“Let Them Have Cake” by Spottystuff

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and today’s story is

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“Let Them Have Cake”

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by Spottystuff, a visual artist who started writing recently,

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because he foolishly thought it would be easier than to learn about shading.

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He hopes to put out more stories about Kieran’s adventures on Sofurry.

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He also has a twitter with the same username.

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“Let Them Have Cake”

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by Spottystuff A small, black fox in a thick cloak

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moved through the torchlit streets

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of Dalmatia in the dead of night.

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Not an unusual sight, all things considered.

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Cloaked and unsavoury figures would usually come out after dark.

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The few scattered lanterns and torches provided little light,

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and in this part of town it was a precarious time to walk alone.

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To Kieran, however,

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the oppressive darkness in these streets suited him

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perfectly. The shadows turned him into some background character whom one wouldn’t afford a second glance.

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One might never stop to wonder why his footsteps were soundless,

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why his robe never seemed to rustle,

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why his movements were so graceful for someone

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who looked as down on his luck as he did.

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He wouldn’t display his gold and ruby signet ring,

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which identified him as a royal assassin to those who knew,

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as well as anyone who had heard the rumours.

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If he smiled now,

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two golden fangs would glint in the weak light,

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betraying his beggar façade,

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but it would only grace his lips for one person in this world.

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His appearance was whatever he wanted others to see.

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That was just how he was trained.

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Anyone would be justified in thinking he was

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nobody. But they would be wrong.

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The houses around him stood like cliffs, dark and seemingly abandoned.

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But from them came a mess of different smells, and to anyone who could pick these smells up,

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the houses appeared as riotous centres of social congregation.

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His scent blended in nicely with the smell of the crowded houses above him.

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Their sheer height was impressive to anyone walking the streets.

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They were huddled so close to the street,

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and the street was so narrow,

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that they seemed to touch at their peaks.

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Small balconies draped their exteriors,

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sometimes blocking out the light from the moon altogether.

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A flicker of light got his attention.

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The clattering sounds of metal on metal

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and the sounds of voices could be heard.

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The night watch. They knew the fox,

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though only by his sliced ear,

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black coat, and the fox scent.

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They never managed to get close enough to exchange formalities,

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so Kieran had to baptize them himself,

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from what he knew of them.

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The two scents which were nearing the junction in front of him

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belonged to Beer-breath and Skunk.

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For once, the fox was thankful that this kingdom was full of people

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who didn’t wash. He aimed for the nearest doorway on his path,

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leaning against the door with his hood pulled down over his eyes.

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The two guards rounded a corner, and sure enough,

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a large brown bear with a pikestaff

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and a holstered flintlock,

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and a black and white skunk with a long musket on his back

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came down the street at a noisy saunter.

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They were conversing loud enough to wake the dead,

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let alone whoever might try to sleep tonight.

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The scent of skunk musk,

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strong and unapologetic,

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drifted into Kieran’s nostrils

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and made him wince.

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Had they bathed, they might be able to detect and separate a trace of Kieran’s familiar scent

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in the mess of smells permeating the air of these streets. But they

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neither smelled nor saw him.

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As soon as they had passed, and their scents had drifted away,

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Kieran continued walking towards the end of the street.

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Though he usually delighted in antagonizing the guards,

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he didn’t want to waste this night on these games.

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Walking along the narrow street,

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and into another one, just as narrow,

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he padded over gravel,

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cobblestone, and wooden planks spanning large puddles.

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The constant background scent of waste and filth

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hung like a blanket

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all across the poorer quarters.

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He was heading away from the smells.

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This city was a dirty place, sure,

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but there was one place where purity could be found.

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He drew up to a shop front,

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outside of which he’d stood many times before.

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The red door bore the painting of a curious looking bread,

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tied in a knot, with white paint denoting the glazing.

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The door belonged to the famous pastry chef

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Don Lazzaro. Kieran had often desired,

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but never tasted his goods.

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He specialised in sweets and cakes particularly,

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and his price was insurmountable.

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No commoner could ever hope to taste the craft of Don Lazzaro.

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He enjoyed widespread fame in the court of Dalmatia, which had made him a very rich rat.

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He had become so enamoured with his status and wealth

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that he stopped selling his goods to anyone of lower birth,

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not even letting them inside his shop.

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Kieran was a squire by rank, but he was unlikely to ever be knighted,

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and thus he was barred all the same.

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No one in Dalmatia,

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especially Don Lazzaro,

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had any appreciation for the hard work of a royal assassin.

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Kieran was but another commoner to be shouted at and denied.

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Many a time he’d pushed his black snout up against the glass of the pastry chef’s red door

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in hopes of catching the faint scents inside.

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Enticing him, tempting him,

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mocking him. All the nobles got their share, and he got nothing.

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Not even his boyfriend, Kit,

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the personal valet of the Duke,

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had been afforded these sweets.

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They were far too precious for a couple of low-born servants.

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Poor helpless Kit.

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He was not like Kieran,

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he was a pure and pretty ermine weasel, well-groomed,

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well-spoken, and well behaved.

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A true gentleman’s gentleman.

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Not a thief. No,

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this task fell to the fox.

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Kieran’s whole career involved making problems

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go away. Tonight, his solutions were strapped to a leather belt on his thigh.

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He drew back his cloak,

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and the faint lantern light fell on a brace of thin metal implements.

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They were good quality lockpicks made from fine,

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castle forged steel,

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and would never bend or break,

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even against the heaviest sprung locks.

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Thankfully, the castle blacksmith would happily accept Kieran’s money

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without that inflated pride

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which Don Lazzaro had.

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The baker’s door was merely made to keep out the wind and rain,

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its lock barely a formality to Kieran,

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a measly single-barrelled contrivance of barely sufficient strength to even hold the door shut.

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It never stood a chance.

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He salivated at the thought of what lay on the other side,

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and when the sweet, warm air hit his nostrils,

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he all but drooled.

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He pulled greedily at the door,

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but before he could open it more than a foot,

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the hinges complained loudly.

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He hesitated. Considering how loud the night watch had been in passing just recently,

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there might be people still awake in the houses around him.

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He didn’t dare to chance it.

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Sighing, he squeezed inside,

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aware that his scent spread onto the door and frame.

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Oh, well, he was just another fox stealing from another shop,

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and the world would keep turning.

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Kieran looked around in the dark room he had just entered.

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He could see just as well in the dark as in the day.

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The only differences were the colours,

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which were washed out in greys and blacks.

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He felt slightly disappointed at the limitations of his eyes when he looked at the jars of hard sweets on the counter.

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They looked dull and monochrome,

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somehow not as enticing as when Kieran had seen them from the other side of the window.

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Even so, their sweet scents of fruits and sugar were

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unmistakeable. Kieran took a pawfull,

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then another, slipping the candy into a canvas bag he had slung from his belt.

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He wanted so badly to pop just one in his mouth,

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but he shovelled them all into his bag,

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efficient and disciplined.

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The fox understood the value of setting and atmosphere, if nothing else.

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He would take his time

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and enjoy them properly,

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like how the lords and ladies would.

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He’d open a bottle of wine and share the night with his boyfriend,

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gorging like kings.

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He couldn’t stop his tail from wagging.

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Then he noticed a treasure.

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A beautiful cake stood under a glass covering on a table

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at the back of the shop.

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whipped cream, shimmering white against the darkness,

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covered half the cake,

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and the coal black of coloured marzipan covered the other half.

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An homage to the royal court and the Dalmatians in charge, no doubt.

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The base of the cake had strawberries and cherries carefully worked into the cream and marzipan.

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Kieran could not take his eyes away the immaculate piece of art before him.

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It was probably meant for some party the next day.

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Who would notice if it were to disappear?

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Among the sea of other treats the nobles could enjoy,

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it was no great loss.

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The thought of all those selfish lords and ladies

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frustrated and cake-less delighted him.

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This black and white masterpiece

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would be perfect for a black fox and a white weasel.

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Surely, they didn’t deserve this treat.

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Over the course of his career,

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he had snuck, infiltrated,

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impersonated, threatened,

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bled, and killed in service of the crown.

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He was definitely in due

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for some cake. Having convinced himself that this theft was justified,

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even noble, he lifted the glass casing.

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This burglary was no longer a piece of cake,

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it was the whole damned platter.

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Carrying the cake might severely hamper his getaway,

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but when he thought about Kit,

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he found the courage he required.

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Suddenly, he heard a noise,

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and pressed low to the floor instinctively.

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The clattering of metal came from outside,

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and the guards were returning their rounds in reverse.

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But he had known that,

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they made the same rounds every night.

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He’d anticipated them and

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had planned to hide in the bakery,

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waiting for them to pass before returning the way he came.

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The noise he had heard came from inside the bakery.

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His good ear perked to pick up an unmistakable creak.

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The creak of a bed

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which had contained a dormant rat,

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and now didn’t. The stairs, which had been shrouded in darkness,

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suddenly acquired a faint,

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flickering glow. Another creak came,

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from the floorboards above his head this time.

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The fox realised there was no way he could hide in the little shop,

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especially not from its owner,

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not with his scent,

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growing more marked

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the more agitated he became.

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It distinguished itself from all the other scents in this part of town,

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as well as in this very shop.

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Foxes were particularly unwelcome

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in fine and respectable establishments

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such as this one.

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The creaks shifted from the floorboards to the stairs, and the clattering outside grew louder.

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He had to act, quickly.

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There was only one way.

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He gripped the cake platter tightly,

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shoved the door open with his hips,

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and ran into the dark streets.

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Behind him erupted the sharp and agitated voice

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of the venerable rat as it called for the nearby guards.

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The sounds of clattering breastplates sped up,

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and came towards him, but Kieran had already reached a brisk sprint.

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He could easily have outrun them on a normal night,

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but Beer-breath carried a pistol,

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Skunk carried a musket

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and he carried a cake.

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No matter how quick he could run,

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he couldn’t run that quick.

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If Kieran was seen…

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well, He’d have to avoid being seen.

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It would be awfully silly to die for some cake.

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He soon realised his pace was not quick enough.

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The rattling of the guard’s armours drew nearer with every passing second.

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He escaped into another narrow side street, as narrow as the one he had come from.

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He had bought himself some time with his head start,

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but not enough. The fox had an ace up his sleeve, however.

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A rare skill, honed to perfection

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over years of experience and practice.

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A skill which would allow him to escape with his life.

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Possibly even with the cake.

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He scanned the walls of the houses quickly as he ran,

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and planned out his path of escape.

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There was a way out that he could see,

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it was just about doable.

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He jumped onto one of the nearby windowsills,

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lashing his tail to the side for balance,

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before kicking away from it,

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towards the opposite side of the street.

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As soon as he found purchase on the top of the windowsill of an opposing shop front,

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he kicked his powerful legs again.

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Back across the street he went,

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gaining more height still.

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He managed to land on the wrong side of a first-floor balcony railing,

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flipping the cake platter onto a single paw,

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as the other one grasped for the wrought iron rails.

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The cake wobbled precariously as he climbed onto,

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and then sprang from the banister, but it remained on its platter,

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even when the fox flew across the street yet again

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to gain the second story balcony opposite.

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He jumped from balcony to balcony,

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building to building, higher and higher.

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Around halfway to the top,

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he picked up faint voices below.

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His climb had gone slower than he’d anticipated.

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How easy it must be to spot him,

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and draw a bead on him, silhouetted as he was against the...

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CRACK! A bullet whizzed past his good ear,

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threatening to make him a no-eared fox.

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Now that Skunk and Beer-Breath had stopped running,

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they could fire at him without risk.

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Without risk to anyone but the fox, of course.

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“Come down here, thief!”

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shouted Skunk through the puff of smoke he had released from his musket.

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“It’s that one-eared fox again.

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Hey, come down now, and we won’t not kill you!”

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“We won’t?” “Quickly, shoot, you dumb brute!”

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Skunk was reloading frantically, but not quick enough for a second shot.

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The bear beside him had taken aim with his pistol.

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Kieran leapt to the final balcony,

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and prepared to vault across the street for the last time to gain the roof.

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CRACK! The bullet sailed past,

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missing the fox by inches.

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Unfortunately, those very inches had been occupied by the canvas bag on his belt.

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His haul leaked out from a large hole in the bottom,

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and rained down onto the street below,

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clattering harmlessly against the helmets of his two pursuers. “No!

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No-no-no-no,” He groaned through gritted teeth.

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Every single one of the sweet-smelling little marbles had been lost.

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He still clung to the beautiful cake, however.

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There was still hope. “Hah!”

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Beer-Breath laughed.

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“Got him.” “No, you didn’t,”Skunk chided,

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“Unless you think he bleeds… What exactly?

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Sweets? Why on earth?”

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Kieran was already on top of the roofs,

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his annoyance curtailed slightly

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when he realised

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the worst was over.

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The loss of the sweets stung,

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but he kept his focus on the real prize, which he’d somehow

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managed to keep intact.

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He could feel his excitement building.

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The guards were far gone now,

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he could make his way home.

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He ran along the roof to its edge,

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and sprung across the street to the next,

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and then across another street to the next.

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The tiles might as well be the paving stones

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of a well-travelled high road,

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considering how often he had run across them as a daily exercise routine.

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He pointed his muzzle at the city wall,

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and ran. When he reached the edge of the city,

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he bounced across the last gap,

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and gained the broad walkway of the city wall

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with several feet to spare.

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He stood back for a moment to admire his effort.

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He went up to a nearby lit sconce on the wall,

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studying the cake in the torchlight.

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It was well shaped and

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pristine, not a single crumb or berry had fallen from its immaculate form.

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Kieran was good at what he did.

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At its northernmost point, the city’s surrounding wall was broken by a gatehouse,

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which stood opposite another gatehouse on the castle’s outer wall.

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A drawbridge connected the two gatehouses

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across a shallow moat.

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The path was clear,

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he was almost home.

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He saw no flicker from the torches of patrolling guards.

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Then he found that he hadn’t been as close as he’d first imagined.

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The drawbridge had been raised while he’d been out.

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The gatekeepers had again done what made the least amount of sense.

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He had studied them for weeks, but never learned to interpret their random whims.

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All those lonely days of looking at the same spot

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must have made them quite eccentric.

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So much so that they had suspended a single, narrow rope bridge between the tops of the two gatehouses.

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Kieran was sure it existed mostly for the perverse and unfathomable pleasures of these strange guards,

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rather than any wall patrol.

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He hated this bridge.

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It was impossible for him to feel confident

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on the slippery wooden decking,

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regardless of how he dug his claws in,

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or planted his feet, or gripped with his paws.

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But there was no other way across,

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and he was ever so close.

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The smell of the cake was constantly goading him on.

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He stepped carefully

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onto the bridge. Balancing his cake in one paw,

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he gripped the rope tightly

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as the bridge wobbled underneath him.

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When he’d gotten half ways across without any problem,

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he started to taste excitement on his tongue again.

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Then, it happened.

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A gust of wind blew

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unexpected from the east,

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and rocked the bridge suddenly.

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Kieran felt his footing slip,

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costing him what little that remained of his balance.

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He saw himself as in slow motion,

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teetering and staggering towards the edge.

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Instinctively, he grasped for the ropes to save himself.

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The cake flew into the air,

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where it seemed to hang,

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as if drifting gently on a breeze.

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Kieran could only look helplessly on

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as it plummeted away

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and into the moat.

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A small splash sealed its fate.

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“NO!” Kieran cried, and the despair he felt was greater than he could have imagined.

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It had been the most beautiful,

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promising and evocatively potent thing

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he’d ever held in his paws with his clothes on.

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No protests would return that cake to him.

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His ear flicked down,

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and undiluted disappointment filled his thoughts.

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He had been so close.

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So close that he could have tasted it,

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and yet there was not a crumb to be had.

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It was as if the cake had never existed.

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If he’d just spilled a little,

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he might lick his paws of cream now.

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He had been too good at what he did.

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He padded across the bridge, down the gatehouse stairs and through the courtyard,

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muttering and feeling sorry for himself.

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The porter let him inside the servants entrance,

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but he didn’t exchange familiar nods tonight.

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He went through the kitchen without even thinking about skimming bacon for his supper.

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He didn’t want supper.

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How could he go back to regular food again, after seeing that cake?

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He returned to his bedchamber, and curled up underneath his sheets.

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The regret burned inside him long into the night.

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All he wanted was a little morsel,

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a tiny bite, Just the most minute piece of paradise that he could have to himself,

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was that so damned much to ask?

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He woke up the next morning

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with a white weasel in his arms.

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Kit must have come in during the night,

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and wrapped himself around the little fox

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for warmth and comfort

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as he was wont to do.

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His presence softened the reality,

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as Kieran relived the last night’s events.

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When he moved to get out of bed, he felt a warm paw around his wrist,

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and his boyfriend looked back at him

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with sleepy eyes.

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“Hold on, fox…” “Really,

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Kit? Now?” Kieran asked. “I have to get going.

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Daily exercises, you know that.

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I’ll be back in an hour if you still want to…”

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Kieran flashed his grin

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and winked knowingly to the weasel.

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Not unusual for them to share a moment together before their work began,

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and he wouldn’t mind a pick-me-up after last night’s events.

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“Not what I meant,

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today is special. I’ll fetch something,”

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Kit murmured, crawling out of bed

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and draping a morning gown over his bright white fur.

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His short tail was wagging slightly,

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and he had a clever glint in his sleepy eyes.

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“There’s something you have to see.

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A surprise.” Kieran sat back down on the mattress,

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looking questioningly at his boyfriend as the little weasel exited.

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The boy returned a little later,

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with one of the saddest looks Kieran could ever remember seeing on him.

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His tail didn’t wag,

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his eyes didn’t glimmer.

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His round ears were flat,

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and his whiskers drooped.

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He looked like he was about to cry.

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“Kit!” Kieran exclaimed, rushing over to take the weasel in his arms,

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but he had a bad feeling about it all.

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There was something he was missing.

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“What’s the matter, sweetheart.

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Did someone bother you?”

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“Oh, it’s terrible, Kieran.

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It’s just awful.” “What’s happened?”

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“Oh, Kieran…” Kit said, sniffling.

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“It was meant to be a surprise.”

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“Is this the surprise?

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A sad weasel? That’s not what I wanted.”

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Kieran murmured,

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but Kit didn’t smile at his feeble joke.

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“No, I mean… Well… You see…”

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Kit hesitated, looking to his feet.

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“Some days ago, I asked His Grace to place an order for a cake from Don Lazzaro,

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the pastry chef, you know?

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I spent all my savings on it.

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But when I looked in the kitchens...

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Someone must have thought it belonged to a noble, and taken it.

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It’s gone. I’m sorry, fox.” “F

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-for me?” Kieran swallowed.

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Suddenly he felt dizzy.

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He plunged down onto his mattress, still clutching the weasel,

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completely lost for words.

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He’d stolen that wonderful cake from his own boyfriend,

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regardless of his initial motive.

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Not only had he deprived the world of a nice and innocent cake,

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but he’d taken the excitement and anticipation from his nice and innocent weasel,

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replacing it with sadness.

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Now he held his victim on his lap,

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trying to comfort him.

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But he couldn’t comfort himself.

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“You always said you wanted to try something sweet,”

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Kit murmured into Kieran’s chest.

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“I felt bad, so I chanced to sneak something away from the kitchens.”

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He dug around in a pocket

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and pulled out something colourful.

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“Happy anniversary, fox.

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Two years, huh?” The weasel presented a few round, colourful shapes.

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Kieran understood how much this had meant to the weasel.

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If Kit was seen stealing, it would’ve been the end of his job as a prominent servant.

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Kieran felt like he deserved a kick to the stomach,

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not candy. He didn’t dare to taint that sweetness with the bitter sting of guilt.

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“You didn’t have to,”

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Kieran murmured ashamed.

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“It’s the thought that counts, right?”

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He couldn’t bring himself to eat the sweets, so he pocketed them.

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Neither could he admit that he’d been the thief.

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Not like this, not on their anniversary.

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He would make it better again instead, whatever it took.

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A few days later,

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he finally had the time.

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He made his way back to his crime scene.

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Passing through the red door, which still carried faint traces of his scent,

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he was met by a rat dressed in a white apron.

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“Get out, boy. These pastries are for the castle.

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Nothing here is for sale, especially not to you,”

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Don Lazzaro said,

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shaking a flour-covered fist at the fox.

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Kieran wasn’t going anywhere.

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He’d brought the rat all the wealth he owned,

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almost half a year’s worth of his wages.

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Even if had been enough,

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it was no guarantee of his compliance.

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“My pardons sir, a moment of your time?”

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Kieran pleaded. He had his good ear splayed to the side,

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and put the money on the rat’s counter.

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“I’ve come to make things right,

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and to apologize for…”

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“You! That cake, it was you!” The rat shouted

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when Kieran’s fox scent hit him.

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He rounded the bench and advanced on the little fox,

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rolling pin held high.

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“Please don’t, sir.”

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Kieran winced, drawing his lip back and covering his face with his paws.

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An unsuitable reaction for a trained killer perhaps,

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but the rat stopped in his tracks.

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Don Lazzaro’s eyes travelled from the golden ruby signet ring on Kieran’s paw

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to the two golden fangs in his muzzle.

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He looked the fox up and down,

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and chewed on his lip,

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restraining his angry tone. “I see…

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Speak on then, fox.

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Make it quick.”

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“Oh… The cake was meant for me.

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It was a gift from my b…

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from my partner,” Kieran mumbled,

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“I came to pay for the damages, ask your forgiveness,

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and to beg you to make that cake again.”

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“You should be glad I don’t call the guards,”

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Don Lazzaro said,

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waving his money away.

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“Don’t do that, please,

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I want to make it up to you.”

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He looked hesitantly to the rat. Would he have to beg? Should he get on his knees on this surprisingly dirty floor?

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“Do you know how to make a cake, fox?” “N

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-no sir, that’s why I’m…”

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“Then you can’t make it up to me,”

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The rat said and turned his back to him.

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“The ingredients have already been consumed,

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the labour undertaken,

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and the artistry expended and exhausted.

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I will not make a cake twice.”

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“No… no-no-no, Please.”

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Kieran pleaded, with a thin,

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cracking voice. “I’ll…

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I’ll clean your shop,

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I’ll wash your pots and pans,

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I’ll do whatever you want.

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Please make that cake again, I beg you.”

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The rat scratched his chin,

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and looked meaningfully to a bucket and broom in the corner.

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He looked back to Kieran, who was kneeling before him.

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“You mean to say that you…”

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The rat gestured at Kieran’s ring.

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“You would clean the entire establishment of Don Lazzaro?

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You would willingly spare Don Lazzaro of that burden?”

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“I have scrubbed floors before,” Kieran said.

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He would happily clean for the rest of his career,

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if it would bring a smile back to his weasel.

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Don Lazzaro seemed to hesitate.

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“I don’t bake just for gold.

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I have higher callings…

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But, the world is owed another Don Lazzaro cake.

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I’ll take your money for the inconvenience you have caused me already.

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You will take the broom and the sponge,

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and make yourself useful.”

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The rat waved his paw at the broom and bucket in the corner.

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Kieran got to work,

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scrubbing every single floorboard with practiced care.

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He cleaned every surface carefully, and took care of all of Don Lazzaro’s dishes, pots and pans.

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He moved on to the rat’s private quarters where he scrubbed the floors

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and cleaned the windows.

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The work was tough and dirty,

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and not suitable for a royal assassin,

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but it was just what Kieran felt he deserved.

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With every brush of the broom

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and scrub of the sponge, he felt his guilt dissipate

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and his hope rekindled.

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Come afternoon, Kieran’s fur was matted with dough and dust,

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and drenched in soap and water.

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“I suppose there’s nothing more to wash but for yourself, fox.

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You’ve done well today.

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I wish more of your kin were like that.” Don Lazzaro brushed flour from his paws as he pushed the cake mould into the oven.

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“Does that mean you’re satisfied?”

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“I’d have been more satisfied if you’d not stolen from me in the first place,”

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The rat mumbled, but he wasn’t angry anymore.

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“But it is commendable that you came back to repent for your sins against the world,

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God and Don Lazzaro.

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I’ll remember you, fox,

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I might allow you to buy a Don Lazzaro cake someday.”

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“I’ll have to save up, sir,”

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Kieran mumbled with poorly disguised shame.

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“Maybe next year. Thankyou.”

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As Kieran was picking clumps of dough from his fur,

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the cake came out of the oven.

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It’s heavenly aroma filled the kitchen

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and threatened to put a smile on his muzzle.

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Don Lazzaro filled the cooling cake with sweet jam.

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He spread whipped cream across it

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to create a white canvas, onto which he scattered blackberries to cover half the cake.

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Though it was slanted and uneven,

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it looked like its predecessor.

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It was the most precious cake the fox had seen yet.

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“Just one more thing, fox, before you take this cake.”

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Don Lazzaro said and held out a finger to Kieran’s muzzle,

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speaking in a low tone.

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“This is the only cake that could be made on such short notice.

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A true Don Lazzaro cake takes days to craft.

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This one is hastily made, and though it will taste of heaven,

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it is not a Don Lazzaro cake. Understand?” “I promise sir, not a single soul will see this cake,” Kieran lied. The weasel was out when Kieran found his way back

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to the room.

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He deposited the cake on his low table.

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He put out plates for them both,

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lit a candle, and poured two cups of claret from the bottle he’d been saving.

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The weasel would be back soon

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and there was going to be quite a surprise in store for him.

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Kieran could hardly contain himself.

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Seated on a chair by the table,

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he wagged his tail rapidly against the chair legs

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and licked his lips incessantly,

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never for a moment removing his attention from his treasure.

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His concentration was interrupted when a creak came from his door.

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Kit entered the room,

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tail first. It was wagging.

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“Kieran, guess what?”

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Kit asked over his shoulder,

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he was holding something in his paws.

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“His grace consented to replace the stolen cake.

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It arrived this morning, but you were out, so I…”

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Their eyes met as Kit turned.

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For a moment they could only stand there staring at each other.

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Both equally speechless.

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Kit’s eyes travelled from the fox to the black and white cake on the table,

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and Kieran’s eyes found

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another cake in the weasel’s paws,

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almost identical to the one he’d lost.

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He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but there was no doubt.

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There were two cakes in the room.

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Kit smiled, and Kieran answered with his own.

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“Happy anniversary, dear.”

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This was “Let Them Have Cake”

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by Spottystuff, read for you by Khaki,

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your faithful fireside companion.

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Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog