here to question Nikki about the fires as there aren't too many other young female cubs in the Palace the same age as the witness reported seeing and it wasn't all that difficult to find out they were all with their families or friends at the time the fires started.. I would have though you of all people would have gotten your facts sorted out before leaping to conclusions."

There was the merest hint of reproof in the vixen's tone and after a few moments more, Kaon nodded and released his childs ear. Abashed and just a little ashamed, Master Kaon knelt down and drew Shana into his arms , comforting away her distress with a tender cuddle and apologising for the hurt he had caused, whilst the little vixen clung to her Papa and sniffled a few times into his chest. Nikki looked on with a strange kind of triumphant misery... at least Shana was off the hook but on the other paw, the huskie suspected she'd soon be facing a different sort of attention from her Father. It was almost worth it though , to see the gratitude in her sister's eyes and the silent , mouthed

"Thank you..."

Kaon was grateful as well, It took an awful lot of personal courage and love for her sister for Nikki to own up to her misdeed when she knew full well how serious the situation was .. and how painful the repercussions were likely to be. The huskie's honesty had helped save him from making a terrible mistake , one that he would have been hard pressed to forgive himself for and when it came down to crunch time , the dog fox vowed he would not forget the kindness. After solemly tellling Shana to "Run off and play now, sweetie.."

The Master of the Jade Palace stood and walked to his other child. Keeping his expression carefully neutral , his temper having had time to cool off, Kaon took hold of his pup's right shoulder and with Fern still holding her left, both fox and vixen escorted the trembling little huskie back to her room. Once Nikki was seated on her bed, the dog fox took a seat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders , cuddling her whilst the little puppy had a good cry. Then , as Fern looked on , Kaon quietly instructed his child to explain herself and her actions.

"I want the truth, Nikki. No lies, no exaggerations.. "

Haltingly , with trembling bottom lip , leaking tears and the occasional sob Nikki related the events leading up to the terrible fire as accurately as she could remember. So anguished was the girl, she made no excuses, didn't try to gloss over any details , merely explained how it was in all it's ugly glory...

"........and i'm sorry, i'm sorry.... i'm sorry... i'm....."

As the pup's pleas for forgiveness dissolved into another bout of coughing sobs , both fox and vixen exchanged glances , each trying to gague the girl's truthfullness and sincerity. Kaon resolved to test the matter a little further and make absolutely sure Nikki understood the consequinces of her thoughtless actions.

"Come with me , Nikki. There are things you need to see."

Standing once more, Kaon ushered his pup out of the safe, familiar surroundings of her room and back out into the Palace. Everywhere, Nikki could see the results of her stupid actions. Like a beehive , the Jade palace was fairly buzzing with activity, the faint smell of smoke still befouled the normally sweet, pristine air and It seemed there wasn't a single person within the complex that didn't have an urgent task that needed to be performed as soon as possible... To the pup's shame , her father decided to first show her what was left of the Great Library.

Saying that the once noble, proud place of learning had been completely gutted by the fire was an understatement. Still smouldering in places , there was almost nothing left of the priceless treasures it had once housed.The scribes and curators who had once studied so dilligently in this hallowed place now picked through the charred ruins looking for something, anything to salvage. Thousands upon thousands of ireplaceable books and scrolls were nothing more than ash, destroyed and gone.... consumed by barbaric flames and knowing it was all her fault, Nikki stared shamefacedly at the blackened crystal floor. When he spoke, Kaon's voice held a note of genuine sorrow in it that almost broke the pup's heart.

"The work of countless lifetimes was held here. The collective knowledge and wisdom of a hundred thousand races and species long since lost to the memory of time. Now it is all gone. "

Nikki hung her head in despair , cradling her face in her paws. Seeing his child's distress, Kaon slowly stroked his pup's shoulder, then placed a finger beneath her fuzzy chin, lifting her head to she had to look him in the eyes. It eased Nikki's misery somewhat to see no hatred or malice within those deep emerald orbs. Smiling to ease his child's fears somewhat , Kaon tried his best to console her and himself..

"However , I am not so foolish as to hold such value in one place without a backup of sorts. Although the loss of these tomes and scrolls is great ,all the knowledge contained within them is also stored... up here." Lifting his off hand , Kaon gently tapped his temple, flashing his child a sly grin. Fern let out a slightly contemptuous huff , The big vixen couldn't understand why her mate and Master was being so easy on the naughty little pup. She wisely held her peace as Kaon shot her a warning glance.

"It will still take time to rebuild this library , but I think i'll be able to fashion a crystal matrix of sorts as a new repository for the information. It should be far more efficient and easier to access than the old jumble of papers. Still, there is much to be done before it reaches that stage. "

His paw came to rest on his child's shoulder, Kaon knew there was still a certain aspect of the fire his daughter needed to see and understand. It would be far less plesant than simply viewing the obvious physical results of her thoughtlessness, so it was the group of fox , vixen and puppy made their way to the Palace infirmary...

Nikki's eyes widened in shocked horror as the trio entered the infirmary, there were at least four dozen people she could see being treated for injuries caused by the blaze. Oxygen being given to victims of smoke inhalation , nurses bandaging cuts and abrasions , ointments and salves being applied to burns and these were the just the minor cases! A sobbing whine welled in the back of Nikki's throat and she muffled it by jamming a paw into her muzzle, fresh tears of miserable self-loathing streaming freely down her cheeks. This was her fault.

Many , many pairs of eyes turned to observe the group as they entered and Nikki had the sudden desperate urge to run and hide, However, with her Father directly behind her , paws clasped firmly on her shoulders the misery wracked puppy had nowhere to turn. By his child's shuddering and silent sobs ,Kaon didn't need to say a single word to know the message had hit home with devastating force , these people are hurt because of you, Nikki...

One of the senior medical personel, a stocky , tan furred bobcat saw Master Kaon standing by the infirmary door and hastened over to deliver his report on the situation so far , indirectly this simply served to heap more guilt and despair on Nikki's already heavy heart.

"The blaze was paricularly fierce , my Lord. There were approximately ninety persons requiring treatment, thirty two of whom have been released after treatment for minor injuries , these fourty seven present here that have more serious needs... and there are eleven in intensive care, mostly those who were trapped in the rear of the library and unable to escape." Nikki simply couldnt stand to hear this conversation , her concience ripping at her heart with talons of molten bronze and she turned to her father , burying her face into his shirt and bawling quietly.Holding his pup close for comfort and reasurrance, Kaon's next words caused her to suck in a harsh lungful of air , wracking shudders of anticipatory dread rippling through her body. "Have there been any deaths..?"

Mercifully , the Senior Surgeon shook his head and a relieved smile crept across the Masters features. Nikki too was no less relieved by the bobcat's words.

"None so far, my Lord. Creator be praised. However .. the patients in intensive care would benefit from your own personal intervention, several of them are critical."

Master Kaon nodded once. He would see none of these people under his care died today. Not only were they ultimately his responsibility , the kindly fox did not want Nikki to have the knowledge that there was blood on her hands. No young child should be burdened with that kind of guilt if it could be prevented. Kaon turned to his mate who had been quietly standing nearby. "Fern, please take Nikki back to her room and stay with her. Nikki , I want you to think long and hard about what you have done and once I am finished here , I will send for you. Be ready. "

As both pup and parent returned toward's the girl's bedroom Nikki felt sure her tail was glued to the back of her thighs, it would be a long time before she felt like wagging that fluffy canine appendage. Ears laid back with grief , muzzle wrinkled and stained with tears , merely putting one footpaw in front of another was a test of endurance , so powerful was the urge to simply curl up in a small fuzzy ball and wish it all away.

Once safe in the confines of her room, Nikki crawled back onto her bed to bury her face into her pillow. Like some hideous nightmare that simply refused to end , the situation was now out of her paws, out of her controll and all the frightened pup could do was await it's painful conclusion. As Nikki sniffled into her pillow, Fern watched her adopted daughter closely. A small , hard smirk graced her features , pulling her packet of twelves from her jeans pocket and lighting up a cigarette, the sound of the lighter clicking to life made the poor puppy flinch visibly. No doubt that it was deliberate.

Leaning casually against the wall of Nikki's room ,Fern took a long drag on the smokestick. One paw came up to scratch at her forehead in an irritated fashion. Like Kaon , the big vixen had some things she thought Nikki needed to understand and even though it would be adding insult to the pup's already severe emotional injury , Fern was in no mood to spare her daughter the pain.

"I doubt your Father will tell you this , but the lossof the Library will cause him significant problems. It was not simply his own personal collection of works, lovingly obtained and maintained over the millenia, but also a valued resource to the collective minds of the Interdimensional Council of Deities , of which your Father is a member. "

Fern waited till Nikki had turned her head to look up at the vixen, she could see ever increasing hurt and misery in the puppy's eyes. Pausing a moment to take another long drag on the cigarette clenched in her teeth , the vixen soon continued with her subtle assault on the pups battered concience.

"There will be an official inquiry into it's loss , you see. Your father will be forced to call in a lot of old favours , make a few promises of his own and kiss a good amount of ass just to save face and insure everything flows smoothly. I'm quite sure he'll detest every minute of it."

Stubbing the remains of her cigarette out on the wall , Fern wasted no time in lighting up a second. She was chain smoking now, it was a sign of just how upset the vixen was at the moment and once the new carcinogenic soother had taken it's place between her lips , she continued her offhand tormenting

" You can bet your tail and whiskers that several members of the council will probably have a sudden urgent need to refrence information at the library and be most upset at the inconvenience of not being able to do so. They're a petty bunch with long memories and even longer grudges and they won't hesitate in using this incident to make your Father's life as uncomfortable as possible for as long as possible."

Pausing only to stub out her second smoke and immediately light up a third , Fern's eyes never left her adopted childs face , and Nikki soon buried her muzzle back into her pillow, to ashamed to maintain eye contact with her mother anymore. Try as she might though, the despairing pup couldn't block out the awful truth in her mother's words, or the underlying hurt in the vixen's tone.

"So your father's top priority will be to create a new library as soon as he can. He'll be at that for quite some time to come. Meaning he'll have precious little time to spend with you... or your sister.... or me ... or anyone else in his Palace. I think it's safe to say you'll be a very unpopular little girl for as long as this fiasco lasts... So, are you satisfied, yet?"

It was clear what Fern meant. Are you satisfied with the hurt you caused? With the physical trauma and emotional damage your stupidity inflicted on everyone close to you , your friends and family? This is your doing, Nikki , it's all your fault and nothing you say or do can change it. Fern looked on with a grim, satisfied smirk as her child broke into a fresh bout of quiet sobbing. It was a slow, hour long wait before a timid knock on Nikki's bedroom door heralded the summons the anxious, miserable pup had been expecting. Shana peeked her head round the door and sounding far quieter and more solemn than Nikki had ever heard before , said the words Nikki had been dreading

"Papa.. requests you join him in his study."

Knowing it was not so much a request as an outright order, Nikki wiped her bleary eyes on the bedsheets, nodded to her sister and timidly set out for the disciplinary rendezvous with the male she loved and adored , her Father... and Master of the Jade Palace.

With Shana tagging along for support , Nikki began the long walk to her Father's study. Curiosity had always been one of her weak points and now it had finally gotten her into the most trouble she'd ever been in. There was no one to blame for her coming pain but herself , not that Nikki could deny she deserved every swat of her coming spanking and more. Still, it was that same curious nature that caused Nikki to ask something of her more knowledgeble sister. "How bad do you think it'll be?"

Nikki's voice was so subdued it was almost a whisper. Seeing a fleeting wince cross her vixen sisters countinance did nothing to inspire confidence and Shana worded her reply with care.

"Don't plan on doing any sitting down for the next couple of days.."

Shana was right. Nikki was easily the 'good girl' of the duo and her misdemeanours were minor at best, never earning her more than a brisk 'six of the best' caning in the worst case. On the other hand , Shana got herself into serious trouble at least twice a month and some of the horror stories the chastened little vixen related to her younger sibling had made the pup's fur curl. It was a cold, hard fact that Nikki had opened herself to a similar kind of disciplinary action with one thoughtless act.... that was a terrifying prospect for the nervous puppy.

All too soon the duo of pup and cub stood before the fine oaken doors that were then entrance to her Father's study. Nikki swallowed hard and turned to her sister one last time before her meeting with fate , hoping for some words of wisdom from someone who'd been through a similar situation many times before. Shana was quick to offer her advice.

"Just be a good girl and stay as respectful and submissive as you can... hear father out then take your licks. He spanks hard , but he's always fair and whatever you do, don't try to give him lip, or downplay what you did! Right now that'll just make him mad as hell and you don't want to do that , believe me. I know."

After one final supportive embrace, Shana slowly wandered off , leaving Nikki to face the wrath of the girl's father by herself. Timidly knocking on those big forboding doors , Nikki waited in nervous silence for her Father to answer. Soon, those heavy doors swung inwards, revealing Kaon's somber countinance and Nikki was swiftly ushered into the quiet closeness of his Olde English style study.

The faint smell of old leather mixed with hightech computer technology filled the pups nose as she entered that familiar room. Dominating it's center was a massive oaken writing desk and all the usual accessories. Shelves laden with bound leather books lined the wood panelled walls and a small log fire radiated a cosy warmth along one wall. There too was the large discipline cabinet that contained a selection of canes and paddles and Fathers large recliner. A huge chair almost like a sofa and that's where he put his daughters over his lap when they needed it. Without being told , Nikki stood on the plush carpent in front of Kaon's desk whist the distracted dog fox moved to stare at the family portraits that lined the back wall. Not by accident did his gaze come to rest on the painting of the pup now waiting for his judgement. After a few tense moments , he began to speak.

"You know I can't simply let this go, Nikki. Although there was no malice or cruelty in your actions, too many people were hurt by your thoughtlessness. It is my responsibility to them that now urges me to see this through to the end. I am sorry."

The genuine sorrow in her Father's voice caused Nikki to stare shamefacedly at the carpet , fresh tears beginning to dribble down her muzzle. It was simply too much for the pups heart to take, everyone around her had been made to suffer and it was all her fault. Whatever her punishment , Nikki hoped it would hurt like hell.

Nikki knew the part she had to play and without needing to be told , she began to disrobe , pulling her pink t-shirt over her head and tearing open the velcro tab of her skirt , letting it drop to the floor with her white cotton panties soon to follow. Despite the gentle warmth being radiated by the log fire set into the far wall of the study and her thick huskie fur, Nikki found herself shivvering...

Her eyes followed her Father's foxy form as he moved over to the discipline cabinet, however when he removed Shana's restraints, the first spurt of true anxiety about the discipline Nikki would face ran through the pup. Seeing Kaon place the restraints on the sideboard with the obvious intent to see them used brought a lump to the huskie pups throat and a knot of anxiety to her belly.

"Daddy....?"

Nikki's voice was small and quiet, she knew full well what those restraints entailed. Those special leather restraints were used when Shana was due for a particularly harsh spanking but would suffice just as well for the eleven year old pup. Not once had he ever deemed their use necessary when dealing with his adopted child until now and It spoke of a coming punishment that her Father had determined would be far above and beyond what Nikki could be expected to reasonably endure by herself. It sent a shivver of dread down the puppy's spine, causing her tail to curl even further between her legs with misery. As Nikki watched her Papa deliberate over which disciplinary impliment he would use on his child , a sudden dark thought sent a long, wracking shudder of terror through her small frame. That damnable curious nature of hers now teased her with the blackest of nightmare scenarios, a horrifying vision of the most excruciating agonies her Father was capable of inflicting.

"D...Daddy? Are you... going to blister me?"

The tearful apprehension in his girl's voice made Kaon's black tipped foxy ears twitch. The heavy blister paddle was his ultimate disciplinary weapon, a final sanction the vulpine only employed in the most dire of circumstances. Shana had felt it's savage bite only twice in her life and Nikki , not at all. If his child had shown arrogance, or been unrepentant of her deed there was a possibility he would have used it. However, remembering her honesty and seeing her heartfelt desire for forgiveness , Kaon had no intention of inflicting that much agonising hurt on his little pup. Still, Nikki didn't need to know that just yet. "Do you believe you deserve it?"

Nikki squeezed her eyes shut at the gentle query. She'd seen the aftermath of the time Shana had recieved a blistering, it had left the vixen cub writhing and bawling in pain for hours, it had been days upon days before the pain had faded and Shana had been able to sit down. The thought of taking such a harsh spanking twisted the puppy's belly into tight knots of nauseated fear. Nikki would have thought nothing could persuade her to admit to her Father that she did truely deserve such treatment... except... in her heart the guilt stricken pup truely did believe it.

"Yes... yes.. ye..s.........."

Quiet , full of abject misery and thick with repressed emotion , Nikki's sorrowful admission almost broke Kaon in half, such was the inner pain her voice carried. As his child ground her paws into her eyes and sobbed fresh tears of despair, he swiftly selected a standard paddle from the discipline cabinet whilst she was momentarily distracted, walked over to his shuddering pup and knelt down , gently pulling her into his arms for a comforting hug. Kaon hated seeing his child so torn and in such emotional pain, it was clear to him now the depths of the depression her beautiful heart was mired in. Nikki wanted to be punished for her misdeed , needed to be disciplined to sooth her own concience and it was important for her to understand this. Whilst Nikki snuggled into his chest and wept hot tears of shame and remorse, her father chose his words with care.

"Seeing you like this, I really have no desire to punish you. Were I to listen to my heart , I would simply let you return to your room with nothing more than a lecture. But were I to do that , I would lose any right to call myself your Father." Standing upright, Kaon laid a gentle paw on his pup's shoulder and began to guide the girl over to his recliner, wanting to spare both her and himself from any long wait for what had to be done. Nikki let herself be led by the paw, listening quietly to his soft words and the timeless wisdom contained therin. "I know you , My child. Better than you know yourself. Your heart is good, it is kind and gentle... and right now it is being ripped apart by guilt. Your concience is tormenting you with searing self loathing as destructively damaging as the flames that spawned it.." Kaon swiftly secured the leather ankle restraints first to a special metal ring on the side of his recliner and then gently around his child's ankles, before seating himself and helping Nikki to lay facedown over his lap. Without being told, Nikki raised her tucked tail over her back in readiness, exposing her pert, fuzzy rear. It still sent a minute shivver through her frame when her Father fitted the restraint that would keep that fluffy appendage secure out of harms way as the big fox continued to speak in gentle , comforting tones.

"It is not enough for me to forgive you. Were the whole palace to echo that sentiment it would still not suffice. To move forwards from this , you need to forgive yourself. For that to happen, Your concience demands you atone for your actions and a long, hard spanking will go a significant way to providing you with the resolution your heart desires.. So that is exactly what I will give you." Kaon kew he needed to be careful to balance this discipline just right. Nikki would recieve not one swat less than she deserved and not spend a single minute over his lap longer than she needed. Seeing his adopted child over his lap like this , ready and willing , about to recive the harshest spanking of her young life , Kaon was unable to keep the emotion from his tone any longer , his deep, melodic voice almost breaking with the strain.

"I... love you too much to let you torture yourself any more.... Are you ready?"

With Her muzzle just hanging over one side of the recliner, her secured feet dangling over the other, Nikki submitted herself to her Father's will, his judgement , his love , placing her trust, her body and heart into his paws. She nodded once , an almost imperceptable movement , and Kaon took up the broad oak paddle resting on the sideboard. For a few moments more there was a calm silence within the study, no sounds save for the soft tick of the grandfather clock that stood in the corner and the dual harmony of pup and parent's breathing. Slowly , Kaon lined up his stroke and lifted his arm as far back as he could , the tip of the wide paddle pointing at the ceiling.. Then the quietude was abruptly shattered by an explosive crack that echoed through the study as Kaon brought the oak paddle down onto his child's vulnerable rear! Nikki let out a shocked, pain stricken yelp, burning anguish flaring in her bottom as the paddle impacted full across both her cheeks ,hurting far worse than she'd expected it to. Never before had the pup experienced the full power of her fathers arm and the searing blast of agony was excruciating with only a single swat!

Muscles tense and trembling from that first inital swat, Nikki swallowed hard, waiting for the second spank. It fell in short order, paddle bouncing off her backside with a hard, medium paced rhythm, soon followed by the third, then fourth pounding swat , each blow creating a molten burst of firey torment and amplifying the ferocious, scorching heat that had blossomed below her tail. It took no more than that to break the pup into copious tears and a constant , pathetic whimpering , unused as she was to such harsh , directed force.

Knowing his pup had a low tolerance for pain, Kaon strove to maintain a steady rhythm and constant discipline, bringing the paddle down on her backside over and over, closing his ears to her ever increasing almost panicky whimpering. As the skin of Nikki's buttocks began to flush a rosy pink beneath the consistant rain of swats, the pup began to howl softly , a quiet, pitiful sound , Nikki was mourning not only the ever increasing agony in her tail end , but also the hurt inside her heart that had been quietly festering away for some hours now.

Despite the heavy blows of the oaken paddle, Nikki had been able to remain calm and still up till now , accepting the spanking she was getting, knowing she deserved every swat. However, as the number of swats passed the twenty five mark and the sore, burning flesh of her rump began to darken into a deep red with the punitive force behind each cumilative blow, her legs began to pull on the harness that restrained them. Twitching and shuddering beneath the painful will of her Father, her paws gripping hard to the armrest she was laying on, Nikki fought a losing battle to maintain her submission to his judgement. Little by little , blow by blow her tail began to jerk against it's restraint with each thunderous , blazing impact. Restraints beginning to dig into her ankles as her legs instinctively fought to kick out against the rising tide of anguish and still the spanking continued! Nikki's howling soon changed, deeper and longer , using her full throat. It spoke of fearful personal anguish both physical and emotional that cut right to her core and beyond. Kaon compressed his lips at the heartbreaking sound, continuing to discipline his child with that same steady rhythm. Each time the paddle slammed into the now crimson surface of his pup's backside, her howling would break into an agonised, higher pitched canine yowl , body beginning to jerk upwards against his restraining paw in rhythmic time to the paddles fall. Her beautiful eyes were squeezed shut with anguish, twin rivulets of hot tears streaming down her muzzle, droplets falling to the hard floor below , forming a small pool.

Backside dissolving into one huge, thickening welt under the paddles relentless assault , one massive area burning and blazing with a volcanic heat and framed by areas of skin that stang like a chemical burn, white explosions of pain flashed before the huskie pup's closed eyes each time the paddle drove into the crimson flesh of her buttocks. Unable to take the agony any more, Nikki twisted and bucked beneath the searing rain of swats,held fast by the ankle restraints and the firm paw on her back. Yet her tormented puppy howls had finally stopped, replaced by a hard sobbing cry, they were good honest tears and that was what Kaon had been waiting to hear.

Three more times did the paddle fall on his child's backside, each swat delivered in the exact same place across the point of Nikki's behind just above where thigh met buttock, fast and hard that ripped a bawling wail from her throat and leaving her shuddering with such severe pain it began to make her feel physically ill. It was done however and a relieved Kaon placed the well used paddle back on the sideboard. Quickly unsnapping her ankle restraints whilst his pup sobbed brokenly over his lap, Kaon gently stroked his child's back, offering his comfort and love.

"All done , my little princess. Cry all you want.. let it all out."

Hearing her pet name and realising it was over , Nikki wasted no time in curling up on her Fathers lap, throwing her arms around his neck and bawling quietly , wanting , no, needing to be cuddled after such a severe spanking. Kaon crooned softly into her ear , holding her close as his little girl finally let go of all the guilt and pent up misery that had clouded her heart since the first sparks were lit.

For the longest time, Father and child remained snuggled together as Nikki's sobbing slowly died away into sniffles , the searing pain beginning to dull into a throbbing ache.. Gradually , Kaon felt his pup relax, leaning even further into him. He knew Nikki had a tendancy to be a little clingy, especially after she'd been disciplined, but he was not about to deny her the comfort. "You feel better now, princess?" Nikki nodded against his neck. Her father had been right, that harsh spanking had done wonders for her concience. The pup felt a gentle kiss grace her cheek and let herself be shuffled off her Fathers lap as he stood upright.

"That's my girl! Now, get yourself dressed and run along, sweetheart. Unfortunately , I have a considerable amount of work that needs to be done."

Just like that , it was done. It was over and Nikki had been forgiven. As Kaon had said, the pup needed to forgive herself and no longer did her concience sting her with thorny barbs of self loathing. Pulling her cotton panties over her glowing rump still caused the pup to wince, her backside stil smarted considerably and probably would for several hours to come.On the plus side however , Nikki now had a disciplinary tale of her own to make Shana wince for a change. One thing was for certain, Nikki wouldn't be so quick to 'play with fire' in the future. The huskie pup had learned her lesson and she rarely made the same mistake twice where her tail end was concerned.. and the pup skipped happy and free out of her Father's study.

Kaon watched his adopted child leave his presence, it pleased him greatly to see the bright spark of her heart burning unclouded once more.. he moved back to stare at the portrait of his little pup.. although it was not yet time to reveal his full sentiments to his child , The Lord and Master of the Jade Palace could no longer keep silent...

"I never regretted taking you as my second child, my little princess. Not once. You are Shana's sister, her friend and soon.. her mate. You have given me, given this Palace so much life, love and innocent joy. Thank you....."

"...Now and for ever, you have my love.... "

Fin