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A thief is distracted from her work by the animal that guards the treasure. (4600 words)

_Gren Drake, 2010

Thanks go to Guri and [Sekioh](%5C) for their advice regarding this story_

The male vulpine, one of the beastmen favoured by Valtorn as guards, lay on the bed both unconscious and naked. Getting him to let her into the single-room dwelling had not been difficult; some saucy clothes and a bit of illusion to enhance her figure had him almost begging her to join him. No more work than that was required to convince him to fetch her a drink, either. The moment he had turned his back she had brought one of his spindly wooden chairs down on his head.

She pulled herself into his uniform; it fit poorly, but would still make the next illusion easier which was good since she would need to maintain it longer. Her own clothes she stuffed under his bed. Much as she'd have liked to have carried them with her an on-duty guard had no reason to be carrying women's clothing.

Before she left the dank dwelling there was one last thing she needed to do; clothes alone did not make a guard. She raised her hand, looking casually at it. The shape of the guard's clawed, furry hand formed around it, partially transparent to her eyes. To anyone else it would be as solid as the real thing. She could have created the uniform as well, but the less she had to create the less she could make a mistake with and she had needed to disable the fox to take his place anyway.

She flexed her fingers, watching as the illusion moved with the illusion; the effect created by her minor talent was not perfect, but it always impressed her. She just hoped that no one would take a good, close look at it.

A quick glance over herself assured her that to everyone else the guard's clothes would appear to fit right. Even the strap over his tail looked in place and that limb was pure illusion!

Tucking her tool case under the tunic she was able to leave the cramped flat.

The trip to the massive vault complex the merchant prince Valtorn maintained was quick; he did not like his guards to live too far away. The people in the street ignored her, either having no interest in a liveried guard or having an interest in avoiding one.

She slowed her brisk walk as she approached the heavy gate of the vault complex. Two beastman guards stood before it, both looking quite bored. The one on the left fiddled with his spear.

"Evening, Malak," the guard on the right said, his blunt muzzle giving the human language a distinct accent. "A bit early, are we?"

Felicia smiled, counting on the illusion to translate the gesture into something appropriate to the body the guards were seeing. "Thought I'd get an early start." The talent altered the sound of her voice, making it match the deeper sound of the guard she was imitating as well as adding his odd accent.

"Should be quiet tonight," he continued as he banged his spear on the gate. "Malak's here," he shouted through.

A guard opened the gate from inside. "Come in."

This guard she didn't reply to. Saying something wrong could strain the illusion, giving the guards a chance to see through it. She walked briskly along towards her destination; although she had been in the complex only once before, that had been earlier in the day as she joined a guided tour. Truly Valtorn missed no opportunity to show off his wealth. Or his security.

Light inside the hallways was provided by torches that were hung every five meters or so. Their flickering light reflected from the large, polished stone blocks that made up the walls, ceiling and floors of the vault. Even in the midst of the night the building would be brightly lit.

It did not take her long to reach the sealed vault. The tour had gone by this, but the guide had done nothing more than point it out in passing. Even Valtorn wasn't willing to let people into this vault without reason; within were the most powerful, most valuable objects he owned and, often, in the world.

There was a single guard in front of this door. He appeared to be studying the head of his spear when she approached.

She cleared her throat.

"You're early," he said.

"Not too early, I hope," she said with perfectly honestly. Although she'd worked out the approximate times of the shift changes she hadn't been able to pin it down.

"Not at all. Come early any time you'd like." He gave her the spear. "Goodnight," he said with a nod. Then he hurried out of the building. Felicia took up his position.

For nearly half an hour she stood there, waiting to make sure no one would be coming by. There was always a chance, but it would be greater when the shift change was taking place.

Afterwards she leaned the spear against the wall next to the door. It was a rather visible place to put it, but the vault was in the middle of a long, straight hallway; there was nowhere to hide it.

The guard had not given her the key to the supposedly unbreakable lock on the doors. That key would be safely in Valtorn's possessions. She had something just as good in her tool-case. From this she retrieved a set of long, slender picks.

It took almost two minutes for her to defeat the lock. That made it the most difficult she'd ever worked on, but far from unbreakable.

The next part was the most dangerous. After taking a deep breath the calm her pounding heart she pulled off her clothing, dumping them at the base of the spear. While it would be interesting to hear what the guards would make of it if they found the pile, she really hoped that wouldn't be the case since it would almost certainly be followed by her capture.

It took only a moment's effort to dispel the illusion of the beastman leaving only the sight of a young woman standing naked in the corridor. That was not the case for long, however. Next she used her talent to do what may well have made her the only burglar to be able to rob Valtorn.

She created the illusion of the beast known as a setrak around her, visualizing its body piece-by-piece from the sketches and descriptions Madame Erli had provided when commissioning her.

Holding up her hand to look at it she could see the shape of a setrak's forepaw over her hand, its blunt black claws and dull grey hide clearly visible despite the transparent effect. A glance down revealed smooth belly hide and a pair of hind legs with large, razor claws. A short, thin tail hung between her legs.

She grinned, taking a simplistic joy in the small magic. If she hadn't been standing up, no one would have been able to tell her apart from a real setrak. Not even another of the beasts.

And that was the point. The merchant prince Valtorn liked expensive things and the setrak were not only that, but were effective guard animals. At least, as long as you didn't mind not being able to get to something yourself; they were notoriously aggressive, territorial and prone to berserk attacks on anything that wasn't another setrak. Males didn't get along either. Not sure what sex the one in Valtorn's vault was, she had made sure to disguise herself as a female.

Just how Valtorn got things in and out of his vault she wasn't sure, but it didn't really matter, either. She didn't plan on making a return trip.

She took her tool-case in her teeth and dropped to all fours. Standing or walking upright would give the setrak a chance to see through the illusion and she had no desire to be torn apart.

Once inside the vault, she pushed the door shut with one foot; opening it from this side would be simple. It was no prison.

She settled to her haunches, imitating the way she'd seen animals sit in the past, and looked around the room. Most of it was dominated by a wide pedestal supporting a glass case. Within was a wide variety of gold and jewels, all arranged in a tidy display. The walls held shelves with artifacts not quite as immensely valuable. There was enough wealth within the room to buy a small kingdom.

Stretched out at the base of the pedestal with a curious expression was the setrak. It was male, making her glad she hadn't gone with a male guise, despite the better quality of the sketches. Bright eyes watched her, but it didn't move otherwise. A simple collar hung around its neck, a few letters embossed on it, presumably to indicate the creature's ownership.

None of the powerful artifacts she expected where present in the room however and she briefly feared that Madame Erli's information had been wrong. While that would mean she could get out safely, it would also make all her efforts a waste; without the artifact Madame Erli lusted after, there would no pay.

Then she noticed a low tunnel, partially sunken into the floor, that lead a distance away. She crawled over to it, her illusion transforming this into the graceful stride of a female setrak. There was another room at the other end, possibly a hidden room where the real treasures, not just priceless trinkets, were stored. The bottom of the tunnel had a couple of centimetres of grimy, algae covered water in it, but she decided it was worth the attempt.

Just as she was entering the tunnel there was a warm, moist breeze against her buttocks and she looked behind herself with a sharp motion.

The setrak, it seemed, had chosen that moment to investigate her and it was sniffing her butt, as well as the tail that it could see.

"Go!" she said, her voice firm and showing none of the tension she felt. The sound was translated into a low growl. If the creature were to decide it didn't like her company, or even if it just wanted to play, there wasn't anything she could do to defend herself.

This was enough that the setrak backed off and sat, continuing to watch her. Was there some social aspect of the setrak she didn't understand? Although she had studied sketches and read reports about the creatures, she had not had the chance to actually see one.

The hidden room was indeed a secret vault. No door was visible, but the walls were all bare and one almost certainly hid a secret door. Like the last, this room was dominated by a pedestal. Unlike before, this pedestal was narrow, the glass case fit seamlessly to the top. Inside, surrounded by other objects of presumed power, was the Gem of Infusus which Madame Erli desired so badly.

The gem was a magical amplifier; not being a mage himself Valtorn had no way to actually use the Gem, but his possession of it demonstrated a more common kind of power: wealth. Madame Erli, admittedly, had no use for it either, but Felicia didn't actually care what the thing was for. She was a burglar, her job concerned only the change in ownership and she'd be quite happy to steal it back for Valtorn if he were to pay her.

She shook her head; it was surprisingly small for something so desired, about the size of a tooth.

Pulling a panel of the side of the pedestal she looked inside to check for traps and found more than enough. From the complexity of the system inside the pedestal, she was surprised the panel itself hadn't been trapped.

Perhaps it had. For all she knew there was an alarm going off in some office somewhere. There was no sense worrying about it; if there was she'd already triggered it.

Perhaps she should return to being the guard? No, better to work quickly and hope there was no alarm; there would be too many questions she couldn't answer to maintain her guard disguise.

Her heart pounding, she dropped the set of tools and set to work on the traps. The riskiest part of the operation was upon her; had the alarm been triggered? Would seeing her work with her tools cause the setrak to penetrate the illusion? The animals didn't have hands and were not known to use tools.

Deep within Valtorn's vault, Felicia had no way of knowing how long it was taking her, but the minutes seemed to drag into hours as she disabled one trap only to find another. The one consolation of the time it took was that she could stop worrying about whether she'd set off an alarm; if she had, someone would have been by.

She was just making a last check for any traps that she had missed when she felt something bump against her buttocks, causing her to jump. She cursed, glad the traps were already disabled. Thanks to her illusion, this came out as a series of whufs.

She could feel warm air blowing rhythmically against her buttocks again. Turning her head she found that, sure enough, the setrak had taking an interest in her once more. She swatted at its snout with an arm.

"Go away!" The words become a growl, but she knew that the setrak would understand the sense of them, at least as far as it was capable of. She looked back to the case and its fiendish, if disabled, traps.

Moments later she felt a bump again and this time it was followed by a warm, slimy presence; the creature was licking her. She swatted its snout more firmly.

"Go!" The word became a sharp, penetrating bark. At least the guards were unlikely to investigate animal noises.

She waited a few moments, watching the animal from the corner of her eye. It didn't bump into her, lick her, or even breath on her.

Only seconds after she returned her attention to the case in front of her, considering the best way to remove the glass covering without the setrak noticing, she felt the setrak run its tongue over her vulva. She gasped; it felt good, really good, but she was not there to satisfy animal passions, hers or the setrak's. She pushed the creature away again, but not as forcefully. What could she do in the face of the beast's persistent interest? Brute force didn't seem to be the answer.

It was no surprise that the animal shrugged off her protests and continued investigating her buttocks. She started to push it away yet again, but froze as she felt her body tingle.

It was not an unfamiliar sensation; it came over her whenever someone was at risk of seeing through her illusion. The longer she continued the more likely it was that the illusion would fail. It was a warning that had saved her more than once.

"Oh hell," she said, sighing. She steeled herself to the animal's attention and returned her eyes to the problem at hand. Removing the case would be a pretty problem, especially with the setrak paying such close attention to her.

Her heart pounded from the animal's stimulation and as it licked her exposed rear she realized that she had unthinkingly shifted position to allow it greater access.

Case. Glass. There was a small hatch set in the top of the pedestal's interior; perhaps it would allow her to access the gem without removing the case? She reached up, her fingers brushing the latch, but hesitated.

She didn't want to give the beast any more chances to see through her illusion; the consequences of that were too unpleasant to think about. Neither did she want it following her out as she left.

It only took her a moment to come to a decision. She would give the animal what it wanted so that it would leave her alone. If she was lucky it would act like the men she'd known before and go to sleep afterwards; that would simplify her escape immensely.

She tucked her pouch of tools just inside the pedestal and out of the way then crawled far enough away that they wouldn't bump into the pedestal.

Raising her rump, she waved it at the creature, picturing the tail she didn't have, but which the setrak could see, lifting to the side, out of the way.

Although she had given herself practical reasons for her actions, she neither hesitated nor trembled in the least. She told herself it was a practical and less-than-desirable decision as she moved into position.

"Come here boy," she said. The words became a growl seemingly little different than those before, but the beast understood and mounted her.

It thrust, penetrating her on the first stroke. Felicia felt filled as she had never known before as though the animal well endowed, but not so much so that the experience was uncomfortable.

Even as she was telling herself that the whole thing was unpleasant, a sense of relief filled her and competed with the pleasurable sensations from the animal's efforts. Always before she had used sex as a tool and she supposed she still was. The difference was that the setrak would not be expecting anything further; it would not ask to marry her or show up in a week for more.

She closed her eyes, resting her chin on her hands. The deep focus she had held when disarming the pedestal faded, leaving her able to the experience without distraction. It was not something she was likely to get another chance to try and she found herself savouring the feelings almost against her will.

She shook her head as the setrak's forepaws wrapped around her waist, allowing it to push itself deeper into her. She couldn't help but think that the bestial act should have felt unpleasant or unnatural, but she was not going to complain.

There was a thump in the next room, followed by the loud clanking of heavy boots of a guard. Either the guard she had waylaid had been found or someone had noticed the absence of a guard at the vault door.

Even as she listened to the guard's entry, she found herself unconcerned. She pushed back against the setrak, seeking to feel more of him. She was panting, her body moist with perspiration. A dribble of their combined fluids leaked out of her, leaving a sticky trail down her leg.

"Malak was probably waylaid by that thief the boss was expected. Felicia, I think." The guard presumably spoke to a second; they were out in force to find her. And they knew who to expect. Whether they knew about her talent she didn't know.

She shifted position so she could reach back with one hand as they spoke, gently stroking her clit as the animal pounded into her.

"Check everything. Valtorn will be asking when he arrives." The guards walked some more.

Felicia gasped as the setrak bit her neck roughly, its sharp teeth drawing slight traces of blood as it pulled her head back. She felt a short-lived pang of fear; the illusion made her no more durable and the setrak could easily kill her by accident.

"You hear he was expecting this thief? Seems he hired Madame Erli to 'hire' her. He doesn't like thieves unless they work for him."

Felicia gasped, startling the animal enough that it paused for a moment. She had been betrayed! It did explain the women's indifference to Felicia's fee.

And Valtorn would know about her talent, even if the guards did not.

"That animal's sure making a lot of noise."

"Probably found itself a rat or something. Be good to have one less thief; the boss says she'll probably face the green death. Lot of people want her dead."

Stone scrapped across stone. She could feel her muscles tense; the guards had opened the secret door and were likely on their way to the room she was in.

The setrak's hips met Felicia's and she felt its balls bump against the back of her legs. She tried to calm her panting so she could hear the guards as they crossed through the hidden passage, but the sound was too muffled.

Probably just as well; she was having trouble focusing on anything but the pleasure that was building up inside of her. Hearing them describe her messy death would have ruined the mood.

The pleasure overtook her body as it pushed away the cares of the world then even the world itself receded briefly. Her hand rubbing her clit slid in the slick fluids that covered her groin; she couldn't have stopped it if she had wanted to.

The last thing she heard before the world receded completely was the sound of grating stone.

When she was able to focus once more the guards were in the room with her. A hidden doorway had opened in the wall behind them.

"Looks like the beast found himself a lady-friend." The guards were staring at her. She felt her cheeks burn; they had seen her! And more, they had seen her eagerly rutting with the setrak.

They only acted with amusement. It took a moment for her to realize that all they saw was a pair of setrak. Indeed, her bestial rutting would considerably strengthen her illusion; they would never believe an expert thief would stop to be mounted by an animal.

"Wonder where it came from? Owner's sure not going to be happy." The taller guard faced his companion.

There was something wrong with the guards. Although Felicia knew they were there and could hear their voices clearly, her eyes kept trying to slip away from them. Only through glimpses as her eyes scanned past them could she see them at all. Even when she did see them, their bodies were blurred, the tall guard's red scarf blending into his dark brown jerkin.

"It doesn't have a collar; perhaps its a wild setrak that just wandered in?"

She couldn't tell what was causing the effect; the setrak was still thrusting into her and this made it impossible to concentrate enough to get a clear view of the guards. She could tell little more than that they were more beastmen.

"Just glad its not my problem."

The animal still hadn't reached its own climax and was thrusting into Felicia with more and more vigour. At least that suggested it was getting closer. Its efforts still felt good, but now the pleasure had to compete with a growing soreness; it was unlikely to bring her to another orgasm.

The guards did a survey of the room even as she watched and she felt a trickle of delight knowing they repeatedly looked right at her without knowing it was her.

"This panel's come off." One of the guards had found the panel she'd removed.

"Maybe the setrak knocked it loose. I keep wondering where it came from; there aren't supposed to be any wild setrak here." The panel was put back in place; neither guard noticed that the traps were disabled.

"I sure hope there aren't!"

As Felicia enjoyed the animal's attentions, her body started to itch all over. Like the prior tingling, this was a sensation she was familiar with; she had been using the illusion too long. She had about half an hour before the illusion snapped, becoming the reality. Just how long had she been working on those traps?

Normally this wasn't a problem; she'd done a few jobs in the past where she had deliberately waited for this to happen. As no one could see through an illusion that wasn't there it actually made things easier and safer for her. Returning to her own body was as simple as disguising herself as, well, herself.

This time would be different; as a setrak she would lack hands or a voice. Even such simple tasks as opening a door would be a challenge and she'd be unable to change back until she got away from Valtorn's guards and from the beast mounting her.

More feet could be heard entering the vault; these feet walked more softly, lacking the hard boots of the guards.

Valtorn emerged from the secret passage and took in the vault with a glance. Despite the protective blurring it was easy to tell it was him. Few others stood just over five feet tall and weighed more than two hundred pounds. Certainly not in such garish clothing!

"Felicia?" He crouched in front of her as he spoke. His voice was soft, but high pitched and the sounds slurred together.

The setrak's forelegs tightened around her waist as it made a final thrust deep into her. It had reached its own climax and was filling her womb with its seed.

"Doesn't look like she got this far sir."

"We have acquired an extra." Valtorn's words were separated by odd moments of silence and inarticulate sounds. "They are having fun, no? I see it is unclaimed. Bring her an ID collar." A jovial note appeared in his voice. "Make it one of the suppressive ones."

The merchant prince examined the area around Felicia, moving with surprising agility.

"A suppressive collar for an animal, sir?"

The jovial note vanished from Valtorn's voice. "I do not care to be questioned."

What, Felicia wondered, was he up to? It was obvious that he knew who she was; the suppressive collar would prevent her talent from functioning. If they put it on her before the illusion snapped, the illusion would be broken, but after that it would trap her.

The merchant prince stood, nodding to himself. "Let us go. Be sure to have her collared before dawn, but don't rush."

"Yes sir," the guards left the room. Valtorn followed only steps behind them. Just as he was entering the secret passage, he turned and looked at Felicia. It looked like he winked, but the blur made it hard to tell.

"Goodnight my beast."

The secret door slid shut with a very final sound. Moments later the vault itself was closed. Once more she was alone with her bestial lover.

It was true the door could be easily opened from the inside and that the single guard would be simple to overtake, but she doubted Valtorn would leave the door guarded by a single guard anymore and whoever was there was likely to have whatever he used to create his protective blur.

Damn Madame Erli! Damn Valtorn! He knew who she was; he'd deliberately left her to this fate. His final glance had told her that much. Madame Erli had undoubtably passed on all the tidbits about Felicia's talent that she'd revealed, so he knew she would be trapped by her own disguise. He knew that he was leaving her to become an animal.

The setrak dismounted and licked some of the fluids that clung to her groin. Lust satisfied, it had no further interest in her for the moment and strolled off to sleep. She rolled onto her side, taking her weight off her knees and elbows at last.

She swore to get revenge. On Valtorn, yes, but especially Madame Erli. That women would be made to regret having betrayed Felicia. The thief didn't know how or when she would escape, but she knew that when she did, Madame Erli's punishment would be long and most terrible.

Unfortunately, there would be plenty of time to plan, but while Felicia doubted she would be escaping anytime soon she refused to accept that she might never escape.