Hey guys. So it's been a while since my last update. My workload doubled for the last few months and it's been draining me of my free time. I barely have any personal time and as such I've neglected continuing this story for a long time. I'm trying to scrounge up as much free time as I can to continue this so I hope that it wont take me another few months just to update (Writer's block can also be a bitch sometimes).

Well that being said, let's continue onward with the story! This chapter is a bit shorter than the others. I noticed that I tend to place a huge chunk of plot in a single chapter so I'll try to space them out a bit.

Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 9: Small Revelations

A good night's rest can do wonders for mammals. The stress from the previous day could be quite taxing for numerous others, more so if their occupation entitled them to risk their lives on a daily basis for the sake of others. Though at most, police officers would often spend theirs in an almost cyclical routine of patrolling around their assigned districts, bagging the occasional shoplifter or two, and not to slur over their dreaded regimen of accomplishing mountains of paperwork. This was, however, more preferable, even the latter, as compared to being subjected to more… perturbing facets of being an officer of the law. Investigating a gruesome murder, trying to talk down deeply disturbed individuals from committing suicide in front of them, being caught in the crossfire when perpetrators decided to retaliate with guns drawn… they had lost a lot of good officers that way.

Yet despite those ineludible realisms, they continue to commit themselves, in bold integrity and unwavering courage, to such risks and hazards so that their fellow mammals do not have to. It is of no wonder why they are regarded as one of the most noble professions, notwithstanding firefighters, rescuers, doctors, and teachers.

This was the reason why the large, elephantine armature that is Precinct One is seen by many as a gleaming crucible of order, rectitude, and unwavering dedication to the city it serves.

And on the steps leading towards the glass and steal laden doors walked the city's true epitome of its brandishing adage that prey and predator could truly live in harmony.

Walking paw in paw as they made their way along the steps, the fox would occasionally glance at his surroundings to survey the mammals around them. It was not that he was ashamed of their blatant display of affection – far from it in fact, since he would never be ashamed about showing fondness to the rabbit – but with the fact that despite the city slowly opening its eyes from its previous barefaced bigotry, intolerance, and narrow-mindedness, there are still some mammals who remained with an air of condescension and illiberality around them. Such was sadly prevalent during the onset of that slanderous article made by Koto. And after living almost half of his life subjected to those abasing stares and leers, and knowing how much it affected his young self, the thought that Judy could come under such scrutiny was dreading, to say the least.

But as he knew that he would protect her from those kinds of mammals with his very being, he also understood that Judy, strong and dauntless Judy Hopps, could very much stand for herself - stand for them - and what they represented and believed in, against these kinds of injustice and idiocy that mammals would possibly never let go off. As harsh a reality they may be subjected to, they would always come out on top.

Such was his unwavering admiration and credence towards the bunny whose fingers were twixt his. Sensing eyes on her, she turned her head towards him and gave a questioning look. "Penny for your thoughts, Nick?"

And another thing he had realized from the years they were together, as much as he denied it – for he will, right to his proverbial grave - was that he was getting sappy. Like, frustratingly sappy, when it came to his feelings regarding Judy. "Nothing." A pause. "Just… thinking."

Cocking her head slightly towards the side, she inquired. "About what?"

His first thought was to, of course, lie to her in order to steer the conversation away from his broiling squall of emotions. It was his modus. A reflex. Something that he used to do so frequently that it was second nature to him when no-go topics where put in the spotlight, with him centering up front. Deflect, rather than reflect. He was not emotionally expressive, he knew that much. His cynical perspectives of life might have contributed to such.

Yet this was Judy he was thinking about. When it came to her, everything becomes secondary, and he opens up to her akin to a frenzied bookworm tearing down the plastic cover of a newly acquired book. He felt like he could tell her everything, confer with her his ailing insecurities which he harbored concerning himself, or how he viewed society as a totality. He knew that it was an actual impossibility that she would betray such blatant surety and trust. And this, absent of any doubt, he has wholeheartedly believed.

And this was the reason why he felt so afflicted, so anguished, when he had hit her, albeit accidently, during last night's debacle back at his mother's now gruesome abode. Though they have gained a semblance of reprieve once they arrived back at their own home, and after Judy cleaned the dried blood on her fur that unfortunately managed to crust on their ride back, Nick once again unleashed a barrage of apologies. She reminded him that he was already forgiven the moment he bent down and gave her his scout handkerchief. To her slight annoyance (along with a quip about foxes being overly emotional), he had not let up in his contrite bombardment of 'Sorry's and 'Forgive me's, even if she chastised him every time. And after spending the night cuddled against the other's warm body, inhaling their calming, halcyon scent, it was all they could do to begrudgingly release themselves from each other's enrapturing hold during the following morning, afraid that such period of relief might not come to pass for a very long time, considering what was in store for them.

Giving her a soft smile, he then decided to be honest with her. "As cheesy and unbecoming of my oh so estimable self as it sounds, I was thinking about you… well, to be more accurate, about us."

Ignoring the haughty description of himself, the rest of his words got her attention. "Okay." She drawled out, slightly pensive at how foreboding that statement sounds without proper context. "Is it something I should be worried about?"

"No, nothing bad." He assured with a trivializing shake of the head. As he took a glance forward, he noticed, with a confusing mixture of slight relief and morose disappointment, that they were already by the large entrance of the ZPD. They would have to continue this rather heartfelt, for lack of a better term, conversation later, as it was slightly inappropriate to discuss such things openly inside the precinct. "I'll tell you next time. I promise." He said, placing a light kiss on her forehead.

Slightly miffed that their proximity with Precinct One forced them to delay their increasingly ambiguous conversation, Judy was somewhat placated with that kiss, so no other words were said for the matter. Darn him for salving me even before I react.

Whilst slightly hesitant, they released their contact as they entered the building. Initially, they saw Clawhauser sitting on his normal emplacement, typing away at his computer with surprisingly dexterous fingers. Seemingly, he was encoding written files to recast them into digital data, done usually by the records department or those officers stuck on desk duty while they recover from their injuries.

It seemed that the cheetah was oblivious to their entrance, so Judy decided to call his attention. "Hey Ben!"

At hearing the bunny's voice, Clawhauser looked at the direction of the duo and gave a small, yet slightly forlorn wave of greeting. The steps of the fox and bunny considerably slowed as they shared a knowing look. The rather glum demeanor of the cheetah had somewhat taken them slightly aback. The usually cheerful feline, whose joyous elatedness and bubbly features would, more often than not, put a smile on anyone's face, was absent. It was such a rare occurrence to see him in such state that they could count on one paw how many times he was like that. Typically, it was when officers were reported hurt, or possibly worse, as he was one of the first ones to be notified due to his being the dispatch officer. So as the duo slowly approached him, whose attention was once again glued to the multiple files stacked beside his computer, they decided to approach him with a certain air of heedfulness.

The fox, this time, spoke calmingly, though with a tinge of his usual charm, as they reached the desk. "Hey Benny-Boo. Any juicy and embarrassing rumors or hearsay that we can use against others?"

Casting a quick sideway glance, the feline shook his head. "No, nothing today."

Once again, Judy gave the fox a confused look. No gossips? Okay, something is definitely wrong. "Is… is something wrong Ben?"

Not even sparing them a glance this time, the cheetah gave of a sad attempt to sound cheerful. "Huh? Nothing's wrong. Just… doing my job here. Like the good dispatcher I am."

Nick gave him an incredulous look. "Benny, that's not even your job. Computerizing police files is what mammals at the Records Department do."

"I know. I asked Sarah down at Records if I could help her with anything. To get my mind off things…"

"Things like what?" Inquired the bunny.

At this, Clawhauser ceased his typing and turned, rather slowly, his chair and leaned on the precipice to face the duo. His face was a clear expression of… turmoil. Melancholic confusion. As if the cheetah was continuously debating about something but kept coming up with blank resolutions. He opened his muzzle in an attempt to speak, but suddenly caught himself, the words dying before they were even uttered.

The partners waited patiently, much to the cheetah's appreciation. They gave encouraging smiles as he decided his next words. "I… thought about what you said yesterday. About the Chief."

Eyebrows suddenly raised at those statements. To think that something like such would lead the dispatcher to a state of apparent befuddlement and second guessing, he really must be considering some hard truths. And as for Nick, the fact that their banter regarding the matter happened only yesterday, where it felt like it occurred a long time ago, it put things into a ladened perspective.

Knowing that this was the case, Judy could most certainly probe Ben with more queries and assumptions which would, in a certain, slightly selfish way, shed some light and appease her gnawing curiosity and nosiness. Though she tried not to regard it as such, this was a sort of reprisal with how… inquisitive to a fault Clawhauser was when the fox and bunny were the ones in the limelight.

Yet looking at how antsy their fellow officer was, she decided to refrain from any sifting questions that might cause further fret for the feline. She would give him this chance to at least organize his thoughts, for she expected that if they were to probe him at this moment, they would gain nothing but the ramblings of an incoherently blabbing cat. Though she cannot state that she would do so again when the topic resurfaces.

Nick spoke up amidst the bunny's mental imaginings. "We didn't expect you to be so bothered by it, Benny."

Before Ben could even rebut, Judy managed to cut him off, albeit reluctantly. "And we will talk about everything regarding this, Ben, but Nick and I have to go. We've got evidence to sift through with so little time." She dismissed, but not without suddenly leaping onto the front desk and holding the feline's hand, giving him a contrite smile. "We're sorry that what we told you yesterday seems to be upsetting you."

And it was quite true that yesterday's revelation regarding the chiefs' fondness for him, which apparently harbored a more intimate nature, had his head spinning. Needless to say, it made him more confused and unsure than ever.

While a bit staggered at the sudden apology, Clawhauser knew the rabbit enough to deduce that her tenacious nature would, at times, push her into helping any problem she came across with. Notwithstanding its admirability, it sometimes caused her to make promises that, in one way or another, she could not uphold or keep. Despite this, he knew the fox would be by her side to help her all throughout.

Putting a fond smile of his own, he nodded. "It's alright, Judy. I'll hold on to that talk." Releasing his hold on her, he glanced slightly at the work he now somewhat regretted soliciting from the Records Department. "By the way, the… Chief said to go straight to his office. Said it was urgent." Luckily, both of the mammas in front of him failed to notice his slight stumble at the mention of the buffalo.

The duo nodded, knowing all too well why Bogo wanted to see them as soon as they set foot in the building. Giving a parting wave, they made their way towards the winding stairs at the side of the structure's interior, its helical path meeting with the different levels of the edifice. The chief's office was situated at the third floor, and as they walked together towards their destination, bearing a certain aura of unspoken fraught, they cannot help but feel unnerved. This was, as they know, due to so many unknowns regarding the case. And now that one of their close friends was gruesomely cast in the proverbial spotlight, now being key evidence, maybe… hopefully, they would be once step closer at finding out who this mammal was and bring him to justice.

Nick could practically taste a tacit tension between them, though absent of any animosity. He knew he needed to lighten up the atmosphere, lest it worsens when they dialogue with the bovid.

And he knows just what to talk about.

So, donning his usual roguish guile, he put an arm around the smaller frame of his partner. "I heard from Benny about your little fiasco with Weselton during your first days on job."

Glancing slightly upwards to meet the fox's gaze, she frowned. "It's Weaselton."

"Great, now you sound like him!" He exhaled in mock exasperation. "And did you really catch him with a… donut? Like, an honest-to-goodness donut?"

Judy harrumphed, crossing her arms. "It's a donut sign, Nick, and yes, yes I did. That same donut would have killed Fru Fru if I hadn't caught it in time." A grin that uncannily copied the fox's crossed her muzzle. "And I personally think, even now, that I did a good job at arresting that weasel. You should have seen Ben's face when I rolled Duke, quite literally, towards the front desk for booking."

Nick's smile got even snider, if such was possible. "Four words, Carrots: I. Popped. The. Weasel."

The rabbit's eyes widened in palpable incredulity, her cheeks and ears reddening as the vulpine accentuated each word mockingly, her mouth hanging agape, then slowly descend into a shameful pout. "I will admit I was too… enthusiastic, for lack of a better term. But you must understand that that was first ever arrest, Nick. Even if it ended with a bargain where I staked my entire job – my whole dream – on."

The fox knew of the whole accord she made with the chief during those harrowing nights. Though it was not much of a surprise, something he had also learned from the portly cheetah was really how much blatant discrimination and belittlement the bunny experienced during her first days on the job, and, with apparent shame and guilt, the cat also confessed that he had put little faith on the lapine when he learned that Bogo had put her in charge of the Otterton case. Unsurprised as he may be, he cannot deny a sudden broiling resentment he had felt apropos his fellow officers, more so towards Bogo.

Judy placated the fox, however, when the vulpine had asked her if the cat's chronicle of the events bears truth, especially when she sheepishly confirmed the statements. Yet now, it was plainly obvious that their fellow officers regard her with awing admiration and esteem, indicative of how she, along with her fox partner, had accomplished so much and did in fact made the city a better place.

It seems the rabbit managed to change the lives of almost everyone she came across. Even one with such notoriety as Mr. Big. The crime boss who formerly dealt with drug trafficking, illicit intimidation and beatings, even downright murder, was, in one way or another, reformed. Though the Big family still has the largest presence in the crime world of Zootopia, their shady dealings have decreased substantially, and more legitimate services are being made available, with no other than Fru Fru as the overseer.

Truly, Judy Hoops brings about change like nobody's business.

Holding on to that thought, they finally reached the end of the winding staircase. Stopping for a moment on front of the Chief's office, Nick gave Judy a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Carrots. That's all in the past now. Whatever happens, I'll always back you up no matter what."

She smiled, feeling quite touched at the fox's words. Jumping slightly, she gave a quick peck on his cheek. He gave a satisfied "hmm" as he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came the familiar gruff response.

They came in the room still paw in paw, hoping that the buffalo did not mind it. Nick saw him glance at their intertwined paws, though not in contempt as what he had feared, but with a silent, almost indistinct smile of acceptance. Gladdened by this, he hoisted Judy on their shared chair.

Settled completely, Bogo looked at them with almost scrutinizing eyes, glancing at Nick a few seconds longer. The drama from last night was still fresh in his mind, yet seeing his two best officers waiting patiently for him to start, seemingly closer than ever before, he cannot quell the sense of pride in him.

"Hopps. Wilde. It looks like a good night's rest is just the thing you need."

Judy rubbed the back of her neck in a sheepish fashion. "Yeah, tell me about it. We were running on fumes last night."

Nick felt a slight pang of guilt for talking back at Bogo into letting them continue the case the previous day. In his maelstrom of emotions, he forgot that Judy was already tired, even more so than him, and yet in an attempt to distract himself of what he was feeling, he dragged his partner with him, even hurting her in the process.

Bogo looked at Nick expectantly, waiting for his input, but was slightly surprised at the remorseful look the fox has. Sensing his partner in distress, Judy took hold of Nick's hand, circling her thumb across his palm in a soothing motion.

This seemed to relax the tod significantly, giving them a sad smile. "I'm…not gonna lie. The emotional baggage this case has is making it harder than it looks. With it hitting so close to home…" He paused, suddenly not knowing how to continue his train of thought.

As a fox, he had experienced a lot things that would make any normal person want to slink under a rock and hide from whatever life had decided to throw at them. It wasn't his first time seeing a dead body, even prior to him becoming an officer as the streets he had lived in when he was but a kit is not exactly what one would brand as a 'nice neighborhood', and yet knowing the very mammals that you wanted to protect is put into needless danger, and one already cast as a victim, it put things in a more punitive perspective.

Yet despite this he faced the buffalo, steely determination replaced what was once sadness and guilt in his emerald orbs. He spoke, the words coming out of his muzzle seeming like the surest thing in the world. "But I'll be damned if the killer got away."

Bogo cannot stop his smile from forming, seeing the two at the ready. "My sentiments exactly, Wilde. Now…" Tearing his eyes from the duo, he reached for a laptop sitting on a stacked set of papers beside him. Lifting the screen up, he typed a password that only a few mammals in the upper echelon of the department is authorized to know. Devices such as these are only made available to officers during currently on a case. After all, key evidence during an ongoing investigation should not just be sitting out in the open. "Growley sent me the video feed of the camera outside Mrs. Wilde's house. As we have assumed yesterday, the killer turned the angle away from the house, even managing to prevent getting his mug on the video."

Both Nick and Judy frowned at that. Getting a facial recognition would be a bolster for the case's progress, but it seemed as luck wasn't in their side.

"However…" The Chief continued, the two suddenly perking up. "As what Wilde had stated yesterday, the camera itself can pick up audio. Despite being angled away from the scene itself, Growley said that it managed to pick up a conversation between Santello and the killer. I decided that it would be better if you two were here so we could listen to it together."

Judy could barely restrain herself from jumping in her seat in joyful celebration. Finally! Some progress!

Nick, on the other hand, gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief that this investigation was finally moving. Maxing the volume in the laptop, Bogo opened the video file. He faced it towards the two, deciding that he would be the one to adjust and placed himself behind the duo at the other side of his desk as it began to play.

The time stamp at the bottom of the feed confirmed that it was a few minutes before the murder took place. Still facing the Wilde residence, Nick could feel a pang of anxiety seeing his mother's front porch, knowing that in a few minutes the body of a friend would be slumped by the door. Nick suddenly felt Judy's paw on his, the rabbit seemingly sensing his slight distress. He gave her an appreciative squeeze, not needing to look at her to know that she is there for him in every step of the way.

True enough, the camera began to move against its designated rotation, the three of them hearing the strain of the gears as it was slowly angled away from the house. From that moment the camera did not rotate anymore. For a few moments they remained still, even their breathing were toned down in fear of missing something from the audio. More minutes passed when the three perked up at the sounds of keys jingling. Knowing that it was Derek trying to fish his keys out, they instinctively neared themselves towards the laptop for better hearing. The rattling of the keys stopped when Derek's voice broke through the feed.

"Umm… can I help you?"

"Do you know who I am?"

The trio perked up at the first sign of their killer. His voice was low and gravely, but sounded young.

"What?"

"Do you know who I am?"

There was a slight pause before Derek's voice sounded.

"T-that's… you're…"

"Alive? Obviously, my little kitty cat."

"W-wait! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You? Didn't do anything wrong? Have you forgotten what you have done to me?!"

"P-please… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! J-just… put the gun down. Please."

"You may have changed now Derek, but you will always be part of the Dead Cats Gang."

The three of them looked at each other. Dead Cats Gang? While the duo was confused that such a gang existed and was not familiar with it, even Nick with his extensive knowledge of Zootopia's underworld, Bogo's ears flicked in recognition, his scowl deepening at this new revelation. Knowing that the buffalo would share it later, Nick and Judy brought their attention back to the laptop.

"That was years ago! Please I've changed! I'm a nurse! I'm… taking care of s-someone."

"I know. The vixen that lives here."

Nick stiffened as the killer mentioned his mother, his breath almost hitching that the mammal knew Vivian lived there. Was he stalking the house for a while now? The thought further raised the tod's distress.

"Just let me go please! I'm begging you-"

"Like how Dad begged you to let him go!?"

There was a moment of pause before Derek once again spoke up.

"J-just please. Promise me that you won't harm the vixen that lives here."

Waiting for a verbal answer, the three suddenly flinched as the next sound they heard was a gunshot. The unmistakable sound of Derek's body slumping on the porch reverberated, followed by yet another gunshot. Nick was suddenly sullenly glad that the camera wasn't able to catch it visually. Then his grip on Judy's hand tightened as the familiar squeak of the front door opening was heard. If the killer did go inside, he didn't know, yet even though he knew that his mother is already safe, the fact that the killer was this close into harming Vivian made his breath hitch. Then the door closed a few moments later, inferring that the killer already exited the scene.

They listened a few moments more before the sounds of sirens echoed through the recording, signaling them that from that point on they have arrived at the scene.

Bogo stopped the recording, his breath coming out as gruff puffs at what all three of them have heard. Numerous questions filled his head, one more imperative than the next, and did a good job in confusing him greatly, but it was Hopps who voiced out the one at the forefront of his muddled mind.

"Dead Cats Gang?"

Though still visibly shaken from hearing his friend's demise, Nick also voiced his puzzlement. "I'm not familiar with a gang having that name neither. And that's saying something."

"It's because it was almost two decades ago that they were disbanded." He spoke, walking over to his chair and slumping down with a slight creak, putting a hoof on his head as the usual headache was already forming so early in the day. Sensing the inquiring looks the duo was giving him, he continued. "I have just recently joined the force when that gang name began sprouting. I'm not overly familiar with them since I wasn't part of the investigating team, but they suddenly became prominent due to increased activity."

"But why haven't I heard of them before? With a gang that high-up it's bound to catch some attention, even today." Nick asked, paws still intertwined with Judy's.

"Because just as they surfaced and sprouted like mushrooms, they suddenly disappeared from the radar. From what I can remember, there was an internal problem with the gang that led to its downfall. I don't know what it was, but it was the last time that the Dead Cats Gang was involved. The minor members were tight-lipped about the major gang members, even with the promise of a lighter sentence. The ZPD wasn't able to track them down."

"Until now." Judy stated morosely, and knew that her fox was thinking the same thing. Derek, whom they considered a friend and part of their family, was apparently a part of this Dead Cats Gang, and it was likely that he was one of the key members based on what they have just heard. Even if he was, in a way, reformed, the past seemed to catch up to him in such a gruesome manner.

Casting a glance at him, Judy saw the fox's brows were furrowed and his grip on her still tight. Once again, she circled her thumb on his palm, soothing him as best as she can. Looking at Judy, he gave her an appreciative wink before he turned his attention to Bogo. "I guess we now know how the victims are related. They might be part of some inner circle the gang had going on and our killer is out for revenge. Judging by the species of the victims, along with the name itself, this might be a feline-only gang."

Judy continued his train of thought. "Yeah, he did mention something with regards to his father. They might have done something to him. A victim, perhaps?"

"Could be." Bogo grunted, adjusting himself on his seat. Though this gave them the push they needed to get the investigation going, it raised more questions than answers. He let out a tired sigh. And I hadn't had breakfast yet… "Alright, I want you two first to talk to Mrs. Wilde. Get her the things she needs and brief Wolford on what's happening. Then return here and find out what you can about this gang. I'll authorize you to sift through old case files. See what you can find about the victims' relationship with the killer and his father. Give your report to me before your shift ends."

The duo hopped down from their shared seat and gave a crisp salute. "Yes, Chief." Turning around, their paws suddenly found themselves yet again as if it was an automatic gesture between the two. Bogo knew how hard the case was hitting Wilde, and he was just gladdened by the fact the Hopps is serving as his anchor. The buffalo knew all too well that the fox was a master at disguising his emotions with sheer humor and snark, yet when it comes to Hopps and, surprisingly, him as well, he would let his walls down and see the tod for who he truly was. He had half a mind taking them away from the case since it was already hitting them too close to home, but he knew they wouldn't let him live it down. Bogo was capable of such, that much was certain, but he knew Wilde needed this, and he wasn't going to deny the satisfaction of bringing this mammal behind bars. He trusted him enough to know that he would do the right thing.

Before they could reach the door, Bogo called for the fox. "Wilde."

The tod turned around. "Yes Chief?"

"Give my regards to Vivian." He simple stated.

Smiling at those words, he gave the buffalo a small nod. "Of course."

Once the door of his office was closed, he once again let out an exhausted sigh. With the sudden resurfacing of a dead gang, as ironic as it sounds, the case got more complicated. Though he didn't doubt his officers' abilities, far from it in fact, this investigation was certainly not an open and shut case. The stakes were higher as they needed to find out who this mammal was before he got the chance to hurt another mammal.

Vivian's words from yesterday rang once again in his mind.

"You are a good mammal, Chief Bogo."

Words that were supposed to bring encouragement did little to placate his raging thoughts. Yet one surfaced from deepest parts of his mind, one that only brought fear and despairing uncertainty, with an image of a certain cheetah accompanying it.

Is he good enough to protect those he cared for?