Raptor

It was a cloudy night that night, the crickets were making sufficient white noise. Raptor swiftly ran up the wall of his targeted house, then slithered in through the open window. Moving lightly and softly, Raptor grabbed every item that looked valuable he could find, a vase, a brass oil lamp, and a pewter Candlestick, stuffed it in his satchel sack, and jumped out of the window, taking flight away.

Raptor was an Avian, a race Bird-People living in the land of Eyria. Raptor was a skilled Thief in his city of Quill. He made his living to support himself, his wife, and his Chick by stealing, selling the stolen goods elsewhere, and keeping stolen food for his family to eat. Once he flew home, he snuck into the living room through the window, where his wife had apparently been waiting for him. Raptor froze when he saw Robin standing before him, his breath caught in his throat.

"Raptor, I thought you promised me you'd stop stealing and earn an honest living after I got my job?" Robin asked quietly, so as not to wake their Chick. 

To tell the Truth, when Robin got a job, things were going well enough for Raptor's family that Raptor didn't need to steal anymore to make ends meet, but Raptor had gotten such a rush, such a thrill out of the act that he had become addicted to Stealing for the sake of stealing.

"Uh, well, I, well, I'm looking for a job, I-I really am, but I, uh..." Raptor stammered.

"Raptor, I won't tell anybody THIS TIME that you're the Thief that's been pilfering goods all over the City for you, but you HAVE to find Honest Work for me. If I catch you stealing one more time, I don't know if I can look the other way again...." Robin whispered.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two.

Raptor broke the silence "I'll go to the Mill tomorrow and see if Mallardius is looking for help. I promise, honey." he promised.

"I'd like to believe that..." Robin said.

"If I fail to keep my promise, I'll return everything I stole that I haven't sold off yet!" Raptor offered.

Robin looked towards the window and said. "Fair enough. Now let's get some sleep for the night. It's late."

The next day, Raptor went to the Wheat Farm and asked Mallardius the Grain Miller if he was looking for help. As luck would have it, he was looking for help. So Raptor got a job working at the Mill and made an Honest Living, but six months went by, and Raptor was already burnt out, feeling like his life was missing excitement. As he was walking home, he saw that the owner of the Fruit Stand, Trich, was heavily invested in a scroll, not paying any attention whatsoever to his wares.

Luckily, nobody was looking in Raptor's general direction, so Raptor swiftly grabbed a Melon, and quietly ran to the back of the building. Looking left and right, Raptor softly ran to a tree, flew into it's high branches, and ate the small Melon, relishing in it's sweetness.

Raptor suddenly felt a wave of shame wash over him. He decided to never steal again from that point on. About two more months went by, one late afternoon, when Mallardius flew some ground grain to the Market, Raptor, overcome with Temptation, put unguarded bags of Grains in his burlap sack, and flew to his hideout where he was hiding the goods he scored, a cave by a Cactus Field in the Desert south of the City.

Little did Raptor know that in his stash cave, his wife Robin, Mallardius, and three members of the Quillton Royal Guard were standing there, waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, Raptor, but I saw you steal that Melon, you left me with no other choice..." Robin said with tears in her eyes.

"No, you don't understand, I was going to pay for the fruit...I..." Raptor stammered, trying to save face.

In desperation, Raptor threw the burlap sack full of stolen goods at the group of Avians and took flight in an attempt to escape justice. The Guards took flight after him, but they were overencumbured with Armor and Spears, so they could only close the gap so narrowly before Raptor outran (or flew) them.

After flying 40 miles, Raptor took refuge under a tree in another city outside of Quillton's jurisdiction. Raptor got a job at an Olive Grove picking Olives, and sleeping in the Stables with the Donkeys. Raptor went to the Tavern to grab a drink when he passed the Blacksmith's shop, and there was an open window hole in the wall of the Smithy storeroom. The Blacksmith, Meanwhile, was making an Axe at his Forge, his hammer pounding on hot metal as the fire from the forge roared.

Raptor swiftly ran up the wall of his targeted house, then slithered in through the open window. Moving lightly and softly, Raptor grabbed every item that looked valuable he could find. A Gold Necklace, a Helmet, a Pickaxe, a Shovel, and a small sword, best suited for practice. Little did Raptor realize that the Blacksmith walked in to the storeroom, and Raptor didn't see the throwing knife that the Smith threw at him until it was too late. The blade embedded itself into Raptor's Shoulder, rendering one of his wings useless.

Raptor ran up the wall and climbed out the window, but was pained greatly in doing so by his injured shoulder. 

"THEIF! HELP! THIEF!!!" The Blacksmith yelled out.

Raptor tried to escape on foot, but he left a trail of blood for the townspeople to follow.

Raptor ran into a wooded meadow, and climbed on top of a stone mound to rest until his talons stopped hurting. With each moment that he rested, Raptor felt weaker and weaker.

"I knew one of these days, my addiction to stealing would get me killed. Heh. It was fun while it lasted at least...Robin, take care...." Raptor mumbled to himself

 After flying on patrol for a whole day, the Royal Guards discovered Raptor's limp, lifeless body, a pool of blood underneath him. Raptor had bled to death on top of a stone mound in the open woodlands.

When the Guards informed Robin, Robin just sighed and said "I told him his Kleptomania would be the death of him someday. I told him..."