Chapter 31:

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AN: Welcome back. For those who were at the ZAA read through, that scene is in the next chapter, meaning this one is all stuff you haven't seen. Enjoy.

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"-While generally seen and worn as the defining factor of the religion, it is but one of five key aspects. Moreover, it was originally meant as a symbol of an elite warrior caste. The Khalsa."

Ash closed his eyes and thought to himself as the elephant teacher reached down to get a new sheet out for his projector. The lesson was coming to an end, and with that he had to find a way of speaking with Maisy, coaxing in and getting at the truth. It was an unenviable task, and he didn't really know how to do it.

It wasn't like he could talk with anyone either. It didn't feel right to destroy Maisy's new identity.

Maybe, at a pinch, he could talk with Jenny? She was prey, so she'd be less likely to react badly…

Less likely.

He was pretty sure she didn't know, and it could still affect the friendship. Arguably Maisy's strongest one.

He grit his teeth. Arghhhh… What to do?

A new sheet was up on the projector, displaying a mix of drawings, ranging from a small comb and some white shorts to the taj mahal and some red buildings.

"The tenth Guru, originally Gobind Rai, came to power amidst the continuing rule of the Mughal empire," he spoke, pointing to the Taj Mahal. "This was a powerful muslamb dynasty that had ruled the entire subcontinent for centuries. However, they originated from without. The first Mughal, Babur, was a Caspian tiger from central Asia. Descended from key allies of Genghis Khan's Moringol invaders, centuries before, they still held on to their own religion thanks to his empire's policy on religious freedom and had strong alliances with local prey mammals. Bactrian camels and bactrian deer especially. With them, he pushed through Afghanistan and, within fifty years, his empire held the northern half of the subcontinent. While not forceful in their religious policies, it is undoubted that the Hindu majority were second class citizens. Worse could be said for smaller, upstart religions, such as Singhism."

Ash's notes were brief at best. Agnes wasn't sitting by his side as usual. He spared a glance around, was… -There, she was sitting by Jenny!

Good, he thought. After all, if she was sitting here, it would usually be in close proximity to Beavis. She did not need him teasing her about it right now.

"Rai asked for a mammal to stand up who was willing to die for his religion," The teacher spoke. "One volunteered, and was taken into a tent. Those viewing saw a swish of a sword, their guru coming out with it, blood on its blade. Four more volunteered, four more times the blade was swung and, by the time he was done, five mammals came out. They were baptised and given a new surname, Singh, Sanskrit for lion. Guru Gobind Singh took it too, though no guesses what species he was."

Then again, Ash mused, that annoying woodchuck had been very quiet through all of this. Looking to his side, there he was, taking down his notes and not trying to annoy or tease him. Yes, there was a sizeable distance between them, but that hadn't stopped him before. Maybe this quiet was just him having a go at planning for a change, thinking through some devious plot so that, when unleashed, it would have ten times the impact of his usual spontaneous barbs.

"This all took place at the Mughal's height of power. Based in the red fort in Delhi," he explained, pointing at one of the drawings, "they controlled virtually all the sub continent. To defend the religion, the Khalsa would stand as a warrior caste, both men and women and from all social standings and species, a rejection of both Muslamb views on women and the Hindu caste system."

But maybe this was just all too much, even for him. Maybe even he had standards and, two days ago, they were broken. Something that was beyond the pail for even him to make fun of.

"They would wear five symbols. Kachera, the shorts. Kirpan, a sword or dagger. Kara, an iron or steel bracelet. Finally, they would wear Kesh and Kangha: uncut body parts and a wooden comb to tame their long fur. This ranges from singh elephants having enormous tusks, to lions having enormous manes and thick shaggy fur, kept in order via combing and mane turbans. It's also the reason that Singh sheep were never really a thing." He paused to let the class have a short laugh before carrying on. "Now, it's worth noting once again that the mughal elites were tigers and camels, not elephants. Thus, they had no concern about levying enormous taxes on the ivory trade, booming given the demand coming from European and far eastern merchants. Of course, by not selling the ivory, they cut off a small but notable income source for their oppressors. And that's about it for today. Given that the 'eleventh' Guru was their holy book, I want you all to do an essay on the life of one of the ten Guru's ready for next week. Class dismissed."

With that everyone began packing up, heading off in silence. It didn't take long to file into the form room again, his brain still working out how to approach this sticky subject, only to be immediately derailed as a vixen grabbed his paw. He jolted back, looking up at Brittany. "Come with me, quick."

"Huh?"

"Quickly," she said, pulling him out. "Don't worry, the teacher knows!"

"Knows what?"

"That I'm doing this," she said, as they hurried along to a staircase and began running up it, the pair going around and around before reaching the top. There was a small dog-leg at the top landing, which she pulled him into before wrapping her paws hard around him in a tight hug.

"I'm…" he began, startled. "I'm not interested, I…"

"Ewww," she rebuked, pushing him off. "I'm not… You think… You're only fourteen!"

"Yes, I… So…?"

"Half plus seven rule," she said, paws out to shield him off. "Add two years or wait three… or four…"

"-I'm almost fifteen!"

"-Then two and a little bit."

"-Really?

"I… Uhhh… -Listen, I got you here as I've got amazing news about Kris!"

"Huh?" he asked, his head tilting to the side. She knelt down looking side to side, panting hard with a smile on her muzzle.

"The police talked to me earlier. They think that the weasel you helped bust is the one that stitched him up! He's innocent! They have a suspect. They…"

"I know all that," he said quietly, causing her to break off. She blinked a few times, before cutting in before he could continue.

"Gah, stupid me," she said, shaking her head. "Of course you'd know. They've probably interviewed you before. It's how they know."

"Yeah," he said, deciding to keep it simple.

Brittany though was calming down, standing up and resting against the wall. "Phew… I… -I just found out today, and thought you really needed to know," she said.

"Thanks."

"I'm also guessing you don't know who told that weasel about which locker was his."

"No," he said, only to pause. Brittany blinked, catching on.

"Ash?"

"Sorry," he said, trying to ad-lib a cover for himself. "It's nothing, just… -It's a lot, all of it."

"Tchh, don't I know it," she said.

"Though, I might have some new ideas," he began, tapping his foot. "I'll contact the cops when I can."

"I mean, they are snooping around the school right now, trying to find someone who told him. I could go get them."

"If you want," he said, before pausing. "Though maybe you should tell Agnes the news too."

"Of course," she said, clicking her fingers and turning on the spot. "I'll be right on it. Feel free to go back or stay here or whatever."

"Will do," he replied, waving her off before sitting down, knees up into his chest and his finger pads beating across his forehead. They were thinking that someone had told him where their lockers were, instead of him finding out the details himself. Of course, Maisy was still an option, both on her own or together, which might be something he could lead with! But… But… He couldn't help but let the furs on the back of his neck rise as he thought back.

The very same day that he bumped into the weasel again, who else was there, hanging out with the mean mustelid himself, than a mammal who knew and wouldn't think twice about giving away the information.

Beavis Chuckman.

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"So, what exactly do you like here?"

Kris held his tongue as Matt scanned the selection of food. They'd come in third for lunch, meaning there were still a lot of options for him to pick from. That didn't help though when he was trying to look after a pup who was decidedly picky. "Well, the pizza," he managed to say, looking down at the slices waiting on the hot plate. The predator main course today was breaded fish with a side of chips, nice by itself but Kris guessed that the young wolf didn't like that (or just liked pizza more). That wasn't what he'd meant when he'd asked the question.

"I mean, the sides. Do you like a tub of berries or an apple."

"None of them…"

"Okay, and desert. The rice pudding and jam…"

"-It looks like sick with blood on it!"

"Okay, I see that. But do you like that sponge cake?"

"I think…"

Sniffing a bit, Kris picked it out. "It smells like lemon cake."

"Not fair," he whined. "I don't like lemon. They had a nice cake, they put lemon in and ruined it!"

"I thought you liked lemon…"

"I like lemonade and orange juice, but not lemon and orange."

"So it's the cookies then," he said, spotting them.

"But they have spots in them…"

"So, it could be chocolate?"

"They never put chocolate in. It's always raisins. Nobody likes raisins."

"-Is not raisins," Timofey spoke, from behind them. "Canines can pick raisins out, horde them, till they have enough to poison themselves." He smiled. "So here it is all chocolate chips. Canine safe ones, yes, but no big difference." He shrugged. "One good thing about prison," he said with a laugh.

Kris smiled. Credit where credit was due, Timofey could spin a joke. He turned back to Matt as they approached the servers. "Okay, I like apples and berries, so you get an apple and I'll get some berries. Then we'll both get some of the cookies, and I'll give you one of mine. Sound good?"

"Uh-hu," he said, nodding. They were soon ordering, Kris turning to their tables, the previous occupiers just leaving. He paused as he saw a hulking figure off in the background, the giant bison who'd made a ruckus earlier. Okay, keep quiet and keep away, they didn't have to meet. Indeed, he was walking over and talking to two mammals from Kris' block. The goat who'd bullied Matt, and who he'd briefly fought with, and another bison. They were pointing and gesturing in their direction, only to be cut off by an order from the side.

"You lot, stand there."

It wasn't angry, but it was forceful, and Kris watched as the deer guard, Mr Fulton, marched out. The goat shrugged, hooves up. "What, all three of us?"

"Well since you want to join in, you can come here too," he retorted, clopping his hooves to a hard marching style stop and bringing out an arm. He gave a two hooflet gesture towards himself before pointing down, watching as the prisoners assembled in front of him.

"I know the schedulers put a lot of effort into keeping you two apart," he said, waving between the two bison.

"We get on with each other…"

"That's exactly the problem," he said, arms crossing. "It's my job, which I do with firm dedication and pride, to keep this place free of any mischief and bigotry, things that you two are bound to cause together."

"Why do you say that?"

"Why are you two here," he fired back, his tone rising slightly to cut them off. "I am a fair mammal. You can write to each other if you want, but what you write goes through me so I can check it and make sure that it is clean."

They stayed quiet, looking at each other.

"What was that?" Fulton asked softly.

"Nothing," one of them said, glaring at him.

"I think you meant to say, 'Yes sir, it won't happen again sir."

…

"WHAT DID YOU MEAN TO SAY!?" He shouted out, flipping into full drill sergeant mode in an instant. The pair flinched back, one of them putting their hooves up to the ears. "ANSWER WHEN SPOKEN TOO, OR ARE YOU TWO BOTH KINDS OF DUMB. WHAT DID YOU MEAN TO SAY!?"

"Yes sir!" they blurted out. "It won't happen again sir."

The enraged deer flipped back in an instant, standing tall as he crossed his arms. "Good. It may be foolish, but I'm going to trust you two on that. And hold you to your words." He turned to the bison who'd been tazed the day before. "Come on, move it." He escorted him out, leaving Kris standing with his tray. He didn't realise that he was doing that until he felt Matt hiding behind him.

"Hey, it's okay. He was just a bit loud," he said.

"He's a bully…"

"He is not a friend like otter guard," Timofey said to both of them. "He is good mammal, fair, but not a friend."

"Right," Kris said, thinking about the fact that, back in the office, he did seem quite friendly. "Does he have a thing against prisoners?"

"Pah, is there snow in Tundratown? He thinks us once criminals, always criminals, all without honour. Though could be worse. He is not hypocrite, he has honour. Can even take joke at his expense. As I say, good fair mammal. But not our friend."

Kris nodded, grabbing his tray and walking out to the table. "He shouts a lot," Matt said as he picked up some orange juice, eyes narrowing. "And thinks he is better than others, and can pick on them."

"A bully?" the silverfox asked.

"Yeah. I hate bullies. I hate them!"

"I don't like them either," he said, smiling. They were splitting off to go to their benches, Kris turning around and looking at the pup when he felt something hard hit his legs, pulling them out from under him and throwing them back. He threw his tray forward and put his front paws out to catch him, just as something hard hit him in the gut, winding him as it cut upward and threw the breath out of him. He looked over to see the goat from earlier, hiding under the bench next to theirs. Two hooves on the stools, he'd swung out to give his double kicks and was now dragging his feet back behind himself, the sharp keratin edges scratching into the linoleum as they swung back and rooted down hard. Hand hoofs pulled as he kicked out, charging forward, horns pulled down and on a collision course with his side. Kris had already started pushing himself up, there was nothing he could do other than roll with it. He swung a paw out and grabbed one of the horns, pushing himself back. His hips hit a stool, he pushed, the goat kept charging, he swung around. Head under the table, hip arching against the metal, wrists straining as they carried the charge. His back hit a support and he grit his teeth as he was bent back, throwing out with his arms and letting the goat charge through and hit the stools on the other side.

He was dazed but fine, turning around again as Kris scrambled up onto all fours and began to fall back. His enemy couldn't charge fast under here, and the fox could get behind cover. Duck and weave, he dodged the crazed hoof-punch assaults as he gave quick strikes of his paws against his attackers eyes.

"Come here! I'm getting you this time, Kung Fox!"

"We don't have to fight, and it's karate," Kris said, getting himself into a defensive pose. His arms were pulled back, paws coming together with his fingers and claws forward, ready to puncture and pierce.

"Oh shut it Pelt, I'll…"

He was cut off as a splash of orange juice was thrown into his face, followed by another, then another, then another. "GET LOST BULLY!" Kris couldn't help but blink in shock. Matt was attacking, and attacking well. The goat was bleating out, his eyes winced up from the acidity, his hooves useless in clearing any of it away. He trashed around instead, trying to reach Kris but missing, letting Matt come in with a flurry of uncoordinated and underpowered kicks. They were frequent and frantic though, and definitely had an effect. The goat screamed, turning to lunge at the wolf pup, only for him to plant two paws on the stools and kick down hard with all his weight, forcing the side of the goat's head back down to the floor.

He then scrambled down, his mouth opening wide, and Kris realised with a shock what he was planning. He acted first, lunging forward and gripping the attacking caprid by his hooves and forcing him back. He twisted around, a full three-sixty, only giving half of that to his enemy who was shot out from under the table on his back, then immediately kicked away hard by a heavy white paw.

A white foot quickly joined by a black and white stripe clad body as Timofey got down onto the floor, his paws on his head. He looked straight at Kris and gestured down. It was only then that he began hearing the shouts of the guards, ordering everyone down. "Front on the floor, hands on head!" Checking to make sure that none of Matt's orange juice was in the way, he did just that, figuring it best to just stay underneath as various hooves and paws began walking past him and standing to attention.

"Whose is the fish?"

It was Fulton, standing over Kris' tray… -Oh, that had survived. "Mine, sir."

The deer bent down, looking underneath the table, right at him. "What are you doing down there?"

"Front on the floor, hands on head."

…

His right foot hoof tapped a few times, his expression unreadable. "I feel generous today. You can do it here instead." He pointed down and Kris crawled out, while he marched off. "Now, I know that you lot would never tell on each other. Your sense of right and wrong was mixed up on the outside, so I can't expect it to be straightened out in here. Thankfully, we have cameras!" He marched over to a guard post and quickly began playing through.

…

"Oh dear… Oh deary dear," he said, smirking as he stood up, marching back out to the canteen area. "Does this have anything to do with what your bison friends were talking about?"

The goat stayed silent.

"Stand up…"

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"STAND UP NOW!"

He scrambled up to his feet, facing the guard but glancing down and away.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"It was payback, he attacked me yesterday."

"LIAR!" came a shout, Kris snapping to see Matt speaking. "He attacked me! He's nothing but a bully, but then Kris got him off me. He's just mad Kris stopped him bullying me with his karate!"

It took a second or two for the pup to begin to regret saying that as Fulton marched over, his feet rooting themselves just in front of his muzzle. The deer looked around, before glancing to the whole canteen. "Is this true?" he asked, his voice clipped.

Closing his eyes, Kris followed his gut. "I pulled him out of trouble, sir. And when the goat came for him, I did use a wrist lock to defend myself and get him away. I..."

"-Enough," he cut in. "I want you all to speak. Is this true?"

"Yes," Timofey spoke, soon joined by a chorus of agreement. Even the herd were doing so, and Kris realised that he was in big, big, trouble.

"Enough," the guard spoke, before waving Matt up. He walked over, looking down and waving Kris up. He walked up to the goat, the caprid's legs looking like they were made of jelly.

"Look at that boy," he said, pointing hard at Matt. The goat glanced away. "I SAID LOOK AT HIM!"

This time he complied, even though the shouting seemed to have more of an effect on the little wolf.

"HOW OLD DO YOU THINK HE IS?"

"I…"

"HOW OLD!"

"-Eight…?"

"HOW OLD ARE YOU!?"

"Fifteen…"

"VERY BRAVE MAMMAL YOU ARE! PICKING ON SOMEONE YOU THINK IS ALMOST HALF YOUR AGE! DISGRACEFUL! THIS IS WHY YOU'RE HERE! LOOK AT YOU, THE PREY SUPREME! THE STRONGER MAMMAL! SO STRONG YOU CAN ONLY PICK ON CHILDREN YOU COWARD! EVERYONE, LOOK AT HIM!"

They all did, as he glanced around, shaken.

"AND THEN YOU PICK ON THE MAMMAL THAT TRIED TO STOP YOU. ARE YOU GOING TO PICK ON ME?"

"Wha… I…"

"ARE YOU GOING TO PICK ON ME!?"

"No sir!"

"RIGHT THEN. SAY SORRY TO BOTH OF THEM!"

He turned, shivering a little, and muttered out an apology.

"LOUDER!"

"I'm sorry I picked on you both."

"RIGHT THEN. GRAB YOUR LUNCH. BACK TO YOUR CELL. MOVE!"

He did just that, quickly grabbing it and being marched out, the deer behind him drilling him. "LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT…"

…

"Back to your seats," someone else ordered. "No talking, eat in silence, and eat quickly!"

Kris did just that, sitting down and collapsing in relief. No, he wasn't in trouble, thankfully. It took him a second or two to just catch his breath before he could start to dig into his fish, trying to clear his plate as quickly as he could. As he did so, he saw an apple get rolled his way. Looking up, he smiled at Matt and passed over one of his cookies. The wolf pup put a paw up and pushed it back, giving a wink and a wide grin as he did so.

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Sneaking on, Finnick peeled his ears, doing his best to try and pick up anything that a certain ram was going to say. Of course, he needed to say something first.

Thankfully, he seemed to have spotted someone that he really did want to talk to.

For better or for worse, it was someone who Finnick recognised in an instant. Kurt Wassermaim, the stinking DA at the heart of all of this. The fennec slipped out his phone and pressed the record button as he walked this was and that, approaching the pair.

Dominic was the first to speak, calling out clearly. "Kurt. We need to talk. In private, now."

The hippo turned around, smiling. "Ah, long time no see…"

"Shut it," he said, glancing around. Finnick nipped behind a potted plant. "In private. Now."

"If you insist," he said, turning and heading straight for one of the controlled access entrances. They were like subway gates, different workers flashing an ID card to open up a perspex barrier. They ranged in size from megafauna to microfauna, and all were in heavy use. Which meant lots of mammals, busy looking at their phones and talking to each other, were unlikely to look straight down.

It was an opportunity.

A risky one, certainly. He might have finally found that whole 'good life' think that Nick was prattling on about, and if he got caught trespassing here who knew what they'd do to him.

Still, it was an opportunity nonetheless. One he'd have to choose to go for or not very, very quickly. If only there was…

He paused as he saw an elephant in a sari walk up and join the queue. She was a fair way behind them, but that was the best chance he had! Ha-ha, his species might come from Africa and have big ears, but when elephants got involved there was only one type that he liked, and it was stepping in again.

It wasn't only him who had had the same idea. A tap on his shoulder, and he glanced at Kylie. "I could do the thing," he said.

Finnick smiled. "Yeah, the thing sounds good." They split, he quickly walked on, coming in to her side while keeping himself quiet. He was just a tiny fox, most mammals wouldn't notice him, especially here at the megafauna end of the security checkpoint.

Indeed, they wouldn't notice many small mammals, especially as a shriek came out from nearby. All heads bar one turned to see a giraffe intern stepping back from the oppossum, lying on its back less than an inch from where his hoof had stepped down. He was screaming out an apology, asking if he was okay, panicking as some of the big files he held slipped out and dropped from his hooves, clattering on the floor. With full access, everyone nearby was staring at the spectacle, even leaning towards it despite their size. An indian elephant even tilted herself up a bit on her feet, her sari lifting, providing a perfect entranceway for a tiny fennec fox.

He darted in and got up, holding his breath. There was a jolt as she began to move forward, the sound of Kylie coming around again and saying sorry too, and the entire hubbub that was creating, filtering through. Still, on the elephant walked, Finnick having to keep up and keep sharp. A little dodge to slip past a waving foot here, a little tail control to make sure he didn't press against the back of the fabric there. Slowly but surely she carried on, soon making it to the barrier. There was a flicking sound as it unlocked, and Finnick shot through before following her as she turned, part of the skirt dragging against the side of the unit. Taking it as his time to leave, the fennec fox went down low again and shifted out, planting himself into the nook as she left him exposed.

It took a few seconds before anyone noticed him, but what was there to really notice? There were plenty of mammals in the government and civil service, almost certainly some fennec foxes too, and there was one finding a place to catch up on his phone. Maybe a bit foolish to be in an area with plenty of large mammals, though at least he was in a place where he was out of the footfall. Oh, hang on, he was putting his phone away, leaning down to scratch the top of one of his foot paws and then darting off back to work, smiling as he went.

Suckers… He thought, keeping an eye out for any more trouble coming his way. There wasn't any, so instead he did his best to follow the scent trail that had been left for him. He'd bumped into Dominic after all, and gotten a decent idea of what he smelt like. There may have been plenty of sheep working here, but he was the last one walking this path and, if in doubt, he could smell for some hippo as well.

Thankfully, their little path didn't lead them to the lifts, the two instead going to a small break area. Leaning against the wall and behind a potted plant, he 'checked' his phone, listening in from a distance with his ears. He could hear the sound of boiling water being poured and metal tapping against china.

"Are you done?" Dominic asked, a hardness to his voice.

"I've made my coffee, haven't I?"

"Yes you have. Now will you stop wasting time, do you know how many mammals here might recognise me?"

"As Dominic or the ex-mayor's brother."

"Both!" he shot out. "Listen you know full well how frequently I turned up to meet ups with the various workers up there, giving my sister a helping hoof. You were there for half of them."

"Oh yeah, I remember the spectacle you made at that one christmas do."

"Exactly, and this is not helping," he muttered, clopping a hoof on the floor. "We have serious things to discuss, right now, urgently. Unless you want to wait until everything that I have worked for is rendered pointless, destroyed, ruined."

"Oh, don't exaggerate."

"I… Have you seen some of the loonies out there," he began. "Honestly, those savages are a menace to any prey that doesn't toe their line, let alone sheep, let alone this one! It won't take much for them to overwhelm the security detail if they want to, and then both our worst nightmares become a reality. And who's fault is that?"

There was a pause and a grumble. "Well, half and half I'd put it between myself and Murana Wolford."

"I…" Dominic began, before pausing. Finnick had paused too, curious. Who the fuzz was Murana Wolford. Wasn't she that banker that he had some beef with? If so, then why would she be at fault. Annoyingly, he couldn't ask them. Thankfully, though, the micro sheep wasn't done. "I'm not going to ask how you've roped her into this, again, but I suppose I should be glad that you could accept some of the blame for this farce. You really went too far this time, didn't you? Made it all a giant palava, when you could have kept it small, simple and under the table where nobody would have noticed.."

"Oh, they'd still find out," he said, looking down. "And it deserves to be a big show. You're busy with all your little domestic issues…"

"-Do not call them little domestic issues," he warned. "This is my family you're talking about. Everything I do is in their interest, however big or small, and I have a lot of things held back in reserve. I could make your life, or anyone's life, really nasty if I so wished."

"Even if it meant breaking your cover?" he asked, taking a sip.

"Even if it meant that," he said harshly, "though let's be honest, it's already been broken. The cops are already coming after my daughter, I can see them salivating at the chance of putting her away. Like Aunt, like Niece. I've forced her through so much already, stuff she agreed with and stuff that had her crying, begging not to. All for us, all for my family, all for my sister too, making sure her final big wish was complete. But if it means securing all that, then I'd happily let them know that you were brought down by Dominic Bellwether. After that, we just reset again, new name, new place and finally carry on in peace."

There was a long pause. "You know that they won't leave you in peace," he said, his face wincing up. "It was my fault though. But how should I have known that his uncle was a newspaper writer? That he had contacts with just the right mammals? I should have gone straight forwards with a media blitz, owning the narrative as if they actually had a paw to stand on. This was always going to be a symbol, but I was foolish enough to think it was self evident enough. So I sat back and then woke up the next morning to a slew of pro howler-fox propaganda on ZNN. The channel Murana Wolford basically owns thanks to her bank, having her adopted son give a shameless anti common sense tirade." There was a pause and a sigh. "I was expecting a Pounceheart thing too, but not this soon. They're clever and they're fast, I underestimated them. I should have known that she would be waiting, ready to find anything that she could turn against me and use to remove the only bulwark against her agenda. They see me giving a good show to the city about how things really operate and who's really in control, telling those predators where their place really is, and now they think that they can turn this victory for common prey into a defeat. I think they've got a good chance of doing it."

"Well then, give it up," Dominic said. "We've had enough. Whatever the original plans were, it's screwed over. Pull the plug."

"And show them that they can just win?" Kurt asked. "No way. Isn't the bravest mammal one who knows he's licked before starting a fight, but fights it anyway. That's me, right now, and unlike you I'll go on standing until the bitter end, the PSC be damned."

"Oh will you shut out about that…"

"No, it's everything and you know it."

"Oh, it certainly dominates our lives. These last few days have proven it quite clearly to me, more than my sister ever could," he said. "But it and everything else is going to wreck Maisy, I'm pretty sure it already has, it's terrible to look at her now, seeing how far she's fallen and thinking back to what she was. But putting her at more risk isn't going to help. If it protects her, I'm happy to go straight to the police and tell them everything."

…

Kurt took a long sip of his coffee and sighed. "Are you really Dawn's brother? You have none of her faith and dedication…"

"-Do NOT go there," he spoke, harshly.

Kurt put his hands up. "Fine, fine. Listen, I'll make sure that, officially at least, your daughter is kept as alone and safe as possible. I might succeed going on, I might fail, but this is going to be a long game. A marathon, not a sprint. And who knows," he said, smiling. "Maybe, just maybe, something will turn up soon that will swing the momentum back in our favour."

"Hmmm," the small sheep grumbled. "I wouldn't count on pure dumb luck coming to your aid. I believe that you need to be a mammal of action to get ahead."

"By all means, act away then," Kurt said, smiling.

"Maybe I shall," Dominic agreed.

"By all means, do what you feel is best. But please, have some faith in me, just like I have faith in you."

There was a long pause, Dominic tapping his hoof before walking off. "Well. Best of luck with that, I guess. But here's the thing about faith, I always kept what you put into me, didn't I? No overpromising or dropping the ball, was there?"

"Well," Kurt said. "Let's see where the future takes us."

"Quite. Goodbye," Dominic said blankly, walking out past Finnick. Kurt paused for a second or two before making his own way out, just like his small friend failing to notice the smaller eavesdropper who'd heard all they'd just said.