OFFICER DOWN Chapter 5, a zootopia fanfic

Cold, bracing air blew calmly through the open windows of the darkened, spacious studio apartment bedroom. The lithe, sheer curtains danced and gamboled inconstantly in the wind's embrace. The moon's rays lit the fabric up like a swathe of silver seafoam and the curtains passed its glimmering refraction to the wide room past it. Following the crisp breeze in tow, the usual sounds of the night whispered into the air: the growling of tires rolling on the asphalt, the murmur of voices prattling up storms of conversation, and the saunter of pawsteps walking to the coolest late-night venues filled the night air like urban background music. In fact, if anyone listened closely, the sonorousness of the nearest club could be heard; muffled hip-hop music bumping ambiently, but not too loud that it became a nuisance to those who lived near to the club. Outside the apartment building, across the street and down the way, neon signs of every color lit the air depicting late-night clubs, bars, restaurants, and even jazz and poetry slams. The nightlife of Zootopia was booming and alive.

The night air was pleasantly suffused with humidity and a slight western breeze from the sea by the harbor. The light fog that timidly hugged the streets fluttered about in the minimal automobile traffic and the pawsteps of the pedestrians. The chilled air breathed upon every glass surface, frosting lightly on edges and vertices of each sleek panel. All was lively out, various animals, mostly the night-loving predators, were enjoying the cool air and the nocturnal life-light.

Nicole was sat up on her bed with her body facing the open window, her green eyes following various mammals' bodies as they disappeared into clubs and cars and other venues to enjoy their night. She was not going out tonight, despite her usual weekend schedule. Her friends even tried to persuade her with promises of delicious food, enough drinks to get silly and litty for the night, and even prospect of attractive males, but she atypically turned their offers down, she already had a male who bathed himself in her thoughts tonight…

Nicole flexed her toes and her feet relished on the cold hardwood floor beneath her paw pads; it's chilled, varnished lumber sent up shivers of enticement up her spine and along her tail. The wind wisped through her ear tufts, down through her thick fur, and tickling her whiskers. Her nose twitched in comfort as the breeze gently massaged her skin beneath her fur, it's coolness almost ushered a smile on her face, almost, because right now was not the time for smiling. She wasn't in the mood to.

Deep in thought, she rubbed her upper left arm rhythmically with her right paw, her pace absolutely perfect and controlled, it was as though she was entranced. Her chatoyant green gaze was trained on the window's white, paint-chipped sill as she watched a long tendril of fur sit silently. Nicole was tacitly surprised by its tireless determination not to be swept away by the tempting breeze. As she watched the tiny filament of fur quiver, she couldn't help but relate to it; it's quivering, she was nothing but the sort earlier in the hospital today. Quivering, hyperventilating, and bleeding tears as she feared the wrath of her colleague, Lieutenant Judy Hopps. Part of her though admittedly acknowledged that she kind of had it coming… but the other parts of her thought it was perhaps overcooked; Judy's behavior.

Nicole unwillingly flashed-back to the fur-raising display of anger and emotion that spewed out the little bunny like lava from a volcano. Her claws were poised! Her teeth looked ready to chew and gnaw! Her muscles bunched underneath her body-glove of a police uniform! I don't even want to know how it feels to be kicked by her! Why was she like that? It was so unnatural! She looked like… so much so, like a … fox…

Nicole closed her eyes to seek tranquility, but then the only face she saw was the shriek-inducing vision of Judy's snarling face inches from her own. Nicole's fur stood up like it was in church! She felt as though she needed a prayer and a fifth of vodka right now! (Nicole took a deep breath. Exhaling through pursed lips.) She was so close, if Nick hadn't muttered her name when he did, the night would've most certainly played out differently. But why did she act like that? She was so protective over the fox as though she and he were mates or something. Freaking unnatural, that bunny.

However despite all the drama that collided within her mind at her memories of last night, a weird feeling came over her, a feeling teetering on the verge of being proud that she was the first to see him wake up, and the sheer fear of being the first one to be the one to see him wake up. Both feelings were quite valid. On the former paw, she felt like she finally got one over Judy, or one step closer to this 'hero fox' and perhaps understanding why he was so 'great', and on the other paw, Judy might justifiably get her paws on her. Either way, she finally got to see him for herself, finally, this hero had a form and she saw it, him, with her own eyes… and gosh darn it, that was a win for Nicole Felina.

It felt good to be the one to have woke him up… Remembering those deep green eyes, that handsome sleepy face, his coarse russet fur. It was like a blessing from the Gods that she was there to witness the tod surface from his extended beauty rest… and she knew that was all that she's been asking for from whoever's above that's listening, but now she wants more.

Seeing the hero fox in the flesh, butterflies couriered a warmth within Nicole's body; her mind… After hearing most everyone under Precinct 1 (especially one hoppin' mad rabbit) talk so memorably of him, she just had to meet him. And now that she has, she wanted to see him again. She couldn't wait for him to get better. She couldn't wait to finally talk to the hero fox. … Without any distractions…

Nicole shifted her gaze upwards towards the grand orb of silver in the sky and the brightest dots visible through the light polluted, downtown Zootopian sky. A breeze softly wrapped her in a cool swathe of air, giving her a pleasant kiss of goosebumps down her back. Such delightfulness, and with that thought in mind, another thought regarding the vulpine cop gently made its way into her mind.

Those eyes...

Those eyes, though they were as hazy as the 5:00 am morning fog, they were yet so intriguing. Nicole's tail curled at the tip in anticipation, she was beginning to become very eager to see the red vulpine again. The thought excited her. But then again… Her tail halted it's playful kinking, and suddenly the cold air that seeped through her fur felt colder. Judy wouldn't let her near him again, not after tonight's episode. Her ears began to flatten at the thought that she may not be able to see the hero fox in person again, definitely not while Judy's at guard.

Shortly before exiting the hospital room that evening, as she was clearly feeling the heat of embarrassment scourge her belly and the beam of animosity that was Judy's blazing gaze on the back of her head. Nicole, with tears threatening to escape her glassy eyes, went to exit the suffocating room quickly soon after Judy scorned her, but something magical happened before she could leave. Right before she fully left the presence of the room, her right paw grabbing the brass enameled door jam, her body in the doorway, she took a verboten glance back at the handsome tod in a shy, fleeting moment of sweet béguin, and in that moment, that beautifully brief moment, a burn of inclination for the russet fox enveloped her. That moment marked her watershed moment. In that shred of time, the quick draw of cupid's bow hit its mark, and oh, did it pierce; Nicole's mouth gaped slightly as she felt a tug, or a tether if you will, lasso her mind around that bedridden Reynard. It was intimate, at least in the lynx's mind, and no one will ever be able to convince her otherwise. Not a moment more of hesitation, she left the room, not all of her though… as Nick Wilde unknowingly kept her heart. Given to him by one breathless Nicole Felina.

I want to see him.

Why do I want to see him again?

The chill of the night kissed her skin tenderly, leaving fresh goosebumps. Her hair bristled slightly, buffeting slightly against a sudden brisk breeze. The ambient, slightly cacophonous voices of the night became white noise to her; a buzzing in the back of her mind. She began to drift. Floating in existence.

She slowly reclined her back until she was lying flat on her bed. She stared up at the slowly revolving ceiling fan as she thought to herself. Silence swaddled her body; conforming to her form and deafening her senses. All she felt was the stagnant coolness of the room, the subtle engrossment of the velvety-soft bed beneath her, and the slowing down of time. Round and round the fan spun dextrally and soon she felt as though she was spinning herself, but counter-clockwise to the slow revolutions of the fan.

Infatuation.

/break/

Judy cuddled up tighter to Nick. Her heartbeat drummed against his belly as she laid her sensitive ears along his lean, strong torso. Her cheeks bunched as she smiled deeply in bliss as she observed that their heartbeats matched; synced in harmony. She held him tightly around the hips with her thighs and nuzzled her face into his fluffy chest fur while inhaling his natural cologne until she was drunk with it.

A chuckle came from him and his lackadaisical tone titillated the tip of Judy's ear as it rested on his chest. The vibrations from her red beau sent shivers of excitement down her spine straight to her tail. In any other circumstance she would've stopped her tail from shaking so excitedly, even held it if she has to, but this time she giggled in happiness and let her tail rattle like a maraca. She smiled as his warmth caressed her body. She slowly lifted her head up so that she was looking up at his muzzle, and then he pointed his down to gingerly kiss her forehead. "What's so funny, Slick?" She said smoothly, her voice mellow and crisp with devotion.

"You bunnies, so emotional, so clingy- I don't think that I could remove you from me as if I wanted to anyways," Nick smirked as he slowly ran his left paw up and down her back before resting it on her toned bottom; her fluffy tail puzzled right in his purlicue; the space between his thumb and index finger.

Judy stuck her bottom out a bit more as she felt his paw on her. She felt hot blush bloom upon her cheeks and she tried to ignore her inhibitions that pestered her innately promiscuous soul. "I think a better word would be affectionate… loving…" She mumbled out through a smile and mouth full of springy chest fur as she pressed her body against his, conforming to his lithe form.

"What's the difference, Carrots!" He rolled his eyes playfully before giving her rump a squeeze. She let out a protesting squeak and feigned a glare at her fox. He smiled and looked down at her for a moment, then, he looked away, his gaze undecipherable. "Hey, Judy, do you love me?" His voice lowering.

"Of course I do." She opened her eyes slightly and relished in the sight of his burnt orange fur.

Silence permeated the air for a couple of seconds and so she closed her eyes back to rest. A couple more seconds seemed to trudge by and slowly the gnawing feeling of uneasiness nibbled a bit too much in her mind as she thought about why he would ask that question.

"Nick, of course I do, what makes you ask that?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice, her eyes still shut.

Several seconds smoldered passed as Judy waited for an answer.

"Nick?" Her eyebrows raised. She began to focus on his body, or in this case… lack thereof.

It didn't feel like she was lying on his body anymore. Matter fact, what she was now gripping in her nervous paws was no longer fur and muscle. A cold sweat formed beneath her short fur and a gasp escaped out of her mouth as fast as her heart blasted from calm to panic. Within her ear, there was no longer a pulse echoing in her ear canal. The musky, earthy, intoxicating aroma that belonged to Nick, and Nick alone, was no longer wafting around her like a delicious vestige of food being prepared, but now just a bittersweet memory riding tantalizingly lofty over her beguiled olfactory senses.

Beneath her now, a body of a stranger, scent of pain and suffering.

'WHAT THE FUCK!?'

Judy lifted her head off of what used to be Nick in a rush. Beneath her now was a pristine white sheet layered neatly upon the body of what seemed to be fox sized, but she knew, and not just because of the scent, that her fox was no longer there. No heat, movement, or sound came from the still body beneath her, it was as though this body was on the ambiguous journey beyond this mortal coil; death.

Judy's amethyst eyes stretched to the size of dinner plates as she soaked in the sight that gripped her heart and mind in a rusty hook that stubbornly clung to her; her anxiety knew no bounds nor leniency.

The frightened doe jumped back in a flurry of clumsy feet until she reached the foot of the bed. A shriek of horror escaped her throat as the realized what was beneath her. WHO IS THIS?!

Nick? Nick? No… Nick? NICK? THIS CAN'T BE!

In Judy's fit of confusion and desperation to grasp the slimmest concept of understanding of what's going on, she ripped the covers off the body down to the waist in a white fluttering of crumpled sheets. Her heart almost spasmed out of her throat at the sight. The young doe's gut felt like it seized to a stop abruptly after it tried to scramble out her throat right after her heart in fear.

Judy automatically brought her trembling paws to her face in horror as the bloodied, bludgeoned, battered body of Nicole Felina laid beneath her. Judy barely bated breath. She scratched, struggled to swallow down sick. Finally, she drew a sharp, shuddering breath as the grievous gore gouged grossly a grave dedicated solely to her slipping, soiled sanity.

"No."

She brought her ratty paws down from her face.

"No…"

She unclasped her eyelids from their fear-induced vice, with terror she saw, lamentation ensued.

"No…!"

As if her mind couldn't take it anymore, another mind wrenching sight scooped at her eyes… Did anyone order a heaping helping of scream?

"NOOOOOOO!"

Blood was covering her knuckles and claws as though she had just torn into the flank of a cow. The metallic scent of blood stung her nose as she looked in horror at the way the thick red liquid slowly oozed down from her blunt claws, down the small digits on her paw, and down her skinny arms. The way her fur stuck up like stinking stalagmites from the wetness of the blood gave her a terrifying scare that made her pupils quiver. If Judy's heart had felt it had stopped just moments ago; it was now racing beyond the safe boundaries of what a normal heart rate was for a bunny.

"No, no no no no! No! NO ! I DIDN'T , I WOULDN'T , I WOULD NEVER, I -"

Interrupting her fervor, a new voice drawled forth, oozing with a mordant dose of misery.

"Why Miss Hopps, why would you do this to me?"

Nicole's mouth moved as though her jaw was broke. Her voice came out drenched in woe and query as though she didn't deserve this terrible tale of terror that tugged her tattered body to Tartarus. After she spoke, the eyes of the poor lynx magnetized it's bloodshot gaze to Judy. Her stare judging. Her stare pitiful.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO! P-PLEASE F- FOR- FORGIVE- I DIDN'T MEAN TO!"

Beside her to her left, standing about a foot above the bed the dinomap machine began to blare an alarm and flatlining Nicole. Judy screamed in shock at the sudden ear-splitting ruckus, causing her to fall from the hospital bed and towards the dark floor. Judy screamed in anguish as she fell, her mind shattered with the vision of the Nicole's broken body and blood and gristle on her paws. As she fell into the abyss of her mind, she cried and wepted for her sanity.

MAKE IT STOP ! MAKE IT STOP PLEASE ! MAKE IT STOP !

All the while the blaring sound of the dinomap increased in volume until it felt as though her head would rip in half.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The blaring scream of an alarm clock yanked Judy out of sleep as though she hit the ground coming out of the sky without a parachute. Cold, sticky sweat saturated her fur which caused it to stab up in odd positions. Her chest heaved as she fought for breath. Her wide, mauve eyes searched her dark apartment as though she was trying to discern every shape and color in the darkness by the moonlight behind translucent shades. While still breathing heavily, she nervously patted her arms with her paws gingerly as she tried to alleviate her mind that everything was just a dream… a nightmare; a nightmarish hell…

Could I ever be capable of t-th-? Judy took a deep breath as she slowly removed the heavy blanket from her body allowing it to crumple to the floor in a heavy frwaapth sound. Could I ever be capable of hurting… of… doing that? Judy shook her head briskly in attempt to shoo away the heinous remnants of her dream. But they pestered her still.

The look on Nicole's face, the blood that leaked from her body, the stench of fear on her long fur. Judy shook her head again. "Stop, no!" She shouted in a whisper, she threw her shaking paws onto her face and gasped at her fur before looking down at her own paws, her breath halting within her throat as she gazed at the blood and gristle clogging the space between her paws.

'Why Miss Hopps?' the voice in her head echoed. Judith gasped once more and then flung her paws underneath her armpits and hung her head towards the hardwood floor, desperate for the nightmare to end.

Minutes later of silent ponder, Judy finally slid herself so that she was merely leaning on her bed. Her body was still hunched towards the floor, her night-shirt rode highly up on her back as she slid, and to top it all her head was beginning to pang. Needless to say, she was very uncomfortable. She sighed a stress relieving sigh as she held her head in her hands. She stared at the moonlit hardwood floor, she stared so hard that it looked as though she was trying to see into her neighbor apartment beneath her. Judy thought about her nightmare and began consulting with herself, trying to find a reason, trying to piece together the clues of her dream… but to no avail… Slowly she then pulled herself off the bed and lumbered into the bathroom where she did her business then showered.

In the shower, she tried her best to forget her whole dream, and instead concentrated on the mammal that mattered most. Nick Wilde thusly swaggered into her mind. She happily reminisced about the times that they've had: chasing down drug dealers in the country, busting bad guys in the city, grabbing coffee together… going out to eat together… late night bad movies together… his arm around her shoulder as they begin to get sleepy… the way they fall asleep… together… his handsome face, those sharp eyes, that voice that never gets old! Judy began to blush at the thought of her red beau, she lifted her face up to the stream of warm water as her mind continued to wander.

The hot water wafted steam into the air, suffusing the bathroom space, clouding every metal and glass surface in sight. The smell of the steaming water and the hot pour gave the little bunny a mental bathe as well, siphoning her senses of the nightmare away. Judy relished in the warm, comforting space, she happily felt down her soaking body as she thought more about Nick and their relationship. The way his lean muscles rippled under his work uniform… the way he unbuttons half his work shirt after a long day… his intoxicating scent… Those sharp fangs… Judy bit her lip and slowly dragged her minute claws through her fur to mimic Nick's own as she fantasized.

Her body was getting hot. She was getting bothered… needless to say, she was craving her fox. She craved the way he will look at her after a long day when they finally relax at his place. Those eyes would stare her down as she got out of her police gear, she knew he was thinking about perhaps… helping her out of them… She craved that attention, she desired his lust.

Her paws slid down her body, her mouth opening slightly as a silent moan of euphoria was lifted from her body. She dreamed of him getting off that couch, his gait slow but surely making his way over to her. She felt her heart stir with excitement at the thought of his claws ruining her athletic bodysuit; his brash ways to get what he wanted titillated her womanhood more than she would like to admit. He would then peel her clothes off as if she was wrapped food, oh the thought made her so hot! Her body shivered as she thought of him forcing her against the wall…

Within the shower she continued running her paws down her body until she reached her fluttering nether regions of her body, and slowly, with the thought of Nick above her, the sound of a zipper being undone, her small body being grabbed forcibly, his sharp fangs bared, his long tongue lolling, and his eyes dominating…

Suddenly, and as unbidden as a zealous religious type at the door, the sound of her phone alarm blaring stopped her in her tracks. It was her 5:30 alarm warning her that she was going to be late.

Judy gasped in panic and unbraced herself from the tiled shower wall and quickly turning the knobs to the hot water until the water merely dripped and dropped on the acrylic surface of the tub. She found herself slightly smiling after the vigorous, frivolous daydream that she just had, her mind cleaned from her horrible nightmare and body refreshed for the work day ahead of her. She then exited the tub, grabbed her towel, grabbed her phone, and then gawked at the time that read on the screen.

"Oh cheese and crackers! I'm going to be late!"

Judy hitched a ride to Precinct Central via the Zootopia Underground Subway, called the Zoo Metro (or Zoom for short) her usual to work transportation since Nick... While on the train she held the cold, paint chipped pole that stood from the floor to the ceiling because she preferred to stand. The cool early morning weather seeped into the tunnels and thus cooled the train cars, the heat was running, but there will be at least till 7 am till the cars will be comfortable enough without a jacket. There were few passengers onboard, most likely on their way to work or home from work, each passenger onboard was either on their phones or reading the daily newspaper, their business being minded. Judy finally took her eyes off her surroundings with a blink and then directed them downcast. While swaying to the beat of the train, she pulled her phone out and scrolled through her contacts until she reached the 'N's.

She paused as she fondly stared at Nick's avatar picture, it was a picture of him that she took when they were out drinking and she had drunkenly, but mostly jokingly, spiked his beer with a half shot of what the locals call "Bear Killer". Needless to say, Nick became bumbling an idiot for the night. When he had come back to senses the next morning… or afternoon rather, he was understandably very cross with her. However, thanks to her huge heart and spectacular, spritzing spirit, she conjured up a way to cheer the ol' vup' up; a tantric massage with all the blueberry confections he desired. Upon reminiscing that memory, she felt a heartwarming tug; a deep, adoring enticement for her fox, then called the number with a small smile on her face.

The dial tone felt as though it went on forever. Each second seemed to drone on. She knew he wouldn't be answering, for obvious reasons, mainly because he was still in the hospital, but she didn't care that her call wouldn't be answered just this moment. She just wanted to hear his voice.

The dial tone dropped then the voicemail answered. "Hey? Hey, how are you doing?" Judy rolled her amethyst eyes at the joke voicemail. Apparently, as Nick had said months ago, "I totally forgot to change it." after she had fallen for it the first time, but she knew he still enjoyed hearing complaints about his voice mail whenever he listened to the recordings. Judy continued, "I was almost late to work today, I guess I've been hanging around you too much huh? I actually ran out the house to catch the metro with a carrot in my mouth, I know you would've howled with laughter at that." Judy giggled at her own antics.

For a long ten seconds, Judy stared at nothing in particular as she thought of what else to say. Of course, she wanted to end it with an 'I love you', but… Something in her heart shivered hesitantly. Sure, she knew that she loved him… perhaps he did as well. They treated each other with respect, affection, and adoration, but he sometimes acted as though the two were merely friends and nothing more… what was he afraid of?

Her mouth slowly opened as she blundered through her mind of what to say, until finally her lost expression melted into one along the lines of woe and longing, thick in her voice was devotion, like a syrup from the oldest maple, ensuring sweetness for generations. "I miss you… Nick, I miss you so much…" She lowered the phone from her head as she continued to stare into space, tears threatening to escape her blurring eyes.

Judy put her phone up in the back pocket just as the Zoom came to a stop, it's metal brakes squealing slightly showing its age. The doors opened with a hissing sound and she filed out as others boarded the train. She quickly jogged up the steps to the street, ran across the street, occasionally looking at her watch, and then finally started to go up the grand sandstone steps to the Precinct Central.

Judy opened the large doors to the open foyer of the precinct and then speed-walked as quick as she could, heading straight to the punch clocks to get punched in. Along the way, she greeted the night desk clerk, Josephine, an older goat, then Wolford, who was finally punching out after a long night on patrol, and then finally she reached the break room to fill her orange, carrot themed thermos with coffee. She needed a bit of "go-juice" to get her morning started, especially after the off the wall dreams she had.

She used the much appreciated smaller mammal sink to wash her thermos out thoroughly with cool water before picking up the coffee jug and pouring herself a full cup, it was going to be a long day. As she poured she thought quickly on everything she'll be doing today, including asking Chief Bogo for permission for the fifth time this month to reopen the failed drug sting case, she wanted to visit the warehouse district and sniff around. Hopefully this time the cape buffalo will bite.

Also, she knew this well enough despite how she felt, she needed to speak to Nicole and apologize for her behavior. She didn't want to scare the rookie away, she felt terrible that she treated Nicole with such viciousness… Judy shook her head slowly before bringing the warm thermos up to her maws, preparing to sip. If only she knew how I felt about things yesterday… I'm so happy that Nick's coming through so well, especially that now he's awake and doing better, but still, I've tried everything to wake him up. I wanted to be the one that he woke up to. My eyes… my face… not hers… Judy shook her head slowly once more before closing her eyes and lifting the cup to drink.

Just before the hot contents of her cup touched her lip, her eyes opened wide with understanding. Wait… Am I JEALOUS?

After taking a throat warming sip, her hands grasped the tantalizingly warming cup fondly. Still, despite the blissful cup of coffee adding girth to her morning, her mind switched back to Nicole. I need to say something... She took a few steps towards the door to go to the offices, but before she could retract a hand from her cup and then reach for the door handle, a bloodied, battered, beaten mess of a mammal lumbered through the door.

Blood dripped and pooled to the floor like water from someone fresh from the shower. The scent of blood inundated the air. Salty and thick. The gurgling of blood came from the victim's throat as they wheezed, struggling to speak. Judy's eyes widened as though she saw a ghost. Judy's fur stood up, she felt her heart speed up as though she was chasing a perp through Central.

"Why Miss Hopps? I didn't do anything."

A questioning gasp was all that escaped from Judy's mouth as she gaped at the sight of Nicole Felina. The bloodied, bludgeoned, battered body of Nicole…

"I said good morning?" Nicole said again, this time she scratched the more-or-less rushed brush job on her head. Judy finally blinked and the nightmarish mirage of false reality faded from view. She looked blankly at Nicole and tried to smother the fear and confusion down by turning around and walking towards the sink.

"Haven't had your coffee yet huh, a nice, warm cup should perk you right on up-?" Nicole conversely said to Judy as she herself made her way to the coffee maker.

Nicole then looked in still-confusion as Judy then poured her coffee down the drain, the sound of the draining liquid being the only sound being heard in the break-room. "Or not…" Nicole muttered, just audible enough to be heard.

Judy kept quiet as she whipped out a green tea bag and steeped it in her thermos now full of hot water. Nicole felt sweat begin to form, is she still mad about yesterday? Judy looked to her then and could visibly see her discomfort. Understandably there may be tension, especially regarding last night's episode, but not for long, not if Judy could help it. I'm not a monster. Judy then looked back to her cup and watched as the tea bag suffused into the water, slowly changing the clear liquid into shade something green.

Then, just at that silent moment, the two partners swallowed their pride, looked at each other, and humbly pleaded...

"I'm sorry."

/Break/

The air was breezy midday, but such was a normality by the coast where the warehouse districts are. The warehouses, especially during the day, is usually packed with goodies and foodies alike. Ships big and small come into the harbor, dock, unload their merchandise which a crane then pick up and place on trucks that then get transported to their respectful warehouses. It's amazing really, a logistical masterpiece, any foreman's wet-dream, if anyone came during the day at their peak hour, that someone would see a ballet of crane movements; all four unloading cranes picking, dropping, spinning, and rotating; magical really.

"It's like a ballet, in a weird sorta way." (Told you) Nicole gasped at the four unloading cranes working seamlessly together, their long metal arms operating in synchronization. Judy snorted at her before checking her surroundings and then opening the door to exit the car.

With a smile present on her face, she closed the door and took a few excited hops towards the congregation of warehouses, the high sun glinting off their metallic roofs and dancing off the cranes as they gambol about. The breeze gave her ears a slight tug, and the smell of the salty harbor gave her a shiver of pleasantry; goosebumps kissing down her neck and back, the soothing air making love to her body. The air was definitely a factor in her happy demeanor, but what else, Judy was happy that Nicole and herself hashed out their differences, and on top of that, Chief Bogo put a green light on Judy's investigation request, allowing her to retract her and Nick's steps to the warehouse district, however sans warrant. This is something that she's been working on for a month and some days now. Things really looking like it's looking up!

Unbeknownst to the enthusiastic bunny, however this Pandora box was locked for a reason; the dumb bunny needed no keys, no way, she had an arsenal of sure-fire grit and determination to break those locks.

Nicole exited the police interceptor and followed Judy. The two looked out into the sea of warehouses and dancing cranes together for a few seconds before the determined bunny nodded with gusto. "Remember what I told you: get acquainted with the workers a bit, talk to them, ask them for any information about warehouse eleven… I'm going to take a look around, scope out the warehouse a bit… By the time they escort you to warehouse eleven I should be done looking around." Judy commanded with an assured, confident tone. Excitement vibrated within her gut as she looked forward to gaining way in her case, hopefully, she'll be able to find clues to Nick's shooter, and the big 'WHY' to it all.

Nicole smiled and nodded in affirmation then began digging into her belt pocket to fish out a tiny clamshell mirror. The comely lynx snapped open the personal vanity and looked herself over daintily. She wet one of her furry digits on her paw and smoothed some unruly fur on top of her head and made sure that her coat was clean and shiny. Finished with her throughout scour of her body, she then snapped shut the mirror and looked to Judy with just as much enthusiasm as she had.

"I'm ready!" Nicole smiled wide, showing off her pearly white incisors. Judy couldn't help but smile and giggle at Nicole before nodding at her professionally and then in unison parting ways to their individual tasks.

Judy looked around before dashing into one of the auxiliary corridors between the warehouses and the corresponding powerhouse to stay out of sight of the regular workers that drove golf carts up and down the way. She could hear the tiny squealing of a golf cart brakes and then a gruff sound of a male questioning Nicole. "Hey! What's the problem coppa?" And then Nicole responded. "Oh, finally I meet someone kind enough to give me a ride around here. You see, I'm on my break and… just wanted to mingle with you fine gentlemen for a bit…"

Her voice was overly saturated with a faux interest in the worker, but as the blue collar man quickly fell for her facade and soon was on their way with Nicole right beside him yapping it up. Judy smiled and then started on her own mission, She took an observatory glance to the right, then left, and then headed off towards her left, down the hill, and towards the valley full of warehouses.

Judy felt the mental stigma of that wretched night begin to burn and fester in her frontal lobe as she got closer to the dreaded warehouse eleven. She blinked,.. Daymares oozed like slow-flowing lava into her brain. Her dove-grey fur began to rise as the memories pounded into her brain leaving deep scores of emotional trauma. Her mind bled, daggers in the form of triggers reopened the scars of that night; reminding her, reanimating the tragic happenings that occurred a month and a week ago.

Her soft footsteps pattered against the gritty asphalt road as she crossed Lemon Street, a stretch of private, state owned road that sits between rows of warehouses to the left and right. She took a gaze right, saw no one, and then a wavering gaze left. Nobody in sight.' She thought to herself, a growing wad of fur in her throat. She then took a step off the asphalt driveway to the concrete pavement, and then at that moment, her memories reanimated the ghost of the ambulance that carried Nick away that watershed moment.

She blinked. The apparition disappeared in a flurry of phantom scintilla, it's blaring siren detuned into a wailing dirge. Peering past the phantom dust, she noticed a sullen figure that had run a couple of paces after the ghostly ambulance, and with a tingle down her back and a ice between her toes, she recognized that the despondent hallucination was her. The faint vestiges of blue and red all around her. Everything changed that night. Her eyelashes fluttered as heat rushed into her face and she felt traces of woe that salted her eyes.

That whole unfortunate night began a turning point in her life, career, and mental health. Though the whole ordeal only lasted for about 20 mins from the moment Nick and she were separated to Nick being whisked away in the ambulance, her memories played it back in spans of hours upon hours of trudging torture.

Her heartbeat rose as she ventured further past the relative safety of the cool, pitch-colored tarmac behind her. Her feet shifting the light blanket of sand and dirt on the concrete corridor floor between warehouse eleven and it's much smaller auxiliary building. A cool draft of air blew from the other side of the corridor, where she remembered stopping their (Nick and Judy's) interceptor at. She blinked... The ghost of her memories haunted her, showing her the blaze of white light emanating from the PPV lights, the swirling of dust that fogged the corridor, and telling Nick to chase the perp that ran down it as she chased another who ran down the street adjacent to Lemon Street. She remembered hearing the flurry of their seat belts snapping off and then the slapping of the metal buckles knocking against the door panel as they exited the vehicle quickly. She didn't look back at him either as they initiated pursuit on foot, she trusted that he would be okay, she knew that he would be okay… Judy's eyelashes fluttered as she felt a couple of rivers of tears mark her cheeks.

She walked further into the corridor and then noticed that the blood trail has been cleaned up, unsurprisingly. She stared at where the blood trail used to be with a bemused look on her face that then melted into one of ponder. One thing that other mammals seem to underestimate rabbits or small mammals in general, is that they have insignificant senses of smell. She held her breath for a second before quickly stooping, getting on all fours, and then putting her nose to the broken concrete beneath her. She took a deep investigative whiff, her eyes closed as her olfactory senses worked. She could make out many scents: oil, rubber, scents of different animals, but not a single scent of Nick. Oddly enough though, she could scent the tiniest substance of cinnamon.

Judy snorted in discontent and rose from the dirty ground and wiped her paws on the backside of her pants before continuing her search. Why'd I even bother…?

She searched along the ground for anything the team back at the Precinct would've missed. Alas, her search was for naught as she came up missing. Nothing out of the ordinary. Judy couldn't help but feel both proud and frustrated, the evidence recovery teams of her precinct always did their job exceptionally well, but it made her long awaited search of the premises coming up as short as she was tall. Judy frowned as she turned around and started to walk back. She made it a few paces before the savory images of her partner, Nick, imposed upon her mind.

She thought of his excellent detective skills, something she had to reluctantly admit was decisively better than her own. What would a perp do in that situation?

The bunny cop frowned as thought. She shifted her weight to her left leg and leaned slightly on it while having her right paw up to her face ponderously and her left gracing her hip. She then envisioned herself being chased by a fox cop down an alleyway with a gun in paw. Her eyes widened in panic as she set in character. The perp wouldn't even try to run far, not from a seasoned cop, a fox cop for that matter. Offense would be their best defense. She shook her head and made a face. What was so paramount that they had to result in shooting a cop? That's an instant 30 years or more not to mention that escape would be almost impossible. What lowly criminal would risk so much?

She was at a loss for answers. Nick would definitely be able to shed some light on the subject… if he was here… Judy could feel the tendrils of sadness threaten to tug on her heart, but before it could take hold she heard the whine of a golf cart approaching and subsequently laughter bouncing between the large warehouses. The cart was closer than she thought, and as soon as she saw the cart in her peripheral vision she tossed down her walkie onto the ground and pretended to totally not look like she was just snooping on the property.

Seconds later… "Oh, there she is… playing in the alley. What are you doing there buddy?" Nicole's voice lilted out mellifluously, she was still putting on the kind and dainty front for the burly work-mammal.

Judy turned around quickly and smiled generously and began speed walking towards the cart. "Oh, just dropped my walkie," Judy said innocently, she stopped with a kiddish jolt just a couple feet from the cart with her eyes gleaming with an adolescent lambency.

"Way out there?" The husky beaver asked, his furry brow raising.

Nicole laughed explosively. Judy eyed her with a 'tone it down' glare which Nicole quickly took account of. The embarrassed lynx then coughed into her hand and looked at the beaver beside her. "You showed me just about everywhere on the campus, perhaps could you tell me about what's inside these warehouses," she looked at Judy then at warehouse eleven. "That one perhaps?"

Judy kept her smile on the beaver and looked hopeful, hopefully, her curious, innocent nature would allow the beaver to acquiesce.

The beaver chuckled a hearty chitter then shook his head slowly. "No ma'am, can't do that there. It's a privately owned warehouse, it is." The beaver replied, a smile still on his face.

"Aww, pretty please Manny?" Nicole poked her lip out cutely at the beaver whose name was finally revealed. Nicole had her paw on the beaver's strong shoulder and gave him a gentle rock.

"I would get in trouble if I showed you ladies… it's really private." He looked almost on the verge of stepping out of the golf cart and showing the innocent looking cops the warehouse. Judy was slowly starting to tap her foot as Nicole flirted and bantered with the burly mammal. She was anxious to get ahead, she knew that there has to be SOMETHING she could find out once the warehouse was opened. She just now hoped that the beaver was dumb enough to allow her and Nicole in despite not having a warrant. Once she's in, lawfully, she could then at least take a look around, and if luck's putting out, she's coming in!

Nicole kept her big, emerald chatoyant eyes on the beaver as he finally sweated and gave in. He smiled at Nicole and complimented her. "Those eyes; you sure do know how to persuade a guy." He chuckled lightly while Nicole beamed at him appreciatively, her comely face in addition to her delightful pose gave her a dainty, kiddish look which the beaver candidly cherished.

Nicole only increased her captivating look and lowered her eyes only the slightest bit to imply the bit of genuine pleasure from his compliment. Judy had to give it to her, she would make quite the con-mammal if she pulls this off…

Just like Nick…

She blinked to herself, quickly pushing back the biting, adumbrate thoughts down...

The blue-collar mammal, as happy as he could be submitting to Nicole's cheery con, hauled himself out of the golf cart, grabbing the and put his right paw over his large loop of different colored keys. He smiled and walked towards the warehouse a couple of paces before looking down the street in each turn. He then turned to the approaching Nicole Felina.

"Hmmph, we'll have to make this a quick look, I'm going to document it as a routine door seal check. We won't be able to go in or anything." Manny said as he zeroed in on his target, the pin-code bypass key authorization entry. It was a weather-worn dark green lock that sat on the door like a cereal bowl.

Judy couldn't believe this, she was about to gain a foothold in her cold case. She couldn't help but walk up towards the door as an insatiable nibble of curiosity ate away at her mind. Her nose danced like fury as Manny probed the lock with the administrator key. Her eyes stood erect as a two-second buzzer rang out within the warehouse signaling that the override key was used. Her excitement rocketed. Her paws balled up into determined fists, and she unconsciously had her body posed forward as though just a few inches closer to the door in her position behind Manny would do all the difference.

A loud snap of an electromagnetic actuator unengaging made the antsy bunny jump slightly. The garage door opened with a quick jolt, shaking a bit as though the door hasn't been used for a while, possible rust built up, but before long the door began to wind open. The aluminum panels of the door shimmied and bungled against each other clumsily before finally, the heavy door opened wide.

Suddenly, but unsurprisingly, a peculiar, curt snout made itself visible from within the shadows of the warehouse.

Mumbling, "-the Hell, what are you doing you overgrown rodent!" A twitch in his beady eyes was off-putting.

The owner of the curt snout began to lumber itself out the shadows. A capybara revealed itself from the shadows and marched himself in front of the smaller beaver. Halfway into his irritated confrontation, the capybara limped heavily before righting itself again. The larger mammal was dressed in his dockers uniform with a disheveled visibility vest on, although it looked as if it was haphazardly thrown on just moments ago.

His twitching eyes glared at the unknown officers and studied them both… with a deep, odd, twitching stare. His ungroomed fur was dirty and his paws were calloused. The equally husky capybara whacked his foot on the ground as Manny stammered over his words.

Manny started to back away a few paces, "I- I- didn't expect to see you here Bro-Brody. I was just trying to show these sweet ladies around the c-campus and-"

"ARG! S-Shut the Hell up, bum-bumbling like an idiot. Get those cops out of here!" Brody the Capybara stuttered angrily as his trembling paw pointed at the space between Judy and Nicole. Judy brows furrowed as she tried to read the odd mammal in front of her. She then shot an inquisitive glance at her temporary partner and saw that the bemused lynx was slowly turning towards the apparently invisible officer between the at least three-foot gap between them. Putting her now investigative eyes back on the beady-eyed capybara, she saw that he had begun to lumber backward a couple of paces, a throbbing paw pointed at Manny now. "You're next Manny."

Wait, was that a threat? Judy quickly put her mauve eyes on Manny and then back at the capybara who just then slammed his paw against a red button of an arrow facing towards the dark ground. Nicole jumped slightly as the heavy metal garage door began to jangle down its tracks and shroud the guts of the warehouse into darkness once again. The cool air seemed to nip just a bit harsher through her fur. Suddenly, with no words uttered from neither of them, the cranes in the background seemed to halt it's dance, suddenly the sloshing of the water on the dock slip, and even more frighteningly the shudder of fear that seemed to emanate deep within.

What is so terrifying that got a dockworker afraid of his coworker, was what he said an actual threat?

Judy held her eyes low as she climbed on the back of the caddy. As she got seated Manny started moving again, his jaws shut tight against themselves from the beratement he just endured. Nicole said not a word, feeling guilty and sympathetic for both Judy and Manny. The ride back up the hill was quiet and the atmosphere heavy like a sodden wool coat. Nicole looked up at the burly beaver beside her, his face was tight and unresponsive to her green gaze on him. Nicole frowned and then slightly turned to Judy who was looking down at her thigh and dragging her dull claws along its length at a lethargic rate. She then turned back to the front and rested her head on her right paw and allowed her eyes to wander until she saw something peculiar.

In the right-hand rearview mirror, she could still see a trace of warehouse eleven, but this time she could see a small trap-door opening from the side where the auxiliary power building stood. A trap door? There was a trapdoor!? Nicole's eyes widened and she almost blurted out her findings until Manny swerved abruptly, cornering up to a road that lead up the main road up towards the entrance.

Nicole excitedly looked at Judy and then back down into her lap, her eyes flickering from left to right as she thought about the implications of such a door on the auxiliary building. Easily, that door could simply be a room for maintenance, but the lynx knew better. Questions arose like geysers and she found herself finding it difficult to keep her energy contained.

I gotta tell Judy!

Judy closed the interceptor car door with a solid slam, exhaling a long breath of exasperation into the air. Her eyes closed as she felt the weight of another dead end perch itself upon her back. With eyes still closed she slowly ran her paws through the fur on her face before tracing her paws over her head and down her ears, finally reopening them only to look absolutely tired of the silent conversation that she was having with the steering wheel in front of her. With a brief tug of her ears she let out an audible and truly exasperated huff.

Nicole approached the car as well, but instead of getting in immediately she stopped at the driver side window and peered in, a sympathetic look gracing her comely face.

Nicole looked at her solemnly, she couldn't help but feel for her. Judy, for a whole month and some days now, have been tirelessly looking for a silver lining in her work, a silver lining in the failed case, a silver lining in Nick's health- thank goodness for the assurance of the latter, it must be a downer to see yet another lead wither away.

Her fluffy ears flicked against the breezy wind as she waited for Judy to acknowledge her. When she did, Nicole smiled and motioned for Judy to scoot over into the passenger seat. "Let me treat you someplace, yeah?" Nicole looked hopeful.

Judy made no action of hesitation as she slowly made her way over to the passenger seat, she then held her head in her right paw as she contemplated. The pretty lynx then opened the driver door and climbed in, checked her mirrors, buckled up, and then slowly pull away from the gravel driveway into the warehouse district. As they drove away from the sea of warehouses, both officers looked back into their side mirrors, Judy with a frown, and Nicole with a steadfast glimmer in her chatoyant eyes. As Nicole drove away, she felt a flutter about her chest. She just got a piece of information that Judy will sure to appreciate. Then again, at the same time, another glean of thoughts rendezvoused into her mind.

If she even tells at all.

Nicole drove without incident through central in absolute silence, however, the two can admit that it actually wasn't awkward at all. Judy relished the silence, finding it beneficial for her to allow the frustration to be subdued as she contemplated the case. There's something I'm missing… but what is it?

She took the clues into consideration: the warehouse eleven is a privately owned property with no company printed on the facade unlike the other warehouses in the district. There's an air of mystery around the building, and there's a strict alarm present on the building. Manny says that it is absolutely off limits, but there was another worker already inside and perhaps others. And finally, what was that threat for?

Who owns the warehouse? Unlike many of the other owned warehouses, which had signs and logos indicating what company owned it. If i can find out who owns it, then perhaps that'll lead me to some more answers.

What's with the secrecy? The other worker that knew Manny seemed suspect. Now, i wonder if Manny knows more than what he's telling.

Judy watched as the various signs of businesses and billboards strolled past her vision. Her eyes would occasionally stick to one billboard and follow it until those purple orbs would flick to another advertisement. Subtlety, she could discern that the buildings went from brick and concrete of the warehouse district and its neighboring, ungentrified ghettos to stucco, premium sandstones and woods accompanied with opaque glass. Corner shops morphed into coffee shops. The difference was polarizing compared to the degraded slums with the cracked roads and vacated businesses.

Finally, after driving about twenty minutes after passing the last abandoned business, the police interceptor stopped outside of a pretty froyo shoppe (and bakery). Judy looked with a suspecting eye at Nicole who looked back with a smile and then jerking her head towards the entrance while unbuckling her seatbelt. Judy followed expectantly.

Inside, the little millennial shop cascaded the sweet and fluffy scents of strawberries and warm, buttery vanilla around the two officers. A soft physical bell tolled notifying the employees of a new patron arrival. The walls were an enticing pastel rose with a beautiful array of vivid blues, violets, greens, and oranges stroked on the wide oval-shaped room as though with a giant paintbrush. The furniture was attractive and velvety with a shabby-chic minimalistic design going on which prospered well against the bouncy walls. Light fixtures looked like fireflies on strings all encased in a translucent acrylic globe. Muzak played soothingly, matching swell with the modern, artistic air of the shop.

Drinking in the delectable aromatic fruits and pastries in the air, Judy couldn't help but smile. The appeased bunny walked further into the shop following Nicole's lead. In contrast to the outside nippiness, the shop was pleasantly warmed and gave her a tantalizing kiss down her back to the base of her tail. The two chose a seat underneath a warm fixture of light. Judy looked around once more, her mind swimming in a pool of bakery smells and contentedness. She noticed the sinking sun, the orange spear of light glinting off their properly sized police cruiser outside, and the incoming otter waitress that held a small tablet in her left paw.

Judy sank into the cushiony stool and listened as Nicole ordered. "One tall blueberry raspberry tea with two crumpets with blueberry jam drizzled on," Nicole ordered, her jaws practically watering already. Judy looked at her curiously before the waitress acknowledged Judy and then her eyes widened.

"Officer Hopps!" The slender otter exclaimed happily, "Surprise to meet you here, how have you been? How's Nick- ooh, I heard that he's doing better." Kris trilled. "It's me, Kris, you helped me out months ago about that case." She looked away as memories of the happenings of the case upset her slightly.

Judy's eyebrows shot skyward, "How'd you find that out-"

The otter's fling of despondence dissipated just as quickly as it came and her green eyes were sparkling once more. "Oh, my sister's boyfriend's brother's, not the crazy one, son is the nurse working with Doctor Meles who's in charge of Officer Wilde." Kris listed quickly, her exuberant, almost kiddish tone contrasted against the dub of a day that she had so far. Judy smiled again, then ordered.

The two ate their warm, delicious foods and hot drinks and savored the soft atmosphere of the place bakery. The two talked ambiently, giggled lightly, and enjoyed their time together. The sun dripped lower in the sky, flooding the skyborne clouds with oranges and violets; stamped in the sky were the bravest, brightest stars, chasing away the sun. The blues grew deeper in the streets. Outside patrons wore heavier coats. Alarm reds and piercing blue-whites sliced through the air, reflecting off the storefronts.

Nicole's electric eyes peered at Judy for a while as the bunny cop nibbled at the last of her lemon cheesecake (from a whole pie of assortment cheesecakes no less). "Hey, Judy." Judy started at her name being called, scrolling her mauve eyes from the morsel of sweetness in her paw over to her temporary partner.

Once Nicole got her attention she continued. "I appreciate you joining me today, you didn't have to, could have said no once I brought it up, but you didn't. I had honestly thought that you would, today wasn't the best of days, huh?" Nicole spoke genuinely, implying the put-down the episode at the warehouse district was.

Judy slowly puts down the tantalizing slice of cake.

Nicole blinked, her mind shooting back at what she saw earlier with the auxiliary building opening that was definitely suspect. She pondered, she could tell Judy right now about it, surely it'll lighten up her demeanor about the subject. However, some part of Nicole, some part that wore a red pantsuit and horns on her disheveled head and a handful of keys yearned to hold back that information. She looked conflicted for a fur-thin second before smiling genuinely at her superior.

"When talking to Manny, I can honestly and surely conclude that there is something odd about their operation." Judy's ears shot up and her mouth whiffled and stammered, at this point, she was no better than that maladroit capybara. "But," Nicole quickly interjected, "It was nothing warrant-warranted," She lightly chuckled, watching Judy deflate slightly, "He merely mentioned how odd things have gotten about two months ago, actually just a week or two before Nick was shot by some thug." Nicole frowned.

Judy looked at her wisely, "What you mean is, we don't have any evidence of anything awry to get a warrant." She then looked back at her cheesecake, "If we bring up the possibility of workers at warehouse district, the union-backed workers of the warehouse district, colluding with the attempted murder of Nick without any type of evidence but an officer's hunch, we'll be doing parking duty for months." The small mammal fork she wielded sliced into the crush of her cake, breaking crumbs everywhere. She looked slightly dejected, the both of them did until Nicole pondered a bit, her sharp gaze searing into Judy's paw as the grey bunny stabbed the cake.

Nicole then put her paw out to Judy and smiled, "Well, tonight's National Predator Appreciation Day, er- night? Anyways, I know that you're planning on seeing him for the occasion. Why don't I patrol while you do that, hmm? Besides, some solo action will do me well, threat levels are low, no need to have me around too much anyways." Nicole said, finishing her sentence and playing with her badge absentmindedly as she thought to herself.

With mauve eyes widening, Judy reached across the shiny, pearl gradient table and held Nicole's paw with two of her own, and still, they didn't cover up Nicole's larger paw. "Hey… Nicole…" The lynx in question didn't look up but instead kept her gaze on the empty, crumby place in front of her. "Please?" Judy pleaded, her big eyes looking up at her subordinate patiently. At that Nicole finally acquiesced and put her eyes on Judy, her electric eyes showing a bit of worry.

"I know you don't-" The Canadian lynx started.

"I appreciate you."

Judy slowly lifted her paws, freeing Nicole's own. A happy smile graced the doe's face and then she stood up and reached into her business wallet (because a lieutenant cop toting a carrot themed purse was too quirky, even for Judy) and whipped out a twenty for their meal plus gratuity. Nicole protested being that their little outing was her idea after all, but Judy reinforced her vantage with a rise of both eyebrows. "Thank you for cheering me up today, really. You're a great partner, and when Nick comes back to work, perhaps I can fix you up with anyone that you want."

Nicole looked shocked at that, but kept her composer as she too stood up and followed Judy out the shop. She smiled as she knew the next stop. "Off to see Nick now, hm?" Nicole smirked at Judy from the side as they climbed into the cruiser.

Judy reached in back of the car and brought forth a backpack filled with silver synthetic fur. She flipped down the vanity and beamed at herself in the reflection. Her eyes looked as though they took flight in promiscuity and her ears were attentive, almost shivering in excitement. She dug into her aforementioned purse and fished out a slender black tube that Nicole knew well as mascara.

Judy popped open the lid to the beauty product with a satisfying click and then shot Nicole a look with the brightest smile Nicole has seen in weeks. "Mhm!"

-break-

Finnick frowned widely as he leaned against the gaudy mural of his van. The dry air caused him to snort a few times before hucking a wad of snot out at the side. He shifted his posture, huffing a sigh, staring out into the fog that exited his mouth, all before diving into his pocket and fishing out a pack of cigarettes and a match. Lifting up his foot, the short fox lit the match on his rough paw pads before shifting his weight once more and lifting the sizzling match to the stinking stick between his teeth. He inhaled slowly, allowing the end of the cigarette to burn smoothly before then waving the match out and flicking it away from him. He grunted gratifyingly and then took a nice, smooth drag from the stick, holding it for a second, and then exhaling smoothly through his nose.

The cool metal behind his head contradicted with the warm smoke that he pulled in and it sent waves of titillating shivers down his body. He silently relished in the feeling before his big ears pricked at the subtle sound of someone approaching.

Slowly, three males turned into the alleyway that Finnick was loitering in. Finnick eyed them carefully, noting their body language as he pulled from his cigarette again, this time taking a longer drag, holding it gingerly, and then finally flicking it away from him just like the match, but this time a light trail of lingering smoke being left in its wake and the splatter of glowing embers as the cigarette bounced off the gritty, gravel ground.

The trio finally met up with Finnick, and that's when the three started to chuckle at the sight of such a short fox that was supposed to be hooking them up. Finnick frowned and raised an eyebrow at them, he felt his attitude threatening to jump from his throat and berate the three young fools, but he held his tongue maturely and simply eyed them with a tired, wise expression.

"Fifteen-deuce." Finnick growled out simply as the males got close enough. His simple response almost floored the young males.

"Wait a min lil fox, you said thirteen fifty on the phone!" The male that held the center yelled out. He was a young grizzly bear with a pompous, rich kid air about him. Finnick noticed this of course, and kept his hard gaze on the bear's beady black eyes.

"The price changed- fifteen-deuce." Finnick growled back. "Cops crawling tonight, it's Pred Night ain' it, price changed." He added less brashly.

The male on the bear's left, a dark coyote with bent whiskers yelled out in retort. "Yo, Dennis, he's trying to hustle us! Fuck that, I'd say we run his shit right now!" The coyote's voice cracked.

The other male on Dennis's right looked nervous. "Come on man, let's make the buy, I thought I saw cop when we was coming down here. P-Plus if we don't get back to the party, everyone gonna think you ain't bout that hard dope life." The speaker now is a anxious, short looking wolf with a odd dark grey pattern in his fur.

Dennis kept a strong front, his chin raising in defiance. "And what's stopping us from running yo shit right now lil fox?" His voice thickening.

Finnick sighed and shuffled around to the back of the van, all the while fishing into his pocket. The trio slowly followed him towards the rear of the vehicle, keeping their distance, their attitudes now cautious, and now wary of the fox's intentions since he didn't give them a straight answer, or any answer for that matter.

"Woah, fox, you ain't bouta pull a piece over a deal…" Dennis voice teemed with nervousness. The coyote and the wolf looked at each other and then at Finnick in apprehension.

Finnick looked back at Dennis with a curious look in his eye as he slowly pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket. Finnick could basically hear the trio's breaths returning as they realized that there was nothing but a pack of smokes in his hand. "Relax kid… I'm not gonna shoot ya." Finnick said with a tired decline in his tone. "Pred on Pred violence needs to stop…" He patted his body around and dumbly looked to his left and right. He turned quickly and opened the right barnyard door of the truck pretending to check briefly for his lighter. He then turned back around to meet the skeptical eyes of the trio.

"Any of y'all got a light?" Finnick said with a tired voice.

The three looked at each other in turn before back at Finnick. The short fox leaned against the chrome bumper of the van, his left paw directly over the dark tailpipe. He stood innocently, but his mind was brimming with hot water of irritation at the kids underestimation because of his size.

Dennis rolled his eyes and yanked a red lighter out of his pocket and then stepping forward until he was an arms reach of Finnick. The bear flicked the lighter on and held it steady underneath the end of the cigarette just as Finnick slowly reached down towards the exhaust pipe. "How old are you kids anyways…" Finnick drawled out surely as though he already knew the answer and was prepared to say something else.

The hefty bear, focused on the stick that he was lighting, let an answer to slip out of his distracted face. "Twenty… why?" The bear was in the process of looking up when Finnick finished what he was going to say.

"Good, cuz I won't feel so bad doing this…" His voice teemed with poison.

Within that moment Finnick brought a long, dark-wooden baseball bat out from within the tailpipe and slammed it down with an incredible force upon the bear's outstretched paw. Soot billowed in the air around the bear's paw as the bat dusted his now broken appendage with dark carbon from the pipe. The bear didn't even have time to scream in agony, mainly because his cohorts were already doing that for him, but because Finnick yanked the bear close to his angry, tempestuous mug, their noses almost touching.

"YOU GONNA RUN MY SHIT HUH?!" Finnick shouted to the bear who was now whimpering in pain, as he shouted the cigarette flew from his mouth and booped against the muzzle of the bear who he was desperately trying to check on his paw, but Finnick kept his gaze square with his, his claws barely refrained from sticking him.

"I- I- I- I'm sorry sir!" The bear whimpered, his friends behind him shouted their apologies as well. "I- I- was just trying to front for my homies, ya feel me old man?" Dennis babbled out. Finnick held his gaze still, not allowing him to look away for a moment.

"FIFTEEN-DEUCE!" The fox restated simply. His fangs bared slightly against the bear.

The coyote behind Dennis quickly nodded his head. "Fifteen deuce, no problem, pay the man Dennis so we can get the hell up out of here!" The panic tone in his voice dripped heavily.

"Ye-Yeah, no problem…" Dennis whistled and indicated with his head for the wolf to come over. The wolf quickly took off the expensive Vanucci backpack, opening the largest compartment and fishing out a wad of cash.

Dennis took the cash with his good paw and stuck it out at Finnick for him to quickly look over before reaching into his van and dragging out a small duffle bag of goods, releasing the bear. "Enjoy." He tosses the bag to the coyote before putting his soot dusted bat on his shoulder and squaring his shoulders to make himself seem a bit bigger. "Now get the hell out of here…" He slammed closed his van door and then looked back to the younger predators. "Next time you little punks decide to convey any implication of robbin' me, you better bring your tools, cuz I AIN'T THE ONE!" Finnick barked powerfully.

The trio ran off with their drugs and Finnick rolled his shoulders, picked up the still lit stick off the ground. He frowned at crook that was present in the middle of the cigarette before sighing and putting it into his mouth, taking a long smooth drag. He took a couple steps towards the driver side of the van before he heard the unmistakable sound of tires rolling to a stop behind him in the alleyway.

WOO-WUP

Blue and red flashes of light lit up the alleyway.

Beep

Nick's green eyes looked outside the window at colors of blue and red in the distance. Blue and red blossoms, blue and red berries, blue and red fields, blue and red sparkles, blue and red everywhere; it was National Pred Day, or night rather. Nick knew, fuzzily, but he knew that predators everywhere would be celebrating tonight. Parties, clubs, and frat houses would be bumping tonight filled with music, joyous mammals, and games all night long. Nick flexed his toes slowly, hearing his claws run against the thin cotton sheets, he was remembering how he used to run with his crew back in the day on this day. Running around, causing mischief, smoke some weed, find some vixens- his ears began ringing as he thought of Finnick…

Beep

Nick's green eyes blinked slowly as he looked outside the window at colors of blue and red in the far distance. Blue and red blossoms, blue and red cherries, blue and blue fields, blue and red sparkles, red blood everywhere; it was National Pred Day, or night rather. Nick knew, fuzzily, or at least he thought he knew, that predators everywhere would be celebrating tonight. Parties, warehouses, and trap houses would be bumping tonight filled with music, joyous mammals, and gunshots all night long. Nick flexed his finger on the trigger slowly, hearing his claws run against the thick plastic of the body bag, he was remembering how he used to run from the cops with his crew back in the day on this day. Running around, causing mischief, selling drugs, finding some vixens- his ears began ringing as he thought heard a gunshot when he saw Finnick…

Beep

There was a small sound of an actuator initiating, then the sound of liquid being injected into a tube. A tiny motor turned on, pumping the liquid through the tube and into Nick. Once done with it's cycle, the motor turned off with a wispy sigh.

Beep

Nick slept soundly, not thinking of anything at all.

Author Notes:

Hmm, I'm having the hardest time working on this. It's been two years after all. My life has gone from blissful, to crazy, to being heartbroken, making tons of money, then losing it all and now I'm just in a state of purgatory. Yeah, I'm gonna end it.

The story I mean.

I need a beta please please please! I need someone to help me contain all the shit in my head so I can write it well. I already have the ending planned out. So will you, help me? I would super appreciate it.

I don't feel super about this chapter to be honest with you all. How about you, your thoughts?