Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for all the words of support and understanding. It means so, so much to me. Thank you. Thank you.
Let me apologize for such a long break in posting. Writing is very difficult for me now.
Still… I do miss it. I miss it and try to write a sentence here and there. It takes time, takes forcing myself to put those letters together. But I now know that I want to keep on writing.
What I'm posting now is actually the first half of what I intended to be a full chapter 48. If I were to try and finish the whole thing it would take additional weeks or months. So here it is, though some bits might feel a bit rushed or patches over an original version. It's not my best, but I really needed to post something, to push forward. I apologize in advance for bad grammar or other atrocities. One could describe my current writing with a quote: "We've dialed down our expectations to an acceptable level of disappointment."
Anyway, here's what happened next:
"Kill this mammal."
The two females stared at him, mouth agape.
Hearing this, the prisoner tensed up and started struggling furiously. It ended abruptly when Volkov flipped the knife and pressed the blade to the mammal's throat.
"Stop it!" Judy cried out.
With swiftness that made the officers flinch, the wolf turned towards them, pointing the sharp metal tip at them. "Life for a life. It's as simple as that," he said calmly. "Make your choice."
"Wa- This was never part of the deal!"
The master of assassins remained unphased. "We've made the deal and this is just a minor insurance."
"You call a mammal's life minor?!" Jackie yelled at him.
"I do." The wolf stepped towards them. His voice became sharp. "My job is to estimate the cost of mammals' lives. I have seen countless cases that weren't worth a single cent. If anyone, I have the full right to say what they are worth."
Judy grit her teeth. "You can't count lives as numbers!"
"And yet we do it all the time." He took another step forward, still pointing the knife at them. "Armies, corporations, governments… The very society is based upon deciding on how much a mammal's life is worth. Therefore, tell me," Volkov flipped the knife again, so that he held it by the blade, offering the handle to them, "are your lives worth more than this one?"
Both officers clenched their fists.
"You bastard!"
"Is this what you wanted from the start? To give us an impossible choice just to feel better about yourself if we refuse, because you gave us an option?" Judy's eyes shot daggers at the wolf. "This will make you sleep better?"
He didn't even bat an eye. "You have an inflated sense of your own importance. I have slain countless mammals. Males, females, soldiers, civilians, police officers… Two more will not matter." Volkov got to an arm's length distance from them. "Now, I want an answer."
Judy eyed the blade in front of her, calculating if she would be fast enough to snatch the knife and attack-
She glanced at his face.
No, there was no chance for that.
"Hoppsy…"
Jackie's quiet voice made the bunny turn her head. Her feline friend was visibly trembling and her face was scrunched up with tension.
"I know what I said yesterday…", she rasped. "And it's still true, but…" She shook her head. "Not like this."
Judy felt her heart swell. Jackie's voice and body seemed so shaken and fragile, yet her gaze was firm. She made the decision, even when her body was shivering from the perspective of the consequences. It was enough for the bunny to feel tears welling up in her eyes. She nodded to convey that she has received her words.
Breathing in, Judy turned back to the wolf and looked him square in the eye. "I may not be the best translator, but I believe that my friend, and I support her one hundred percent, meant to say that you can take that knife and shove it where the sun don't shine."
Silence drowned the room.
"Is that so?" Volkov finally spoke with the same, heavy voice. He subjected them to his gaze for a few more seconds. "So be it." His paw moved to flip the handle back into his grip.
Judy felt how Jackie's paw gripped her shoulder. She placed her paw on top of hers and squeezed back.
Volkov drew breath. "Aaminah!"
"Finally! You have no idea how stuffy it is under this bag," a muffled voice replied behind his back.
Judy and Jackie blinked.
Volkov stepped to the side, revealing the chair behind him. A young ocelot was sitting there with her leg crossed. The bindings were undone and she was spinning the bag on her finger, wearing a roguish grin.
"Hey there."
Both females stared wide-eyed at the mammal who was a captive a moment ago.
"Officers," the wolf indicated the young feline, "Meet Aaminah, one of the most talented escapologists and illusionists in all of Zootopia."
"Aw, boss! I'm the best."
"Ha ha, much better than me, that much is certain." He nodded with a smile.
"It was all a hoax?!"
Jackie's exclamation made him turn towards the two friends. The earlier confusion was gone and their faces were now painted with anger.
Judy stomped towards him, ears erect and full of rage. "Are we a joke to you?!"
"Quite to the contrary," he replied in a calm manner. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered with arranging this test for you."
"You made us think that we have to kill someone!"
"Of course, how else could I check whether you are mammals of honor?"
Jackie growled. "You rotten, dis-"
"You pass." He showed them a small smile.
Both officers stared at him. "What?" Judy inquired.
"To refuse compromising your morality, even when facing certain death? An admirable quality. It shows beyond any doubt that you will honor our deal." The wolf swiftly put the knife back into his pocket. "And don't worry," he added quickly, "there are no more tests. You are free to go whenever you please." Volkov stood there, wearing an expression of a teacher who just finished explaining a simple exercise.
However, Jackie kept glaring at him. "You've made us spend a whole night here, forcing us to believe that we will die!"
"I had to be certain that I could trust your word."
Judy hissed. "You ma-"
Volkov sharply stepped forward. "I have no obligation to you or your comfort. However, I am responsible for the safety of the members of my organization, regardless of the methods I choose."
The officers grimaced, but remained silent.
The wolf eyed them for a few more seconds. "I'll take it that it's settled. If you wish to go right now, Clawhauser will give you your phones back. Once you're done, I'll personally let you out."
Jackie spat on the ground. "After asking if we'd like to off the receptionist?"
Volkov pinched the bridge of his muzzle, letting out a sigh, like a teacher dealing with annoying children. "Be thankful that you get to live. Many mammals these days are so ungrateful for the fact that they can breathe."
Judy was boiling to argue some more, but she could take a hint. Still… "Does this mean that if we would have decided to kill-"
"Then I would be forced to kill you, correct."
The officers studied his face carefully and, given the tone of his voice, were sure that he certainly would.
The wolf raised a finger. "Let me also answer your next question. If you were to be the kind of mammal to sell your ideals, well… If I could buy you, you wouldn't be worth the price." Volkov took his cane and headed towards the door. Aaminah followed in his footsteps. "I'm glad to see that Nicholas has such great friends." With those words he disappeared into the corridor.
The ocelot female sent them a wink along with a two-finger salute and also went away.
"Ha… ha ha…" Jackie slowly slumped to her knees. "We… we're alive."
Seeing her friend's reaction, Judy's anger dispersed. The feline was right. They did the right thing and still get to survive. That had to count as a victory. Now that the tension has left also her body, the doe sat down on the cold floor. "Yeah… you're right."
Jackie was taking in deep breaths, and even the nauseating air of this room seemed to be of a different quality than mere minutes ago. It felt… sweeter. She kept engaging in dangerous things almost all her life, but this was the closest she has ever felt to dying. Even fighting Vasily yesterday was different. She was pumped full of adrenaline, in the middle of a hurried setting. That moment felt like not being able to continue, while this… She was given a choice and 'voluntarily' chose to die. Willingly brushing with death was something completely different from what she had imagined.
Meanwhile, Judy was busy considering the possible aftermath. The doe already knew that the knowledge about the organization will be a heavy burden to bear. She had experience in that matter due to her relationship to Fru Fru and Mr. Big. That was already complicated, but this situation was on a completely different level. What would happen if she were to break the contract? The most probable scenario seemed to be danger to her family and friends, not to mention that any kind of investigation would be immediately shut down. She let out a sigh. Those were things to worry about at a later date. For now they needed to focus on simply getting out of this place.
Only then she noticed that her paws were slightly shaking. She could put up a brave front, but there was no fooling her instincts and body. Nobody cheats death and walks away with a smile.
Judy took a moment to calm herself through breathing before looking at her friend. "Ready?" she asked with a faint smile.
"Guess so." Jackie replied with a gentle shrug. She was starting to get a hang of limiting her torso and arm movements.
Both females got up and headed to the door. Not surprisingly, Vasily was still in the corridor, leaning his back against the wall. Seeing them, he straightened up.
Jackie let out a sigh. "Of course, back to you…"
.
.
Their trip back up was silent and slightly different from their descent earlier. This was due Vasily escorting them out of the elevator and pointing towards the direction of the living room. "Clawhauser there. You go."
Judy's ears perked up. "Alone?"
He simply shrugged. "Master said so." Not waiting for their reaction, the mammal simply walked away.
"Well… I guess this means we're no longer considered a threat?" Jackie scratched her head.
"Could be," Judy murmured, hoping that this wasn't a sign of anything else.
They headed towards the living room, but soon enough the bunny's ears twitched and she held up a paw to stop her friend.
"Wh-"
"Shh!" Judy whispered, putting a finger to her lips. She then started tiptoeing forward, following the scraps of a conversation somewhere ahead.
"... never drop it…"
"... hopelessly stubborn…"
Getting closer, her sensitive ears picked up more.
"...can't understand why won't you give up already." This voice belonged to a male Judy couldn't recognize.
"And I'm telling you that I will never give up!" That was Clawhauser.
The male let out a sigh. "Jolie, I've already told you that this is pointless."
"I can't see why." The young cheetah huffed.
"Because you're just a child!"
"I'm eighteen years old, Ace!"
"Since a few months ago!"
Judy and Jackie slowly walked towards the source of the noise.
"I know what I'm doing and I know what I feel." The female feline was clearly annoyed.
The male called 'Ace' groaned. "Look… we had this talk before. Just because you've reached eighteen doesn't change anything."
"You're right, I still love you!"
Both police jaws dropped down.
There was a long pause before the male answered with a heavy voice. "Jolie... In my eyes you're still a kid. Whimsy, with your nose buried in some silly games every night, still figuring out your emotions…"
"I have them figured out."
"I'm twice your age!"
"So what?! I still love you! Why can't you accept my feelings now that I'm an adult?" Judy could hear her voice crack a little.
"Because I can't have feelings for a snotty brat!" For the first time his voice sounded angry.
After another pause Clawhauser spoke again, in a much lower voice. "You have protected me... Got hurt because of me…"
"That's my job-"
"To bite a knife meant for me and getting scarred for life?" She paused, probably to let that sentence sink in. "Yeah, I know about that. Did you think that I would just sit back and not ask questions?"
The male was silent and the cheetah went on. "It was not your job to hug me when I was scared and crying. It was not your job to find out what kind of silly games I like and buying me one for my birthday. Do I need to go on?"
"Jolie… This will not work. And I'll have to talk to the boss about assigning you a different companion."
There was a sound of footsteps and a jaguar in a black jacket and jeans walked out of a corridor connected to the one the officers were standing in. He gave them a brief glare, during which the officers couldn't miss horizontal scars on both sides of his mouth. With a brief huff, the mammal passed by them and went his way.
Jackie and Judy exchanged glances and slowly walked around the corner.
They saw Clawhauser doing her best to pretend that she didn't want to cry. She had her teeth clenched and paws gripping the material of her black t-shirt.
"Um…" Jackie began. "If this is a bad moment…"
"It's fine." The young female passed by them and marched towards the living room. "I got your phones."
Both officers politely didn't notice how she discreetly wiped her face with a sleeve.
"Can I ask what exactly happened to them? Like, do we get a tracking app or something?" Judy directed the conversation to a different area.
"No tracking apps."
Jolie Clawhauser led them through the empty living room, where the huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree was doing a fantastic job of bringing the cheerful spirit to a den of murderers, and entered the room they saw her in yesterday. It turned out to be a rather small place, compared to the adjacent hall-like one. Still, it had a big sofa, a collection of pouffes, and a humongous TV on the wall.
Jackie also noticed a video game console under the screen.
"Here," Jolie muttered, picking up two devices from a nearby small cupboard. "You know, I asked the boss if he wanted them cracked, but he said 'no'."
"Wait…" Jackie took her phone. "Like, no tracking, recording, or a hijacked camera?"
This actually made the girl roll her eyes. "Look, there are dozens of ways to locate or track your phones. More annoying? Yeah. Impossible? No way."
Judy noticed how the cheetah's voice seemed to return to normal. "Soo… You didn't do anything with them?"
"Course I did! Scanned them for malware and, seriously," Jolie turned to Jackie, "you had such a mess in there... But it's sorted now. Should boost its speed by at least 32% and drop the crash rate."
The feline officer looked dumbfounded. "Uh… Thanks?"
"I also checked if you didn't have any malicious code injected, but you're all clean on that."
"Code?" Judy raised a brow.
"Uh huh." Jolie flashed a smile. "One thing I can do…"
The doe eyed her for a second. "I'm sorry, but I just have to ask, why are you here? Is Benjamin even aware where you are? He never mentioned any siblings before."
The cheetah girl sighed and dropped on the sofa. Pulling up her shorts covered legs, she wrapped her arms around them. "No, he doesn't… Nobody in my family knows."
Jackie looked up from her phone. "Why?"
The fellow feline sighed heavier and fell silent for several seconds. When she spoke it was barely a mumble. "Witsec."
Judy's ears dropped.
She recalled from their academy training, how the whole witness protection program looked like. The target of the program would be literally wiped from the face of the Earth. New life, new backstory, new location, and absolutely no ties with anything that could identify them. That included friends and family. It all made sense now.
Jackie stepped closer with a sympathetic expression. "What happened? I mean, you don't have to say, obviously... But you can trust us to keep our mouth shut."
Jolie shrugged. "I know. If the boss is letting you out that means you're not chatterboxes." Still holding her legs, the girl rested her back on the sofa. "Not like my story is original or something." She switched to a monotone voice. "I hacked the wrong computer, somebody didn't like it, tried to kill me, yadda yadda yadda." Jolie shifted in her seat. "Boss took me in, assigned Ace as my bodyguard…" At the mention of the jaguar, the cheetah rested her chin on her knees. "And he's been very nice to me, even though I'm a pain in the ass for him…"
Judy slowly walked up to her and sat on the edge of the sofa. "I'm sure he doesn't think like that."
"He thinks nothing of me," the girl huffed.
The officers exchanged a thoughtful look.
"Um.. I'm sorry, but we've heard a bit of your conversation in the corridor," Judy explained with a slightly guilty expression. "I know you've probably heard this already, but I think he's just being considerate."
"Whatever…" Jolie mumbled.
"Look here," Jackie said, dropping her backside right next to the girl, "you gotta let things roll. If he's going to like you back, you win. If not, you move on, find the right guy, and you also win, right?"
The fellow feline glanced at her briefly. "I know I love him…"
Judy reached out to place a paw on her leg. "I believe Jackie's right. If it's meant to be it will happen one day. If not, it will simply mean that there is someone else out there for you."
Jolie's mood didn't improve. "You sound like Midnight…"
Jackie nodded to that. "Possibly. My mom used to tell me the same thing. She would say that she was with several guys before meeting my father. And none of them were bad mammals, they just didn't click. But even when everyone around was gossiping about my parents, she didn't care, because she always said that my father was the mammal for her."
Jolie sent her a quizzical look.
The older cheetah winked at her. "My old man is a jerk."
Judy waved her paw. "Anyway… I'm sure things will be okay, one way or another."
The young hacker eyed her and Jackie for a moment. "You two have boyfriends?"
The doe simply nodded. "I do."
Her friend scratched her neck with a finger. "Heh… Well, several ex ones." A quiet atmosphere made her glance at the other females. "...Whaat? I simply need that very special one." She pouted a little.
This actually made Jolie smile a bit.
.
.
Soon enough, Jacky and Judy were on their way to meet with Volkov once again. Midnight happened to be in the lobby, and she didn't mind guiding them to the wolf's office.
As the snow leopardess opened the door for the female officers, Alexander raised his gaze from the papers on his desk.
"Come in." He stood up. "I take it that you have your phones back." It was more of a statement than a question.
"We do," Jackie muttered with an unfriendly look. She also took the opportunity to steal a glance at the room. It didn't have the 'evil overlord' feel about it that she half expected. It had more of a 'classy CEO' touch.
Apparently, Volkov noticed her doing so and presented a small smile. "I do apologize for not meeting you in my personal dungeon, but one has to keep up appearances every once in a while."
The cheetah rolled her eyes and said nothing.
Judy crossed her arms. "Can we finally go?"
He showed them a polite smile. "Naturally. Let's head out, then." The wolf picked up his cane and went around his desk, pointing at the corridor with his paw.
Midnight excused herself with a smile and waved to the officers for goodbye.
For Judy the feline doctor was one of the very few highlights of this visit. She was kind, but firm when necessary - qualities that made her a 'big sister' material in her eyes.
The doe let out the tiniest of sighs and trailed after Volkov.
Their trip was short, as the wolf guided them to a nearby elevator, which took them directly to the ground level. The officers could tell from the sights through the windows.
Jackie was surprised just how much relief the sight of a regular street could bring.
"And here we are," the wolf declared as they reached the reception desk. "It was a pleasure to accommodate you at our office. Should you need anything else," he fished out a piece of paper from his jacket, "here's my card."
Judy was hesitant, at first, but she eventually took the business card from the wolf's paw. "We'll keep that in mind." She flashed him a not so friendly smile.
In contrast, Volkov's smile was immaculately polite, even when he was watching as the officers were leaving the building. Right after that he took out a phone and dialed a number.
.
.
Part of him wanted to answer immediately, but Nick actually tapped the icon slowly, with a trembling finger.
"Just… tell me." It was something between a whisper and a croak.
"They're fine. They have agreed to the deal and just walked out."
Never before in his life has Nicholas Wilde felt such relief. His strength left him along with his tension and he slumped back on his bed. The only thing he seemed capable of for a while was breathing with his eyes closed. *Thank goodness… Judy…* He knew his partner enough to understand how difficult it had to be for her. To swear to never speak of a criminal organization, which is killing mammals all over the globe, right under her nose. A lone, playful thought appeared in his mind. *She might get a rash from trying to keep it in.*
He was glad. Judy was safe.
"I am sorry to intrude your happiness," Volkov's voice drew him back to reality, "but I have work to do. I am also certain that you are dying to talk to a certain grey-furred lady. Take care."
The call ended and the fox was left with his thoughts. And they were so much lighter than five minutes ago.
He fell back on the bed. It actually felt quite comfortable right now. Everything in the universe seemed more positive with the fact that his beloved bunny was safe.
Amidst the joy his relentless memory informed him that a certain tiger was probably worried, as well. He grabbed his phone and typed a quick text to Marcus.
They're fine. Should call you soon.
N
Right after that he simply lied in bed and savored the moment.
.
.
"Slow hell, I thought I'll never see the sun again!" Jackie exclaimed when they were a considerable distance away from Volkov's office. She peeked at her companion and saw a very preoccupied bunny. "You… look like some stole your favorite carrot."
"I don't like it…" Judy directed her gaze back in the direction of the building that almost became their tomb. "We have a bunch of murderers right under our noses, but have to play dumb…"
Hearing her partner's thoughts, Jackie scratched her cheek. "Well… I guess."
They walked in silence.
"Still," the cheetah eventually said, "at least we know that we have them under our noses. Beats not knowing, if you ask me."
Judy opened her mouth to refute her argument. That's when she saw her friend's expression.
"Huh… maybe… maybe you're right." She nodded, walking beside her. The doe's conscience was itching, but not simply because of the deal they've made. She felt bad about not including Nick in this… unofficial investigation. It's true that he had some issues about being honest, but she partially felt like a hypocrite right now. Just the thought was enou-
Her eyes widened.
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" The doe's paws scrambled for her phone. "We forgot about Marcus!"
.
.
The mammal landed on the concrete floor with a grunt.
"Adam Talonsky, any last words?" Volkov shut the door behind him and stepped towards the middle of the very same room he was in earlier this morning.
The lanky elk on the floor sat up, hurriedly pulling off the blindfold from his eyes. "Wh-Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"
Volkov circled him without haste. "Stop pretending, it's almost nauseating. We were hired to deal with you, that's all you got to know."
"I-I-I didn't do anyth-"
Volkov's punch threw him to the floor. "I told you to stop." The wolf's voice could cool off the sun.
The elk moaned, blood dripping from his mouth. "Is… Is this about that girl? I swear, I-I didn't know she was u-underage!"
He yelped when the assassin's fist knocked out a tooth, flooring him again. "And would it stop you if she weren't?"
"P-Please…" the prey whimpered, rolling on the floor. "I-I won't do it again, I swear!" He swallowed, holding his aching jaw. "She… She was dressed… I was sure she wanted it! You gotta believe me, I'm not a bad mammal!"
"No, you're not." Volkov crouched, grabbing the back of elk's head with one paw. The other presented a blade right before his eyes. "I am. You're just trash."
A minute later, the wolf left the room and his eye caught the sight of an old coyote. "Theo." After that, Volkov directed his attention to the bear close to the door. "Igor, if you could…" He gestured towards the open door.
"Yes, sir." The huge predator nodded respectfully and went inside.
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, Theodore was waiting, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I've heard that you were dealing with some garbage. Imagine my surprise." He pointed at the room. "To my understanding, that maggot was supposed to be the trial."
"Change of plans." The wolf simply spared him a glance and began walking.
Theodore followed him with his eyes as he passed. "No slitting throats in front of an audience, like the usual?"
This made Volkov to stop, though he didn't turn back. "And traumatizing my son's friends? Not really."
"Oh? Getting soft, junior?" The old mammal chuckled, before his expression shifted into a curious one. "Say… Would that mean the time for that is finally right?"
The wolf remained silent for a while. Then, he slightly tilted his head to the side. "Maybe."
.
.
Nick didn't count how much time he spent like that, staring at the ceiling, but at one point his phone rang. Picking it up, the fox saw a number he knew by heart.
He tapped the answer icon and almost immediately heard his favorite voice.
"Slick?"
"Hey there, Fluff." Nick could barely contain the joy from hearing her, it was so overwhelming. He did his best to use the usual tactic of hiding behind jokes. "Awfully late for you, had a movie night?"
"Har, har. I should be asking if I didn't wake you up." Judy was also restraining her happiness a little. The fox's voice worked like a balm for her soul. It was the very thread that connected her to reality and she was always grateful for it. The world could be full of vengeful sheep, savage mammals, assassins, but Nick would always be Nick. "Also, I need to remind you that we have a case to solve."
"Aww, how nice of you. Thinking about my dementia so early in the day."
"Somebody has to," she replied innocently. "Gotta make sure you will remember to turn up for work."
Nick smiled. "I don't work, I'm still suspended."
"That so? Oh well," she let out an exasperated sigh, "I'll have to find someone else to hang out with."
"If you put it that way… I'm sure I'll find time in my schedule for a date."
"Oh, really? How nice of you. How about at the precinct in twenty minutes?"
"Sure. Hmm, what shall I wear?"
"I'm sure it'll be something dashing. See you soon, Slick." She ended the call.
Judy blinked. Only now she realized that she had a smile plastered on her face. Even without her conscious thought, she was feeling happy and light. The doe intentionally widened her smile and remembered one more thing she wanted to do. She tapped the icon with Will's photo and started typing a message, knowing that he'll read it during a break.
Hey, about that living arrangement…
.
.
Nick wasn't bothered by any grey thoughts on his way to the precinct. The earlier conversation with Judy was like an energizing tonic for his heart. At the moment, no worries existed in his bunny-dominated mind.
Stepping into the building, he was already scanning the interior for the sight of a pair of familiar ears. And there she was, engaged in a chat with Benjamin.
"Nick!" The moment she noticed him, Judy slid off the cheetah's desk and ran his way.
The fox could write a book on how his heart was singing at the sight of her approaching him with a smile.
"Hey there, Fluff."
Nick couldn't stop himself, even if he tried. He smiled.
"Ready to not work?" She nudged him in the ribs the moment she got closer.
"Absolutely." The fox grinned in response. "That's my field of expertise."
"Har har, you'll have to wait till retirement to explore that field." Judy shook her head. "We can get going, but I have one little thing to do before that. Could you wait for a sec?"
Nick turned his grin into a soft smile. "For you? Till lunch."
"I'll be right back!" She winked at him and bounded to Benjamin's desk to pick up an envelope, then ran off towards one of the staircases.
Nick shook his head in admiration for her energy. He was thinking about putting forward a joke that she is running on nuclear-powered batteries.
He was about to approach the cheetah's desk as well, when his nose picked up a foul stench. The fox whipped his head around to see another bunny entering the main hall. He never would have imagined that one can have such an immense desire to punch another mammal.
Unfortunately, the object of his disgust also seemed to be heading towards the reception desk. Nick considered walking away, but with this distance it could look like he's avoiding the bunny.
"Wilde." William nodded, noticing the fox.
"Twicks," Nick replied with, hopefully, a neutral voice.
"Judy mentioned that you both got suspended. Are you here because it's over?"
Nick forced a smile. "Nah, still one day left. Carrots just wanted to deal with something."
"I see." The buck nodded. "Actually, if she's here I could ask her about moving her stuff."
The fox felt an uncomfortable tingle. "Her stuff?"
The bunny shrugged. "Well, yeah. Judy wants to move in together, she didn't tell you?"
It was impossible to describe the level of frustration that sentence caused in Nick. The fox stayed silent for a second, before he slowly leaned to Will.
"Can we talk for a moment?" He pointed away with a thumb.
"Um… sure?" The buck looked surprised, but gave a small nod.
They
"Listen good, as I am not going to repeat myself." He muttered into his ear. "I know that you are a liar. I've been doing this before you even got out of diapers, so don't even bother denying."
"Wha-"
"Judy is my precious friend, so if you will ever hurt her, I will find you and make you regret ever being born."
William took a step back. "Are you crazy? I don't know what you're talking about."
Nick could stand a lot. He has spent years hustling and cheating, faking whatever showed on his face. Until Judy appeared in his life, Nick was capable of brushing off anything that was thrown in his face.
But this time…
The way the bunny said this blatant lie made him snap. The fox's paw shot forward, punching Will straight in the face. The force of this strike was enough to throw the smaller mammal at the nearby wall.
"You dare?!" Nick snarled, walking up to him. His claws were itching.
William groaned, trying to stand on wobbly legs.
The fox's fingers wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground, pressing his body against the wall.
Will gurgled and tried prying his paw open, but he might as well have tried lifting up a mountain.
"Stay. Away. From her!" Nick was struggling to get the words out through the veil of rage. The throat under his fingers practically begged to be crushed.
The bunny kicked at his chest, but the vulpine didn't even notice it.
William's ears twitched and he looked straight at the fox's glasses. "Too late." He showed him a smirk.
Nick's eyes widened.
His brain froze his body as it processed what he just saw and heard. Then, in one instant, his vision went red. His savagery-powered fingers curled.
"NICK!"
A roar echoed across the entire lobby, making the fox flinch. His head turned to the source of the noise and he saw a grey bunny speeding towards them. The fox undid his grip immediately and William collapsed to the floor.
It took Judy only a second to get to her boyfriend's side, as he was hacking on all fours. "Will! Are you okay?!" she asked, placing a paw on his back.
Nick took a step back. The worst case scenario just happened. He didn't even count the sound of other officers rushing to them.
"What's going on there?"
"Isn't that Hopps and Wilde?"
"Did he just try to choke him?"
What actually terrified him was the grey doe that snapped her neck towards him.
She was displeased.
No, she was angry. Angry with him.
"WHAT THE HELL, NICK?!" she hollered.
His vocal chords didn't work. After all, savages didn't know how to speak.
"...We…" Will wheezed, slowly regaining air. "...talked a bit… I only…"
Judy's ears dropped miserably and she caressed his back. "It's okay, don't talk." Right after that, her eyes shot daggers up at Nick.
"Why did you do this?!" she demanded.
The fox tried opening his mouth to talk, but his jaw muscles were busy keeping it shut. Were he to open it, William's throat would probably not survive that.
"Nick!" Judy insisted as their fellow officers gathered round.
He stood there, frozen in place.
At that point a big paw landed on his shoulder. "Wilde... " Delgato began with a calm voice. "I know you and Twicks aren't best buddies, but this i-" He stopped.
The fox was trembling under his paw.
What nobody was aware of was the fact that Nicholas Wilde was just a hair's breadth from smearing the buck all over the nearest wall. His entire body was struggling to not lunge at his victim.
KILL HIM!
*No…*
RIP HIM TO PIECES!
*Stop...*
"-alking to you!"
He blinked behind his sunglasses and sluggishly turned his head towards the source of the voice.
Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.
Judy's anger was growing with every passing second. He could clearly see that.
Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. KILLKILLKILLHIMKILLKILLHIMKILLHIMkillHIMkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL
MASSACRE!BUTCHER!FLAY!FLAY!KILLLLLL!MURRRRRDEEEEEEER HIMM!
"Hey!" She grabbed his shirt.
SLAUGHTER THAT BUCK!
Nick jerked away from her grip and bolted for the entrance. Any second longer in that spot and he'd commit cold blooded murder.
Not even a moment later, a scream pierced the precinct's hall. "NICHOLAS WILDE STOP THIS INSTANT!"
He ran.
Surging out of the main door the fox didn't even need to look where he was going. His body had the map of the city practically engraved on his bones.
It occurred to Nick that the immediate danger of becoming a butcher has passed. Will was left behind and there would be just him and his best friend, the female he loved.
But he kept running.
He wasn't sure if he was running out of fear, shame, or both. What his gut was telling him was that he needed to get away from her as fast, and far, as possible.