FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

N atier spun around and found himself against a wall. He put his paws against the aged wood and tried pushing, but the wall refused to budge. Fear and desperation took over; Natier started throwing himself against the wall in vain attempts to break it open. He was never claustrophobic, but the tunnel walls closed in around him and made everything spin. His breathing was shallow and rasping, and his heart pounded like a war-drum. Natier threw himself against the wall one more time. The rapid shift in weight caused him to overbalance and lose his footing on the narrow steps. He windmilled his arms in a feeble attempt to regain his balance and caught his right paw in a torch bracket that hung on the wall; Natier grabbed the metal protrusion and steadied himself.

The torch bracket pivoted and clicked. The wall in front of him swung open. The warm wash of relief that flooded through his body made Natier giggle uncontrollably.

He jogged up the steps and back to his room quickly, lest the door close again and leave him trapped for good.

He had to jump out of the way as the bookcase swung back into place and clicked shut.

Natier stood and stared at it for a long time. Part of him was scared; he had no idea where the tunnel would take him. The other part, however, was strangely excited. A mysterious tunnel certainly added a bit of spice to life at the palace - a life he expected to be boring and mundane.

Curiosity soon won out over fear. Natier locked his bedroom door, put out the candles in his room and opened the bookcase again. He stepped inside and let the door close quietly behind him.

The darkness enveloped him, but this time he was prepared. He stood silently on the top step and waited for his eyes to adjust. His stomach tingled with a sense of giddy elation, a sensation that came with standing at the foot of the unknown. Once he could see well enough, Natier took a deep breath and began his descent.

The staircase was steep and the steps were narrow. Natier took them one at a time in order to keep from falling. He wished dearly for a proper banister, but made do with trailing his paws along the bare stone walls for support. The air got colder and more stale as he went down. It was clear that the passage hadn't been used by anyone in a very long time. There were cobwebs all across the ceiling, and even those had long since been abandoned.

After several minutes of walking, Natier finally got down to the bottom. With falling no longer a problem, he picked up speed and soon found himself in front of a small crawlspace.

"Well, I've come this far." He sighed and got on all fours.

The crawl was shorter than expected. Before Natier could register it, he bumped his head on the wall in front of him. He nursed his forehead, cursing whoever had designed the passage for making it a dead end. In anger and desperation, he hit the wall with his fist. The hollow thud he was too busy to hear the first time made him smile. "Wood. Of course!" Natier put both paws against the wall and pushed. The item blocking the passageway was considerably lighter than he thought, and Natier managed to move it without much effort. He brushed the dirt off his paws and climbed through the opening, taking stock of his surroundings. Casks and barrels of all sizes were stacked around him. The only light came from a crack under the door at the top of an old, rickety staircase. A loud a chatter of many excited voices also eminated from that direction.

Feeling particularly brave, Natier padded over to the stairs and climbed up to the door. He inched it open and found himself in a large, noisy pub. Nobody had seen him; Natier closed the door quickly, intending to keep it that way. He jogged back down the stairs and climbed into the crawlspace. A short crawl, a walk and a climb later, he was back in his room.

The happiness of having found a way out of the palace was quickly overshadowed by the fact that anyone with a working pair of eyes would notice if the prince himself were to emerge from a pub cellar; he needed a disguise. Natier went through the options in his head: buying a commoner's outfit was too damaging. Anyone who sees the prince shopping anywhere but the wealthy section of the market would immediately start asking questions. The only option that seemed viable to him was theft.

Natier had always been taught that stealing was wrong - not that a person who had everything he ever wanted would ever have the need to steal. Then again, killing was wrong and he'd seen plenty of that. If others could get away with murder, why couldn't he get away with a little bit of theft?

He took a moment to mourn the death of his morals, unlocked the bedroom door and padded down to the servants' quarters.

The palace was dark and empty this time of night. Natier didn't know what time it actually was, but it was safe to guess that it was well past midnight. He did his best to make as little noise as possible, knowing that a night-time encounter with a guard or one of the nobles would mean a lengthy explanation to his father.

Fortunately, his luck held and he made it to the servants' quarters without interruption. The door was unlocked; Natier opened it carefully and slinked inside.

There were twelve beds in the room, each with a wooden chest at its base. Natier wandered from one bed to another until he found a servant of a suitable stature. He looked around to make sure everyone was still asleep and opened the chest.

The belongings were meager, consisting of a few articles of clothing, some coppers and a gilded pendant. Natier grabbed a pair of pants, a shirt and a doublet, closed the chest and left as quickly as he could.

He was so absorbed in thought on his way back that he wasn't paying any attention to where he was going. Before he knew it, Natier ran straight into one of the servants.

"Your Highness?" The young rabbit jumped back, looking just as surprised as the prince. "I-"

Natier put a finger to his muzzle. "Shh! Let's keep this between us, shall we?"

The rabbit nodded mutely, his eyes still wide with shock.

Natier smiled and tossed him a gold piece. "Good choice!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" The rabbit's eyes widened even more as he examined the coin.

"Don't mention it." Natier patted him on the back. With his wide eyes and his buck-toothed smile, the rabbit looked nothing short of adorable. Natier felt his sheath stir, but decided that this wasn't the time.

He winked at the rabbit and continued down the hall. The sudden encounter reminded him that he needed to be stealthier. He slowed his walk, sticking to shadows wherever he could find them and made it back to his quarters without any more sudden brushes with the help.

The shades on one of the windows in his bedroom were partially open and Natier saw the first rays of the sun peeking through; his trip to the city would have to wait until tomorrow night.

He hid the clothes he'd stolen deep in his closet, got undressed and climbed into bed.

By the time Natier woke up, it was well past noon. He threw on a silk robe and headed to the water baths. Most foxes he knew were content with just one water bath a week, but Natier found the practice to be repulsive and insufficient. He hated strong, musky scents and found that only a good water bath was effective in truly removing them.

As expected, the baths were empty. Natier walked to his favorite pool - the one at the very back of the room - and got undressed.

"Err... Your Highness?" It was the rabbit from last night.

Natier covered himself with the robe and turned around. "Yes?"

"About last night..." The rabbit avoided his eyes.

Natier frowned. "What about it?"

"I just- I was wondering if you could spare a few more coins for me."

"Or what?" Natier folded his arms and stared him down defiantly.

"Well, I know that the servant you stole from will notice that his clothes have gone missing..." The rabbit no longer looked nervous. His eyes glimmered with a sly cunning, and his short muzzle curved into a thin smile. "That wouldn't look very good for Your Highness."

Natier wasn't sure what to do. If he refused to pay the rabbit, that could mean trouble; if he didn't, the rabbit would keep coming to him for money.

Rather than give into the blackmail, Natier decided to try and turn the tables while he still had the chance. "What is your name?"

The rabbit bowed. "Kaarper, Your Highness."

"Kaarper." Natier noticed the rabbit's nervousness returning. Kaarper's smile wavered at the corners and his eyes darted occasionally. He kept pushing. "How would you like to help me with something?"

Kaarper seemed quite taken aback by the request. He continued to smile, but his eyes had long since returned to their terrified, ceaselessly-darting state. He was clearly expecting to be the one in charge of the conversation. "I... I would love to, Your Highness."

Natier could see the gears in the young rabbit's head turning as Kaarper figured out his next move. "Good." He put his paw on the rabbit's shoulder and felt a slight tremor. "I want you to return those clothes that you stole." Kaarper's eyes widened slightly. "Then, I want you to go the market and get me several new outfits. I will, of course, pay you for your troubles."

The rabbit nodded. "Y-yes, of course, Your Highness."

"The outfit is in my closet, in the very back," Natier said.

Kaarper bowed. "I will get it right away, Your Highness." He turned around and began walking towards the exit.

"Oh, and Kaarper..."

The rabbit stopped. "Yes, Your Highness?" His bobtail twitched.

Natier spoke slowly, enunciating every word. "If you try blackmailing me again, I will have you executed." He he didn't have the authority to do that, but Kaarper needn't know the minor details.

"N-n-n-n-never again, Your Highness." Kaarper was trembling visibly and one of his ears twitched so much that he had to hold it with his paw. He collected himself and left as quickly as he could, practically breaking into a jog.

Natier chuckled. People really were afraid of him; that was something he needed to use more often. He took off his robe and climbed into the bath.

Kaarper returned partway through. "I have returned the clothes, Your Highness. I will go to the market right away to buy you a new outfit."

Natier yawned. "Good. Use the gold piece I gave you. I will pay you once you deliver the clothes."

"Of course, Your Highness." The rabbit bowed again and scurried out.

Werill walked in several minutes later. "I have brought Your Highness's clothes and powder."

"Very good." Natier climbed out of the bath and shook himself off, heedlessly showering the primly-dressed raccoon with droplets of dirty bathwater. "I would like jasmine powder this time."

Werill nodded and selected the proper jar from his tray. "Please have a seat, Your Highness."

Natier sat down and closed his eyes. He always enjoyed being brushed. In fact, that was one of the reasons he bathed so frequently. Nothing felt more soothing to him than the warm tingle of the brush as it trailed through his fur, gently grazing his skin. Werill was especially good at his job; he took his time, applying the powder evenly around the fur and brushing out all of the knots.

When he was done, Natier's fur was in immaculate condition. He patted the raccoon on the back and headed to the dining room to placate his rumbling stomach.

His father was eating lunch with Riius, the royal secretary. They looked up when Natier entered.

"Hello, Son!" Rasdill said. He waved to one of the servants. "Please bring an extra place setting for the prince."

Natier sat to the right of his father. Several servants hurried to bring him dinner utensils and food. They placed the plates and forks down in swift, practiced motions, taking care to avoid the prince's eyes.

"How did you sleep, my son?" The king finished his food and signaled for more wine.

Natier took a bite out of his fish before speaking. "Very well, thank you, Father." He continued eating, watched closely by the king.

The fish tasted phenominal. It had just the right amount of white wine sauce to make it moist, but not so much that it overpowered the natural taste and scent. Natier had several helpings before getting up and excusing himself from the table. "Father, Secretary, I have some business to attend to. Thank you for the pleasant company."

"Oh, of course, my son," Rasdill said. His cheeks flinched slightly in an attempt to hold back a smile. Clearly, he was skeptical of Natier actually having any business to attend to that didn't include sleeping and moping around his room.

Natier was in no hurry to prove him wrong. Not waiting for any more comments, he left the dining room and went straight to his chambers.

Kaarper was waiting for him outside his door. "I've purchased several outf-"

"Not here," Natier cut him off. He opened the door and motioned the rabbit inside.

Once the door was shut, he turned to Kaarper. "Show me the clothes."

The rabbit unwrapped the brown paper package he was carrying and spilled several articles of clothing on the floor.

Natier picked them up and examined them; three doublets, three shirts, three pairs of pants, and a cloak. They looked just like something a commoner would wear - plain, without any fancy embroidery or expensive touches.

"Very good." He gave Kaarper several gold coins. "Put them in my closet. Oh, and I needn't remind you to keep your muzzle shut about this. You aren't dealing with one of your servant friends, after all."

"I won't speak of this to another soul, Your Highness," Kaarper said. He put the clothes away and came back into the room. "If Your Highness needs anything else, just call on me. I will be more than happy to assist if I can."

"I will keep you in mind," Natier said.

He waited for the rabbit to leave and got into bed. If he planned to spend all night out in the city, he would need all his energy. Having only been awake for a few hours, he found it difficult to fall asleep. After much tossing and turning, however, the prince finally managed to doze off.

It was already dark when he woke up. Natier got out of bed quickly and went to his closet. He wanted to get to the city as quickly as he could, so that he wouldn't be pressed for time once he got there.

The clothes Kaarper had bought him fit well enough. Natier was used to far better fitting clothes, but since commoners couldn't afford to go to the tailor, he reasoned that the fit was acceptable.

He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled; tonight would be good night.

Having made sure that his door was locked and that all the candles were out, Natier opened the bookcase and stepped into the tunnel.