Author's Notes:
For generations, predators ruled the Western Cape Republic by legally codified laws which discriminated against and segregated the larger population of prey mammals. They used the wealth from their land to hire armies of mercenaries to enforce their laws. The blood and toil of cheap prey labor digging for diamonds and gold made many rich, while poverty, disease, and fear kept the laborers in their place. Then it all fell apart and now justice is being sought, but there is a fine line between justice and vengeance.
This story is based on Chapter 5 of Zootopia: A Raccoon's Redemption.
Chapter One: The Children's Pain
Two years ago: Canal District
Alan Wolford watched the uniformed red fox quickly move into position on the other side of the door. They both had their tranquilizer guns already drawn, but he knew Nick's smaller gun only had three rounds and he was unsure that if it came to violence they could stop the rhino's charge. All they had to do was delay the assailants until the SWAT team arrived with their heavier hardware. The problem was that Judy had already barged into the warehouse waving her badge and was now trapped hiding behind some crates. Because of her size, she still had the old fashioned single round dart gun which could not penetrate the rhino's thick skin.
"Come out and play bunny," laughed the tiger standing next to the rhino. Both were dressed in foreign looking combat fatigues. He slowly drew a long wicked looking knife and chuckled. "I promise we'll make it quick."
A thin cape jackal in a green sport shirt and jeans looked up at the larger mammals, which were now smashing the crates trying to reach the rabbit. "Lamb above! Are you two idiots or what? That's Hopps the first police rabbit, you kill her and the cops will never stop hunting us!" he snarled in a strange accent. "This heist is scrubbed, let's hightail it before the rest of the ZPD gets here."
"We've got time enough to kill her first!" the large rhino laughed.
"Idiots!" yelled the jackal. "I'm gone." The mammal scurried out of the building and into the darkness. Alan watched him run past, but he made no attempt to stop him because he hoped they could find and apprehend him later. Quickly the wolf glanced back towards were the fox was hiding and he winced because Nick was gone!
"Come on out bunny!" the rhino laughed. "It looks like it's just you and us boys. You are a dumb bunny to show up here by yourself."
Suddenly, there was the loud roar of a car and both of the assailants looked up just in time to see a police cruiser bust through the loading bay door. The driver wheeled the large vehicle towards the assailants and slammed it into the rhino. Wolford flinched at the sound of the car crunching into the rhino and the vehicle's impact threw the mammal's broken body into the far wall. The tiger turned to run but he was hit by three tranquilizer rounds and crumpled onto the floor.
As the wolf was running into the building, he saw Nick standing near the fallen tiger and the fox was frantically trying to reload his gun as he faced the damaged cruiser. The cruiser's door finally opened and the cape jackal staggered out and started cussing at the officers. "You three have screwed the pooch on this operation!" he yelled. "What the hell we're you thinking Hopps charging into here waving your badge like that! Did you really think that toy of yours could stop a rhino?"
"Who the hell are you?" Nick growled at the other canid. Both officers' guns were now pointed towards the mammal.
"Cape Police working with the ZIA on this mission," the jackal grinned as he held his paws up. "Before you shoot me, maybe I can help you dig Hopps out first?"
They handcuffed the jackal to a pole and started digging the rabbit out of the rubble. She finally wigged free and landed in the fox's arms. He held her close to his chest, until Wolford cleared his throat. "The SWAT unit just arrived, so let's at least try to look professional!" he chuckled. The fox gave him a frown and flashed him his left paw's middle digit.
"Now gentlemammals," the jackal spoke up, "I need one of you to please shoot me now." He smiled at the surprised look the officers gave him and added, "I'm serious, I need someone to dart me. I think Wolford you should and tell them you got me trying to run away earlier."
"That won't work chompers," Nick said. "Claws over there already saw you before I could turn him into a pin cushion, so your cover is already blown. Besides, how do we really know you are who you claim to be? Wolfie, I would suggest we hold our reports until we meet with Bogo, because we have another smashed up car and the garage guy is going to have a field day with this one!"
Back at the station, they handcuffed the cape jackal to the interrogation table. "You know you have the right to an attorney?" Nick reminded him. The uniformed red fox leaned against one of the room's walls and had his signature smirk on his muzzle. "From one canid to another, you might want to tell us what was going on."
"You're really going to try the old good cop and bad cop routine on me?" the jackal chuckled. "Where's Bogo?"
"You mean the bad cop?" Nick replied. "He's on his way down here right now, so this is your last chance for you to do this easy. You know I'm pissed that your buddies dislocated Judy's shoulder and she's been suspended three days for her actions."
Both canids were startled when the door crashed open and an imposing cape buffalo bull stood in the doorway. "Wilde out!" Adrian Bogo bellowed. "Now Wilde!"
The red fox barely got his tail through the doorway before the door slammed closed behind him. He looked at Wolford, who was left standing in the hallway. "What the hell is that about?" he asked the wolf.
"I have no idea?" Wolford replied. "He's killed both the video and audio recorders before he locked the observation room. Whatever is going on in there, the Chief doesn't want anyone else to know about. Oh, he told me to tell you that you've been also suspended for three days for not properly covering your partner." The fox snarled and turned towards the door. "Ah Nick, three days off work with Judy, she needs comforting and you know!" the wolf quickly added as he touched his nose.
The fox's ears actually blushed before he objected, "We're just friends and partners, Wolfie!"
"Unlike your mouth, the sniffer doesn't tell a lie fox," Wolford chuckled. "I can smell the scent she's gives off around you nowadays and there's no way you've not noticed it too. She's interested in you pal and I can smell that you're interested in her too, so go to her because you two need to figure this out. I'll let you know what's happening."
Nick looked at the closed door and then back at the wolf. The wolf touched his nose again and chuckled as a grin came to the fox's muzzle and his tail began swishing. "Three days and you'll let me know what's happening?" he asked.
"Sure thing!" Wolford laughed. "I'll call you in the morning, but not too early. Now go on Nick and fetch." As he hurried away, Nick heard the wolf call out, "Good boy Nick, that's a good boy!"
Two Years Later: Downtown Zootopia
Adrian Bogo walked into the bar and stared around with his usual scowl until he saw the mammal he was seeking sitting at a booth, a cape jackal in a light blue and white stripped polo shirt and khaki pants. "Ah there you are Adrian!" the jackal said with an unusual sounding accent as he greeted the much larger cape buffalo with a smile. "Take a seat, Diamonds is on her way here from Tundratown."
"It's good to see you again Karl," replied Bogo as he shook the smaller jackal's paw. "I just wished it was under better circumstances, not this unfinished business. What are you drinking, it looks good?"
"It's just tea with lemonade and I think they named it after some golfer. It's called an Armadillo Palm.." the jackal was cut off by the enthusiastic greeting from another jackal as she rushed through the door and hugged him.
"Cousin!" she yelled as she continued embracing him. "It's so good to see you again!" Turning to the much larger bull, she then launched herself into his arms. "Adrian it's good to see you out of the uniform and dressed like the rest of us civilians." She pulled back and adjusted the collar on his dark blue polo shirt before adding, "It would be nice to see you in something that wasn't dark blue!"
Bogo smiled as she hugged him again and replied, "Despite what my wife claims, I don't work all the time and blue is my favorite color. Your acting very chipper tonight, I guess you've had a good weekend."
"I've had a blast this weekend. I went snow tubing, dinner and dancing, and even had lunch with Mr. Big and his family!" she replied with a huge smile on her muzzle. "But I want to bring charges against the charming raccoon I met, because the things he did to my body last night should be outlawed! You know him Adrian."
"Runnel," the buffalo huffed out. "Don't tell me you were with Jake Runnel!" He put a hoof over his eyes and groaned.
"I figured you knew him," she laughed. "He's so charming and sexy, a real gentalmammal! He even introduced me to the Wildes and you know what a fangirl I am of that fox!"
Bogo put his other paw over his eyes and groaned again.
"Who's Wilde?" Karl asked.
"You met him and his now wife Judy years ago during the warehouse debacle," Bogo grumbled. "They blew you cover."
"You mean the red fox and the rabbit?" the male jackal asked in surprise. "Are you telling me you haven't fired them yet?"
"They turned out to be two of my best officers," the buffalo laughed. Then he looked at the female jackal, who had just ordered drinks for the table, and said, "What where you doing at Big's for Sunday Lunch?"
"Well I didn't have much of a choice," she giggled. "A huge polar bear showed up at my apartment this morning with some of Jake's clothes and was quite clear that both Jake and I were expected at lunch. You know that shrew is very charming and knows a lot about blood diamonds. He made a point to assure me that there are no dealers in Tundratown who would touch them. He said that the possession and sale of blood diamonds is frowned upon on that side of the wall, which makes sense because I've never tracked any being smuggled in the area."
"He's a killer!" Bogo huffed. "Stay away from him Melinda. Big is a dangerous mobster."
"What about this Runnel fella?" Karl asked. "Is he a mobster too?"
"No Jake is harmless," Bogo smiled. "A pain in my tail sometimes, but he's just a reformed burglar trying to make a honest living. He saved Big from a rhino and they're friends, both try hard to professionally stay out of each other's way. Runnel runs a security firm, nothing major, but he's good at what he does."
The tea and lemonade drinks arrived and after a few sips, Melinda giggled.
"What's so funny Diamonds?" Karl asked her.
"I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Adrian," she laughed and winked at the buffalo. "Jake is really good at what he does!"
"So here we sit again," Karl sighed as he changed the subject. "Trying to end this … this blight on our lives created by our fathers."
"Don't you find that a bit over dramatic cousin?" Melinda asked.
"So says the daughter of a saint," the other jackal chuckled.
"My father was no saint!" she snapped in anger. "He put his religion before his family..his wife…his daughters…ME! He left us alone, all because he had to speak out against the government. He had to ask for an inquiry on the tiger and his methods. We had to flee our home and our friends because of him. My mother was broken both spiritually and physically because of him! HE WAS NO SAINT!"
"And yet his daughter is nicknamed Diamonds," Bogo quietly said. "Because she, no you Melinda, tracks down illegally smuggled diamonds from the Cape and then gives the reward money to the refugees. Don't tell me you can't use that cash yourself."
He sipped from his drink and then continued, "Did you know I once asked my father why he did what he did and he told me that he was just following orders. He said his chief had commanded his warriors to follow the tiger. They were orders from a mercenary, along with gold given to a tribal chieftain. For five years he served the tiger, five years he terrorized others because he was just following orders. Then in '60 his tribe led the raid against the zebra upraising, he said they were first armed with long batons and beat the protesters mercilessly. After they rounded up the leaders, the chief gave them their traditional spears and led them back into the township to terrorize and pillage as the tiger's mercenaries lynched the leaders. Lamb knows how many died that day? It broke my father and he fled to Zootopia to get away.
"You know the number," Melinda sighed. "One hundred and sixty four, Adrian."
"But at least your father knew what he was doing was wrong and finally left," Karl said. "My father believed the shit that predators were born to rule. He hired that damn tiger and his mercenaries to, as he called it, bring order to the district. When the tiger's troops locked those villagers in your father's old church Diamonds, he laughed as they burned it down. Ninety six innocent mammals died that day. Ninety six…ninety six and then my brother who had protested. The tiger hung him from the burnt rafters the next day while my father watched."
"So its past time we bring the tiger named Birendra to justice," said Bogo. "He's back in my city and it's time to finally hunt him down."