Chapter VII

In a dark room, the panther walked toward their makeshift table. The table was so messy. It was in a state where it could use cleaning...so badly in fact others would call it disgusting. But Damien did not care about the state of his table, he just sat in his chair nonchalantly as he took a long metal briefcase below the table. Taking a gas mask that was hanging on the wall, he opened the case, and it contained a tranquilizer gun, darts, and some syringe.

Putting on a pair of gloves, he took one of the syringes from the case as well as a dart. Opening a drawer from the top, he took an empty bottle, closing it in the process. Standing from the chair, he walked toward another table, but this table contained a machine with orange liquid on the top, many tubes, and other chemicals. He opened the bottle, placing it underneath a tube that is pointing down. The panther turned on the machine and watched the liquid go down the tubes into the bottle. Closing the bottle, he grabbed it as he went back to the unorganized table. Sitting down once again, he took a marker, writing something on the bottle. It was labeled: Lethal poison.

Having his syringe ready, he slowly placed the needle inside the bottle. Slowly but surely, he retrieved the 'lethal' poison from the bottle. Due to the dart being small, he needed a small dose of poison because he didn't want to overflow it and have the risk of spilling it on him; it would burn his skin if he were to make contact on it.

After getting a small dose from the poisonous bottle, he examined it to make sure it was enough for the dart. Satisfied with the result, he took the empty small dart as he slowly inserted the poison inside the dart. Inspecting it, making sure that the dart was filled, Damien was sure that the dart was made. He took off his gas mask, but slightly regretted it as he could smell the poison. Even though the liquid was in the dart, he could still smell it. ''This is such a strong smell! But it shouldn't knock me out because of the smell!''

Placing the dart back in the case, and putting his gas mask back on, he took another dart from the case to begin the process once again. He would have loaded the dart and use it, but it's a one-use-only and it took him a while to make the lethal poison. He didn't want to waste it by shooting it at something, or rather someone. He was taking a small dose of the liquid before a loud ring interrupted him. Due to it being so loud, he nearly jumped because of it. Gently placing the syringe down, he closed the bottle to prevent the strong smell from getting to him. He took his phone and saw the number. He mentally groaned, taking off his gas mask. He accepted the call.

''Hello.'' Damien used his shoulder, so his phone wouldn't fall off while taking his gloves off. ''I'm still working on it, my partner is finding their location. But the girl isn't likely to reme-'' He was cut off. Whoever he was talking to, he could tell that they are really impatient.

''Than make him work faster! Are you aware that the child saw you!? Or do you want me to mangle you myself?''

''L-like I said...I'm still working on it! Just give me a little more time!''

''You better take care of that girl, get rid of whoever, or anyone, that gets in your way!''

''Y-yes sir! Just a little time...''

''Good...Make sure to make those night howler pallets. After what Miss Bellwheather tried to do, I think those prey deserve their own taste of medicine.''

''Y-yes sir...B-but that will cost yo-'' Once again he was cut off as he winced feeling his ears were being pierced.

''I am aware! just get your job done before I get you down!'' And with that, the call was cut off very abruptly. The panther sighed in frustration, he understood why his boss wanted the child gone. But in his defense, he thinks children are dumb and wouldn't remember, but if he wanted to see another day, then he needed to get it done as fast as possible. He will still give the arctic fox some time, but at the same time, it would make him comfortable if he would get her too fast. It's only been a day, so he can still wait for the report, but it better be really soon. The fox better have some info on the girl. Otherwise, there will be serious consequences for failing...

It was early morning at 5:15 am. It was still a little dark outside, but the sun was slowly rising. The shepherd was doing his daily routine. Since his day off was over, he needed to return back to work. However, he still needed to keep an eye on the kit. After their heart-to-heart talk with each other, Jake felt that he understood her a little better. The shepherd was glad that they are on good terms, and he was slowly learning to open up. He was already ready for work, but he figured that they could head out earlier for the kit to have a small bite to eat before going to the precinct. He sat on a chair as he calmly drank his coffee in silence, Jake glanced at the clock and it was still early, being 6:30, but it would be better if they go out a little sooner. Drinking the last of the coffee, he stood up putting the mug in the sink. He could feel that his back was slightly hurting. It was from sleeping in such an odd position that it made his back hurt. Using his paw, he attempted to massage his back hoping that it would ease the pain. But it wasn't doing so much. He just ignored the slight tingle on his back. Right now he needed to wake up the girl.

Approaching the bed, he lightly tapped the girl's back as he softly said ''Amalia, wake up. We have to go.'' But the girl didn't stir, he tried again but a little harder. ''Amalia.'' Who knew that this girl is a heavy sleeper? But he felt that she was faking it; he used to do this sometimes. Making an educated guess, he said ''I know you are awake, you can't fool me.''

''...I don't wanna go to school...'' Amalia replied. Jake. shook his head; she was just like him when he was younger. He remembered that his dad had some trouble making him go to school, but as he got older, he was starting to realize how important school was.

''No, no...I'm not making you go to school.'' The girl turned to the shepherd, and he could see the sleepy eyes on her. He could tell that she doesn't want to go to school, even though he wasn't going to force her. Maybe if he had a pup, he would force that pup to go to school even if he had to drag them in their pajamas.

''You're not...?'' Amalia asked. The shepherd shook his head. Amalia yawned as she rubbed her tired eyes. ''Then...where are we going...?''

The shepherd chuckled, though Amalia didn't make any comment about it. He figured that she was still trying to wake up. ''To my workplace, you know, the precinct. I still have to keep an eye on you," the shepherd explained. He just hoped that the girl doesn't try to resist him. Otherwise, this is just Deja vú; he was being his dad and Amalia was being him.

''I guess...'' The doe sat up as she was still trying to fight off sleep.

The shepherd nodded. ''Good...I hope you don't mind eating in a café after, you know...'' Jake rubbed his back sheepishly, remembering how he lost his temper on her and caused them to be slightly distant toward each other. The girl nodded in understanding. "How about you go get ready? I'll be waiting for you, okay?'' The girl nodded again as she headed for the bathroom. ''There is a spare brush you can use in there!'' The bathroom door closed.

The shepherd waited for Amalia to finish. He would have sat in silence, but he could use some distraction while waiting. Picking up his phone from the table, he searched for the latest news, and he read the heading:

''Homicide Murder! Are We Safe from the Unknown Murderer?!''

The shepherd frowned seeing this for he could tell that a prey wrote this. Not that he has nothing against preys, but based on the title...It is aimed to piss off the predators. Scrolling down the page, he scanned every word on the page. But he noticed some words that caught his eyes.

''2 weeks in and 3 straight deaths of prey that takes place in the house of the victim. Preys began to speculate that the carnivores are behind these murders and it is causing a riot. We interviewed some of the citizens and this is what they have to say:

'There are no other options! The predators have to be behind this! Why would a prey commit this?!'

'After what we learned about their biology, they are the most logical reason to be behind a mass murder like this! A collar should be put on them to prevent murders like this happening!'

'Those bastards of predators killed my sister! We should collar them!'"

After reading these sentences, he frowned. He could understand why they were hostile, but making the carnivores wear a collar? Isn't that a bit much and unnecessary? To be honest these comments tick him off, especially the last two. He needed to keep his cool, because if he losses his temper, he might scare the girl. Taking a deep breath, he continued to scan the report. Jake shook his head again. Sometimes he wonders if the reporters or journalists write true statements. He would continue to scan the report, but he heard the bathroom door open. He stuffed his phone in his pocket, and turned to the bathroom door. He could see that she was more ready now.

''You ready kiddo?'' The shepherd asked.

''Y-yeah...'' The fawn nodded.

''Alright, then. Let's go. You should eat something before we go to the precinct, and make sure you stay very close to me, alright?'' The girl nodded again. With the plan decided, Jake took the keys to his apartment as he exited the room with Amalia following closely behind him. They took the elevator down, waiting for it elevator to arrive at its destination. There were a few mammals inside the elevator.

The elevator door opened, and they all exited. For some reason it was a little cold. He liked this kind of weather and never liked the heat. Since the weather is like this, he might as well enjoy it. Walking down the road, they stopped by at some café. Not many mammals were in it, so he assumed they just opened. Jake and Amalia examined the menu. The shepherd wasn't practically interested in any of the food choices they were serving, so he waited for the kit to make her decision. ''I-I want that...''She pointed at the big muffin with chocolate chips and sprinkles. The shepherd nodded and looked at the bored elephant, waving his paw to get their attention.

''Excuse me, We are ready to order.'' The elephant nodded. ''I would like that Chocolate Chip Muffin, just one of them, and a water bottle.'' The elephant nodded, fetching his order. Amalia stared at the shepherd.

''Aren't you gonna eat?'' The fawn asked. The shepherd shook his head to which Amalia frowned. ''But it isn't good to skip breakfast...''

The shepherd just shrugged. ''Well, I am not a mammal that follows rules. Besides that applies to you, not to adults like me.'' The shepherd pointed out. But to be honest, whether if you're an adult or a child, you should eat breakfast regardless. After receiving the order. Amalia ate the muffin in silence as Jake just browsed through his phone. A few minutes of said silence, and Amalia was done. The shepherd thanked the cashier, but the elephant just snorted to which Jake ignored it.

Exiting the café was easy. Since the stairs were close by, they didn't have to worry about walking a far distance. Walking down the stairs, they arrived at the train terminal. The two waited for the train, and Jake decided to listen to some music. Plugging in the ear buds into his phone, he placed one of the buds in his ear. While the music was booming in his ear he kept the other bud hanging, so if the young female had questions, he would hear her. He looked at the young kit that still didn't leave his side, and he could tell that she was looking a little bored.

The train came, with its door opening. Most of the mammals in the station entered including him and Amalia. Jake took his seat, and Amalia sat right next to him. The ride will only take a few minutes, but he noticed she was uncomfortable. He looked around the area trying to figure out why she was feeling uncomfortable, and he then understood. Some of the animals were giving him the stink eye, but he didn't care. Right now he needed to distract her. ''Here.'' The shepherd offered his earbuds to her. Amalia looked at the earphones, then at the shepherd. ''Go ahead, I don't mind.'' She hesitantly took the earphones from the shepherd. The young female, slowly put on the earphones, beginning to listen to the music. In fact, she appeared to be enjoying it.

Since she was jamming to the music, he now had to wait in silence. Normally, he would be either listening to music or reading a quick book on the internet, but since both of those are not available to him, he will just be staring out the window. However, because of the peeping eyes, he couldn't really focus. To break away the many stares, he eyes toward one of them. It was an intense stare, but Jake won as his opponent averted their eyes eventually. He looked at the others, and they too averted. Satisfied with it, he sat silently, waiting for the train to arrive at their destination.

A few minutes have gone by, and they arrived. Ever since that stare-down, no one dared to even glance at them. He might have scared them with his killer eyes, but he didn't really mean to. But he thought the less attention the better.

When the door opened, he nudged the girl slightly. The fawn looked at the shepherd confused, and he gestured at the door by using his head. The fawn took off the earphone as she handed it her bodyguard. Jake accepted the earphone, and headed out with her. Arriving at the heart of Zootopia, the shepherd noticed that the atmosphere was rather gloomy and distant. Almost as if the two categories were avoiding each other. Perhaps this was because of the fake news? Mammals still believe in those, so it won't be surprising to him if that were the case.

Trying his best to hurry to his working place without having multiple stink eyes being directed towards him. He also didn't want to make the girl even more uncomfortable now. The homicide case should be solved quickly before it gets any worse and if his guess is right...They might be wearing a collar if a war breaks out.

Finally, they arrived at the precinct. Having the cool breeze hit his fur felt nice. Jake was glad that he didn't have to deal with more stares right now, but he felt his leg being grabbed and knew it was Amalia. She hasn't been in a police station except for that one time. She will be seeing this place very often since he will be returning here most of the time. He knelt down as he faced the fawn.

''Is there something wrong? Are you not used to coming to the police station?'' He asked to which the fawn shook her head. ''I promise you that this is a good place.'' He turned to the happy-go-lucky cheetah, who was enjoying the box of cereal. ''Why don't we say 'Hi' to Clawhauser?'' He didn't wait for her respond. Instead she protested, but the shepherd ignored her. They approached the chubby cheetah. ''Good morning, Clawhauser. I hope you are doing okay today.''

The feline stopped munching on the cereal as he turned to the voice. ''Ah, Good morning, Barkin! How is the kit?' 'He asked putting the bowl of cereal away.

''Well, she is doing fine. Actually, she wanted to say 'Hi'," The shepherd replied. Right after he said it he felt something smack his leg. It didn't even hurt him, but maybe if it hit his sensitive part, then he might be screaming. Luckily she knew or was just avoiding it coincidentally.

''I didn't say anything!'' The girl grumbled, crossing her arms in disapproval.

He didn't make any comment but just shook his head. ''Well, Clawhauser I'll be heading out. Let's go, Amalia.'' He started walking to the bullpen.

''Oh, Barkin! I almost forgot!'' The shepherd turned to the cheetah in confusion .''Chief Bogo wanted to see you. He has something to give, but I don't know what it is.'' The canine gave it some thought before he nodded.

''Can you look after, Amalia while I am gone?'' Jake asked. That statement seemed to catch the fawn off guard because she stared at the canine astonished.

''B-but...I wanna come!'' She exclaimed. Jake shook his head. Knowing that she can't win this fight, Amalia decided to let him win this battle and obeyed.

''I'll be back, It will be a quick one," he said. With that, he went up the stairs. He could see that no one else was going up the stairs. He probably knew why, but he should be quick before others get the wrong reason. Arriving at the door to the chief's office, he braced himself as he knocked on the door.

''Come in.'' He did what the voice told him as he entered the room. Jake closed the door behind him and stood straight with his arms folded behind him.

''I heard from Clawhauser that you called me. Is there any reason why you called?" The shepherd asked. The buffalo took his eyes off the computer screen and looked at the canine.

''How is the girl?'' The buffalo asked. The shepherd formulated a perfect answer without any mistakes.

''She is doing fine. In fact, she is getting quite comfortable at pretty quickly," The shepherd answered honestly.

The buffalo grunted as he replied. ''Good. Clawhauser managed to contact her mother, she should be arriving here within a week. And because she is in your custody, you will be receiving a temporary vehicle to replace your motorbike.'' The Shepherd tilted his head. Was a car really necessary? Well, it made some sense because driving around with a kit on a motorbike, would be dangerous because could fall off if she wasn't being held tightly. But to think that the mother will be arriving within a week felt reassuring. He nodded in understanding. ''The keys are with Clawhauser. Be sure to take them before going to patrol.''

''Understood. Anything else?''

The buffalo shook his head. ''Not anything noteworthy, but if there are any changes I will inform you. You are dismissed.''

The shepherd gave his boss a salute as he exited the room. Going down the stairs, he could see that the precinct was almost empty. All of the officers were at the bullpen waiting for their chief to give the report. Looking towards the cheetah, he was talking with the fawn and they were enjoying their conversation. Approaching them, he could hear something about Gazelle. It made the fawn happy. ''So...she likes Gazelle...Maybe I should download one of her albums," he muttered to himself.

As the two were talking, Amalia took notice of the canine approaching. ''Jake! You know Gazelle?'' She asked excitedly as she jumped around. Jake noticed that she was calling him by name for the first time; she was slowly warming up to him.

''Woah, kiddo calm down! Of course I know Gazelle. She's the famous pop singer,'' the shepherd explained. ''You having fun with Clawhauser?''

''Uh-huh! He is a big fan of Gazelle just like I am!'' The fawn said excitedly. Jake shook his head at the antics; he was not disappointed but amused. Amalia stopped bouncing around as she said something interesting.''Mr. Clawhauser said one of my dad's friends was looking for me," Jake perked up. Interested in the statement, he tuned to Clawhauser looking for answers.

''Clawhauser?'' The shepherd asked with a serious gaze as if he was penetrating through the cheetah's heart.

''Yeah, He was looking for her. I told him that he needed to see the Chief if he wanted to see her," The feline explained, trying his best to recall the situation. ''I think he was an arctic fox...'' Jake just stared at the feline. Seeing the scary gaze, he changed his statement. ''M-Most definitely!''

''I didn't ask you to rephrase it...''The shepherd deadpanned. ''But thank you anyway. We will be going now. Have a good day." He waved the cheetah goodbye. ''C'mon, we should go, or do you want to stay here?'' The fawn turned her head to the feline than the shepherd. But Jake could sense that she wanted to talk to Clawhauser more. ''If you want to talk with Clawhauser for a bit longer, then I don't mind. I'll just be in the bullpen for a few minutes. Just don't leave his sight alright?'' The girl happily nodded. The canine turned to the feline. ''I'm counting on you to keep an eye on her okay?''

The bullpen was the same as ever, with everyone doing their own things before the chief arrives. Some of his colleagues were giving him a curious look, but he was just ignoring the stares because right now the shepherd wanted to recall everything that Clawhauser just said to him. Taking his seat, he watched Hopps talk about Amalia, most likely showing concerns about her. He didn't mind that Amalia was with Clawhauser, because he knew that she was in good hands. Having this time alone, he began to process everything.

''So...one of Mr. Lean's friends came here to the precinct and were asking about Amalia...An arctic fox no less...Why do I feel this is strange...? It isn't common to have friends outside their zones...A predator and prey...I could just be overthinking this because Wilde and Hopps are a good example...It's better for me to keep my eyes open...This could be an unknown adversary...Maybe I co-'' He snapped back into reality as he heard the door being opened. Every mammal in-room stopped doing what they were doing, paying attention to the buffalo.

The shepherd crossed his arms in discomfort as he listened to what Bogo wanted to say...Of course everything he had to say was related to the homicide case. Every officer is to keep an eye out for any suspicious activities, and that was everything that was being said. Everyone left after that. Jake picked up Amalia as well as his keys from Clawhauser. When they were outside, he used the keys to identify which car that the key belonged to. He found it after the car let out a 'beep' and its backlights turned on. Opening the front passenger seat, he gestured for the girl to enter the car, and she did. Going over to the driver seat, he made sure to lock the doors before starting the engine. He was quite lucky to have a driver's license, so he was sure that he wouldn't crash into any walls.

''Are you okay...?'' The girl asked breaking the silence, Jake turned to Amalia with a confused look.

''Um...What do you mean?'' He asked turning his head back to look at the back mirror. As he hit the reverse pedal making the car drove backward, he was far enough not to hit any of the cars while turning. He used the shift stick, turning the car toward the road. ''Of course I'm fine.''

''Well...You were being quiet...Dad told me if someone is being quiet, then they aren't okay," The girl explained. The canine's expression showed surprise, to say the least. To be silent means that he was in deep thought, but that could also mean someone's not fine.

''It can't only mean that.'' Since the shepherd was focused on the road, he couldn't see the confused expression, but he could tell that she was confused. So, he continued. ''Being silent could mean multiple things. Like...Someone doesn't want to talk, or they are thinking about something and they didn't want to be bothered.''

''But...isn't that the same thing?'' The fawn asked. The German shepherd shook his head.

''It's not. Being not okay, and wanting to be left alone I think is different. You can't assume that they are not fine just because they are being quiet. Sometimes, if they are being quiet, the best course of action is to leave them be," The canine explained. The fawn slowly nodded in understanding.

Neither of them spoke, only the sound of wheels could be heard as he drove around the area...