Thomas white tail tip twitched back and forth as he waited for the mail to leave the ship.  He could hear the sounds of the dock workers as they ran to a fro catching ropes and tying them to the dock. Stacks of wooden crates of all sizes lined the dock ready to board the boat when it was emptied.  He had snuck down to Sanquine Cove hopefully without being seen.  He had been practicing after all.  The loud thunk of the gangplank was music to his black ears.  Finally! He started to dance in place but remembered at the last moment that he was not supposed to draw attention to himself. So he sat still as a rock.  The dock workers were starting to board the ship and bring out the crates full of goods. Some he noticed immediately were picked up by other waiting colonists while others were placed to the side for them to be delivered later.  He waited for the crates that had been sitting on the docks to be loaded on the boat.  He started noticing that the dock hands were casting glances his way.  Maybe he wasn't being as sneaky as he thought he was.  It was then that he saw her.  She was a beautiful sleek looking Reef Belemoid. A scar graced the side of her left cheek.  In her hand was a small silver box.  This is what Thomas had been waiting for.  He waited till she had made it down the gangplank and as soon as her clawed front food touched the ground he was by her side.

"Did you bring it?"  He asked with glee.

She startled for a moment then cracked a grin.  "So you're the one that she said to bring this too. " She laughed a little. "I think you have a long way to go before you become one of us.  But if you work hard I am sure you will become great!" She bent down closer to him and in a whisper she said "Now she says that any great thief needs to learn the use of these.  " She shoved the silver box into his waiting clawed paw. And walked off.

Thomas looked at the box.  It wasn't that big and he was tempted to open it right then and there but there were eyes watching him now and he didn't want anyone to know.  It was bad enough that people had seen the exchange.  He had not planned that out very well. 

He placed the box in a satchel he was wearing and started to head home.  He passed lots of stores on his way out until something in the window caught his eye.  Just one little stop wouldn't hurt, and might actually help.

"I can't believe you went down there by yourself!" Kya railed.  Kel stood next to her with a frown on his face.  "Do you know how worried we were! We couldn't find you.  And, And you could have been welpnapped."

"Now Kya I don't think he would have been wilpna-"  Kel started to say.  But Kya turned on him and stuck her finger which earlier had been in Thomas's face in Kel's face.  "Now don't you start.  You know he should not have been there."  Kel's black ears lay back but he did not argue farther. 

Kya turned back to Thomas.  "You mister are grounded mister!  For-for a week!"  And with that Kya turned and stormed out the door.

"She is right, until you're an adult you should not go down the cove by yourself.  If you had just asked one of us we would have gone with you. " Kel left then.  The click of the lock was like music to Thomas's ears.  Alone at last.  He knew from past experience that they would not come 'check' on him for quite some time.

Took out the silver box from underneath his bed. Now to see what was in the box.  The lid was snug and it took him a little more effort to get it open with his big claws.  Sometimes he envied the tsabhua and their hands.  But he eventually got the box opened. And inside were slider tools and a note and what looked like instructions.

He lay the box next to him and pulled out the note.

"Hello apprentice.  Inside you will find your first tool of the trade. Lock pickes. I have placed several sizes inside. Now it's up to you to practice."   A Giant H was placed as a signature.  Beneath that was written. ' P.S. Destroy this note as soon as possible.'

He had no means to destroy it here in his room so he placed the note back in the box.   Next he pulled out the instructions.  On it were three simple illustrations depicting someone with hands placing the pick into various types of door locks. 

Well the instructions were lacking.  He placed the paper into the box next to the letter and pulled out the first of the three picks inside and moved to the door.  Practice makes perfect and he had plenty of time on his hands and a door to pick.

(859 words)