The guards arrested Carmelita and tied her hands with rope. They also took her cloak and bag before taking her to the city's prison, near the temple she had seen earlier. There, she was locked up in a cramped and dark cell that only had a small barred window from which she could see the people passing through the streets. The putrid smell of the prison and the claustrophobic feeling of being the one behind bars for once made the vixen immediately start to find a way to escape.
She peeked into the corridor, but the rest of the cells were empty, which did not bode well. The bars of the cell were too thick for her to break and too narrow for her to fit through. The same went for the ones on the window. The only way out seemed to be the same way she got in, but the entrance had to be riddled with more guards. That's why the vixen climbed up the window and prayed that some pedestrian would answer her distress call, but she had no luck.
Meanwhile, at the temple, one of the guards that arrested Carmelita went to inform Men-Nefer's ruler, Khafet II, about their newest prisoner. Khafet was a jackal and a descendant from a dynasty of tyrants that had control of most cities in Lower Egypt. Since he was a child, he was taught the ways of power. And his reign had been marked by the use of fear and slaves to achieve whatever he wanted.
"A vixen? A female fox?"
"Yes, my lord, she was seen assaulting a citizen and taking this bag from him. She was also wearing this." The guard handed Khafet the items they had confiscated from the fox. "We've locked her up in a cell, and we await your order to execute her."
The jackal felt the vixen's cloak. It was made out of a material he had never seen before. Then he decided to check the inside of her bag. He struggled with the zipper and admired the things it was carrying. Khafet carefully inspected the plastic water bottle and the cereal bars Carmelita had packed for their trip. He was certainly intrigued.
"Bring her before me."
The tiger complied and went back to the city's prison to get Carmelita. Right at that moment, the fox was trying to untie her hands with her teeth, but she stopped once she heard someone coming.
"You, fox! The chief wants to see you." said the tiger guard.
Carmelita didn't wait around to ask who the chief was or why he wanted to see her. Just as the guard opened the cell door, she kicked him in the face and ran for her life. Unfortunately, she didn't get far, as the next door she ran into was locked. The vixen turned around and saw two more guards approaching. They were armed, but that didn't mean she wasn't going down without a fight. The fox poked one of the guards' eyes with her tied hands and kicked the other one's leg. She tried to run past the guards, but one of them grabbed her by the ankle and made her trip. The vixen repeatedly kicked him in the face, but he wouldn't let go. It was then that the tiger that opened her cell door caught up to them.
"Stop! The chief wants her alive." He picked up Carmelita by the hair and put his sword to her neck. "Now, are you gonna be a good girl and stop messing around?" The fox frowned and growled at the feeling of the weapon's edge on her fur.
Between the three guards, the vixen was taken to Khafet's quarters. She was pushed into the room with her hands still tied up and locked inside. Since she was left alone, Carmelita quickly looked around for a way to make her escape. There was a balcony at the end of the room, but once she looked out onto it, she realized she was locked on top of one of the temple towers. There was no way she could survive the fall.
Then, she heard the door unlock and saw Khafet walk in. The jackal was taller and most likely stronger than her. Once he laid eyes on her, he let out a smile that made the vixen's blood boil.
"It's good to finally meet you. I have been told very interesting things about you." As the jackal walked towards her, Carmelita scanned the room to find something useful, but there was only a big bed, a wardrobe, and a bunch of vases and pots. "My name is Khafet II of the Fourth Dynasty and, as you may already know, the ruler of Men-Nefer."
The vixen continued to look around the room, always keeping an eye on the jackal.
"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?" he asked.
"Why would I do that?" she answered aggressively.
Khafet smiled. "Why don't you step away from the balcony? I know the views are magnificent, but I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Carmelita was hesitant. "Oh, come on. I don't bite. See" The jackal took a few steps back to give her some space.
The fox walked into the middle of the room, but she still didn't trust him. Not one bit.
"We don't see many foxes around here. Where exactly do you come from?"
This time the vixen didn't answer.
"You know, refusing to speak when you are spoken to is very rude. But don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to teach you manners." That sentence creeped the fox out. "Now, my guards told me that you assaulted a poor man in the street. Why would you do that?"
"I didn't assault him! He stole something from me. I was just getting it back!" She defended herself.
"You mean this?" He revealed her bag from behind his back.
If Carmelita got a hold of it, she could take her gun and get out of the temple.
"I must admit that I was amazed by this… soft glass water container." He took out a plastic water bottle. "But I've been having some trouble trying to figure out what the rest of this was."
"Food! It's food." She tried to draw the attention away from her weapon.
"Food? This? Don't be ridiculous..." said the jackal while holding a cereal bar that, of course, had the wrapper.
"You just have to open it. Let me show you." She walked up to him. "If I may."
Khafet smiled upon finally seeing some docility by the fox. He handed her the snack, and Carmelita opened it and broke him a piece of it. The jackal took it and ate it. He wasn't used to the flavor, but he didn't seem disgusted.
Thinking that was her chance, the vixen tried to reach for her bag, but Khafet quickly grabbed her by the wrist and twisted it, making her scream in pain.
"As I was saying, according to my family's laws, you should be executed right this evening, you dirty thief." He didn't let go of her wrist.
"I didn't steal any-" The vixen was cut mid-sentence by the jackal, who grabbed her by the throat.
Khafet pushed Carmelita to the bed and pinned her down. "Shh… Don't worry. You're very lucky I like you, you know? I want to be one of my maidens… I'll show you how to please me, and, if you're good at it, maybe someday you could be my wife." He grabbed her face and tried to kiss her against her will.
"You're sick!" The fox growled before biting the jackal's hand, almost ripping off a finger.
Khafet screamed in pain, and the vixen took advantage of the moment to knee him in the ribs and kick him under the chin. She managed to slip from under him but had nowhere to go.
The fox tried to open the door, but it was locked from the outside. She turned around and saw how the jackal got up. He spat out some blood before staring at Carmelita with eyes full of rage. Instead of looking cowardly, the fox furrowed her brow and invited him to fight.
It was then that a loud whistle coming from the balcony caught their attention.
"Hey, big guy! Leave the lady alone." It was none other than Safir Kupar, posteriorly known as Slytunkhamen I. The raccoon was stealing some food from the jackal's pantry when he heard the fox's screams, so he decided to check what was going on.
Khafet gritted his teeth and turned to the thief. But just when he was ready to go after him, Carmelita skillfully swept him off his feet and kicked his head as hard as she could. Once he was down, she rushed to get her bag. The vixen took out her shock gun and fired at the jackal, who, this time, didn't get up.
She sighed in relief and looked over to Safir, who was staring at her, impressed and terrified at the same time. Carmelita froze in shock like she had seen a ghost. A ghost from the Thievius Raccoonus.
"Is he… dead?" asked the thief as he approached Carmelita to aid her.
"N-no… He's just stunned." She dropped her gun on the floor.
"Here, let me help you with those hands." He cut the rope with one of his canes, finally freeing the fox, who felt her bruised wrists without looking away from him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
The vixen stayed silent and put her hands on the raccoon's shoulders. "You…You're the ancestor." She smiled in disbelief. "You're Sly's ancestor!"
"Ancestor? I know I'm older than him, but that's a pretty strong word, don't you think?" asked the thief, slightly offended.
"Do you know where he is?! Do you know where I can find him?!" Hope began to show in her voice.
"Sure, but I think it'd be better if we got to a safer place first." He pointed his thumb to the jackal, who was still lying on the floor.
Carmelita agreed, and they both escaped through the balcony. Safir climbed to the top of the tower and then helped the fox up. From up there, they could see the whole city of Men-Nefer.
"So, can you tell me where Sly is now?" asked the vixen as the warm desert breeze blew through her hair.
"Gladly, after you tell me who you are and why you wanna know where he is." The raccoon crossed his arms. Although the fox seemed harmless, apart from the beating she gave Khafet, the thief couldn't fully trust her just yet.
"My name is Carmelita Fox, and I-"
"Oh! You're the famous Carmelita?! Why didn't you say it before?" His face glowed with surprise.
"Sly has told you about me?"
"Of course. He's been talking about you since he arrived here." His words went right through Carmelita's heart, filling it with pure joy. "He insisted one day you'd come for him. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you." The thief smiled. "Come on, he must be at home."
The raccoon and the vixen got down from the temple tower and made their way through the alleyways of the city while blending in with the crowd, which was rather complicated given Carmelita's 21st-century appearance.
"So, what did Sly also tell you about me?" The fox couldn't help being curious.
"Well, he told me you were his girlfriend back in the Greek Lands and that you are, and I quote, the most beautiful fox anyone has ever laid eyes upon."
Carmelita smiled. "Oh, Ringtail…" she thought.
"We're almost there. Our house is up these stairs and up the street..." said Safir as he pointed his finger in the direction they were headed.
At that moment, Carmelita began to feel nervous. But not as the way she had been feeling for the past year. The fox felt nervous because she was finally going to see Sly again. After all those sleepless nights; those walks along the Seine, trying to find some evidence of his whereabouts; and the pain she had gone through, she was finally going to see him. She didn't even know what to say to him. She just wanted to hold him and make sure this wasn't one of her dreams that turned into a nightmare once she woke up.
"We're here!" announced the thief as he stopped by his house.
The fox didn't think twice and rushed inside. She walked down a corridor and walked into the living room, hoping for her raccoon, but it was just Kirah who was there.
"Oh, hello." The female raccoon greeted Carmelita, who just stood there with a let-down expression.
"Kirah, isn't Sly home?" asked Safir while looking around the room.
"No, I sent him to the market to buy some bread for lunch."
After hearing those words, the vixen instinctually turned around and tried to walk away. But luckily, the thief stopped her.
"Hey, where are you going?" said Safir.
"To the market."
"Look, I know you really want to see Sly, but you can't go out there after what you did to the big guy back at the tower. There must be lots of guards looking for you." He finally convinced her to stay and wait for Sly to come back.
After Safir introduced Carmelita to Kirah, the three sat down and talked. The fox vaguely answered the raccoons' questions as she grew more impatient with each second that passed.
"Kirah, I'm back!" That voice tensed the vixen's ears and made her jump from her seat and rush to the entrance hallway. "They didn't have whole wheat, so I got-" Right at that moment, Sly looked up and saw Carmelita in front of him. The raccoon's heart skipped a beat, and he just froze.
They both stared at each other for a few long seconds, not quite sure whether or not to believe their tearful eyes. At last, Carmelita's lips drew a smile on her face, and Sly dropped the bread, walked up to her, and took her in his arms as if she was the last thing he had left in the world. The fox quickly returned the hug and enjoyed the feeling of his fur, which made her feel a great sense of relief. Tears soon began to roll down the raccoon's face, as well as the vixen's.
"I knew you'd come for me. I knew it." The thief sobbed as he tightened his embrace.
Carmelita, who could not articulate a word, held his face and wiped away his tears. The raccoon rested his head on her forehead and felt the delicate touch of the fox's hands.
"Carmelita, I'm sorry for-" Sly tried to apologize for his past actions, but the vixen softly shushed him.
"It's alright." She said before joining their lips in a kiss they had been both craving for a long, long time. It felt like time had stopped around them as they held each other, and neither wanted to let go. After slowly breaking the kiss, the couple stared at their brown eyes and smiled. "I love you so much, Ringtail."
Hearing the nickname she gave him years ago after all this time made Sly's heart overflow with great pleasure and satisfaction. "I love you too, Carmelita..." he whispered before kissing her one more time.