Ch. 1: Red Fur, Suit & Tie

The fox stood out like a fly in milk, a wolf among sheep, or-if she wanted to be precise-as a smartly dressed vulpine in a bullpen full of uniform wearing tigers, rhinos, elephants, and one bunny.

Said bunny examined the uncanny visitor, his fur a bright red that reminded her of the crimson dawns she saw every morning when she got ready for work. His eyes an emerald that somehow felt stronger than the ocean of forest and meadow greens she could see back in Bunnyburrow. The tips of his ears and tail were dipped in soot while his paws and feet were buried in it, though not as pitch as his pleasant suit that held not one wrinkle, the sleek tie matching his dark suit.

If the fox reminded the rabbit of anything it was a splatter of blood at midnight-which she guessed should have made her intimidated of him. But she wasn't, at least, not in a frightful way, seeing him standing next to Bogo with his paws clasped behind his back, spine straight and looking perfectly at home, the bunny found herself more in awe than anything. And she didn't even know his name.

Chief Bogo fixed that, his thick arm indicating to the mysterious mammal next to him: "This is Detective Nicholas Wilde; he was generous enough to come here as soon as I contacted him. He is going to help us solve an assignment that has quickly become priority number one."

The bunny's eyes narrowed. What assignment?

Bogo tacked a photo onto the billboard, directly over Savannah Central and her mouth became as dry as Sahara Square.

The picture was grainy, taken from a traffic camera that definitely needed a tune up, but it showed a figure in a trench coat, walking behind the building of a clothes shop. The bunny hadn't forgotten the pointy ears and elongated nose, would never forget it for as long as she lived and the sight of it brought a spike of hatred and grief through her chest. She dug her blunt nails into the table, her stiff ears fell against her shoulders and she tried to remember how to breathe, tried to force the red haze away from her eyes and focus on Bogo's next words:

"For those of you who don't know this wolf is a known murderer who took down one of our best detectives before disappearing off the radar, this photo is the first sighting we've seen of him in over a year and I don't plan on letting him vanish again. That is why I've asked Wilde to come help us, he is one of the best detectives of the city and I have faith that with his help we'll be able to put this wolf behind bars where he belongs."

When Bogo dismissed the group Detective Wilde, who had only given the room a small nod in greeting, immediately headed out of the bullpen, pulling out his phone as he did so.

The bunny went after him, "Excuse me! Excuse me!"

His emerald eyes glanced over at her before turning back to his phone; however his fast walk slowed so she could keep pace with him. "Can I help you?"

"That's actually what I wanted to ask you," she replied. "I know Bogo is putting you in charge of this case and I really wanted to help you solve it."

"I bet you did," he said distractedly, his thumb sliding over his phone and she wondered if he was even reading the small text that scrolled across the shiny screen.

"I know I don't look like much but you can ask anyone here, including the chief, I'm one of the best cops of the ZPD," she informed him, unconsciously reaching to rub the back of her wrist against her badge as if to spiff it up.

"Congrats," he told her, his expression still flat and uninterested. "I'm sure you work real hard and would be an assist to anyone."

She frowned; the fox was talking to her like she was a child. "I can prove it. You're going to the scene where the wolf was spotted, right? Let me come with you, I'll drive and everything."

They had reached the front doors of the precinct, Clawhauser having moved to wave goodbye but thought better of it when he saw the two talking, or rather, the rabbit trying to get the fox's attention.

Wilde let out a breath that carried a tinge of annoyance and he slipped his phone back into his pocket before turning around to face her. The bunny wasn't prepared to meet those vibrate greens head on but she held her head up high, hoping to appear professional and reliable.

"Look, Carrots," he stated, his expression still flat, his eyes half-lidded and he looked so unimpressed by life itself. "It's sweet of you to offer but if I was going to have a partner don't you think I would already have one? I'm sure I've been locking up the scum of the streets longer than you, so long that I graduated to finding the scum of the penthouses. And through all that I didn't need a partner. What makes you think I need one now?"

His sudden animosity surprised her, but she blinked and collected herself, "This isn't about helping you. I-I find this case very personal and I wanna help solve it, I need to put that wolf behind bars."

"A wolf like that would chew you up and spit out the bones," he pointed out without tact. The bunny flinched. "I'm an excellent detective, fluff, otherwise your chief wouldn't have sent for me."

"He sent you here so you could help us, not do all the work."

"No, he sent me to solve the case while you cops do me a solid and keep any petty criminals and nosy civilians out of the way. Speaking of I need to get to that scene, and I can drive myself perfectly fine, thanks."

She opened her mouth to try and insist she could be of help but the fox pulled out a pair of aviators as dark as his suit and donned them, and somehow the rabbit felt dismissed.

Wilde grabbed the knob of the glass door and moved to open it but stopped a second to glance back at the rabbit, his greener-than-forests eyes hidden behind his glasses, "What's your name, anyway?"

She considered not answering, wanting to see how he reacted to obvious rudeness, but decided against it: "My name is Judy. Judy Savage."