Stolen Hearts
Stolen Hearts
Disclaimer: The characters in this story, Fox Torres and Sorcha Hikari, are copyright Andrew Gonzales and Jessica Hart, respectively. Any other characters named are copyright their respective owners, though, that would most likely be me.
Out in the woods, just on the edge of the town of Ashbere, a pair of eyes surveyed the nightly scene of the streets. A grin crossed the face of a raccoon girl, though one should not refer to her as a girl. A young woman of eighteen winters, she had silky, smooth brown fur with bits of black as stripes on her tails, gloves on her arms and legs, and the "bandit" mask over her face. A lengthy bit of purple head fur ran down her shoulders to her upper back, being dark enough to not give her away in the dimly lit night. She was dressed in simple clothes, ones made to allow more freedom of movement and a quick getaway, should the need to run arise.
It was another one of those nights where she would sneak out into the village and take what she needed for herself. Being a raccoon and having practiced thievery for many years, it would take a miracle for even the most cautious of people to discover her or any traces of her work. Everyone would talk of the mysterious thief the next day, the authorities baffled completely.
She grinned at her chance tonight, for it was a new moon, and with her nocturnal sight, it would be a breeze. The raccoon slipped through the trees and crept along the sides of each building, avoiding the bright light of the torches that occasionally would appear along the paths. A few times, patrols would round the corners, but she would simply stalk their shadows and split when the opportunity presented itself. Breathing lightly, she looked around the corner and sighed in relief, not seeing another person in her line of sight near her target.
A small manor stood at the top of a little hill, one that she came to every once in a while when she wanted to take back more than she normally required. She was hidden very well in the alleyway, and thought that no one could see her.
From a short leap away, however, a two-tailed fox with tiger stripe markings on his tails, and fiery red hair, was watching her. With a wizard's robe over him, a book strapped over his shoulder, and a small pair of yellow-tinted glasses over his nose, one could only guess he was a magic user.
But, as intelligent as he was, the coon surprised him, for he had never seen her before, and her appearance here at this hour was suspicious. He chanted in the language of arcane sorcery after quietly flipping through his spell book, the magic causing him to blend with his surroundings and change his clothing to make him appear more like a commoner. Softly, he crept up to the woman and dispelled his invisibility before he came up beside her.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked lowly.
The raccoon nearly jumped, but instead turned quickly and gave the fox a very agitated look. "What the...GH...who are you?" she demanded, quickly drawing a knife to his throat and pinning him against the wall.
The wizard could have easily escaped this, but then his identity as one would be revealed, and that was discouraged among his kin. So he played along, growling back at her and firmly fixing his gaze.
"Hey, lady, I'm out here because that house has something I want," the fox gruffed, "and I happened to see you looking at it much the same way I was. You after the goods in there too, hm?"
The raccoon blinked a moment, the rather suave flow of the yet rough toned voice intriguing her. "Well then, if you really are a thief," she wagered, "then perhaps we help each other and get lost afterwards? You take what you want, and I take what I want, understand? Then we say goodbye. Last thing I need is a liability."
"Liability!? What the hell...ugh, whatever," the fox sighed, "let's just get this over with. Yeah, I understand, and I'll help, but we split afterwards."
The coon nodded and went forward first, the fox getting a good view of her shapely form, but pushing away the thoughts. He had only been with males, so the sight of a rather cute female made him nervous. She had to raise her voice a bit to snap him out of the daze, the fox then quickly scurrying, almost tripping over himself.
The young woman snickered. "Rather clumsy for a thief, I'd say."
"Oh, shove it, woman!" her partner growled in annoyance, rubbing a slightly twisted ankle.
A low snarl came from the raccoon. "I don't have time to deal with your mouth, fox, just get your ass in gear."
Said fox brushed off his robes and followed the coon as she went over the hill to the mansion. He knew very well that recently, the lord of the manor had passed away, and nobody went up there because of the fear it may be haunted. It was all a load of bull, though, and the fox smirked as he imagined the look on that woman's face when she realized how easy it would be to steal some things. And once he was out of this little job, he would return to searching for a master whom he could better study under. But even though he was focused on that, his gaze would turn to look at that raccoon.
Once outside the main gates, the young lady signaled him to climb the walls, where she would then reach up and have him pull her up. The fox did as she said, almost losing his grip once he saw those shining, emerald green eyes. After being chastised, he followed her to the front door, which she picked with surprising ease, the raccoon wondering why it was not as difficult as it usually was.
Seeing her expression, the fox spoke. "The lord passed away a few weeks ago, I heard," he whispered, "nobody comes up here anymore, which is why it's so dark in there."
The raccoon turned slowly, her brow creasing into a rather large frown. "And you didn't tell me this before because...?"
"You never asked," replied the wizard in a smart-alecky tone.
She sighed and pondered this turn of events for a few moments before speaking again.
"Well, this certainly makes it easier, but now what?" she asked, "The only challenge is getting out of here without being caught, but where's the fun in that? I like challenging break-ins, damn it, and this isn't going to be one."
The fox thought for a bit. "Maybe I could show you after this job is done?" he offered, "And yes, I know you said we'd split and all that, but why not stick together for a while? My information helped make this easier, and though you are a skilled thief, skills alone will not get you through everything. You have to be smart as well, and no, I'm not saying you're unintelligent."
"Hm," the coon wondered, "Since when do thieves speak with such big and intelligent words?"
The young man laughed. "I grew up rather educated, unlike most thieves I know," he commented, "I may not be as dexterous as you, but I certainly know a thing or two about things."
The woman shrugged and went inside, waiting for him to follow before proceeding to loot all the items she needed, which were mostly food and new clothes. More than once, she looked at the fox with not only a look of assurance that he had not ditched her, but a slight interest. Immediately, she pushed the thought away, because she rarely put any faith in a man, let alone trusted one, and this fox would be no different. Though she stopped her adamant thinking when she noticed the young man holding a rose made of crystal.
"Dang," she whispered, letting out a low whistle, "that thing looks like it could sell for more than an arm and a leg. That what you've been looking for, fox boy?"
The fox pocketed it, keeping his head lowered. "Yeah, this is it."
"I guess we part ways, then?" the raccoon suggested.
The fox shook his head. "I want to stick around with you a little longer, you know, just to let you in on a few details. You, however, have to provide me with a place to sleep and eat. If you can't give me that, then you'll never find the things worth taking."
The last sentence was ended with a grin on the male's face, which the young woman saw was a hint at obviously trying to take some advantage of her. Again, the thoughts came to her of the rather nice looking guy, and they were more difficult to dismiss this time. She had planned one day, when she could live decently, to find someone of interest and perhaps expand things from there. But whether or not this fox was that guy was not really her concern now, she told herself after pushing those plans to the side. The thing that interested her most were these things that he kept saying were "worthy" of her skill as a thief.
With a grunt of acceptance and a firm nod, she forced herself to smile and held out a paw in a greeting gesture. "Fine, I accept. If we're going to be working together, we might as well get to know one another casually, at the least. I'm Sorcha Hikari."
The fox took Sorcha's paw in his own and shook it firmly, smiling some. "Charming name, young lady. I'm Fox Torres, a regular know-it-all when it comes to things, especially surrounding treasure and the like."
"Treasure, eh?" the coon asked, ignoring the flattering remark, "Well, we can talk about it when we get back to my little burrow out in the woods, though I'd rather do it tomorrow, or rather, later today, seeing as it is quite late."
Fox yawned a bit and followed her as they began to walk. "Yeah, I could use a little time to sleep, too. I haven't had a good night's rest in a few days now."
The pair talked for a good while once they were out of the town, Fox closely following Sorcha along a path that went off of the main trail of the forest. Eventually, they came to a large hill that had a loose stone in the back, which served as the secret and only entrance to the raccoon's den. Showing the wizard inside, the fox smirked as it was all that he had expected.
Mostly, it was just one large room with well sculpted walls. There was an oven and cabinets for cooking in one corner, and another held a bed with a decently clean mattress and some sheets. A couple chairs and a small table, with some books on top of it, lined another part of the den. Fox could only assume that outside was the place to take care of things when nature demanded, since the last corner only had a few shelves that contained a few knick-knacks. The wizard placed his rose there and went down to sit in one of the chairs.
"Nice place you have here, raccoon," he commented, "so do I sleep on the floor or do you have a bedroll to spare?"
Sorcha tossed him a small bag. "There's your bedroll, 'Your Majesty'," she answered in mock respect.
"Someone certainly has a problem with guys hanging around," Fox said, "especially guys she just met a few hours before during a little job."
The raccoon girl flopped onto her bed and rolled onto her side, facing away from him. "Hush you...I'm going to sleep."
"Night, 'princess'," the wizard sneered, slipping into the bedroll once he unwound it.
Sorcha did not answer, but simply went to bed, thinking to herself how she was going to get along with this guy who could be just as snide as she.
While Sorcha was resting, an aroma came to her in her sleep. It smelled like roasted coffee beans, mixed with...vanilla bean? She thought she had to be dreaming, pinching herself awake and sniffing at the air. The scent had not faltered, and she looked over to see Fox sitting in one of her chairs, drinking a fresh cup. His eyes opened after the little sip and he saw her.
"Well, good morning, Sorcha," he greeted, taking another swig, "smell of coffee wake you up?"
Rubbing her eyes, the coon looked over on the stove and saw the kettle on, with a large cup next to her set of smaller ones. She went over and drained hot water into one of the cups after pouring the mix into it, stirring it all up with a spoon and then tasted. Her legs quivered some, but she made it to a chair before they could collapse from under her. Sorcha glared at Fox.
"Where did you get this stuff?" she asked, "Best coffee I've had in ages, and let me tell you, it's hard for me to find a good cup."
The fox grinned and took another sip. "I've journeyed lots of places, and it so happens that Java was one of them."
The raccoon took some bread and cheese out of her knapsack and took some bites out of them, sharing the food with the vulpine, who ate it a little less savagely. The way he drank his coffee was also quite formal, a couple fingers out as the others held the cup. It was rather suspicious, she thought. Sorcha was not quite sure she liked the way Fox was being rather polite and "dignified", so she set down her cup before slyly grinning at him, one leg crossed over.
"So, Fox," she said coolly, "tell me a little bit about yourself."
The wizard sat back and set his cup on the table, smiling a bit to himself. "Well, what's there to know about little old me? I suppose we could start with where I grew up and the like. I was born over in the New World, the son of a German woman and a Hispanic lad, with some Native American in me, I might add, not sure how that came about, the second oldest of four children as well. I grew up a little further west than most of the pilgrims that landed, so I worked a little more out in the country."
Fox paused a bit before continuing. "My mother passed away when I was fifteen winters in age, of some unknown sickness. And once I had become a man, I left my father and my younger brothers to travel around the world. Once or twice, I ran into my sister, who was married but a few months ago to a striking man. I was educated to a degree, before having to do some work. Since I became 'free', I've just been getting what I can from places, being a lone little thief. How about yourself, hm?"
Sorcha put her cup down and smirked, licking her lips. "Maybe after you get me some more coffee," she commanded.
The vulpine sighed and went over to the oven, carrying her cup in one paw and setting it on the cabinets. The raccoon giggled to herself at the obedience of the fox, resting her chin in her palm. He's actually pretty nice, she thought, not to mention nice looking, if only I were more interested in guys. Suddenly she stopped pondering to herself when she could swear she saw the kettle floating in the air and pouring water in her cup. Rubbing her eyes some, she noticed she was NOT seeing things and got out of her seat just as the kettle landed back on the stove. Fox turned around with the cup in his hand and noticed her disturbed expression.
"Oh no," he whispered.
Sorcha pinned him against the wall, which forced him to drop the cup of coffee onto the ground, yelping as some of the hot liquid splashed over his foot paws. "You lied to me!" she yelled, "you lied to me, you son of a bitch! You told me you were a thief and you're actually some sorcerer!"
"Wizard," Fox corrected, pointing at his now revealed spell book and robes.
She slapped him, and growled fiercely. "I don't care what the hell kind of magic user you are!" the coon snapped, "You lied to me! I bet everything you said to me at the table was a lie, too!"
"Only about the part of me being a thief!" the fox snarled, "Everything else is true, and I don't tell just anyone those things!"
Sorcha stepped away from him and sat on her bed, knees propped up, her muzzle down against them. "Then why did you follow me? You could just as easily have turned me in and I'd be in jail. Instead, you torment me by following me back and revealing you're a wizard! Have you ever asked yourself how many people trust magic?"
"I also could have just as easily turned you into a dog and made you my pet," Fox retorted, "but that didn't happen, now did it? The reason I followed you was because noticed you were a thief and you were headed for the mansion, and yes, I WAS looking for that crystal rose."
Sorcha sighed and waved her paw in dismissal. "So what's that about? The rose some powerful artifact you had to get your mitts on?" she accused.
"No, actually," the vulpine said, "the rose has nothing to do with my status as a wizard, nor is it an arcane artifact. It was supposed to have been handed down to my sister by my mother, but the lord of this county, who also owned a lot of land in the New World where I lived, struck an insidious bargain with her. If she gave him the crystal rose, which is worth a fortune, like you said before, then he would exempt our family from taxes for an entire generation and would pay her enough to sustain us for that length of time. Otherwise, she would have been imprisoned, and my sister and I orphans, because she did not have the money to pay.
"Look," he begged, covering his face with a paw in slight frustration, "I'm sorry I used you to get it back, but my sister's right to the rose is important. Not only that, but meeting you had me thinking."
The raccoon woman gave him an odd look, but kept her tough attitude. "Thinking about what, Mr. Righteous Brother?"
"About women," Fox admitted, "I've never been too interested in the opposite sex, seeing as I never really had that many experiences with them. I mean, being a brother doesn't count towards that unless you come from an awkward family, but let's not get into that. You're...well, how can I say this? You're the only attractive female I've ever seen. All my life, I've only been interested in other males because of the lack of attractive females, and because I'm naturally interested in men. I don't mean that you're decent, since you're attractive, but...I really do think you are quite a cute one."
Sorcha held a paw to her mouth for a moment as she gasped, not having expected such a comment from the fox. She herself, as she had kept thinking before, never had that much of an interest in men either. The one relationship she had had with a male ended terribly, and before that, she was with another woman, which also did not go so well. The raccoon had sworn she would be a thief first and woman second because of these things, and put most thoughts of relations behind her.
But yet, this fox, this wizard, had openly expressed some hint of attraction to her, and, well, Sorcha thought he was not bad looking himself. It was the whole thing that went, "I vowed this, but now I am not so sure." In fact, rather than being down about this situation, the coon smiled some and relaxed a little.
"Well...can we start over then?" she asked, "I mean, tell each other about ourselves...honestly."
Fox smiled back. "Alright. Well, you already know about the first things, except for the fact that since I was very young, I was enrolled in a school of magic. I earned top marks, and was recommended by many of the more experienced wizards to attend more prestigious schools. My family, unfortunately, did not have the money to provide me with that sort of education, or the ability to move around, so I was stuck there. After obtaining a minor degree, I set out on my next task, which was to find a spell caster, whether wizard, sorcerer or whatever, who was known worldwide. Once I had found him or her, I was to be an apprentice under that person until I had learned all they could teach me. It's been about three years, though, and I still have yet to find a master or mistress.
"So, aside from the lack of attractive females and my natural like of males, another one of the reasons I've not sustained a relationship is because I've been traveling all the time," he explained.
Sorcha thought to herself a little bit before the fox called her name. "It's your turn," Fox urged, with an "after you" gesture.
"Well," she began, "I grew up the daughter of an upper middleclass family, the oldest of three children. After I completed what education could be provided to me, I left my parents to view the real world for myself. It had turned out to be far harsher than I had imagined and I soon fell down in status. With no other choice, I resorted to thievery and made my money by selling off precious items and gems that I had stolen. I can easily afford food right now, but I've grown so fond of my 'trade' that I nab it instead. But what can you expect? I'm a raccoon, and I love my shiny money, so excuse me if I'm a bit greedy.
"But anyway," she said, continuing, "I regularly come to this town to loot things, because it's where I live near, and I'm not exactly willing to leave my home."
Fox stroked his chin fur a bit, not really taking his eyes off of the coon as he did so, a small grin crossing his muzzle. "Well then, Sorcha," he said, "why don't we explore a little more of society? It's safe for me to say that I'm interested in you, and I want to give a few things a try. Of course, it's up to you to take my offer."
The raccoon girl smiled a bit and let her real thoughts and feelings come to surface. "Well, Fox," she mewled timidly, "I can't see why you like me. But I'll go along with it, I suppose. Maybe just spend a few nights away from this hole and go someplace with you, just to see some sights."
Fox chuckled. "Alright then, let me get you some better looking clothes."
It was yet night again, but now in a more open city called Glacies, named so because of its reputation as being very cold during the winter months. Luckily for the two furs traveling there, it was the summer, and they were in clothes that looked normal, so they would not be suspected. At one instance, a poor man came to them and asked for a little change to spare. Sorcha reluctantly gave him some, which caused Fox to gaze over at her with a small grin.
"I thought you were a little greedy when it came to 'shiny money'," he teased.
The raccoon crossed her arms as they continued walking. "Doesn't mean I'm not generous from time to time."
Fox laughed at the idea of a thief being generous, but then dismissed it when they came upon one of the larger inns in town. Fortunately, it had a vacancy, and a small restaurant downstairs that the patrons from all around would often come to. Fox and Sorcha thought it would be a good time to sit down and rest, and grab themselves a bite, since they had been walking all day and were famished from their trek. As they sat in the booths, a stocky looking otter came to them and asked what they would be wanting.
"We have the normal meal of bread and soup, for the locals," he listed, "or we can offer some cheese and bread for the penny pinchers. Then again, if you want more, we have various wines and ales, along with some beef and vegetables. We have some fish as well, but not very much is in season, I'm afraid."
Fox smiled and brought out a small bag of gold pieces. "I think we'll have some beef and soup, with some bread and cheese," he said, "it sounds rather nice. I'd like some ale, myself. And the lady would like...?"
"Bourbon," Sorcha answered.
The otter nodded and went back to the counter once the wizard passed off the money, where he told the cooks what the "lovely couple" wanted. Fox scratched the back of his head nervously at the words he heard, while Sorcha simply gave a small blush. They gazed across at each other for a while, sometimes giving a nervous chuckle as they waited for their food. The restaurant was empty, save for them, and provided a nice and quiet atmosphere on a cool night.
After the silence lasted for a good ten minutes or so, Fox was the first to speak. "Sorcha, I'm glad you could come along with me. This is one of my favorite towns to come to when I am not actively doing wizard things. I'd like to show you, other than the food, the reasons why I like it here."
The raccoon smiled and twiddled her thumbs slowly. "Are you asking me out?"
"Hehe, well, um," the fox stuttered, "in ways, yes. But really, I just want you to see the sights here. It's really a nice time of the year to come see, even though I hear winter is lovely, too. But I wouldn't be able to see winter, because even with all this fur and heavy robes, the cold gets to me, and I hate the cold."
Sorcha laughed at the honesty she saw in him and the silly, furrowed brow he got when he frowned about the thought of cold weather. Fox knew she was only being playful and lightened up a little bit, laying back more comfortably in his seat. Just when they started to relax, their food came by and the wizard slipped the money to the otter before ravenously digging in to his meal. He was hungry, yes, but it seemed that the raccoon was more eager when it came to the meat than any of the other dishes. The fox smirked and sliced half of the large plate with the knife provided, taking what he could. Sorcha growled at Fox when he shoveled the beef for himself, but was poked in the nose by a smiling vulpine man.
"Relax," he whispered comfortingly, "I have to eat too, you know."
She nodded to him and gave his digit a small lick, startling the fox for a moment, which made her giggle at his reaction. Fox would have given her a scolding, but he was too hungry to care, slurping up the soup from his bowl and taking large bites out of the loaf of bread and cheese wedge, munching occasionally on the beef.
After a while, the two finished their meal and decided to go on a short walk before turning in for the night. Sorcha had to keep up with Fox, whom she could tell was brimming with excitement at the prospect of sharing his "little secret" with her. It's just a small hike up the hills, she thought, what could be so exciting about them?
Once at the top, Fox turned around and sat down, patting the ground beside him. "Here, have a seat, Sorcha," he urged, "You'll get a nice view."
The raccoon did as he said and laid down gently on the ground, looking out in the same direction he saw. She gasped quietly, for as far as the eye could see was a wondrous starry sky, then the village of Glacies in a low valley, and in the distance, the moon was shining off of the sea. It was the sort of sight that would make even the most worldly traveler stop and appreciate the beauty. Sorcha knew it certainly made her want to just stare at it for the entire night, and she would have done so, if only she were not a bit tired.
Fox scooted closer to her and smiled at her. "Wonderful, isn't it?" he whispered, "I come here every summer to see this. Sometimes you can see a shooting star or two, and one time, I saw a meteor shower. Other times, the sky is so clear, you can see the celestial clouds. Gods, it's such an amazing sight, but listen to me go on and on."
"I would have to agree with you," the raccoon answered, "it's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. And you're not rambling at all, I'm really interested. Fox?"
The wizard perked his ears. "Yes?"
"Tell me more about yourself," Sorcha said, running a paw through his hair, "I mean, more about what you like to do, and what interests you, other than what you've already told me."
And he did as she asked, going on about his views on some things, and what he did in his spare time when he was younger, and what he does now. Fox paused a few times as she giggled with him, laughing about a few humorous stories he shared. Then it was his turn to laugh and awe when Sorcha did the same for him. It seemed that they shared many common interests and opinions, despite the fact they were very different in the ways they worked.
A long time passed before they decided to head back, the wizard noticing he was standing closer to the thief than when they had come up to the hills. It made him smile, and when he got back to the inn, he pulled out his diary and wrote some about what had happened. When he had finished, he changed into more comfortable clothing and was about to go under the covers when the coon came and sat next to him. Fox curiously perked his ears and then saw a questioning look in her eyes.
"Fox...do you believe in 'love at first sight'?" Sorcha asked.
The wizard pondered a moment before answering. "I believe in the concept, but I don't think it happens to everyone. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing," she said innocently, "was just curious on your opinion."
Fox grinned and noted the hint in her tone. "You can't play innocent with me, coon. I know there's something more to it than just curiosity. And I'm not going to be able to sleep until you tell me."
Sorcha smiled and blushed lightly, coming forward so that she leaned against him, wrapping his arms around him, which made Fox a little nervous. What came next surprised him even more as the soft, furry lips of the raccoon met his own, the fox letting out a loud gasp into her muzzle, then closed his eyes. His arms came about her body slowly as they kissed, soft huffs of air coming from their noses as the embrace became warmer. Other kisses had served Fox in getting him excited for mating with the other males he had been with, but this one was different. It was the same with Sorcha, the whole warm feeling in her chest growing as her heart thudded loudly.
It ended gently, but had lasted a long while, the two furs looking away with blushes on their muzzles before turning to face one another.
"Is that what you wanted to say?" Fox inquired quietly.
Sorcha nodded. "I wanted to say that I'd like to be with you for a while. You're really a nice person, Fox, and I don't know how things would have gone if I hadn't met you."
"Probably better, probably worse," the wizard replied, "It's too late to know now. But I think I'd also like to be with you, Sorcha. You're the first female I've ever felt this way for, and I would love to continue to explore these feelings."
The raccoon gave him a tight hug, her joy expressed through this action growing even more as she felt it returned. After the cuddling, she went back to her own bed and slipped under the covers, sighing at the feel of them over her body.
"Good night, Sorcha," Fox called, giving her a distant air kiss.
She replied with the same expression. "Good night, Fox."
The raccoon had met someone truly special, someone she thought she could expand beyond a courtship. She smiled to herself. He is a thief, she thought to herself, a thief that has stolen my heart. Sighing with happiness, she dozed off to sleep, thinking only of her now beloved fox.