A panic attack, that's all that Ralph had. Of course this is according to Dr. Seltsam, and the quack's follow-up questions were whether or not the male had recently dreamed of blunt swords or long cigars. The Gnu always had some half-baked, fully cracked "hypothesis" that he was willing to paw out under the guise of a "breakthrough" or "revelation." The officers of Precinct One knew to listen to the shrink with a grain of salt, and the lupine knew when anyone needed real help they went elsewhere. Still the Chief swore by the herbivore, so Ralph had to be checked out. It would be four days until the grey Wolf returned to duty, a full ninety six hours too long in his opinion. The hospital cleared him the day of the attack, and it was only the appointment with Doctor Strange that held him up.

The lupine burst through the doors of Precincy One completely disheveled. Ralph forgot to set his alarm, and almost overslept if not for the usual morning ruckus in the Wolford compound. He was lucky enough to catch a ride from Elizabeth to the center of Savannah Central. There was only a pawful of minutes before RollCall, and the last thing Ralph wanted today was Parking Duty for being late. The grey Wolf kept moving, keeping his head down and trying to not catch Clawhauser's attention. It didn't appear to work.

"Oh Ralph," exclaimed the cheetah with a raised paw, "I need to tell yo-"

"Sorry Clawhauser running late!" Ralph replied, not even bothering to look at the feline as he rushed to the locker room. It was deserted as officers were either in RollCall or finishing up paperwork from the last shift. With no one to distract him, the lupine hurriedly stripped and threw on his uniform. It was barely buttoned correctly as the Wolf slammed his locker door and sprinted to RollCall.

He was still buckling his duty belt when he entered the room, and just made it to an empty seat in the back before Higgins called them to attention. Ralph was panting, not even trying to bang his fists on the table as he used the extra precious seconds to straighten out his uniform and flatten his fur. Finally feeling more put together, the lupine glanced to his normal seat to possibly see if Nadine had spotted him.

The feline was facing forward, paws folded in front of her on the table, and oddly Wilde was sitting next to her. Normally the Fox shared a seat with Weaselton, so seeing him next to Nadine was confusing. Even more confounding was her not answering his texts or picking up his calls throughout the qeek. If he didn't know any better, he would start to think she was trying to avoid the Wolf. Ralph barely paid attention to Chief Bogo's announcements, but his ears perked up when he heard assignments.

"Fangmeyer, Wilde, Precinct Three still needs assistance. Meet up with a Detective Stepson and give over everything we have. This is not our case Wilde!"

The vulpine sighed dramatically and shrugged, "Solve a case one time off the books and this is how I'm treated."

"I've lost count of how many 'off the book' cases you've placed on my desk," groused the Cape Buffalo. His glare shifted to the feline, "See that this stays with Precinct three!"

"Yes sir," replied Fangmeyer curtly. The pair stood and walked to the Chief, Fangmeyer accepting the file before heading to the door, while Wilde gave the Water Buffalo a double digit gun and his signature smile.

The lupine's muzzle hung ajar as his ears pinned. "What's going on?" He almost missed his assignment.

"Wolford, Weaselton. Rainforest and Canal patrol."

The Wolf didn't move, momentarily blindsided by the change. They had been paired for years now, and for all of a sudden the Chief to separate them didn't make sense. He felt a tap on his leg. Ralph glanced down to see Weaselton standing next to him, baton in paw and poking him.

"Come on Ralph. No use thinking too hard about it." muttered the mustela. The Weasel walked away, slipping his baton back on his belt as he headed out the door.

The lupine blinked, before slipping sluggishly out of the chair. "I'm still dreaming," Ralph thought desperately, "I'll walk out of here and wake up." The Wolf walked in a daze, not paying attention to co-workers as they passed. Even he had to admit this felt very real for a dream, but it must have been a dream. The Chief would never split them up. They were a great team! There was no reason for them to have new partners. It's ok though, because it was just a dream. Not real. Just a dream. He'll wake up soon. Just a really bad dream.

Ralph thoughts continued to spiral as he walked down the hallway and joined up with dream Weaselton in front of dream Clawhauser's desk. He smiled at the dream mammals and agreed that he could fit in the smaller cruiser, especially if he put the chair back completely. The Wolf was relieved that this wasn't real, if not this may have been a terrible day!

The day was real and terrible. Weaselton drove as Wolford was crunched tightly in the passenger seat. They had been driving for an hour and the Wolf tried to keep his mind off of the scent of the Canal District. The odor of wet, decaying vegetation could knock out the most sensitive of noses. He glanced at the mustela next to him, wondering how the smaller mammal could handle the stench. The lupine turned his gaze to the side window, eyes glazed and just wishing for the day to be over.

Weaselton cleared his throat, "Hey, uh, Ralph?" The older officer shifted his gaze to the Weasel but didn't speak. The young officer continued to stare intently out the windshield, paws gripping the steering wheel tightly. A light turned red and he stopped at an empty intersection. The mustela tried to speak, his muzzle opening and closing several times, but nothing came out. The young officer leaned an elbow on the steering wheel and ran a paw over his eyes. "I almost lost Sheri," mumbled Weaselton, just barely audible to the Wolf, "I almost lost her, and I don't know what I would have done if..." Weaselton turned to the Wolf and smiled with equal parts appreciation and pain. "If you ever need anything let me know...I promise I'll come through."

Ralph placed a paw on the smaller mammal's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Do you think I'd let something happen to my favorite Snarlbucks employee?" The lupine leaned in conspiratorially. "Besides," whispered Ralph with a smirk, "Maybe she'll give me free drinks!"

Weaselton laughed and the tension drained from his body, "If I can't get any drinks for free, then you can't either!"

The Wolf laughed and leaned back into the car, trying to stretch his packed legs. "How is Sheri doing?"

"Not great," admitted the Weasel with a slumped shoulders, "They gave her a week off, but I think it'll be awhile before she's comfortable again." He pressed the gas as the light turned green and focused on the road.

"Do you think she will be?" asked Ralph hesitantly, "Sheri's tough, but having a gun pointed at you is a different story."

Weaselton snorted, "Don't I know it…"

A silence fell between the two officers as the lupine became lost in thought. The past year was one of the most difficult years for officers since the Nighthowler incident. It was Herbert Himils, the Pika accountant turned criminal mastermind that brought firearms back onto the streets of Zootopia. The strict laws of the City were still being enforced and guns becoming less available since the lapine's arrest, but some criminals were desperate enough to get their paws on them. The Wolf shivered and tried to push down memories the robbery.

"How you doing?" asked Weaselton, apparently noticing the lupine's discomfort.

Ralph laughed, "I've never been better!" A tense silence followed his answer as the Weasel remained silent. The Wolf fidgeted in his seat. It was an interrogation tactic that all officers learned at the Academy. Ask a question, let the suspect answer, and then don't react to the answer. The mammal will grow nervous and will generally give more information. The older officer recognized the strategy, but that didn't make him immune to it. "...I mean I have been better, but I'm doing great..." Silence. "...well as great as someone who just saw their life flash before their eyes thanks to a barely legal Wolf that was holding a gun bigger than him!...so I guess I have been better…"

"Guns suck," groused Weaselton. The lupine silently nodding in agreement. "Doesn't matter if you're the one holding it or someone else is."

Ralph's ears pinned, "How would you..." The Wolf's eyes went wide as a breath caught in his chest. "...undercover?" He barely spoke above a whisper, yet it seemed to echo in the cruiser.

Weaselton nodded grimly, color draining from under his fur, "I, uh...needed to get me and Beatrice out of a bad situation, and a gun was involved." He cleared his throat and tapped nervously on the steering wheel. "She got...pretty messed up...but we survived "The final part sounded more like a reassurance to the mustela than a necessary fact for the lupine. The Weasel chuckled mirthlessly, "Course it was because of that...incident...that Beatrice met Cherry and the rest of the girls. So I guess small miracles..."

"I gotta ask," the Wolf started curiously, "how did you meet Saffron, Jezebel and Cherry? Their stories didn't really add up when Fangmeyer and I interviewed them."

"Well...I needed info, and they worked the corner close to me, so I paid Cherry two hundred to tell me what I wanted to know."

"That's it?"

The Weasel shifted uncomfortably, "There was also the offer of no strings attached shelter that became the Z.P.D. apartment, the fact that I would give them or the other working girls money so they could meet their quota and…" Weaselton appeared to catch himself as he clamped his muzzle shut hard. He eventually cleared his throat and glanced nervously at the Wolf. "...other things."

The mustela tried to hide it, but the older officer picked up the unintended inflection on that final word. Ralph's curiosity was peaked. When he interviewed Jezebel, the lupine could feel the ewe holding back information. He believed the sheep when she said Reggie never laid a paw on them, yet that didn't mean everything was fine. The question was on the tip of the Wolf's tongue, but he quashed it and cleared his throat. "Yeah, undercover can get pretty crazy."

"You went undercover?"

The older Wolf smiled as he looked out the passenger window, "Once, about...four years ago?" He frowned and turned to look at the Weasel, "Maybe less than that. What I do remember is that it was after the arrest of Dawn Bellwether."

"This I gotta here."

The Wolf smirked, "Well I'm glad you asked my Weaselly friend!" He cleared his throat and dramatically placed a paw daintily over his heart. "It all started with an anonymous tip about several sheep plotters who escaped justice. Naturally yours truly was chosen to sniff out their supply."

"Wait, how is a Wolf going to infiltrate a sheep organization?"

"Why…" Ralph leaned in close to the mustela with a wide grin, "...in sheep's clothing."

Ralph was feeling better. Weaselton and the older officer were swapping stories from their times patrolling. He told the Weasel about the flying fox and the butterfly net, and the young officer responded with how he got a drunken skunk to get his pants back on. They traded tales of face palming stupidity and brilliant deduction. Stories about their first arrests, latest domestic disputes, and even some of their more harrowing moments on patrol. The lupine hadn't realized how much experience Weaselton truly had. In a little over a year of being on the force, the mustela had taken down four armed mammals at once, cracked a decades old case wide open, went deep undercover for three months, and still had time to win the respect of his fellow officers and have a seemingly healthy relationship. If Ralph were to be honest, he was jealous of that last fact.

"Hey Reggie?" The Weasel hummed in response "How do you do it?"

The mustela's brow quirked as he glanced between the Wolf and the road, "How do I do what?"

The Wolf sighed and ran a paw on the side of muzzle. "In all your stories you sound in control, prepared for everything and nothing can stop you. You're so young and yet you act like you've been doing it for years. What's your secret?"

Weaselton looked at Ralph like he had two heads, "That's what you got out of my stories? Ralph, I act without thinking like sixty seven percent of the time. I still rarely feel in control." He grinned wryly, "Don't you remember what I was like my first day?" The lupine frowned and shook his head. "I guess I should be glad! I was an ass. No way around it and something I recognize now, but that's what I was." He laughed. "In fact it was so bad you threatened me on my second day!"

Ralph's eyes went wide and his ears pinned back, "No!"

"Yes!" Weaselton persisted, nodding his head emphatically as a smile remained on his muzzle, "You threatened me in the locker room very ominously."

"Doesn't sound like me," countered the Wolf, looking away from the mustela and trying to hide his smirk, "Sounds like it was Wolfowitz."

Weaselton snorted and Ralph's smirk grew into a grin, "Oh right! Because I definitely can't tell the difference between grey and white!"

"I believe that's a confession!" Ralph joked with a chuckle.

The young officer rolled his eyes with a chuckle. The officers mirth died down slowly and a contented silence settled in the cruiser. A "huh" from Weaselton caught the older officer's attention.

"Huh what?"

Weaselton pursed his lips as flicked on the turn signal. "Weren't you at the raid?"

Ralph cast a wary glance at the Weasel, trying to keep his ears up, "Which raid are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb Ralph."

The Wolf shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Oh that raid...yeah...I was there."

"You weren't just there," the young officer started as he pulled to the side of the road, "you saved me didn't you?"

Ralph chuckled nervously and shrugged, looking away from the Weasel. "I just did what any other officer would do." He grinned, trying to cover up the pit growing in his stomach. "How...much do you remember?"

Weaselton frowned, eyes glazing over as he concentrated. "...problem solved..." he muttered, "...I told a joke."

The lupine shuddered, "Please don't call that a joke! It was too morbid for even gallows humor." Ralph clamped down, feeling he said too much. He looked over to the Weasel and saw Weaselton's fallen expression. "What's going through your head, Regg?"

"I never thanked you, did I?" Weaselton glanced at the Wolf before looking away ashamed. "I...kinda forgot a lot of that night...but now that I've remember...I just want to say thanks."

The older officer smiled, "Don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're here." Ralph's smile wavered for a moment, but he held it in place. "We...uh…," the lupine cleared his throat, "...thought you weren't coming back. So when you did...well it was like Solstice came early!" In truth the Wolf was a nervous wreck after arriving with the unconscious body of the mustela at Sahara Square Regional Hospital. The smaller mammal's captors had done a number on the Weasel, so bad that it shook the veteran officer to his core. That night Ralph didn't leave the hospital until the crack of dawn, passing out from exhaustion against Fangmeyer who arrived not too long after the arrest of Himils and his associates. He never voiced it out loud, but he's not really sure he would have recovered if the young officer had died.

Weaselton smiled meekly, "It...felt like that to me as well." He let out a staccato sigh and nodded his head. "Let's find somewhere to get lunch."

Ralph slapped his paws together and faked a smile, relieved from the change of subject, "Now you're talking!"

The day passed without incident for the two officers, the only call a domestic dispute that was settled by the time they arrived. As the day went on, the Wolf and Weasel talked about much lighter topic. They talked about office gossip, rise in crime, and any other topic that floated into their minds. If the officers would veer towards a dark topic, Ralph would throw out a joke or Weaselton would fumble tremendously with his own comedic repertoire. After awhile the older officer was laughing at simply how bad the younger's jokes were.

"I don't understand," grumbled Weaselton, steering the cruiser through Savannah Central and back to Precinct One, "How can you and Wilde throw out some of the worst jokes and everyone falls over in stitches?"

"I'd say it's easy, but it's not," admitted Ralph, his chuckling subsiding, "What I can tell you is that it's about delivery! The better you set up the joke, the funnier it is." He shifted in his seat and leaned closer to the mustela. "The funniest comedian I ever saw was a hyena whose stage name was Chuckles McGee," the Wolf paused as a thought occurred to him, "...at least I think it was a stage name." He waved dismissively, "Doesn't matter. What does matter is his delivery was on point."

"How so?"

"Well you expect hyenas to laugh at everything, it's a stereotype but it's expected. What Chuckles did was deadpan, monotone every joke." Ralph cut a paw through the air, "He showed no emotions when he said his jokes and it worked perfectly! Like Reggie I can't explain how perfect it was. The joke that got me was he said that he spilled spot remover on his wife's polka dot dress and now they couldn't find it!" The Wolf burst out laughing, his mirth barely contained as he was finishing the joke. His sides started to ache as he stole a glance at the mustela, who was simply watching the laughing lupine. "But yeah," chuckled Ralph, still trying to calm down, "it's all about...delivery."

The Weasel nodded, "Ok, so what makes your delivery better than mine?"

"Simple," the Wolf began, rolling a paw in the air, "I play off my stereotype."

"...howling?"

The older officer scoffed, "No! Wolves are generally seen as stoic. If you watch movies or dramas, we're the unfeeling characters. We don't say anything, but just follow orders like the good little pups we are and that's...it!" An awkward silence settled between the two as Ralph realized he may have gotten too emotional with his explanation. He wasn't going to lie about what Wolves were portrayed as, but he definitely didn't need his point to turn into an outburst. The lupine covered his muzzle with a closed fist and cleared his throat. "So yeah...I'm more emotional."

"In your joke telling?" asked Weaselton hesitantly.

Ralph shook his head, "No it's who I am, and I accept that. Thankfully I figured that out early enough to really embrace who I am." The Wolf shrugged, "So when I tell my jokes, I do it with a smile or already laughing. That's how I do a lot of things I don't want to do, or deal with bad news." The Wolf's spirits were lowering again. He just didn't seem to be able to keep up his normally jovial act. The one thing the lupine was glad for all the sitting, was Weaselton didn't see his tail between his legs. The older officer could hide behind a smile, but the fluffy appendage always gave him away. Silence once more as the only sound was the hum of the engine as the landscape changed to the familiar sight of two blocks before Precinct One. The Wolf expected to remain in that quiet state until Weaselton pulled into a parking spot, but the mustela had other plans.

"I don't know why the Chief partnered us together;" admitted Weaselton quietly, "but it started yesterday when he assigned Wilde and Fangmeyer together. He didn't even put me on parking duty, just kept me at a desk filling out paperwork." The mustela sighed heavily, "Wilde told me Nadine was tightlipped about the entire situation, but also that you may need some cheering up when you get back." The mustela grimaced and shrugged apologetically, "I don't think I did very well."

Ralph chuckled, "You did fine Regg." He sighed and shook his head, "It's just…why would the Chief do this?" He glanced at the Weasel, "I know you don't know, and honestly Chief Bogo is usually correct…but it's still weird."

Weaselton pulled into an open spot and turned off the cruiser. "Day wasn't too bad, but very boring." He rolled his head on his shoulders and groaned, "Hopefully tomorrow you'll be with Fangmeyer." The Wolf nodded. "Alright I'll take the keys back and you can get started on heading out."

"Nah I got it," Ralph said with a smile, holding a paw out to the Weasel, "You did the driving, I'll take care of that." He motioned with his paw. Weaselton smirked and gave the older officer the keys. "Now get outta here you little scamp!" Ralph grinned at the Weasel's scowl aimed at him. He watched the younger officer open the door and jump out of the cruiser. Once the driver's side door closed, the Wolf leaned back into his chair and let out a slow, heavy breath. He closed his eyes and collected his emotions. Just like Weaselton, he hoped to be paired back up with Fangmeyer. It didn't appear plausible. After several moments, Ralph opened his eyes and opened the door.

The Wolf plastered an easy smile on his muzzle as he passed through hallways. Co-workers coming off their shift barely reacted to the lupine, and the one's coming on were rushing to their assignments. Ralph moved easily around officers, waving to everyone who made eye contact. He reached the front desk and was surprised to see Clawhauser still there. The Cheetah wiggled in his seat and he was looking down at his paws. "Hey Ben you still here?"

Clawhauser jumped, his phone jumbled into the air before the feline grasped the device. He let out a relieved sigh and turned to the lupine with a broad smile. "Hey Ralph! How was your shift?"

Ralph shrugged and tossed the keys onto the desk, "Boring. Weaselton and I only received one call."

The Cheetah nodded then froze. His eyes went wide and paws went to his muzzle. "Oh...my…goodness! I totally forgot to tell you." The feline leaned closer to the lupine and whispered, "I found out something!"

"What?"

Clawhauser cautiously glanced left and right before he brought a paw to the side of his mouth, "…Chief Bogo didn't switch you two."

Ralph blinked, "What?"

"The Chief didn't want to split you and Fangmeyer, but apparently someone asked for it."

The lupine balked, "Who would-" His eyes went wide. If the Chief didn't want to split the partners, than the only other mammal who could ask for it was Fangmeyer. He shook his head and let out a surprised huff. "…but…" The Wolf grimaced and shook his head again. "No. That can't be true. She would never…" Ralph snarled at the Cheetah, ears pinned and hackles rising, "Stop lying."

The Cheetah expression fell, obviously hurt by the Wolf's words. He clasped his paws over his rotund stomach, "That's just what I was told Ralph. I'm not trying to spread any rumors…but someone who overheard the conversation told me. I meant to tell you earlier…but you were in a hurry!"

Ralph couldn't look at the feline anymore. He felt terrible for snapping at Clawhauser, yet a part of him felt the Cheetah deserved it. The feline must have misheard, or the other mammal must have. There's no way that Fangmeyer would want this! The lupine opened and closed his muzzle, but couldn't find any words. He turned and trudged to the locker room. This day was terrible.

Hello Readers,

Nice little Steven Wright reference thrown in there for your reading pleasure. Criticism always welcome!

-CG