Chapter 17

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AN: Something I meant to mention last chapter but forgot. Remember that Jack-Skye pic I did for Skye's Fall chapter 3 ages ago (present on A03). Well, I've been practising with digital art and completely re-did it. Its re-uploaded in place of the old one for anyone that wants a look

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Wyllas Street was an unremarkable street in an unremarkable part of Downtown. On the south side was a nearly uninterrupted row of old brownstone buildings, built for a mix of small to medium sized mammals. The few interruptions included an ugly concrete community centre and an empty plot of land, currently used for parking. Finnick rolled his van up to it, slotting a buck into a metal can by a small cabin, making sure to take a picture as he did so. The old mouse inside looked up from his computer and scowled, but gestured him in anyway. They came to a halt with a jolt, the back doors opening as Honey jumped out. "Yaahhhh…." she half groaned, half yawned, stretching out her legs one by one. "Is it me, or did downtown traffic get worse while I was in the funny farm?"

"Cuss if I know," Finnick mumbled, peeking out too. His eyes narrowed and he got out his phone, scrolling through.

"Cuss if we do either," Mr Fox, 'The Leader', announced, stepping out into the open and staring up into the air, a two-tone badass guitar riff Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh sounding out as his fur blew awesomely in the breeze.

Jack's voice fangasmed out of the van. "Is that the Hugo Staglitz intro riff from Inroarious Basterds!?"

Finnick meanwhile blinked a few times, before chuckling. "You've got a badass-introduction guitar-riff box on you?"

"Of course," he spoke, as he pulled a little box out of his pocket and let it fly into the air, flipping over itself. "For my introduction as the team leader." It landed in his other paw and he pressed the button again, the badass guitar tone ringing out for a second time. Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh

Finnick crossed his paws and nodded. "Nice, do I get one?"

"Yes you do Finnick, the getaway driver Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh," he spoke, Finnick, raising his glasses and smiling as his own riff sounded out.

There was a rattle from inside the van, as Nick leant out. "You do know that he's going to be doing the investigating too, so not strictly a getaway driver."

"Good point, Nick Wilde," Mr Fox said, raising the box. Nick saw it and slipped his black specs on, crossing his arms. "That's why you are, the killjoy." Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh

"Cuss-yeawhaaat?" he asked, pulling down his specs. He then grumbled as he spotted Finnick, rolling on the floor and laughing. He frowned, looking up at Mr Fox. "I didn't get a say in this."

"You didn't get a say in me being the leader Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh either."

"That doesn't prove any point."

"And that right there is why you are, the killjoy Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh."

A small rattle came from inside as Mr Fox's old sidekick, Kylie O'Possum, poked out. "Thinking back to the baby shower job, I think the killjoy is a real good fit for you."

Mr Fox looked on and smiled. "Which is why you, Kylie O'Possum, are… Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh the trusty sidekick."

"Nice."

Nick shrugged, deciding to let it be. "Okay, okay, I'm the killjoy. And, living that role, who made that box in the first place?"

Honey's eyes lit up. "Oh, I did! I did!"

"That's right, Honey Badger, Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh," he spoke, the ratel beaming. "Mad scientist."

She trembled a bit in excitement. "Man, that's as awesome as I imagined it would be."

"Yes, quite," came a posh voice from inside as Jack poked out.

"Jack Savage, Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh, the spy!"

"Naturally," he spoke. "-Ooooh, what's Skye?"

They looked back into the van, spotting the vixen there. She looked back and shrugged. "Oh, I don't mind."

Nick opened up his paws. "You can have killjoy from me. I think it suits you."

"Ahahahah," Mr Fox spoke, gesturing in. "Skye Autumn, Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh, regular scientist."

"Regular?" Kylie asked.

"As opposed to mad," Mr Fox explained, gesturing over to Honey. "And, last but not least, Judy Hopps. Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh. Super cop!"

They all looked back in, not seeing the bunny but instead hearing her. She'd been snoozing on Finnick's bed ever since they'd set off. The fennec in question nodded, before bringing up his phone. "Right, Duke's place is that weird one we just passed on the other side. You guys ready?"

Jack, sans disguises but with a pair of glasses, stepped out. "Jack Savage, the sequel. Ready!"

"Mr Fox, at your command," Mr Fox replied. Unlike Jack, though, he was in disguise. He'd swapped his usual ensemble for a new costume, despite a few protests at first. As Jack, and then Nick, had pointed out, they needed something sufficiently downmarket to suggest that Mr Fox, suave as his manners and voice may be, was as down on his luck as any mammal would need to be to look for a spare room here. Consequently, he'd suggested swapping outfits with Nick, which was why he was now dressed in a pair of tan slacks and an incredibly loud red pawaian shirt, complete with white hibiscus flowers and orange plumeria amongst the palm fronds.

"Wait just a sec," Nick spoke.

"Ah, Mr Killjoy, am I going to learn that my down-classing is not yet complete?" he asked, as Nick worked his paws around Mr Fox's collar, pulling it up.

"Yup. I'm looking for the real Wilde style."

He brought out a tie and slipped it on, pulling down the collar. Mr Fox immediately did up his top button and tightened the tie completely.

Nick flicked his paw away, pulled down the tie a little and undid the button. "I said the real Wilde style."

Out came a pair of jet black aviators, pushed onto Mr Fox's muzzle. Nick drew back, paws going wide as he beamed on in pride. "Perfection."

The dapper vulpine raised his eyebrows and fiddled with his near eyewear, testing the weight before looking back. "I for one am still a goggles mam." Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh

Kylie meanwhile blinked a few times. "I find this change disconcerting."

"Yeah, yeah," Finnick mumbled. "Just stay away from me, I didn't know slick's terrible dress sense was contagious. Now come on fella's, we gotta job to do!"

Off he went, Jack, Kylie and Mr Fox following, leaving Nick to retreat into the van with Honey. Inside, he sat down by Skye, the vixen looking through a video link to Jack's glasses.

"Oh," Honey jumped in, cutting in front of her to press a few buttons. "'Member to put on the video recorder."

Skye looked on, confused. "We can't use this as criminal evidence or anything, can we?" she asked, looking to Nick for confirmation. Nick nodded on, growing a little concerned as he turned to an excited Honey.

"-Oh no, it's just so we can go back and review it after. Don't want to miss any clues."

Nick blinked a few times. "Oh, okay then… Makes sense. Good one, Honeybun."

She blinked. "Did I give you Honeybun privileges?"

"Hey, just a nickname, Honeybun."

She blinked a few times, smiling. "-A nickname? A nickname!"

Despite his slight concern, Nick felt himself smile. "Why yes, yes it is."

"What was what…?" came a groan from the floor. All eyes looked down to see Judy, blinking a bit as she got up, wobbling on the water mattress inside Finnick's secluded 'cave' area. She pulled aside the leopard print curtains, blinking a second or two, before jumping out. "We're actually here?"

"Yes," Nick said.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"Because you looked so peaceful."

Frowning, Judy walked up, gave him a light punch, before leaning in, her eyes narrowing at the sight on the screen.

Meanwhile, the four mammals were busy making their way back along the street.

Meanwhile, the four mammals were busy making their way back along the street. Passing the community centre on the south side, they walked over to the north, where the mix of buildings was more eclectic. Segments of the brownstones remained, but in many cases they'd been knocked down over the years and new things put up. One large block of flats dominated them, their front a featureless monotony of bricks and equal-sized windows, all built for large mammals such as antelopes and lions. A small break in the ground floor frontage included a large metal grill with an in-built door, a warning sign telling the world that this was ZTA property and that blocking vehicles would be closed.

Jack paused to look at it, his ears straining, before he nodded. "Thought I heard a train down there."

There was a chirp from his side, as he heard Skye's voice getting played to him. "Construction access for the eastern-downtown subway line, built in the sixties."

"Most fascinating," Jack spoke, as he and the others carried on, slipping past another chunk of brownstones before reaching an odd looking concrete building. Along the bottom were the fronts of small flats, built for mammals the size of Finnick, which opened onto small gardens. Above them were rooms sized for mammals around Jack and Mr Fox's size, with their own balconies. Then above that there was a floor for wolf sized mammals, then larger ones for lion sized, then rhino sized and, on the very top, four two story apartments for elephants. Under each window, brightly coloured plastic sheeting was fixed, overall trying to give the whole blocky, boxy, ugly thing a bright and cheerful look but instead landing in some kind of architectural uncanny valley.

Slipping through a driveway to one side, the group saw that the building's weirdness didn't end there. In fact, it had only just begun. The fennec sized flats only went a little way back, then facing onto car parking spaces and an access road for them. Overhanging all that was the ends of the fox sized flats and their access balcony, reached by a small staircase in the middle of the structure. Where they ended, up in the air, the fox sized car park began below, itself overhung by the wolf sized flats and their access deck, accessed by a pair of stairs that climbed over the fox sized ones.

And so it went on in all three cases, each larger set of flats overhanging the next (and occasionally sending down some beefy support columns), their car park butting on, and their staircase going over the other. In effect, it meant that no mammal had to walk up any more than one flight of steps to reach their home.

"Right," Mr Fox began as they walked towards them. "Weasel is a bit larger than a fennec, so second set up."

Finnick looked at the address in his paws and grumbled. "Nope."

"Things are going to be awkward for us," Kylie guessed. "So top floor."

"Yup."

"Wasn't he sharing it with a ferret?" Mr Fox asked.

Finnick looked at him and put his paws up. "Hey, I'm just as confused as you. Same as stripy bun, too."

"Oh, I'm not confused," Jack replied, casually.

"You're not?"

"No, I'm concerned."

"Concerned?"

The pair halted as they caught sight of the elephant sized steps, each one coming up to Mr Fox's waist.

"Concerned."

"Ah C'mon!" Finnick cursed, stomping on the ground.

"Hmmmm," Mr Fox pondered.

"Logically there would be a way for a small mammal to get up…" He carried on walking around. "-And there is."

He flashed them a wink as they joined him, finding out that a side of the steps had been filled in as a ramp, letting them climb up. They soon reached the top, taking a second or two to catch their breath, before carrying on to the end. Finnick looked at the address again and grumbled, before pulling it down, smiling a little as he saw a small doorway that had been fit into the wall near the main door. The trio knocked on it and waited.

"Urghh…" Jack groaned, glancing back at the awkward staircase they'd just walked up. "Who designed this upside down house thing in the first place. Too many size classes, just mixed together."

"Most likely the architects that saw that over there being put up," Mr Fox said, gesturing through the railings at the hulking figures of happytown heights, lying not that far away. "Decided that they didn't like the whole species size segregation thing, and wanted to go back to the old ways of mixing it all together."

"But why do it upside down? It makes sense doing the largest on the bottom, then going smaller as you go up. Instead, I had to walk all the way up here."

"Only because we're going to the elephant sized houses. Were we going to our own sized ones, we'd only have a little way up to go, unlike 'the right way up' where the smaller you are the higher you have to climb."

"Ahem," he spoke, gathering himself up. "There's this wonderful invention called the lift. This stair thing is just an excuse not to put a lift in, like potato wedges are an excuse not to peel the potatoes. The results both times are massive disappointments."

"Or it saves money by avoiding the lift," he said, shrugging. He was broken off as an impatient Finnick knocked again. "Although savings there were largely destroyed by the cost of having to put in external columns to stop it all tipping over, which was why only five blocks of this design were ever built. Still, it was considered a return to form and paved the way to the common subsidised megafauna housing unit template, merging a less ambitious three size classes and keeping them all on the same footprint, which is still built to this day!"

…

"Am I interesting you?" Mr Fox asked, before looking away. "Or is the presentation of my insightful knowledge just boring to strangers now." He turned back down to Jack. "Surely as an artist you know that feedback is appreciated."

"I'm just wondering how you knew all that…"

"I interviewed the architect," he said, smiling. "I do write for a newspaper, don't you know?"

Jack pulled up a finger. "That makes sense. Also, Skye's telling me that it was."

Finnick gave them a glance. "Look alive boys," he spoke, before turning forward again. There was a rattling at the door opened, Duke's roommate peeking out.

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For her demonstration, Catano led Oates and Bogo into the men's locker room, pausing as its one current occupant noticed them.

"Uh, Kii…"

"At ease, Clawhauser," Bogo spoke, as they found a spare locker. Catano looked at it and nodded.

"As I thought, exact same type as in the school." She then held up two stiff metal pins, similar to the types often used by porcupines to keep wayward spines in place. Bending them out, she dug them into a lock. "Very basic, and easy to…" there was a click as it unlocked. "Fun thing we got taught at a 'think like the enemy' class at the academy.

Oates nodded. "I remember that same class, certainly an entertaining distraction."

"Right," Catano nodded, handing them over. "Your turn."

He paused, then frowned, holding up his flat hooves. "There's a reason you don't get any equine pickpockets, you know?"

Catano nodded, before turning to The Chief. "Your turn." Bogo took them in his hoof fingers and had a go; it soon became very apparent that he was struggling, badly. The pins jostled and slipped against the hard keratin, again and again in a long exercise in frustration. Eventually, after a few final huffs and groans, he finally managed to slip them in, pushing them around to open it up.

"How much longer was that?" he asked.

"Three minutes versus my ten seconds," she summarised. "And I'm pretty sure that our sheep is even more of a beginner than you were. Unlike the weasel, who has experience. More importantly, she'd be stuck doing this during school hours. You could easily have a pawed mammal slip in and out. A hoofed mammal trying to pick a lock would be painfully obvious."

"Or, being from such a well endowed and prejudiced family," Oates mused, "she had a specialised tool that did it before you could say jiminy cricket. I get your point Kii, but that family connection there is sitting out like a sore thumb pad. We'd be foolish not to get into their house and turn it over."

Bogo snorted. "With all his mock caring about ovinophobia, do you really think the DA would permit it without any evidence? We'd have to do plenty of interviews first and get something firm."

"And if that lamb works out we're onto her, she'd squeal to her parents and they'd wipe everything. They probably already have!" Oates countered.

"Well," Bogo groaned. "We'll have to tread very carefully. I think we've got no option other than trying to question that family and putting out our warrant for our weasel. Other than that, we're a bit limited." He paused, looking at his two officers before smiling. "Knowing Hopps and Wilde though, they'll probably be discovering even more leads before we can. Not that that's the ideal situation, is it?"

"No sir," they replied.

"Good. I've got to prepare a statement for the media. You two, carry on," he replied, before walking off.

Oates looked down at the lock and frowned. "Bet that's the first time our sheep is feeling lucky to not have paws."

Catano nodded, looking at his flat hooves before glancing down at her nimble paws. "How much does it affect your life?"

"Oh plenty, but there's no use kicking up a fuss. It is what it is," he huffed. "I will say though, text to speech is a godsend. It wasn't long ago that some were saying all horses would be 'surplus to economic requirement' or whatever. Still, it's what's up here that counts." He pointed to his head. "Just a shame most horses still look back to the time when we paid our way with our broad shoulders and not much else. Can't deny it has a big appeal though…"

"I guess it's like with us cheetahs and running. Every cheetah wants to be an athlete when they're young."

"-I didn't!"

They turned to spot Ben, finishing getting dressed. Kii smiled. "Well, maybe not every one." She turned back to Oates. "Still though, you had plenty of horse empires in the past, didn't you? The Moringols, the Great Horse Hordes, the Don Cossak Horselords... I don't think there was ever a cheetah empire."

Oates smiled. "Well, the way I hear it, those Khanates and whatever only existed due to our alliances with pawed mammals. Sometimes red and corsac foxes or marmots, by the time of the Horselords wolf packs, who's alpha stood alongside their leader… I think Gabrielli the Thunderer's one was called Luka? Well, whatever he was, they lived with the horses and handled all the fiddly crafty stuff which we couldn't. Heck, even putting our armor on and taking it off. Of course, out here you get some apple-drunk morons who think that predators are the reason we're the poorest species." He frowned and spat on the floor. "Pardon me."

"No worries."

"Still though," he mused. "I'm curious how they knew that that schoolmate was Bellwether's heir or whatever."

"Oh, I know." They turned, spotting Ben walking up to them. "Or at least I think I know. There's this Ewetube channel I used to watch a while back, and I think one of the videos mentioned tracking down Bellwether's heir. Been a while, but we can check it out."

"Sure," Catano said, as she and Oates walked out with him, leaving the lockers behind them.

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Meanwhile, in front of the locker where everything had gone wrong, Ash frowned. Working a bit with his paws, checking his phone, he nodded and locked up his locker, pausing before glancing down.

Kris' locker. Someone had taken the door off, before pulling out everything that had been in there, leaving nothing but a bare metal cave.

"If I'd have been the tall one," he muttered, his eyes hanging on it. He and Kris had joked about how they should swap lockers around once, the higher one for the tall fox and the lower one for the short one. If that had been the case, if they'd have matched up, would the mammal who'd done this have made the same mistake? If it was the weasel, had he seen these two and thought that as he was the short one, it was his?

Or, if it had been…

He closed his eyes and walked away, ignoring the glances that he was being given. The hall, usually filled with loud chatter and shouts, was instead simmering with cold whispers. Did some of them think that he'd done it?

He looked up, his eyes meeting with an armadillo student. A few awkward seconds later and she gave a nod in solidarity before carrying on on her way. The good mood was cut short not long after though, when he heard some students laughing. "I mean, if it was gonna be any species…" someone was joking.

Ash looked away and shook his head. He was going to be strong for Kris, like Kris would be strong for him, as that was what you did. It didn't take long for him to reach the science lab where he was registered, entering in and experiencing the volume inside drop, hard.

"How you holding up?"

It was Mitch, the wildcat walking up beside him. Ash sighed. "Not good."

"No cuss. I was told you'd be home for the rest of the week."

"Yeah," came another voice, one of the Packson brothers.

"I just kept on thinking about him. Maybe here I'd be kept busy," he waved off, before scanning around. Where was she, where was she…

"Ash." Looking up, the form tutor came up. "If that's what you feel like, that's fine. But in case it becomes overwhelming, I'll tell the head staff that you might be coming in. Just tell them and you can go home."

"Thanks," he said, nodding.

The teacher stepped back, clearing his throat. "As you all know, something serious happened to one of your classmates yesterday."

"He was going to cussing howler us!" someone shouted, immediately triggering an angry shout from a different student. Ash frowned, his teeth gritting as the whole room began to split, some saying that it was a stitch up, the others yelling that they knew what they'd seen. Pushing past Beavis, the chipmunk mercifully keeping out of it, he yelled out.

"My cousin was framed and I know it, so leave him alone!"

Annoyingly it didn't work, the shouts carrying on. He was about to yell again, only for the teacher to beat him to it. "QUIET!"

The room went still, looking at him as he crossed his arm. "An assembly has been called, right after registration. They'll tell you about the basics of what's going on. However, if I hear anything going on against Ash, or Agnes for that matter, you might be spending some time after school thinking about it. Understood!?"

There was a mutual collection of yes-sir's, before he turned. "Register?"

Brittany stepped up, looking like she'd scene a ghost. The teacher read through it and nodded, before waving them off. Ash walked out, the whole crowd near silent.

"It really was him…"

He looked up to see Brittany, walking by him. He nodded. "Technically, yes."

"I… -what do you mean, technically?"

"He was framed," he said. "And I'm going to help clear his name."

She stopped walking, standing still, Ash doing likewise. They stood there, part-blocking the hall for a second or two before she dove in, holding him tight. Ash squirmed a bit before noticing that she was shaking, hard. He hugged her back, before she let go. "You… You're a good cousin," she said, still looking conflicted as she stood up and carried on walking.

Ash's eyes narrowed. "I am," he spoke, looking around. "Hey, has anyone seen Maisy?"

"No," someone said.

"Don't think she came in," replied another.

Ash grunted. Of course she hadn't come in, had she? Walking on, he guessed that if she was innocent, this would be due to fear. Same for if she was guilty, though in that case she could have come in to reduce the suspicion, couldn't she? Or would that be exactly what she thought others would think? He grumbled… Everything was a moot point if it wasn't her, which he wished to be true. After all, he still wanted to be friends with…

With Bellwether's niece...

It just felt wrong thinking that. She was nothing like her!

Or was that an act? And what would happen if the news got out? Well, if she was innocent and her friendliness really was her, then it shouldn't change anything.

And then there was what would happen if her parents had forced her. Could he forgive her? Would he even be meeting her again, given that her parents might decide to make this absence permanent.

Cuss it, it was too much to think about! It was too much for any of them to have to think about. Why couldn't it just go back to normal, with everyone doing their lessons and looking forward to the holidays and thinking that dumb things that didn't matter were the end of the world. He looked down and fumed, only for his ears to perk as he heard someone speaking.

"-I don't trust them… That sneaky fox tricked us and brought those things in, and now the news is taking his side and…"

He was cut off as Ash marched up to him, his teeth bared. "Just shut up!"

The pig put his hooves up. "Dude, chill."

"Maybe I will when you stop hating on foxes, fox hater!"

The pig glared back, pushing Ash away. "Hey, I only have a problem with bad foxes. You're not a bad fox, are you?"

"He didn't do it!"

A crowd was forming, a circle slowly drawing out, just waiting for something to go down. The pig gave an oink. "Oh, of course you'd say that. This is why some mammals don't trust foxes, you know."

"-He didn't do it."

"Yes he did," he said, marching past. "I don't trust him, and now I don't trust you, and that's your fault, not mine. And don't you dare call it speciesism too. If you can't take the scorn, don't do the sneak."

Ash looked at him angrily as he vanished into a crowd, before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and walking on. Eventually they all lined up in the hall, where the principal once again stood. "I met an interesting person yesterday," she spoke. "Someone who was thrown into a terrible place, lost someone he knew, and had time to think, time to reevaluate what he wanted out of life. He helped me process this news and, from it, I can say this. There's nothing wrong with needing someone to listen to you. There's nothing wrong with being able to just throw out all your thoughts and conflicts and letting them take them in. It doesn't have to be to give advice, or offer words of wisdom, it can be there just so you can put everything you're feeling into words. That's something that can help more than you can imagine."

"Yesterday morning, as you may have heard on the news, one of our students was found with refined night howlers in his lockers. He was arrested, questioned, and after being due to be let go under supervision, had the book thrown at him by the District Attorney. He has currently been charged with no crime, undergone no trial, it must not be overstated that in the eyes of the law he is completely innocent. An innocent mammal, currently… currently held in a youth prison, until he is cleared or found guilty…"

There was a gasp from behind Ash and he turned, spotting Agnes. Paw to her heart, she began to pant, her breaths getting harder and harder. Standing up and racing over, he began helping her up, supporting her as she shook and trembled. Realising that there was a pause from the front, Ash glanced back, his eyes meeting that of the head. She flicked a paw at him, nodding, as he turned back to Agnes as her legs gave way, the shocked vixen collapsing into him hard.

"Come on," he said, wrapping a paw around her and helping her towards one of the exit doors. The head cleared her throat and carried on. What followed next was a plea to remember that he might be innocent, and if that was the case then he was going through hell. A plea to stand by each other, as everyone had been hurt by this, regardless of how they got there. A plea to tell them anything, anything at all, that might lead them to the truth, wherever that lay, and not to let themselves be divided by speciesism or anger.

Ash wasn't sure whether or not Agnes could hear it or not as they reached one of the doors, a teacher waiting there to carry on supporting her. Ash kept pace, occasionally trying to help. "Don't worry... He'll be okay… We've got people trying to help him…"

They were walking along to the path where the nurses office was when she jolted to a stop, her sniffs and tears suddenly beginning to overflow. "He's in prison..."

"We're going to get him out…"

"My boyfriend's in prison…"

"We're going to get him…"

"He's a criminal," she wailed, Ash jolting as her legs gave way. He and the teacher sat her down as she balled into her paws. "He's a criminal now, and…"

"He's innocent…"

"I know he didn't do it…"

"Yes, and we're…"

"But he's a criminal now… He's in prison…"

"He's innocent."

"But he's a prisoner…!" she wailed, face buried in her paws. "Kris is a criminal, he's been to prison, and… and…" She couldn't say anymore, instead just crying into her paws, rocking back and forth, as the shock and grief overwhelmed her.