CHAPTER TEN:

"THE DAWNING TRUTH"

The clacking sound of little hooves on concrete went unnoticed amid the loud hustle and bustle of the prison cafeteria. Her small profile giving her a bit of an advantage when it came to blending in, Dawn Bellwether made her way down the rows of tables carrying her tray of bland iceberg lettuce. Her eyes scanned past every mammal; there was a particular one she was searching for.

Hmmm...

It was then that she spotted the fox. He was alone, sitting on the floor, back to a wall, eating his lunch at the far end of the room. It may have been a little dirty on the ground, but the tactical position was not lost on the sheep. He had a clear view of the entire room, his back defended, associating with no mammal who could likely turn against him.

Smart play. I definitely underestimated him before.

A gleam came to Dawn's eyes as she readjusted her glasses. This was going to take finesse.

She daintily trotted in front of Nick. "Why hello there, fox! My, my... fancy seeing you here! Oh, what are the odds?" – she gestured a hoof to the empty space next to him – "I don't suppose this seat is taken? We do have so much to catch up on!"

The predator huffed, taking a bite out of his... gross meat-glop? (The sheep suddenly found herself ever more thankful she was an herbivore.) He looked up, displeased. "What do you want, Bellwether?"

"Oh, no need for the pleasantries!" she said, cordially. "I'm not mayor anymore. You can just call me Dawn!"

The fox repeated himself, agitated. "What do you want, Bellwether?"

"Nick, Nick, Nick... You've got me all wrong! It's not about what I want..." She sat down next to him, a few feet away. "It's about what you want! I mean, really. You went through a lot of work just to see little ol' me..."

THERE we go.

Dawn saw subdued surprise in her adversary's face. She smiled. "What? I'm supposed to think you just happened to be placed in my block? You had to make noise to get here, foxy boy! So the question is... now that you think you have me cornered, what do you intend to do?"

She saw the fox glance at the security camera before returning his focus to his meal. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

Fine. Like I don't already know! I'll skip the formalities...

Her tone turned more serious. "You can't pull the wool over the eyes of a sheep, fox. You're a killer, and we both know it. But I must say, it's refreshing to finally see one of you preds embrace your nature! I grow so tired of pretense..."

The fox bared his teeth, giving a short growl.

"See! There we go! Doesn't that just feel great? You against me! The thrill of the hunt! The way nature intended... You can taste it, can't you? You're not like the rest of them. You accept the truth... You predators are born this way."

Nick turned to stare straight into her eyes, a bloodthirsty flame behind his pupils. She shivered. His response was gruff. "If we weren't under watch..."

The sheep laughed it off. "Oh, I know! But even so, I'd advise against it..."

"You would."

"Well, yes. Of course. I do have an attachment to living, after all! But I meant for your sake, fox. I have connections. I could get you out of here! I mean... Why kill a sheep when it's bunny you crave?"

That got his attention. Let's see if he goes for it...

"And I'm supposed to trust you?" he asked dubiously. "Just like that?"

Dawn laughed again. "Oh! No. Certainly not! Buuuuuut..." – she gave a pointed look to the crowded cafeteria – "How long do you really expect to last here, hm? A snitch... a cop... a savage predator... So many reasons to take you down! Sure, you've survived long enough to get to me, but what then? I'm offering you an out."

"...In exchange for sparing you." he finished for her.

"Naturally."

The fox chuckled. "Then why don't you just bust yourself out of here? Explain that."

The sheep casually flexed a hoof in front of her face. "Oh, I have my reasons. I won't deny it. But does it matter? I'm pretty sure it's difficult to enjoy revenge when you're dead. Face it, foxy boy: I'm your best bet. Take it or leave it."

She grinned at his disgruntled sigh.

Got him!

"Now... do we have a deal?"

Judy needed an explanation.

Days after her devastating confrontation with her former partner, the bunny found herself with the uneasy sense that she'd been given more questions than answers. She'd tried to forget. Really, she had. Chief Bogo had even been especially generous, granting the depressed doe a few days leave to come to terms with the betrayal. As it turned out, that was a mistake. The more time she had, the more her brain could focus on replaying the events of the last two weeks. Her mind was a broken record. It was maddening. She'd hardly left her apartment and her neighbors had begun to worry about her. Finally, somewhat-masochistically, Judy went to Nick's apartment. Maybe if she saw the scene for herself, she could finally accept things for what they were.

None of this is right.

Judy had that nagging instinct. Nothing felt like it added up, and she didn't know why! It was pretty clear, wasn't it? Was she in denial? All her time spent with the fox perhaps had made her paranoid; she believed she was being hustled – to what end she didn't know. He'd been truthful with her at the prison, but somehow he'd still managed to avoid answering her question. The bunny recalled the hustler's own advice:

"Sometimes the best lie is the truth, Carrots."

Judy still vividly remembered his antics with the "red wood". It currently made for a great example.

She finished picking the lock (coincidentally a skill Nick had taught her). The cop looked at the door with ambivalence. Did she really want to dig deeper? Could she handle what she might find?

I'm going to have to. she concluded. I'll go insane if I leave this.

Ducking beneath the crime scene tape, Judy cautiously entered. Honestly, she was surprised the scene was still intact; being such a simple case (with a confession, no less), the ZPD should have released the apartment back to the landlords right away...

Sweet cheese and crackers...!

It hadn't been just one plush bunny the feral fox had gutted, but several – the empty apartment floor was covered with fluff and dismembered limbs. On every surface of the apartment were hideous gashes from his claws, a larger portion of which seemed focused around his refrigerator. Curiously, there was a hefty metal chain keeping it closed.

...To keep him from eating all his food. she realized.

Her nose twitched; Judy was not sure she could continue. The mess had begun to unsheathe a sense of horror. But looking at the refrigerator... that's when it clicked! The rabbit understood why she couldn't let this be. The hustler's advice yet again played in her head:

"Know your mark."

That was it! She knew Nick! None of this... absolutely none of this was like him!

Except, maybe, for shutting out the world. That would be like him.

She'd seen the fox in pain before, and she knew a bit of his past. Even if he had truly gone off the deep end, this was not how he'd do it!

He never drinks. There's never any alcohol in his fridge, or elsewhere. Nick always needs to keep control.

And this? Night Howlers? This was the opposite of control. In fact, losing control was what the fox had been most afraid of when he bit her... No. This was the last thing Nick would've done after that.

So why...?

Judy's fear turned into pure curiosity as she closed the door behind her, the thud of the door echoing in the empty apartment. She was no longer a hurt friend looking at a sadistic threat... She was a cop, and this was a pile of clues. She flicked the light switch on.

There were numbers written on one of the walls in an ascending order: Starting low in value, each following number was larger than the last. The difference between any two, however, seemed random.

Or... maybe he HAS lost it...

Judy moved on to the stack of boxes, picking one at random and opening it. Inside were his belongings, carefully packed. A patch of green caught her eye: His "Junior Ranger Scout" uniform.

He... kept it?

It appeared to be wrapped around something, protecting it. When she went to pick it up, an old, worn book slid out of the uniform and onto the floor. It was a cookbook, its pages stained from splatters and use. Flipping through the pages, there were notes written everywhere. The writing was elegant, perhaps feminine... A bittersweet realization dawned on the rabbit.

...It was his mother's.

A page was earmarked, a photograph taped at the bottom – an adorable fox kit, face and paws covered in blue goop. The recipe was for blueberry pie.

Judy had the sudden feeling that she was trespassing; this was not what she'd come here for. Putting everything back, the cop continued to look around and eventually spotted the camcorder. Within a minute she had turned it on and rewound the tape. Taking a breath to compose herself, the bunny played the footage.

The first video was a longer version of the one she knew from ZNN. This time, however, she saw the moments before he took the Night Howler... the moments of dread. A sense of relief filled Judy's body: Nick hadn't wanted to go savage!

So why did he do it, then? Punishment? A test?

She recognized what followed next. After turning savage, he tore into the little bunny and proceeded to claw at whatever he saw. Missing from ZNN's footage, however, had been the ending. Unlike the enhanced serum used by Bellwether (which required an antidote to cure), normal Night Howler flowers simply wore off after a while. It was why her mother's experience with Uncle Terry hadn't become more serious, or more well-known. As Nick's tired body began to collapse to the floor, Judy helplessly watched the fox curl up into a fetal position and hug his tail, sobbing... Never had he looked so vulnerable.

The footage cut ahead, Nick's face in the camera as he finished messing with it. Now his eyes were bloodshot, the fur around them mussed from moisture. The fox walked back to the center of the room and put another bunny on the floor.

"Okay... Once more." he said, tentatively. "With feeling."

In went the Night Howler. She saw him struggle as it took hold, eyes slitting with ferocity. As soon as the savage fox noticed the plush bunny, he pounced. The video played out much like the last, ending with Nick defeated, on the floor.

The next one was similar as well. Yet again, she watched as the fox ate the flower. Yet again, there was a pause after the savagery took hold. Yet again, as soon as the fox noticed the rabbit he tore it to shreds... Judy began to fast-forward the tape. The cruelty of what he was doing to himself...

All week... He was doing this to himself all week!

Judy shut the screen of the camcorder, unable to watch any longer. She was about to put it back where she'd found it when suddenly she stared at the antiquated device, scratching her head. The camcorder itself made no sense! Nick owned a smartphone, so why use the camcorder?

Well, the footage isn't digital. It's safer that way.

But that posed two even more bewildering questions: Why did he tape himself to begin with, and how did ZNN get a copy of the footage? Judy put a digit to her mouth in thought. He'd turned himself in... The memory flashed in her mind: Standing there, watching him confess, the story barely breaking on the evening news...

Hadn't it been rather convenient he'd managed to turn himself in only moments after he'd been exposed? How could...

He PLANNED this! Judy's mind screamed the revelation. Nick sent the footage himself!

Judy's ears were up, mouth loose with surprise. The fox had always intended to get caught.

...But before she could come to terms with the implications, her thoughts were interrupted. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was the Chief. Shaking her head to focus, she answered. The buffalo's voice held an unfamiliar urgency; he called her back to duty immediately. It took her a second to comprehend the words that followed...

"He's escaped."

...Nick was on the run.