Chapter 52

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Sitting up in one of the major branches of the Fox family home, Ash looked out across the blue sky, the rising towers of downtown standing tall off in the district.

He'd been home for an hour and, though he did have some work to do for the next day, he hadn't had the heart to do it yet.

Instead there had just been rumours running about. Fenneko communicating with her mate out in the field, as well as a bunch of other mammals who the young fox didn't know. His father had just been standing by her side, nodding along, agreeing with it.

His mother?

Tidying up stuff, making sure the fridge and cupboards were properly stocked, giving an eye over the garden and preparing an overnight bag for when she had to go to the hospital.

"Yeah, I'm going to be a big brother soon," he muttered, looking up into the sky. Still blue, but there were some clouds coming in. It was hard to think that much of his time had been spent thinking about his upcoming sibling acquirement before all this came on. There was hardly time to do that now.

And not long left until…

He closed his eyes. They'd promised Kris that he'd be out before then, so it wouldn't be long until his cousin would be free.

Not long now.

Still…

This moment was certainly not in any hurry to end.

He missed Honey.

He sort of got along with her, and she seemed to with him.

It didn't seem fair given that she'd changed but, because of who she'd been before, he did see why she'd had to leave..

Then again, what if he had to choose between her and being friends with Jenny and Maisy?

He couldn't see them ever liking her.

And he did get why.

He was just annoyed he couldn't have his cake and eat it. He...

His ears perked up.

Standing up on the branch, paw cupping around one side of his head to ward off the sun's glare, he couldn't help but let his tail wag as he saw a heavily decorated van and a familiar looking police cruiser making their way up the driveway. Looking around, glancing down at one of the lower branches, he jumped, landing on it, paws out waving to help him balance. He smiled at the success, turning and making another leap down, then another, then…

Well, there were no more branches on this side.

Just a dead end drop.

He hadn't thought this through, had he?

Grumbling, he walked up to the trunk and dug his claws in, shimmying down the outside in a particularly non-awesome fashion.

Still, he managed to push off and jump the last ten feet. That was something, right?

Right?

It seemed that no-one was watching and, if they were, no-one was going to talk about it. There was much bigger news on the table, not that Ash minded.

By the sound of it it was good.

Very good!

In he went, to see what was up.

…

"Okay, okay, okay everyone," Mr Fox announced, ringing a fork on a glass. "Firstly, on my behalf, a Miss Honey Badger was safely and secretly returned to her abode and residence, which I must say has a truly fantastic secret bunker. I myself feel almost humbled by it, and its collection of contents and fully fleshed out conspiracy board, which a Miss Badger kindly explained to me after my repeated insistence. Anyway, seemingly no incriminating images or such were taken, and all is well on that front."

There were a round of sighs of relief, before Fenneko spoke up. "As an interesting sidenote, she finally finished her apology video for all the harm she has caused."

There was a round of whoops, cheers and clapping.

Fenneko nodded. "The reactions and mass hysteria of her former followers is the most entertaining thing I've seen since I trolled Nick this morning. Various claims of her deserting them, her being taken in by the ministry of cud, her being a secret sheep sleeper agent to make them look stupid… What few took her word on it are downvoted into oblivion, with at least five times as many saying that it's about time that they actually do something about this." She then turned and looked at the slightly concerned crowd. "I suppose our faith in mammality can be restored then, given that the masses do still remember that they were just at war with Eurasia."

…

"Well," came the voice of Haida, stepping up. Picked up with Retsuko in Finnick's van, he waved his paws down to calm everyone. "I suppose we can rest easy knowing that these guys aren't that much of a problem. All bark, no bite, that kind of thing."

Ash's head tilted a little. "Haven't we been dealing with some ovinophobes causing trouble here and there?"

"Yeah," Haida agreed. "But we got word from an actual sheep who knows about this stuff, and he clearly said that they're not oppressed or in danger or anything."

"Yeah," Retsuko agreed. "I looked him up, lots of newspapers praise him as one of the best ewetubers, and he's done a bunch of good work. He was telling sheep that these ovinophobes were nothing compared to the kind of stuff preds face…"

"But still…" Ash began.

"-We could redirect any lingering sentiment against sheep in general to one who I think we all agree deserves it," Fenneko said.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked, looking quite nervous.

The fennec vixen turned her screen around, showing a clip of someone's video from the protest, the day before. In it, a particular dwarf sheep was shown talking with a particular ermine. "Dominic Bellwether, convalescing with Fabbie Ferret."

"Who's…" Skye began, only to get cut off.

"Wait! He sent her against us!" Retsuko yelled, joined in by her mate.

"That jerk!"

"You too?" Judy asked, blinking.

"You too?" Skye asked, utterly confused by what was going on.

Nick cut to her. "That ferret there was contracted by Dominic to run hit pieces on us on Instagrowl, painting us as ovinophobes. I didn't realise she went after those two though."

"Yeah," Haida sneered. "That species traitor caught us together and decided we were easy targets. She had us worried until we saw that sheep debunking ovinophobia. Fenneko?"

"Are you going to ask me to reverse Uno card this?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Already done," she smirked. "My followers are already learning about how Dawn's brother employed a cheap-rate proven speciesists influencer to try and paint the heroes of the city and their friends as ovinophobes."

The gang stepped back.

"That was… non-consensual," Ash pointed out.

"It was ruthless, efficient, and in order to keep your sensibilities makes no mention of his family or new name. Just that he's Dawn's brother who was noted to work with Wassermaim back in the day." She gave him an aside glance. "What's he going to do?" she asked, before her voice took on a mocking tone, as if she were given her views on the latest VR-fad or something. "I'm gonna use influencers to screw with you. We reverse uno card it. Wait! This isn't how you're supposed to play the game!"

The rest of the gang looked around quietly for a second, before Judy walked out. "Okay," she said. "Even if you know we're going to agree with you, you should have held back on that. Don't do it again, clear?"

"Eh. Taken onboard."

The bunny gave her a slight stink eye over the slightly blaise tone, but otherwise pushed on. "I mean, that whole ovinophobia stuff was them trying to distract from their mountain by pointing at our molehole…!" She paused, trailing off. Nick looked down concerned as she held her head in a paw, rubbing it slightly. "Sorry… A mountain that landed an innocent fox in hospital today," she carried one, quieter. "One that meant him and many others were being treated worse by mammals that didn't even realise it... " her foot began thumping on the floor. Nick, standing next to her, fixed his gaze off into the nearest thing the room had to a corner.

Ash was scowling. "A bunch of jerks went around humiliating one of the other foxes in our school too," he said. "I tried to stand up for her, but they went against us too."

"Those jerks," Haida yelled, as Mrs Fox came over to hold her son. The vixen looked up at the others.

"That hippo and that sheep think they can get away with this, do they? Seeing as I can't go around and clip their ears, what have we planned to make them pay for their actions?"

Judy, wiping her paw down her face as she looked up, smiled. "I was able to talk to Dawn Bellwether today," she announced, a hush falling over the room. "And, more importantly, I got something." Bringing out her notebook, she read it out.

"An evil speciesist club codeword," Mr Fox began, clicking his fingers.

Judy nodded. "One that Kurt knows."

"And we can trick him with!"

"Yes!" Jack spoke. "I can see it now. Me, disguised as the evil cultist but with secret recording glasses, pretending to be a superior visiting to interrogate and potentially promote our horrendous hippopotami. In doing so, getting his confession and sending it out the same channels we used before, thoroughly crashing his career and resulting in the selection of a sympathetic solicitor who will free our feloniously framed fox!"

Judy's ears drooped down and she looked away, partly as she rubbed her head and partly out of sympathy for her clearly enthusiastic friend. "I'm actually briefing Bogo about sending in a mammal on a wire to try it out soon…"

And then Jack's ears fell. "Oh… Really?"

"When I actually got to do some police work, good things happened," Judy carried on. "It's my part, isn't it? Supercop!"

Duh-Duuhhhh…

All eyes looked over to see Mr Fox holding a box shaped object. Nick smirked. "Long time since we saw him."

"You got it, kill joy." Du-duhhh…

Judy, ignoring her fox's pouting, carried on. "And besides, if we can cut out the middle mammal…"

"Could I still do the thing?"

Judy's eyes narrowed. "I'm beginning to prefer the lazy you."

"Pleeeeaaaasseeeee…."

"Fine," she said, quite a bit too harshly. She winced again, rubbing her head, while Mrs Fox reached down into a drawer.

"Here," she said, handing over some thylanol.

"Thanks, been suffering from headaches all day," the bunny waved off, breaking off an appropriate piece and, borrowing a water bottle from Retsuko, swallowing it down.

"You've certainly been putting in a lot of effort, and it is appreciated. Just make sure to rest well tonight," the matronly vixen said.

Judy rolled her eyes, as Finnick took over. "Anyway, we know it was Duke who did the howlers," he began. "We met wid da guy. Skye here got his kit to snitch on our guy, he knew it was going down! As for Jack, well maybe a Stoatsmith ain't a snitch, but a Stoatsmith is a yappermouth! Yapped on all about his cuz, and guess what. Duke always goes to this one lake they went to as kits. We were going there ourselves when… well… You know you all think there were other guys?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Deez were them."

And so he went on, talking about how they'd had the car following them, right from in Zootopia before finally being clocked by Skye on the way into the mountains. All had been interested in the tale of the double fox escape plan, Retsuko in particular asking the vixen lots of questions. Was it scary? How exciting was it? Just where did she learn to be so good at driving that she could beat a rally car on its home turf with a van.

"Not just any old van," Finnick reminded them, wagging a finger.

"Yeah, it was that one," she agreed, albeit in the complete opposite tone. As the smaller tod glared at her, she carried on. "They're probably waiting around for us to go out again. They'll follow us, and get that weasel before us."

Nick nodded. "Given that both Kurt and Dominic have worked with preds, it makes sense that they could hire these two out to get rid of their weasel, though…" He looked away. "Lion and tiger. Why does that ring a bell?"

"Beats me," Jack said.

Nick just grumbled along in annoyed acceptance, as Skye took the floor again, scooting about on her crutches as she talked. "Right," she said, going around the room, past Haida and Retsuko before pausing by the new vase of flowers. "They know what the van looks like. They'll probably be trying to follow it, so we use that to our advantage."

"How?" Retsuko asked.

"You hire another vehicle," she said. "You and Haida drive it out to… say Bunnyburrow. We stop there for services, and secretly transfer most of us into it. I checked and I can legally drive stuff with universal controls, given that they're paws only. So get something, say, sized for Haida. Then, Finnick and maybe a friend drive off in their van, lead these guys on a wild goose chase while we snatch the weasel."

"Sounds… good!" The red panda agreed.

"Yeah," Haida added in, before pausing. "Actually going into the field… against an enemy… WE CAN DO THIS!"

"YEAH!" his mate yelled, as a round of whoops and cheers came about. Everyone was clapping, knowing that they were getting close. However, one mammal stopped quickly and, as the others stopped it became apparent why.

"Fluff?" Nick asked, looking down at Judy.

Grumbling, she rubbed her eyes. "Just waiting for the pills to kick in. Stupid headache."

"Uh-hu," he nodded. "Well, maybe after briefing Bogo on your plans, you can sit down for a nice long rest. Turn that brain of yours off on and on again, you know…"

"You're not my mother," she grumbled.

"I know, I'm your mate, which means nagging privileges transfer over to me."

Crossing her paws, she levelled him with a look that could sour milk and, when he chuckled from just how completely and irrefutablely cute it was, she shot out a paw out him.

"Missed," he jibed. "Fox abuse attempt, failed."

It at least lightened Judy's mood, though across the room Ash looked on,an eyebrow raised. He glanced up to his mother. "Are all relationships like that, because if they are…"

"It's what works for them," she gently told him, before glancing to the bunny. "Judy, could you come with me a sec? I think I have something else for your headache."

The bunny looked up to her and smiled and, as the others mingled around, downstairs they went.

"-Thought it prudent to get you down here for some lady talk," the vixen clarified.

"Uh-hu," Judy said, crossing her paws as she was led to a waiting chair. Mrs Fox sat down across from her, paw resting on her bump.

"Anyway, your fox is right you know. Not to belittle any of the hard work you've given to help my family, but you do look like you need a rest."

The bunny rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. I don't need someone mothering me."

Mrs Fox let an eyebrow peak. "I'm afraid there's some things that certain mammals can't help. Besides," she added, paw tapping down on her belly. "I'm feeling very motherly today."

"Well," Judy began, biting her lip a little. "It's just…" She sighed, holding her head. "I've dealt with all sorts of mammals saying I can't do this or that in the past, all saying that they're trying to help me." She shrugged, looking up. "If I'd have listened to them, I wouldn't be here today, would I?"

"A fair point," the vixen agreed, looking up. "I'm certain that my husband up there would be telling you to carry on listening to yourself…"

"Keep on trying," Judy agreed. "Never quitting…"

"Throwing yourself at a wall over and over until the task is done," Mrs Fox added, a slight smirk on her face.

"If I put my mind to it, I can do anything. I got through the academy, I solved the howler case, I'm going to get us through this."

"I'm not going to say you're not," the vixen agreed, nodding. "But we're in a good place now. Sorry to nag, but have a good night's rest tonight. You are pushing yourself very hard, and it is showing."

"Is it really?" the bunny asked.

Mrs Fox just brought over a paw-mirror for her to look through.

…

"Just a bit tired," she waved off.

"So have a good rest tonight."

"I will," Judy grunted. "What is it with foxes and acting like I can't care for myself?"

"It's that we care. A lot. So much so we'll say things you don't want to hear. I was there to keep my husband anchored to the ground, to stop him jumping off on one of his crazy exploits and going too far without knowing it, even when I know part of him deeply resents it. Your fox is happy for you to do your things, he just wants to make sure they don't burn you out."

"Okay then," Judy nodded, not vocalising her thoughts at the time. (Burning out? Me? I don't think so!)

With that, they split up, Judy stepping over to one of the spare storerooms. Sitting down, she let a paw fiddle kozlov's necklace as she thought. How to plan this? How to pitch this? What to do after that. After all, part of her had always imagined having that Hippo's laundry hung out for the entire city to see, just like he'd tried to do to her friend. As that fennec vixen said, reverse uno-card; oh, you don't like it when we play the game, huh? But, as a cop at heart, she did accept that the best thing to do was to keep this within the ZPD. Clean, efficient, not messy, let him tattle and then arrest him on conspiracy charges. With all fingers crossed, his replacement would be sorted out over the weekend and, come monday, Kris could come home.

Come monday, fingers crossed they'd find Duke and be on the path to getting all charges dropped.

She sighed with relief. Her headache was going away and she felt herself smile as she remembered what she'd heard. William visiting Kris. Finding there was a guard there on his side. The news that the one he'd been having trouble with was being dealt with. That he was doing okay, and the picture was well and truly debunked.

Things were good.

Maybe she could take a break tonight?

She shrugged, before idly checking her phone. It didn't take long until she spotted the fruits of Fenneko's labour at work. A post on social media by 'Councillor Canidae': Bellwether Jr tried to run and hide after his sister's plot collapsed, but now predators are fighting for their rights he can't help but emerge from the shadows to try to keep them down while playing the victim. Sheep ideology in action.

Well, she mused. Might want to keep an eye on this too.

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Getting back into the cell block, Kris let out a sigh of relief.

It had been good, seeing his father again.

Very good…

And part of him knew that it shouldn't be long until he saw him again, but still…

The worst of it was over, wasn't it? There was no more…

He paused as he saw Sarrahson and Matt talking to one of the other guards. The serval glanced back at him before leaving, and Kris felt a trickle of worry running down his spine. What had she been saying? And if it was to a pup who didn't know better, then…

He began walking forward, only for the guard she'd been talking with to call him over. Playing it cool, he walked up to him and stopped. "Yes sir?"

"CO Sarrahson just wanted you to know that she'll no longer be taking the day shift in this block, and is instead transferring over to night duty."

"Okay?" the fox began, not sure where this was going. "By that, do you mean when we're all locked up in our cells."

"Essentially, yes," he said, before glancing over to Matt. "She said that you were looking after him, and that this way she'd be able to make sure he was okay overnight and such…"

"Huh?"

"She has permission to read him bedtime stories or such," he said, as if it was something Kris had been wishing to hear. "I mean, he looks too old for that, but he's probably got a screwed up mother like the rest of everyone here."

"Okay then. That's good," he said, nodding and backing away, making a B-line to Matt. He was pretty certain that she was trying her best to make him suffer but, her arrogance and just general nastiness getting in the way of common sense, had chosen to try and rub it in his face. He was going to fight back. "Hey, Matt?"

The pup looked back at him, his head tilting a bit. "Yeah."

"Mind talking about something?" he asked, pointing over to his cell. Like a child half his (presumed) age, he nodded along, happily skipping in. Kris followed, pausing as he saw that the cell was as bare and new as his own one, albeit far messier. The little pup didn't clean up after himself, that was for certain. Regardless, sitting down, he began his task at paw. "So you were talking to that serval?"

He blinked. "I thought she was an ocelot."

Kris shrugged. "Ocelots have lots more white on them, and they don't have lots of little spots, their spots are more like ribbons."

"Oh. I… I can remember that," he said, closing his eyes and trying to force the idea into his brain. Opening them again, he looked back, smiling. "Easier than all the ones that look like beavers."

"Look like beavers?"

"You know. Armando, and the one on the weather channel."

"You mean capybara and groundhogs," Kris said. "I suppose you could call them large brown rodents."

"Okay."

"Uh-hu," Kris agreed. "But, about that serval…"

"She was talking about you…" he said, as the foxes ears peeled back.

"-Yeah. The thing is, she doesn't like me."

"I know," he said, nodding. "She's kind to me, but I know she doesn't like you, and she said you were darting…"

"-She was lying," Kris said, cutting him off. "She was hoping you'd tell everyone those lies, and they would make lots of mammals mean to me."

"Oh…"

"So, can you promise something?"

He paused, nodding.

"Can you really promise me something?"

He nodded again. "Okay. Don't tell anyone anything she told you about me. Do you promise?"

"Yes," he said, as he held out his paw, smallest digit raised. Kris saw no reason not to go along with it, and held out his finger, curling it with Matt's as they swore on it.

And, with that done, Kris breathed a sigh of relief.

Things were calming down outside and, as he saw some mammals exit from the showers, he grabbed his things and went inside. Stripped naked, finding himself under one of the heavily oversized shower heads, he pulled it down, yipping with shock as the initially cold water hit him like a horse hoof on the tail. Backing off, paw in to test the water, he stepped in, raising the temperature up a bit while pulling the stream open to its fullest.

It wasn't the best shower in the world by a dozen miles and multiple halves, but it would do.

He'd got through today, and things would be good.

He'd shown them that they wouldn't break him.

He'd shown them that he could win.

Things would be…

"Hello, Kristofferson."

Turning back, the fox saw Timofey standing behind him. "Oh. Hi."

"Mind if I join you."

"No," he said, facing forward again. "Not at…"

He froze as the bear stepped right behind him, into his own shower stream. "Uh…" he began, turning around, only for a white foot paw to plant itself on his own, holding it in place. Before he could react, the bear's other one did just the same.

"Timofey…" he asked, suddenly beginning to tremble. He knew full well that this was bad, very bad.

"Hmmmm, water temperature feels very bad to me. Let me…" Hand paw coming forward, he began adjusting the water temperature down. Far down.

"Listen, I…" Kris began, as the pleasantness in the cascade falling on him vanished.

"I listen very closely," the bear spoke, a chilling lack of emotions in his voice matching the feeling of the water as it poured down further. "A certain CO tells me interesting stuff. A fox who does what sheep do. I do not like to be made a fool of, fox."

Even without the increasingly cold water falling on him, Kris would be shivering. As it was, he felt like the ice cold hitting him was starting to flake into his body, layer by layer, the tips of his ears already beginning to pinch and twist harshly. "I… I...I…" he began, finding his teeth start to chatter. "I...I...I did not dart anyone, okay… I…" He closed his eyes, he could feel it now, like ice running under his fur. "They found them in my locker. I don't know why! I haven't had a trial yet. Ask Terrance… Please, ask him first okay."

"I do not like being lied to," the bear growled. "Why should I listen to lying fox."

"I was just follow… follow… following what he… he… he said, okay," Kris managed to get out, buckling down and holding himself tight, arms braced across him. It wasn't stopping, it felt like he was falling through the ice again. The water, trying to freeze him, draining from him…

"You still lie to me!"

"I was scared! Please! I didn't even get a trial. The… the… the warden, he said…"

"I could tell them all right now what you did," the bear hissed. "Nighthowler ruin our lives! And you what? Bring it to school…"

"I… I… I… I don't… don't know h-h-h-h-how it-t-t-t-t got there," Kris chattered out. Oh, please stop the cold. Please stop it. "He said you'd… you'd… you'd react just like this… s-s-s-so they'd try and… and… cover it up, to protect me…" Even though he just wanted to curl up, let the freezing end, he managed to lift his face. "They mo...mo...moved Sarrahson out. After earlier… You attack me… The...the...they will too."

He kept on holding himself, shivering, silently pleading for the freezing cold torture to end as the bear thought. "I will ask Terrance," he spoke. Slowly, measuredly, taking his time. "If it true, I do not come after you. But you out of pack, for lying. If lie…" He lowered his massive face down, letting his teeth bare and, for the first time in a while the shivers of terror overtook the shivers of cold. "What I do to sicko hare is me on nice day. Understood?"

"Y-y-y-yea…" Kris managed to get out, amidst his chattering teeth. Please Terrance, get what's going on when the bear comes. Please let him find the otter first. "P-p-p-p-p-p please let me go," Kris begged, curling up, gritting his teeth as he tried to will himself to feel warm, pitting his mental powers against the laws of thermodynamics.

"Why?" the bear asked. "Why, stay with me for rest of this shower, little liar. The water feels like hot summer day to me."

By the time it all ended, Kris couldn't help but drop his towel several times, his fingers too numb and his shakes too great. Alone, Willis the speciesist ram walking past but naturally not helping, he did his best to try and dry himself off, complete with what must have been half a dozen full body shakes and just as many vigorous towel rubs on the areas where the old canine technique didn't work.

Getting his jumpsuit on, he skulked across to his cell before all but leaping into his bed, wrapping his duvet around him, rubbing his limbs together to try and pump some warmth into them.

Slowly, surely, his shivers and teeth chatters began to fade.

Slowly, surely, he could start to think about different things.

He began to feel himself tear up from it all, but he pushed his mind through. He could cope with this. He could cope with this! After all that, after all the times they, whoever they were across the city, had tried to break him, he could still survive. He wasn't going to lose. He was going to keep calm, and he was going to get through this. That shower thing was just a one off. If he wanted friends, he could slip over and be with Armando. Terrance would tell Timofey the truth, the bear wouldn't come after him anymore, and the serval was gone.

The serval was gone.

The serval was gone, and the ways she'd tried to hurt him would not work.

They would not work.

They would not work.

He would not let them work.

She would fail.

He would win.

He was not going to let her win.

He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, in and out, in and out.

Tomorrow was going to be a new day.

And he was going to be ready for it.

He had to be.