Chapter 02 - Scent of a Fox
Carla strained her neck while looking up at the monstrous structure that soared above her. To her eyes it looked like a tremendous layer cake that rose over a hundred meters into the air. She knew that it was a new building being constructed in the heart of the Palm District, but the many hollow layers near the top reminded her of a delicious wedding cake she had tried many years ago.
This new building was so tall that it almost seemed to blot out half the sky, and, as it was being built, it continued to reach ever closer to the clouds. As large as it would become when finished, it would still be dwarfed by the giant palm tree casino at the end of the block. The whole Palm District had been growing steadily, with a new casino popping up almost every year or so. New resorts and casinos meant new mammals coming to town, and the whole district was starting to feel busier than downtown.
Shading her eyes with a paw, she leaned back to look up at the building that continued to remind her how hungry she was. Most of the lower floors had been filled in, their outer walls plastered and the windows carefully glued in place, but the top ten floors still looked like slices of bread, or cake stacked one on top of the other. From her vantage, far below, Carla could see tiny figures deftly scurrying around between the layers like ants on a picnic lunch. She wanted to wave her paws and shoo them all away, but she knew that in truth, they were actually huge mammals many times her size.
Perched high on the top of the building, like figures of a bride and groom, were a pair of giant cranes that gracefully lifted huge bundles of supplies from the ground to the work crews waiting above. The carriage of one such lift rested on the ground, waiting for it's next load of materials, while the other was out of her sight on the other side of the construction yard.
Surrounding the yard, was a large, yellow fence that blocked the area off from prying eyes, and she was unable to see much of what was happening on the ground. There was however, one break in that long, flexible wall, and the current focus of her attention. The large gap in the fence seemed to be the site's main entrance and it was wide enough that large trucks could pass unimpeded or an entire family of elephants could walk through holding hooves.
Directly across the street from this entrance was where Carla had set up her little stand. It was the busiest spot on the block, where hungry mammals passed by at all times of the day. The heavy construction work, combined with the desert heat, left mammals of all sizes thankful for the icy treats that she sold. Business had been good all summer long, and she was proud of the spot she had chosen.
The summer was coming to a close and, even in the desert, the cooler breezes meant that fall would soon be on the way. In a month or so, the hard work on the upper floors would be complete, leaving only the interiors where the builders could stay warm through the winter months. It wouldn't be long after that before she was forced to find other means to make money.
While she was thinking of new and exciting ways to relieve mammals of their loose cash, the sun had begun to set behind the building. Her last customer, a recently shorn sheep in an orange safety vest and a yellow hard hat, had headed back across the street while enjoying his newly acquired treat. There were only a few items left in the ice chest and her gaze followed the sheep hoping to spot a few more customers, but instead she only saw what could be a lot of trouble and it was headed directly for her.
A pair of the ZPD's finest strolled through the wide gap in the construction yard's fence and were headed straight towards her ice cream stand. As they paused to let the traffic go by, the little one pointed directly at her and the taller one nodded. What had she done to draw the attention of the police?
Sure, Carla was a gray fox, but she knew that cops couldn't just arrest you because of your species. That would be discriminatory, and she was sure that such a blatant display of discrimination was illegal, even for cops.
Her mind raced trying to think why they would be looking for her, did the old goat she had hustled this morning snitch to the cops? No, he had given her the money of his own free will. Well he had technically given the money to a young mother who was down on her luck, but he had no way of knowing that she would turn it around and buy gallons of ice cream from an elephant instead of the baby formula she claimed she needed for her tiny son.
As the pair of flatfoots crossed the street, she turned to her partner, "Hey Finnick, don't look now, but there's like a couple of cops headed straight for us."
"Where?" the small desert fox asked as he got up from his lawn chair. He had been enjoying the shade of a small palm tree while Carla sold all the pawpsicles this afternoon and he wasn't too pleased to be interrupted in the middle of his late afternoon nap.
Lifting a pair of dark glasses off his long nose, he gazed out into the street where the gray fox had motioned and saw a pair of figures that made him chuckle. One was the smallest police officer he had ever met. She was a small, gray rabbit from the country burrows and had an attitude almost as large as his own. The taller one, was his ex-partner, turned traitor, joining the ZPD to chase the other's cottony tail. That last part he would never understand in a million years.
Walking up to Carla, Finnick shrugged and said, "Oh, it's just the rabbit chaser and his girlfriend. You don't have to worry about them." He reached into the coldest part of the ice chest, pulled out two fresh pawpsicles and placed them atop the remaining pile of crushed ice.
The pair of cops walked directly up to Finnick with a slow shuffle that told the little fox that they had both been on their paws since before the sun came up. The rabbit didn't have the same school girl bounce in her step that she usually had everyday she wore that uniform. While the fox carried the same casual smirk as always, there was something about it that told Finnick that his old partner was ready for the day to end.
Before his paws stepped up onto the sidewalk, Nick spoke with a cheerful tone that belied his obvious tiredness, "Hey buddy, how is business these days?" He also turned to the younger, gray fox with a nod, "Nice to see you again, Carla."
"Pretty good today. Only got two left," Finnick said as he grabbed the last two remaining pawpsicles from their icy bed and pawed them to the cops. "Here, it's on the house."
"Naw, it's ok Fin, we're on the job," Nick waved a paw in front of his chest in refusal.
"I insist," Finnick shoved the treats closer to the fox and his bunny partner. "Besides, once these are gone Carla and I can pack it up for the day."
Judy thankfully grabbed one of the slowly melting pawpsicles out of the desert fox's paw, "Thank you very much Finnick." She gave Nick a hard shove with her other paw, "We really appreciate it don't we, Nick?" When the taller todd didn't respond she stepped on his hind paw, "Nick!"
"Yes, thanks, Buddy," Nick finally took the proffered treat from the smaller fox.
Judy rolled her eyes with a sniff, "Males." She nodded to Carla who giggled in return.
Taking a small bite of her pawpsicle, Judy stepped away from the two todds and approached Carla with a grin. "I had heard that Finnick found a new partner," she held a free paw out to vixen, "I'm, Judy. Hopps, Officer Hopps, but my friends can call me Judy."
Carla took Judy's paw cautiously and gave it a firm shake. She never knew that Finnick had friends on the force and wasn't quite sure what to make of this oddly matched pair. "It's such a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Judy," she finally said with feigned cordiality before letting go of the rabbit's small paw.
"So how long have you been working with our miniature elephant?" the rabbit asked warmly.
Glancing over at the small fox, who was still wearing his plush, elephant onesie, a senseless grin crossed her muzzle and her eyes began to sparkle, "Oh my, it's been months, but it feels like we have been working together for years. Like standing in this hot sun all day just kills my fur ya know." She wiped the back of her paw across her brow.
"Tell me about it," Judy nodded. "Wearing dark blue all day can really be tiring on a hot day. Your outfit, however, looks quite comfortable."
At the praise, Carla ran her paw over the loose-fitting, lime green blouse and flower print slacks. "Thanks," she said with a vapid smile and a wave of her paw. "Finnick gave them to me. He said they would like, help me look the part or something. That little guy can be such a dear sometimes." She gave the small, brown fox a long, slow wink before turning her attention back to the uniformed rabbit.
Nick ignored the two females while they continued to chat. "We didn't come here just to make a social call," he said to the smaller fox. "We're looking for Leonard. His parole officer said he has been working here," Nick motioned to the construction site behind him, "have you seen him around today?"
"Lefty?" Finnick folded his arms across his chest and glared up at the taller, red fox with the official looking uniform. "What do the cops want with him? Wait, is this some sort of sick payback for what he did to you all those years ago?"
Shaking his head, Nick replied calmly, "No pal, we're not looking to arrest him or anything, we just want to ask him a few questions."
"Yeah, right. Nice try. I know how things go down when the cops just want to ask you a few questions," the small, desert fox growled. He balled up one tiny paw and slammed it heavily into the other.
"I am serious, Finnick. We are after much bigger fish. And I was hoping Lefty could point us in the right direction."
"Bigger fish, huh?" Finnick shook both fists before stabbing a sharp claw in Nick's direction, "What about your iodine allergy?"
The red fox raised both shoulders in a shrug, "I think I can handle it. Besides, that's why I brought bunny insurance." He nodded towards Judy, who was still chatting with Carla.
Finnick looked back and forth between Nick and the tough looking bunny, who was the only reason the fox had ever turned cop. "All right," he finally said pointing a tiny, sharp claw at the taller cop, "This had better not be any kind of payback for that thing with Mr. Big, or your tail can get reacquainted with my bat." His lips curled back in a snarl and he made a snapping motion with his jaws.
Holding his paws out in front of him, Nick took a step back from the ferocious, little fox, "Cool it, pal. You know I'm not that kind of mammal. Revenge is just not my style." He then adjusted his tie causing his long bushy tail to sway back and forth.
The smaller fox dropped his snarl and took a step back, "Fine. Yeah, we saw Lefty earlier. He swung by on his lunch break. Couldn't stop talking about his latest bowling scores. If I was any kind of betting mammal, I'd say he went straight to his favorite alley after work. You know, the one over in the Canal District."
"Yeah, it's on Fig Road. I know the place. Thanks a lot buddy, I owe ya one." He then turned towards the pair of females, "Hey, Carrots. Let's go."
"It was great meeting you, Carla," Judy shook the grey fox's paw again. "The four of us should get together sometime."
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. What do you think, Finnick?" Carla replied.
"Oh, yeah, that sounds terrific," the sarcasm was thick on the tiny, gruff fox's lips. "We could all go bowling or something."
"Or how about mini-golf?" Nick added with a chuckle as he led Judy back across the street.
"Very funny, bro," Finnick threw a pawfull of crushed ice at the retreating cops. "You can pay for the pawpsicles next time!"
Darkness slowly covered the city like a warm blanket drawn over a restless kit by the paw of a caring parent. The sun had completely set in the hour it took Nick and Judy to drive from the Palm District in Sahara Square to the middle of the Canal District. Few lights lit the soggy streets while every stream and channel seemed to glitter and sparkle with brilliant dots of light. Many of the lights were strung from boat to boat and across the low-lying piers while others floated directly on top of the slow moving water, like blooming lilies on a frog pond.
Summer nights along the canals always seemed very festive and Judy could hear soft music playing from somewhere across the water. While driving the large cruiser along one of the few roads that wound over and around the ubiquitous waterways, the small cop saw a brightly lit gondola float past. Lit by the faint glow from a string of lights that were hung from one end of the craft to the other, she thought she could make out a pair of small mammals cuddled near the bow while a tall shadow with broad antlers held the oar and sang a foreign tune.
What a wonderful, romantic scene Judy thought. She was going to have to convince her new boyfriend to take her on one of those moonlit, gondola rides before the weather got any cooler. Since she had grown up out in the burrows, miles from any city, she had never seen many of the fascinating things that this huge, diverse, metropolis had to offer. Nick had also promised to show her all of the sights, and the Canal District's night life was definitely going on her list of must have dates.
As the cruiser crossed a bridge and the street turned to follow another canal, the music she had heard drifted off into the distance to be replaced by something much more upbeat and jazzy. She even thought she heard the sounds of mammals dancing and laughing on one of the many boats. When she stopped to look out across the water, she saw that they were actually dancing across several boats all tied together in the middle of the stream.
Swiftly, a small, gray paw flew fiercely across the car to strike the shoulder of a blue uniformed fox who happened to be sitting directly in its path.
"Ouch! What was that for?" the fox reached across his chest with a dark, red-furred paw to rub at his aggrieved shoulder.
"That," the rabbit cop pointed a sharp, black claw at her partner, "was for calling me bunny insurance."
"And you know that you are only the very best kind, Carrots," Nick said with a wink and a nod in her direction. "I couldn't ask for a better partner."
Judy rolled her eyes and sniffed the air. The smell of roasting vegetables wafted through the open window of her car reminding the rabbit that it was getting late and that they still had not eaten anything other than pawpsicles since before stumbling across that shipping crate full of pandas.
Without looking at her sly partner, she asked, "So, what were you and Finnick talking about? I thought I overheard something about Mr. Big?"
Nick leaned back in his chair and looked out at the thick expanse of mangrove trees that viciously clung to every scrap of land that wasn't filled with water. "Oh, it's nothing, Carrots. Just something that happened years ago." The fox's voice slowly grew quieter as he spoke.
Sighing, Judy looked at the fox where all she could see was the back of his orange head, "Nick..." She thought about all they had been through recently, "don't do this again. I'm your partner and I need to know what kind of situation we're walking into."
The fox continued to silently stare out the window as they drove over another glittering bridge.
"Besides," the rabbit continued. "We're dating now, and you should be a little more open with your girlfriend." She tilted her head in his direction and let the tips of her tall, fluffy ears brush against the back of his head, "I've already seen you at your worst. Spent a month in the hospital while you walked around on all fours, so it's only fair that you share some of your past with me."
"Fine," Nick replied with a sigh, turning back to the small rabbit who was driving the huge police car. "Do you remember why Mr. Big was so mad at me last year?"
"Oh, wait." Judy jumped in her seat and wiggled her nose in thought, "I know this one. Wasn't it something to do with a rug you sold him?"
"Well," he nodded. "Leonard, the guy we're looking for, may have been involved in acquiring a certain rug. His involvement was never proven, but Finnick thinks I am looking for payback."
Turning the car through the next curve, Judy stared thoughtfully out the front window for several seconds, "So, are you, Nick?"
"Am I what?"
Hitting the breaks as the next traffic light turned red, she didn't hesitate to clarify her question, "Are you looking for vengeance? Whatever he did got you on the bad side of the toughest mob boss in Tundratown."
Shaking his head sadly, Nick replied with as much honesty as the smarmy fox could muster, "I had completely forgotten about him until Sargent Beckett called me a few weeks ago."
Judy's ears tilted curiously to the side, "Beckett? You mean parole officer Beckett?"
"Yeah," the todd nodded then leaned back in his seat again. "He called me and said this parolee had some information that might relate to our ongoing drug case." He pointed to the next intersection, "Turn right, there, onto Vine Street."
Before the rabbit turned the next corner Nick continued his narration, "So, Beckett arranged for me to meet with this informant at a small café over on Prairie Street. That's where Leonard gave up the details on our little ship of pandas, he swore up and down that it was a very large delivery of drugs."
Nick held out a paw above his lap and began to twitch and shake it, "He was so nervous at the meeting, kept looking out every window, or over his shoulder that I don't think he even recognized me. We weren't exactly associates. Lefty, had this knack for acquiring things on short notice, and of course Mr. Big had a habit of making rare and exotic requests at the last minute. Being the clever bunny that you are I think you can figure out the rest."
"Yeah, I can guess," Judy nodded with a frown and her ears drooped.
The fox shrugged and raised both paws into the air, "I was such a different mammal back then that I doubt my own mother would recognize me now." He turned and leaned closer with his nose nearly pressed against the bunny's ear, "And it's all your fault, Carrots!"
"Har, har," she returned with a groan, swatting his muzzle away with the back of her paw.
"No, it's true, Fluff."
"You still look like the same fox to me."
The fox's everyday smirk was replaced by a calm determination, "I'm serious Judy."
A pair of fluffy, gray ears suddenly rose to their full height and a tiny, pink nose twitched furiously. He never used her first name casually, ever, and when he did, it was usually for something important.
Not seeing her surprise, Nick continued, "You have really helped me break out from the mammal I used to be." He waved a paw through the air as if he could peel back time to reveal his old self, "Hustler Nick was a dirty scoundrel and would never be caught dead associating with cops."
"When we first met, you were very friendly to me."
"That was all part of the act you know."
She placed her paw on his arm and gave him a warm smile, "It felt quite genuine to me, and I feel that deep down, even when you're acting the part, the real Nick was always in there somewhere."
His eyes lost focus as he looked straight ahead, "You keep saying you want to make the world a better place, Carrots. Well for this one fox you have done much more than that. I couldn't have done it without you." He placed his much larger paw over hers, "You took the time to get to know the mammal inside, and trusted me to be your partner on the force. That really means a lot to me."
A bright smirk swiftly crossed the rabbit's muzzle and she squeezed his paw, "Did the sly fox just say that he is in love with a bunny?"
Their eyes met for a brief, tender moment before Nick shied away from her touch. He turned his head to look back out his side window, "Oh, look. We're here already." Pointing a paw to an empty slot near the front of the bowling alley he said, "Pull in over there, Carrots."
The long building they pulled up to looked like an odd mix between an old fashioned movie theater and a malt shop. The large sign out front, where a gaudy marquee once loudly announced the currently playing shows now simply read Fig Lanes in huge, bold figures. Big open windows lined a section of the front wall where fiberglass benches sat between faux marble tables.
An outdated bar was attached to the bowling alley that still sold the same authentic, malted milkshakes that they had served for more than 70 years. During the daylight hours patrons of all ages still flocked there for a slice of old fashioned nostalgia. At night the tables were empty but the bar still served refreshments to the bowlers.
Most of the parking lot was empty, so the rabbit was able to pick a spot that was close to the door. Before the car stopped moving, the fox already had his door open and his bushy tail quickly disappeared over the edge of the seat cushion.
Nick leapt out of the car as Judy slammed on the breaks. "Hey, Nick wait up."
"Keep the car running. I have a feeling we won't be here long," was the last thing she heard before the car door shut behind him.
Judy hopped out and followed Nick to the front door where he was waiting with the door open for her. "So where is our mammal?" She asked her personal door fox as he made a slight flourish when she passed.
"Somewhere inside I hope."
The interior of the alley had not been well kept over the years. It was still furnished in exactly the same style that was used over half a century ago. Along the back wall was a series of faded diamonds that spelled out the word 'Bowling' and Judy wondered how many decades it had been since the walls saw any fresh paint.
Despite the state of the parking lot, the bowling alley was pretty busy. Most of the lanes were occupied with groups of two to four mammals. No one seemed to notice the outdated furnishings or peeling walls, they were all focused on their companions or the game.
About halfway down the alley, was a group of four small predators laughing over a joke one in their group had told right before he picked up a sparkly, red ball and stepped up to the lane. He was a skunk about the same height as Nick, and he wore a black and white checkered shirt with a single, black stripe down the front where sparkly buttons held the shirt together. A pair of tight, black jeans blended in with the fur on his rump so well, that it was hard to tell if he was wearing any pants at all. The curly fur on top of his head was heavily greased and puffed out in the front, making him look like he grew up in the era when the soda shop was still popular.
"That's him," Nick said pointing to the skunk preparing to throw his next ball. He walked through a small, unoccupied area with short little benches and rows of perfectly squared racks that held various forms of hoof and paw-wear.
A gruff bowling attendant glared at the two cops as they casually walked past a sign that said "Special Shoes Required," and down a set of stairs. Judy flashed her badge at him and he simply shook his head and mumbled, "Don't blame me if you break your tails."
With a smooth swing, the skunk heaved the ball down the lane, knocking down six of the pins at the other end. The four remaining pins were bunched together in the left pawed corner, leaving them to make up an easy spare.
One of the skunks' companions, a male raccoon with a shirt that matched the skunk's, snickered as he sipped at his beer, "What happened to that streak of yours Lefty?"
Shivering, the skunk walked backwards as he spoke with a slight shiver, "I don't know, it's like a chill breeze just blew through the ..." Leonard stopped mid sentence when he turned around and spotted the two cops walking down the steps and heading in his direction.
"Leonard?" Nick asked calmly.
The skunk started shaking and looked around the room and his gaze kept falling on the exits. His huge, black and white tail swept back and forth as the skunk's nervous twitching grew stronger while the uniformed fox drew closer.
"Judy," Nick held a paw down and to his side so it was in front of the smaller officer. The fox whispered quietly enough that the rabbit was the only one in the noisy alley that could hear his words, "He is about to try and make a break for it."
As the last word left the fox's lips the skunk stopped twitching and turned his back towards the two cops. That large tail that was nearly the same size as the skunk, stood straight up and Leonard took a step forward. A second step followed the first and he began to run down the lane his bowling ball had just passed.
"Why do they always run?" Nick asked himself as the skunk fled across the hardwood floor.
"I'll cut him off in the back," Judy yelled to her partner as she sprinted back out the front door.
"Leonard. Stop," Nick yelled after the fleeing mammal. He had only taken a few steps before he realized his mistake. The floor of the bowling lane was covered in a thin layer of oil and neither his claws nor paw pads would gain him any traction.
With the required bowling shoes on his hind paws Leonard easily ran down the lane while Nick slipped and slid behind him. Reaching the end of the lane the four remaining pins mocked the skunk and he gave one a swift kick. It wobbled for a second but remained standing.
Looking down into the dark pit and the end of the lane, he could hear the thump and grind of the machinery that caught and sorted the balls and pins. The fox was getting closer and he contemplated jumping in but at the last second a ball whizzed by in the next lane over and he decided to jump across the divider after it passed.
Slipping and sliding, Nick crashed into the remaining pins moments after Leonard jumped into the other lane. "Leonard, we just wanted to talk to you." The fallen pins scattered and rolled around the fox, causing him to stumble and trip again.
"You can forget it copper," the skunk yelled back as he leapt to another lane.
Even using all four paws, Nick struggled to stand upright on the slick, hardwood surface, but eventually he was able to climb over the divider and continued to pursue the fleeing skunk.
On the other paw, the skunk was making good progress leaping from lane to lane and dodging the speeding bowling balls. He only slipped once as a ball whizzed past, but he was able to quickly get back on his paws and jump to the next lane.
Several patrons were yelling at the two mammals as they hopped and ran across the lanes interrupting their games, but Nick waved his badge at them saying, "Police business." No one seemed to be impressed by the official looking fox and they continued to berate the mammals that were causing all the interruptions.
Nearly tripping over another bowling pin that had rolled to the center of the lane, Nick yelled at the skunk, "Leonard, stop. This isn't going to go well for you if you don't stop running."
The fleeing skunk didn't reply or even look back at Nick before he climbed over the last bowling lane and back onto the regular tiled flooring. He shoved aside a large antelope who had just walked through a door marked, "Employees Only," and ran through before it closed.
After much struggling and crawling across the slippery floors, Nick arrived in time to help the antelope get back on his hooves. In return for the help, the grateful ungulate opened the door to the back room and Nick raced through after his prey.
The back room was pretty cramped, it was filled from floor to ceiling and wall to wall with machinery that caught, sorted, counted, and stacked bowling pins and balls. The entire length of the building was filed with machines and on the opposite wall, was a long, wooden bench where a large assortment of tools sat. A narrow and cluttered path ran behind the machines giving the mechanics very limited access to fix and repair them.
Halfway down the path, Leonard was struggling with a large mop and bucket. He had tripped over them when he ran past, spilling the dirty mop water all over his swanky shirt and now, he was struggling to untangle himself from the mop. Before Nick could catch up to the skunk, he had detached himself from the offensive mop and its shiny, steel companion. Once he was free again, Leonard quickly sprinted for the back door.
Seeing the fugitive heading for the back door, Nick pulled his standard issue tranq-gun from its holster. "Don't make me use this, Leonard."
"Not a chance, Flatfoot!" Leonard cried as he dove for the door in an attempt to dodge the shot that never came.
Once the back door had slammed shut, Nick put away the gun and let out a heavy sigh, "So you wish to do this the hard way." He sprinted past the loud, thudding and clanking machinery and made sure to jump over the fallen mop with its surrounding puddle of sudsy water.
Following Leonard through the back door, Nick expected to see a skunk flat on the ground with his paws cuffed behind his back and a furious rabbit standing over him. Looking around the area behind the bowling alley, there was no sign of the rabbit and the skunk was sprinting across an old, wooden bridge that spanned one of the many canals in this district.
Taking a deep breath, the fox chased after the fleeing skunk. He keyed the mic on his shoulder, "Hopps, what's your twenty?"
Moments later his partner's voice responded, "Taking the long way around. I'm going to cut him off before he can reach Orchid Road."
"Roger that, Hopps, Wilde out."
The cobbled path the skunk followed was empty. It ran between the edge of a narrow canal and the backs of several businesses where few lights illuminated the back street. No moon or starlight shone through the thick clouds that covered the sky. The street was very dark, but it would not keep the fox from tracking his prey.
Racing down the empty street, Nick was gaining on the fugitive before he managed to duck into an even darker alley. Large dumpsters lined one side of the alley and broken glass seemed to congregate in small piles around each one. The strong smell of rotten food assaulted the fox's nose but that did not cover the smell of skunk mixed with stale beer.
In the distance, near the far end of the alley, Nick could make out a large, bushy object turning the corner past a trash dumpster. The smell of drunk skunk was also strongest in that direction.
As Nick turned the corner, he was expecting to see the skunk further down the alley while still trying to flee. Instead, the skunk had stopped directly in the center of the alley and seemed to be waiting for something. The fox prepared to pounce on the fugitive with cuffs in paw. "ZPD freeze!"
What Nick failed to notice was that the skunk was bent over with his jeans around his ankles and the large black and white tail was standing straight up in the air. Even though the night was dark and the sky was fully overcast, the fox could clearly see the full moon. It only took a second for the fox to realize what was about to happen and he tried to stop himself mid jump, but it was still a second too late.
The hot, stinging liquid hit his muzzle first. Then his long, sensitive nose began to burn like a wildfire had been set off inside his head. His eyes also screamed in a pain that was more intense than the midday sun. He fell to the ground and began to claw at his nose instinctively trying to make the pain stop. The fox began to whine, a high pitched noise that echoed around the alley.
Leonard pulled his pants back up once he saw that the cop who had been dumb enough to chase him was now incapacitated. Buckling his black nylon belt, he noticed that a few drops had fallen on his jeans and he was going to have to get a new pair, but it would be worth it once he got away from this stupid cop.
With the stiff bowling shoes still strapped to his paws, he gave the prone fox a swift kick. Now, thanks to this idiot, he was going to have to lay low for a while, at least until the heat died down. Finding a secure place to bunk for a while shouldn't be a problem. There was a mammal he had met in the big house that could put him up until the police stopped looking for him. I would be safer this way, he wasn't about to talk to any lawmammals, especially if it meant going back to jail.
He turned away from the small cop who was still whining and squirming around on the ground like his whole body was on fire. After taking a single step something furry slammed into his chin knocking the skunk to the ground with a loud thud. Landing in a pile of broken glass and stale beer, he rolled over to try and look up at what had struck him, but another blow knocked him cold. The last thing he remembered seeing before blacking out was a blue and grey form standing over him with tall, black-tipped ears.
A gray and white rabbit with black tipped ears and a burnt-orange fox dragged a cuffed and fully dressed skunk across the Precinct One's lobby floor to the jeers and catcalls of their fellow officers. Many of the more sensitive cops immediately left the room holding their noses, and one gray wolf even whined in pain and fled the room in terror without a second look at the disheveled trio.
Hours later, it was rumored that Wolfard had been found in the male's locker room with his head held under the shower faucet and an empty can of disinfectant air freshener in his paw.
Somewhere across the lobby, a deep voice spoke up, "Did you two drag that perp out of a week old trash dumpster?"
After a few snickers, someone added, "Bathe much Wilde?" Then the floodgates opened and jokes flew around the huge room like a flock of small birds in the spring.
"Forget the musk-mask?"
"Who invited stinkerbell?"
"How do you stop a fox from smelling?"
The insults continued to fly until Judy slammed a large rabbit paw into the marble floor silencing the speciest ridicule. "Ok, cool it guys," Judy growled loudly as she led the skunk through the middle of the lobby. Turning to Nick, she added, "Why don't you take a quick shower while I process this guy?"
"Sure thing, Carrots," Nick shot two finger guns at his partner. "How about the three of us meet back up in the club room once I'm done?"
"I can't wait, partner," She took a slight hop and shared a fist bump with the taller fox before giving the drunk skunk a hard shove.
"Are we going dancing?" Leonard asked puzzled.
Judy shoved the skunk a few more times towards the booking room, "No. You are going to get your pictures taken, and not for the first time I hear."
Leonard slumped his shoulders, "I guess."
"If you're familiar with the system then you already know what's going to happen next so get your greasy tail moving."
About an hour later Nick was strolling down the hall leading to the interrogation rooms. He had recently taken a shower, but the station's facilities lacked a decent fur drier so he still felt quite damp.
Many officers either held their noses or fled as he passed. The shower had done little to remove the skunk smell, but it did lessen the burning sensation in his eyes and nose. Even changing into a fresh uniform and covering his fur in nearly an entire can of musk-mask couldn't cover the strong odor that had saturated his upper body.
At the end of the hall, he could make out Judy standing outside of the interrogation room's steel door chatting with a brown wolf. This wolf wore a plain, blue, dress shirt with brown slacks and looked like the typical business mammal. He was an older wolf but he still had the tough looking stature of a cop. The other clue that Nick noticed was a shiny, brass badge hanging from his belt. Despite his normal clothes this wolf was a ZPD officer and thus allowed to wander freely through most of the ZPD hallways.
Approaching the pair, Nick addressed his partner and this new wolf with a nod, "Carrots, Sergeant Beckett." As Nick approached, he could see the sergeant was holding his nose while his eyes began to water. "What brings you down here this fine evening, sergeant?"
"Well I was on my way home for the day when I heard that you two brought in one of my charges," Beckett replied with a deep, nasally sound in his voice, "And by the way you smell, I take it things didn't go very well." The wolf shook his head and looked down at the small pair of uniformed cops. "I'd like to join you for this."
"I don't know, Carrots," Nick cautioned, putting a paw on his partner's shoulder. "This doesn't sound like a good idea."
Judy tapped a clawed finger on the end of her muzzle and mumbled to herself while her eyes narrowed in thought.
"I insist. I'll stand in for the lawyer unless he has already requested one."
The rabbit's ears slowly rose and her eyes widened as she looked back at her still stinking partner. "I don't really have a problem with the sergeant joining us. He already has a rapport with the perp so it might help put him at ease."
Nick cut off his partner before she could finish her thought, "And we could just ask him nicely to tell us everything he knows." Nick shook his head and waved a paw over his chest, "No. We already tried that approach and look what happened. I don't think the nice approach is going to do it with this guy."
Sergeant Beckett held up his paws and stepped back from the junior officers, "As long as you don't attack him, I'll go along with whatever your planning. He is obviously in violation of his parole and my presence in there will drive that fact home."
"Ok, let's use that. Come on, Slick," She smacked the fox on his arm before waltzing through the large, steel door.
Judy casually strut into the bleak room with it's cold gray walls and hopped up onto a large, stainless steel chair. She placed a manila folder on the giant, steel table in front of her before flipping through the files inside. Behind her, walked a suave and very smelly fox in a dark blue police uniform, while bringing up the rear of this motley crew, was a tall, brown-furred wolf who closed the door behind the trio.
The cuffed skunk who sat in a chair across the table from Judy barely looked up at the first two cops as they walked into the room, but he suddenly sat straight as a bolt when he saw the wolf enter. "Ry, Ryan," he stammered. "Wha, what are you doing here?"
"It's nice to see you again Leonard," Sergeant Beckett replied with a smile that quickly turned to a frown. The wolf grabbed a spare chair from the corner of the room and placed it uncomfortably close to the skunk. He placed a paw on the black and white mammal's shoulder and spoke in a caring, fatherly tone, "Leonard, I missed your phone call this week. You know how I always enjoy our little chats."
"Oh, um. I am sorry, Ryan." Leonard tried to scoot his chair away from the older wolf, but the heavy metal seat would not budge. "I kind of got busy, with, um work, and stuff, and um, kind of forgot to give you a call."
"You're more than a week overdue for one of our little chats." Beckett's concern only grew as he continued to speak, "I have been awfully worried about you. Wondering if you need any help, worried if you're getting yourself into trouble again and then suddenly, I hear that you have been arrested, Leonard." He took his paw from the smaller mammal's shoulder with a frown and scooted his chair back.
"I'm really sorry," the skunk blurted at the wolf. He tried to raise his paws in apology, but they were bound together by solid steel chains.
"Why didn't you give me a call when this trouble started, Leonard. You have my number and know that you can call me anytime, day or night." A small tear formed in the wolf's eye as his frown deepened, "I am really disappointed in you, Leonard."
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Leonard yelled in defense.
"Well then, why don't we listen to what this nice officer has to say?" Officer Beckett leaned back and waved his paw in Judy's direction.
Judy pulled a large file from the top of the stack of papers laying in front of her. "Leonard Franco?" she asked.
"Ye, yes," he stammered. "Ma, My friends call me Lefty."
Running a clawed finger across the page like she was slowly reading its contents, Judy continued, "It says here you were arrested for armed robbery."
"Um, yeah, but."
Calmly, she continued speaking while the skunk stammered, "You were also convicted of the sale and possession of illegally acquired goods, defacing city property, and unlicensed woolgathering."
Leonard leaned forward and placed his cuffed paws on the table, "I did my time for that."
Nodding, Judy replied, "And you were released three months ago on good behavior." She flipped another page and continued to speak in a calm, almost friendly manner, "But what I really want to know is." Her voice suddenly turned cold and her eyes bore directly into the skunk's muzzle, "How it is that you managed to make it through the city's correctional system with your scent glands still intact!?"
Leaning back on the hard, steel chair, Leonard's jaw dropped. He tried to turn and look at the sad wolf next to him, but the rabbit's harsh gaze held his eyes firmly in place. "Wha, what?" Trying to scoot further back, he only encountered the cold metal of the chair.
Finally, after several moments of struggling, he managed to glance over at the fatherly wolf, "What?"
Sadly, Beckett replied, "Answer the officer's question, Leonard."
"All skunks have their scent glands surgically removed before they are admitted to this city's correctional facilities." Judy stood in her seat and leaned over the table as her sharp claws scratched its well dented surface, "How did you do it?"
"I, I know a guy," the skunk finally admitted, trying to look anywhere but at the fiercely angry rabbit.
"You know a guy?" she nearly chewed on the words as she growled at the skunk.
"Yeah, I know a guy who managed to convince the doctor to look the other way." Leonard gave up trying to escape the vicious bunny's gaze and placed his paws back on the table. "This doctor signed off on the paperwork I guess. They put me behind bars and then no one bothered me about it again."
"Who could bribe an officer of the law to allow a skunk to get into prison without being de-scented?" Judy began to ask, but Nick stepped up and placed a paw on her shoulder.
"Hopps, that's not what we came here for." The fox finally took the seat next to Judy before speaking to the skunk across the table, "Lefty. Recently you told Sergeant Beckett and I about a shipment of drugs that was being brought in from the east."
The skunk calmly leaned back in his chair again and folded his paws in his lap, "Yeah, I vaguely remember something about that."
"You're going to have to do better than that," Judy began as her brows furrowed.
Nick continued before the angry bunny could return full force, "We opened the crate you told us about."
"And?" Leonard asked, leaning forward curiously.
"And, we didn't find any drugs inside," Nick declared flatly, placing a single paw on top of the table.
"No?" The skunk said in surprise.
"What we did find were a trio of illegal stowaways," Nick declared darkly. "Three young, female pandas. Drug smuggling is one thing but mammal trafficking and slavery is something else entirely."
Fear filled the skunk's eyes and he shook his head, "The guy I heard it from was very serious about it. I heard him clearly say that the package was extremely valuable and had to be picked up after midnight."
"Who, exactly is this 'guy' that you heard about this shipment from?" Judy asked, her voice returning to it's normal tones.
Leonard's cuffs began to rattle as his paws shook and he looked around the room nervously. His eyes kept dancing between the rabbit and the door like he was expecting another guest at any minute.
"Lefty," Nick asked, "Who told you about the crate coming in this afternoon?"
"He is not someone you want to mess with," the skunk said out of the corner of his mouth, his eye remained fixed on the big steel door.
"Like Mr. Big?" the fox uttered flatly.
"No, this guy isn't like Mr. Big at all." The skunk leaned forward to whisper in Nick's direction, "This guy doesn't just 'ice' those who get in his way, he takes out your whole family and anyone who ever knew you." His paws began to shake again, "If he finds out I'm the one who told you about that crate I am as good as dead."
Judy flipped another page and spoke calmly, "You've already broken your parole. That along with indecent exposure, and..."
"What indecent exposure?" The skunk cut her off with a puzzled look on his muzzle. "I wasn't exposing anything."
"Your privates were clearly dangling for all the world to see while you sprayed my partner," Judy declared coldly. "Now let me continue. As a parolee, even minor infractions will get you sent back to prison without a trial." She cleared her throat and continued, "Today's offenses consist of the indecent exposure I already mentioned and include resisting arrest, aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer. The assault alone is a one way ticket back to your cell. Once there, you will be safe as a kitten from anyone who might be trying to kill you."
"You really don't know this guy then. He has claws everywhere. Prison isn't safe. Nowhere is safe from him!"
"So why don't you tell us who is trying to kill you? Then we will just go and arrest him too," Judy declared with confidence.
"I won't know who it is till they stick a shiv in my back, and I doubt I'll see their muzzle before my cold body hits the floor," the skunk said with a coldly sober look in his eyes.
Nick leaned forward with a sly smirk, "How about we arrange for some new accommodations then?"
"So you're not going to send me to prison?" The skunk's eyes lit up.
"Oh, I didn't say that," Nick leaned back with his paws behind his head. "I was thinking instead of sending you straight back to your old cell, we could hook you up with a nice new one, say in cell block B13 perhaps."
"Wait, cell block B?" Leonard's eyes darkened and his paws began to shake again, "B, B13? You wouldn't. Th, That place is cursed. You wouldn't dare lock a mammal up in there?"
Judy's ears stood up and a warm smile filled her muzzle, "That sounds perfect, no one will bother you in there, ever again."
"No, no." The skunk tried to climb out of his chair and make a break for the door, but the wolf parole officer sat between him and his only escape.
Judy stood up as she watched the skunk scramble around in his chair, "Just tell us the guys name and we'll let you go."
"Really?" he asked as he took his seat once again.
"Mmhmm," Judy nodded.
"Alright," Leonard began to calm down and placed his paws back on top of the table. "He goes by the name of Greasy Lou. He runs an auto repair shop over on Grass Street. It's in the Haymarket district. But if he finds out that I spoke to the cops, I'm so dead."
"Oh he won't," Nick added smoothly.
"Wait, I thought you were letting me go." the skunk cried nervously.
"Yeah, back to your cell," Judy replied as she folded her files neatly back into their original folder. "I'm not going to let you get off so easily after spraying my partner. Assaulting an officer is a punishable offense, two years jail time, at a minimum." She pointed a clawed finger at the skunk, "Oh and don't even think about leaving this building with those stink glands. This time we're making sure our doctors remove them before you're sent to your new accommodations."
With folder in paw, the small, rabbit officer stormed out of the interrogation room with her fox trailing closely behind her. Once the door closed behind her with a loud click, she turned to Nick and asked, "What was all that about cell block B13?"
The fox turned to the exhausted looking rabbit, "Oh it's nothing, Carrots. It's just an old rumor I heard from some ex-jailbirds."
"Well this rumor sure terrified that skunk." Judy stopped in front of him and placed a small paw on his chest with a serious look in her eyes, "Indulge me."
"Ok, Carrots," he said with a shrug. He stepped back and leaned against the wall, "There is this old ghost story that the inmates tell about section B."
"Go on," the rabbit's eyes widened, her ears slowly rose and her nose began to twitch curiously.
"The story goes that section B was built over the burnt out remains of the old prison and that block 13 is directly on the spot where all of the predators were tortured centuries ago." He stepped away from the wall with his claws raised and his fang drawn, "And to this very day their ghosts still haunt the place in search of fresh mammal blood. Grrrrr whoooo!"
With Nick's fake, ghostly growl, Judy's ears dropped and she began to giggle before punching him in the shoulder, "Aw, Nick. That's just silly."
"What, this wittle bunny isn't afraid of ghostly predators?" the disappointed fox asked as he wiped the drool from his fangs.
Giggling in delight, the rabbit placed the folder under her arm and skipped down the hall towards their desks. A pair of long ears bounced along behind her with each hop and her small puffy tail wiggled in glee.
Once the paperwork was finished for the evening, Judy was driving the cruiser back to their apartment while Nick, who still smelled strongly of skunk spray, browsed the nets on his phone. It was long past the hour when most businesses had closed their doors, turned off the lights, and went home, but she turned the car off the main road and pulled into a large and mostly empty parking lot.
Noticing the change in the car's momentum, Nick looked up from his phone and saw that they had pulled into the Bearstine's Megamart, "What are we doing here, Carrots?"
"I need to pick up a few things before we head home," she replied, pulling the car into the closest available spot.
With a puzzled look on his muzzle he asked, "But I thought you hated these big chain stores. I only ever see you shopping at the quaint, little shop on the corner where we live."
"Normally you would be correct," Judy unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the driver's side door. "This is the only place that has what I need. And besides, the corner store isn't open this late."
"I guess that makes sense, Carrots." Nick tapped away furiously with the claws on his thumbs, "I should probably stay out here, don't want to offend too much of the world in one day."
Climbing out of the car, Judy looked over the seat and winked at her strongly scented partner, "Good idea, Stinky. Did you want anything while we're here?"
Shaking his head, he grumbled at the phone, "Darn it, lost another life. What? No, I'm good." He swiped the phone several times in rapid succession, but before the small rabbit could close the large car door he turned to her and replied, "Oh, can you get some of those chocolate and coconut covered crickets? After the day I've had I could really use some chocolate about now."
"Ok. Sit tight and I'll be back in a jiffy," She swung the heavy door shut with a loud bang and strolled across the pitch black parking lot.
Nearly an hour had passed before she returned, pushing a heavily loaded shopping cart, but Nick hardly noticed that the time had passed. The door behind the fox clicked open and he nearly jumped out of his seat when a colorful bag of chocolate candies landed in his lap.
"Hey, Fluffy," Nick called to the rabbit, "Back so soon?"
"Har, har, Stinkbutt," Judy chastised as she lifted a huge, metal can out of the cart. The can was nearly as large as the rabbit and had a red paper label on the outside that advertised a shiny red fruit that had been pureed into a thick sauce. She groaned as she lifted the giant can out of the cart, "Can you at least help me with these?"
Hopping out of the car, Nick strolled up to the rabbit who was shoving the massive can into the back seat, "I thought the invincible Superbun could do anything." He stopped mid stride when he saw what was sitting in the cart, "Oh my. That is a lot of tomato sauce, Carrots. Are you planning on making soup, or a buffet or something?"
"Yes," Judy hefted a second, huge can out of the cart and Nick dashed to assist. "It's a brand new recipe, I'm thinking of calling it Snarky Fox ala Skunk."
Shocked, the fox placed a paw over his heart leaving the rabbit to carry the full weight of the giant can of sauce, "I thought you liked me, Fluffy. Now you want to roast and serve me up for dinner?"
"Ugh, Nick," Judy cried, nearly falling off her paws and onto her fluffy, cotton tail. "Stop whining and help me load this into the car." She pushed the can in his direction forcing him to grab a hold of the steel edges or end up with smashed toes, "These are for your bath, Silly. You are going to soak in this stuff all night if that's what it takes to get the smell off."
"I thought you liked the smell of fox?"
"Yes, I like the smell of a very specific fox." With Nick's help, Judy managed to load the second can into the back seat. "But right now, that fox smells like a mountain of skunk butt, and I promise you that there will be no snuggling tonight while that smell remains."
Before reaching for the last can of sauce, Judy pulled a white, plastic bottle from one of the other sacks and tossed it to the fox. "You will also be using that instead of your regular shampoo tonight."
Nick turned the bottle over in his paws until he could read the label, "Musk-Off, industrial strength? Do you really think this will work?"
"Well, that's the closest I could find to Skunk-Away," Judy shrugged. "That and the four gallons of tomato sauce should get the smell out. Even so, you, Mr. Skunkbutt, are sleeping on the couch tonight."
[A/N] And chapter two is finally done! It was originally going to be part of chapter one, but this half really got out of control so I split it into two. For my own sanity I am thinking of keeping the chapters a little shorter. The last chapter of part one was way too long and took weeks to edit.
So I have been working on this story for over four years now and it had recently come to my attention that I still do not have any cover art for this or my other story. I am in the market for some custom art that is specific to this story. I really don't want to just grab some random pics off of Deviantart or Tumbler or something. If you guys know anyone who is interested in drawing something specific to Loves Blind please let me know.
Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me this long and left comments. It helps keep me going on this story and has made a huge difference in improving my writing.
Coming up next, chapter 3 will be all fluff so you can look forward to some more wildehopps romance. I try not to make promises on here but I will seriously try to shoot for April 30th for the next release. Oh and look for another Extra Fluffy chapter soon. I've got a few ideas bouncing around so I just have to pick one and actually put it on paper but what ever it is, there will be something soonTM