Port Wombat, Outback Island

July 2nd, 2018, 11:15 AM

The Zootopia Police Department was divided into a total of 13 precincts, each having jurisdiction over one of the city's districts and each marked numerically. The only exception to this rule was Precinct 1, which could investigate and intervene anywhere in the city. Therefore, in an effort to find out what was happening to the stolen reptiles and eggs, officers Hopps, Wilde and Frost took their investigation to Outback Island. As a measure of precaution, they drove an unmarked vehicle and wore civilian attires.

"Agent Pardrick, this is Officer Frost; we're entering the Outback Island District – so far, no sign of anything suspicious. Over." Jimmy announced via radio, while Judy gently wheeled the car out of the ferry in search of a proper parking space.

"Roger that," Pardrick's voice was heard on the other end of the line, "Keep your eyes peeled, and pay attention to the behavior of anyone who seems suspicious. Over."

"Roger that. Over and out," Jimmy bid farewell for the time being, then rubbed his palms in joy, "Good ol' action, here we come again! Thanks a bunch for letting me take the front seat, by the way."

"You're welcome." Judy winked graciously, before taking a side glance towards the back, "As much as I like driving with Nick, I gotta say it's a lot calmer this way."

Nick promptly moved in behind Judy's seat, creeping his hands towards the doe's sensitive ears, "You know, Carrots, from here, your ears are in perfect massage distance…"

"Don't you dare, Nicholas Wilde!" Judy bayed demandingly, just as she felt the slightest touch. The red fox slid back into his seat, snickering to himself.

"You know, I've been thinking we should have a name," Jimmy's suggestion of a topic was met with inquisitive glances.

"What do you mean?" Nick raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, you know, a team name. Like…" Jimmy puzzled, before pulling the first thought, "The Copsy Kings?"

"Nah, that's cringy," Nick waved it off without hesitation.

"The Delta Fox Squad?" Jimmy asked again.

"That one's taken." Judy shook her head.

"Hmm…" Jimmy pursed his lips and laid his hand under his jaw, puzzling and puzzling. And then, he pointed up once again, "Wait, wait, I got it! The Three Copalleros!"

Judy, who smiled at the idea, nudged her eyebrows at Nick for appraisal. In response, the older tod conceded, "Puns may be the lowest form of humor, but this rolls off the tongue well, so I'll take it!" While Jimmy was grinning from ear to ear, Nick had to divert their attention to something more important, "Now, with that out of the way, we should go out a little bit, so our senses can be of use. Am I right?"

"Good point," Judy nodded, "Hey, Jimmy? Why don't you scurry over to the driver's seat and wait for us to come back? We'll need to get moving as soon as we pick out what could be our smugglers."

Jimmy was elated at the opportunity, "Sure thing!"

Before the pale-furred policeman could jump to the wheel, Judy diverted his attention, "And don't forget to adjust the brake panel height. The switch is under the wheel."

"Right," Jimmy nodded before he ducked over to check what Judy was talking about. After a while, he found it at last and flicked it. Yet lifting up his head, he dismissed all too quickly that the steering wheel was above it. Therefore, he bumped himself getting back up.

Outside, life continued as normal. Mammals of all shapes and sizes docked at Port Wombat, going further onwards about their business, and the soundscape was dominated by walla. For Judy and Nick, this made relying on their keen ears a little more difficult. Blending in was not a problem, considering that there were larger mammals in their vicinity and that the two officers kept a distance far enough for them to not be suspected as coworkers.

Judy's sense of smell didn't lend itself very well to picking out anything unusual in large crowds. Even though she'd accustomed herself to the smell of wild reptiles in her past investigation, she couldn't make it out. Nick's nose was much keener, but it didn't manage to sniff out any scales yet. So far, all they could see were payloads being carried and wheeled along.

Just when everything seemed utterly ordinary, Judy heard the most unlikely sound – a raspy, muffled hiss right behind her. As she turned around, she saw a giant armadillo and a giant anteater carrying a wooden crate ridden with narrow slits along the side. They looked like breathing holes, if the hiss coming from inside that crate was that of a reptile. While her nose twitched, she tried in vain to make out the scent. As a last resort, she yanked Nick's tie.

"Do you smell that?" Judy whispered, "In the crate, going towards that black jeep over there?"

Nick was a little taken aback, but his nose nevertheless lent itself very well to what his partner asked of him, "You bet I do. Let's get moving!"

Jimmy wasn't entertaining this part of the island much. The air-conditioning was all that prevented him from crawling out of his fur; Outback Island was influenced by the Sahara Square climate wall, and as such, an ill fit for an Arctic fox like himself. Fortunately, things got interesting soon enough.

"Officer Frost, this is Officer Hopps," Judy's voice was heard on the radio, "Start the car and move a little closer. We might be onto them. Over."

"Roger that. Over," Jimmy started wheeling along as ordered.

Meanwhile, Judy and Nick observed their suspects from a safe distance, behind a street corner. Seeing that the two South-American mammals weren't going to load any more crates into the SUV, now was the time to react.

"Frost. This is Officer Wilde," Nick addressed the vehicle via walkie-talkie, "Make a right turn and pull over for us to get in. Over."

"Yes, sir! Over and out!" Jimmy's reply was heard, and not before long, the car drove into view and stopped right at the intersection where Judy and Nick were. With their target in sight, they were on – a chase began. The SUV was making its way toward the center of the district by making a sharp right turn, and the Three Copalleros followed suit. They had to keep their distance, however, lest they'd be recognized instantly and shaken off as a result. The evading SUV made ever sharper turns as it went along, but at the back, on the middle of the trunk, the officers could see a circular logo with the head of a black snake-like creature engraved in the center. There was not a shadow of doubt that these could be the members of Basilisk.

However close they could get to the SUV, it had fortune on its side – a street light came between them, flashing green for the fleeing jeep and red for our officers. The last they could see of it was it driving about two dozen yards forward before making a right turn. Jimmy had no choice but to wait for the green light to keep going. When he got it, he took a right turn to see if he could try and cut off their quarry, but to no avail. An intense five minutes of chasing were in vain.

"Drat!" Judy snapped her fingers in annoyance, "We were so close."

"Turns out they're a cut above Robert Nero when it comes to covering up their tracks…" Nick conceded.

"Where could they go?" Judy was, nevertheless, not one to skimp on opportunities to solve problems. Then, she saw a large facility – the word 'zoo' seemed to be written on the entry arch, "Nick, what does it say over there?"

Nick squinted towards the same archway that the rabbit was talking about, "The… Steve Ermine Zoological Research Center."

"You think that's our ticket?" Jimmy asked curiously.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's the only spot that looks related to our quarry, so it's worth a look," Nick asserted.

Judy wasted no time using the radio to alert their fellow federal agent, "Agent Pardrick, this is Officer Hopps. We've reached the Steve Ermine Zoological Research Center, and we're going to investigate the location to see if our leads may be in the vicinity. Over."

"Roger that," Pardrick's voice boomed across the frequency, "Keep your wits about you. Over."

"Roger that. Over and out," With that said, Judy exchanged glances with Nick and Jimmy and nodded assertively – their trip to the sanctuary was decisive.


Steve Ermine Motel Porch

11:32 AM

Today, Wallace wasn't awfully concerned about whatever Milo was doing; since the rabbit was recording some of the more dangerous animals in the park and there already was a specialized warden for them, he took it upon himself to kick back and relax. For him, there was no better way to do so than to sit in the shade of a grass tree and let a nice, cold beer flow down his gullet. No one getting in his way, nobody demanding anything, nothing. Just him, the pint and the sunlight.

That is, until he caught wind of three absolute strangers making their way to the motel. He knew very well that the sanctuary was closed for visitors today, and he wasn't about to go lax, "Oi! Think you're friggin' doin' here, eh? This spot ain't for bloody tourist picnics, ya know?"

"Actually, we're officers," Judy was very quick to flash her badge in front of the wallaby's eyes, "All three of us."

"Oh! Right… bloody right-o'!" Wallace scratched the back of his head before properly introducing himself, "Wallace Beanie, chief warden!"

"Officer Hopps," Judy spoke.

"Wilde," Nick added.

"And Frost!" Jimmy concluded, "We're the Three Copalleros."

"Right-o'…" Wallace scratched his nose, "So, what do you want, mates? This ain't about last night at the pub, is it?"

"Well, we wanted to know if you've ever seen any suspicious cars driving by your sanctuary," Nick was the one to open the conversation, "Black SUVs with a circular ring on the back of the trunk."

"Aw, well," Wallace mused, scratching his chin, "Actually we get a couple of 'em cruisin' around here, on occasion at least, I think…"

"Could you see the symbol?" Nick raised his eyebrow.

"Well, I don't exactly go around pokin' my nose into every bloody bastard's business," Wallace chuckled amusedly, "I didn't pay attention. I mean, yeah, they could've had some bloody symbol on the back of 'em, but I didn't notice." He then muttered under his breath, "Probably too bloody off me face for it…"

Jimmy was accustomed to letting Judy and Nick do the talking, so he decided to have a look around the perimeter. Their quarry might have already been here, for all he knew. They could have wised up to their tracking and become vigilant all the same. If there's anything he'd learned thus far, it's that criminals weren't fools… other than someone he saw at the motel porch at that instant.

It was a lynx, who was checking on some sorts of implements in his hands. Upon closer inspection, the rookie officer could see that these were no screwdrivers – they were lockpicks. Jimmy ruled out the possibility that this was a handyman, because normally they'd carry toolboxes and this man didn't have one. It was a motel, so there was no way this mammal was out to fix the lock of his own apartment room. He was looking to rob another's.

His suspicion aroused, Jimmy watched closely as the cat slunk inside the motel, then followed suit as quietly and inconspicuously as he could. There was something at work, and it could be related to their suspects.


Steve Ermine Motel

Jimmy followed the cat's trail up several staircases, eventually leading to the third floor. From behind the staircase corner, he could see this lynx rather erratically trying to jimmy the lock with his pick, yet he tried not to make too much noise. There was no question that the cat was looking to avoid detection and go through with his scheme unnoticed. With this in mind, the Arctic fox drew his pistol in case bad went to worse.

Meanwhile, inside the aforementioned room, the lynx first closed the door before looking around, under the TV cupboard, on the balcony and under the bed. Finally, he opened the drawer of the bedside table – what he saw were seven hard drives stacked in meticulous order. He couldn't help but be perplexed, "Wait, he's got that many? Rabberts, you must be really pathetic if you think you need them all…" Xander shrugged indignantly, "Whatever. Doesn't make a difference in how I'll screw you up!" That being said, the wretched lynx began to stuff all the hard drives into the backpack he was carrying with him. Soon, he was beginning to feel so elated he could serenade the whole city, as a wide smirk crossed his maw, "Oh, how sweet it is that you have no idea about this…"

As he slipped the backpack over his shoulders, however, whatever glee the lynx was feeling at the moment was all but gone when he heard a blaring tenor behind him, "Freeze! ZPD!"

"What the-" Xander jumped up in utter shock upon seeing an Arctic fox point a gun at him, before he started moving backwards, "Who the hell are you?!"

"Drop the bag and put your hands in the air!" Jimmy bayed once again.

"Make me, you dweeb!" Xander retorted mockingly, before making a dash for the balcony door.


Steve Ermine's Motel Porch

Meanwhile, Wallace was still explaining the situation to Judy and Nick, "Anyway, the bastards who do come 'round here take off on the dirt trail - little ways down from here, eh?" He pointed to his left, where there was a decently long macadam.

"Very peculiar…" Judy tilted her head, as her nose twitched.

"I suppose it bloody is," Wallace concurred, "Dunno why anyone'd use a friggin' dirt road instead of… anything else."

However, all heads turned to one peculiar sight – a small cat, a lynx by kind, flopping onto the ground just to their left.

"The bloody hell?" Wallace adjusted his hat, keeping his beer from spilling all the same.

"Well, I guess he's got eight lives left…" Nick inspected curiously. His lack of interest in the matter soon gave way to full interest when he saw a familiar fluffy fox doing the same and chasing the cat.

"Jimmy…" Judy was already fixed to sprint, "Let's go!"


Steve Ermine Zoological Research Center

"Stop, in the name of the Law!" Jimmy bayed as he chased away.

"What is wrong with you?! Get off my case!" Xander shot back, and immediately turned his train of thought towards shaking off this meddling fox. His first opportunity was a small tree that was in the way – big enough for him to use as a makeshift baton.

As he pushed a low-hanging branch out of his way, it springboarded back into Jimmy, who was quick enough not to get hit by anything but leaves. Brought low by this sudden attack, the officer continued his pursuit on all fours.

Seeing that the fox began to wise up to his methods, Xander did the same. He found his means of escape – a small leaf cart on wheels. He bounded and jumped straight in, wheeling himself away from an exasperated Jimmy.

"Oi! Get back here!" A hapless wombat called out angrily, waving his rake.

"Dang it! How does he come up with this kind of stuff?!"

Alas, the lynx's luck didn't last very long – in his moment of boasting, he didn't notice that there was someone else in front of him. A dromedary camel walking across the path brought his cart ride to an abrupt end, sending the cat flying off and into a chain-link enclosure with a crooked scream.

By the time he got up, he saw Jimmy standing on the other side of the fence. Triumphantly, he performed the most rude hand gesture, "Ha! Jump that, if you can!"

Jimmy, to his surprise, wasn't all that eager and slowly backed away, "Uh… I'd repeat that motion in the opposite direction if I were you."

At first puzzled, Xander chuckled and turned away with a brisk walk. Alas, in his way stood a tall, feathery figure emitting a spine-chilling hiss, "Oh, come on…"


Alligator pen

Milo's recording session took him where the more dangerous animals resided, and where a larger warden was better suited for the job of getting the animals into a cooperative mood. With alligators, this counted doubly, even though they were more docile than crocodiles.

However, whatever bellow, hiss or growl the rabbit was recording now was interrupted by the helpless cries of a male voice.

"Looks like somebody's in trouble…" the Zookeeper, a horse, opted to rush to the scene. Milo and Melanie dropped their work for the time being and joined in.

Being kicked and pecked by emus both adult and young, Xander eventually made his way to the other side of the enclosure. As he reached the top of the stone wall, he could see the alligators, Milo and Melanie all the same. With a manic grin, he removed his backpack and threw it over to the pond. Promptly, the alligators headed in its direction. He did it.

"Xander?!" Melanie was an equal measure of shocked and angry. To their left, Judy, Nick and Jimmy had already arrived on the scene, ready to restrain if need be.

"Oh, hey Rabberts!" Xander climbed down from the wall, gazing smugly at the rabbit, "I thought it was just gonna be your boyfriend trying to stop me."

"His what?!" Jimmy pulled his gun.

"What are you doing here?" For all the malice he suspected, Milo wanted answers.

"Perfect timing," Xander pointed at his former colleague, before crossing his arms in the most pompous manner imaginable, "I just came to let you know that your little redneck tail is out of Stagart Studios. Your apartment got robbed while you two were lounging around in a plaza instead of doing your job."

Milo was looking at whatever Xander threw into the water. Upon closer inspection, he could notice bits and pieces of metal and plastic floating to the bank of the pond, and he even recognized some of them – the hard drives. All of them. Utterly destroyed, and for what? A mindless excuse for a vendetta filled to the brim with hatred and spite, with no genuine cause or explanation.

Xander, on the other hand, barely resisted the urge to spill the beans, seeing that Milo had already made the connection – he started to fall apart right before him, as he should. Even though he was covered in dirt, he felt better than ever. He felt powerful, he felt like he had complete control, utterly oblivious to how moronic it all was in the end.

"Too bad… I bet you're feeling pretty confused right now. Shocked, maybe? Scared? You know, that's exactly what I felt when you ruined my life, you little noob. But you forgot one thing – I'm a fighter. And I'm going to keep fighting until I win, no matter who gets in my way or what I have to do to win. When I march back to Stagart Studios, everything will be back to where it's supposed to be – with me as the cherry on top. Hooray, Top Cat, bye-bye, Bunny."

Milo, initially shaken and staring blankly at the ground, suddenly glared at the lynx, "Actually, you got that backwards: I've got more than a few backup drives with me in this bag here," As Xander's arrogant smile was wiped from his maw, the buck handed it to the equine zookeeper, "You'll never touch it."

"By the way, you're going to jail for burglary and resisting arrest," Jimmy interjected, having more than a mouthful of red pills to give the cat, "Oh, and you insulted a ZPD officer, that being myself. I'd kindly ask you, one more time, to come along peacefully."

"Oh, Hell, no…" Pumping his face with demonic rage, Xander abandoned all thought, "Not the way you want it…"

"You don't have a choice, Xander. You lost," Milo stepped forward.

"Lost? Me? I can't lose!" Xander smirked and shook his head madly in denial, before finally lunging forth as the beast he essentially was, "Least of all, to you!" He grabbed Milo into his claws and proceeded to carry him towards the pond.

"Milo!" Melanie screamed in horror, at as much of a loss for words as everyone around her. In the meantime, the officers observed the scuffle, already preparing their gear to restrain the aggressor.

As the cat's claws dug into his shirt, Milo struggled mightily to set himself loose. Looking ahead, he only saw a savage snarl adorning Xander's face, which made things all the more unsettling. This was utter madness, but the buck wasn't going to stop and plead.

"Stop!" he growled, as he finally released the cat's grip. Nevermind the fact that he tore his shirt apart completely, Milo had to binky out of the way of some alligators that were too close for comfort. Certain that Xander was about to attack again, Milo made his way in front of the cat. This time, he wasn't going to plead with a mammal who was devoid of compassion and wasn't looking to make peace with him, but to destroy him. So, before the Law dealt with Xander, Milo would be his judge and jury.

Xander swiped once again, but the buck was prepared and redirected it to the side. And when his considerably larger opponent was taken aback, he was airborne – and in the air, he uttered a battle cry and thrusted all the power of his right leg under the cat's right shoulder.

The kick cracked his collarbone and sent him tumbling to the ground, sobbing and whimpering at the top of his lungs, "Assault! Assault! He broke my shoulder! He broke my shoulder…"

His adrenaline giving way to confusion and lightheadedness, Milo gasped frightfully at the sight of his bare chest. It also dawned to him that while Xander was exaggerating for sure, he must have been truly injured by his attack. He had to get to the motel as soon as possible.

"Milo," Melanie approached, her face completely covered in tears, "Are you okay?!" The zookeeper was standing next to them, also inspecting the rabbit.

"Yeah…" Milo gently touched Melanie's hand, "I have to get back to the motel…"

"Come on, this way," The horse opened the gate, letting Milo out and prompting the officers to come inside. Given that the buck rabbit was only using physical violence in self-defense, their minds were made up.

"Let's muzzle this schmuck," Nick declared, as they brandished their gear in preparation.

"He broke my shoulder-" As Xander writhed and blubbered, he could feel and see someone trying to slip a muzzle over his snout, "What? What are you doing?!" His ensuing struggling was meager and inconsequential – he was muzzled, cuffed and his freedom came to an end.

"Mr. Xander, you have the right to remain silent," Nick hoisted the cat back onto his feet, "Anything you say can and will be…"

"What?! I'm under arrest?!" Xander still wasn't heeding to the reality of his situation, "Officer, he kicked me in-"

"In self-defense," Nick had no patience for this, "You're not exactly helping your case right now."

"What?! Let me go!" Xander still railed.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

Wherever Xander was headed now, it was for certain that it was into orange overalls, inside a square cell behind bars.


Milo's apartment room

11:42 AM

At last, Milo was back in his room – he was treated with the sight of an opened door with some lockpicks scattered on the floor next to it, and upon closer inspection, an open bedside table. When he looked at the bedside table, he saw that it was completely empty and that Xander made sure to take every last one of his hard drives, them being personal property rather than company property.

Milo shook his head in utter disbelief. The stress of the fight that just came to pass began to get to him, as he started to shake. He shook so much that he was unable to unbutton a new shirt he wanted to put on. Wrecked by nervousness and gritting his teeth, he threw it away and slammed his fist into the bedside table, unable to comprehend how someone could allow so much bigotry to fester in their soul. To willfully opt to destroy someone's life out of envy and rage was nothing short of evil, as far as he was concerned.

The buck rabbit eventually opted to put on a T-shirt; that done, he wanted to go back to Melanie and the keeper… but he couldn't. He had to sit down. He had to bring himself back at ease, so that he could get a hold of himself. Breathing heavily, he covered his face with both hands, his ears drooping. As much as Xander deserved every Newton of his kick and as little as Milo pitied the cat, it left a foul taste in his mouth to know that it had to come to that. After years of keeping his assertive streak, which he never knew he had, in chains, it wasn't going to be easy to adapt to this new form of behavior.

Suddenly, the room tone was broken by a female voice calling out from behind, "Are you all right?"

Milo's ears flew upwards as he turned around – it was Judy, and she was carrying the bag that he gave the zookeeper. He face-palmed, "Yeah, I mean… I'm not hurt. I'm sorry, you shouldn't have seen me this way. It's just…"

"It's okay," Judy set his bag onto the bed and approached him.

"It's just that I can't believe that self-loving, lunatic…" Milo pinched his fingers as he struggled for the word, "…cockroach was still after me! And he even busted up the door just to…" Milo shook his head in dismay, "I've got nothing, I mean, that's just sick, it's what it is!"

Judy was already sitting next to him. While she understood what he just went through, she needed to bring him back on track. She gently squeezed his left arm, "It's okay. It's over. When all the charges are put together, you'll likely never see him again. We'll make sure you don't," At this point, Milo's nerves began to ease up, "Now, when I'm done here, I'm gonna send the report to your boss so that he knows what happened, okay?"

"Okay…" Milo heaved a sigh. As he regained his bearings, it occurred to him that Judy was trying to help him, in spite of their previous spat. She didn't have anything to gain from checking up on him and giving words of reassurance, yet she did so either way. To this act of goodness, he had to respond in kind. He stammered at first, "If I can, I'd take back what I said to you at the restaurant. It was unfair of me to call you… just some affirmative action girl, when the record shows more than that. I'm sorry."

Judy seemed to be reflecting on the matter at first, then shrugged obliviously, "I actually forgot about that part."

"I didn't. I couldn't," Milo was now making full eye contact with the officer, before turning away again, "Because, then it occurred to me that I wasn't really doing the best job of working on myself and…"

"You went to that meeting," to his shock, Judy filled in.

"How do you know about that?" Milo raised his eyebrow, once again facing the policewoman.

"That day, Nick and I escorted your "charming" former associate out of the studio," Seeing how he was pleasantly surprised to hear this, Judy directed a teasing grin at him, "I heard somebody in the lobby saying that you really stuck it to him."

"Well, I…" Milo chuckled, awkwardly rubbing his nape with his hand, "He wasn't just trying to prop himself up. He was trying to tear me down, and I wasn't going to have any of it, anymore. Our already bad history wasn't helping matters," This elicited a nod of understanding from the doe.

Indeed, Judy didn't have to ask Milo about how he was seeing things now – his behavior and how he worded his thoughts were proof enough. He definitely wasn't the same rabbit that worked with her on the Clark Halibuts sting. He wasn't looking for excuses. He wasn't blaming the rest of the world for his failings. He wasn't playing the victim card. He took on the responsibility of his life and made doubly sure to shape it into something worthy of himself and of the people he cared about. It was too soon to tell, but the buck sound designer looked a lot happier than before. He was giggling nervously, but it was a laugh nevertheless. He cracked a few heartfelt smiles here and there because he was letting loose the figments of joy that were in his soul, and not because he was compelled by social norms to do so.

"Milo?" Melanie's tearful voice was heard, as the giraffe peeped through the open balcony.

"I'm fine, Melanie," Milo smiled at her with a pang of pity in his heart, "It's over."

"Hopps, is he there?" Jimmy's voice was heard from behind, prompting both rabbits to get up from the bed. Fortunately, Nick was with him as well.

"Yeah," Judy stated the obvious.

"You dropped this back outside," Jimmy wiped his forehead with one hand and offered Milo's cap with the other – he must have dropped it during his scuffle with Xander.

"Oh, thanks," Milo smiled gracefully, taking a look to see if it was damaged, or tarnished.

"You're welcome, Mr. uh…" Jimmy tried in vain to call back the rabbit's last name, but he was cut off anyway.

"The name's Milo," the buck chuckled.

"You know, when I was a boy, tantrums didn't get you anywhere and they certainly weren't tolerated," Nick mused about his uncomfortable experience, addressing Milo specifically, "How'd that guy manage to get hired in the first place?"

"Manipulation," Melanie chimed in from outside, to which Milo nodded in agreement, "He's got plenty of that under his sleeve."

"Right," Nick nodded, before rubbing his chin, "I've seen a lion's share of those types in my life."

At last, Milo took the time to dust his cap off and put it on, "Well, I'd better get back to work."

"So, you were recording alligators?" Nick asked curiously.

"Yup," Milo explained, "Spent all of yesterday recording birds. Eagles, geese, emus, you name it."

At the mention of so many exotic animals, Jimmy couldn't help but let his mouth fall ajar and clasp his hands together in childish joy, "That is so cool!"

Judy offered a counterpoint to that sentiment, being the most seasoned of the three, "I suppose we should get moving, too."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Milo offered to lead the way, before he parted ways with the officers.

After an earful from a mortified and worried Wallace Beanie, Milo went back to work. The alligators were difficult to round up after today's incident, but to be sure, Milo's work with them was secured. The other two outdoor animals that Milo recorded were the double-wattled cassowary and the saltwater crocodile. All that he managed to get from the giant ratite was an ominous, chest-shaking boom that made him feel very uneasy. To his astonishment, the aforementioned crocodile was one that Wallace trained to obey commands, and even vocalized at will. Naturally, after being fed. The late afternoon was spent in a reptile house, recording all sorts of lizards and snakes to complete his library.

Thus, his work at the Steve Ermine Zoological Research Center was complete and he could rest assured that the worst of dealing with unhinged coworkers was behind him. He came out of everything a changed rabbit, and he could feel it in every figment of his being.


Finally, a chapter to round up a very important part of the story, for Milo anyway. It's also a sort of white pill for anyone who might be suffering from insecurity about any part of themselves, or who feel they lack confidence. Don't let bad people walk over you, but listen to the people who care about you.

You can rest assured that Xander is never coming back again. He reaps what he sows, and to lockup he goes.

I hope you enjoyed Milo's journey so far, but don't let that make you think the fun's passed you by – you've got another think coming.

As before, Ugg Ugg the Great helped with the Australian dialect of Wallace Beanie.

For the time being, that'll be it! Catch ya later on, down the trail!