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The sounds of a whip lashing echoed through the dark halls of a large castle, followed quickly by the pained whine of a young female canine. The handful of guards patrolling the hallways cringed at the sounds coming from the Lord's Chambers. "What the hell is going on in the castle?" asked one of the guards as he walked with his partner. "Oh right. You've only been here a few days huh? Just keep your head down and for the sake of your job and quite possibly your life, keep your mouth shut. Be glad you're not the one inside Lord Bartholomew's personal chambers right now." said the older guard as they continued their patrol past the large doors of the castles master chamber, from within the sounds of agony were emitted almost nonstop.

"(Whine) I'm sorry Master!" came a cry as another lash landed on the arctic fox vixen's back. She was on all fours, her back almost fully covered in welts, some bleeding, turning her white coat a murky pink and red. She panted heavily, her long black hair falling along her shaking shoulders to hang next to her head which faced the ground. She was completely nude save for the collar around her neck, and the one on her right wrist. The dark feline figure behind her coiled his whip in his hand as he drew back from his latest lash. "Amber. I asked you to bring me my tea, and you put my sugar lumps in after you'd poured it." came his deep voice after. "B-But Master...Last time you asked me to pour your tea first." she replied, instantly wishing she were gagged and couldn't have replied. "Talking back to me eh? And lying too? This'll only net you further punishment. But for now I think I'd like to use your body in another way for my amusement." he said placing the whip on the table next to him. Amber looked over her shoulder and whimpered to herself at what she saw. The lion was disrobing and she could already see the erection he was sporting. "Please...Please Master...I-I Don't..." "Don't? Don't what? Want to fuck? Of course you do. Serving your Master in whatever way he chooses is why you were put on this Earth Amber." he said as he stepped up behind her. "Receiving my dick is the ultimate honor and pleasure for you, isn't that right?" he asked as he ran a claw across a couple of her welts. "Ah! Y...Yes Master Bartholomew...Please forgive me. Please honor this slave by gracing her with the pleasure of your cock." she said, staring at the floor, tears stinging her eyes. "Good." he said as he pressed his dick into her love tunnel roughly. Amber gasped as she was quickly reminded of what pain would befall her at the end of this session, the barbs of his cock already making their presence known. The guards standing outside of his chambers shuddered at the near screams coming through the door now, and their pity went to the poor girl in the chamber with the lion. This was a reoccurring event. Every couple of nights when the lord of the castle was bored, he would call his slave into his chambers and for the most trivial of reasons would degrade her and whip her mercilessly for his own amusement. This would usually culminate in a rape session in which as much pain as possible would be inflicted on the poor girl without having her pass out. The guards only closed their eyes in silence as the sounds continued to echo through the halls late into the night, trying their best not to focus on them.

Morning came soon, too soon for the calico as the sunlight brightened the room. She opened one eye and noted that Sly was no longer in the bed. Taking a quick glance around the room she noticed how big the chamber actually was. It was a very big room, easily three times as big as it looked last night. She yawned and stretched her arms, surprised at how alien the feeling of complete mobility felt. She was still nude, but that she was starting to get used to. She figured that she wasn't going to be allowed to wear clothes much anymore considering her position. The window from last night was still open and she stood, moving over to it and being treated to one of the most beautiful view's she's ever laid eyes on. From the window there was a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. She lost herself in the view and sat on the windowsill a moment. "Enjoying the view?" came a familiar male voice behind her as the door opened. "Y-Yes Master. I didn't notice how...beautiful it was...last night." she said as her eyes widened a bit in surprise. He stood there in what could only have been some very expensive clothes. If she didn't know better she could swear he was a king. And she had to admit, he looked very handsome in them. "What? Too much?" he asked at her stare. "N-No Master. They look very good on you." she replied, looking away to hide her light blush. "Good. As I mentioned last night you will be accompanying me to the castle of an old acquaintance of mine. I've done runic business with him before and he wants to see me about placing security runes in his castle." explained Sly. Footsteps in the hall began to converge on the room as a few maids stepped through the door, forming a half circle around Maneki. "Um...What's going on?" she asked quickly, seeing this. "Oh nothing. It's just I have something very nice for you. And I would hate for it to go to waste." said Sly with a gleam in his eye and all three maids jumped on Maneki at once, her scream of shock echoing through the chamber quickly.

The carriage rolled along the old dirt road at a quick and steady pace. The driver's whip-like crop made occasional cracking sounds as it came down, lightly snapping in the air above the horses pulling the vehicle, keeping their pace steady. Maneki sat in the carriage, staring at Sly who sat across from her. There was a light blush on her face, her tail tip flitted this way and that below her in annoyed hesitance. "Why are you so tense? I'm not even doing anything." said the wolfox raising an eyebrow. "These clothes you had me dressed in...They're much fancier than anything I've ever worn before...I don't really think they suit me." she replied, motioning at the dress she was wearing. "I think it looks great on you." He replied. Her blush darkened a little at the compliment as she looked away, outside the carriage. "D-Don't think compliments will get you on my good side. S-So who is this colleague of yours that we're going to meet?" she asked, changing the subject. "His name is Lord Bartholomew. He used to be the warden of Hysang Prison. I'm sure you've heard of it." He said expectantly, his tone suddenly serious. "Of course I've heard of it. Every thief has. They execute more inmates there than anywhere else in the country. There's an old superstition that says if you went to that prison your days were numbered no matter your crime." explained Maneki a little uneasily. "That's only half of why it's famous. The other reason is the way inmates are executed. There is no hanging, beheading or any of the traditional execution styles there. There they have the prisoners run a gauntlet. It's a maze full of different trap runes that make different things happen. The goal of the prisoner is to make it to the other side of the gauntlet. If they can make it, then they are free to go. Problem is that there is only one person that has ever made it through the gauntlet alive." explained Sly. "Luck..." said Maneki a little absently. "Yes. Your partner." said Sly. "She's never talked about it, but I've heard stories float around about how she escaped the Hysang gauntlet no matter what was thrown at her." said Maneki. "An impressive feat to be sure." chimed in Sly a little absently. "So you're the one who places the runes in the gauntlet?" she asked a little more hesitantly. "No. I promised myself when I was young that I would never arm that horrible place with runes. My mentor and adoptive father on the other hand...Yes, he was the original rune master that armed and maintained the gauntlet. I mainly worked with security and control runes. The Warden took note of the skill I showed and began to commission me to make those runes for the prison. Collars for the prisoners with runes embedded to keep them in line. He's called me to his castle today because he's gotten a couple of thief announcements that his castle is being targeted for theft in the near future. He wants to beef up the runic security in his castle. I'm going to see what he wants done." explained Sly. "And why have you brought me along Master?" asked Maneki curiously, that title still making her tail twitch with slight annoyance. "What? You were enjoying being cooped up in my castle? I thought you'd appreciate the fresh air." He said with a smile that annoyed the feline to no end. "In all seriousness though Kitty, if you remember or take to heart nothing else I have said this entire ride, remember this. Lord Bartholomew is a dangerous man. He's a bit unstable. If you find yourself alone with him make sure you tell him that you are my pet. Understand? You are my pet, NOT my slave." said the wolfox with such a stern tone that Maneki shook for a second. "Y-Yes Master. I'll remember." She said confused.

An hour later the carriage pulled up to a large castle, a bit bigger than Sly's. "There it is. Now Kitty when we go inside I want you to pay attention to everything you see. This isn't just a field trip. You'll be quizzed later on some of the layout of the castle." said Sly semi-jokingly. Maneki only scoffed a little at his tone as the carriage came to a stop. "And I know this goes without saying, but no stealing." He said. "I know...Master." She replied. Honestly after where stealing had gotten her lately, thievery was the last thing on her mind right now. The carriage door opened, letting in the bright light of the sun. Sly stepped out of the carriage first, and turned to help Maneki out, taking her by the hand gently. Maneki blushed as she was led out of the carriage, feeling more important than she ever had in her life. Before them stood a female canine, an arctic fox. She had pure white fur, bright amber eyes, long black hair, and a black "sock/glove" fur pattern on her hands and feet up to her elbows/knees. She wore semi-tattered clothing that looked like it had been worn for a while. Maneki noted the state of her clothes before becoming aware of how she must look in comparison. She suddenly felt very overdressed; this feeling was only topped by the surprise of what the vixen said next. "Welcome back Master Sly." She said with a small curtsy. "Master?" asked Maneki in thought before noticing the white collar around the girl's neck. It was almost hidden in plain sight on her fur. "Amber. It's nice to see you again. How have you been?" asked the male in reply. "Things haven't changed much here I'm afraid." She replied a little somberly. "I understand. I'm sorry." He replied truthfully. "Don't worry about it. Who is your cute guest?" she asked changing the subject to Maneki. "Well go on Kitty, introduce yourself." He prodded. "Um...My name is Maneki. I'm...Master Sly's pet." Replied the calico a little uneasily. She could have sworn the words were going to get caught in her throat as she said them, but she was surprised at how smoothly the phrase came out of her mouth. "You're Master Sly's pet? My name is Amber. It's very nice to meet you." said the vixen. Maneki almost took a step back, seeing the admiration and playfulness in her eyes. "Amber, why don't you show Maneki to the guest quarters for now while I meet with Lord Bartholomew? Is he in his study?" asked Sly. "Yes, Master is in his study as usual during the day. Come on Maneki. I'll show you to the guest quarters." Offered Amber taking the feline by the hand and pulling her along into the castle. Sly watched the two females leave and took a deep breath. "The quicker I get started, the quicker I'll be through with this visit. Let's get this over with." He said as he took a step into the castle. As he did so, a shadowy figure moved from under the carriage, slipping into the castle quickly.

Lord Bartholomew stood reading a scroll in his study when the door creaked open, drawing his attention. "Lord Bartholomew. Your guest has arrived." Said the guard leading the wolfox in. "Ah Sly. Nice to see you again." Said the stout but tall lion male upon seeing his guest. "Lord Bartholomew. Always a pleasure to be summoned to your humble abode." Replied Sly with a bow. "You can drop the Lord titles around here lad. I've been doing business with your family for years now. Just call me Bart." Said the lion with a hearty chuckle. "Very well. Why don't we get down to business? What exactly were you looking to have done?" asked Sly. "Well here is...Wait...Where is Amber? She should have greeted you at the entrance. I'll see to it that she is punished severely for this shirking of duty." said the feline before Sly's eyes narrowed quickly. "Amber is busy at the moment. She met my carriage at the gate and is now escorting my guest to one of your guest quarters. Please forgive her. It was my request." explained Sly. "Oh. Well then that's fine. As the message I sent you stated I've been receiving threats, warnings really that my castle may be under the target of thieves. I want to make sure my magical security is as strong as it can be. And I know that your runes are the best quality around. So here are the areas I'd like you to set them." explained the lion pulling out a map of the castle grounds. Sly watched carefully as his client laid out exactly what types of runes he wanted and where to place them.

"Are you really Sly's pet?" asked Amber as she walked with Maneki through the halls. "Yes, unfortunately." replied Maneki. "Unfortunately? Sly is the nicest Master I've ever known. How can that be unfortunate?" asked Amber confused. "It's a long story. But how is Sly your master? Don't you belong to the Lord of this castle? Bartholomew?" asked Maneki curiously. "Oh. It's one of Master Bartholomew's rules. Anyone of high status or is a personal friend of my Master I have to call Master as well or Mistress. Anyone else I call Sir or Madame." Explained the vixen. "I see. How long have you been here?" asked the calico next. "Since I was young; Maybe fifteen. I was sold along with my sister at an auction to pay off the debts of my mother. We were sold to Master Bartholomew and this is where I've been for the past 8 years." said Amber absently counting on her fingers. Maneki's eyes shot open as she noticed something suddenly; a glowing rune on the vixen's right wrist. "I've seen this before." She thought, grasping the canine's wrist softly. Amber winced a little at the touch suddenly. "This is that rune that Sly used on Kara the other night; the one that turns pleasure into pain and distributes it over time to the victim." said Maneki remembering. "Pleasure? There is nothing pleasurable about this horrible thing." replied Amber indignantly at Maneki. "But I've seen it before at Sly's castle." said Maneki. "Must be some other rune. I should know that there was no pleasure in obtaining this mark." Said Amber almost angrily, turning away from Maneki. "I...I'm sorry Amber. I didn't mean..." said Maneki before noticing that the clothes on the vixen's back had a red tint to them. "It's okay Maneki. I should really get going before Master misses me. I'll be back to fetch you when Master Sly is ready to leave." said the vixen standing and leaving the room suddenly. Maneki looked around the large room. It was very nice for a guest quarters. Almost as big as the room Sly had allowed her to sleep in the first couple of nights in his castle. She took a look out the window and noted the beautiful surroundings. At least the room had a good view. A chill went up her spine though as she thought about the red tint on Amber's clothes, the rune on her wrist, and how she regarded Sly as opposed to her own Master. "Sly had said that he wouldn't be long right?" she thought to herself. It genuinely surprised her that she wanted him to come back soon. But there was something about this place that she didn't like, something she could feel that wasn't right, and she had a bad feeling about being there.

"So in addition to the paralysis rune you mentioned on the map. I think a blinding rune would go nicely here so that they don't see the paralysis rune." Said Sly standing in the cellar with Bartholomew. "I see. That's a great idea. I'm glad I hired you for this job. I'll sleep a lot more confidently knowing that you handled the security Sly." Said Bartholomew. "It's an honor to be regarded so highly." Replied the wolfox. "I'll tell you what. You go ahead and map out any runes you think are necessary. I'll leave the entire layout to your design. I trust you completely." Said Bartholomew turning to leave the cellar. "You don't want to see where the runes are going to be placed?" asked Sly seeing him leaving. "I'll check the map. Make sure you mark them. Just let me know the final amount before you start on the work so I'll know how much. As for now I have some business to take care of upstairs, so I'll just leave you to your work." He said and with a bow turned once again to leave. Sly breathed a sigh as the lion closed the door to the cellar. "Well at least I get to work at my own pace." He thought as he took another look around the dark corridor, checking for good places for runes to go.

Amber walked through the hall away from the guest quarters. She was still shaking a little in pain. "Damn this rune. It hurt even more for her to touch me as softly as she did." Thought the vixen to herself looking at the glowing mark on her wrist. "Still in a bit of pain slave?" came a familiar male voice from behind her that made her shudder. She turned to see Bartholomew standing there, looming over her. "Y-Yes Master." She replied softly. "Where have you been?" he asked curiously. "I...was showing Master Sly's guest to one of the guest chambers." She replied. "I wasn't aware that Sly was bringing a guest. Who is it? What were they wearing?" asked the lion curiously, a small gleam in his eye. "Well her name is Maneki. She is wearing a fancy dress." Replied Amber truthfully. "Stop beating around the bush Amber. You know what I'm asking. Is she wearing a collar?" he asked seriously. Amber swallowed hard. She already knew where he was going with this. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "Y-Yes Master. She wore a collar. She is Master Sly's p..." "Well now, the pup finally acquired himself some property. I'll just have to go...introduce myself." he said in a tone that made Amber shudder. He stepped past the vixen as she reached out halfheartedly to try to stop him. She stopped short of touching him, knowing that there was nothing she could do once he'd set his mind on something. Tears ran softly down her cheeks as she thought quickly. Where was Sly? He could be anywhere in the castle by now, and Maneki was going to need his help soon.

Maneki sat in her room, staring out the window as the door opened slowly behind her. "Ready to go Master?" she asked eagerly as she turned, only to freeze as she beheld that the figure standing at the door wasn't Sly, but a feline she'd never seen before. "Who are you?" she asked warily. "You must be Maneki. I wasn't told how strikingly beautiful you were." He said as he stepped into the room. Maneki took a step back quickly. There was something about this lion she didn't like. "You don't have to be so apprehensive. I am the Lord of this castle. My name is Bartholomew." He announced, Maneki gasping softly at his name. "It's nice to meet you." she replied. "Why do you not kneel? That is basic slave behavior when meeting someone of high status." he said expectantly. "Slave? Oh I'm sorry. I am Master Sly's pet, not a slave." she replied calmly. "Pet? How pretentious. You are property. You seem to have not been trained properly. That or you've been coddled too much by Sly. In any case I'll have to teach you a lesson in how a slave acts towards superiors." he said suddenly, stepping forward towards Maneki. "Get back!" she exclaimed, unsheathing her claws and taking a swipe at his face quickly. He didn't flinch as he caught her hand quickly. "Where did Sly pick you up, the slave fighting arena? No slave should dare raise a hand at me." he said, suddenly landing a slap across her face before pulling her out of the room steadily. Maneki struggled against the stronger feline to no avail, her dress ripping as she stepped on it trying to stay upright. In the hall she was thrown to her knees before two guards. "This impudent slave needs a lesson she'll never forget. Soften her up a bit. Then I can teach her a lesson with my own instrument." He ordered them with a smirk. The two guards looked at each other before looking down at Maneki. The female hissed threateningly at all three males, her claws and fangs bore. For the first time she actually wished for Sly to be there. At their sides the guards each had a sword and a whip. They drew and readied their whips quickly, the leather weapons lashing down at Maneki suddenly. Maneki closed her eyes as she heard the cracks sound off, but opened her eyes when she felt no pain. She looked up to see Sly standing between her and the guards, having caught the whip ends in midair. The lion gasped as he saw this, completely taken aback. "Lord Bartholomew, What is going on here?" he asked; the anger could easily be heard in the wolfox's voice by the underlying growl escaping his throat. "I am teaching this slave to respect her betters." said Bartholomew in response. "That is my responsibility as her Master, not yours. Adding on to the fact that she is as I'm sure she mentioned to you, my pet. Not my slave." said Sly seriously. "What's the difference? You own her. She is owned property, and she should act like property should." replied Bartholomew. "Property...I see. That's all that matters to you. Well then I suppose there is nothing more to say here. Come along Kitty. We're leaving." said Sly. "Yes Master." said Maneki eagerly. "Leaving? But you haven't finished with the rune work I commissioned." said Bartholomew quickly. "Consider that commission cancelled. I knew you were low, but to let yourself sink so far is shocking. I've watched you progressively get worse over the years Lord Bartholomew. You went from a respectable warden to a downright sadist scoundrel. It had been getting harder and harder to bring myself to come here whenever you wanted to commission me for something, and this was the last straw. You may have known me since I was a kid, but you've shown me today how much you respect my family, me, and those I care about. You said that you trust me, but I see now, that I cannot trust you. You are the worst self righteous lowlife I've ever known, and I refuse to do business with you any further." said Sly releasing the whips and turning to leave; Maneki right behind him. The lion breathed heavily at his own thoughts. He didn't know what to say. He'd never been spoken to in such a way before. "Guards, seize those..." he started before Sly turned to look him in the eyes, stopping the lion mid-sentence. Sly's eyes were blood red, with yellow slitted pupils. Bartholomew swallowed hard at the look the wolfox was giving him. There was something menacing, other worldly in that look, daring the lion to finish his order. "I-I mean stand down. Let them leave." He said quickly, leaving Sly and Maneki to exit in peace.

"You're leaving already?" asked Amber seeing the pair heading for the carriage parking area. Sly turned to see the vixen looking a bit dejected at the notion. "I'm sorry Amber. I can't do business with your Master any longer." replied Sly truthfully. "I understand. Will I ever see you again Master Sly?" she asked in reply. "Of course. Here, a parting gift." he said as he handed her a small stone with a rune glowing on it. "Thank you Master Sly." said Amber softly, a tear falling from her eyes softly as she felt the glowing rune already working. Sly leaned down and kissed the vixen on the forehead before his carriage pulled up behind him and Maneki. "It was nice meeting you Maneki." said Amber truthfully to Maneki. "Likewise Amber." replied the calico feline.

The door opened and Maneki quickly climbed into the carriage. She gasped and froze for a second as she realized there was already someone in the carriage waiting for them. "Calm down Kitty. You've met him already." Sly smirked as he stepped into the cabin next and saw that his shadow was there waiting. "Did you find it?" he asked quickly. The shadowy figure gave a thumbs-up before taking its rightful place below the wolfox. Sly smiled as this happened. "Yes...Yes you did..." he said softly as the information transferred to his mind. Maneki looked really confused before Sly tapped the roof of the carriage, letting the driver know it was time to leave.

The carriage sped off, away from Bartholomew's castle and Maneki caught a last glimpse of Amber waving to them as they left. "What did your shadow find Master?" asked Maneki curiously. "Nothing you need concern yourself with now Kitty. Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?" asked Sly quickly, his concern taking her by surprise. "N-No he didn't. You got there just in time." she replied. "Good. I'm glad." he said truthfully. "I'm sorry I lost you your client." said Maneki solemnly. "Don't worry about it. He's not worth the time or effort. I never truly liked him at all." said Sly. "Then why did you continue to do business with him then?" she asked curiously. "You met her. Amber was the reason why." he replied. Maneki held a look of understanding on her face that was laced with a bit of confusion still. Seeing this he sighed a little and settled back into his seat. "I can see you're a bit confused. Get comfortable. We've got a long ride ahead of us. I'll tell you the story." he said as he looked outside the carriage, recalling the past in his mind.

"When I was young, my adoptive father would take me on business trips with him so that I could see what it was like to conduct business in the rune-crafting field. I learned a lot. I also met Lord Bartholomew this way along with his slaves. Amber was a frequent visitor to my father's castle as she was his messenger and always brought the payments owed for commissions. Although he dealt primarily with my father and the gauntlet upkeep, Bartholomew paid close attention to me and always asked how my own skills were progressing. He watched me grow up, and when I'd come of age Bartholomew began commissioning me to supply the prison with rune controlled collars. He invited me over for dinner a few times. I met all of his slaves. But Amber is the one I remember most. She was always the most friendly. And she always seemed to try not to let things get her down. I noticed a few years ago that her collar had a control rune put on it, but it was not of my design. Something in the design stuck out in my mind and I did some research on it. I checked out the collars on the other slaves as well and made a horrifying discovery. Bartholomew had been stealing the control collars from the prison to use on his slaves. Ordinarily I wouldn't have thought twice about this, but with the exception of Amber's, these runed collars were MY products...and I knew their effects." he said cryptically. Maneki stared at him as he talked. Her natural curiosity was absorbing all of this information in like a sponge. "The runes on the collars he was using on his slaves were deadly. Incineration, Electrocution, Asphyxiation. These collars were only meant to be put on the most dangerous of criminals to deter them from leaving their cells without permission. Each was tethered to a totem, and if taken beyond the set proximity from the totem they would activate, killing the wearer. Even Amber's was a deathtrap. You can imagine the shock and horror when Amber came to my father's castle a couple years ago with the 'great' news that Lord Bartholomew had begun allowing his slaves to choose to leave his castle and go free. It was a test. Choose to leave and you'd die. She was so happy when she told me that her sister had been given the chance the night before and had taken it. I could do nothing but shed a tear for her. And I did the unthinkable. To save her life...I told her the truth of the deal. Amber was distraught of course. But I told her before she left the castle that night that whatever happened, she couldn't do anything against Bartholomew. As horrible a person as he was, he still legally owned her. If she so much as raised a hand to him that would tip him off to the fact that she knew of his trick and he would probably kill her anyway. She would have to play dumb and stay there to stay alive." he continued. Maneki held a look of shock on her face as she heard the truth of this terrible man. "As time grew on all of his other slaves took the deal despite her warnings and she is his only one left. Unfortunately she now endures the whole of his sadistic tendencies as well. I promised her that I would do anything I could in my power to help ease her suffering. Did you see the stone I handed her before we left?" he asked. Maneki only nodded to his question. "The rune on that stone is a healing rune. It's stronger than, and will cancel out and overpower the rune you saw on her wrist." he explained. "I thought the one on her wrist was the same rune you used on Kara the other night when I saw it earlier." said Maneki a little sheepishly. "It's a variation. It doesn't have the first effect of turning the initial pain into pleasure. It just records the highest amount of pain felt and feeds it back to the victim over three days." said Sly to Maneki's disgust. "And I hate to say it, but things just might get a little worse for Amber now that Bartholomew is undoubtedly pissed right now." said Sly absently. "How did you know I was in trouble?" asked Maneki. "Your collar." said Sly simply. Maneki raised an eyebrow quickly at his statement. "My collar?" she asked. "Your collar has three special runes on the underside of it. One as you know robs you of the ability to remove the collar. Only I can do that. Second is the emotional link connecting us. When you feel strong emotion it's transferred to me via this rune." he said turning his right ear to face away from her, showing her the small glowing rune symbol on it near the tip. Maneki stared at it in amazement for a second before he resumed talking. "It's what let me know you wanted to and might attempt to kill me last night. And back at Bartholomew's castle I could feel that you were in distress and immediately went to find you. I met Amber in the hall and she pointed me your direction." explained the wolfox. "Oh." said Maneki understandably. "I hope Amber will be alright." she said softly, realizing that she owes the vixen a debt of gratitude as well. "Me too Kitty. Me too." replied Sly thoughtfully.

Time goes on as they continue to enjoy the ride together. Maneki looked around and came to realize there was a red spot on the floor. Looking up from where the small pool was she saw that it was coming from the wolfox's hands. "You're bleeding." she said quickly. "Ah so I am. Must have happened when I grabbed the whips. I wish I had noticed it before I gave Amber the healing rune stone. I would have used it then." he said before noticing that Maneki was moving towards him. He raised an eyebrow as she bent and silently ripped a strip of cloth from her dress. Carefully she tied it tightly around the cut on his left hand before doing the same for his right. "Thank you Kitty." he said as she finished. "It's nothing. Thank you for saving me earlier Master." she replied, not looking him in the eye as she moved back to her seat. A short while later and Maneki caught herself watching the wolfox as he read a book that was in the carriage. There was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. Something that set him completely apart from what she'd imagined him like when she first met him. She sighed as she decided to ask a question she'd been holding onto the entire return trip. "Master...Did...Do you really mean what you said before? About caring about me?" asked Maneki curiously. "Of course. Why wouldn't I have?" he asked quickly. Maneki quickly averted her gaze from him as he turned to look at her in question. "I-I guess you wouldn't say it and storm out if you didn't mean it. I was just wondering." she said sheepishly. Sly turned to look out the window again and Maneki cracked another small smile at her thoughts. "Perhaps there's more to him then I gave him credit for." she thought, taking a look out the other window and seeing the familiar, yet now imposing silhouette of Sly's castle a short distance away, the light from the sunset casting it in an orange glow. "Home sweet home. Now that we're back, I suppose we should check up on Luck then shouldn't we?" asked Sly thoughtfully. "Y-Yes Master." said Maneki suddenly remembering her friend's predicament. "But first we have to get you out of that ruined dress and into more...fitting attire." he continued with a smirk that all at once filled Maneki with a sense of dread again.