Author's Note:
Welcome back, valued reader, I'm glad you opted to join me once again on another excursion into this... well, you know better than anyone what this is, 'eh? No other way than forward. That said, enjoy!
Uncle John gnawed into his claws as he gawked at Gideon.
"Don't say it," Nick reminded.
"That's imp-!" he belched through his fingers.
"Don't…" his son repeated.
"Imp-… probable…?" Aunt Jackie meekly suggested.
"That'll work," squeaked Uncle John. He sat on the coffee table beside Aunt Jackie while Gideon and Ma sat on the sofa, she practically glued to her kit's side ever since she found out about all those scars under his pelt (and her eyes were still a bit red and puffy despite how well she held herself).
"D'you want some tea, John?" Ma offered.
"Perhaps something stronger…" he groaned in response.
"He's taking this a lot harder than I thought he would, Stretch," Gideon said to his cousin.
"We've known many who survived pred-therapy, yes, but no one so young and…" Aunt Jackie said, paws moving as though to juggle her meanings, "still able to take care of themselves… Aslan's mane, Gid, you run your own business!"
"Well, it ain't jus' me, the Hoppses are a big part of it," he bashfully dismissed, "and it's not like I'm rakin' in the bucks or anything, I'm jus' gettin' by."
Uncle John's tail wheeled as he lunged up and bent over to cup Gideon's surprised face, "Giddy, my dear kit, I don't think you quite grasp what a stupendously high bar 'just getting by' is to someone who lived through pred-therapy," he said, arms spread with triumph and incredulity, "Adults, stable adults came out of the full 'treatment' only to break down into tears because they were bested by a doorknob. I'm not even exaggerating; I knew of a weasel that went hysterical and tried to claw their way through a door!" he relayed, "Every motor skill becomes a monumental challenge… and yet you drive, you use a smartphone, you bake…" he then knelt and gripped the paw of the younger Grey tod, "Giddy, you are a phenomenon."
Blue eyes blinked in a momentary stun, I'm pretty sure tha's a good thing? he guessed and smiled a bit awkwardly, "Well… don't go putting my name up in lights or anything, that ain't what I want to be known for if I am known for anything. Would much rather my pies be what brings me fame and such."
"As would I, definitely; that one tonight was divine," Uncle John assured (and Nick nodded in agreement from his lounging position in the armchair) as he rose to sit on the coffee table again, if leaning forward, "I can say with certainty that you don't or won't remember what happened in those three weeks but if you happen to recall how you might have… held onto who you were before you went in, I would love to hear about it."
"John!" both vixens rebuked, Ma gripping her kit tighter while Aunt Jackie's tail struck her mate true. Nick clapped palm to face.
I guess I'm the only one not put off by that… thought Gideon, "I don't mind, really," he said to the others, "It's not like Uncle John meant it as mean or anything. As it is, I don't remember what happened, at least, in my waking hours since it all comes and goes as bad dreams. Until Sunday night, anyway. Oh, Ma!" he then cheerfully continued, twisting in his seat to face the less-glowering vixen, "I had me another of them dreams like when I was kit, meeting that big lion in the woods. Remember? Well, I haven't had a night terror since and I don't claw up my pillows in my sleep anymore."
"Oh, another of Aslan's visits? How wonderful!" Ma delighted, both paws stroking her kit's cheeks, "A sign of better things to come, I'd say."
"Ah, splendid," Aunt Jackie concurred in merriment.
"Hey Bangs," Nick said, pivoting where he sat for a more upright position, "D'you mind if I ask about… you know…?"
About…? Oh! I guess he means Lenny… Gideon realized and shrugged with uncertainty, but it seemed that was all his cousin needed as permission.
"So," Nick quickly and suavely said, leaning on the arm a bit, "Who here knows of 'Lenny'? Lion cub, about Gid's age, maybe went missing at around the same time that he was shipped off," and nodded at his cousin, "Possibly there were some cubnappers that slipped through the cracks after the child protection laws were cemented?" he asked, looking mostly to his parents.
"Well, Uncle John," Gideon cut in, "you asked what helped me during all that and… honestly, I only remember this lion cub named 'Lenny' that was in the same cell as me. They'd take me out and bring me back but he was always there, chained to the far wall so I couldn't reach him. He was also never fed, neither, at least that I saw. Me and him would talk and stuff, but it was more him comfortin' me and tellin' me to 'hang on' and all that."
"Who is Lenny?" Aunt Jackie wondered aloud, if quietly.
"That's the crux of what I'm asking, yes," Nick said.
Uncle John grimaced some and tapped the thumbs of his folded paws, "Okay, I know how this will sound but I'm sure Ruthie won't mind in the least," he said, "Lenny is… to the best of my knowledge, referred to as the 'Patron Saint of Lost Children'. Legend has it that, ever since the Chronicler tradition really picked up steam since before the time of King Richard, missing children of all species that found their way home spoke of this lion cub named 'Lenny' that they either ran towards or from but never actually came into contact with," Uncle John told, "I spent time at the library in Conifer, learning more and more about the world outside the Knottedwood, and the legend of Lenny caught my attention due to the circumstances I found myself in; missing kids and all that. From what I read, the name comes simply because it is the most common for a male lion cub. I myself think that it's the symbolism of Aslan's likeness continuing through the ages, mixed with an instinctual drive to live which gives even the youngest of whippersnappers - who are not yet jaded by life - the insight they need to get home again," the older tod said.
"'Lenny' was something of a codeword for a long time in the Rescuers that who - like your father - endeavored to save the children, instead of lead the police to them," Jackie then explained, her voice momentarily growing dull, "It was also discouraged because of its tremendous risk. I don't recall any Rescuers out in Bunnyburrow, though, so how would Giddy know about him?"
"Which is why you came twenty years ago, Jackie, now that I do remember you," Ma pointed out and then rubbed her kit's arm, "And I told a story like Lenny all the time-"
"Tried to tell," Uncle John added under his breath, smirking to his sister's jutting tongue.
"I sang about a younger version of Aslan so that Giddy could better understand Him, something I heard from the local Chroniclers," Ma said, "He always did have a hard time making friends, so I think it helped him reach out."
"Ma…" Gideon groaned.
"Of course, I now know that Lenny is his guardian angel," she said matter-of-factly, and to either the endearing or skeptical responses, continued unabashedly, "I know exactly how it sounds, too, but I spoke with Lenny one night through Giddy's bedroom door. It wasn't long after he got back and in one of the worst states I'd yet seen him, especially after he and that sweet Travis kit got into a shouting match," she said, rubbing Gideon's wrist, "I found him out at the rain barrel trying to wash the dirt and tears from his face and the sleeves of his hoodie were soaked up to the elbow. He took one look at me and pulled up the turtleneck he wore underneath to cover his face, but I'd already seen that he had Grey Eye… it can't have been out of anger, like with his sister, though. I knew it was a pain of sadness," Ma soberly said, "That night, I went to check on Giddy, like I usually do and when I heard him whimpering I knocked but he didn't want me to come in, said everything was 'okay' and 'fine', just like he'd do for years to come… I believe that was Lenny who spoke to me."
Gideon - and the other foxes - remained stunned but he did respond first, "I don't remember a whole lot of that. I know times were I'd wake in a fright but I don't recall talkin' to you through my door when that happened. But then… there's a lot about that time I don't remember, like, Essy said she'd catch me hitting Night Howlers with a stick." Which I outgrew, I guess, 'specially when some of the other pred families shooed me away from their crops.
"Pa never did like those Night Howlers, either… and I feel terrible for using them in my garden after finding out what all they could do, even if they did keep away bugs…" Ma rued.
Uncle John waved a paw dismissively, "Don't blame yourself, Ruthie; those toxic blossoms are nothing like the ones we had in the Knottedwood."
"True…"
Nick, as was his manner, inserted his two cents in spades, "I'll go ahead and stop you right there, Dad. Since when are there Night Howler flowers in the Knottedwood?"
"Obviously it's not what we called them," Uncle John rebutted.
"We knew them as 'Shepherd Folly' back in the Wood," said Ma, "They look very similar to the Night Howlers out here but smell completely different, so it never occurred to me that they could be the one-in-the-same."
"And no one was fool enough to eat them," Uncle John further explained, "They were used primarily to make honey, which our sister, your Aunt Charmagne-"
"Honey?" Nick spat out, springing up in his seat and exchanging quite the surprised glance with Gideon, "Night Howler honey is, and more importantly, has been a real thing? I thought bees couldn't get close to the flowers because the pollen made them loopy?"
"There was surely something with the Knot's magnetism that… you know, did things and…. Ruthie, help?" the older tod requested.
Ma rolled her eyes, "This is why they never let you near the beehives, John," she kindly berated, "The bees in the Knottedwood are much more docile than the ones out here and must have adapted to the flower's pollen. Those nice folk from the Honeyhills ship me the Knottedwood honey ev'ry once in a while," she further explained and grinned at her brother's shock, "Oh yes, apparently they're the only ones who actually make contact with the Wood… It was some several years since Pa, Giddy, and I went back in search of medicine for Essy's fox flu, desperate as I was to help her, and I might've kept up contact but… well, 'foxes mate for life' and all that. They said it wasn't an issue but it is still something of a stigma."
"Why the sudden interest in Night Howler honey, Nicky?" Aunt Jackie inquired.
"We suspect that's how the whipped cream was made toxic," he answered plainly.
"It would've been mixed in with the cream or used as the base," Gideon picked up, "Tad gave me jus' about all the ingredients I needed, but I smelled all of it to check that it was good and none of it smelled like the honey we have here."
"I doubt it would since it was altered in some way with a more powerful narcotic," Nick said, "Aunt Ruthie, would it be possible to get a list of anyone that the Honeyhills sold the Night Howler honey to? I suspect there's a fun story behind how Magnus stumbled across it for his own nefarious dealings."
"I'll need to call them in the morning but I might be able to?" Ma pondered aloud.
"Fantastic," he said with a grin, "By the way, one more question: where are Esther and Goliath? They've been mysteriously absent."
Gideon rubbed his knuckles and frowned, "Pa locked himself in with the ofrenda and Essy's been trying to talk him out. He blames himself for what happened to me."
Esther sighed, still slumped against the locked door, gently sniffing as the strongest fox… the strongest mammal in her life was likely huddled up into a ball on the other side, Beating yourself up for something that you likely had no control of… which probably hurts all the more… she conceded, claws gently raking over the wooden barrier, "C'mon, Pa…" She already tried opening the door, even forcing it but his entire body was pressed against its inward swing.
A low, forlorn growl echoed from within. "What kind of 'Pa' am I when it's / clear I cannot save my kits…" he answered.
"Giddy came back, though, didn't he?"
"Scarred and scared / secrets bared…"
"Just come out; you can't have known what those rabbits really wanted, now could you? Pred-therapy wasn't as well known out here as it was in the city and no kit, cub, or pup had ever gone through it before," she reasoned.
"Long before / did ignore…"
"And would you stop mourning in verse!" she barked, huffed, and rest her head on the door, Especially because I know that's when you're really upset…
"…Sorry."
Esther was quiet for a bit, "What did you mean… 'long before / did ignore'? Did you know that Giddy was sent to pred-therapy?"
"No…" he responded, "Only 'therapy'." His weight tangibly lifted from the door as the knob unlocked and creaked open, his puffy, red, and blue eyes glancing out… it opened a bit more, "Forgive this, my dear Zorrita, but I can only remember how I condemned your brother long before he was born…" and held out his paw to welcome her inside.
'Condemned'…? she wondered and stood to accept her father's paw to join him in the room. "What do you mean?"
Pa stood and though hunched was still towered as he led her over to the ofrenda, back then straightening to pick up her mother's picture from the very top shelf, "You know the story of when I escaped with you both… you, just barely born and she… forever still. I managed to grab mother's milk from the nanny-goats of the palace and though I knew I had a head start… they had other predators, 'hounds' that they used to hunt down what was theirs. It was only a matter of time that they would track me by the blood I spilt and the milk I stole…
"As I despaired, I came across an old jaguar beggar who saw my plight and said to me what I was afraid to accept: that my paws were too stained with blood to save even one soul… I wept for an answer and his heart must have been moved, for he offered to shoulder my burden. He then cautioned me, that should I choose to mourn the dead then both she and I might find peace… but you would grow in the shadow of the Supais and your fate worse than any other by far. Should I choose to save a life, then I could only do so in the free city to the north… Zootopia… where slaves' chains are broken. The journey would be long and dangerous but I could make it… and so begin the hardest part of my atonement," Pa said, "To atone for those I hurt I must live a life of goodness so that others can see and follow."
"Pa…" Esther beseeched, "You've done that, for thirty years and more, you've never bared claw or fang to anyone!"
"Yes…" he answered and looked to his kit to brush her cheek, "The price for one's crimes must still be paid, just as that old jaguar said…" He turned the frame over and pulled its fasteners, so carefully removing the printed picture inside to reveal the tall vixen whose bangs draped over one side of her face, "Nina..." and then saw for the first time in sixteen years, the reverse…
Esther stared as she was handed the image, "'El Chupacabra'…" she read of the wanted poster, depicting a monster that she had never before seen in her life, whose fangs and claws dripped with blood, and looked up at her father, "'The Goat-Eater'?" she asked.
Pa winced and shook his shaggy head, "I never ate them… nor did I kill them, as far as I know… but I did attack them, the servants of the Supai palace…" he rued, "When Reginald Hopps came that day, claiming that Giddy attacked a young bunny I knew in my heart that could not be true, for Giddy walked my path of non-violence… But he insisted. I denied it still. And then you brought your brother in and he confessed… I sent you away because I feared there was so much more happening… and I was right…
"I told those bunnies that I would deal with my kit as I saw fit but it wasn't enough for them… that's when Reginald took me aside and showed me that…" Pa said, nodding at the wanted poster, "I don't know how he found it but he did. I'm sure he did not know that it was your mother on the other side because he thought she was an accomplice of mine. Reginald said that Ma and I were in good standing but he feared that my son had my 'violence' in him still… he said to either let Giddy go to 'therapy' or he would be forced to look deeper into my past. I feared the worst… and prayed that Aslan kept Giddy safe wherever they took him; that he would not have to pay for my sins…"
A firm grip held the wilting tod's wrist, earning his widened gaze. "That's not what happened, Pa," Esther asserted, "Giddy was targeted and so were you. What that Reginald Hopps did was unjust and cruel, sending a fox kit off to pred-therapy for one scratch that it seemed all of Bunnyburrow turned inside-out over… all, except for the bunny that it happened to. He and Magnus both have a lot to answer for, for what they did to our family," Esther resolved and looked to the wanted poster with a steely eye. She wanted to tear it up but it meant destroying the one image of her mother that they had, I'll need to get this copied before doing anything else to it. If those Supais want my Pa then they'll have to go through every extradition law this country has, and I'll fight them every step of the way. "Here, we should keep her safe," she then said, returning the photograph of her birth mother.
Pa chuckled as he took a moment to admire the accepted picture, "I see her in you every day, Zorrita, and she'd be proud of the clever vixen you grew to be," he said, kneeling down to lick her cheek, "And she was the slyest vixen in all the valley, you know, but also the kindest. I was always conscious of my blue eyes… and she could have kept me believing that mine were the only blue eyes in all the world but then revealed that she had a blue eye, too," said Pa, and pointed to the left side of his face, "Nina liked to keep it hidden, though, so to always have a surprise to share. I'd never thought to find another heart so kind after I lost her… until I met Ma…" His great mitt-of-a-paw then touched under his daughter's chin, "And it is plain to me that both their hearts are in you."
Esther bashfully beamed, ears warmer as her head canted up at him, watching as he hesitated to return the picture to its frame, "We should get back to the others; don't want them worrying."
"Like Nick?" he teased with a smirk.
"Like all of them," Esther replied in singsong.
"Should I expect grandkits soon?"
"Pa…" she groaned.
"As if I didn't know that my own daughter was chasing after a guapo fu-"
"Pa!" she snapped.
His jaw clamped shut and ears pinned back as he groaned high behind his pursed lips before he could articulate, "Fox."
I can't remember the last time that happened, but still, think before you speak, old tod… Esther mentally berated… and then her features softened as she faced him fully, "Hey Pa, I'm curious… my middle name, is it 'Luckily' or 'Luck'ly'?" she enunciated.
Paternal blue eyes blinked as though something stuck between them, so he considered it by slacking his jaw before clicking it shut (an expression so similar to how Gideon acted when he was deep in thought), "A little out of the blue but as it is, 'Luckily'…"
Oh, I guess that's all it was, then, Esther wondered, somewhat relieved.
"Even if I did tell the bunny who recorded your name that it was 'Luck'ly'," Pa then said.
"Or… 'Loxley'?"
"Yes, that's what I meant to say," Pa answered with a smile, "It's a story from my kithood about a fox," he said slowly to assure it's the word he wanted,"A long, long time ago, he came to the valley from a distant land and swore to free us from our bondage but only his tail returned and nothing else…" he recalled, "John reminded me of him, as he was something of a hero so I thought up the name while waiting for his return, remembering when I was a kit and dreaming of a 'Loxley' to keep that promise to save us. I always was something of a dreamer, though.
"Well, I think we've kept them waiting long enough," Pa said and sniffed before he picked up the wanted poster once more, "Thank you for letting me talk, Essy. I perhaps should tell everyone else about my… my past. I can't very well look my own kit in the eye after he showed the scars on his back."
'Loxley'… I immediately figured out that 'Mr. Never' and Foxy Loxley knew each other but not until now was it plausible that the name 'Loxley' had actual historical backing… It's no wonder Pa never mentioned it before, wanting to forget about Uncle John as he did, but could this 'Loxley' have been a real fox? There wasn't a good time to ask before but this sounds too important not to… she continued to wonder and then blinked from her reverie, "I'm here for you," Esther affirmed, taking his paw in both of hers to lead him back to the living room.
"So…" Judy's voice said over the phone, "Your parents sound super nice. I know they follow me on FuzzBook but I we never actually got to chat. And they really printed out all the pictures I took of us to hang on their wall?"
"Just about," Nick answered and laughed, "I'd consider it stalking if we weren't related. We will need to get them some proper pics, though, and you an official meeting."
"Oh, he speaks! Hallelujah."
"Well, when I hear that Ol' Doug's wolf suit was actually a wolf, I tend to freeze up at the realization that I was in his face and calling him a predo, especially if he ever got free he could pick me off from a mile away and would likely wear me as a hat. Literally," he huffed, "Not to mention he is the Gravedigger and not some copycat sniper… which really puts a different light on him, knowing now that he's willing to kill. But hey, at least I didn't upchuck."
"It was more of a vurp, actually, vomit and a burp together," Judy pointed out, "And at least I have good reason to lose all faculty of speech since I actually saw that crime against nature. I'm not forgetting those hollow eyes anytime soon… Poor Bo fainted while trying to make the sign of the Four-Leaf Clover… and Lanny feels terrible for dropping the flood light but he caught it before it hit the ground, thankfully. Have you called Dr. Honey yet?"
"No, not yet."
"She came and found me because you were ignoring her."
"I wasn't 'ignoring'," Nick grunted and groaned.
"I know, family issues, that's why I took a message for you: she pulled some strings to get the drug tests through, so you're cleared for duty," Judy reported.
"Hot-diggity," the fox conversed.
"I'm not; there are still some traces of it in my system but it should be out in another day or so. I finally got hold of Bogo and he also said you're cleared for duty."
"Double hot-diggity. That'll make me putting on my badge and blues more than just strutting about," Nick said. He grinned and adjusted the black necktie of his ZPD uniform and polished said badge with the cuff of his sleeve to make it glint in the mirror. Aunt Ruthie was even kind enough to iron it for me, which considering it was in my suitcase since I packed up my entire apartment on Friday was a happy surprise.
"She also muttered something about a 'blood test' and then clammed up," Judy continued.
"Odd, I don't remember giving her my blood."
"I suggest calling her."
"One crisis at a time, Carrots, I still need to escort Doug's rifle case to the sheriff's office," Nick explained, "Where are you at right now?"
"Lanny just passed the Kumamoris, so not too much longer now."
"And how's Deputy Briar holding up?"
"He's got a death grip on the rifle case," Judy answered, "And I'm here as emotional support, which is what allows me to tag-along per the S/CARE," the bunny extrapolated.
"Then we'll meet you outside the fence. Wilde, out," he said and made a coughing noise to mimic the sound of a walkie-talkie before hanging up his phone.
A soft, approving trill drifted up from Esther's bed, "I never knew I needed a fox out of uniform," she cooed, feet and tail idly swaying over her as she laid belly-down. When Nick said he needed to speak privately to Judy's call, Esther was quick to volunteer her room especially since it's where he stashed his suitcase.
Nick leered over his shoulder and rolled his hips, "Later," he suavely promised and with a sweep of his tail, spun around to approach her as she stood from the bed and shared a single kiss, "So, Goliath's got an interesting story… certainly does explain Señor Supai's accusation…"
The vixen sighed and nodded, "The Supais will probably accuse him of murder, which they can certainly try but without evidence, a thirty-year-old cold case won't hold up, especially not with the defamation of character from that 'El Chupacabra' schlock. Bunnyburrow's known him as an upstanding citizen for longer than they've had him as a 'pet'," she growled.
"I do love watching your righteous indignation directed at someone else," the tod teased, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her from her feet to touch his nose under an ear. She giggled and attempted to push him off (even if her legs picked up to ease in the playful treatment), and when she once more was on the floor, took his paw in hers. "It's too bad you won't be able to join us tonight," he lamented.
"You'll be alright," she assured, "Even though we're both too close to this case, Chief Bogo can okay your involvement in this time-sensitive investigation, at least until it can be assigned to another officer, but Bagh & Little would never allow such a thing with me."
Nick then grimaced, frowned, and sighed with such a weight upon his heart that… he did not know if he could hide it any further. "Doug's request, though…"
Esther stiffened and pinned her ears back, "I know… but we need to have faith that he's strong enough to handle this, right? And you'll be with him, as will Judy, Lanny, Bo, and Sheriff Longmare… I don't care what Doug wants to talk with Giddy about because my brother is sly enough to run circles around that wooly villain."
"I trust you already sent him a text?"
"He knows, which should allow him to keep his cool when you reveal it to everyone else."
"Good, that should help things along," Nick determined, hitched up his utility belt, secured his regulation stun pistol, and then released a leaden sigh, "Let's do this."
Why me? worried Gideon, claws slowly wheeling and twirling over each other as he sat in the conversation-less truck of his friend, Lanny Wild, Does Doug just want to taunt me some more? Because I've had enough of that dumb sheep, that's for sure. He can't need more info from me; I've already told him everything. He might think I'm dumb, so maybe I won't know that he's telling me super secret stuff, well, I'm a bit slyer than he thinks I am, that's for more sure!
"Hey Gid," said Lanny, earning a momentary startle from the blue eyes, "I'll be right inside the sheriff's office, so if Doug tries anything again I'll pounce him into the ground but he'll get more than a popped shoulder, this time."
"Th-thanks, Lanny," he accepted, "That ram is still behind bars, though, so I just gotta stay outta arm's reach." 'Fool me twice', as it were, Gideon recalled, his throat tightening up when he remembered Grav yanking the tie he let get too close the last time he was in there.
"I'll make sure nothing happens to you, Bangs," Nick assured from the backseat, sitting on one side of Bo while Judy sat on the other, "There will be nowhere I can hide from Goliath, Ruth, and Esther otherwise…"
"Plus," added Judy, "Doug was triple-searched before they locked him up, same with Dent," and then her voice went soft, "And of course… Dent was locked up separately after what he did to Tad."
"Did he give a reason for that, yet?" asked the brown bunny, his voice much steadier than it was before, even if his paws were still secured around the rifle case's handle as it sat between the backseat and the front (and was even wrapped in some of the crime scene tape that fell off the nearby building, "To cave in someone's skull using your skull could only have been a deliberate and repeated action, not something heat-of-the-moment or even head-butting. Tad didn't have horns but he wasn't made of papier-mâché, either. Not to mention all the… splashback, which should have deterred any prey species."
"'Disloyalty', according to Deputy Catmull, and considering his 'hobby' it's somewhat understandable," Judy grimly answered, "Nick and I suspect that he was about to spill quite a few beans, though, especially since Tad would likely be locked up in general population which has its share of predators; I'm jus' sayin'," she smoothly drawled, "That ambulance we saw a minute ago still had its lights going, though, so I guess Tad's not dead dead but I doubt he'll ever talk again."
"Shame…" Nick darkly pondered, "I was so sure he'd be the one we could get all the info out of on this whole operation…"
"Thanks, guys," Gideon said again, craning his neck to peer over the back of the front seat, "All I gotta do is suffer a few minutes with him, I reckon, nothing to it. I mean… I'm scared-half-to-death but I'm sure it'll all be okay."
The sheriff's office glowed in the evening street as it did on Sunday before, but unlike Sunday the street outside was much more active and it looked like Sheriff Longmare had her hooves full with concerns from Bunnyburrow residents of all species.
"Just pull into that deputy spot there, Lanny," Bo instructed and as the lion's pickup rolled into place, a few of those on the sidewalk made way as the doors opened. A uniformed, bespectacled cougar came out to receive them, nodding first to the nurse stepping out of the driver's seat before walking around to the passenger's side. He exchanged a somber expression with those inside as he reached in to accept the rifle case. "All yours, Deputy Catmull," Bo said and gave his best salute.
The cougar nodded and saluted stiffly, "Thank you, Deputy Briar," he said, his dark lips sparing as polite a smile as he could before he looked to Gideon, "Are you sure about this, Gid?"
"I am," Gideon answered and unbuckled his seatbelt to hop out, Wow, poor Gabe is definitely spooked…
"We've got this ram dead-to-rights and likely don't need any confession he 'promised' to give."
"Prob'ly…" the baker said with a shrug, "Essy says that this Doug fella won't just go along quietly and might even get off on a technically-"
"'Technicality'?" Judy suggested as she alighted on the ground.
"That, yeah," Gideon agreed, "If I can help get this ram deader-to-rights, then it's what I gotta do. But don't worry, Gabe, my back's bein' watched by the best there is," he said with a smile, looking up at Judy and Nick, as well as Bo and Lanny.
Deputy Gabe Catmull grunted and nodded, paw tightening around the gun case's handle, "Alright, then," he concurred and led everyone inside.
Sheriff Rachel Longmare turned her weary, stalwart face towards the newest group entering her station as a wave of awe preceded them… for it seemed that the entirety of Bunnyburrow had already heard about the Gravedigger's true identity and all it entailed. Deputy Catmull approached the horse, shoulders back and chest forward, "I'll process this into evidence," he stated and then continued past her stern nod.
She sighed and then grabbed a small something from the nearby desk, "Deputy Briar?" she asked of the brown bunny, stooping over on his approach to present something shiny on the very tip of her hoof, "To make it official."
Bo's hazel eyes sparkled at the badge and then up at her, standing straight-backed, "Ma'am!" he said, watching as Judy received the badge to pin it onto his shirt.
"Alright, everyone," her booming voice then directed of the swathes of citizens, "If you're wondering about the Gravedigger then you can go ahead and leave," Rachel instructed before her voice softened, "Return to your families and read about it in the paper tomorrow."
A general consensus of grumbling acceptance rippled from those present as they shuffled out the door, so that when it was only her, Bo, Officer Legrande (the giraffe looking very thankful that everyone else left), Judy, Nick, and Gideon, she then turned to Lanny apologetically, "I'm sorry, that means you, too."
The lion's arms crossed, "I'm also sorry, Sheriff, but I'm not going anywhere unless it's with Gid."
"Unfortunately," the horse continued, "Ramses already stated the terms to his full confession: he'll only give it to Gideon or else he'll lawyer up. I suspect this isn't his first rodeo because he 'let slip' a slew of legal terms that I know Esther would understand. He did mention Wilde and Hopps, though," she said, looking to them both and then picked up a tape recorder, "Here you go, Mr. Grey, just hit the red button when he's ready to talk."
"This feels a little like déjà vu all over again, huh?" Gideon said with a sad chuckle, examining the device.
"I expect to get my station back soon enough," Sheriff Longmare huffed, if good-naturedly, and lead them into the back, "Ramses agreed to stay behind bars, at least, so unless someone gave him a thumbtack and a rubber band with which to shoot it, he shouldn't be a danger."
"Doug will find I'm a pretty decent shot myself," Nick assured, paw resting on his sidearm as he, Judy, and Gideon followed behind the sheriff, "And I will not hesitate."
Judy glanced over her shoulder at Lanny and Bo and then erected her ears in a sort of wave to her fellow bunny… who in turn twitched and waved his ears.
"They got this," Bo said to the disparaged lion as Longmare led them into the holding cells and closed the door behind them.
'Déjà vu all over again'… fretted Gideon, holding onto the tape recorder. He could smell the trace remains of blood and bleach and… probably puke as he looked to the one holding cell with yellow tape over the door. He looked then to the smaller holding cell, the one closer to the size of a cage in which Grav mocked and ridiculed and screamed at them on Sunday… and then looked to Doug.
He sat alone, hooves folded, one thumb idly rubbing the other. Where Grav was boisterous and sinister… Doug was gravely quiet, eyes still cast down at the ground beneath his hooves.
This just got harder all the sudden… He ain't got a gun and he's behind bars, but knowin' that he wore a wolf like a suit…! Gideon worried, tail tucking about his legs as he felt his paws shake around the recorder. And then a touch on his arm derailed his train of thought.
"It's okay, Gid, we're right here," Judy assured.
A strong paw braced between Gid's shoulders so he looked at his cousin, "This is a piece of cake, right? You've already tussled with him twice and you dropped a lion on him the last time. He's not even armed now, is he? This is low-hanging fruit, Bangs," he assured with a confiding clap against the broad back and leaned in to whisper, "And whatever clever scheme he's got cooking you'll smell a mile off, so there's nothing he can pull on you."
Yeah… Gideon agreed and nodded his head with assertion. He stepped forward, knowing that his friends were only a few paces behind him. He continued, knowing that they were several paces behind him and he just out of arm's reach of the bars. That was when Doug's languid, oval pupils addressed him.
"Gideon Grey," the ram greeted.
"D-Doug Ramses," the fox readily greeted back, "We got ourselves some business to take care, don't we? So… let's get it over with," he said, showing the tape recorder.
"…Sure." The wooly assassin slid off the fold-down bed, standing at a full height much taller than the fox. So, he approached the bars in a squat, such that his orange button-up shirt parted just under the belly where his wool poked out over the belt, elbows on his knees with his hooves tucked in, his face a little lower as he glanced up. "How's the family?"
"N-None of your concern," he answered, "I ain't here to chat, I'm here to take a confession; period."
Doug stared, not a hard stare or even vacant, just… fixated, perhaps. "I enjoy our talks, though, really," he said, "Despite everything, you're actually an interesting mammal."
He's tryin' to butter me up, well I ain't so easily dissuaded, not when I have so much ridin' on me! "I'm sure I am but like I said, we've got ourselves some business that needs takin' care of first, then you can shower me all you like with praise or whatever. So, Mr. Ramses, whenever you're ready." I've heard Essy do this plenty of times and I seen it on TV, too, so I know how it works… or close enough, at least.
The ram shuffled the slightest bit closer and stared still, almost daring the fox to inch away… but he didn't and even curled his toes to prevent him from doing so. The hooves folded between his knees as he spoke lower still, "Alright, but first… tell your bunny friend to lower her ears."
Oh, for crying out loud, this guy… Gideon looked over at Judy, whose ears were already in the process of folding back (and she looked put off).
"And tell that cousin of yours not to glare so hard at me, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable due to the last time he threatened my life," Doug calmly requested.
Gideon's head hadn't turned back, even if his eyes did, so he looked at Nick and nodded. Nick seemed reluctant but his face did soften as his nose pointed elsewhere… and he spared every glance he got away with.
"Thanks, Gid," said Doug. When Gideon looked fully at him again, the ram leaned forward until his nose was almost between the bars, nearly whispering as he spoke, "But before I give my full, unabridged confession, I want you to do something for me."
Blue eyes narrowed as the fox's brow quirked, leaning in with a jutting jaw and flaring nostrils, I thought so, that puke stink's from him, no question about it. I guess even Mr. Big-Bad-Gravedigger can't hold his lunch after seein' a fellow sheep get his brains bashed in, "Still askin' favors? I don't think you're really in a position for that; there ain't nothin' else you can give."
"It's such a small favor," he said and turned his hoof out the slightest bit to reveal a single, small, dark-blue ball held between his hoof-knuckles and gave it the slightest pinch to show its elasticity, "I just want you to eat this. Now before you answer, know that I can lawyer up at the drop of a hat but this… is such a small thing. You wouldn't chicken-out because of such a small thing as this now would you, Gid? Not when there are so many depending on you to do something so important and easy. Right?"
What is that… it's kinda like a blueberry? Maybe a gumball but it's squishy, so a gummy, pondered the baker, eyes darting to their corners in futile attempts to peer over a shoulder, I can't ask for help or else I'll lose Doug. I don't think he'd poison me, that'd just make things worse for him, so what's the catch here…? Gideon pondered and then vocalized with a momentary slack of his jaw as he thought on it, "Uh…"
The small blue ball wasn't in Doug's hoof anymore and his thumb was extended. Gideon dropped the tape recorder with a clatter as he stumbled, clutching his throat and snapping his jaw shut… and then swallowed. Uh oh… he dreaded, blue eyes glancing up as Doug smirked the littlest smirk and withdrew from the bars after tossing something onto the floor outside. It wasn't long before the fox dropped to all fours as his dark lips pulled to reveal all of his fangs.
"Gideon!" someone called.
Every red flag and danger sense surged through Nick like a lightning bolt. Both he and Judy recognized that stance and those jerking motions… and immediately recognized the zipper-locked baggie of Night Howler serum darts that Doug threw outside the holding cell, Covered in spew… so that was his puke I smelled which means they were hidden in his stomach… Nick cursed as he turned to Judy who was, already, heading for the door, "Lanny has the antidote!" he signaled to his partner as she lunged for the doorknob and sprinted into the hall. Green eyes stabbed into the stoically smug ram safely locked away inside the bars… and then he drew his stun pistol.
Gideon growled and thrashed, tail wheeling as Nick leveled his sidearm, paws steady with his ears trained to the door, Don't make me do this, Bangs… Nick pleaded; face hardened and scrunched as he focused on the primal actions of the fox before him. An eternity flashed by as he watched, finger squeezing tighter around the trigger… Those jaws were wide and drooling as his once baby-blue eyes tightened to bloodthirsty slits, as Nick had seen in Manchas, Otterton, and the other victims of the Pred-Scare… A paw raised, sharp claws triggering every reflex in the cop and demanding to subdue the danger. Please, no… he hesitated.
With a violent flinch and a guttural cacophony, the savage fox arched his back and thrust its claws… down his own throat. He gagged on two fingers, lurching and writhing as both paws clapped to the ground to empty the contents of his stomach… including a telltale streak of midnight purple.
The room grew deathly cold; each of Gideon's heaving coughs marked a beat. Nick stared and trembled, sniffling as it took every ounce of strength he had to remain standing… it was not enough to keep his stun pistol raised, however. Holy cannoli… Nick exhaled, struggling to holster his sidearm, A warning would've been nice, Bangs, you about gave me a heart attack!
A single bewildered vocalization popped up from Doug, perhaps the most surprised that Nick had ever seen him.
"Shut up!" barked the fox, body tightening like steel cables on his springing approach of the bars, fur prickling from tail to ears and paw tightening around his stun pistol as he growled, "Another peep out of you and I'll show you what savage is!"
Doug barely bleated when he stared at Nick, nodding and clenching his jaw while retreating to the cell's fold-down bed, eyes darting back and forth between the two foxes.
Only heavy breathing filled the room… and then Gideon's muted sobbing as he slid back onto his heels. Nick glanced at the door and there was Judy, those bright eyes of hers questioning all she saw, as they always did, Must have heard the wretching… he realized, pointing at the baggie for her to collect it, which she promptly agreed to. Finally, in his right mind, Nick holstered his firearm and crept closer to the coughing, crying fox before him. "Hey…" he attempted, a paw touching on the arched back only for it to violently flinch again… only to immediately calm.
"H-H-Hey…" was the stuttered response, almost looking over his shoulder only to snap his face forward, the fur which spiked smoothing once again, "Hiya Nick… what can I do for ya'?" he warily asked.
Well, you can explain why you're not trying to rip my face off, for one, Nick thought, blinking dumbly before craning his neck at Judy. She also looked dumbstruck.
"Sounds different," she signaled. It was common practice for the two of them to use basic signals to quietly communicate.
"Explain?" Nick responded, also in signal.
"Sounds. Different," she signaled again but with more emphasis and even a confused shrug.
He doesn't sound different to me, Nick wondered, "Okay, let's get you up and away from this mess," the taller fox said to the stouter, grabbing an arm and looping it around his neck to help him to his feet as he grabbed around his waist, Oof… heavy…
"Sor-sorry…" he apologized, being led to a desk that had a forgotten water bottle sitting on top (if with someone's name written in marker), which Nick grabbed and opened and guided a set of shaking paws around. The trembling fox cradled it and closed his eyes to take a sip before looking down at it… always down, never at Nick.
Nick tossed a thumb down the hallway towards the sheriff and Judy nodded again, new evidence in paw, although it's nothing to say of the video recording from the holding cell camera. She did not run with as much urgency as before, at least not of the life-threatening variety. The taller fox lifted his head to peer at Doug… and then returned to where he'd seated his cousin's slumping self, out of immediate sight. 'Sounds different'… even I can distinguish between voices and Gid sounds the same to me… he thought, frowning some as he breathed deep and retrieved from his back pocket a handkerchief to wipe the regurgitate off the trembling chin. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he lied.
Clearly, not fine, "Want to talk about it?" Nick tried, lowering his head to get a better look at the other fox's face. Even with how avoidant he was, Nick could read the lies on him like a book.
"Naw, I'm good," he lied again; gaze vehemently averted even if the eyeballs flicked behind their lids.
The paw held that chin and turned it closer but those eyes remained closed; the head tried but could not yank away from the gentle touch. You refused like this before, too… "Would you look at me?" he asked but not with the indignation of earlier that night, rather with concern.
A light whimper first responded before those lids fluttered open, revealing the silver irises within. Nick studied them, so alike in color to Esther's when her temper ran high but housing none of the fire, only sadness. The taller fox filled his air with lungs and gave his warmest smile, "There you are," he said and finished wiping the messy mouth before folding the hanky and tucking it away, never breaking line-of-sight as he asked, "See, didn't I say you'd outfox him? I saw you turning but you were clever enough to get it out of you; that was some quick thinking."
Those sad eyes glanced away in shame, his face falling off the paw to join the gaze with a self-defeating whimper.
Still, no…? "You did it, Bangs," Nick tried again; "We don't even need a confession now, not if Doug's DNA is literally all over that NH serum. Whatever scheme he might've had to slip out of that wolf-suit means nothing and even the slimiest lawyer will have their work cut out for them. And it's all thanks to you!"
"I-I-I-I didn't do nuthin'…" he answered, lightly scratching his arm as he looked up again, his eyes as gray as ever, if laced with tears, "'Cause you ain't s'posed to know about me… but you do… don't you?"
Nick sighed, Maybe… he tried to deny, And Judy did say you 'sounded different', didn't she, except I don't think it's your voice that changed but how she feels when hearing it. He embraced the quaking shoulders, sitting as close as he could to cradle the bowing head to his chest, I guess if someone's the same on the outside but different on the inside then they're… what's the fancy name for it? 'Dissociative Identity'? A coping mechanism for mind-breaking trauma, if I remember correctly… "Your secret's safe with me, Lenny."
The silver eyes peeked up from the hold, teeth sinking into the dark, bottom lip as his tail curled a bit tighter around him, "You… you called me 'Lenny'?"
"That's your name, right?" Nick responded in his most comforting paternal tone, Oh jeez, this is weird… his mannerisms are just slightly different from Gid's…
"Y-Yeah…"
"I've heard about you from both Gid and Ruth. She calls you his 'guardian angel', you know."
"Y-yeah, but… I don't know what I am… an angel, a spirit, a soul… I looked it up on the Internet and that helped a little… and I think I'm a lion but I only see a fox in the mirror, even though Gid's got blue eyes and I don't… All I do know is I gotta protect Gid…" said 'Lenny'.
"Like you protected him in… back when they hurt him?" Nick carefully said and then realized, Jiminy Cricket… I'm talking with someone that actually remembers what happened in pred-therapy… and has the mental clarity to recall it! In a manner of speaking, anyway…
'Lenny' nodded. "He woke up with wounds but didn't know how he got 'em. He was scared, so I sang to him. And after he lost Travis he tried to eat the Night Howler…" he choked, "He was so sad and couldn't take it anymore, only knew that eating that flower was bad but I forced it out of him - I had to - just like his Pa taught if he ever ate a bad mushroom or berry out in the woods… I tried to clean up and that's when his Ma saw me and I was scared… but she was really nice. And then I went out and hit Night Howlers with a stick, as many as I could find so Gid couldn't eat 'em…"
Nick's blood ran ice cold as his ears pinned back and eyes widened, breath catching behind clenched jaws. "Lenny… did you know why the Night Howler was so bad?"
"Y-Yeah…" he choked again and trembled, claws digging into Nick's chest, "I had to stop smashing them because Gid got in trouble. I won't ever forget how it feels on the belly, though, that's how I knew he ate it tonight…"
The world blurred as the sheriff and her deputies stormed the holding cells. Doug complied well enough with the whole-body restraints that his accomplice Dent was strapped into (so long as he got his single phone call since Dent and Tad already got theirs). Lanny scooped up a still trembling Gideon to give him a quick medical check (and did make note of his odd eye coloration but didn't find anything physically wrong, as best he could figure). Judy convened with her partner outside and behind the sheriff's office after he "needed some air"; it was another common practice of theirs for him to go hiding and her to find him.
"Hey Nick?" she asked as she stood adjacent. Judy was not answered immediately by any means of vocal communication but rather grabbed by the waist and held like a plush doll. With his chin atop her head and a loose hug bolting her into place, the rabbit awaited the fox's reasoning for such emotional behavior.
"I found Lenny," he stated, earned her attention, "He's been inside Gid's head this whole time. Nice guy, very protective, and yes, he's a lion."
"Dissociative identity…" Judy realized and gasped, "Of course, the trauma from pred-therapy…"
"Yep. Turns out Gid tried to eat Night Howler in the past but his 'guardian angel' - as my Aunt Ruth would call him - put a quick stop to that. It's how he was able to come out with most of his marbles intact."
"Because he was never there… And if 'Lenny' recognized the taste or texture then that means… he must have been force-fed Night Howler in pred-therapy…" she concluded while reclining against Nick's chest, both feet propped up on his knee as she pondered aloud, "I learned from Graham that Clea is still running a… huge social experiment or something in the Hopps Manor of Knotash and that he was part of it. It occurred to me that Magnus would have used some sort of midnicampum holichithias extract to develop the drug we encountered this weekend and that maybe the victims of pred-therapy were there to suffer the screams of dying rabbits."
"Carrots… I think it's much more obvious than that," Nick said, looking down to the craning neck of the bunny in his lap, "Like you implied, every drug needs test subjects, right? This weekend was supposed to be for whatever narcotic Magnus cooked up, and like how it was sixteen years ago, Gideon was targeted but unlike then, when it was more a matter of availability what with the new child protection laws, this time it might have more to do with tying up loose ends."
Judy's eyes fell as he stared out across the alley behind the sheriff's office in which they hid. "He must have realized that if Gideon was still sane, maybe he'd remember something from that time… But why such a roundabout way to silence him?"
"That's how Magnus operates… apparently; it's how he's always operated. He manipulates not from the shadows but from the glaring light of public innocence. His plans take months, years to enact and no one would ever suspect that he's the one behind it all. Back when Gideon was a kit, Goliath was strong-armed into permitting his own son's admittance into a then-undisclosed 'therapy' or else risk losing him forever. Since Magnus was already involved with the Supais, he could have already dug into Goliath's past but kept the information to himself to use as leverage. More to the point, I think he knew about the properties of the NH flower, even back then."
"Was the flower fed to predators to bolster the results of the 'therapy'?"
"I have no idea," Nick dully recounted and when Judy looked up at him again, the fox pulled her closer, "Goliath always hated the Night Howler but never said why, so it must have something to do with the Supais. Magnus was involved with the Supais, and according to both you and Esther, Clea knew her stuff when it came to brain chemistry and she was involved - however briefly - with Cyrus Bellwether, the late brother of Dawn Bellwether…"
"What… what are you getting at?"
"Every drug needs a test group…" Nick repeated, "Is it possible that Gideon was part of a child test group?"
"Nick…" she pleaded, gripping his arm.
He fell silent and breathed deeply to steel himself. "Judy… I've been denying it ever since I spoke with 'Lenny' but I don't think I can anymore."
Judy's grip on his arm relaxed to, instead, stroke down until she held his paw and gave him an assuring nod, to which he exhaled and nodded in turn.
"Pred-therapy was used to make the Night Howler serum."
Author's Notes:
The dreams which Gideon referred to (about Aslan's "visits") were from Brave, chapters 17 and 18, specifically when he reflected on his most recent one and the symbolism of "getting through the thorns".
"Shepherd Folly" is loosely based on the scientific name of midnicampum holicithias, which roughly translates to "all shepherd between the fields".
Night Howler honey first comes in Trustworthy, chapter 11, and is discussed later on in the story.
"Vurp" was used by Vanellope Von Schweetz in the movie Wreck-it Ralph.
Back in Trustworthy, chapter 6, Nick visits his mom for the first time in sixteen years and finds the collage of printouts from Judy's FuzzBook page (a pun on FaceBook).
Nick's analysis of why Doug smells like a wolf (i.e., that is a 'predo', a prey with certain… inclinations toward predators) is from Brave, chapter 20. Also of interest, remember how he swiped his tail but didn't hit Doug's face? I guess you could say that Nick "missed him by that much", 'eh?
"...the cuff of his sleeve to make it glimmer in the mirror..." Judy did this in the movie.
Judy references the Species/Culture-Affirming Rules of Exception (S/CARE) of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, and the part which allows for small prey species (rabbits, mice, etc.) to act as emotional support in otherwise confidential circumstances.
Bagh & Little is Esther's law firm.
Nick said "need to have faith that he's strong enough to handle this" to Esther in Brave, chapter 19 before running off to aid in the pie-eating contest.
"Grav yanking the tie he let get too close the last time he was in there." came from Brave, chapter 12.
"Rodeos" in Bunnyburrow are largely performance pieces of athleticism (or comedy) and something akin to professional wrestling.
When Doug implied that Nick threatened his life, he's talking about their exchange in Brave, chapter 20.
"…how she feels when she hears it…" references a habit of Judy's to correlate emotion to those she holds dear, allowing her to keep tabs on them if they're within earshot even among great noise; in Gideon's case, something similar to "Help me". It was first brought up in Trustworthy, chapter 27, and further explored in Brave, most notably in chapters 23 and 24. Also in Chapter 23 of Brave is the "huge social experiment" that she learned about from Grav/Graham.