Chapter 1: Dungeon

"So," the guard growled, "what are you two in for?"

The two kittens he spoke to sat huddled in the corner of the cell. Like all wildcats the two were small in stature, even with their age accounted for, they both had long bushy tails and ears that seemed to melt into their hair. Their fur coats, which hadn't been washed in weeks, where almost hidden by brown clocks, poorly stitched together into a par reasonable state of dress. They both had their backs to the wall, arms around each other and heads lent against the other. The boy was completely out and the girl was not far behind.

Wilykit timidly raised her head from her twin brother's shoulder. The palace guard was a tall cat, dressed head to toe in gray armor. From the parts of his face she could see, Kit guessed that he was a Jaguar or a large leopard. Not that she cared of course, all Kit cared about was ensuring he wasn't going to hurt her or, even worse, her brother. Wilykat breathed deeply but didn't wake, not that Wilykit blamed him his fever had only just broken that morning

"You deaf." The guard banged the cell wall in frustration. The cell was just about large enough for Wilykit to lie across it and was about twice as long. Even through her street clothes Kit could feel the icy cold marble. The feeling was nothing however compered to the raw feeling created by the shackles that ran around her wrists and ankles, the shackles that bound her ankles where chained to an anchor in the cells center. The only other object of interest in the small room was a bucket, located in the corner and barely seeable in the dull light, the bucket was supposed to keep the cell 'clean' or, Kit gently touched Kat's sweet covered head, as clean as possible.

They had been in the Thundera Palace dungeon for three days now, ever since those darn clerics had burst into the small cellar that the twins had currently been calling home. Before the two could even stand the lead cleric, a female cheetah, had cuffed them both. They'd been quickly transported from the slums up to the castle, which had stood over them all their lives. They were lead quietly down to the dungeons and shoved into one of the cells. At the time Wilykit had been to frightened to resist, Wilykat had resisted and his blood stained clothes and recent fever showed the result.

"Hey Wagger," the guard insulted, "I asked you a question!" Though young Wilykit knew the insulting reference to her tail. She didn't understand why other cats felt it made them 'lesser beings' in their eyes but that didn't stop the insult from hurting.

"You want a taste of the whip do ya Wagger?" Up until then Wilykit had been doing her best to ignore the guard as she had the others but, after seeing what the cheetah had done to her brother with a simple rod, she was not willing to continue that stance if it meant facing the whip.

"Pickpocketed." She answered in a clear but shaky voice. In truth she didn't know why, but pickpocketing was the most common offence the twins committed. Kat had put a similar question to the lead cleric during their arrest, only to earn a slap in response

The guard laughed causing Wilykit to cringe back and Kat to stir. "I doubt that somewhat mongrel," dismissing her answer with another insult. "The palace dungeon is reserved for those who've committed crimes against the royal family."

"Against the royal family?" Wilykit quickly racket her brain, trying to remember when she'd even seen at member of the royal family, let alone robbed one. It made no sense, she and Kat never left the slums and what kind of royal would enter it. "I don't know." She admitted her mind was turning up a blank.

The guard was quiet for a moment before smiling slightly. "Well then," he gently slide the whip of his belt, "I guess I'm just going to have to beat it out."

Wilykit's heart began to beat fast and her chains clanged as she struggled to stop her paws from shacking. Tears welled in her eyes as fear clutched her body. "Please." She pleaded. "I swear I don't know."

The guard stopped, it wasn't out of any sympathy for the kitten, but simply because, after being a dungeon guard for so long, he knew sincerity when he saw it. He was not a cruel cat, granted he did gain pleaser by watching the prisoners beg and sob but he wasn't about to whip at kitten for being honest. Which begged the question, how did a couple of pickpockets end up here? "They must have pickpocketed a royal while he was in the slums." The guard reasoned. "But what royal goes into the slums now days?"

Kit relaxed slightly upon seeing the guard stop. Beside her Wilykat moan and weakly open his eyes. His eyes looked clearer than they had in days but they still had a dazed look about them and Kit knew he was far from recovered. "What's going on Kit?" he asked, even with his mouth right by her ear Wilykit could barely here him.

"Nothing." She answer, not taking her eyes of the guard who still hadn't left. The last thing she wanted was for Kat to fell she was in danger, even weak as he was he'd try and protect her and likely kill him self in the process.

"Lion-o," The guard suddenly spoke, something in his eyes clicking. "You two stole from prince Lion-o."

The two kittens looked at each other confused, like all cats they had heard of prince Lion-o but had no memory of every pickpocketing anyone in fancy clothes and an armed escort. The guard's next sentence answered their question. "Rumor has it that he often sneaks into the slums, for what ever reason, on his own and dressed as a commoner." The guard laughed. "Of all the people to pickpocket, you to must have the worse luck in the world," His face change to one that almost resembled sympathy, "I almost fell sorry for you?"

Wilykat blinked at the last part and look at Kit, nodding she asked the question that he was to weak to ask. "Why do you feel sorry for us, the punishment for pickpocketing is only three lashes or two days in the stock." The twins had experience both and while the first was painful and the second was humiliating it was nothing that a street rat couldn't shrug off.

"By omens," the guard gasped, "you two don't know do you."

"Don't know what?" Wilykit asked confused."

"Look," the guard explained, "Every crime in Thundera has two levels of punishment. One if the offense is against a citizen and another if the offense is against the royal house."

"So what's the punishment for pickpocketing a royal?" Kit asked. Neither her or Wilykat liked where this was going and something told Kit that she didn't want to know.

"Your paws committed the crime." The guard explained. "So they are hereby forfeit to the royal house."

"Meaning that…" Kit felt her heart stop, beside her Kat's eyes open wide with shock. They already knew the answer.

"Meaning their going to cut them off." The guard said, smiling at the terror-ridden faces of the two young kittens.