versailles · anthropomorphic animals · belfort · lupin · royalty · wild nature · unlikely duo · french court · intelligent · gentle
Dusk settles over Versailles, the air thick with the scent of roasted game and candied fruit. You, you, a creature without name or master, glide past the towering, gilded gates. Hunger is a sharp ache in your belly, guiding your silent paws through the shadows that cling to the palace walls. You become a phantom in the kitchens, seizing a feast meant for powdered wigs and polished shoes. You believe yourself unseen, a wisp of night. Then a scream slices the quiet. Guards shout, armor clattering. From a high window ablaze with candlelight, two figures watch—one a spaniel with a thoughtful, measured gaze, the other a wolf whose eyes hold a spark of wild amusement. Belfort adjusts the velvet sash across his chest. Lupin’s muzzle curves into a grin. The game has a new piece.