Zootopia is property of Disney
Fallout 4 is property of Bethesda.
A heavy sigh escaped Nick's muzzle as the faded green walls of Diamond City's front gate came into view. He couldn't wait to once again have the luxury of letting his guard down. He needed a place where he could relax, even if only for a moment.
The morning so far had been fairly normal… well, as 'normal' as Nick could reasonably expect these days. When he awoke he felt refreshed and ready to start the day. Judy and Hawthorne had already begun to prepare breakfast, and Valentine continued to keep watch from that same stool he'd been sitting on the night before. They ate their meal quietly, save for the occasional grunted greeting, planned their route back to Diamond City, and hit the road.
The route they chose was fairly simple; their thinking was that if they retraced the exact same path by which they'd come, they would hopefully run into fewer threats than they would taking a faster, more direct route.
Their logic seemed to have been spot-on, as they'd only encountered a few radroaches and bloatflies as resistance by the time they reached the city.
All in all, a problem free trip. But there was one thing that kept bothering Nick, though the fox couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was...
When he awoke, the fox was able to smell a very particular smell coming off of him that wasn't his own - the scent of a certain bunny he'd been traveling with.
Bunnies, he knew, were known for being very affectionate towards one another. Apparently they often nuzzled one another and slept in piles. But Nick couldn't recall her doing something like that with him, let alone having a reason to. And yet … it sure smelled like she'd climbed into his sleeping bag. Perhaps he'd ask her about it later… but at the same time, he didn't know if he should or not. Maybe he should just try and forget it. It's not like it really meant anything, right? He had noticed the frost on the ground that morning, so she probably just got cold or something.
Probably.
As they walked through the front gate, the racoon guard gave them a quick nod as they passed, before taking another drag on his cigarette. Nick returned the nod, continuing into Diamond City.
The fox let out an audible sigh of relief as the interior of the city came into view, from the large smokestack at the center, to the various shacks scattered around the place, to the school bus resting on top of the one of the buildings. He could finally let his guard down again. Glancing around, he saw the tension easing from the stance of his companions. Well, save for Valentine … but he had no muscles to relax.
"I tell you what, Wilde," Hawthorne started, "I've definitely never had a job like that one."
"Yeah? I don't doubt it. I'm glad we had you around. Things could've gotten pretty hairy otherwise." the fox replied.
"Actually, we would've never even gone there if he hadn't been around, so things wouldn't have gotten hairy at all!" Judy said next to him, smirking.
"You know what I mean, you dumb bunny." Nick quipped before turning back to the timberwolf, extending his paw. "Hawthorne, it's been a pleasure."
The wolf took the fox's smaller paw and gave it a firm shake.
"Likewise, Wilde. Hope you find your son out there. If ya ever need my nose again, you know where to find me. Especially if there's some more quality scrap to be had."
"I'll keep that in mind. See you around, Hawthorne."
"See ya." the wolf said, walking down towards the Dugout Inn. After a brief silence, Valentine spoke up.
"Alright, you two. Go get whatever supplies you need for the trip. I'm gonna head back to the agency and see if I can find any old files that might help us figure things out."
"I'm actually going to go see my folks, is that alright with you, Nick?" Judy asked after turning back to the fox.
"No, Carrots. I forbid you from seeing your family ever again." He replied, his voice laden with playful sarcasm. "Go tell them I said 'hi'... and tell Beth not to pull on my tail so hard the next time I come over."
"Can do, Slick."
With everyone else breaking off to carry out their own tasks, Nick headed towards the market, hoping to sell off all of the junk he'd managed to scavenge inside Fort Hagen. With that in mind, he made his way to Diamond City Surplus, walking up the deer who was standing out front, who had been eyeing him with suspicion as he approached.
"You. I-I don't know you. Just keep your distance." the doe said, not taking her eyes off of Nick.
This wasn't the first time in Nick's life that a prey had told him to stay away from them. Occasionally he'd find a street vendor that refused him service, or an ice cream shop that tried to kick him out. He always obliged them, as it wasn't his job to change the way mammals thought of foxes. But hearing it now was… discouraging. Then again, Judy had told him earlier that it was probably because he was new in town, some mammals might fear he was a synth. Nick might as well give the doe a chance.
"Calm down, ma'am. I'm standing still. Just looking to sell a bit of junk." Nick said, trying to remain as friendly as possible.
"Yeah? Well we don't serve synths here. How do I know you're not one, huh?"
"Well, I remember you giving me the shifty eyes yesterday. How many synths have you seen sporting one of those vault-suits around?" Nick said.
"Hmph. Alright, but I've got my eye on you. I've got eyes like a… well, they're good, okay?" the doe said, relaxing slightly.
Nick spent the next ten minutes bartering with the deer, trying to get as many caps as he possibly could. He didn't know exactly how much all the old stuff he had was worth, but by the end of it, he had more than a hundred caps resting in his pockets.
Taking a look at his Pip-Boy, Nick noticed it was almost noon, and he was getting a bit peckish. He didn't feel like having any more of that awful tasting pre-war food, so he decided to try out that noodle stand in the center of the city.
As Nick climbed up onto one of the stools, the protectron wearing a chefs hat spoke.
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" The robot said.
"Uh… What?" Nick asked.
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" it said again.
"I uh… Look, what kind of stuff do you guys have here?" Nick was beginning to get annoyed at this robot.
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" it once again said in that exact same tone it had before.
"What the hell is wrong with this-"
"Ah, Blue!" a voice behind him said. He turned his head to see Piper in that same red trench coat and press cap, sauntering towards him before taking the seat to his right.
"Hey, Red. You mind telling me what's wrong with this damn thing?" he asked, pointing to the protectron.
"What, Takahashi? Nothing's wrong with him. He's my confidential informant, you know." she said with a smirk on her face before she turned to the robot.
"Takahashi, thank you for meeting me here. What've you got for me?"
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?" it said, causing Piper to let out an overly dramatic gasp.
"No! B-but they've been travelling together for days now. How could he?" the vixen asked with faux incredulity.
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?"
"Sorry, Blue. The jig is up - the news is out. Takahashi told me everything. Web of lies, gone. I mean, I bet your real name's not even Blue, is it? And how will Judy take all of this? I'd just start booking it right now if I were you. Let me tell you, that bunny is not to be messed with."
Nick actually had to let out a laugh. He had to give Piper credit, she certainly knew how to spin a story together at a moment's notice. She would have been great at the hustle.
"You think of all that just for me, Red? I'm flattered." Nick said.
"Oh, please. I've had that little gag running with Judy for years now. Where is she by the way?" she asked, looking around.
"Back at her parents' house. Wanted to check up her new brother I guess."
"Oh? And she didn't drag you along with her ..." Piper seemed almost surprised, but the sly smile that suddenly graced the vixen's muzzle was clearly bemused. "Well, she has always loved being with her family. Anyway, if you wanted some noodles, just say 'yes'. That's all he understands."
"Really? Okay… Hey, buddy?" Nick said to the robot, causing it to stop stirring a pot of noodles.
"Nan-ni shimasho-ka?"
"Yes."
The protectron grabbed a ladle off of the counter, scooped up some noodles in the pot, and placed them in a small plastic bowl. It then stood there with the bowl in its hand, as if waiting for Nick to do something.
"Uh, is he-"
"Just give him ten caps and you'll get your noodles. You're lucky I caught you here. Some of the other folks in town might not've been so helpful."
"I'll bet. That doe running the Surplus is crazy." Nick said in a lowered voice, simultaneously taking out ten caps from his pockets, and placing them on the counter. Takahashi placed the bowl down, and began scooping up each individual bottle cap with his robotic hand.
"Yeah, Myrna's always been more paranoid about synths than the average mammal. Don't hold it against her though. There is a legitimate reason to be worried after all."
'Yeah, no kidding.' Nick thought. The deer was afraid of the very same mammals that were responsible for his own son's kidnapping, so he could at least find common ground with her there. Hell, everyone in Diamond City seemed to be afraid of synths, except for Judy, Piper, and Valentine, seeing how he was one himself.
Nick turned to ask Piper what she knew about the Institute, but found that the vixen was sniffing the air, her nose slowly advancing towards Nick. She froze for a moment, a little too close for Nick's liking before slowly backing off and donning what could only be described as a shit-eating grin, her eyes narrowing at the todd across from her.
"Well, well, well! Did I miss anything while you guys were out? 'Cause I'm getting a pretty strong scent of Judy coming off of you right now, Blue." Her eyebrows danced as she smirked at the confused fox in front of her.
Nick rolled his eyes at her, regretting the fact that she noticed at all. "Don't look at me. I know as much about what happened as you do."
"Oh, come on, Blue. No sloppy makeout session? No cuddling up and talking about feelings? No lessons in 'multiplication'? How else would her scent be so… eh... prevalent on you?"
"I think I might have an explanation for you, Piper." said avery noir-esque voice behind them.
"Yes! Spill the beans, Nicky. What'd you see?" Piper asked.
"The poor girl was just cold, so she got close to the warmest thing she could think of. In this case, it just so happened to Wilde. Guess I was wrong about him having a cold heart, eh?" Valentine said, earning a huff from Piper.
"Well that's… hardly what I wanted to hear." Piper said as her ears lowered in disappointment.
"Yeah, well life sure ain't a fairytale, Sweetheart. Anyway, you good to go soon, Wilde? The sooner we get to Goodneighbor the better."
"You guys are heading to Goodneighbor? What for?" Piper inquired. Valentine lowered his voice before speaking, leaning in close to the vixen.
"We've got a bit of tech that was connected to the brain of an old mercenary here, and we're hoping the Memory Den can have it show us a way to find the Institute."
"The Institute? Does that mean…" She turned to face Nick.
"They've got Shaun. The weasel said it himself." replied Nick, dejected.
"Damn. That makes things a hell of a lot more complicated. I'd head down with you guys, but I've got a lot of work backed up at the Publick. But while you're out I'll dig through my contacts, old stories and things like that to try and find any info that might help."
"Good thinking." Valentine said. "Now how about you and me go pick up the young Miss Hopps, Wilde?
"Sure thing. Like you said, the sooner the better."
Nick couldn't quite explain it, but the streets seemed much more dead than they had before. Well, they seemed dead enough already, but right now that was extra true.
They were now only a few blocks away from Boston Common; Hubris Comics was less than a hundred feet down the street, and they hadn't run into a single thing - mammal or otherwise - that wanted to do them harm. Perhaps it was because of Judy and Valentine's experience when it came to moving around the wasteland, or maybe they'd just gotten lucky, and all the ghouls and raiders decided to take a day off.
Judy's ears were perked high, occasionally twitching in the direction of a nearby sound, before turning back to their normal position. Valentine's eyes were wandering all around, making sure no back alley or abandoned building escaped his gaze. Nick was sniffing the air, his gaze darting from place to place, ears perked.
And strangely enough, he did all that without really even thinking about it. It wasn't even an act to make it look like he was helping; he was just as terrified as he always was, but his alertness was becoming automatic, almost instinctual. Whether this was a good or bad thing… well, he'd hopefully find that out later.
Judy suddenly froze in place, while her ears stretched up as high as they could, facing forward. She moved her arm out at her side to stop the rest of the group.
"Gunshots." she said as her nose began to twitch.
"You getting a bit jumpy there, Hopps? You know better than anyone that random shots ring out all the time out here."
"Well, I also know that you have to be cautious about each one you hear. Things can go wrong in an instant." Judy said.
"No arguments there." Valentine replied, and the group quickly resumed their walking and picked up the pace.
As the ruins of the old Trinity Tower came into view from the street to their right, Nick thought he saw something moving inside the tower's lobby. Something big and green. Whatever it was, it thankfully failed to notice them as they cautiously passed.
They moved forward, approaching Boston Common before Valentine halted the group.
"Hold up. Looks like we've got some stiffs up ahead." the detective said, pointing ahead to the two still forms lying in the street.
The trio approached with caution, scanning the windows of nearby buildings and making doubly sure that nothing was nearby, waiting to strike.
The closer of the two bodies, a lynx with mangy fur that had several missing patches all over, had a hole the size of a quarter straight through her head. She was lying on her back, with a dark pool of blood having already formed behind her head, beginning to show signs of coagulation. The second mammal - a male moose that appeared to have sharpened his antlers into wicked spikes - lay face down in a much larger pool of his own blood, around ten feet away from the lynx. There was a hole straight through his abdomen. Each of their crude pipe weapons were unceremoniously scattered onto the ground, with the lynx's lying underneath her still form. The clothes they wore were tattered, and they had a bunch of rusted metal masquerading as armor. They definitely looked like raiders.
"Damn. What do you make of it, Valentine?" Nick asked.
"Hmm … Why don't you tell me, Wilde?" The synth responded with a smirk, before taking in the view of the scene. "Been awhile since I've had to case a scene, takes me back … Judging by where their body is, I'd say the lynx was hit first. No way anyone would get a clean shot to the dome like that on a moving target. Now let's take a look here…" The synth said, bending down and lifting the feline's head, revealing an even larger hole in the back of her head.
"See that exit wound? Telltale sign of a hollow point; a .308 most likely. And by the looks of it, I bet you we find the same thing on the moose."
They walked over to the downed figure, using their combined strength to turn over the much larger mammal to inspect his front side. Sure enough, the exit wound was around the same size as the lioness's head wound.
"Yep, this confirms it …" The synth said, nodding to himself before turning to Nick. "Why don't you try and piece this whole thing together, Wilde? I wasn't kidding when I said for you to tell me."
Nick gave Valentine a quizzical look. What angle was the old detective working? The fox was sure he could work out what happened, but wondered why Valentine wanted him to. But, Nick's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to play along. .
"Well ... this guy was clearly shot in the back, that 'ventilation port' in his chest tells us that much... It's obvious that he was running. Look at how far away his gun is from him." He said, pointing to the pipe rifle several feet away.
"And since our feline friend fell on top of her gun, she was clearly standing still, or at least moving slowly. That means that she got hit first, the moose tried to run away, but didn't quite make it. Now, you said the wounds were made from a .308 round, so that could mean a sniper picked these poor guys off from a distance, if I remember my ammo types correctly. Lastly, all this might explain why the streets seemed so empty at the moment. Somebody else, most likely a sniper, must've already passed through, clearing a nice path for us. Guess our bun-dar over there was right about those shots earlier." Nick let out a sigh as he finished up his spiel. "That cover everything?"
"Indeed it does. I always said you'd have made a good police officer, Wilde. You just never listened." Valentine said.
"Pfft, come on. Like they would've let me on the force." Nick said with dismissal.
"There were never any rules against foxes joining, you know."
"Yeah, not any official rules..."
"Hey guys?" Judy suddenly spoke up. "Do you think we can get a move on? Something about standing right where these guys were hit by a sniper is putting me on edge."
"Oh, you'd be fine, Carrots. I doubt any sniper would be able to hit you. You'd probably hear the shot before it even hit you."
"I can't defy the laws of physics, Nick." Judy said, crossing her arms.
"Not with that kind of attitude you can't. Now, shall we?" Nick gestured forward.
Just like it had been before, the streets remained quiet as they continued onwards towards Goodneighbor, with Judy and Valentine leading the way. Nick eyed what looked like several dead ghouls in a small graveyard, a few of them missing limbs. He had to pat himself on the back at his assumption earlier. Someone else had definitely come through already. But something about this troubled Nick. It all seemed too convenient. But the fox was probably just being paranoid, and besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
With the Mass Fusion Building towering ahead, Judy and Valentine took a right, turning to face the Old State House. A wall had been constructed on this side, covering each side of the street. A neon sign on the wall read "Goodneighbor'', and there were street signs pointing them towards an entrance.
"Here we are." Valentine said. "The lowest place in the Commonwealth. Everything not nailed down rolls through here at some point. Lucky for us, this old neighborhood has exactly what we need to find these Institute bastards."
"Yeah, let's hope. So they've made towns out of Fenway, Bunker Hill, and now Scollay Square? Any other strange settlement locations you want to tell me about?" Nick asked.
"Sure, how about Nuka-World, or an old submarine base, heck why not build a town around a live nuke? I'm joking of course … well, except that last one … Mammals will always find someplace to call home. Even if it isn't exactly a place you'd call 'homely'." the synth said.
"Alright, let's get in there." Nick said, a newfound sense of determination flowing through his veins.
Walking through the entrance, Nick saw that the inside didn't look much better than the outside. Trash was strewn all over the street, piling up around the walls. A neon sign above one of the buildings read "Guns, Guns, Guns!.", while a less lavish one read "Daisy's Discounts". Several mammals were going about their business, but one in particular caught the trio's eyes. A badger in road leathers, smoking a cigarette only a few feet ahead of them, blocking their path.
"Well, well. It's the detective." The badger began with an almost ghoul-like voice, eyeing the synth up and down. "Tracking another wayward husband to his mistress?"
"Why? Someone stand you up?" Valentine replied, earning a snicker from Nick and Judy.
The badger however, was not amused. "You tryin' that uh, whad'ya call it? Evasive language on me? That shit ain't gonna fly." He turned his attention to the synth's mammalian companions. "And who're you two clowns? Valentine got some new private dicks-in-training?"
"Oh, were you looking for a position? I mean, Valentine is hiring, but I don't think you'd… measure up." Nick replied.
"Now don't be like that. You just look like someone who's in the market for a little insurance."
"Insurance, really?" Nick asked incredulously. "Even two hundred years out and mammals are still running that scam."
"Yeah. I think you're gonna like what I have on offer. You and that lil' bunny start handin' over everything you got in them pockets, or 'accidents' start happening to ya. Big, bloody, 'accidents'."
Nick was about to kindly tell the badger to fuck off, but before he could, a voice was heard coming from the alleyway that led to deeper into the town.
"Whoa, whoa. Time out." the voice said.
A ghoulified lion in a weird red frock coat and a tricorn hat appeared out of the shadows, walking towards the badger. A lioness in metal armor quick followed, leaning against the side of one of the buildings.
"Nick Valentine makes a rare visit to town, and you're hassling his friends with that extortion crap?" The lion quickly turned to face the detective. "Good to see ya again, Nick."
"Hancock." Valentine replied, and the lion once again faced the badger, a scowl on his face.
"Why d'you care? He ain't one of us!" The badger yelled.
"No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let 'em go." the ghoul said, causing the badger to scoff.
"You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor."
The lion formed a small thin smile across his face, letting a chuckle escape his lips. "C'mon, Finn. This is me we're talking about here. Let me tell you something…" The lion moved in close, towering over the badger, who was getting visibly nervous.
"Now, you really shouldn't have said that. You're breaking my heart over here. Lucky for you, the jet is making feel a bit out of it right now, so I'm gonna let you make a choice here. You can either let Fahrenheit here have a go at you…" he said, gesturing to the lioness, who gave the badger a quick nod. "...or I can go and fetch Tiny, and we'll see how he feels about all this. Your choice, Finn."
The badger recoiled, backing up and putting his paws in front of him.
"Now, there's no need for any of that, Hancock! I getcha, I'll lay off of 'em. No need to do anything rash here." the badger pleaded.
"Oh, I think it's a bit too late for that, Finn. Tell ya what, I'll let you have a fighting chance, put you up against someone closer to your own size. Hey, Tiny!"
A small figure stepped out of the shadows, wielding a baseball bat in their paws. It almost looked like a fennec, but of course it had barely any fur and it's exposed skin was either burnt, or had fallen off completely. His hazel eyes were pointed straight at the badger, showing nothing but anger. The scowl on the ghoulified fennec's muzzle took Nick back. He had wondered if that look was common to all fennecs or just …
'No way...' he thought, his emerald eyes growing ever wider.
When he spoke, his voice was deep, far deeper than one would expect the voice of someone so small to be. "What's up, Boss?" The fennec said.
"Finn here needs to be taught a lesson. You think you could show him how we treat guests around here?" the lion said.
"Can do." The fennec replied, readying his bat and slowly advancing towards the badger, who was practically shaking in his boots.
That voice. It was raspier … but too damn similar not to confirm the suspicion bouncing around in Nick's mind.
'This can't be him.'
'He's long dead.'
'It's... not possible.'
Despite all these thoughts, Nick still took a tepid step forward.
"Finn?" Nick said, causing the fennec to stop, and every eye in the street to land on Nick.
"What?" the badger said, fear heavy in his voice.
"Not you, you dope. Finnick? Big guy? Is that you?" Nick asked, taking another small step forward.
The fennec froze, his hazel eyes going wide, and his large ears perking up high towards the sky. He dropped his baseball bat to the ground, his body completely frozen.
"Nick?" the fennec whispered after what seemed like an eternity.
When those words escaped his lips, Nick swore that he was never this happy in his entire life. After 200 years, this old fennec was still fighting.
"Finnick, I… you're alive… I can't believe-"
Nick's words were cut off when the fennec ghoul ran up and tackled the much larger fox, pinning him to the ground and snarling right in his face.
"Damn, Finnick. And I thought you were ugly before!" Nick joked, unsuccessfully trying to ease some of the tension.
"WILDE!" Finnick yelled as he began to belt Nick, punctuating each word with a fist. "YOU! PIECE! OF! SHIT!"
"Ow, Finnick? Ouch. Fuck, stop that! Ouch!"
Nick wrestled with the fennec, eventually knocking the smaller fox aside and rolling away. Each of them got to their feet, and the ghoul was snarling, his claws extended.
"Wilde." Finnick spat through a growl. "The FUCK aren't you dead?!"
"Geez, Finn. Sound a bit more happy to see me, would ya?" Nick said as he dusted himself off.
"No, no, no. Do not FUCK with me, Wilde! Do you have any idea how long I spent looking for you?!"
Shocked and at a loss, Nick could only shake his head while the rest of the square stared at the unfolding scene.
"50 years, Nick." Finnick said. "I counted... 50 fuckin' years looking for your scrawny ass. I looked everywhere. Downtown, the airport, I even went up to that damn suburb and had to deal with that fuckin' robot wanting to fix me breakfast! And now you just waltz in here with that goddamn grin on your face, and you think nothing's changed?"
Nick tried to formulate a response, but he was at a complete loss for words. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"I had to feel my fur fall out, my skin slowly break away. I had to see just how much of a shitshow the world could become. Every night, I go to sleep knowing that tonight might be the night I finally snap and go feral. And here you are, looking like you haven't aged a fuckin' day. Goddammit, I mourned you, Nick! You can't just act like-"
"And what, you think I didn't mourn for you?" Nick snapped with a growl of his own, cutting of his old partner. "Shit, Finn. I thought you were dead. I thought everyone was dead."
Finnick looked like he was beginning to calm down, while the rest of the crowd still watched in awe.
"Look, Finn … can we at least act like we're happy to see each other?"
At that, Finnick fully calmed down, looking around at the crowd that had gathered around them.
"Shit, Nick. Maybe this ain't the best place for our 'happy reunion', huh?"
Nick let out a snort. "Nah, screw them. How about you give dear old dad a hug, eh?"
Finnick's snarl returned, clearly unamused by Nick's teasing. "I swear to God, Nick. If you told anyone about that…"
"Uh, too late. He told me." Judy quickly said, but timidly backed away once all eyes moved to her. Her outburst caused Valentine to speak up.
"Well, I'll be. I always had my suspicions about you, you know. I'd seen you around town, just never had enough evidence, or a reason to confirm anything. So you really are Wilde's old partner?"
"Yep. And you're that robot that thinks he's Valentine?" Finnick asked.
"Yep." the synth replied.
"Well I'm pretty sure two hundred years is plenty for the statute of limitations, so don't get any ideas." Finnick growled.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Valentine said with a laugh.
"Well isn't this all just precious." The ghoulified lion started. "Two pals reunited after so long. Brings a tear to my eye. Today's your lucky day, Finn. Looks like you're off the hook thanks to these two." The badger let out a heavy sigh, and ran further into the town. "I always wondered what your real name was, Tiny. Hell, Finnick fits the bill pretty damn well I'd say. You two go catch up. I'll be in the State House. Oh, and Valentine? Keep him out of trouble for me, would ya?"
"Now that we have both of these foxes here, I don't know if that's possible, Hancock." the synth replied.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll do your best." the lion said, before he walked through the doorway to the State House.
"Well, this is… unexpected, but we've still got a lead to follow. I'll let you two catch up. If you need me, I'll head off to see about what we came here for ."
"Alright. See you in a bit, Valentine." Nick said. The synth walked away, and the crowd steadily dispersed, leaving only Nick, Finnick, and Judy.
Finnick was glaring at Nick, which he found incredibly comforting in a way. It was almost like coming back home.
"Alright … grab your bunny friend, Wilde, and we'll all get a drink." Finnick said, beginning to walk deeper into town, with Nick and Judy in tow. "Let's head to-" The fennec stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around suddenly.
"Finn, what's wrong?" Nick asked. The fennec looked up at him with a look of genuine concern.
"Where the hell is Shaun?"