Chapter 26

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Meanwhile in Precinct one, a cheetah and horse were getting ready for the new day of investigations.

"Say, Oates?"

The great horse spared a glance down at the small cheetah, busy looking through the recently sent documents. A whole list of write-ups, speculations and downright weird information was provided, albeit in a clear and concise way. If there was one thing that Catano could say about Judy, it was that she was thorough.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Tell me… Did any of your family ever do bad things?"

"Huh. Well, stupid, certainly. Do you want the list?"

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, really bad things. Unforgivable things."

There was a long pause, his jaw chewing air a few times. "This about Dawn's family?"

The comparatively tiny looking big cat nodded, glancing back up at him. "How did you guess?"

He smiled, hoof touching his detective badge. "This little ol' number here helps. I'm guessing they still have feelings or stuff for her?"

"They have a shrine," she said. "Locked away, behind a curtain, but it's there. All their old pictures featuring her. Were it any other house or any other mammal, I'd look down on them with disgust for celebrating Hellwether like that. But… Well, when he showed me it, he was expecting just that. He told me to go ahead, read him the riot act, tell him what a terrible mammal he was."

"And did you?"

"No," she said. "I mean, I know that it's still his family, something he went on to explain in length. She was his big sister, he doesn't remember a time without her as there never was a time without her, they had a happy childhood and he loved her and so did his niece. If I was in their place, I'd be heartbroken and then angry that someone I trusted so fully could do that to me, I'd feel that every moment before was tarnished and they were no longer my family. But… But I also know cases where the parents of criminals just get stuck in denial, saying over and over again that it wasn't their fault or there were other things going on… And in those cases I understand them, but I almost pity them."

"So, what did you feel here?"

"It was odd," she replied, scratching behind her ear. "They knew what she'd done, they weren't like any of those disgusting 'Bellwether truthers' or even apologists for her actions. They were heartbroken, ashamed, they changed their identities to get away from the stigma. And yet they couldn't come to throw out those older good moments. They seemed scared, lost, and so on, and at the time I felt guilty for putting so much pressure on them. But now, thinking it through, I'm having new ideas, ones pressing down on them which are making me feel more guilty in a way, even though they make sense."

"So, what are they?" he asked.

"Well, mainly, it could all be a front. It could all be an act. They, or the parents at least, were involved in the original plot and they burned those bridges to try and start again. Not the plot, mind you, it's like war criminals going to a new country to find a new identity and live on. Of course, they still care for their sister in arms, so they put in place that little shrine to remember her sacrifice to whatever terrible cause they were after. Then, after seeking their new revenge, they pull this whole thing to guilt me. Before I left, I made a promise to Dominic Bell… -Calrama. Look at the most logical options, rather than the most 'emotionally cathartic'. Afterwards, I was told his daughter didn't want to speak. I asked if I could hear it myself. They then guilted me, saying I'd broken that promise, going for the cathartic idea that they were forcing her to stay silent and covering up for them. I did feel ashamed, at the time, for breaking the promise. But…"

"But?"

"Well, I'd say that it was an equally valid and logical idea to her just being scared. So, I think it was a good thing that I asked them about it, and that I still suspect them. But knowing about how much crap they might go through, I… Urgh… Still feel a bit rotten about it."

"Listen," Oates said. "You gotta do what ya' gotta do. I thought that was the first lesson y'all got in the police academy."

"Yeah, along with the dangers of stereotyping different species," she carried on. "Not that it stops some… Not that it excluded sheep, either."

"Ah, so this is about Gruinard Gal or whatever? I... Yup, there's a look of disgust if I've ever seen one."

"Don't remind me," she said, her hackles raised. "That garbage... whatever she is… -Honey badger, that was it." There was a pause and a sigh. "I was thinking about her throughout that whole talk. Is this family having to deal with the likes of her? How much abuse are they getting…? Am I ovinophobic?"

There was a long pause. "Do you hate sheep?"

"No! But… Maybe I distrust them or something more than others and I just don't know," she sighed. "Maybe all this stuff here is due to ovinophobia?"

"That's odd. I thought it was due to them being Dawn's family and the daughter going to the same school?"

"I mean, of course it is," she exclaimed, Oates smiling smugly. For a brief second, Catano was unimpressed, glaring at him while her tail gave a few whip like swishes. Finally, though, she conceded the point. "I just don't want to be another mammal like that one."

"And you're not," Oates reassured her, putting a hoof down on her shoulder.

There was a pause, before she looked up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, do you want to hear what I think?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think that this is a messy situation and whatever you try and do, you're gonna hurt a bunch of young, scared, impressionable mammals. As I said before, you gotta do what you gotta do. But that doesn't make you someone like that whackjob, does it?"

"No."

"Cuss no it don't. After all, you hate her guts!"

Kii smiled, nodding. "Yeah. It's just… -I'm still having to get over the fact that Ben watched her. I mean, yes, I know he doesn't take it seriously, but he still endorses her. He still endorses the horrible things that she says, that make mammals suffer, which try and radicalise young people."

"And what do you think of me?" Oates asked. "I saw those things, found the whole thing funny, not that I'd watch any more of it."

"Well, that's okay, as you're not endorsing her," she summarised. "And you won't be watching on and start thinking 'okay, she has a point here', which then becomes 'she has some points', which then becomes 'oh I agree with most of what she says,' which then becomes 'screw sheep, they're not even mammals'. You cut the line with her." There was a pause, as she rubbed her chin. "Thinking it through, that actually helps a lot. The Calrama's didn't entirely cut ties with Dawn, arguably it's impossible to do so, that means it is fair to suspect them and to at least be able to consider that they're up to something not good. Though, I concede, they're most likely a scared family who need to be looked out for, cared for, and just want and deserve respect. I've got to do the first while making sure I do the second, and to be fair I don't want it to be them. I want to come in one day and tell them who it was, that they're clear, and that I'm sorry for putting them through much stress."

"Well, that sounds like the right attitude to have," he reassured her, the cheetah smiling back.

"Thanks. I suppose it's tricky as it is a grey area, not a black and like one with Gruinard Gal. I mean, if you're watching, following, helping her, you're a bad mammal period. A terrible mammal, even, just like her. And maybe you say you're only dipping your toe in, but that's still being complicit in the mammal hurting evil that you know is there. Unlike you, who saw it, made the right judgement, and will be leaving it alone where it belongs."

"Well, thanks to hear," Oates replied. "Glad I could have been of assistance."

"Yup," she replied. "Anyway, I was reading through some of Judy's stuff and…" she was broken off as the bunny in question walked into the room.

The word walked being generous.

She was slumped over, ears crashing down, her steps taken as if her feet were made of lead. Nick sauntered in after her, looking normalish.

"Well, well," Oates said. "Wilde looking more together than Hopps. Well I never, seems like the early bird between you two has done a swap."

"Shaddup…" Judy groaned, "need caff-fee…"

She plodded over to the waiting percolator, pouring herself a helping. Nick looked at her, before holding up a paw to stop Catano. "If this is about the documents she sent last night… Just look at when she sent them."

The cheetah nodded, looking closer at the email. It was listed under '6 hours ago', which meant that…

"Yeah," Nick replied. "She had a late night earlier this morning getting that to you. No, she's not ready to answer any questions… yet."

"Understood," she said, looking over. "I wasn't going to ask, it's really thorough. Thanks."

Judy glanced up and smiled. "You're welcome," she said, before turning back down to her cup. Her nose twitched a few times as she sniffed in the dark bitter scent, before she tipped it up and began taking it down. Nick joined her, finding much more enjoyment out of it, even if right now he needed it less.

"I'm serious though," Catano replied, filing through everything. "The reports should be enough to get the authorities stateside to put a warrant out for our weasel, fingers crossed he hasn't gone too far. And hearing that this friend did send a text to Maisy Calrama does help to keep that possibility open." She paused a bit as she said it, not sure if she wanted it to remain open or not, before shaking her head. This was police work. "However, on that thing about a Shylock and a Carmen Sandiego Fox…"

"You'll have to speak with Kris' father to get more information about those," Nick filled in.

"Yeah," Judy replied, taking a few more sips from her mug. Her ears were slowly rising.

"But we can get right on it thanks to you sending this in first," she said, raising a finger up. "I was also thinking of checking out the school later. You up for that Oates?"

"I'm busy, but if you get one of the sniffer certified officers who handled Duke before, you could get a scent link," he replied, walking over with his own (massive) cup of coffee. "And what about you two? I thought you were off private investigating?"

"Bogo had to call us in for protest control," Judy grumbled, taking another sip. "For our own protest."

Nick took a sip of his drink and smiled. "The irony is almost as delicious as this stuff."

"Well, if you were setting up anything violent, jokes on you," Oates replied. "Still though, I heard that most mammals are turning against our DA. If that wolf that first did the bill decides to put through an amendment to it then well done, you've done the main thing and made a fool outta him."

"And got Kris back home," Judy said, through another sip of her drink.

"I apologise," Nick said, looking down. "Judy's sense of humour hasn't quite loaded yet."

He received a punch to his arm.

"Naturally though, her fox abuse protocol has."

With a final sip, the bunny finished her drink and shook her head. "Yeah, that's number one on the list," she replied, her voice picking up. "I've heard from our friend organising it that it's going to be big. I didn't plan to go into politics, but hey, making the world a better place, right?"

"Right," Catano agreed, watching the bunny and fox nod along. She turned back to her work only to pause, an errant thought working into her brain. It was odd, really, but she couldn't help but say it out loud before really thinking it through. "We'd do the same if it was Maisy, wouldn't we?"

There was a brief pause, before Judy looked back. "I… Yeah, of course!"

"I mean, we'd know about it later and second paw, so we wouldn't have that killer recording or anything" Nick countered, his tone darker. "With that and the fact she is a sheep, I don't think we'd get anything like the turn out to support her, especially if mammals knew who she was. But we'd still look into it."

"Fairly?" Catano asked.

"Of course," Judy insisted. "I mean, I have nothing against sheep, some of my best friends growing up were sheep."

"I'd guess we'd be more professional than crazy eager like this though," Nick said. "I mean, it's a dear friend vs a friend of a friend, I… -Don't give me that look Judy, I'm just being realistic."

Catano nodded along. "I guess so," she said. "I suppose it's lucky that it was he who got this, not her… Unless she did it of course."

"Who knows," Nick replied, shaking his head. "Who knows."

With that, the pair left, Catano and Oates getting busy packing up. The cat in particular thought over what they said. Was it species, was it family, was it fair? It was all hard and complex, and the only answer she could give was for the last part, and that was a resounding no. Judy would try her best, Nick was trying to be realistic even if it meant not going for the ordeal. What would have happened if Bellwether's own niece had been dragged in front of her two days ago, nighthowlers in her locker?

From what she'd seen, she'd have been distraught, terrified, lost. As for herself, she felt a chill go down her spine as she realised that she might have gone in without mercy, interviewing and pulling her over the verbal coals. It would have been logical, enjoyable, getting out her rage at what Bellwether had done. And if Maisy had said it was a plant, someone wanting revenge on Bellwether by proxy, would she believe her?

She'd believed Kris after his interview.

Would she even want to believe her?

She felt her face sink down into her paws again. Most logically they were a scared family, realistically they were suspects due to who their relative was. It wasn't due to them being sheep, though…

Well, you had as much choice as to which species you were born as as you had choice in who your Aunt was.

She was almost grateful for the tap on her shoulder by Oates, telling her to get up. She had the school to check out, he had his things…

Someone sometime had to talk with the kit's father. Strange foxes coming in to talk to him, wanting him for something, stories about missing items and large conspiracies. It seemed like it would be right up Basil and Dave's alley.

Urghhh… She missed them. They'd probably have worked it out by now. Stupid timing…

Still, it was Wednesday today, and they'd be back on Sunday. Not long in the grand scheme of things. As she got up and went out though, she couldn't help but wonder where they were and what they were up to.

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Slavulpinch. Kyiv Oblast. Ewekraine.

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The hot sun was slowly coming down over the dusty windswept grasslands, the heat of the day slowly giving way to the cool of the night. The sky was still blue, cloudless, and it came down to meet the dusty golden earth to form a perfect replica of the nation's flag. It was a truly serene scene.

It was anything but quiet though.

The chirps and buzzings of insects filled the air, along with the evening songs of birds. But mammal kind had its own contribution to make.

RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM-RUM…

Pulling out of the trees, an old red tractor emerged, an aged syrian wild ass in a Russian army officer's uniform perched on top and driving it while a massive polar bear jogged alongside, panting in the heat and stripped down to just his underwear. Behind it, they pulled a trailer, full of strange bits of electrical equipment all fitted together.

None of them paid attention though to two little Babushka dolls sitting in the corner. None of them saw one turn to the other.

"Basil," the one whispered, its partner turning to face it. Suffice to say, if you looked closely there was something a little odd with their eyes. For a start, they blinked.

"Yes?"

"I don't think we thought this through."

"Oh of course not, old chap! Look, maybe it's not what we expected, but these two certainly are up to something!"

"Yes, and do you know what?"

"Well I can certainly make a reasonable explanation with a bit more investigation! I personally believe we have everything we need to get to the truth of this mystery."

There was a grumble from the other little doll.

"What was that?" Basil asked, curiously.

"Nothing," his husband muttered back.

"No, no… It certainly sounded like, uhhh… howl about a transistor… -Ah, no! How about a translator!?"

"Yes…"

"Oh, we don't need a translator!" he said cheerily, just as the polar bear panted out.

"Von tam?"

"Da," his companion replied.

Dave gave a pronounced clearing of his throat and waited.

"Well," Basil mused, "there was a yes in there."

Any grumbling was cut off as the tractor suddenly ground to a halt, jolting the babushka dolls over and sending them rolling, little pairs of legs kicking out from underneath. They skittled around before coming to a halt, jolting themselves upright as the ass kicked the machine hard. "Cyka Blyat!"

"Oh, and I know what that one means," Basil filled in. "It translates to 'Cussing cuss.'"

"Thank you," Dave said grumpily, as the two came around. They sat in a corner as Kozlov, formerly Mr Big's right-paw mam and currently on a long and strange sabbatical in this country, took the equipment out and set it down on the floor. It certainly wasn't picking up the feared Rattigan, returning him to his city after a long exile, as they'd once believed. As for what it actually was…

Fully deploying it, they set up what almost looked like a miniature anti-aircraft gun, testing how it moved and panned before setting its sights on a rusting old Laika Riva sitting across the field. "A weapons test?" Dave summarised.

"Yes, yes, I… Hmmm, they're starting a generator up," Basil agreed, as the roar of a diesel engine filled the air. "Some kind of electrical weapon? I mean, you remember at Interpol, they like their shock pistols."

"Quite, what was it that that vixen inspector said? 'This pistol packs a paralysing punch?'"

"Well, this isn't a pistol, that's for certain," Basil said. There was an odd crackling as the machine seemed to rev up, the pair looking at it tentatively. The polar bear had grabbed a long measuring line and walked over to the car, now returning back.

"Dvesti metro rovno."

The ass, who they believed was called Jorin, huffed, chuckling a bit as a grin grew on his face. "Tak chto eto dolzhno zanyat' odnu sekundu."

The bear nodded, stepping behind the weapon with the ass, a cord in his paw.

"Building their own directed shock weapon," Dave murmured. "Maybe through off the shelf parts, putting them together in ways that the police force wouldn't recognise until it's too late… Which could give any criminal outfit armed with them a terrifying advantage in the short term."

"Such as a bunch of criminal bears who've just lost their mafiosa," Basil said, a chill running down to the tip of his tail.

The two little babushka's turned to glance gravely at each other, before turning back to watch the spectacle unfold. "Dlya polenta dvoynoy nol' sem'!" the bear spoke, his companion making a sign of the cross behind him. "Dlya pyat'desyat shest'! Dlya moyego brata!" he continued, the last word mixed with a soft and sad tremble. "Dlya vsekh zhertv Sizogo Orla! Tri, dva, odin, OGON!" He pulled the cord and there was a crackle as their machine buzzed with electrical sparks before ejecting them, an unsteady shimmering orb sent flying off and onto the target in no more than a second. The old vehicle popped and fizzed, sparks flying before it was left sitting there, smoking, fuming and burning as its attackers celebrated.

"Odnu sekundu!" the Jorin cheered, hooves into the air. "ODNU SEKUNDU!"

Kozlov just gave a hearty chuckle, turning to his partner and putting a paw around his shoulder. The mice looked on from their position. "You filming this?" Basil asked.

"Of course."

"Do you ship them?"

"Of course."

"Ah excellent. Hmmm, we'll keep on spying on them as long as we can, then head home. It'll be a shame though."

"Hmmm…"

"Well, they'll have been having a nice peaceful time back there, and we'll come in and drop the bombshell about a new weapon the underworld might be about to use."

"I do see your point," Dave agreed, his babushka doll slowly rocking backwards and forwards in a nod of appreciation. After all, this would be a real rain on their parade back in peaceful Zootopia.

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"Okay, riot control! Any tips, Carrots? Any carrot tips?"

Judy shook her head vigorously in response. "Well, it depends what crowd we get."

"Ahem," he reminded her, slipping on his belt before leaning down close to her ear and whispering. "It depends on the crowd we've gathered."

"That Fenneko has gathered," Judy quickly countered, slipping on her own belt and taking a breath in and out. She hopped on her feet a few times before getting down into a bunch of stretches, talking as she warmed up. "I mean, back during the Nighthowler crisis, the actual protestors were fine."

"Huh?" he asked. "But I thought…"

"-It was the counter protestors you had to worry about," she said, crossing her arms. "Now, fingers crossed that you won't have any of those here today. In that case it should all be good!"

"Just should?"

"Oh, hush you," she said, giving a quick flick out. Nick though saw it coming and hopped to the side.

"Nice try," he said, with a wink and a finger gun salute.

"I mean, you've got no idea what kind of mammals you'll get, but it shouldn't be too bad right? I mean, this Pounceheart guy who's getting most of them in, he was on our side during the Nighthowler Crisis…"

"Though by the end of it he was telling all of us to break quarantine and fight the system," Nick warned, with a finger raised.

"I…" Judy began, her nose starting to twitch. "Okay, I wasn't in the city right at the end," she conceded, "but it should all be fine. Get the fences up, look around, get rid of any particularly troublesome mammals, and it'll all be over nice and easy."

"If you say so," Nick said, flashing her a wink. He checked his equipment before looking at Judy, the bunny saluting him off. With that, they walked out, gathering with the rest of the officers before making their way out. The protest was being held out on Watering Hole Plaza, so there was no need for the pair to hop into a minibus or anything, though plenty were arriving, bringing in officers from other precincts so that no single one was down too many mammals. Instead they just strolled around, Judy hopping and skipping here and there, both keeping their eyes open for anything untoward. There weren't many here yet, but it was clear that something was going on. Various mammals were gathering together, getting placards out. Most of them were young, around Judy's age and down to eighteen or so, while the majority were predators. There were plenty of prey too. As for the police, they were hanging about, keeping an eye on it all while also setting up simple metal barriers in places, such as around flower beds or water features that a large crowd might accidentally bump someone into.

Getting a wave over from some officers in Precinct 4, pulled in from the Rainforest district, the pair helped to haul some over, slotting them into each other and giving them a rattle to check that they were secure. Judy in particular gave them a big, strong energetic shake. Nick looked on, mildly amused. "I see that coffee's worked its way into your system."

"Huh?"

"You're bounce-bounce-bouncing everywhere, little bunny cop," Nick said, pointing at her and smiling as he watched her shuffle from foot to foot.

"Yeah! I mean, whooo…" she swooned. "I really needed it after my late night getting things sorted for Kii," she said, moving over to the next set of barriers, currently being hauled over by two moose officers from Tundra town. "-Do you think she'll find anything?"

"Well, yeah. She's a cop. Cops tend to do that."

Even through her buzzed state, Judy was able to pull herself down and give her fox a smarmy half-lidded stare.

"Seriously though, probably…" Nick said, shrugging as he did so.

Judy nodded in agreement. "Great! I…" She then froze, pausing, her nose twitching.

"Uh-oh, trouble?" Nick asked, turning to face where she was looking. He saw a glance of Pounceheart over in one area, currently livestreaming or something, but that didn't seem to be it. Instead he followed her line of sight to an unfamiliar tiger officer, looking around with an irritated expression. "That it?"

"Yup," she said darkly, her arms crossing in front of her.

"Right…" Nick followed on. "Behind the tiger?"

"It is the tiger."

…

"Okay, now there's a role reversal I never imagined before. Mind telling me why?"

"Have you met him before?"

"No."

"I bumped into him a few times while you were in the academy," she spoke, her words pronounced and hard. Nick was already on edge; even with the miraculous boost of coffee on her side, she hadn't used his admission to refute his boast of knowing everyone. That meant she had one heck of an attention grabbing grudge against the tiger, but why? Looking back, he stared closer at his face before blinking, slapping himself as Judy carried on. "His name is Officer…"

"-He arrested Kris."

"Yes he did," Judy said, her foot beginning to drum rapidly on the floor. "Yes he did."

"I didn't recognise him at first as the video was unclear, but…" he began, not sure how to carry on. He was annoyed. No, he was angry. He'd heard about how he'd dragged everyone out to show the arrest. That tiger had hurt his friends… No, his future family, and he couldn't help but think that his species had a part to play in it. He was still used to the odd jerk looking down on him as a shifty fox, but this was a major jerk in a uniform, and he'd used it. He'd used it good, something the red fox was not going to allow to stand. A faint snarl was coming out of his muzzle, only to break away as Judy power marched past him.

"I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" she warned, only to be held back by Nick's paw.

"Careful young Hoppswalker, anger is the path to the dark side. Besides… If he has something against foxes, let's serve him something fox style in return."

Judy paused, before looking at him and nodding, giving him the go ahead.

"Officer Jones? Officer Jones, do you copy?" Nick asked into his radio, masking his voice a bit so that it wasn't quite clear that it was him.

Standing not too far away, the tiger picked up his radio and answered. "Yeah, that's me."

"Hi there, just a rookie from third. My superior had to dash to the little mammals room, and said I should keep in touch with you while he was gone."

Blinking a few times, the big cat smiled. "Yeah, that's fine. Anything to report?"

"No, not really. Just making sure the line works in case I do."

"Smart move."

"Yeah… Say, any idea what this whole thing is about."

With that, the tiger's face collapsed into a scowl. "Urghh…" he groaned wearily. "It's literally the stupidest thing. Okay, quick question, are you pred or prey?"

"Pred."

"Right, you'll get it then. See these idiots out here?"

"Looking at one right now," Nick smiled, his gaze never leaving the back of the tigers head. Judy bounced up and down on her feet next to him, carrot pen out and recording as she eagerly waited to see where this was going.

"Well, they're protesting to release a stupid fox kit who was smuggling night howlers in his locker! I mean, can you believe it…"

"No. I thought you needed more evidence to show that it wasn't a plant or anything."

"-What! You too!?" he asked, exasperated. "Listen, don't you or any other predator here remember what we went through?"

"I remember the classes about burden of proof…"

"I don't believe this," he hissed.

"Well, I mean I heard they're all here following orders from this mammal who called the nighthowler plot."

"-What? Pounceheart?" he asked.

"Name rings a bell."

Jones paused, blinking a few times before slapping his head. "Dammit," he sighed. "I thought he was cool," he scowled, kicking a tuft of grass with his foot. "Only now he's on this whole 'we're above the law' thing that the rest of them are. I mean, seriously… We're not supposed to say foxes are sneaky or untrustworthy or anything…" Nick and Judy listened on, leaning forward, the latter with her pen out and up against the receiver. "-But you have to admit that there are some who really lay into that stereotype," he carried on, complaining like one would about bad traffic. "Must really suck to be stuck as a fox with those mammals in your species giving you a bad rep. -But what really ticks me off about foxes is how smug they all are. I mean, don't you see that?"

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Nick said, eyes closed and muzzle tilted up in mock humility. Judy nodded up and down like a yo-yo.

"I mean seriously, have you ever met any foxes," Jones carried on, idly talking. "There's this way that they carry themselves, like they think they're better than us. Above us. It's sort of this foxy arrogance, in some cases that they can out-trick us or hustle us, but usually that they just like to look down on us. I mean in the old world they're right at the top of the social totem pole, I wonder if that's it… Hmmm. What do you think?"

"Uhhh, Jones," Nick carried on, looking a bit confused. Judy leant in too, half curious as to where this would go and half curious as to whether Nick had finally met someone he couldn't hustle. "I don't really have an opinion."

"I mean you've got to have an opinion!"

"Nnnnoooope…" he said, beginning to walk. "Just a blank slate here."

"Right," he carried on, pausing to laugh. "I mean, that's probably ideal for your superiors. No ugly, messy, opinions to deal with. But I mean seriously, every fox you meet. Heck, even Pounceheart was like that, just he used to be on our side and got things right once. I don't know."

"Well, me neither Jones," Nick replied. He was turning the corner, so that the tiger could see him if he looked the right way. "Me neither. I'll just keep an eye out for any smug foxes."

"Me too, me too," the tiger replied.

"Yeah, walking around, like they own the place. Sticking on a uniform or something…"

"Yeah, trying to impersonate that one fox cop we have, I… Hang on, talk of the devil, I think I just spotted one now. Over."

"Over," Nick said, glancing up. Jones was power walking over, and Nick waved at Judy, making her nudge away. "Okay," he conceded, "the jerkass will kind of have a point with this one, but… -he is still a jerkass, so it's fair game."

"Ten-four," Judy saluted, stepping back into the crowd, carrot pen at the ready. Nick waited, walked a bit, bounced on his feet a little and watched the tiger march up out of the corner of his eye. Fingers cracking, heartbeat racing, he felt the thrill of the hustle come and…

"-Morning Officer Wilde," the tiger said, as he speed-marched right past him.

Nick stood rooted to the floor, looking around, his mouth piqued. He then frowned, his ears folding back, as a peppy Judy stood next to him, bouncing up and down on her toes. Nick gave her an aside glance, raising up a lecturing finger. "You do realise that none of us won here, right?"

"Yes," she quipped, smiling. "But not all of us lost, did we?"

Nick grumbled, only to pause, his eyes widening with worry. "Uh, Carrots?"

"Yeeeessss…" she swooned, not noticing his change in demeanor.

"If he's not coming for me, then who's he going for?"

Judy's smug face shattered into worry. "Oh sweet cheese, uh…"

"Uh, indeed," Nick began, quickly taking off after the tiger, Judy in fast pursuit.

"I mean, maybe it's a fox dressed in a blue jacket? He won't go mad on him, right?"

"Counterpoint," Nick replied, picking up his pace. "I read somewhere that a second fox joined the ZPD a while back. -And I think we're about to meet him!"