Friend, Foe, or Slave

Chapter One: An Obscure Plot

Written by Omegawolf

Copyright © 2007 by Omegawolf, all rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this work by any means without the expressed written permission of the author, or hotlinking from another website without the expressed written permission of the author and BondoFox, is expressly forbidden. Similarity to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

It was the second month Kristen had been eating alone. For most of the meal, she just sat there, playing with her food, taking the occasional bite. She was a peasant in the fox kingdom, her mother had died and her father was recently hired as a royal guard, but what really bothered her was that she had not heard from her sister in so long. She knew her sister had been sent to help supply troops with food, and that unit was attacked. She didn't want to believe her sister was dead, but she cried herself to sleep some nights when she could not escape that fear.

She nearly fell back in her chair as the door quickly popped open, standing up with hope back in her eyes as she saw a fox female run through it.

"Tracy!!!"

She ran quickly to her sister, wrapping her arms around her tightly, dripping tears on the returned fox's shoulder. It was obvious Tracy had a much more important reason than a reunion as she came through the door, but she quickly came to tears and a tight embrace herself. She tried to forget it all, just for this moment...

"Where have you been? I've..."

"We'll talk about it later, Kristen."

Tracy broke the hug and placed her paws on her sister's shoulders.

"Kristen, do you remember where the hideout dad constructed is?"

"Well... yes, but..."

"I thought he was crazy when he made it, but it turns out we may need it."

"Wha... Need it? Why? What's happening?"

"The raccoon army has taken bordering cities--"

"Yes, that's what the king agreed to. It was done peacefully."

"Yes I know, but they are still advancing. King Alex lied to us. He plans to take over our entire country and enslave us all."

"...Backstabbing bastard..."

"Listen, we can't waste any more time. They'll be on us soon. You have to go to the hideout and stay there. There's plenty of food inside so--"

"Wait, what about you?"

"I have to go warn our father and king, and... I have something that will potentially end this conflict for good. Don't worry about me, you just go. I'll be there with you soon after."

"But..."

"Just go, GO!"

Kristen nodded and quickly left the house in the direction of the secret shelter her father had made. She repeated the directions to it in her head again and again. It was halfway between this town and one that would surely soon be taken over by the raccoons, so she had to hurry. She was certainly scared for herself and her sister, but Tracy had always taken good care of her. She knew she would be ok if Tracy came through. She stopped in front of what would look to anyone like a rock wall, noting the pattern of the trees, comparing it to what her father had told her. She lowered herself to her knees, counting rocks and pushed one inside. She quickly crawled in and started working on a fire, placing the rock back into the hole when she no longer needed the light from the outside.

Fear continued to swell in her mind, but she felt a little better knowing her sister was safe. She tried to calm herself as she took an unused torch from the wall and lit it in the fire. She placed it back on the wall, looking around the place. Sure enough, there was enough food here to last them at least a year. Not very good food, probably, only that which wouldn't spoil in that amount of time, but she felt that it was a small price to pay to stay away from the invading raccoons.

Meanwhile at the castle, Tracy had been explaining the situation and her story to the king. For once, she was grateful of her father's position as it gave her easy access to the throne room, but she still didn't like that he couldn't spend much time at home anymore, though soon it wouldn't matter anyway. King Victor turned to the guard that was Tracy's father with questioning eyes.

"It must be true. She would not lie about something like this."

"Hmm..."

The old king stood up and walked over to Tracy who kneeled immediately, though doing this reminded her of how she mistakenly trusted King Alex.

"No, no, don't kneel to me. Stand up."

Surprised, she looked up at the king with questioning eyes. A king NEVER treats a peasant as an equal

"Shall I command you to? Stand, please."

With hesitation, she stood to her feet and lowered her eyes, to which the king responded by placing a paw under her chin to lift her head.

"You, Tracy, are now the queen of our country."

The room went silent. Some, including Tracy, did believe the king had lost his mind. Tracy was the first to speak.

"S-Sir! Y-Your majesty!.."

"You will call me 'Victor' now."

"V...Vic...tor... can you... even do that... and... why me?"

"You know exactly why you."

"No I don't. This is insane… sir…"

"Think about it, Tracy. Think about what you're carrying."

She looked around the room, her mind racing with questions and anxiety, having no idea what to do if she accepts this position, but still, a part of her tells her she must. The king rests two paws on her shoulders, the rest of the room still silent.

"If what you tell me is true, only you can unify us. You can end the conflict. You have the means to do so now... I can't be king anymore. Policy no longer matters; the royal blood in my veins no longer matters. This country is doomed and only you can save what will soon remain of it."

"But... but what can I possibly..."

"You must first put the right people in the right places. Who is the king of the raccoons now?"

Her eyes suddenly centered on the king as if she suddenly understood him. Seeing this, the former king nodded and smiled. Tracy's mouth, which had been hanging open through the entire conversation finally closed, and she knew exactly what must be done, and indeed she was the only one that could pull it off, and do so she must. She nodded quickly. The entire room remained silent, but they trusted their king, and knew it would be in their best interests to go along with this plan, no matter how outrageous it may sound. Tracy closed her eyes and took a few deep, slow breaths.

"What of the badgers?"

"I sent a messenger to them as soon as the messenger from the raccoons left, just in case something like this happened. They won't attack the raccoons, but they have agreed to accept refugees from our country."

Tracy sighed in relief.

"Well that's one major problem solved..."

She paused for awhile, wondering if she would ever get used to having people waiting for her to tell them what to do. She took a few more deep breaths, and then turned to her father.

"Dad, where is this Hans you were telling me about."

The guard turned his head, and Tracy followed his gaze to meet the royal assassin, at least seven feet tall, a white feather stained with blood hanging from one of his wrists, and wearing a solid black robe.

"I figured you would require my services. I'm assuming this Ian is among the targets you w--"

"No, I don't want Ian dead."

"You.. don't?"

The king smiled and chuckled a bit.

"You catch on quicker than I thought."

Tracy almost cracked a smile at that compliment, but continued to address the confused assassin.

"Ian must not die. I only require a single job from you."

"Yes, but while I’m doing this job I could--"

"Killing Ian isn’t an option, Hans! ...I hate him... as much as you think I do... but revenge isn't the issue here."

"...Alright... then who do you want killed?"

"King Alex."

"What?!"

"I want King Alex dead as soon as possible."

"But Queen, if I kill Alex, Ian will become king. Why would you want Alex dead more than Ian?"

"Hans, please understand... this isn’t about want. I'm not asking you to fulfill my personal desires. To save our people, Alex must die... and as much as I want to see him dead, Ian must live."

Victor walked up to Hans, patting the large fox on the shoulder.

"As I said before. Putting the right people in the right places."

"I think I understand now. Forgive me, your majesty."

"You don't answer to me anymore, Hans."

Tracy spoke with a slightly trembling voice.

"Go now, Hans. Help us secure our future."

Hans bowed his head slowly to the new queen, which she had to look away from at this point, not used to being in any kind of position of power. Her mind continued to race, but she tried hard to calm her mind with slow breaths as Hans made his way to his room to gather his weapons and supplies.

"Alright... we'll flee to the badgers' country and wait for word of King Alex's death. Dad... um..."

"Don't worry, Tracy. Everything will be fine."

"You know how the military is set up, right?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"I want you to... um..."

"Tracy..."

He walks up to his worried daughter, hugging her tightly, the two just standing in silent embrace for awhile. This helped Tracy a great deal to better cope with her new tasks. He breaks the hug and places his paws on her arms gently.

"I trust you. Just tell me what I can do, alright? I trust you."

"Th... Thank you..."

She let out a deep, slow breath, imagining to herself all the anxiety following the exhaled air.

"I want you to be in charge of getting as many of our people to the badger country as quickly as..."

Her eyes grow wide as she suddenly remembers...

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Kristen!"

"Where is she?"

"At your shelter!"

"I'll send someone to get her."

"Yes, please!"

All Kristen could think about was her sister. She trusted her sister, but couldn't help but think that she should have stayed in the cave with her. If the raccoons were as close as she said, she would have to sneak past them to get to this shelter. She sat there staring at the fire that was slowly burning out, leaving only the one torch as light. The other torches should be used one at a time.

She gasped out of her thoughts as she heard something outside.. some shuffling. She kept listening... it sounded like someone just stopped in front of the wall. Her only thought was that it must be Tracy trying to find the stone. Without hesitation, she quickly pushed the stone out, seeing nothing but black feet outside, someone sitting next to the cliff. She suddenly stopped, her stomach turning as the feet move, and to her worst fear, a paw, not one belonging to a fox, slams down on her wrist, gripping it firmly. Her eyes widened as she screamed in panic and tried to pull herself back into the cave, but her strength was no match for the male raccoon soldier's. The stone is kicked out of the way and her body slides along the ground, pulling her top half out from the opening to greet a smirking male face.

"Well, now, what have we here?"

Kristen just stared with wide eyes, silent but for her heavy breathing.

"Hmm... you may just be what I need to earn points with the king's advisor... maybe a promotion... ah, but I should test you first."

Kristen still didn't speak, but as the soldier lifted his lower armor, reveling the bulge in his tights, and soon the contents as he lowers them over his fully erect shaft, hooking them under his white, fuzzy testicles, she immediately tried to squirm back into the hole, trying to escape the raccoon’s grip.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

She felt herself being pinned to the ground by a cold, armored boot between her shoulders. She continued to scream, hoping someone would come and help her as she saw the tip of his hard cock coming towards her, brushing against her muzzle as she then clamped her mouth shut, trying to pull her head away and refusing to have it pass her lips. The raccoon only chuckled and removed his gauntlets, firmly gripping her muzzle with both paws, prying her muzzle open with more force than she can fight. She only screamed as she felt the tip as it was placed against her tongue. She gagged and tried to move her head away as the cock pressed into her throat. She struggled even harder as the soldier placed his knees on her arms and started fucking her throat. In a panic she thrashed about harder, not able to breathe or push his hips back. He only gripped her jaws harder as he murred with growing pleasure.

"Well hello there..."

To the vixen's horror, another male soldier had shown up, but she was at least a little grateful as her captor then removed his cock from her throat, a hard gag and coughs following behind it. You could almost hear the smirk from the other male as the first pulled her out of the cave, placing a knee against her back.

"Let me go! Please!"

It was obvious from the start, however, that they weren't going to let her go before taking advantage of her. The standing male began to remove his armor, which of course brought more fear into the eyes of the captive vixen.

"No! please! Don't do this!"

The soldier on top of her only responded by ripping shreds of her dress from her, his claws scraping her fur quite uncomfortably. Breathing heavily, every attempt to squirm away brought a knee down onto her back and another on one of her arms. She continued to squirm though there was nowhere to go.

"Hold her."

The weight shifted, the other male lowered his body on top of her. She could hear him chuckle and she gasped as she felt the warm, thick shaft now resting against her back. She begged and squirmed as she heard the other dropping his armor and clothing onto the ground, in a panic as the idea of losing her virginity to a couple of raccoon soldiers against her will pierced her mind. The squirming never stopped. The fear kept her energy from running out, though it didn't help her.

She soon felt the weight shifting on her again, rolling with the second raccoon soldier until she was laying on her back on top of him. Before she could react the larger one grabbed her wrists tightly, quickly tying a rope tightly around them. The ropes were tied tight quickly, and she could not loosen them or slip her wrists free. Her attention quickly turned back to the larger male, who was descending on her. With a terrified scream, she placed both her footpaws onto his chest, but they were soon spread again so that he could get in between them, sliding his arms into hers so that her arms were soon tied around the body of her larger rapist.

Another scream filled the air as she felt her cunt being penetrated for the first time, but that wasn't all that was penetrated. Without warning, she felt another cock shoving its way past her anal ring, painfully pressing onward into her body. Her eyes grew wide and her struggles more energetic, but just as useless, as two cocks began slamming back and forth into her body at both entrances. Though she was sure no one would come, she screamed out for help and shrieked as the pain grew more intense, her helpless body being used for the first time. The smaller of the two males, the one under her, moaned as the tightness of her anal ring clenched harder on his invading shaft. The larger male chuckled at the shrieks and cries for help, murring as his cock invaded and stole pleasure from her unwelcoming inner walls.

The terrified fox's heart pounded harder in her chest as she found she could not move, helpless to be used painfully and thoroughly by her two captors, taking her virginity in a most frightening way. There was no one to help her and no way she could stop them. She felt both cocks eventually throb and finally stop, pulsing and spurting their seed into her abused insides, both males murring and growling with pleasure as they finish up, leaving a helpless vixen trapped, sobbing at the forceful loss of her virginity.

Back at the castle, Hans placed his blade into his sheathe and made his way down the steps. The only ones left in the royal hall were the former king and very few royal guards.

"Majesty, why haven't you left yet?"

"Hans... I'm not leaving."

"What?"

"The raccoons must think they have won."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Our new queen and the others have gone to the badger country. It was hard to convince them that this must be done, just as I suspect it will be hard for me to convince you."

"...You don't mean..."

"I've lived long enough. I can't convince these guards to leave either. Hans... I'm tired. I'm tired of war, and I'm tired of politics."

"...And no matter what I say, I’m assuming there's no way to stop you."

"Absolutely not."

"Then... take as many raccoon invaders with you as you can."

"Heh, that I will."

Hans paced quickly to the former king, embracing him in one last hug, holding back tears.

"I..."

"Go, Hans. Eliminate Alex."

Hans broke the hug and after one final look into the king’s determined eyes, started towards the door, not looking back. His love for King Victor made him long to look back, but he resisted, keeping his mind focused almost entirely on his mission.

It seemed as if it were a much longer walk this time, leaving the castle. The foxes would have to flee to the bordering country of badgers to escape the raccoon military, leaving behind the ones who had already been enslaved. He still didn’t understand why it wouldn’t be more beneficial to eliminate both the king and the advisor. Surely it would create a vacuum of power, effectively weakening the threat of the raccoons, at least for awhile. Long enough to build up their forces, perhaps. However, the king’s methods have always been effective, as indirect as they may have been. Surely he couldn’t have gone insane so suddenly. The more he walked, making his approach to the raccoon kingdom as obscure as possible, the more he had to convince himself that the king knew what he was doing. He had to eliminate King Alex, and only King Alex.

His footsteps ceased as the first raccoon city came into view. He perked his ears and listened carefully. He could faintly hear the mumbling sounds of the daily lives of the citizens in the distance, but that wasn’t what his attention was focused on. With a quick movement, he slipped his dagger from its sheathe and hurled it powerfully and noisily into a nearby tree. A loud yelp soon followed as a young raccoon fell back in surprise, trying to scramble to his feet before the larger, leaping fox pinned him effectively to the ground, quickly reaching to the dagger and pressing it to the young male’s throat. He stared into the scared raccoon’s eyes, a raccoon probably not in his twenties yet.

"Oh God don’t kill me, please!!"

"Calm down, boy! There’s no point in killing you unless you do something stupid… Spying on me nearly qualifies."

"I was hiding! I wasn’t going to tell anyone! I swear!"

"I would hope not. I have no desire to kill more than I have to."

With that, Hans slowly lets the boy up. With heavy breaths and a slight whimper, the small raccoon lifts himself from the ground.

"S-So, you’re letting me go?"

"No."

"No? But.. but you said—"

"That I wouldn’t be killing you. I don’t plan on it, but I can’t let you go until I’m moving again. As it is, I’m about to set up camp for the night. You’re going to stay here."

"Y… Yeah… yeah I understand. I won’t try anything."

"Not if you want to live."

"R-Right…"

Hans gripped his captive’s arm, pulling him over to a nearby tree with a length of rope. The boy made no attempts to resist as Hans tied his arms behind him, and brought the rest of the length around the tree.

"When… can I go home?"

"In the morning."

"Alright…"

As the night passed, The young raccoon tried his best to get comfortable, at least as comfortable as he could get while tied uncomfortably up against a tree. His captor slept nearby, his dagger clutched in his fist, as if ready to defend himself suddenly if the need should arise. He was getting sleepy, though unable to sleep sitting up against a tree, not to mention the large fox that had put him in this position.

His ears perked up suddenly as the sound of a cracking twig interrupted his thoughts. He looked out into the night, spotting slight movement in the distance. Whoever it was, they were coming in his direction. They were… city guards! His eyes widened suddenly. His mind accelerated in thought. If they found this fox camped outside the city, only one of two things would happen; they would kill him, or he would kill them. Bloodshed certainly didn’t have any appeal to him, so he whispered out as loud as a silent whisper could be.

"Hey!... Fox!…"

Nothing… He reached out with his toes, gripping a stick between them and flinging it out, hitting the assassin in the nose. Hans sat up suddenly, gripping his dagger defensively while his eyes darted around. As his senses came back to him, he noticed the raccoon boy, throwing his head in the direction of the guards. Hans gritted his teeth, having recklessly left his supplies lying all over the place. He jumped up and hid himself behind a large tree, ready to strike. He certainly couldn’t leave all his supplies behind. That would make it necessary to enter the raccoon city, something he’d much rather have avoided.

The two guards rushed to the campsite, swords at the ready as they approach the young raccoon tied against the tree.

"What’s going on here!"

The captive boy started to speak, hesitating obviously in his reply, then sighing and chuckling softly as Hans waited silently behind the tree.

"Well I… I’m sorta… playing with my girlfriend…"

"Oh!.. really…?"

The other guard sheathed his weapon, lightly chuckling, himself.

"Yeah, she forgot her campfire kit at home. She should be back any time now."

"Well ah… I guess we’d better get going then. Uh… Have fun…"

The other nodded and they moved back towards the city, discussing the encounter as soon as they believed they were out of earshot. A relieved Hans moved out from behind the tree, sitting down next to the just as relieved raccoon.

"So why did you help me. Surely you know by now we’re at war with you people."

"Yes but… I personally don’t buy King Alex’s story about the foxes coming to enslave and exterminate us."

"Is that what he’s saying?"

"Yeah he also says that you’re trying to revive ancient weapons. The same weapons the humans destroyed themselves and most of the planet with long ago."

"So he’s using the war to make the citizens look at him as some kind of hero…"

"Maybe… I never really believed him, but the other day I was visiting my friend to the northeast. The soldiers ran everyone out… they’ve made it into some kind of prison… they’re doing to your people exactly what King Alex says you’ll do to us…"

"I see…"

"They turned me away, but as I was leaving, I heard… screams… and scared voices… they were…"

He fell silent, not wanting to say anymore, trying to hold back tears. Hans nodded slightly. This boy would probably never recover from the things he saw and heard there.

"My name is Hans."

"I… I’m Todd."

Meanwhile, as the morning began, a small group of raccoon soldiers were on the move to the captured capitol city of the foxes. The war had ended quickly, with little resistance. The remaining cities were nearly empty and the holdouts were imprisoned, enslaved, even tortured and killed, this fact known only to select groups within the raccoon military, at least until the prohibited slave trade could be made legal once again. This small unit was on its way to support the defense of the fox capitol.

"Hey Shane, you’re forgetting your water canteen."

"Oh! Thanks, Brian. Heh, I’ll bet mother’s glad you’re with me."

"That she would be. Some kinda… older brother… responsibility thing, I suppose."

"Yeah well.. I’m just glad we didn’t have to fight much. Actually better for her to believe we didn’t fight at all. No reason to get her worried about the next time something like this happens."

"I guess so. Just give it time. These damn slavers never give up. We’ll be fighting them again soon enough, even if it’s not an all-out war as this one was."

"I suppose you’re right. They’ve abandoned their country. No doubt they’ll come back at us; enslave any vulnerable traveler they can get their paws on."

Brian is about to respond when the whooshing sound of arrows interrupted all dialog. Several raccoons fell to the ground before they could realize where the arrows were coming from and scramble to find cover, holding shields over their heads for protection. As the raccoons fired their arrows back into the trees, more foxes poured out of the forest, engaging the ambushed unit in battle.

Swords clanged against other swords and armor, arrows whooshed back and forth, many on both sides began to fall before the element of surprise was lost sooner than the foxes expected. The raccoons began finishing off the attacking foxes, but the remaining fighters continued, not retreating and not surrendering. As the battle began to slow down, the raccoons on the opposite end from the fighting began looking for surviving wounded, including the two brothers, Brian and Shane. The slow down came too soon, however, as a lone fox warrior thought dead stumbled to his feet as weapons were being sheathed and penetrated the flesh of an unknowing Brian. He gasped loudly before pulling away, sword still inside. Shane’s stomach turned at this sight as he quickly dropped the fox with a well-placed arrow, running to catch his falling brother and lay him on the ground. Brian’s face was filled with pain, but quickly enough, that pain looked to be gradually getting less obvious.

"Brian! Brian hang in there! Don’t—"

"Sh-Shane… Th… they’re not…"

"Come on! stay with me!"

"Th… they’re not… s… slavers…"

"Brian!... Brian!!!"

There was no answer. The pain began to look more and more like weariness, and then the life seemed to disappear from his older brother’s eyes. Seeing this caused Shane’s eyes to fill with tears.

"No…"

It didn’t make any sense. For the duration of his realization that his brother was dead, he hadn’t made a connection between the senseless continuation of the attack, even as the battle was going badly for them, and Brian’s last words. If they were indeed slavers, they would have withdrawn as soon as they realized they couldn’t win, but they fought to the last. They were more desperate than slavers would be, and more eager to die. Shane wouldn’t make this connection until later. His every thought was clouded as he held Brian’s body in his arms.

"Shane?"

Shane looked up slowly, his wet eyes meeting others, of sympathetic acquaintances of the two.

"Shane are you alright?"

"No, I’m not!"

Two soldiers kneeled down next to the young one, rubbing comfortingly at his shoulders, which Shane welcomed.

"Shane, let’s leave this area, and then we’ll talk, ok? We’ll ask the captain to give us some time before we leave. He’ll understand."

"No… no… I can’t do this anymore…"

"Can’t do what?"

"I can’t fight anymore… I’m no use to the captain, or my country anymore. I just can’t do it anymore… I’m going home."

"By yourself?"

"Yes… I’ll be ok, but not if I stay here."

"Alright… we’ll stay with you to our last campsite."

"Thanks guys…"

As the evening approached, Hans and Todd were walking leisurely in the direction of the capitol city of the raccoons. As it would probably be another day before Hans reached the capitol, so he welcomed the company. As their conversations drifted away from the war and became more personal, Hans was discovering a developing fondness for the young raccoon. Todd sighed after a short silence.

"I just… wish there were something I could do. I mean a small act of defiance like turning those city guards away was good and all, but I wish I could do something more. Maybe if I were more like you—"

"Why would you want to be like me? You don’t even know what I’m on my way to do."

"Well I’ve got a guess. You’ve got more skill than I could ever dream of. And… well look at you! I bet the females never leave you alone."

"Well… I get my share of… offers."

"So you have a wife?"

"No."

"I see. Not looking?"

"Well there’s that and my complete lack of interest in females."

"Oh! So you’re…"

"Yes. That doesn’t bother you, does it?"

"Of course not. I suppose it’s a good thing you’re not attached to anyone, though. Our troops would have taken your capitol by now."

Hans stops suddenly, and it takes a few steps for Todd to realize he’s walking by himself. He turns to Hans, who’s got a slight smirk on his muzzle, crossing his arms.

"I never told you I was from the capitol. What makes you think I’m from there."

"Well I assumed so, unless you killed someone working in the castle and took that ring you have on. Somehow I don’t think that’s your style."

"Uh-huh and how do you know what this ring represents."

"Like I said, I never bought into the king’s lies. Before the war I would take my earnings and walk to other fox cities to see what the shops had and stuff like that. I’ve even been to your capitol."

"Then you’re a very informed raccoon. Not only that, but you have a much kinder heart than most people I’ve met, even in the royal court. You should be happy with who you are. Truth is, while you’re envying me, I envy you."

"Oh… that’s nice of you to say…"

"And if you want to do more to help us, I may have something for you."

Todd’s eyes lit up. He wanted nothing less than to defy King Alex at every opportunity, and if at all possible help the victims and slaves among the foxes.

"Really? Yeah! What do you need?"

"I know the locations of cities our people were going to flee to after I left. If you could go to the kingdom of the badgers and find our new queen, I’m sure our people could use your help."

"M… My help?"

"Of course. Here… take my ring, and one of my arrows. If anyone who knows me sees this, they’ll trust you as much as I do now."

Todd stared at the two objects for a moment before taking them. He studied the arrow for a moment, trying to discover what was so different about it.

"Trust me, Todd, they’ll know. If you encounter someone who doesn’t know me, ask for Samuel. Given the circumstances, I doubt you’d have any trouble seeing him if you ask for him by name."

"Samuel?"

"Right. So are you comfortable with this? Can you betray your king?"

"I can hardly betray him if he was never my king to begin with… There’s no way I can refuse this. I’ll help you in whatever way I can."

Hans smiled, something rarely seen with him, as he patted the young raccoon on the back.

"I’m glad. Go now. We’ll meet again."

"I’ll hold you to that. Don’t go getting yourself killed."

The smile faded from the assassin’s lips, looking away and sighing slightly.

"I can’t promise that, but you can be sure I’ll do what I can. Go now."

Todd took a few steps away before turning to face the large fox one more time. It wasn’t often that he’d earn the trust of an assassin from the opposite end of the war. He’d certainly have a story to tell when he got back. He would make his way back home and gather supplies in secret, and then set off for the Badger Kingdom.

It was getting late. Shane hadn’t quite made it out of what was once fox territory. In one sense, he wouldn’t have minded if an angry fox were to jump out and kill him. He wasn’t making any effort to stay off the main road. However, something inside him, perhaps a piece of his brother still lingering in his heart, was telling him not to wish for death so eagerly. Somehow he knew there was something he had to do. If he were to die now, his brother’s last words would have been wasted on him.

This is as far as his thoughts got him before he heard footsteps coming from off the path. Quickly concealing his presence behind a tree, he slowly, quietly drew his sword, listening for the footsteps. Only one… maybe he would be able to question the approaching fox. As the footsteps approach the tree, he springs out, catching some surprised eyes as he pins… a young raccoon… to the tree with his sword held against the boy’s throat. His catch sighs slightly, less bothered by this than would be expected.

"Can I at least ONCE walk through the forest on my own without someone putting a blade against my throat?"

"Oh.. I’m sorry… wait… Todd?!"

"Yeah. It’s been several years, hasn’t it, Shane?"

"Four or five, at least."

"Yeah.. wow… hey where are you going? I thought you were in the military."

"I was… I’ll explain later, I’d rather not talk about it now. I’m going home. I have a lot to think about."

The two young raccoons came to rest at the base of the tree. Shane’s eyes moved to Todd’s thumb and stop.

"I’ve never seen a ring like that. Where’d you get it?"

"This? Well um… I got it from someone. Only fits my thumb though. I’m borrowing it."

"Borrowing a ring? Why?"

"Well I… I guess I can trust you, right? I mean you haven’t changed in the past few years, have you?"

"I don’t think so. Not that I can tell anyway."

"Alright… well I met a fox…"

"A fox?!"

Todd paused suddenly, a slight sign of disappointment in his eyes as he observed this sudden, negative reaction.

"I’m sorry… I guess I shouldn’t… well you’ve been fighting them, and all…"

"Wait, no.. no… Yeah, fighting them has kinda conditioned me to reacting that way. We don’t really get the chance to ask them any questions."

"So you don’t hate them, then?"

"It’s… hard to say… my last encounter with them wasn’t pleasant… but… something’s not right about this whole thing. King Alex says that they’re slavers, but… they don’t fight like slavers. I don’t think slavers would go after the military, either. It’s just not profitable to try to capture slaves that can fight back."

"You’re right. They’re not the slavers. We are."

"Us?"

"I mean us raccoons. I’ve seen and heard some things I’d rather forget… Well… this ring belongs to foxes who work in the royal court. I’m going to find them and help them."

Shane’s eyes went wide.

"Help them?! Are you mad?! Do you realize what will happen to you if anyone in our kingdom found out about this?"

"Of course I do! I thought about it right before I agreed to help."

"You could be killed! Do you realize this?!"

"I just said I know."

"Todd you can’t do this! I won’t let you!"

"Will you turn me in, then?"

"No!"

"That’s the only way you’re going to stop me. I’ve made up my mind. Death is a small price to pay."

"A small pr… Todd, you’re being reckless. You can’t just throw you’re life away for them!"

"And why not? Would you rather I throw my life away for someone of my own species?"

"I’d rather you didn’t throw you’re life away at all!"

Todd shakes his head, sighing unhurriedly to slow things down. He looks up into Shane’s eyes, allowing Shane time to realize there’s no talking him out of it.

"Shane… my mind’s made up. It’s my decision, not yours. I’m going to see the foxes, and I’m going to help them however I can. They’re planning something. I don’t know what, but I’m going to help them. You can’t win this one, Shane. You know how stubborn I can be. That’s why you left me, right?"

"Why would you sacrifice yourself for them?"

"I believe King Alex wants to use them to open up slave trade again. If he introduces them anonymously into the black-market, he can see how our people react. I mean if our people believe we’re making slavers into slaves… Listen, whatever he’s planning to do once this all settles down, a lot of the foxes have already been captured as slaves. They’re torturing them, raping them, even starting to breed them… This much I do know… because I’ve seen it. I want to help them free their people. I can’t see what I’ve seen and do nothing. I could never forgive myself."

Shane just froze. Indeed if this was allowed to continue, it would only get worse. He tried to speak, but each time, his words could not escape his throat for awhile.

"You… you’re only stubborn when you know for certain that you’re doing the right thing. No, they’re not slavers… that’s why they fought us so desperately. They didn’t want to lose, but they didn’t want to be captured alive, either. I’m sure I’d much rather have been killed than captured if I believed I was fighting someone who would capture me and sell me into slavery."

"So you fought them recently…"

"Yes… but just because they’re not slavers doesn’t mean… what if they kill you when you do find them?"

"In that case, they would have been instructed in the ways of treachery by the devil, himself. I don’t think they’ll kill me. I don’t think it’s their way. Even if it is, A raccoon working from within the system could very well be their only hope."

Shane placed a finger across his muzzle, looking down at the dirt, evaluating the position he and Todd are now in.

"I see… In that case, they will have two."

Todd’s eyes met Shane’s, full of surprise as a smile began to form on his lips.

"Alright then, I’ll continue on and find them, then I’ll come back and fill you in."

"Shouldn’t I go with you?"

"I’d rather go alone… besides, I think you would benefit from going home for awhile."

"Why do you say that?"

"I’ve seen that look in your eyes before… when your father died… you should go spend time with your mother until I get back."

"…You know, you’re not old enough to be able to read people like this."

"Well it’s… not that big a deal, especially since I used to live with you, you know?"

"It’s still impressive. Anyway… I guess you’re right… again… I’ll go back and rest and wait for you, ok? Just be careful."

"I will. Don’t worry about me."

"I can’t help it. I’m worried they might kill you."

"They’re not monsters. However, let’s just say they are. If they’re monsters, and we’re monsters, and this whole war is only one that puts in power the most ruthless of monsters, then I don’t think I want to live to see who wins anyway, let alone what is to follow. I’ve got nothing to lose."

"Well… I guess once you speak to them, you’ll know for sure. Just be careful…"

The night passes slowly. As Hans rested right outside the raccoon capitol, finding himself unable to sleep, he used his time to study the surrounding area. The wall seemed too high to scale easily and without being noticed. The only way into the city was through the front gate. Two guards stood watch at all times, and two backup guards seemed to also be present. Four guards, who would most certainly all want credit for capturing a fox causing trouble.

The sun was coming up. Hans was ready to make his first move. He didn’t know what he was going to do once inside, but he could figure that out once he was in. Although he didn’t ponder too deeply, he did try planning a means of removing the guards without killing them. He found no such options. This didn’t bother him as much as it would most. After all, his position and skills made killing a common and acceptable solution when he felt he had to. This was exactly what he was talking about when he told Todd he envied the young raccoon’s heart.

He watched the people entering the front gate. There weren’t that many travelers as early as it was… or late in the case of raccoons. A lone female caught his attention. A plan quickly formed in his mind. He moved in after putting on his robe and hood. He couldn’t just walk in. Someone as tall as he was would find it very difficult to hide his face. As he got close enough, he opened his paw and gave the female a firm slap on the rump, triggering a gasp and a growl, but as she turned to face the source of her harassment, her eyes widened as they meet those of the tall fox, who winked casually at her. With a scream, she quickly ran towards the guards as Hans jogged unhurriedly towards the surrounding woods, looking back to make sure he had baited the guards into coming after him.

Sure enough, all four guards, wanting credit for this bold fox’s capture rushed towards his position. He ran through the trees, leaping as high as his fox legs would allow to grab a lower branch and pull himself up, quickly leaping and climbing onto higher branches, wielding his bow and pulling back with an arrow just in time to see them rush into view, looking around for their target. With a deep breath, slowing his heartbeat, he let the first arrow fly. His actions were so quick that he even let the second arrow go before the guards’ minds had time to register the attack. The precision was near flawless, and four arrows quickly drop all four guards in so short a time that only the last one of them actually had time to realize they were under attack, but not enough time to physically react.

Hans dropped from the tree, walking out of the forest and making sure he stayed behind the last raccoon going in. Once inside, he slipped between houses as much as he could, looking for a place to hide before he wandered into a crowded area. This wasn’t going to be easy unless he could come up with some other means of hiding his less-than-concealing face.

Just as he was starting to get frustrated by the lack of options, he noticed something a short distance away that looked quite promising; an old female dumping soot from her chimney outside. As soon as she closed the back door, Hans quickly moved to it, picking up a pawful and spreading the black filth around his eyes and cheeks. Searching behind the house, he leaned over a bucket of water, using his reflection to apply finishing touches to his face. Just as he finished, the door swung open and the old lady stormed out of the door. Hans jumped back and prepared to run.

"What are you doing on my property, dung-pile?!"

His brow raised as she obviously didn’t see what he really was. He straightened himself back up, dusting his robe and nodding politely to the angry raccoon.

"Apologies, madam. A coin of mine fell free and rolled this way, but I found it."

With a snort, the old lady walked back into her home, slamming the door shut behind her. It was now obvious that the disguise worked to the assassin’s satisfaction. Now he would make his way to the back of the city; to the raccoon castle where he would find his target. The castle was surrounded by a deep moat. It seemed the moat was at least twenty feet deeper than the water inside. If he fell in, he wouldn’t be able to climb back out and probably drown, so taking a swim across wasn’t an option.

It seemed easy enough to get behind the castle. Surrounding the perimeter of the upper portion of the castle were several large lance-like additions, barricading his way to the top. The only good news was that there didn’t seem to be any guards on top, or on the wall behind the castle. Since the war was over, possibly no need for heavy patrols; just a skeleton crew, perhaps. Alternatively, maybe their ego didn’t allow them to consider the possibility that a raccoon could slip in and ascend to the castle rooftop, but the reason didn’t matter, only the fact that he could get to the top of the castle without being noticed.

After studying the place carefully, he hurled his rope to one of the lances, grabbing the head of one of them with his rope. This hold allowed him to swing over the moat and scale the back wall of the castle, at least to the barricade He would have to be extra careful not to fall, or he would surely drown in the water below. There was no gap large enough to slip through, but there were plenty of stone structures on the outer city wall to catch with the rope. To accomplish this, he had to hang on tightly with a single paw onto one of the lances.

The fatigue in his arm grew as he tried again and again to toss the rope to one of the structures on the wall above. His heart beat faster with every miss. This was no easy task. His paw was slowly starting to open, fingers curling hard to keep him from falling. What a way to go it would be if he were to fall into the moat and die so close to his objective. He growled in pain as his paw opened more and more, leaving only his fingers to support his weight as he threw the rope… and missed! That could have been his last attempt because his grip was quickly weakening. However, fate was smiling on him this day. Flinging the rope one more time, his grip fails before the rope even reaches its target, but it grabs and holds, changing the falling fox’s direction to slam uncomfortably into the stone wall, holding onto the rope with the less fatigued of his two paws, growling in pain as he began climbing, pulling himself up to the top of the wall. Still, with no guards around, he could now rest for a bit.

Once he felt his paw was up for more stress, he threw his rope to a corner tower on top of the castle and swung himself onto the roof itself. Upon walking to the front end of the castle, he spotted several stained-glass windows luckily overlooking the throne room. Peering through a clear spot, he could see the throne. On it was, indeed, King Alex, hearing reports of the day-to-day operations. Getting to this point was the safest part. Now he would have to drop the king in one shot, or probably lose his one chance to complete his task, but he had come very far for this opportunity and he wasn’t about to waste it. Failure was not an acceptable outcome anymore.

This was the moment he’d been thinking of from his capitol to this rooftop. With a powerful kick, he busted a hole in the glass, taking a quick aim as eyes started to ascend to his position and let fly with the one arrow he would ever be able to use. He could not see exactly where, but the arrow made contact, and King Alex, with little more than a grunt, fell onto the red carpet in front of the throne. After seeing that he made the kill, he moved to the side just in time to see several arrows fly out of the busted window. They would be on the roof after him for sure, but not in enough time to stop him.

Hans, using his rope to swing back to the wall and reach the top, quickly looped the rope around a structure on the outer portion of the wall. Leaping to clear the barricades and swinging back to the wall’s surface, he slid with haste down the rope onto the ground, quickly making his way into the forest. Once in the forest, he would have no problem eluding and hiding from any pursuers coming his way. His task was complete, and unless something completely unexpected happened, he would be going back home alive. Once in the safety of the trees, Hans spoke quietly to himself.

"Safe… but they’re only going to put Ian on the throne… and they’ll certainly keep him out of the throne room as often as possible. I won’t be able to get a clear shot at him, but still, even if I did, someone would surely be in line to replace him as well… The new queen also made it clear she wanted only Alex dead… It certainly wasn’t a personal fulfillment she wanted out of this… she’s planning something… but what? I hope she knows what she’s doing… with luck they’ll think this was a personal grudge from a lone attacker and Tracy can get on with whatever obscure plot she’s setting up. Whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll need me again to pull it off. I can only hope there was more wisdom in Victor’s choice than I’m seeing now."