FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

 "The prince? The real, actual prince?" I am

visibly flabbergasted. This is a new one in my book.

 Rufus has the same old gritty look on his face,

but I'm sure underneath he's just as surprised as I am. "Don't look so

surprised," he says. "Sometimes royalty need things acquiring too. God knows

they have the money for it."

 I excuse Rufus for making my valuable service

sound like a flight of fancy and leap out of the tower to the roof of the opera

house. It's late afternoon and the streets in the richer quarters are still

busy and bustling. I can faintly hearing the chatter of distant citizens, like

a clamouring chorus of insects in the urban undergrowth. I'm heading past the

insects, past the Groves and further up the hill to the very top, where the colossal

violet walls of the Royal Citadel rise high over the city of Avalon.

 From all the way over at the opera house, the

place looks almost like a tiny hunting lodge on the hill. "I need to find an HQ

closer to my clientele," I mutter to myself as I bound across dilapidated

rooftops.

 Corrugated metal turns to shingles of stone

and slate, until I'm at the foot of the hill where the mansions of the Groves

line the cobbled street all the way up to the gates of the citadel. I can see

where I'm heading and could reach it easily on foot, but I could save a lot of

time by taking a slightly different mode of transport. Behind me there's a

horse-drawn carriage wheeling its way up the road towards the archway that

marks the boundary of the Groves. That's a pretty typical way for the

aristocracy to get around, but what catches my eye is the royal seal on the

horse's harness. They were going to be visiting the palace and if my luck held,

they'd be carrying me in with them. I put on a drunk act, stumbling along the

pathway muttering to myself. A little fall onto the road and the horses are

brought sharply to a halt. I slur an apology, move on and manage to sit myself

on a shelf at the back. With no windows back there, the guys inside are none

the wiser.

 The guards at the palace do their normal

checks around the carriage, but they don't find me anywhere. They can't be

getting paid much for their work, since they don't even bother to look for any

raccoon thieves hanging underneath. My tail would pay dearly from the splash of

all the grimy puddles, but I should be able to keep it out of sight while I see

to the prince. I'm rushing to the aid of Prince Erron, the younger brother of

the Prince Regent, Artemis. He's from the wealthy Crowley family, a clan of

dragons who've ruled over Avalon since as far back as my limited research has

taken me. He's decidedly less mature and less versed in rationality than his

older sibling, but aren't all royals at his age? It's cute, in a way.

 He doesn't see me snoop up into the deck chair

next to him. He's sat on a back porch of the manor house, overlooking a huge

portion of the grounds, while he sips fine wine and orders around his personal

servant. Something about that servant catches my eye - the twinkle of his huge,

weary eyes or perhaps his height. He can't be more than five feet off the

ground, including his great ears. Fennec foxes don't grow tall, but their whopping

satellite ears make up for it. He wears a little raggedy suit that looks like

it has never been replaced in the history of the city and he carries a silver

platter with a plethora of different snifters, tumblers and decanters on it for

all manners of different alcohols. His wrists are quivering under it.

 "What are you doing, boy? The brandy is all

gone! Get more!" Erron's sharp demands are followed by a sharp clip around the

fox's ear. He keeps the tray's contents balanced like he had a knack for it.

Like he's used to being slapped around. Right now, I just want to get this guy

out of here. I don't want him to have to suffer being Erron's slave any more. I

just want to...protect him from this. What am I thinking? Attachment during jobs

isn't something that's normally encouraged in my line of work. I suck it up and

tap Erron's shoulder.

 "Ah, Allison Towers I presume?"

 "Erron."

 He frowns. "You call me Your Highness."

 "Then you can call me Mister Towers."

Intimidation isn't my style, but it sometimes gets me a higher fee. And

besides, this dandy's not exactly in my good books right now.

 "I could say a single word and send you to

prison, Mister Towers."

 "Then I guess you'd have to wait to hire my

services," I remark, with a cheeky grin.

 He huffs. "Wait here."

 He wanders off into the mansion just as his

servant returns. I can't help but speak to him.

 "Hey," I say softly.

 He squeaks and looks up at me, eyes as wide as

the platter he carries. "U-uhm...hello..."

 "Don't worry, I'm just here to do a job for

Erron."

 "Master tells me not to talk to people..." he

mumbles, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

 There was a silence. "Do you like working for

him?" I ask. Silly question, really.

 He replies without missing a beat: "It is an

honour to be in the service of our great prince, His Highness-"

 "Forget the scripted response for a minute,

Erron's not here. Do you like it here? Just between you and me."

 He doesn't say anything else. I swear I can

see the words in his throat ready to burst out, but his lips are tightly

locked.

 I break the silence again - just one last

question.

 "What's your name?" I ask.

 He looks bewildered. "W-why?"

 "I'm interested!" I chuckle.

 "You wouldn't be interested in me..." He looks

down at the brandy swimming around in the decanter, as if watching bitter

memories in its surface.

 "Humour me." I give him my warmest smile and

he quickly glances back through the French windows to check for his master.

 "Benedict. Benny."

 "Benedict. I like that," I say. It's the

truth, too. That's a nice name.

 "No," he suddenly says, after another pause.

 "No?"

 "I don't like it here. I'm the worst treated

in the whole citadel. I just needed to come to Avalon and I had no money and I

met a sea captain offering me a place on his ship if I agreed to be an

indentured servant and when I got here, he sold me straight to Erron..."

 "Indentured servant? So you have a contract?"

 He nods. I sigh inside - maybe this means one

day he'll be free from this.

 "When does your contract expire?" I ask.

 He sighs. "Never. It was supposed to expire

two years ago, but he just paid off the sea captain and now I'm stuck here in

this-"

 I wink and shush him abruptly as Erron comes

striding back onto the patio. He drops a book on my lap. It's thick and

leather-bound and nearly gives me two dead legs.

 "Have you offered our guest a drink, boy?"

Erron booms, looming over Benny and smacking him again. "Offer him a drink!"

 I wince and wave off the offer, looking into

the book. It seems to be a book of myths and legends; it's got a new variation

on the Fountain of Youth and even descriptions of famous cryptids. Erron

directs me to a page deep in the bowels of the book, with the top corner folded

over. Typical princely disregard for such a gorgeous tome! I just stare at the

page...I don't even know if I was dreaming or awake, this is so ridiculous.

 "The Philosopher's Stone, Erron?" My face

screams weary disbelief.

 "Imagine it, Towers! Lead, tin, iron, turning

to sweet gold in my fingers!"

 I laugh. "You don't think this thing really

exists, do you? It's a fairy tale!"

 "I did my research before I enlisted your

services, Mister Towers. I think it's out there. There's a web of rumours and

speculation and they all seem to point to a place on the far coast, a ruin.

It's in there, Allison! I'm sure of it!"

 "The far coast? That must be hundreds of miles

away, I can't go that far!"

 "I think you'll find it a meagre distance when

you hear of the fee," he says, giving me a poor excuse for a sly smile. I have

to admit, that ticks me off a little. I'm a raccoon, we practically invented

sly. He leans in and whispers right into my face: "Immunity."

 The word reverberates around my brain for a

while and I fear I can't hold my poker face. I don't know if he'd even notice

the change in my expression - god only knows how much money he's lost at the

poker table. I can't go for this, can I? Chasing a legend across the whole continent

is unthinkable, but the thought of an easy retirement and a peaceful life at

the end of the road is enticing, to say the least. Immunity. That's the ultimate

treasure of the thief world. I catch Benny's gaze again. He'd never get a

peaceful life out of this arrangement, just more abuse. Since when did I

deserve it over him? I hadn't exactly been living an honest life.

 Come on Allison, shake it off. Morality isn't

my concern. I make a living my way, just like Benedict makes a living his way.

Well, Erron's way... Anyway, I deserve a good turn like this.

 It comes down to that one key question again.

How can I say I deserve a break when Benny's living like this?

 Something clicks somewhere in me and a

response breaks from my lips, almost without my input. "No deal, Erron. Chase

fairy tales on your own clock, not mine."

 There's no way I can hang around now, so I

make a swift exit. I don't even know where I'm going right now, but I skulk in

the shadows for a while and manage to cross the citadel. I take to the roofs at

the first sign that the guards are after me. The rooftops go high enough to get

me up and over the wall and down a tree on the other side, where a high grassy

hill takes me straight down into the Market District. From there, I half-walk

and half-sulk my way through the streets and by the time the stars are out

overhead, I'm knocking on Rufus' door.

 "Where's the party?" he says, looking bemused

at his late awakening.

 I push in past him and throw him his fedora

from the rack. "We have a job to do, Rufus."

 "The prince's job?" he says, still bewildered.

 "No, I turned that down. This is a personal

job," I mumble, knowing what was coming next.

 "Hey, you know the deal, Allison," he says,

raising his voice a little. "I help you with the jobs for clients and take a

cut, but what you want to steal in your own time is your business. What exactly

is it you're looking to steal on this 'personal job'?"

 My hands go in my pockets so he can't see my

balled fists. "Well, it's...a person."

 He gives me a look like he was about to get me

sectioned. "Allison, you're a thief, not a kidnapper!"

 "You don't get it, Rufus!" I cry,

gesticulating wildly just out of frustration at his lack of compliance. "We

need to get this guy away from Prince Erron's employment, it's terrible!"

 The jackal just laughs at me. "First you're

calling me in for a personal job, then it turns out to be a kidnapping, now I

find out you're planning to kidnap a Royal Hand!"

 I lean on a table to steady myself. I don't

know what's going on, but I was shaking. "Not a Hand, it's Erron's personal

indentured servant, long overdue his release. It's barbaric and unfair!"

 "Well, you know the deal," he holds his

ground, folding his arms. "I don't do your flights of fancy."

 I snap. Flight of fancy? This guy is living

like a prisoner, being trodden all over. The Regent probably doesn't even know

he's there, least of all the kind of treatment he gets. And Rufus is just going

to sit here like nothing was wrong? I jump on him and press him against the

wall. "Listen, Rufus! You were nothing before I cut you into the fencing

business. My reputation put you here and a bad word from me could put you back

in the gutter where I found you. You do this one job with me and then we'll go

back to your precious deal and I'll leave you alone. Understand?"

 He nods and collapses on a chair when I let

him go. I go back to leaning on the table and squeeze the edge to get some

tension out. What is going on? This isn't me. "I've seen you get obsessed with

cases before, Allison," he says, speaking softer now. "But this is different. I

hope this isn't gonna become a thing. You can't act like this, you're burning

up inside!"

 I turn to him. "Then that just shows you how

serious I am about getting this guy out of there."

 Rufus extends his hand and sighs. "One job,

then we're done here," he says. We clap hands and bump fists and that means the

game is officially on. "Let's party."

 "Window cleaners? At one in the morning?" The

guard raises an eyebrow as he stares at the moustachioed raccoon and his jackal

assistant, complete with buckets, sponges and a ladder.

 I put on my best fake accent. "Well, with all

the important guests His Majesty receives during the day, we agreed that it

would be better to clean the windows at night, so as not to mar his public

image, as it were."

 The guard raises his other eyebrow, but I

could see he can't be bothered to go consult anybody on this. "Okay, come in.

Just...stay where we can see you. Remember you don't own the place."

 We're in the citadel. I can't help grinning.

"Oh, I can't wait to get a chance to knock out one of those idiot guards!"

 "You seem to be in a better mood!" says Rufus.

 "Well, I think it's the buzz of being out on a

job again with a good friend. Don't get to go co-op very often!"

 "Try to keep it under control, buddy. I know

how you raccoons get when you're excited!"

 We prop the ladder up against the balcony of

one of the upper windows and I skip up the rungs while Rufus holds it steady. Prince

Erron's room - jackpot!

 He has a double room with two windows and two

balconies. I can see him asleep and I can even hear him snoring obnoxiously,

but no sign of Benedict. I decide it's best to let sleeping dragons lie and

signal down to Rufus. "Next window, let's go!"

 I jump across to the next balcony and let

Rufus steady the ladder before he joins me. I can see Benedict inside and it

wasn't pretty. He's sleeping on the floor, in a basket. A basket.

 "Erron!" I growl to myself. "He's

anthropomorphic just like you, you idiot. You don't get to treat him like a

feral."

 "Steady, Allison. We'll get him out," Rufus

reassures, getting out a sponge and passing the bucket to me. We had to clean

the windows a little, to make our disguises look a little more realistic, if

they could be called that.

 Squeeeeak.

Squeeeeak.

 I glance over and Rufus is staring at me.

 Squeeeeak.

 "Allison, you wanna wake everybody up? Put the

squeegee away!"

 "I'm just trying to make it look realistic!"

 "Alright, give me the squeegee." I reluctantly

pass it over to him and he drops it right off the balcony into the bushes. I'm

despairing now. "What's the problem? Nobody's gonna suspect a squeegee they

found in the bushes. It's not like it's monogrammed or something!"

 I shuffle a little and turn back to the

window.

 "Really, Allison? A monogrammed squeegee?"

 "Don't look at me like that, Rufus," I sigh.

"I have to have some way to tell what I've stolen and what's honestly mine! Now

come on, I need to slip this window."

 It was surprisingly easy to shimmy the window

open. I love beautiful old buildings like this, they're so easy to break into.

I drop in as silently as I can, but I don't think anything will wake up Erron

over the sound of his raucous snoring. Benny's eyes are already open, of

course. With ears like that, it's hard to miss anything!

 "M-mister Towers?" he whispers, cowering in

the basket.

 I crouch by his side. "Hey, Benedict! How's

things?"

 "Okay, I guess...are you here to steal

something?" he asks, propping himself up on his elbows. I can see a thick metal

shackle around his wrist, fixing him to the wall.

 "We're here to bust you out!" I can't say I'm

not excited, this being my first prison break and all.

 Benny gapes for a moment, shocked. "I can't

leave, master will...I'll get beaten up for sure!"

 "That's not a worry, Benny," I say, reassuring

him as much as possible. "We're getting you far away from here and Erron will

never find you! Just let me unlock this shackle."

 There was a light in his eyes like his dream

had just come true at last. Rufus cleans the window and keeps lookout while I

get my trusty set of lockpicks from one of the utility pouches inside my

waistcoat. With a bit of fiddling, I feel the pin click and the shackle drops

to the floor with a clatter like the lump that just dropped in my stomach. I

can hear rustling outside the bedroom door and to my relief, Rufus heard it

too. Benny stays in his basket as Rufus plants himself near the window, drawing

the guard in when he comes through the door. He takes a few steps and then I

grab him from behind, wrestling to keep my paws clamped over his nose until he

drops to the floor limp with a very satisfying thud.

 "You enjoy that way too much," Rufus whispers,

grinning and beckoning Benny to follow him out of the window. He takes a few

steps, then he turns back and picks up his basket.

 "You wanna take that with you?" I asked.

 "It's all I've got," he said quietly. "I guess

you get quite attached to stuff and it's the only place you get to escape."

 I sigh as I nod to him. I'm glad I'm here,

getting him out of here. I stare at the dresser to take my mind off it while

Rufus helps him get the basket out of the window. There's a pretty nice looking

pocket watch on the dresser, with a big Royal Seal set in gold and a long

ornate chain. Well, I might as well make a profit! That can go to the monarchy

fanatics overseas and they'll pay a truly royal price for it. Putting it in my

pocket, I hop outside and shut the window.

 We take a shadowy route back towards the tree

where I escaped the first time, since the guards at the gate won't appreciate

our suspiciously early exit. It's going to be quite a task getting there. We leave

the bucket and sponges stashed away in some bushes so we enough free hands to

carry the ladder and Benny's basket. Benny takes a last look back as we cross

the wall and sighs happily, hopping down the hill to the Market District.

There's a real spring in his step as we lead him back down to Rufus' house. I

think even the hardy jackal was pleased we'd freed this guy.

 Rufus quickly goes back into his house, probably

desperate to get back to bed for his beauty sleep. I stop him at the door.

"Rufus. I'm sorry." He looks down at what I'd put in his hand, confused. "You

can have this, I 'borrowed' it from Erron back there. Should compensate you for

the work and for putting up with me earlier."

 He smiled. "Thanks, man."

 "You could sell it overseas and get a big

buck, man. There's loads of merchants out there who-"

 "Allison. You may have got me this fencing

job, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing," he grins, winking.

"You need my help, you got it."

 He closes his door and was gone. I turn to

Benedict.

 "What are you gonna do now?" I ask, still

trying to overcome my concern now I know I have to leave him to make his way in

the city.

 He looks a little scared again. "I don't know,

I'm sure I can find something. Some new job or place to stay that's a little

nicer than Erron's place. And Allison...thank you."

 I dump my disguise in Rufus' front room and

set off back towards my den in the woods. It's a long walk, but nice and calming

under the stars. It strikes me after a while on the woodland paths - I did a

good thing tonight. A professional thief, doing a good thing to help someone

out. Maybe there's hope for me after all.

 I don't see Benedict again until the following

night. I'm staying in my den and keeping my head down, since I'm sure Erron

would have his guards out looking for me all day. An unconscious guard in his

bedroom and a monogrammed squeegee in the bushes don't exactly make a clean

footprint.

 It's not that interesting hanging around my

den all the time, but it gives me time to plan new heists or tinker with new

gadgets in the workshop. The sun is just going down when I light the fire and

curl up on my couch. It's the perfect relaxing evening by the fire, with the

rain pattering down on the windows and the rumble of thunder in the distance. I

don't know why storms sooth me, but they do.

 Knock

knock.

 What? I don't get visitors very often, what

with my den being hidden deep in the forest. I open the door and see

nothing...until I look down. Lo and behold, on my doorstep there's a soaking wet

fennec fox in a raggedy suit, dragging a wicker basket through the mud behind

him.

 "Benny? How did you get here?" I cry.

 "The jackal showed me the way...C-can I come

in?"

 I break down inside. "Yes, come in! Come in!"

I usher him in and set to work getting him dry. I get rid of his suit and wrap

him in towels and a red tartan blanket from the couch. His ears are drooping

low and dripping. It's a cute sight, in a sad way. All I can think to do now is

get him sat in front of the fire and get him a mug of the lavender-infused tea

I keep handy for these evenings. He has his feet up on the table to warm his

toes when I get back to the couch and I give him the mug. He looks at the brown

liquid for a minute and takes a little sip. Straight away his eyes light up! I

don't know whether to be happy or sad. I can tell from his great gulps that he's

never had tea before.

 "How long have you been with Erron?" I ask,

when his mug was empty.

 He sniffles a bit and looks up at me. "I don't

know...years. I was a teenager when I got to Avalon and I'm an adult now, even

though I don't look like one."

 "Well, height's not something you fennec foxes

do very well. At least you're cute!"

 He squeaks happily and blushes a little.

"I...meant to ask earlier," he starts shyly. "Why save me? Erron offered you

immunity, isn't that better than freeing me?"

 I stare at the flickering fire and ponder my

answer. "No," I say. "I'm always plagued by these sudden morality crises and

when I saw you there being treated so badly, I thought...why should I fuel this

guy's fire? He doesn't deserve whatever he wants from me. So I did something

else. I thought it was my turn to do a good deed for once! And about the

immunity, it's just the antithesis of the thief life. What would be the point

in doing what I love if the risk is all gone? I could just walk into a museum

during the day and insist on taking anything I want knowing they can't do

anything. That's no fun!"

 He giggles. "You saved me so you could keep

having fun?"

 "Not so I

could keep having fun. I saved you and I

can keep having fun!" I ruffle the fur on his head and he nuzzles his little

muzzle into my hand. He looks a little embarrassed after that.

 "I should leave, you've done enough for

already..." he says awkwardly.

 "You know I'm not going to let you go anywhere

in this storm," I say. "You can stay here tonight. I'm gonna go to bed now

anyway."

 He nods and to my surprise, he brings his

basket over in front of the fire.

 "You don't have to sleep in there, you know. I

have a spare bedroom, you're welcome to it if you want!" I offer.

 He sighs and looks back at his basket.

"I...can't. Not yet."

 I sit down by his side while he curls up under

my tartan blanket. The poor guy just doesn't know any different than this. I

suppose he needs some time to recuperate from it all. I put my hand on his side

and pat him, feeling the soft rise and fall of his breaths, and I smile. Maybe

he'd get his peaceful life after all.