Notes: Got to love snow days! Being trapped in your house sure gives you a lot of time to write!

Nick and Judy hurried to the train and luckily caught one right when they arrived. As they rode, Nick quickly pulled out his phone to text Aeron. Before heading to work he had handed Aeron the new phone he had gotten for him so that they could keep in contact.

Pulling up their message box he quickly sent a text telling him that something had come up with work so that Aeron wouldn't worry. While he was doing his best to seem fine, Nick could tell that he was terrified of something happening to him for helping him.

"Who are you texting?" Judy asked, leaning into him slightly so that she could ask quietly. Nick felt relieved that he could now straight out answer her without feeling nervous.

"Aeron." Judy nodded as she shifted back into her seat. Comfortable silence fell between them as Nick checked his received message. As he expected it was from Aeron.

N.W.: Dinner was interrupted, got called into work.

A.H.: I'm sorry dinner got interrupted. Is she still

coming with you tonight?

N.W.: Most likely but it will depend on how long

this will take. We don't have our patrol car.

A.H.: Want me to come grab you when you're done?

Nick frowned slightly as he read Aeron's last message. He really didn't know if Aeron being out and about at night, especially near an investigation, was the best idea. However, he didn't feel like riding the train again. He glanced at Judy, who was glancing out the window. Though she seemed wide awake he could see that her eye lids seemed to be getting slightly heavy. He was feeling a bit warn out too.

N.W.: Okay just stay low

A.H.: I will. Where will you be?

N.W: I'll send you the address. Give us fifteen

minutes then come over and park.

A.H.: Aye aye Sir! See you soon. Please be careful.

N.W.: You too.

Nick looked up from his phone as he felt the train come to a stop at their platform. "Ready, Carrots?" he asked as he got up, noticing that Judy wasn't following him. "Carrots?" again she didn't answer, still staring out the window with glazed eyes. Gently he rested his paw on her arm. "Carrots, time to get off." she jumped slightly as she finally woke up from her thoughts and looked up at him.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, just busy thinking." Nick hurried her off the train before the doors slid shut on them.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked once they were out on the platform. Judy shrugged lightly as she ran her paw over her ears.

"Just about the case. I'm really concerned about James...what could be worse than what his father went through?" Nick frowned as he shook his head to chase away all the horrible thoughts attempting to seep into his mind.

"Let's not think about that right now, Carrots. Let's just focus on getting to the Ottertons." she nodded in agreement as they made their way through the streets that were already almost empty. When they reached the Otterton's Nick wasn't surprised to see a police cruiser parked in front.

As they entered the shop they saw that it was one of the new recruits; a female black wolf, that had beat them.

"Judy! Nick!" an adolescent otter appeared from behind the counter and rushed over to Judy, jumping into her arms. Nick smiled faintly as he watched his partner return the hug as the youngest Otterton, Andy Otterton, looked up at them both. "I knew you two would make it!"

"Andy, give Officer Hopps some space." Emmitt Otterton appeared from the staircase, his wife standing behind him.

"Oh I don't mind, Mr. Otterton." Nick smirked as he remembered the last time they had gone to visit her family in Bunny Burrow. Judy seemed to be quite used to being tackled by excited youngsters.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde, glad you could make it." Nick looked over at their fellow officer as she walked over to them. "I would have come and gotten you but I felt that it was best for me to stay here."

"We understand, Officer Howls," Nick said with a smile. Officer Howls returned his smile then turned serious as she handed them a piece of paper inside an evidence bag.

"This is the note that was taped to the outside door." Nick took it and lowered his arm a bit so that Judy could see it as well. It was obviously computer typed, the letters so large that almost the entire page was taken up.

"Was anything left behind?" Judy asked as Nick handed the note back. Officer Howls frowned and shook her head.

"Nope. I dusted both the note and the door and found nothing. Whoever did this knows what they're doing." Nick glanced over at the Ottertons; who were all standing together.

"Did any of you see anything?" the three otters shook their heads.

"We were upstairs just finishing up dinner when we heard a knock at the door. I went to check, but by the time I got down no one was there, that's when I saw the note," Emmitt Otterton explained.

"Do you have any security?" Judy asked, her eyes scanning around the shop.

"We've already checked their cameras. You can see that someone is there but nothing to really go on," Officer Howls politely interrupted. Nick frowned in thought as he eyed Judy, seeing that she was feeling the same frustration and fear. Whatever was going on they were in for another difficult case.

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Judy and Nick stayed with the Ottertons while Officer Howls went to take the evidence back to ZPD. Judy made it clear to Nick that she wasn't comfortable leaving them until they had at least gone over any issues that the Ottertons had faced that was connected to what had happened with the Nighthowler flowers.

As they all congregated upstairs in the kitchen, Emmitt Otterton and his wife explained how they had a few pray that refused to use their services but other than that there had been no issues.

"Andy, have you and your brother had any issues at school?" Judy asked. The little otter shifted slightly then looked up at his mother, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"James and I go to separate schools so I'm not sure about his experience but there have been a few prey that have said mean things about Dad to me." Judy felt her heart go out to him as he looked down at his paws, curling in on himself slightly.

"Has your brother mentioned anything negative about school?" Nick added, his voice copying Judy's gentle tone. Andy took a moment to answer as Judy noticed his eyes start to shine.

"No...He always talked about how happy he was...I don't know why anyone would want to hurt my brother." the tears started to flow freely as both his parents moved closer to him.

"I don't know either Andy, but don't worry we'll find him." Judy reached over and gently patted his small arm. Andy rubbed his eyes dry with his other arm and looked up at her.

"I know. Mom says that you and Nick will find him just like you found my dad." Judy smiled in appreciation at the trust she saw in the three otters' faces. She moved to speak but an odd sound stopped her as her ears shot up.

"Nick, did you hear that?" Nick glanced at her as he pulled away from the wall he was leaning against.

"No." Judy slowly got to her feet as she listened. Her ears twitched as she heard what sounded like breaking glass.

"Someone's in the shop!" barely giving Nick any time to process what she had said, she charged down the staircase into the darkness of the shop. Depending on her hearing, Judy hopped off the last step and looked around, trying to pick up anything.

"Judy look out!" at Nick's warning Judy heard the sound of hooves scraping against the wooden floor and she threw herself out of the way as something charged at her. She looked up just in time to see a silhouette charging out the now broken door.

"Hey stop right there!" She lept to her feet and charged after whomever had broken in. They charged down the street, the street lamps lighting her way.

Nearly loosing her footing, she slid around a corner as she watched her target quickly run down an ally. "Stop! ZPD!" she skid to a stop as she noticed her target stop at a dead end. "You have no way to escape!" her target turned to face her.

"Who said I was trying to escape?" deja voo tugged at the back of Judy's brain at the sound of the voice. She knew that voice. Her eyes widened as she heard the mammal yell as he charged forward at her, forcing her to jump out of the way.

He charged again and she lept out of the way, nearly running into the wall. Heart pounding she eyed them again, seeing them standing directly in front of her, the light from a street light lighting them up. They wore all black that contrasted against their white wool and their horizontal pupils were full of hatred. Doug.

Fear threatened to override her brain as she was forced to jump out of the way again as Doug charged; slamming into the wall. This seemed to stun him slightly but Judy still took a few more steps away from him before speaking.

"We finally found you, Doug. You are under arrest!" She reached for her cuffs only to remember that all of her equipment was back at the ZPD. Adrenaline spiked through her as she noticed Doug get back on his feet.

"Seems like you can't, rabbit." Judy wasn't the type to run away but this time she did. She spun around and ran as fast as she could, her ears picking up the sound of hoofs following her. Suddenly she felt her legs being yanked from underneath her as she fell hard into the concrete.

Groaning, she rolled onto her side as she opened her eyes, seeing she had tripped over a raised part of the side walk. Before she could get back onto her feet she saw Doug rushing towards her. Seeing that she was down, he lowered his head and charged full force at her. Flinching, Judy curled up into a ball as she prepared herself to be trampled.

Instead she heard a loud snarl and a second leader Doug crying out. Her eyes opened and her eyes widened as she saw Doug thrashing around, trying to throw off a feline that had attached themself to his front. With a yell Doug threw them off and turned to face Judy again.

However, the feline charged in front of her, protecting her from his gaze. They was on all fours, their ears flat against their skull as their tail whipped back and forth aggressively. They were a small panther but was still enough to shake Doug's resolve as he hesitated. But before Judy could say that she was safe, he charged again, the panther leaping up to meet him.

Their bodies smacked together as they became a blur of fur and wool. The sound of snarls and grunts echoed through the streets as Doug threw the panther off him again. Judy flinched as she watched their head painfully hit the concrete. Doug then aimed a kick at them but the panther rolled out of the way, kicking Doug off balance.

With a snarl the panther lept on top of him again, their paws pressing down on the ram's face as their barred fangs went for the throat. Doug gave out a cry of pain as fangs sliced into his flesh, his body flailing around in an attempt to to free himself. The panther snarled and kept his hold, his claws also digging into the ram to pin him down. Finally Doug fell still from exhaustion.

Slowly Judy got up and walked over, freezing as she saw this seemed to give Doug his fight back as he jerked around, nearly throwing the panther off of him. Snarling the panther released him long enough to slam his head, hard, into the concrete, causing him to go limp

"STAY DOWN!" the voice was breathless but Judy could still tell it was an adult male's voice. Still breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush, she pulled out her phone and called the ZPD. As soon as she heard the familiar cheery voice she spoke.

"Clawhouser this is Officer Hopps! We have a hostile here near the Otterton's flower shop!"

"We've already sent back up Hopps, Wilde called earlier, they will be there shortly!" she could hear the concern in the cheetah's voice but there was no time to talk. She said a quick goodbye and hung up as she returned her attention to the unconscious Doug and panting panther.

He had rolled off of Doug and was now sprawled out on the sidewalk. Carefully Judy approached him, kneeling just out of his reach encase the panther was a threat to her as well.

"Are you hurt?" slowly the panther pushed himself up, wincing slightly.

"A bit sore but nothing to serious." seeing him flinch again, Judy moved closer, resting her paw on his arm.

"Maybe you should stay down." the panther laughed as he pulled himself into a full sitting position.

"Probably but I've never been good at doing what I should do." Judy tilted her head slightly as she looked the panther up and down. He was small, about the size of a wolf, but his body was well toned. He had a hansom face that was decorated with a scar across his right eye and was dressed in form fitting black jeans and a blood red button up tee-shirt. Though Nick hadn't told her what his friend looked like she had a feeling this was him. She was about to ask him when a voice interupted.

"Aeron? What the hell are you doing here?" Judy looked up to see that Nick had finally caught up.

"Saving your partner." in response to his confused look, Judy pointed at the unconscious ram. Nick jumped backwards after seeing who it was.

"Is that Doug?"

"Yup. We finally found him." Nick nodded slowly as his eyes met Judy's.

"What the hell happened? You ran off before I could stop you and then I couldn't find you after I called ZPD."

"I chased Doug into an ally than he tried to charge me so I ran but tripped. He was about to trample me when Aeron showed up and saved me." Judy noticed a proud grin cross Aeron's face as he winked at her.

"Seems like those six years of being in a cell haven't dulled my skills." the confidence in his eyes dimmed though after he gave a groan of pain as he slid back onto his back. "Well maybe it dulled them a bit." Judy moved to comfort him but stopped when she saw Nick kneel by him, his eyes full of concern.

"Are you badly hurt?" Aeron shook his head.

"Just sore." Judy noticed Nick's shoulders drop in relief.

"Thanks for helping my partner. You should go back to the car though, before backup arrives." Judy's eyes widened.

"Why? He should be checked out!" neither males answered her as Nick helped Aeron to his feet.

"I'm not very popular among the ZPD." before Judy could ask for clarification Nick held up his paw to her.

"We'll explain later Carrots. PB, can you make it to the car?" Aeron nodded, flinching slightly.

"Yes, though you or Officer Hopps should probably drive." Nick nodded his understanding.

"Okay I'll drive. Go wait for us." Aeron nodded as he moved away but Judy called out to him. She knew that she was going to see him in a bit but she felt that she needed to thank him right away. "Thank you for helping me!" a warm smile crossed Aeron's face as he winked at her.

"You're welcome hun." and he walked off. Judy looked up as she heard Nick move closer to her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, concern back in his eyes. Judy shook her head as she got up.

"I'll probably be a little sore tomorrow but nothing severe." Nick gave a sigh of relief as he ran his paw over her ears.

"Good. You scared the crap out of me, Carrots!" Judy smiled gently as she leaned into him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think." Nick chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You bunnies, you never think about anything." Judy was about to respond but stopped as her ears picked up the sound of sirens. A moment later a police cruiser came into view and stopped next to them.

"Hopps! Wilde! Are you injured?" Officer Howls asked as she jumped out of her vehicle. Judy let Nick pull away from her as he shook his head.

"No, both of us are fine. However, he probably isn't." Officer Howls' eyes widened as they landed on the unconscious ram.

"Is that?"

"Yup. The sniper who targeted predators using the night howler flower." disgust darkened Officer Howls eyes as she glared at him.

"So we finally got him. Good work. I'll take him in. I also checked in on the Ottertons, they are fine and are going to stay with relatives for awhile. I've asked them to wait to speak to the two of you before leaving." Judy and Nick both nodded their understanding as Nick went over to help Officer Howls heave the unconscious sheep into the back of the cruiser. Judy watched them struggle as both of them were smaller than the ram but they finally got him in, slamming the door closed behind him.

"I'll keep you both updated." Officer Howls saluted them both then got into her cruiser.

"We appreciate that. Thank you for your help!" Judy said as she waved goodbye, earning a quick wave before the cruiser took off down the street.

"Well at least one good thing came out of this." Judy looked up at Nick, who was glaring in the direction the cruiser had gone.

"What do you mean?" though she had a feeling she knew the answer she still felt a need to ask. Similar disgust that she had seen in Officer Howls darkened her partner's eyes.

"At least now that bastard will rot in jail right along side his boss."

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A block away tucked in the shadows, a simple black car stood watching the scene unfold. Inside sat two mammals dressed in black. The one in the driver's seat held a pair of binoculars that he had focused on the three mammals standing around their bait.

"Did they fall for it?" the other mammal, a male coyote asked. The first mammal, a wild boar, shushed him as he watched one of the figures rush off and soon a police cruiser pull up next to the two cops. His face took on a sinister look as he watched the two larger cops force their bait into the police cruiser.

"They took it." The coyote let out a cheerful yelp as he punched the roof of the car.

"Yes! I'm sure they couldn't wait to get their paws on him!" The wild boar glared as he shushed him again.

"Do you want them to see us?" the coyote flinched as he looked down.

"I'm sorry Dange. I'll be quiet." Dange snorted as he leaned back in his seat.

"That'll be the day, Yap." Yap lowered his shoulders submissively as he eyed his paws. Silence fell between them as Dange watched the two cops walk back in the direction of the flower shop.

"So...should we report?" this time Yap's voice was soft with a slight strain to it. Dange didn't answer right way, enjoying that the silence was unnerving the excitable coyote.

"Yes. Boss will want to hear that they took the ram and also that PB was there." Yap relaxed slightly but kept his body language submissive as he looked at his partner.

"Should we grab him?" Dange frowned in thought as he watched the cops turn a corner and go out of sight.

"Not tonight. We'll wait." he placed his binoculars down and started up the car. Yap huffed, slouching in his seat as he pouted. However, as they drove of, his ears perking up slightly as they saw the all to familiar convertible. A grin crossed his face as he saw the resting form of the small panther.

"Rest well PB. We'll see you soon."

And there we go! I thought I would add a sneak peek of a few of my villains and will probably do more in the next chapters if that is something people want. There will also be more of Nick's past discussed in the next chapter this chapter turned out longer than I planned so I needed to move the past discussion to next chapter.