Hybrid Conundrum

Chapter 9

The Price of Duty

Duke Weaselton scanned the dark, dank warehouse on the wrong side of the tracks. Unlike many in the area, the owners hadn't left it to rot only for others to use for nefarious purposes. They used it for their own sick enjoyment, of course while profiting from it.

This particular warehouse was used for unregulated fights, bloody affairs akin to the gladiator pits from ancient times. Though in place of slaves, it used homeless mammals and drug addicts. Duke worked here from time to time as a gofer.

The place had a rather sophisticated set up for what it was. A couple sets of prefab bleachers around the ring. A concessions stand was even set with basic refreshments. Others sold their 'goods' as well to both the audience and contestants.

The reddish brown weasel was dressed nicely for himself. Meaning the shirt he wore had sleeves and minimal stains. His pants had been washed that week as well. As the first fight of the night started he nodded barely paying attention as he watched the lights in the upstairs office go dark. After looking at the number of mammals attending, it was a full night for the bum fights. Meaning it was as crowded as a peewee baseball game, just with a much less savory lot.

Perfect... just what that bitch wanted.

Weaselton pulled out his phone and shot off a text. "It's on flopsy." He got no reply as he went about doing what he was paid to do.

There was no real hype-mammal for the fights. They weren't really the point of this place. It was about the money that changed paws because of them. More than a few of the contestants had been punished by the very mammals that came to see them. The fighters were paid by the house depending on how much money it made and if the audience had an opinion on their performance on a particular night, the house really didn't care.

That's what caught the nose of the city's finest.

Tonight the fights were a normal affair. Desperate, vicious and utterly skilless mammals thrown at each other till one gives up. More than a little blood was spilt that night, but nothing fatal. Though that didn't mean everyone would survive the night, judging by the reactions of a few of the angrier gamblers.

Now two more mammals stepped into the ring. One was a raccoon named Willis. He wore only a pair of morbidly stained shorts. Not because he wanted to show off his impressive physique, or lack thereof but because he forgot his shirt, jonesing for a 'fix' did that. The unfortunate mammal had lost over half his tail some time in the past. His paws were hairless now from scratching and chewing at bugs that were never there.

The other mammal in the ring was known simply as Babou. A dirty ocelot in a torn, stained tank top that had once been white, now it was closer to muddy mustard in color. His shorts were still their classic blue-jeans in color. Babou twitched a little as he waited for the go ahead.

After letting a few final bets go through, the bear in a thick jacket to protect him from something other than the cold called "Go." and backed away in a few large strides.

Babou the ocelot hissed and charged. He needed his money, needed his fix, so he needed to finish this quick. Willis hissed angrily and stepped to the side, kicking the feline's legs out from under him. Snarling the dirty yellow cat rolled and pounced. Willis caught the other junkie in the face with his fist but was still brought down, himself.

The pair rolled around in a flurry of claws and paws until Babou kicked Willis off him. Both rolled to all four paws, backs arched and yellowed teeth bared. If they felt the multitude of bites and cuts they didn't show it. It wasn't some feat of toughness or training, they were just too far gone to notice or care.

Willis chittered as he rushed the ocelot. Babou rose up and yelled. "OCELOT MADNESS!" Like His life depended on it. His dirty, jagged but completely unimpressive claws out and ready.

In that moment the doors at the front and back of the building burst open. Voices boomed, ordering every mammal on the ground. Two dozen ZPD officers poured in and spread out like a wave. Blocking the exits they could with their armored bodies. Most were armed with less-than-lethal weapons. Though since the feral incident officers were allowed lethal means if they so wished. They had to qualify with the weapons yearly and there were a multitude of other safety regulations, as well.

Most officers didn't want to deal with that. The power to take another life in the palm of one's paw was a heavy burden. Nick and Judy had dealt with that already so why make it worse with a pistol or rifle. Though they still kept those weapons in a safe at home. Just in case of another threat- feral or otherwise, required them.

The two feral officers were some of the first into the warehouse. A bear spun around confused and off balance, the bunny and fox subdued him in seconds. Nick went low, using his enhanced body to pull the bear's left leg up as the thug pivoted on his right. Judy shot up the bear's chest and yanked his right paw around his back, twisting him more off-balance, their target fell. Zip cuffs and a quick pat down and the bear's pistol, previously in a shoulder harness, was removed. The partners went on.

Judy had planned this whole operation. Worked on it for weeks. Had an informant reckon the site and targets, had extra officers added to her team and got all the warrants and legal processes to make sure this was a legitimate operation. Everything had been done to meticulously detailed perfection, but she had long ago learned the first casualty of any plan was the plan itself.

The twitching, snarling ocelot Babou turned his attention to Leo as the big lion officer moved in to secure the fighters. In a flurry of claws, teeth, fist and spittle the little cat pounced the massive lion. Leo was more confused than anything at the cartoonish attack that even his all-weather gear turned away. Only a nip to his scarred cheek got a real reaction from the lion. With an instinctual swat Babou was knocked off the large officer's head like a bug.

Before Leo could grab the smaller cat, Babou was back on his paws, scurrying up the side of the bleachers. Another officer in hot pursuit. Babou jumped to the shipping containers that had been turned into a booking office. With another call of "OCELOT MADNESS!" He leapt through a closed window of the wearhouse. Many patrons followed, though they escaped through the open windows prepared for such an event.

Others of the audience and workers charged for another container. This one just appeared to be for storage. Thinking the criminals just trapped themselves, most officers ignored it for now.

Judy didn't.

"Nick!" She called and rushed for the container. Her fox was on her heels in a heartbeat. Both saw their more savage selves ahead of them like hunting beasts. On all fours Judy slid around and blocked off the last few mammals trying to escape into the container. The group of Asian Harlequin rabbits yelped upon seeing the nearly savage cop. A young female even fainted before the other three two-tone rabbits were snatched up by their ears.

"I got them, Carrots." Nick said easily bring the three other mammals down. They pleaded in their native tongue as he cuffed them.

Judy turned to the dark container and stood, clicking on her light. Her feral vision was better but not great in the dark. She stepped into the container and gagged. There wasn't a mammal insight. Only a hidden hole to the sewer system.

"What you got-" Nick's question was cut off by an instinctive gag. "Damn girl, warn me next time." He said covering his nose and waving away the smell as he followed.

"Not... time." Judy growled as she pushed past Nick, her fur on end. "Dumb... Slick!"

"Ripley. Gotcha." Slick said using Nick's mouth. He gave a double thumbs up and a disarming smile as he turned back to their work.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Talk, Weaselton." Judy growled as she glared down at the weasel. Duke cowered in the interrogation chair while Judy loomed over him from the table. In the two and a half hours after the catch had been tallied, the results were not what Judy had expected or what the number crunchers above her wanted. The sergeant 'wasted' a lot of money with three weeks of over time, hazard pay and the budget for both insurance and paying Duke, all to catch a paw-full of street level thugs with no evidence of who ran the operation, or committed what crimes and most of the fighters, spectators and organisers had escaped. Basically, there was a lot of effort without any real results. Another fighting ring would just be set up elsewhere, attract the same mammals and it would be like nothing ever happened.

If this kept up, the mammals calling the shots for the Force would stop trusting Judy's hunches. Even if Bogo believed her, it would be harder to get things done. So now she had to find out why, just to save face and not seem like a glory seeker.

"What is there to say?" Duke said with a shrug. "I didn't know about the hole...and who would have thought someone would jump through the windows?"

"Anyone that can jump." Nick snorted. "And desperate enough to try."

"Well it wasn't my job to figure that out." Duke replied.

"No, but it was your job to tell us everything else." Judy growled, hind paw rhythmically thumping on the table like a machine. "Like that escape tunnel. Or when the owners were there."

"Thought y'all bunny's knew all about tunnels." Duke regretted the quip as it left his muzzle. The almost canid snarl that burst from the bunny just about knocked the lanky weasel from the chair. "Okay okay. I thought you would grab the boss on the street okay. Besides." Duke lifted his head as Judy's ears fell behind her's. "Mammals have seen me talkin to ya. A Lot. Like too much. They're starting to keep me at giraffe arms length."

Seeing Judy's face soften Duke sat up as straight as he ever would. "So me asking around about too much is just like...it just ain't going to fly." Crossing his arms, he sneered, "I'm gonna be the opposite of trustworthy, I'll be untrustworthy."

The bunny snorted as she stared at Duke. "Whatever." She turned and walked off the table, landing on her paws effortlessly. "You'll be released in a few hours."

"Thanks, Duke." Nick said following Judy out.

"Keep your thanks, just make sure the check clears." Duke called as two more officers entered to keep the charade going. "I'm going to retire soon."

"You know he's not wrong." Nick said as he and Judy headed back to their cubicle.

Judy pulled her face and whined as her aggravation became a pout. "Yeah. Yeah, he's not."

"And you can't win them all."

The bunny looked at Nick and growled. "I know that… I've known that for a while."

As they slipped into their cubicle, Nick added. "Yeah but you got to hear it sometimes." Judy didn't respond, just sighed and started to type out her report. It was dark by the time the partners clocked out. It wasn't until they were out of the building that they became husband and wife again. Holding paws as they walked to the car. Inside, they shared an overdue kiss and Nick started the car.

The drive to his mother's home was simple and a little too long for a couple of hungry ferals. Thankfully Isara Wilde was cooking them dinner as they drove. The pair hopped out of the car in some comfy ZPD sweats, they had changed into after a shower at work. Judy knocked on the door to Nick's mother's apartment as he opened the door announcing they had arrived. The smell of pot roast filled the room and the table had been set with plates, some rolls and veggies. "Hey you two. Dinner will be ready in a few." Isara replied from the kitchen. Judy's nose twitched picking up the smell of carrots, potatoes in the roasting pot and spinach on the stove.

The couple froze as they closed the door behind them. They watched Juniper hop to the kitchen doorway then stumble as she turned on her four uneven paws. Her arms were much weaker than her legs currently. The hybrid looked up at her parents and reached for them forgetting to sit up meaning she just flopped on her belly with a yip. "She's hopping." Judy said, tears in her eyes.

Isara cursed under her breath, muttering she had hoped the baby would have waited to show that off till they were home. Nick and Judy had missed several firsts already. First time crawling, rolling over, sitting up and even laughing, though that last one at least Juniper was kind enough to giggle when she saw them. At least she shouldn't be doing much more for about a year, just getting better at what she can already do.

Nick could feel the shiver that ran through Judy when his mother admitted. "Yeah she's been kind of doing it, a couple days now...I was hoping she would hop around when you took her home buuuuut." The grandmother looked down at her granddaughter as the hybrid hopped toward her nearly sobbing mother.

Judy scooped up her large offspring as easily as any mother. She couldn't be mad at Juniper for developing and growing without her around. The bunny was mad at her job. A dream job she had wanted since childhood that was becoming increasingly more frustrating. Monotonous and failure was wearing on her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day, while parked on the side of the road watching traffic, Nick nodded with his eyes on the cars as he listened to Judy vent about the past few days, mostly the failure of yesterday's raid. "Not everyday is going to be full of success, glory and thankful citizens, Carrots." Nick said when his partner finally finished. He looked over at the standing bunny and added. "Didn't you tell me that once."

"I've told you a lot of things Nick." Judy sighed and slipped back down into her seat. "But that's not really what's getting to me." She looked at her partner. "It's that I'm missing so much of Juniper's life. My mom can tell you the date any of her kits started hopping, what their first words were too." Judy sank back into her seat and sighed.

"Well your mom has nearly enough kits for each day of the year, so there's bound to be someone doing something on any given day." Nick replied sarcastically.

"Nick, not the time."

A car zipped by where they were parked, easily doubling the speed limit. "Especially with that." Judy sighed and kicked the cruiser into gear. They had let Fangmeyer and Wolfard have the interceptor today for highway patrol.

The large vehicle rumbled onto the street, the light traffic making it easy both to merge and to find the car they were looking for. A late model small mammal luxury sedan. Judy kept the lights off while Nick radioed in the situation.

That's when the pair saw it.

The cream car had no license plate. Just a sign where it should be that read. 'Private property not for hire.' That scent alarm bells off in Judy's mind, their day was about to get really annoying. Nick called in the new info and got a reply of good luck.

"Oookay, I don't know what that means." Nick said as Judy flipped on the lights.

"Another charge is what it means." Judy said, not bothering with the siren until the car took a little too long to pull over. The tint of the back window obscured the gestures of the driver. Who finally pulled into a stripe mall parking lot. "Keep me covered." The bunny ordered as they stepped out of the car.

"Always Carrots." Nick approached the sedan from the passengers side with Judy on the drivers side. She paused and looked over at Nick who gave her a nod, saying it was clear. He couldn't see any threat from the skunk inside. With his extra height he could see male driver was setting up his phone. Wasn't the first mammal they had pulled over that record the stop.

Judy tapped on the drivers window, the bunny wasn't smiling. She normally would put the driver at ease but she just wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, just to get this business over with. The bunny cop watched the skunk fidget with his phone trying to get the right angle, something that was hard with Judy being so short. she eventually sighs and taps the window again. Then again ordered. "Sir, roll down your window." Finally the skunk looked at the bunny then rolled down his window, just a couple of inches after picking up binder. "Hello sir, license and registration please."

"I don't answer questions, ma'am." The skunk replied confusingly before saying. "What is the emergency and how can I help?"

"There's no emergency, sir I just need your license and registration."

"I don't answer questions, Ma'am for the record what is your name and badge number." The skunk replied. He spoke with an unsteady cadence as he kept glancing at his binder. Like he had a script he was trying to memorize as he spoke.

Judy blinked, confused already growing aggravated. "I'm sergeant Judy Hopps badge number 881, now sir why don't you roll down your window and give me your license and registration."

The skunk just repeated how he didn't answer questions and asked. "What is your partner's name and badge number."

Just sighed and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. She knew what the skunk was, a sovereign citizen, someone who thought by declaring they were part of some document they were exempt from the modern laws. The problem was the document they cited had been replaced two hundred years ago. The bunny's purple eyes opened when the skunk said. "You have to tell me your name and badge number by law."

No she didn't, by regulations she had to identify herself as a police officer if asked. She didn't even need to tell him her name, most officers just did to endear themselves to mammals. The bunny sighed and humored the skunk. "His name is Nick Wilde badge number 2211. For the last time, license and registration...please."

"That's not how this works."

Before the skunk could repeat some other asinine thing from the binder he was flipping through Judy growled. "Yes it is, sir step out of the car."

"It is how it works, what gives you the right to order another mammal like that." The skunk demanded through the window.

"City of Zootopia, sir, step out of the car." Judy ordered, she nodded for Nick to call for backup.

While Nick grabbed his radio and turned away. the skunk shook his head. "You don't know your laws. Which I am not subject to by the way. I would like to speak to your supervisor."

"I am the supervisor, sir, now step out or I will make you." Judy always preferred to be kind and understanding but did not make idle threats. So while the skunk blathered on about the Sovereign rights of a free mammal on the lands citing that document that had been replaced two hundred years ago, Judy jumped up and grabbed the edge of the window. With her paws on the door she twisted and pulled the glass. With the right leverage and proper application of strength the glass shattered.

While the skunk screamed about Grand Theft Auto and Breaking and Entering Judy righted herself and Nick rushed around to help apprehend the skunk. While he wasn't dangerous, and would have gotten at best a fine for both speeding and the plate, through his own decisions he would be arrested for failure to carry and present, failure to comply with a lawful order and a few other case laws. However, some would say he made Nick and Judy pay for it.

Teething, claws and fists aren't the only way mammals defended themselves and skunks had a unique way to do so.

Peter and Dom got a nose full of the stink but it didn't stick to them like it did the fox and bunny. Something that haunted them for the rest of the day even after multiple showers and soaks in various remedies. Including tomato sauce that night after Juniper had run away from her parents. The sight of his bunny fighting back tears kept Nick from making a joke.

0o0o0o0o0

A few more less than glorious day shifts passed without any major incident, just annoyed or annoying mammals Judy and Nick pulled over or questioned for various reasons. It was more busy work then anything else, nothing really changed nothing really got done. Tonight, Nick and Judy had a night shift, meaning the bunny was doubly annoyed at her dream job. Now it was keeping her from snuggling with her offspring for the night.

A call to Isara so Juniper could hear her voice and Judy could hear her daughter's coos and laugh wasn't enough. She sighed and dropped her phone in her lap. It wasn't enough, it was torture to the feral doe. Before she could start thinking about how something replaced her dream Nick said. "Hey Judy, that look suspicious to you?"

The bunny looked up from her lap to where Nick was pointing with his nose. The fox normally drove at night, especially when they had the interceptor. The partners were patrolling a developing section of Savannah central. Almost every other street was a different economic demographic it seemed. So the three cars parked by the gates of a nearly complete movie theater themselve weren't so out of place. A lifted truck with offroad tires and a light kit that seldom got used for more than a sign of money, a fancy import sedan with black out windows and more gadgets then anyone needed and finally a lowered import sports car with more graphics and go fast stickers then sense, and judging from the coffee can exhaust, probably obnoxiously loud. They could be found on any street here really it was just where they were at this time of the night.

"Little bit." Judy yawned. "Let's check it out." The bunny grabbed her car's radio and called in their location and what they saw. Peter asked if they needed backup after dispatch logged their call. "Uhh probably not but you never know."

"Got you. We'll be there in like 3 minutes." The white wolf replied, while the radio barely caught Dom saying something about a left here.

Nick parked the interceptor behind both the sports cars, that should be enough to keep them in place. The partners stepped out and unsnapped the holsters of their tranquilizer pistols. As Judy rounded the car her ears stood tall listening for anything suspicious. "Sounds like something going on inside." She clicked on her flashlight and stood on her tip-toes to look in the graphic covered import. All three vehicles were for mammals larger than Nick, probably wolves.

"Yeah." Nick replied, his ears up while he looked into the sedan, his tail touched the exhaust testing for heat. It was cold, meaning the car's had been sitting for a while. "Sounds like laughing and music."

The bunny closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound. "And an engine?"

"Maybe."

While the partners were looking at the truck and it's trailer Dom and Peter's cruiser pulled up behind it and parked. The black and gray wolf stepped out and asked. "Anything new?"

"Nothing much, Dom." Nick replied.

"Probably high school kits." Judy added. "Smells like cheese puffs and too much body spray."

After a short laugh Nick jumped down from the step of the truck. "Thought this might have been your truck, Pete."

"Eeh nah my truck would eat this one for breakfast." The wolf said looking at the truck that had never been swimming or climbing judging by how pristine it was.

"You owe me ten bucks, Carrots."

The bunny looked at Nick and rolled her eyes. "I'll make you breakfast in bed." The bunny's mood was improving. She looked to the theater and clicked on her mic. "Clear traffic. we're going into the theater."

Nick and Judy had already confirmed the lock had not been cut before Peter and Dom arrived. The main doors were the same story unlocked and opened with no signs of forced entry. The entrance area was mostly finished with only the final touches of some lighting needing to be installed, however the hanging wires and toppled stack of registers were not the officers' concern, but the tire marks on the tile floor and sound of a small engine coming from deeper into the place. After looking up into the shadows of the second floor, their night vision revealed there was nothing up there watching them, the four officers moved on following the tire tracks.

Dom and Peter's claws clicked on the floor while Nick walked on only his pads. Judy never had to worry about making much sound. Not that any of them really did right now, Nick was just falling back into the habits gained from hunting his own kind. Following the tire marks became difficult once the floor became carpeted, but the sound was enough to guide them. The group stopped at a theater door where the sound was coming from and looked in. The door had been removed judging from tools nearby and that the center bar of the double door had taken down and tossed aside. Not that the cops were even looking at that.

Inside an elk and a wolf laughed as they drove an all terrain buggy over the seats of the theater. Its large tires tore the fabric and crushed the back as they climbed up the theater seating for what looked like the fourth time. Another wolf and a badger cheered from near the screen. A few more laughed and cheered from their perch on the stage just under the screen. The female wolf, puma and badger like the boys looked no older than 17 and smelled so much like money it was almost sickening.

While the buggy climbed up and over another row of seats, the puma girl stood with her drink and cheered while shaking her hips to the music, Nick and Judy slipped into the theater using the shadows to move. They were intent on cutting off the exits at the back while Peter and Dom came in from the front.

Judy and Nick clicked their mics once they were in position. Then the wolf officers both released howls and barks that cut through the hip-hop remix of a country song Judy grew up on easily. The teens just about jumped out of their hides. Dropping their drinks and yelping in fright. the male badger intentionally knocked the pitcher over, spilling its contents into the once new carpet. The three girls and the two males on foot turned to make for the exits when Judy and Nick revealed themselves.

All three girls squealed and almost tripped over themselves as they tried to not run into Nick. The wolf in the buggy yelped as the seat it was on collapsed toppling the buggy on its side.

"Dom, Peter, make sure they're alright." Judy ordered as her purple eyes fell on the five teens she and Nick had. "Turn off the music and line up."

The wolf girl whined as she hit the pause button on her phone then lined up with the other girls. Nick and Judy proceeded to pat down the teens, getting their IDs and making sure they didn't have anything dangerous on them. Once Peter and Dom had gotten the Elk and the wolf from the buggy they did the same, finding only a switch blade on the Elk. The pair were uninjured but an ambulance was called regardless.

While the cops walked the teens out to where their cars were parked, the timber wolf boy said. "You guys should just let us go. My dad owns this place."

"Sure, and I'm the mayor's son." Peter said.

Judy was about to ask for a real story when Nick said. "Well, he's at least not lying about his dad." He had been checking their IDs while they were all 17 like they thought, the Elk was 18 but that didn't change much, Nick could tell that the cards were real too. "His dad is Loughty Timberton Graywood the fourth... He's the fifth."

"Yeah," Said the grown pup, "just give him a call and we can get this all sorted out."

"They are minors." Nick commented.

"We have to call all their parents." Judy said.

Dom pulled out his phone and said. "Okay, kids, cough up the numbers."

As if they had all planned it all seven teens blurted out excuses to not call their parents from being out of town to not having any till Loughty said. "Officer's my father will take responsibility for all of them, trust me.

Judy sighed and decided to practice her moma voice. "We're calling all of your parents and that's final." It worked. While a few other police cars and an ambulance arrived Judy and Dom called the parents of the teens. While Nick swallowed a quip about thinking he had to call his mom. Soon the little parking area outside the gate of the theater's actual parking lot was pretty full.

Most of the parents just asked if their child was hurt or in trouble. Then rose a fuss that they couldn't take them home till Mister Graywood arrived. Thankfully for most he didn't take too terribly long to arrive. The police were happy until he opened his mouth to say. "There was no need for all this." He motioned around to all police cars and the ambulance, which was only hanging around since the paramedics weren't needed elsewhere.

"Well sir, your son and his friends were trespassing here and damaging property." Judy said plainly.

"Oh they will pay for that but I'm not pressing charges. Besides, how can my son trespass on property his name is on." The older wolf said looking down his nose at Judy.

Judy held in a sigh as she nodded. "Very well that is your choice. However they were drinking and-"

"They must have swiped it from my liquor however." A shiver ran through Judy as Loughty the forth demonstrated the law degree he had was not for show. "Without a way to prove where it came from they can not be charged with anything. Were the drivers witnessed drinking?"

"No"

"Breathalyzer?"

"Negative."

"Again nothing to charge them with, the buggy was never on the street either." The bunny's mouth hung open. "As minors you can't arrest them for possession of alcohol. So you can just send the fines and fees to my company and those will be handled."

"Well uh." Judy looked to Nick for support, before he could help the wolf continued.

"If you're worried about them not being punished I assure you they will be." Loughty said. "At the very least my son will lose truck privileges for the month."

"But, Dad, the rally this weekend."

"We'll talk about it later."

While Judy listened to the father debate when they would discuss his punishment. Nick turned and walked over to his police car. The fox sighed as he leaned on the door next to Peter. Dom joined them as Nick noticed the white wolf texting a long paragraph to someone. "Telling your kitty cat about all this." Dom asked.

"Nope." Peter replied. "Trying to make sure justice is served."

"Oh really?" Nick asked. "How so?"

"I know the rally he's talking about." Peter smirked and hit send. "And I know the goat running it."

"Oh." Nick nodded. "Nice."

After dealing with that aggravation and finally seeing everyone off Judy and Nick sat in their car typing up a brief on the computer. It would make their reports later so much easier. Judy sighed, having started to hate this night. "You know… I'm not having fun."

"Eeh it's work, it's not always fun." Nick replied while he finished his notes.

"I guess but it hasn't been for a while. Like..." Judy bit her lip and tapped the steering wheel. "You know what we talked about the other day."

Before Nick could answer the radio buzzed and the dispatched officer asked. "Sergeant Hopps, are your near your previous location."

The bunny sighed and picked up the radio. "Haven't left, been doing paperwork. Need me somewhere?"

"Wouldn't be calling you if I didn't. There is a Pawmart about three blocks from your location, on Pine. A young male fox approximately twelve to fourteen years old was caught shoplifting. He hasn't talked to store security. Can you and Wilde handle sorting it out?"

"Yeah, we got it." Judy replied. The bunny turned the car on and sighed. "They want me to go momma on him don't they?"

"Well you do need the practice." Nick smirked hoping to lift Judy's spirit.

"Might as well I'm missing out on so much of Juniper's life. I doubt I'll be able to do it for her much." Judy grumbled as she headed the way she was told.

"Don't talk like that Judy." Nick said. "You're a great mom but it's not the only thing you meant to be."

"Yeah."

The drive to the Pawmart was quick and quiet. They pulled up to the front and parked with the passenger side tires on the sidewalk. This time of the night the store was more or less empty, except for some of the workers and a few nocturnal mammals who may have not been born that way.

A deer met Nick and Judy at the door, the buck introduced himself as "Mark the Night Manager." He shook the officers paws and said. "Little bugger is this way."

Nick could tell the deer don't like thieves from the scorn in his voice. "So you got a problem with shoplifting." It had better be thieves the buck didn't like.

"Yeah." Mark replied leading the way to his office. "Last month the previous night manager was caught as part of a shoplifting ring or something."

"Think I heard of that." Judy commented as they entered the office aera. "This is part of it?"

"Not sure." Mark answered as he stopped at the door to his office. "I don't think this kit is getting much for the stuff he grabbed. See for yourself." The deer opened the door revealing a tired tiger supervisor watching the kit. The kit in question was a red fox no older than 14, he still had his brown kit fluff on the back of his head. He wore cheap jeans and a generic brand t-shirt. Next to him on the desk was a large winter jacket, probably a second paw one. However it wasn't his attire the cops noticed first. The kit didn't look like a brave young thug stealing to prove he could. He was scared.

Terrified even.

That was the first clue, together Nick and Judy turned to where the kit's haul was. While Mark told the supervisor he could head home the cops looked at the box of toaster pastries, chicken jerky and strangest of all a small stack of diapers and easy to make formula for small predators. "This ain't right." Nick commented so only Judy could hear.

"Mom probably has him do it so he can eat." Judy whispered thinking the worst but not even believing it herself.

"He smells scared." Glancing at the kid he seemed to be well fed. "Nothing adds up."

"You're right." Judy replied. "You or me?"

"Together."

As one Nick and Judy turned around. They approached the kit and knelt to be on his level. The young fox trembled and looked towards the door. He jumped when Judy asked. "What's your name?" She reached out and placed a gentle paw on his, he looked down at it without looking at her face. The bunny couldn't help it, her mother side was telling her this kit was in danger and she had to help.

The kit almost squeaked as he said. "M-Micheal R-Roterfuchs."

"Hey Michael. I'm Judy and this is Nick." She replied sweetly, as she motioned to herself then her partner. "We're here to help." A scoff came from the manager which earned him a death glare from the ferals.

Nick's silent snarl turned to a smile as he addressed the young fox. "You're not in trouble."

"My mom is." Michael cut in quietly looking at the floor.

"Is she who made you do this?" Nick asked.

"No." Micheal replied, slowly turning his nose to the doorway.

"Your dad?" Nick asked gently.

"No."

Knowing the child would most likely give them vague answers at best. Nick and Judy looked at each other. They were both thinking the same thing, something had pushed this kit to steal. They dreaded the answer. The bunny then said. "Come on let's get you home."

The kit looked up worried but quickly averted his gaze. However, when Nick offered a paw Michael took it after looking at the fellow fox for a few moments. The adult fox pulled the kit up out of the seat. "Grab your jacket, bud." Nick said as he let go of Michael's. The kit did as told and picked up the jacket. He wasn't sure what to say, his emotions had been shot over these last few days.

Nick informed Mark they were handling it and he would get a report later where he would make a statement. While the kit folded his jacket over his arm, he glanced over at his intended haul. On a hunch Judy picked up the can and a couple diapers. "The ZPD will compensate your store." The buck nodded having given up.

Micheal walked out the store with his nose pointed down and Nick's gentle paw on his shoulder, guiding him where to go. He was eventually sat in the back seat of the cruiser. He just seemed scared and maybe numb. The kit looked out the window as he told the cops where he lived. Nick used the computer to confirm that a vixen named Kaitlyn Roterfuchs lived at that address with her three children.

While Judy drove and tried to get Michael to relax by getting him to tell her about cartoons he liked, Nick looked at Kaitlyn's history. There was a lot, being on financial aid does that. Michael's father and Kaitlyn's husband walked on them shortly before Michael was born. Nick's brow furrowed seeing the similarities. Kaitlyn had a clean record other than a parking ticket here and there. Josephine, Michael's older sister, had fallen in with a bad crew in high school but was never arrested. Apparently the third kit came along not long ago, the father on the birth certificate had no arrest record and was paying child support. However, he seemed to have multiple addresses or moved a lot, the records were unclear.

Before Nick could delve deeper into their charge's family, Judy parked in front of his apartment building. It wasn't the worst place in the world to live, Nick lived in worse before. Judy's old apartment was arguably worse, being how it was one room. Michael led the way to his mother's apartment. The cops sensed the kit's tension growing in him. Probably expecting a paddling or worse.

The doors of the elevator opened to the third floor. Judy was about to ask which apartment was Michael's only for all three mammal's ears to twitch at the sound of a screaming kit. Michael hurried to a door with a hoof print in the center, the screaming was coming from behind it. The cops could tell the door had been kicked from the damage to the frame. "Michael stay here." Nick said as he shoulder checked the door open. Judy rushed past Nick, her tranquilizer pistol in her paw.

The room was destroyed, no one would leave it in this state on purpose, even with the makeshift repairs. There were six deep claw marks in the back of the couch. The foam had been stuffed back into the holes and covered with clear tape. The coffee table had been broken, probably crushed by the damage to the floor, then pushed back where it should be. The crushed remote and damaged books were placed in their normal spot. Judy slowed as she looked at the kitchen trash can overflowing with a broken lamp and the remains of a broken chair that should be at the kitchen table. The bunny looked at Nick who was examining the door frame that had been repaired with the same clear tape that held some broken picture frames together. "They came two nights ago." Michael said looking sadly at the state of his home. "I tryed to clean up but." He choked a little bit as his eyes shook.

Nick fell to a knee as he turned to Micheal. "What happened, buddy?" He asked as Judy rushed to the aid of the crying kit.

"I can't tell you." Michael replied with tears rolling down his face as he stared at the floor between his paws.

Judy returned with the kit. Who was still screaming as Judy rocked him gently. This little fox was no older than her own. She watched as Nick with a paw on Michael's shoulder lifted his chin to look at him. "You got to tell us Michael we can help."

"But they said if I talked they would hurt my mom and sister."

"They can't if you tell us." Nick said the seriousness in his voice shook Micheal. "Did someone take them?"

"Yes." Micheal's once numb emotions overflowed as he broke down crying like his baby brother. Nick pulled the kit into a hug and looked at Judy.

Comforting the kit in her arms, Judy said. "Needs a change and food."

"And we need to get to work."

(big thanks to Sapperjoe85 and Tog for proofreading and check out their stuff where you can)