Kheeran

Kheeran has learned how to survive in a world dominated by creatures largely hostile towards him - avoid those that hunt you, use those for your own gain that seem to be slightly more benevolent, and grab whatever you can from wealthy, yet unsuspecting folk. But most of all: Don't trust anyone - at least that's the theory. Unfortunately, the young silver fox's own curiosity, accompanied by the fact that caring about laws and other details of rather marginal importance to him has never been his greatest strength, rather frequently gets him into trouble. Yes, he certainly has quick wits, a pretty fast tongue, and the innate cunning evident in most of his species, but - will that be sufficient to save him from dangling from the gallows on Harrowgate's marketplace in the long run?

Kheeran has never beeen a strategically planning creature or somebody looking far ahead in time. He's living in the present, the Now and Here, and some might argue that he's actually living on stolen time. having grown up in the streets of Harrowgate, the dirt, the fierce competition between the beings at the very bottom of the social ladder, never having known his parents, has disillusioned him. Searching for food in dustbins, even competing for it with lizards and other animals, has been a necessity for him during most of his life. Even for a town fox, it can sometimes be hard to keep one's dignity, especially when, in Kheeran's late cubhood, people started offering food and shelter to the attractive, swift-pawed and slender black-furred canid - in exchange for just a tiny little favour or two. The young silver fox accepted, in a desperate attempt to escape his previous life of pain and misery.

Burglary and pickpocketing became his daily life - tasks assigned to him by Ryano, a tall, old and rather unscrupulous wolf. For quite some time, Kheeran actually enjoyed his new situation. He had stolen before, and conscience was a luxury that the young fox had never been able to afford. Kheeran used his tasks to perfectionize his skills, to sharpen his wits, and to live a better life - most of the goods he stole went directly into the paws of Ryano, but at least he never remained hungry. Everything seemed to be set for a brighter future, until... well, until Kheeran was finally assigned to do a job far beyond anything else he had done before. A diplomat, an important Phelan ambassador had to be assassinated, and even though the young silver fox didn't know anything about the shady figures in the background, he accepted. Money was a good argument, and anyway - Ryano hadn't left him much of a choice. "Get that diplomat", he had said, "or I will use your silky pelt as a decoration for my floor".

Certainly, Kheeran understood that there was something special about this mission, and there were quite a few things that just didn't make sense to him. The young fox was a skilled and successful thief, but an assassin? Definitely not.
The first part of his mission was successful. Kheeran managed to enter the well-protected building where the Phelan delegation in Harrowgate was presumably sleeping, and quickly found his victim's room. With unrivalled stealth and practically complete silence, he approached the bed, raising his dagger for the final strike and... lowered it again.
The young female wolf whose adorable face he was just looking at, simply didn't deserve to die. She was about Kheeran's age and just... just so lovely and innocent. The silver fox put his dagger on the ground and left it there, as a warning. Then, he sneaked back to one of his hiding places that Ryano didn't know about. At least, Kheeran thought so.

Reality proved him wrong once again. In the morning, something abruptly lifted him by the tail, snarled in his face, and smashed him against a wall. Then, it grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him up once again. Even though Kheeran bit and clawed all about, the physical strength of the wolf that was holding him just didn't leave the fox the slightest chance. "You're disappointing me deeply", his opponent growled. "Seems like your pelt is worth more than your help". Pushed against the wall, lifted upwards, Kheeran felt the cold metal of a large knife between his legs. There was nothing he could do... and death would certainly not come painlessly for him.

Suddenly, the wolf collapsed. A crossbow bolt had buried itself deeply in his back, and behid him stood a red fox with crossbow in paws, looking at Kheeran, who was lying on the ground, panting.
"I am Ginger. I've been observing you for a while, Kheeran, and I think that you could be of some help for me."

Ginger was different from Ryano, even though his business was rather similar. He gave Kheeran some protection and disguise in exchange for the goods acquired by theft and burglary, and finally even became something you could have called a friend. With mostly wolves around him, Kheeran was glad to work with a creature of his own species, for a change, and if he ever trusted anyone, it was probably Ginger.

But then, Ginger the red fox disappeared, without warning and without a trace.

Kheeran was alone again...