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S irius's eyes shot open and he sat up in bed. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart as it beat a staccato in his ears.

'It was all a dream.' Sirius forced the words into his brain. There was still time to save Alir. That wolf didn't even exist. Sirius wiped the perspiration from his brow and sighed with relief. He lay back down, rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. The dream didn't come, but it didn't need to. The thought of returning to his nightmare was enough to shoot a bolt of adrenaline through the raccoon's body, making him come wide awake again.

He threw off his covers and climbed out of bed, panting as if he'd just run several miles. The curtains on the window were slightly parted and Sirius could see the gentle, pink glow that always preceded sunrise. Only the kitchen staff was ever up this early.

He sighed. "Well, at least there'll be food."

He grabbed a fresh shirt out of his bedside chest and put it on. By the time he'd finished the last of the buttons, the adrenaline that had been keeping him awake had worn off. Sirius blinked sleepily, but didn't dare get back into bed. He threw on his pants and waistcoat and headed to the kitchens.

Kaarper was already there, working his way through a large bowl of porridge. "G'morning, Sirius." He glanced out the window. "Wait, what are you doing up? Sun's not even up yet."

"Couldn't sleep." Sirius sat across from him and helped himself to some porridge. "What about you?"

Kaarper glanced around the room and then leaned across the table. "Later." He winked. "I'll tell you this, though: it was absolutely worth a sleepless night."

The reply only made Sirius narrow his eyes more. "Kaarper, what did you do?" He put down his spoon and gave the rabbit his full attention.

Kaarper stifled a huge yawn. "I'll tell you after breakfast... Maybe."

"Oh, come on!" Sirius could hardly contain the excitement in his voice. "Please, Kaarp! I really need some good news right about now." He sat back down and folded his ears. "Though I doubt anything will help."

Kaarper ruffled his friend's headfur. "Oh fine. Can't a guy have a bit of fun?" He leaned closer. "I found a way to get the money you need... and more."

Sirius's ears came back up, instantly alert. "How?" Logic made its way in next. "Please don't tell me you plan to rob someone."

Kaarper stayed silent. His smile faded slightly.

"No." Sirius closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, no, no. I'm not going to let you risk your life. Robbing someone is out of the question."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not planning a robbery, then." Kaarper winked. "Trust me; my method's a lot simpler. Safer, too."

Sirius leaned back in his chair. "Alright, I'm all ears."

"Well..." Kaarper dropped his voice to a whisper. "I was out late last night, doing a bit of sneaking about and guess who I ran into."

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, one of the servants."

"Not even close." Kaarper smiled triumphantly, showing off his prominent front teeth. "Go on, keep guessing."

"Alright." Sirius scratched his chin. Eliminating the servants didn't leave him with much. "One of the nobles."

"Warmer." Kaarper's smile broadened. "I'll give you a hint. Your paw probably still smells like him."

"You mean..."

"That's right. His Royal Highness has acquired a habit of sneaking around at night. Not only that..." Kaarper reached into his purse and pulled out a gold coin. "He really wants the whole thing to be kept a secret. He's been pretty naughty and I'm sure a couple hundred gold is more than a fair price for my muzzle to remain closed on the matter."

"You know, that's not much better than robbery." The rabbit's carefree attitude only made Sirius worry more. "You'll get hurt."

"Nah, I'll be fine. That fox is young and stupid." Kaarper patted the raccoon's paw. "I'll have your money before you know it! I'll start with just a few gold at first and work my way up." He finished his porridge and stood up. "Well, time for a bit of morning blackmail, don't you think?"

"No, I don't." Sirius looked up at him. "You'll get hurt, Kaarp. This isn't some merchant or lesser noble. You're going after the prince!"

Kaarper chuckled. "Oh, you worry too much. Come on; just get on with your work for the day. I'll find you when I'm done and tell you all about it." Without another word, he turned heel and walked out of the room.

Sirius made to stand, but sat down once the kitchen door slammed shut. Kaarper was stubborn...and even though they only truly got close a few days ago, he was the dearest friend Sirius had ever had. He would not let anything happen to that rabbit. With this resolve, Sirius bolted down the last of his porridge and ran after his friend.

The prince's room was empty. Sirius resisted the urge to snoop and headed downstairs. The prince wasn't known for his exploratory nature. If he wasn't in his chambers, he was most likely at the water baths. The main bath door swung open as he was approaching, nearly knocking him over. Kaarper came rushing out, looking like he'd just seen Death. He ran past Sirius, hardly giving the raccoon any notice.

"Kaarper?" Sirius ran after him. "Kaarper!"

The rabbit kept his brisk walk, holding a bundle of clothes in his paws and mumbling to himself.

Sirius caught up and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Kaarper, what happened?"

When the raccoon's paws made contact, Kaarper nearly jumped out of his fur. He spun around and stared wildly at his friend. "Sirius!" He embraced the raccoon and broke down crying.

"Come on; let's get back to the room." Sirius put his arm around the rabbit and helped him walk up the stairs.

On the way up, they ran into Werill, who was walking towards the baths, carrying a bundle of clothes and a tray of scented powders. Kaarper dried his eyes quickly with the hem of his shirt, but he couldn't keep from sobbing.

Werill eyed them with a mixture of concern and suspicion. "Is everything alright, boys?"

"Yeah, nothing to worry about, Dad." Sirius smiled disarmingly. "Kaarper just stubbed his paw on the doorframe. We were just gonna to back to the room to bind it up."

"Oh. Very well, then." Werill didn't look the least bit convinced. He sighed and continued his walk.

Sirius led Kaarper to the room and shut the door. "So, what happened?"

Kaarper threw the clothes on his bed and sat down next to them. "It didn't work."

Sirius sat down next to him. "Did he hurt you?"

Kaarper shook his head. "Not yet." He put the clothes into one of the other servants' chests and sat back down. "He threatened to hang me if I do it again."

"It's okay, Kaarper." Sirius nuzzled the rabbit's long ears gently. "He just wanted to rile you up. It'll be alright. I'll find some other way to make the money." He met the rabbit's eyes. "Just please don't do it again. There's no point."

"Well, of course there's a point." Kaarper sniffled and wiped his eyes. Rather than the self-assured grin Sirius was expecting to see, he was met with cold determination. "I won't let him threaten me like this. He'll pay for thinking he can just push me around like some old broom."

"Kaarp-"

"I'll be okay." Kaarper rested his paw on the raccoon's shoulder. "That fox is a troublemaker. He's bound to have other secrets he wants to keep buried. I'll figure something out, don't you worry." He put on the best smile he could manage and winked. "Don't even try and stop me. This is personal now. He thinks he can better me. Well, I'll show him." He stood. "In fact, I'll start snooping right now." Before Sirius could stop him, the rabbit ran out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Sirius sighed and stood up. Kaarper wasn't one to learn from his mistakes. He was also too stubborn to listen to anyone but himself. The best Sirius could do was follow him around and make sure he didn't get hurt.

By the time he got outside, Kaarper was long gone. Sirius tried looking for the rabbit's scent, but his nose wasn't nearly sensitive enough. He wandered around the palace, helping out with whatever chores he could find until evening came. Not one to be paranoid, Sirius continued telling himself that Kaarper was just coincidentally never in the same place he was. The mantra worked, and by dinnertime, they were finally reunited.

Sirius helped himself to some baked hen. "Any progress?"

"None." Kaarper sighed. "I'm still concentrating on the clothes, though. I mean, why would he need them? He's the prince."

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. A disguise, maybe?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Kaarper spooned mashed potatoes into his bowl, carefully avoiding the chicken. "Now, that disguise would never work in the palace, since everyone here knows him by scent. That means he plans to sneak out to the city."

"But how?" Sirius peeked out the window. The walls of the palace were constantly patrolled by guards. "I mean, if he were a master thief, I'd believe it, but he's a bratty prince. There's no way he could sneak out without being seen."

"Unless..." Kaarper's smile broadened.

Sirius tilted his head. "Unless...what?"

"Unless he found a secret passage of some sort." Kaarper bolted down his mashed potatoes and sprung out of his chair. "And I bet he's gonna use it tonight. And when he does, I'll be there to catch him in the act." He ran for the door. "You can come too if you want."

"Alright, alright." Sirius crammed as much chicken as he could fit into his muzzle and hurried after the rabbit.

They jogged up the stairs and into the main hallway. The door to the prince's room was locked. Sirius stood guard while Kaarper leaned against it and listened. "I can hear him. He's walking around the room." He pressed his ear closer to the door. "He's gone into the closet." His eyes widened. "He's coming this way, scatter!"

The pair ran around the corner and hid. They waited for several minutes, but the prince's door stayed closed.

Sirius met Kaarper's eyes and shrugged. "Maybe he changed his mind." He turned to leave, but Kaarper stopped him with a paw on his shoulder.

"Hold on, I'm gonna go check it out to make sure." He turned around and padded down the hallway.

"Check what out?" Sirius jogged after him. "Kaarper."

The rabbit ignored him. He approached the door and knocked. "Your Highness?" He waited for a few moments and pulled out a large brass key ring. "Well, he's either asleep or he somehow left the room without going through the front door."

Sirius grabbed the rabbit's arm. "And if it's the former, he'll wake up and make good on his promise to have you hanged." He caught hold of the key ring. "I won't let you do this."

"Oh, come on." Kaarper tugged at the keys. "That fox can sleep through anything. You, of all people, should know that." He pantomimed pawing himself off.

Sirius let go of the keys. "Fine, but I'm going in first. If he wakes up, I can pretend to ask if he wants dinner, or something. If the room's empty, I'll give you the signal and you can go in."

Kaarper unlocked the door and stepped back. "So be it. Just be quick. I wanna get on with the snooping."

Sirius rolled his eyes and stepped inside. The room was dark, with only a thin sliver of moonlight peeking through a small gap between the curtains. "Your Highness." Sirius whispered at first, and then raised his voice. "Your Highness?" Not getting a response, he pushed open the bedroom door. His eyes had already adjusted to the gloom and it took only one glance to confirm the fact that the room was empty. Sirius checked under the bed and in the closet just to be sure.

Satisfied, he padded back to the sitting room door and knocked twice.

"All clear?" Kaarper slunk inside and eased the door shut. "Told you." He walked into the bedroom and looked about. "Now, where could he have gone?" He wandered into the closet and rummaged around inside. "Not a trace of him." He walked back out and shut the door. "Here, you've got a better nose than I do. See what you can sniff out."

"Fine, but then we go, alright? The last thing I need is to get caught snooping around the prince's chambers." Sirius tilted his nose up and took a deep whiff. "He was definitely here recently." He sniffed two more times. "Hmm, the smell is strongest...that way." He walked to the opposite end of the room. "Yeah, right here." He sniffed again. "No, I must be falling ill or something. His scent only gets weaker as I head towards the window."

Kaarper walked over to the bookcase and examined it. "Maybe he didn't go through the window."

Sirius gave up on sniffing and giggled. "What, then, through the wall?"

Kaarper wasn't paying him any attention. The rabbit got on his tip-toes and started pulling tomes off the shelf and then putting them back in. "Now, if I'm right..." He grasped a large, black book. "One of these should... Hang on." He gave the book a sharp tug. With a loud click, the entire bookcase swung sideways like a giant door.

"That's more like it!" Kaarper ran into the passage and peeked inside. "Looks like there's a staircase of some sort." He turned around and looked at Sirius. "Well, come on; don't just stand there."

"Kaarp, are you sure that's a good idea?" Sirius craned his neck, trying to see into the tunnel. His night-vision was excellent, but even he couldn't see very far into the gloom. He stepped into the passage. "Maybe we should get a candle or a torch."

"Well, there there's got to be a torch or two in a passage like this." Kaarper patted the wall with his paws. "Hang on; I think I've found a bracket. Oh great, it's empty." He sighed. "Looks like we're just gonna have to run to the storage closet and grab some torches."

There was another loud click. Sirius perked his ears. "What was that?"

"It's this rusty thing." Kaarper gave the bracket another demonstrative pull. "See, it's so old that it slacks."

As quickly as it had opened, the great mahogany bookcase swung shut, sealing the two friends inside the darkened passage.

---

What happens next?

Find out in Streets of His City and Other Stories - Available now from Rabbit Valley!

Get your copy HERE!