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Rule by Decree

The gondola rocked as the fox piloting it navigated us around the corner of a canal.

"How's the army coming along, Dictator?" the gondolier suddenly asked, adjusting the straw hat laying atop his crown.

Goliath fidgeted in his seat, enough to make the narrow boat almost capsize, and gave me a quick glance. I smiled and waved my paw, letting my large bodyguard know that the gondolier had not overstepped his boundaries and did not deserve to go for a swim. I really don't understand what thoughts swim around in that fox's head sometimes, I had never once told him to do such a thing.

"Quite well! We've just returned from observing a drill! The wolves won't know what hit them!" I craned my neck back, taking in the fox's features: scrawny, dirt-brown fur, smelled of salt-water and oddly enough a hint of mint. "How's your family coming along, Toscani?"

"Ah!" Toscani exclaimed. A few patches of dry fur on his tail that weren't soaked with brine stood up. "I'm surprised you remember my name!"

"I like to get to know people, what can I say?"

In truth, Laurent had an agent keeping tabs on the gondola businesses. Whenever I needed to use one, it was always randomly chosen each time and with no advance warning to the gondoliers so that none of them would stand on procession for me, or worse, plot to take my life.

Toscani was married to a vixen that was on her second litter. He was honest and hardworking but at some point he felt he had reached middle-class status despite being a mere gondolier who leased his gondola from a business and did what all foxes of perceived means did and took a mistress. His mate was perfectly fine with this arrangement, having even joined them in the act on several occasions, but the mistress was from an actual middle-class family and she had expensive tastes...

Indeed, under normal circumstances, Toscani would be dangerous. A fox with expensive needs and an empty purse are open game for bribes and promises of loans vanishing if he made sure a certain Dictator drowned. However, Toscani would never do that and I knew exactly why.

"We're doing very well, thank you! Thanks to your Poverty Assistance Edict I'm finally able to save some coin on the side, maybe enough one day to buy this here gondola and run my own business!"

I had presented this Edict to Luce for her advice and it was a rare occasion where she agreed with it wholeheartedly. For those who are below a certain amount of income, a one year stimulus plan to get them back up on their feet in the wake of the civil war and Philippe's disastrous reign.

There were scoundrels taking advantage of it. Indeed, Toscani was living beyond his means and collecting welfare from us, but there were many others who the Edict would lift out of poverty and make people like Toscani comfortable enough so that he wouldn't resort to drowning me in the river to pay off his debts.

"Got another litter coming! Sure wouldn't have been able to do that under Philippe! Got five tods already, I'm hoping for a litter of vixens to even them out!"

"The tyrant is still out there," I lowered my voice, "be ever vigilant for his agents."

"You know it!"

Coincidentally, just as the gondola lazily floated past the last buildings in the canal, a poster on the wall of a building showed off a charcoal sketch of Philippe along with a promise of a reward for anything assisting in his capture.

Toscani spat into the water, "Damned pirate! Lifting his tail for the merchants while honest foxes starved! Bet he's in the Alphate right now with a wolf knot up his arse!"

"If he is, we'll drag him back here for his just punishment."

The canal opened up into the lagoon as our destination approached. Small boats loaded with foxes armed with crossbows patrolled around the island that my current home was on. An island just to the south of the Senate, quietly lurking behind it. Unlike the Senate, which was built atop an ancient human building, the Dictator's Palace was all fox.

It was surrounded by imposing walls that wrapped around the rim of the island with guard towers at every corner. It would be inconceivable to imaging it besieged but the walls were more about establishing that the Dictator was a serious position and wielded harsh authority.

The gondola bumped up against the harbor and I hopped off. Turning around, I tossed Toscani a golden coin.

"For your family."

I walked down the planks before Toscani could stammer out thanks.

The gates were quickly opened for me and I passed through into the vast, green garden leading up to the palace.

Sophia had seen fit to take up gardening once her kits had been weaned and she regained her figure. And by gardening of course, I mean fill up the palace yard with enough exotic herbs and trees that one could hardly see the square, white palace that was a mere minutes walk away. My nose wrinkled as a sharply bitter type of mine invaded my nostrils.

"Your mate's handiwork," I snorted as Goliath.

He shrugged, "It keeps her happy."

"Wait," I sniffed at the air as a breeze rolled in.

Silently, I crept up to thick hedges that encircled a small plaza, a small bit of order amongst Sophia's chaotic garden. Poking my snout into the hedge as I parted them with my paws, I caught sight of my prey.

Pouncing through the bushes, I caught the helpless creature in my paws and lifted him into the air victoriously.

"Daddy's home!" I laughed at Cosimo, who was gekkering helplessly in my gasp.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he screamed with as much force as a kit not even a year old could muster. Some of his incisors were starting to come in but he still lacked his fangs.

"Brother," Sophia called out. She was sitting at a stone chessboard with Luce across from her. Neither of them looked particularly amused, "you're scaring him."

"No, I'm not! He's a fierce warrior, isn't he?" I rubbed the orange fuzz atop the kit's head and set him on the ground where he immediately crawled over to join his five littermates and two cousins.

Luce, despite her age, had given birth to a healthy litter of six. Not one of them had been so much as sick up to this point but it was Little Marco I adored the most and could tell that even at his young age he would take after me well.

The nannies, two middle-aged vixens who lost their freedom to debt but were rewarded with the chance to pay it off in service to the Dictator himself, tended to the kits while I joined my wish and dear sister.

The chessboard had foxen armies representing the white pieces and Alphate soldiers represent black. Sophia was playing as the wolves and, to my surprise, was winning quite decisively against Luce.

"How's Vito doing?" Luce asked, tail slowly swishing behind her as she examined the battlefield.

"Excellent! Why, I swear he could start and finish this war by himself!"

"A Dictator must always appear to be in command," Luce moved a pawn forward a square. "You don't want your General winning all the glory."

My head began to hurt, as it always tended to around her as of late, "I know that, Luce! I was merely speaking glowingly of his work!"

"I'm just making sure, Marco," Luce narrowed her eyes as Sophia shuffled a bishop across the board. "We want to minimize any mistakes or miscommunications especially since the Senate appointment incident."

"Check!" Sophia exclaimed.

"I wanted to make him a Senator like I promised."

"And you shouldn't have promised him that before consulting with me. Which Senator would you dismiss and what of their family and supporters, hm?"

"We've already had this argument," I rubbed at my forehead. "We're not having it again. I already gave in, drop it."

"Very well. Did Vito have any word of the tyrant's whereabouts?"

I shook my head, "He's still at large. Laurent's agents are having trouble finding him too."

"I had hoped we would have caught him by now," Luce sipped from a ceramic cup. I sniffed, it had lemon water in it. "I doubt he'll be able to make a move against us but with the war approaching it's a bit of a risk."

"I'm confident he's hiding out among the wolves, probably hidden away in some obscure noble's manor," I shrugged. "Wherever he is, I am absolutely confident he poses no threat to us."

"Nothing in life is certain and all it takes is one bungle for some foxes to start thinking Philippe wasn't so bad and clamor for his return," Luce sighed. "And so far all of the Alphate agents we've captured have spoken nothing of Philippe."

"I doubt the Alphate intelligence network even knows if they have them or not. By Canis, their spies can't so much as fart without sending a messenger back to their spymaster back in the Alphate! They could learn a thing or two about espionage from Laurent, I just let him do his fucking job and stand back!"

"Dog!" Violetta, Sophia's kit, suddenly exclaimed.

I turned around and groaned as I saw Gundulf passing through the gardens. The 'wolf,' was just as ridiculous as before, earring still in place to keep his floppy ear upright. His green doublet was reeking with vixen pheromones.

"Dog! Dog!" Violetta pointed.

"Dog!?" Gundulf's human slave took out a hand-mirror and pointed it at his master's face. Gundulf immediately checked his nose, which was shining black with boot polish. Satisfied that he was sufficiently lupine in appearance he turned to the young ones.

"I'm not a dog, I'm a big scary wolf!" he growled and bared his teeth in a snarl, laughing like a villainous wolf from a theater play. The kits were evenly divided between those giggling and those who were completely bored of him and had turned to more stimulating activities like picking grass or napping.

"Gundulf," I nodded, not even bothering to hide my muzzle wrinkling at the smell of vixen on that filthy, so-called wolf.

"Soon to be Alpha Gundulf, hm?" he crossed his arms and grinned off proudly into the distance. Of course, since we were in a tiny courtyard in the middle of a dense garden, he looked like he was staring at a bush like a simpleton.

Unless I can find someone better.

As soon as I was re-introduced to Gundulf after my magnificent return, I had Laurent seek something incriminating on him. I could not merely tell him to get lost as the documents dating back to his family's first arrival here as exiles were quite clear that descendents were to be treated with all the comforts the Republic could offer as long as they behave with decency and violating that would dissuade other potentially more valuable claimants from defecting.

So then I had Laurent test out some fresh spies by tracking down foxes he slept with. I could not merely use him fucking foxes as an example of unacceptable behavior because the Doge who took his family in gave his daughter to the Clan Leader's Alpha at the time. Unfortunately, none of his bed-mates had anything bad to say about him and none were receptive towards hints of bending the truth in exchange for gold. Apparently he was quite the charmer and treated his flings well.

I simply did not like having a wolf like him around, especially when we were about to embark on a war against his people. I think Gundulf would be desperate enough to accept a gilded shack in the steppes with a title if it meant betraying us. I avoided talk of any confidential matters around him and Laurent reported that he had been acting suspiciously and lingering around meeting rooms as if he were eavesdropping but not enough to act on.

"It will be an honor to return your noble clan to the throne they rightfully deserve," I replied with a bow.

"I just want to get back and open up my fox harem!" Gundulf laughed. "You redtails can handle the government just so long as I can live it up!"

"I'm glad to hear you have no issues with that arrangement."

"Indeed!" Gundulf laughed. "I know what I'm here for. Say, do you want to hump me on the rear before you put me on the throne? In the old days, that's what Alphas used to do to rivals they bested in combat when they seized the throne!"

"No they didn't!" Sophia suddenly piped in.

"Please don't be rude, Sophia!" I waved my paw. "Clearly this wolf knows his own history more."

Gundulf looked over at Sophia and nervously licked his nose, "Well, I must be off. I have a long day of doing nothing! Good day!"

As the wolf strolled through the garden I waved goodbye to the vixens, who were too engrossed in their game to notice, and headed through the bushes towards the palace.

A field of short grass littered in hoof-prints left by Taj's horse unfurled before me as I proudly marched up to my palace. The walls were made of carved, white marble and were divided into two, three-story wings that jutted forward like a U, with the main entryway in the center between him. Its roof was flat with stone railings around it, making a nice terrace that was decorated with even more of Sophia's plants, as if she needed another garden.

I saluted the Dictatorial Guard, who were Senatorial Guards that were reassigned from their original posts now that the Senate was merely an advisory body, and they return the salute. Their uniforms were mostly the same, having the badges depicting Reynard sleeping against a halberd across their breastplates, but their yellow puffy pants were no more, having been replaced with slim, black trousers.

"Wonder if we can find one of their uniforms in your size," I muttered to Goliath as a detachment of guards surrounded us and led us into the doorway and through the halls.

The giant fox snorted and pounded at his bare chest, "I'm scarier like this."

"Duly noted."

I caught one of the guard's ears and ordered he escort me to where Lady Taj was and with no hesitation, he barked out the order and his unit marched us towards the game room, boots thumping on the polished stone floor. Countless fennec slaves got up and stood to the side, bowing in deference as we passed.

The guards stopped at the door of the game room and did a tight turn, facing away from the door. I knew what that meant.

Smiling and shaking my head, I cracked open the thick door and my ear was greeted with the sounds and smells of vixen ecstasy.

Folu had his arms locked around Galip's shoulders, the large hyena easily able to overpower the feeble wolf. Taj was at Galips front, holding him by the throat as she forcefully rode his cock while standing up. All were as naked as the day they were born.

I closed the door quietly, deciding to let my dear fennec have her fun. I was quite tempted to join in, as the swelling in my trousers indicated, but I had an appointment to make.

"To the study, please."

Once again, my heavily armored entourage led us down the hall until it ended just before it veered into the Eastern Wing of the palace. A narrow, unassuming door was there, to the right. My guards opened it and I slipped inside, bidding them to guard the entrance, including Goliath.

Closing the door behind me, I found myself in a musty, tiny library that was dimly lit by a few tiny candles mounted on wall sconces. There were only about ten bookshelves here and a narrow desk that Laurent was sitting at. He was rubbing at the tear in his right ear while reading an old tome.

"So, what do you have for me?" I asked, pulling up a rickety wooden chair and sitting across the desk.

"My agents in the heart of the Alphate have gone into hiding but they last reported their military response to your buildup has been lacking," Laurent clapped the book shut and rubbed at the black streaks on his muzzle. "Thanks to all the Alphate agents we've captured and turned they must not know much and what little has returned paints a picture of a chaotic dictatorship that you struggle to keep together."

"Let me guess, they think I'm desperately bribing every peasant to keep them from lopping off my head?"

"The Poverty Assistance Edict might have reached the Alphate's ears and you're now the laughing stock of the ruling wolves. They think you're going to bankrupt the Republic to the point you'll start selling land to them."

"If we don't win this war we might go bankrupt. Paying all that money to those left destitute by Philippe on top of preparing for a war isn't easy, we've had to take out a lot of loans from a lot of merchants who aren't too pleased with my actions," I crossed my arms. "It's a big gamble but I am absolutely confident we can win, pay off the loans, and give the veterans double what Philippe promised for their pension."

"Either way, while the noble wolves might be laughing the common wolves were a bit peeved to hear about this, especially when they've been taxed hard to pay for the Imperial Capital to be moved back to Lupercal. Perhaps they feel they should be given a similar Edict..."

"Back to Lupercal!?" I exclaimed. "Are you certain!? Romulus only just moved it during his reign!"

"Aokus apparently finds the current capital to be inauspicious."

"Inauspicious," I snorted. "When I decide to do something because I feel like it, I just tell people that. But when a damned Alpha does it, he needs to say he's doing it because it's inauspicious!"

"Either way, I would suggest you adjust your war plans with Lupercal as the target."

"I'll talk it over with Vito. What about the Emancipation Project?"

"Oh, now that one has been going well!" Laurent grinned. "In fact, despite my agents having gone underground the word continues to spread that you've promised every human slave in the Alphate emancipation without us lifting a finger."

For what good it will do them. Salvia will be not far from anyplace I go and a free human is open game in the fog of war.

"Very good," I nodded and slowly grinned wickedly. "Shall we check on my trophy?"

Laurent's fur bristled a bit. The poor tod was all cloak and dagger nowadays but he didn't like to get his paws dirty if he could help it.

"I'll wait up here for you."

I got up from my chair and grabbed a book on the second bookshelf from the right, an immensely unappealing tomewritten by a fox who traveled the world and wrote of nothing but the taste of each town's water, and felt the lock attached to it click, followed by the shelf slowly swinging open to reveal a stone staircase leading down.

Grabbing a torch from the wall, I lit it using one of the wall sconces and slowly stepped down into the darkness, my boots echoing with every click of my heel.

A shrill gasp hushed through the air followed by perfect silence. There would be no more noises, save for the tapping of my boots, until I reached the bottom and the stone wall gave way for metal bars.

A pitiful figure was huddled in the corner, facing into the wall. The fox was emaciated and wearing nothing but his filth-encrusted pelt and ropes with lead weights string on them tied around his thin tail.

"Hey!" I banged my fist on the cell. "Get up! I wish to talk to you!"

The fox was totally still. If it hadn't been for his shallow, slow breaths, I would have thought him finally dead.

"We can keep this a pleasant conversation..." I lowered my voice and poked my snout into the cell, "...or I can bring you very unfortunate news from Capri. Your choice."

Slowly, the fox quivered and placed his paws on the wall, awkwardly attempting to rise to his feet. The lead weights attached to his tail caused him to sway violently even with both paws balanced against the wall, almost falling on his side at one point.

Eventually, he stood up with his back hunched and turned around.

Philippe hadn't been hard to track down at all. His pleasure yacht ran aground in his flight and had the misfortune of being intercepted by one of my agents who, not wishing someone try to steal his ransom, kept Philippe's identity concealed up until the point he was transferred over to my care.

No one knew about him except for me and Laurent. Luce caught a glimpse of him when I dispensed justice on him but she was told he was a pirate who I insisted on judging personally which wasn't entirely a lie. I don't know why I kept him hidden, perhaps I wanted to keep the fear of Philippe returning a possibility but also keep him alive so that if need be, I can definitively crush any hope of restoring him.

Here he was, the fox who destroyed my eye and attempted to imprison me thousands of miles away from home. His eyelids covered nothing but bloodied sockets and the fox groped around blindly while still trying to keep his balance as he came closer.

"Revenge should be enacted tenfold. Be glad you had only two eyes to lose!" I laughed as the pirate fell face-first onto the ground. His mouth opened up as he gasped, revealing his toothless gums.

Philippe placed his palms on the ground and got to his knees. He froze when I spoke.

"That's good enough."

His fingers dug into the stone, his claws long having been removed by me. There would be no escape for Philippe in this life or the next.

"Your family are doing well on Capri. Your mistresses are getting along famously and have started taking up Tigran literature. I guess they've run out of hobbies to do in that old pleasure palace."

I didn't have to remind him that them and the rest of the family were under close watch of some valued soldiers who had served with me in Africa and Europe. Capri was a guilded dungeon and the moment Philippe managed to escape or kill himself, I'd send a letter there with the orders that all of the soldiers there are to do whatever they please so long as not a single resident of the palace breathed by the hour's end.

"By month's end I will wage war on the wolves and avenge your disgraceful treaty, Philippe. From the Atlantic to Siberia, foxes will dictate and I will lead them. I will be remembered as the greatest leader there ever was and mark my scent upon the Alphate's throne."

My nose twitched.

"Speaking of which..."

I rolled down my trousers and Philippe pressed his face to the ground as I marked him with my urine.

"You'll be remembered as our biggest failure. You can't even defend your own actions."

Philippe suddenly raised his head just as my stream finished and opened his mouth, pointing at where his tongue used to be.

"Not a single word in your defense," I shook my head. Of course, he had his own arguments, I was not delusional, but Canis, it felt good to finally rub his nose into the muck. "At least you have enough shame to not even try."

I turned towards the staircase, "No food until tomorrow."

"Wa-hah!" Philippe suddenly gasped out.

"Water?" I pointed towards the puddle of urine collecting on the stone and left silently.

Philippe had enough dignity that he wouldn't lick the stone dry until I had left the area but he would. He needed to live for the sake of his family lest I do to them what he promised to do to Sophia.

I danced up the staircase, always feeling giddy after having basked in my greatest opponent's defeat. Whenever I felt doubt about my path I always could remind myself that Philippe was imprisoned in his former palace while I lorded over it.

As was my destiny.