Hey everyone,
With this chapter we'll be going back to where this story originally began and, to be honest, I feel kind of stupid. Until the point where Carmelita though about the great Cobra designer, I kind of completely forgot she existed – which has become a serious issue with me for more than just this one story.
Yes, there are various others written works of mine where I forgot about very important characters on a chapter basis. Heck, in Rituals and Reading, I forgot one of my favorite female characters even though she does play a large role in regards to the Gang and in Keyblade's Light I constantly forget about the Dream Eaters.
You see my issue,

Venquine1990
PS. Credits to this story go to Kitty Petro.


Two days later
Urmilla's POV

The article that I read two days ago still has me in tears of glee and also makes me feel very happy that I got to help this wonderful little vixen take the first step on her road to freeing herself from this horrid monster of a Chief of Police and the fact that the Cooper Gang managed to help her with this just makes me feel all the better.
I have also, ever since seeing the Gang leave with their five new members, been working very hard to actually include subtle hints of Sly and Carmelita's thieving outfits into my new Summer Collection and the fact that Master Thieves are now the news of the day just make me even more certain that my newest collection will be a hit.

Yet what I don't expect, as I walk through the hallways in the back of my warehouse, is to see said team of Master Thieves lounging against the outer wall of the one room where my cameras are off more often than on and this makes me actually look up from the clipboard with notes that I had been looking through as I walked.
I move my slim, lean body to lean back on my tail and bend through the back of my knees as I stretch my neck and turn my head into the room, my eyes widening shortly when I see the nine of them and then move myself so that I can walk through the door as I happily say: "Sly, Carmelita, cherries, what are you lovelies doing here?"
And the two of them, while standing very close together and while Sly has his arm wrapped around Carmelita in a one-armed hug, smile back at me as Carmelita says: "We came to see you, Urmilla, and to thank you for inspiring me down this path. If you hadn't decided to help me with my birthday plan, none of this would have happened."

And while I feel touched that the fox voices my earlier thoughts, do I giggle and softly run a hand through her braided hair as I say: "Oh Chery, it's like I said when I met you. Sly is like my brother and I do anything for family. And now, seeing how close you and him have grown in the time passed, I will happily include you in that."
The vixen turns red at hearing this and then Sly pulls her closer and says: "Regardless of that, Urmilla, we have something to show you our appreciation. Murray made it with the directions and guidance of my lovely Carmen and her sister. Show her, big guy." And the Hippo happily shows me a small wrapped package.
I happily smile at the careful, but powerful hippo, yet when I open the package, do my eyes widen when I see that there is an actual statue hidden under the paper that was wrapped around the gift and it is the actual statue itself that shocks me as it is a brown statue that shows me standing behind all of the Cooper gang.
Yet while I stand behind them, do I have my tail wrapped around Bentley and Murray, who stand on one side of the statue and have my arms wrapped around Carmelita and Sly who stand on the other side with the Guru and the other members of the Fox Family standing between the four of them and the whole gang smiling.

The statue itself is gorgeously made and the way that Murray hasn't just captured the beauty that shows off of Carmelita in the outfit that I designed for her, but also the essence of how happy we all are when together and several outfits that the big guy seems to have created while making this statue make me speechless.
I hug it close to my form and then use my tail to set it down on a large sturdy closet that stands just behind me before I hug the hippo and then, after that, all of the others as I say: "It is beautiful, thank you all so much. I really appreciate it." The others all smile at me and then Sly just absolutely makes my day and says:

"It was nothing. However, would this be a wrong time to ask for a new set of outfits for a future heist? One for the entire gang to join in on?" And instantly my eyes rove over all of the members of the Fox family as my mind develops ideas of what kind of outfits would fit them best and how to design each of these cloths.
"What kind of mission are we talking about here, Sly Cherie?" I then ask, feeling a little bad as I move around the group and keep my eyes on the four members that I have yet to have ever designed anything personal for and Sly says: "We are expecting it to be cold. Bentley has picked up hints about something in the Himalaya."

At this I nod as that was something I had also heard thanks to a few private meetings I got to have with several high-society clients of mine and while imagining how each of these four – as well as the others – would look dashing, yet functional in thick cloths, do I happily start sharing the tidbits of info I got to gather as I say:
"Yes, I heard of that too. A few of my clients were very informative of that. Apparently an earthquake caused for a new cave to have opened up, of which the very entrance part seems to have been littered with hidden gems. I even got two rubies that had been found by relatives of some of my more privileged clients."
And while this seems to shock the four foxes, does Bentley ask: "So these rumors are legit? They are worth looking into on a heist?" To this I nod and say: "But you best hurry. The man who gave me the rubies is a politician and he plans a huge exploration in a fortnight from now to use all the treasures found to fund his campaign."
"What kind of politician are we speaking of here, Urmilla?" Sly asks and while I hate having to work and design cloths for a man like him, do I hiss as I say: "One who believes he can give power to popular companies and factories, only to indebt them into constantly voting him into office, regardless of other parts of his agenda."

The Raccoon nods and says: "Only further reason for us to get our outfits, a few disguises and get to work as early as possible. Is there any reason the politician decided to wait a full fortnight?" To which I send him a sneaky smile that makes his laugh and he says: "I should have known. Thanks Urmilla, I can always count on you."
I nod at him and then say: "I just need to know their weapons and how they use them and make a few security measures, just for perfect certainty, and then I should be able to have the full set within a week." The Raccoon nods and then sends a look at the Foxes, who had been fidgeting a little as I walked around them.

The four of them nod and then Carmelita joins them as they show me how they all actually have canes of their own. My eyes widen at this and then I witness how the four foxes move around with their canes, proving they have undergone several long hours of training to acquaint themselves with their weapons before I take action.
First I move towards Carmelita and I look closely at her as well as the holster that holds her canes and her canes themselves before I turn to her parents with the happy notion that I tell her: "Thank you, darling, I will make some cane holsters that will be able to hold out against the heavy weather there for you, okay?"
The vixen looks shocked at first, but then smiles and thanks me before I focus on each of her other family members, taking a close note of how the father is lean, yet with a lot of muscle showing under his lean form, how the mother can definitely move swiftly, yet seems dependent on her timid form at the same time.
I observe how the brother of my newly appointed sister seems to be able to move in such a way she can grasp onto anything and make it happen and finally how the brother has the ability to switch between a rough hard punch and his arms moving in a self-protective stance with perfection and within a matter of seconds.

I nod at this, my mind coming up with which kind of fabric would work best with each of these very versatile mammals and then nod as I say: "Please come back in two days so I can have you try out a few test versions and if those fit you like I believe they will, I should be able to design all of these outfits and holsters very fast."
The team nods and Bentley asks: "Could you make holsters for me, Murray and Guru as well, Urmilla? Or would that slow you down?" But I shake my head and say: "Perhaps give me another half a days' work, but it won't really matter. Don't worry, you will definitely be at that mountain cave before the politician."
The turtle smiles at me and after I got a good look at all three of their canes, do they wish me a good day and leave through the window, Sly winking at me before he hits the camera activation button with one of his signature cards and while I happily pick it up – ready to burn it for safety purposes – do I start working on the design plans.

One week later

I thought I wouldn't ever feel more pride than I did for the outfit I designed for Carmelita with which she convinced Sly to help her and which led to her escaping a horrible pervert of a boss, yet just looking at these four outfits as well as the eight cane holsters I have been able to design, do I feel I have proven myself wrong.
The outfits that stand on models before me – that I designed while listening to a designer song of a mare that stars in a very famous TV-show for kids, yet which I draw inspiration from due to said mare – are just amazing and while they may never sell in the outside world of high-society fashion, do I just know they will be a hit.
"And let's face it, seeing Sly succeed on his missions is so much more rewarding for my personal sense of worth and pride than to see some high-class upstart prove himself superior to his peers in one of my designs that will – after a fashion show or two – just disappear down some factory so it can be created for the masses.
Artists live for those who they can create unique and personalized styles for, not for something every Mary Sue and Daisy Green can wear on a daily basis." Goes through my head as I let some of the girls that helped me a few months ago now move the models to the special security room, yet when they get there, do I see it already populated.

The gang is already there and their eyes all widen in excitement as they see my designs, each of the foxes easily seeing which of the outfits is for who and just by the look of excited glee that I can see shine on their faces, do I feel as if I accomplished pure perfection for several new collections all in a single day.
I then have the girls display the cane holsters and while even Sly seems amazed by the designs that I incorporated in each of them – a certain color to match each individual user as well as another to compliment the type of wood the cane or canes are made of – do I happily let the eight of them hand the holsters to their new owners.
The two girls and their mother practically gush over their canes and Carmelita even makes my day as she exclaims how the holster looks like a perfect complimentary form to the one Sly owns – which was one of my secret desires while designing it – do the males all just smile happily as they put their canes in it and strap them on.

I then take a deep breath and say: "I worked long and hard on this and had I not already been done with my new Summer collection, I would have needed more time than I could have given you in regards to that politician, yet I am very happy with the results and I sincerely hope they will come to benefit you on your journey."
To this everyone happily nods and smiles at me and then Sly says: "Urmilla, make sure you take a few days off once you have had your Summer Collection Fashion Show and we have returned from our hunt, cause once we've ascertained what is within that cave – we will be going back on a second journey to show you personally."
And while this idea leaves me absolutely flabbergasted, can I easily see how the entire gang is behind this and under the gushing squeals of my girls do the team members pack up their new outfits in personalized travel bags and small pouches that are strapped to their person before they all dash out into the falling night.


Okay, that is that!
Now, let me tell you – the idea of the future heist was NOT supposed to be in this chapter. However, while I really wanted to feature Urmilla in this episode, do I just not know enough about fashion and the designing of cloths to make for a proper chapter, so I decided to make it a filler with hints for future chapters.
Next chapter will be the gang going on their plane for the Himalaya and maybe even their first scout-out of the mountain and the cave itself. As I already mentioned earlier, this story will end with the end of this upcoming mission and it will go wrong, yet in the end it will be the one who started all of this who will end this.
Get my clue?

Venquine1990
PS. Again, if you find any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling errors, please let me know.
PPS. If Family Traditions is your absolute favorite, vote on it in my latest poll. Thanks.