Chapter 20
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A few days later both Commander Fangmeyer and Delilah Voxen were waiting outside the ZED. "I don't have much time left," the latter said, nervously looking at her phone. The large tiger looked at her with a little hint of disapproval in her eyes, only for them to widen as her earpiece chirped. Holding a claw to it and listening, she nodded and looked over at the waiting vixen.
"Well, the good news is that she's arrived at the gates."
Delilah breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Oh thanks…" she said, smiling. It broke off though as she looked up at the imposing tiger. "Though I don't know why she couldn't have gotten the helicopter back?"
"Getting her out there quickly was the priority," the tiger noted, "as was having our air fleet back at base and ready on standby." She turned down and looked at the vixen. "Besides, even though she could fly herself back, I don't know what's so bad about offering a train ticket. In any case, that fire chief offered to drive her over. I don't see the problem."
"I just…"
"We may deal in heroes," Fangmeyer grunted, "but, as I've been rudely awakened to, we're still a government agency, and the taxpayers are very happy to give us not quite enough."
"I…" Delilah began, only to pause and nod her head. "I suppose…" Whatever she was saying trailed off as a massive pickup truck pulled up next to them. It ground to a halt and, as the groan of a hand break pulling back rang out, the driver's door swung open and revealed the driver. He was a great big brown timber wolf, his head fur shaggy and the muscles showing from beneath his fire service uniform.
"This tha' Z-E-D?" he spoke, a thick redneck accent coming through.
"Commander Fangmeyer," the tiger austerely introduced herself, walking forwards. "I presume my agent was of use?"
There was a snort from his nose, his nostrils flaring slightly, as he stared her down. "Y'all don't know how to treat a hero, do-ya?"
"Excuse me?"
"We had a real hum-dinger of a fire up there," he began, pointing in the vague direction of his home. "A real thing from tha' pits o' hell! And then we get a chopper comin' up, bringin' that little vixen. And what she do? She starts gettin' to work. We put her in our 'copter, and fly her to whichever town we think is gonna get turned ta' cinders! She used her little wand and would blast and drag that fire back into the burnt out bits of forest, an' freeze the embers cold! She personally saved six towns, twelve little villages, and a whole lot else! When we weren't hoppin' from town to town, she was killing off the fire front with our crew!"
"That's what we do at the ZED," Fangmeyer noted, only to be cut off by the wolf's paw.
"An' a whole lot more," he lectured, indignantly. "I bet she were up three whole days! Worked through the night, far more than we firemammals on tha' ground. I saw her chuggin' coffee an' energy drinks, not that she seemed to enjoy them very much. She was gaggin' and coughing after each swig and all. Kept her up though, and she's a real hero! Least you could do was give her a 'copter ride back home!"
Fangmeyer blinked a few times. "Well, she's home! I don't see what the issue is?"
"An issue of respect, tha's what!"
"Some on your side would be much appreciated."
The wolf snorted, before turning to Delilah. "You her mother or somethin'?"
"Yes," she replied, smiling. "I wanted to be here for when my little girl got back from her big mission."
The wolf snorted slightly, a warm smile growing on his muzzle. "Well, I can say one thing," he said, walking over to the door to the back seats. "Y'all have a lot to be proud of!"
"I know," Delilah said, paws to her heart as the wolf knocked a few times at the window. He paused, before looking back when he got no response.
"I'm 'fraid she's absolutely outta it. Slept the whole journey!" He chuckled slightly, before pulling the back door open, revealing Brittany in all her lack of glory. Both her uniform and her exposed fur were covered in soot and ash, all grimed up. Shattered by the toll of her three days of continuous work, she was slumped over, her mouth wide open and her long tongue hanging out. Her blonde hair was a tangled-up mess, requiring a full wash and dry. What both Delilah and Fangmeyer noticed first though was that she was sitting in a child's car seat. More specifically, a 'Luna the Moon Princess' car seat, with a similarly branded blanket draped over her, the main character smiling out towards the onlookers. "She looks so much like ma'h little Josie, Y'all know?" the wolf said, smiling fondly as he pointed. "Though ma'h girl don't have that funky hair, and is more a browny red and all."
Fangmeyer looked at him and her eyes narrowed. "Please explain the respect in this?" she said, pointing at her agent. "Towards the hero."
The wolf just rolled his eyes. "Y'all suppose to use proper sized seats, aren't ya?" he noted. "-'sides, she was so tired after we put the fire out, she just climbed up in there and nodded off. Either too worn out to notice, or she thought she'd get a better sleep in it… -I'm pretty much leaning towards camp B there, though maybe camp A had a part to play. I…"
SNAP
The wolf looked down, and saw Delilah with her phone out, taking a few more photos of her daughter's compromised position for good measure.
"Naw tha's just cruel," he noted.
"She disposed of an old baby photo I had of her," Delilah noted, putting her phone away and giving a proud smile. "This is just getting even."
The wolf let out a snort of a laugh. "As ya'll do!" He chuckled a few times, only to pause as he heard a stirring behind her. Brittany, her eyes fluttering slightly, sat up and looked at them.
"Hi Muuu…" she began, before trailing off into a long vulpine yawn, her mouth locking open and her tongue coiling up like a snake. The wolf just shook his head and walked forwards, undoing her restraints and helping her out.
"Here you are, li'l hero. Home, safe and sound."
"Thaaaannkkkkssss," she half-yawned, wobbling on her feet as she stumbled into her mother's paws.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you darling!" she said, hugging her daughter tightly. Brittany hugged back, but not as tight, and she wobbled a bit on her feet as she did so, her eyes drooping closed. "-But I think I'll have to put you to bed and get back home to your father and Kinsey."
"That's…" she began, before trailing off. Delilah grunted slightly as she took her daughter's full weight, looking up at the chuckling wolf.
"I told ya'll she was tired!"
Delilah joined in, even Fangmeyer managing to break a smile.
"How about I take her back to her room?" A fourth voice joined in, and they looked up to see Bogo arrive. He still had a faint limp but had ditched his walking stick.
Delilah nodded at his offer and he picked Brittany up. Cradling her like a baby, he took her back to her room. On the way, he couldn't help but notice that her tongue was peaking out of the tip of her mouth and, as she breathed in and out, she was making an odd sound. 'Wulluwulluwulla…' A happy smile grew across his face as he entered her room. The bad news he had for her could wait, she needed to rest and relax first. He pulled back her covers and laid her down, tucking her in. He turned to leave, only to pause as he did so.
…
He walked back to her and leant in, hesitating nervously. A clash of feelings and unwritten rules flew around inside him, and he winced away slightly before finally giving in. He leant forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Something he'd had an urge to do for years but had always held back on for professionalisms sake.
That, and fear… Fear that it would end up just like last time, with the last mammal he'd let himself feel this way about.
But neither of those really mattered much anymore and, as he exited her room, he stole one last glimpse of her and whispered his true feelings to the wind. "Sleep tight. I love you."
She stirred slightly and snuggled up in her bed in response, and drifted into a long and deep sleep.
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It was in the early hours of the next morning, the sun only just lighting up the sky but not yet over the horizon, that Brittany woke up. She groaned slightly, stepping out and wobbling on her aching feet as she got her bearings. No standard shifts planned for today, she remembered, but that didn't mean that something big couldn't come up and needed her assistance. So, she planned to keep busy, keeping herself on her paw pads. A long shower came first, scrubbing off the dirt and ash that covered and stained her fur. Her used uniform would go in the wash, so she dried herself out and put on some casual wear. A nice pair of leggings and a dress, nothing too fancy. A specific feeling had been coming over her that morning and, reaching over to her desk, she pulled out a chill pill and swallowed it down. She could manage her heat fine without it, noting that this most certainly was heat and she was in it, but a bit of her wanted the easy way out today, albeit not the fun easy way out… Maybe later... Thus, she was then off to a very early breakfast, loading up with food and such, her work having made her very hungry. As she finished up, she noticed Judy walking in.
"Up early today," the bunny sassed.
"I can say the same for you," Brittany joked.
Judy rolled her eyes as she picked up her plate of food, planting herself down by the red fox. "Farm girl," she stated. "Old habits die hard."
"Well, I spent three days up fighting a forest fire, and then the best part of a day sleeping." She paused, and then chuckled. "I guess I'm up now because I'm all sleeped out!"
Judy chuckled too, before shaking her head. "Have to keep busy though, duty calls."
"It certainly does," Brittany noted with an eye roll. She paused though, before looking over at the bunny. "Say… -How are things now that you're not going after the Hustler?"
The bunny paused, looking at her and thinking. "I'd say a lot less frustrating for a start!" she noted, her friend chuckling in response. "And Skye gets a lot of work now, given how powerful she is…" There was a pause, as she thought. "I'd say it's more relaxed… -but I win all my battles now, which is super fun!" She smiled, giving a quick shrug. "It's nice. I've been able to take time off to visit my family and stuff." Brittany nodded as Judy carried on. "And I wouldn't want to fight Nick anymore. I've actually been able to make friends with him. He's really quite nice. Funny too."
Brittany leant in, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. "Don't tell me you fancy him or anything," she joked, only for her eyes to go wide as she saw Judy's doing the same. "-No way…!"
"Nope!" she shot out, panickingly slightly from the shock.
"-I mean there's nothing wrong with…"
"-Totally absolutely not happening..." Judy stated more firmly, but still with an odd hint of nerves in her voice. She looked down and shook her head. "We're... -just friends…. -Just friends," she repeated, telling herself as much as Brittany... Just friends… She couldn't help but sigh though, remembering that said friend would be going soon. "In any case, he's got a job and is leaving town for a bit. Hasn't he told you?"
"I… -no, he hasn't," Brittany stated.
"Hmmm," Judy pondered. "He said he'd be telling Skye. Has she said anything?"
"Don't think so."
"Oh well," Judy noted, turning back to her food. She watched Brittany turn to leave, only for the vixen to pause mid-step.
"Say… -Judy," she began, nervously.
"Uh-hu?"
She fidgeted with her toes slightly, looking down as she did so, before speaking out. "As… -As an enforcer… How do you deal with those moments when… -you think it might by all over, you know?"
Judy's ears drooped down, and she turned, reaching out a paw and taking one of Brittany's in her own. "Honestly… -I don't really feel that way often. Most of the time, I'm helping the ZPD or dealing with untrained criminals or…"
"But how do you deal with it when it happens?" Brittany asked again, holding Judy's paw tighter.
The bunny paused, closing her eyes as she thought, before finally working out what she was going to say. "When I went against Jack, I was scared but confident. I thought I could take him. But when he was about to win, I was scared. More scared than I've ever been…" She paused, closing her eyes and speaking out. "But I'm pretty sure that nothing that bad will come again. I don't remember anything half as scary as that in my career… -It's not really fair that your first intro to this stuff was with him."
Brittany nodded, before stepping forwards and hugging Judy, the bunny returning the favour.
"Why do you ask?"
Brittany looked away slightly, fussing with her feet. "Well… -I just spent a lot of time using my powers to protect people. I did a lot of good. I'm also getting more used to my ice powers…" She breathed in and out, before carrying on. "I chose not to become an enforcer, as I didn't want to kill or hurt anyone… -I… -I still have the odd dream about Jack, just burning… burning and burning and burning at my paws. My fire powers can only hurt and kill when used on mammals," she explained. "But I was thinking, maybe my ice powers would let me help out as an enforcer… -without the risk of harming anyone." There was a pause, before Brittany huffed and shook her head. "Forget about it," she said. "I couldn't cope with being be that scared again… -or risk it."
She stood up, turning to leave, only to realize that Judy kept a hold of her. The bunny stood up and walked forwards, giving her a big hug. "There's nothing wrong with not wanting to fight, or not wanting to put yourself in danger. You hear me?"
"I know," Brittany said firmly, her bottom lip quivering. "I get to use my powers for good, on my own terms. No-one else's."
"Exactly," Judy noted, looking at her and smiling. "Besides, we've got so many mammals who can fight. Meanwhile, you can go out and save whole towns from forest fires."
"Yeah!" the vixen said proudly, crossing her arms and smiling.
Judy looked on and playfully punched her in the arm. "But if you ever want to be an enforcer, even if it's just helping out here and there, you just have to say."
"I know," Brittany said. "Thanks Judy."
"You're welcome."
She turned to leave, only to pause by the door as the bunny called out. "-By the way," she said. "Fire isn't all destructive. I've seen it used to sterilise equipment, and many years ago, mammals used it to cauterize wounds… -just saying."
Brittany listened on, turning back and nodding, before walking out. She found herself in the test labs after that, practicing with her wand. Most of it was moves with the cold function, as she tried to carve out ice restraints and stuff. She tried pulling up pillars of ice around the practice dummys, restraining them to the ground. While they were growing in size with more practice, they were still fairly small. She guessed that she could use them on smaller mammals, if she ever became an enforcer. Other ice restraints, such as handcuff like blocks, could be made. A quick inspection though showed them to be easy to shatter. A new idea came into her head and, focussing cold onto one of the dummy's, she tried to chill it down. Using her cold vision, she could see that it was freezing…
-That would be a very easy way of disabling any attacking mammal, she thought to herself. It would definitely be worth talking to Karen about it. Making sure that she cooled them down enough to make them unable to fight, but not to cause any lasting damage. She smiled at the thought. The idea of being an enforcer, putting herself in mortal peril again, sent chills down her spine even now. But this might be a way to take down bad guys without causing any harm to them. Heck, she might not even have to battle them. She could just assist with the main enforcer, doing her chill down power while providing location updates with her heat vision…
-That could work…
Maybe in the future though, she noted. She didn't feel ready for that kind of thing at all, and she wasn't going to push it. She turned to leave, only to pause as she remembered what Judy had said about fire. She turned around and focussed on one of the dummy's, sending out a coil of fire at one of them. She encircled it, caging him in but not harming him. Breaking her fire attack off, she used her heat vision to survey the damage. It was warm, but not scalding hot. She looked at the little tip of fire coming from her wand and let out a faint smile. Maybe it too would have a use.
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Gently knocking on Clawhauser's door, she waited outside, jumping up and down on her toe-pads. "Just a minute," he called from inside, and she was happy to wait. She looked around, only for her gaze to land on a TV screen playing the news.
She couldn't help but let a look of distaste grow on her muzzle.
Dawn Bellwether stood there, looking very proud for herself, as the text rolling beneath confirmed that it had finally happened. She'd won her vote. She'd officially replaced Lionheart. She was the mayor of Zootopia. Brittany looked on as the ewe carried on speaking. "Many have asked what my issue is with empowered mammals. Why I'm so 'against them'. Whether this is just taking personal trauma from my past and taking it too far. Asking whether all this is just revenge…" Brittany paused, wondering if the sheep had suffered at the paws of an empowered in the past. That would certainly explain a lot, though in her mind it didn't justify what she'd done. In any case, if the ewe could hold stuff against the empowered, then Brittany could hold stuff against her. That seemed fair. "I would like to categorically deny that. Moreover, I'd like to invoke the founding principles of our fair city. Zootopia was built on the ideal of mammals coming together and working together for a common good, in peace and harmony. A key principle of this was accommodation and consideration. It would be built to accommodate the largest and smallest mammals. The predators would act with consideration to the prey, and vice-versa. The large would consider the small when they moved, with the small returning the favour. Accommodation. Consideration. As time has passed, this has matured into tax and social policies, and all sorts of laws… But the founders could never predict the empowered awakening, and while our city can naturally accommodate both empowered and non-empowered, I simply believe that the consideration has been lacking. On the non-empowered behalf, we've accommodated the empowered. We have facilities like the ZED to help them and let them reach their potential. We've allowed them to use their powers for private business, letting many of them grow rich. We even consider the mental issues that can be present, offering therapy and help for those afflicted with 'the call' instead of straight up criminalizing and jailing. But I strongly believe that a lack of consideration has flowed back in return. That's all I'm asking, for the normal guys. For some consideration to those made homeless when an empowered child has a temper-tantrum and burns down an apartment building by mistake." Brittany froze, both figuratively and literally, as a chill of worry grow through her and hoarfrost grew over some of her fur. Was that what the ewe really thought of her? It couldn't… The fire didn't really spread beyond her own flat, didn't it? "-Consideration for when a lucky empowered is able to use his powers to make a fortune, putting many people who built their lives or sunk their savings and effort into the replaced work out of a job, sometimes ruining them. Consideration for those left behind. I do not believe that what I'm asking is extreme or hostile. It is merely asking some very lucky mammals to remember the contract that our fair city was founded on and to chip in, else those they short change get angry and more extreme. Violent, even. I do not want that. No-one does. I just want peace. Thank you. And, to all empowered mammals, I want you to know that I have your best interests at heart. Peace and safety. That is all."
"What about this empowered mammal?" Brittany muttered, pulling her powers back in as the door behind her opened.
"Welcome back Brittany," Clawhauser said happily, the red fox turning to hug him. He smiled, giving her a pat on the head and welcoming her in. They sat down together, joining a third member in the room.
"Were you looking for my Momma?" Larry interrogated.
"I was doing my job," Brittany explained, smiling. "There were some massive forest fires, and I…"
"-So NO!" he shouted, an angry look on his mouth as he looked up at her. She sighed, rubbing her face with her paws before speaking out.
"I was very busy," she said, "and we don't have anything to go on. It's really hard…"
"You… -you just don't care about me," he half accused and half sniffed. "You just don't…" He began to tear up, and Brittany couldn't help but walk over and pick him up as he began to cry. Tears came out, and he sobbed, and she gently began stroking her thumb pad down his back. He quivered a little and then reached out, wrapping his hands around some of her fingers. Her mouth opened into a little 'O', and she brought her other paw over him. She held him there, hugging him, as he cried and tantrummed out.
A brief glance to her side, and she smiled as she saw the expression on Clawhauser's face. It was a giant grin, with his paws tuckered up into his chin. He was in bliss. "He's so small, I struggle to really interact with him," he said, chuckling. "But you're the perfect size."
"Yeah," Brittany replied. Looking around, she noticed a few worksheets and realised that this must have been a lesson for him. "Were you busy?" she asked.
Clawhauser nodded. "But it's okay."
She turned her gaze back to Larry, who'd finally calmed down. "You okay to talk?" she asked. He looked up and nodded slightly. "I want to help you, okay? But it's hard, and I'm struggling." She paused, turning over to an item in her pocket. "But I do have a plan. Want to hear it?"
He nodded his head slowly.
"I'm going to take a sample of your DNA…"
"My Dunnae?"
"DNA," she clarified. "It's the instructions that tell your body how to grow. You get half from each parent. And, I'll be sending it off to this company. They test it, the idea is to help mammals see who their ancestors were."
"Ancestors?"
She smiled. "Mammals like your grandparents' grandparents, and so on. Mammals from your family who lived a long long time ago. But I'm going to see if we can use this to find who your mother is."
His eyes lit up hopefully, and she couldn't help but smile. It was a long shot, as the usual thing apparently relied more on census reports and records and such. Still, maybe the DNA test could narrow it down and, if it didn't get his mother, it could get a close relative or something. She pulled out a cotton swab and put it in his mouth, taking a sample.
"You gonna send that now? For testing?"
"It'll go in the post later on," she said.
He frowned slightly. "But why not now!?"
"Larry," Clawhauser began. "The post only gets picked up in the evening. As long as Brittany sends it out before five, it'll go out as early as it can."
"Can't you send it earlier?"
"No," she replied, before sighing. "It's also going to take a while for them to do the test. You need to understand that." She frowned, leaning in closer to him. "Larry. I want you to understand that we're trying to help you, and that takes time. You getting angry with us for taking too long doesn't help!"
He nodded a little.
"I also want you to say sorry for making a mess with my family," she said sternly. "I thought you could play with my sister and have some fun."
"But… -But I want my Momma," he pleaded.
"I know you do," Brittany replied, leaning in and hugging him with one of her paws. She couldn't help it, and felt obligated to stroke his back with her thumb again to comfort him. "But it'll take time. And don't you want to make friends and have fun in that time?"
He looked up, and paused. "But I…"
"Larry," she said sternly. "Whatever happens, we'll find her. But you can spend that time having lots of fun and making plenty of friends. Or you can spend that time alone and bored and sad. It's up to you."
He nodded. "Okay… -I'll try to be good."
Brittany smiled, and paw-hugged him tight. She couldn't help but feel good as his face lit up. Maybe they were getting somewhere with him?
She walked outside, sighing. The tv was playing a report about energy issues, debating a plan to increase electricity exports. She looked on as they discussed the options. Subsidising heavy industry and using the waste heat for district heating rather than putting electricity through the city heat pumps; putting a transparent cover over the rainforest district to keep the heat in, given that it used the vast majority of energy to keep warm; building a new powerhouse for the dam and increasing its capacity, along with a wind farm to work in tandem, letting more water be kept behind when the wind blew and releasing it when the wind didn't. Finally, there was talk of getting a company called Lanhoff-Piper in to look at potential geothermal fields, producing electricity as well as a new heat source for the rainforest. A pundit talked, mentioning that the second was very unpopular but the most effective, while he felt the mayor would be far less fond of the last one. He carried on talking, and Brittany followed it for a bit before wandering off. She guessed that Karen would probably be the one who knew the most about that stuff.
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Later on that day, there was a brief callout that Brittany dealt with in under an hour. After that she chose to make a diversion, landing on the balcony outside her parent's flat. Knocking on the door, they were surprised but happy. They let her in and, with Kinsey, she recounted all the things that had gone on while she was out fighting a forest fire. After that, and some food (Brittany deciding firmly that she needed to stay a day with her mother so that they could do all the baking (and for that matter just general cooking), a thing that she knew nothing about having never been taught), she took off and made her way back to the ZED. She was making her way over to Skye's room, thinking about hanging out with her for a little, when she turned a corner and ran straight into Bogo's leg.
"Oh! Sorry!"
He chuckled a little. "No worries," he replied happily, flexing it a bit. "It's all fixed now."
She paused a bit, before chuckling too. "Oh good! You up to anything?"
"No," he replied. "And you?"
"Not really," she said, pausing to think. "Though I still need to be working out this meal plan thing…"
"No, you don't," he said, her eyes widening in confusion. "-Because I've paid and sorted it all out."
She gasped, her paws covering her mouth. "Oh-thankyou! Oh-thankyou! Oh-thankyou!"
The large cape buffalo chuckled, before sighing. "Least I could do. It's all set out to start in a few days."
"You're the best!" she said firmly, reaching up to pat him on his side.
The buffalo felt a bit of melancholy as she said it, thinking 'at least you think that'. But then a new idea hit his head. "You know… there's a game on at the moment. Want to go back to my room and enjoy it with me?" he asked.
She paused, before a wide grin grew on her muzzle. "Totally!"
And so she settled down with him in his room, cheering on as his team played. She'd never been in there before, noticing that it was filled with memento's and knick-knack's. Even a large drinks cabinet, though he chose to offer her a beer instead. Mellowing on, she got into it all and was screaming out in joy when they just about scraped a victory.
"WOOHOOO! WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!" She cried, before firing off a few celebratory puffs of fire from her hands into the air.
"I see you're enjoying this," Bogo commented, smiling fondly at her as he did so.
"Yeah," she replied with a huff, as she sat back down on the soft chair. The large cape buffalo couldn't help but notice how she was dwarfed by the thing, having needed a hoof up to get on. As he sat down next to her, he noticed that she was snuggling up to him, a paw coming around for a hug. "We should do this more often."
"I…" Bogo began, smiling before he froze. A deep concern going through him, he cleared his throat and began to speak when Brittany spoke first.
"-Do you think Bellwether will cause us a lot of problems?"
He was silent for a few moments, looking down as she looked up with worried eyes, one of her paws resting on him for comfort. He couldn't help but pull one of his hoofs around her. It had been his duty to care for her, hadn't it? And he did. He really did care for her. "No," he said, reassuringly. "Nothing too big or too rough. Nothing we can't get through."
She nodded a little. "What if people start to get violent, or… -I was hearing things here and there, about…"
"Dumb, idiot mammals, who can't really do anything," he said. He paused, looking over to a bronze sickle sword, mounted up on one wall. It was barely a dagger for a mammal of his size, but it was perfect for a smaller mammal like Brittany. "See that?"
"Yes."
"A gift I received on my first mission. When I first started working for the ZED, I was sent out to help the military," he began. "To spy for them… -The whole of Pawasia Minor had just been rocked by the Efrafan war of independence." There was a pause, and he shook his head. "Those mad hares. Hazel-Rah, Hrairoo, Thlayli and all the rest," he began. "Them and their Romany Fox allies. There was a strong belief that they had some incredibly powerful empowered in there. They'd destroyed the attacking airforce and armour, but we believed something else was in play. I, posing as a soldier in a diplomatic mission, confirmed it."
"What did you find?" she asked, curiously.
"Hrairoo had a very powerful foresight empowerment," he began. "They used that, and the other powers on their paw, to win." There was a soft chuckle, and he shook his head. "Good for them, I suppose."
"So, you're saying that if mammals try and attack us, we'll win."
"Yes," he replied, a hoof stroking over and down her blonde hair. "The right empowered in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."
There was a pause, as she looked away, silently. "This is the right place for me," she said, a little smile coming on at the end. "It's my home, and so many of my friends are family here. It's the right place."
…
He closed his eyes, not liking what he had to say, but pushing it out regardless. She needed to know. "Brittany…"
"Yes."
"I was questioned… recently…"
"Oh," she said, almost whimpering. He could see the shake of pain in her and the trembling of her eyes.
"Charges may well be brought forward," he explained, looking away slightly. "I may be taken away…"
There was a sniff from his side, and his face lightened as he felt two little arms try to wrap around him. Looking down, he saw Brittany next to him, holding on. "If you are…" she began, turning to look up, a light still burning in her eyes. "I'll still visit you. Remember me saying that! I won't leave you alone!"
He looked away for a second but, on looking back, he smiled. He leant forwards and hugged her back tight. "I know," he said. "Thank you."
They stayed like that, hugging each other for comfort, for a good while.
Neither of them could see a good reason to let go.
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AN: If you haven't read the fic 'Son's of Efrafa', read the fic 'Son's of Efrafa'. Taking Zootopia, a ton of alternate history, a great reimagining of Watership Down lore and enough world building to make god jealous and my favourite OC character (Sorry Bree! It was super close, honest!), it's a truly epic fic in both scope and fun. While a very loose 'reference' here, it was fun to make.