EDITED BY: DrummerMax64

Chapter Three - Bonds

Sitting at the foot of the rickety bed, the striped predator released a ragged breath. He was hunched over, his head hung low and paws clasped lightly together as his scattered mind attempted to piece together the thoughts he had.

Beside him was the silver wolf he'd known since his elementary years, the one he'd asked out on a date just six months ago, the one that finally opened up to him after years of isolation. Now, it seemed as if he was slipping back into that dark place the tiger helped get him out of. And, oddly enough, he was also the cause of it all.

The wolf's pajama covered legs were pressed up tightly against his chest. On top rested both his crossed arms and turned head, no doubt in his mind that he so desperately wanted to avoid him entirely. Could he blame him? What he'd done to his boyfriend was unforgivable. He broke the trust between them both, and there was no way that he could mend it, if not ever. Edward didn't deserve him. He deserved a mammal far better than what he could ever be.

There was no easy way to go about their situation. With everything said and done, there was no way they could continue being an item. The problem was that he didn't know where to even begin. He cared deeply for the well-being of his wolf companion, and would protect it like any good friend should.

Friend. That was it. If they couldn't be boyfriends, maybe that close friendship they once had could still be salvaged, even if it was in shambles.

Now to start. Honesty was his best bet for any chance at some sort of friendship at the end of this. He softly sucked in some of the air, and his brim parted.

"I'm sorry."

The words painfully came to light. At that moment, Charles's throat closed up and tears started to well up in his eyes. After all, it wasn't his booming bass voice that reverberated off the walls.

It was Edward's soft treble. At some point while he was in thought the wolf changed his posture to mimic his own, and his admission only made him feel even worse.

"This is all my fault," he sniffled as his sobs went out of control. "I-If only I wasn't so weak… so n-needy… maybe I could've stopped this from ever happening in the first place."

Emphasis on that little word allowed Charles to see something that he'd never seen before on Edward's visage: a snarl.

"I should've done something. I shouldn't've let it slip under my radar. I should've pressed it so it wouldn't have gotten to this point. Now… I-I'm… I'm…"

The tiger pulled the weeping wolf into his embrace, and his silver arms wrapped tightly around him. Each and every tear soaked into his red flannel shirt, refusing to stop their steady flow. He pitifully attempted to pet the top of the wolf's head to try and calm him down, but to no avail. Charles could hardly believe what he was hearing. His boyfriend truthfully believed that this was his fault, when frankly it was really all on Charles.

"I don't wanna lose you!" The light voice nearly screamed into his chest.

"And you won't, Eddy," he attempted to sooth and reassure him. "You will never ever lose me. Not ever…"

He slowly took in a breath for what he was about to say, what he had to say.

"…Even if we aren't what we are now."

The wolf slowly parted from the tiger's hug and rested on his chest. He looked up with a harrowing stare that shook Charles to his very core.

"No." The wolf shook his head as his paws lifted from the red button-up.

"Edward…"

"Don't!" He shouted and sniffled, leaping off of the bed. "So what he said was true, huh? I have lost… h-haven't I?"

Him. That him. Both his paws formed into fists. He was no doubt referring to the tiger that forced them to this painful point. Theodor Roarland, star soccer player, and well known jerk at their school. Edward caught them straight after their gym class, standing next to one another in the locker room and still in their gym clothes. "You should be looking for a real mate, Charlie, not some pup who can't even put up a fight to save his life. No bark, no bite, and from what I gather, no howl. How sad." Charles just let the comment slide. If he were being honest, there was truth in his accusation that couldn't be denied, but he'd never admit to it. So he proceeded to open up his locker and pull out his neatly folded casual attire.

The vixenous tiger advanced on him, taking his gym shirt off and wrapping his paws around Charles's neck. Although subconsciously he knew that what he was doing could spiral out of control, he didn't attempt to stop the shirtless adversary. Soon enough he was pulled close into his space, and the taken tiger's paws stayed relaxed to his sides. "And you know what? I know that you can't resist. The whole school knows it. You need someone more dominant, fiercer than some wimpy excuse for a wolf." What came next was the moment that he wished never happened, the moment he wanted to take back.

Theodor deviously grinned and pulled him into this lustful kiss that he couldn't pull away from. Deep down, it was exactly what he wanted, something that just simply didn't click with his mate. In the heat of the moment, everything about the kiss felt alive, felt wonderful. He didn't want the moment to end.

Just then, Edward walked into the room the two tigers were in, only to find that his love was kissing another mammal. "Charles?" When he opened his eyes to see him standing there, the wolf's world absolutely shattered right in front of him. There were no words that could sufficiently describe it. What had he done?

The other tiger spared no time to hit Edward with the finishing blow, and relished his words when he uttered, "Looks like you've lost, little puppy." The silver wolf's eyes started to glisten with tears as he turned tail and ran straight back out the locker room door, dropping a bright red box that he was holding in his paws. After a swift punch to Theodor's muzzle that sent him plummeting to the ground, he walked over to the parcel laying opened on the tile floor. Upon closer inspection, there was a tag dangling from the box with the tiger's name written decoratively on it. Inside the box was a remarkable silver necklace, accompanied with a tightly folded note.

When fully opened it read, thank you for opening the world up to me. I don't know what I'd do without you…

"Well?" The wolf bawled, bringing him back to reality.

I don't want to lose you… He understood his choice of words now.

"Haven't I?!"

Charles stared into his damp eyes, absolutely mesmerized at all of the unchecked emotion in his voice. Of all the years he had known him, he never saw this side of him before. There were times when he was depressed and teary-eyed and needed some shoulder to cry on, but not full-blown outbursts where rage and anger fueled his soul.

He'd been hurt, betrayed by the one he loved. And what hurt the most was that he thought he was the one at fault for this entire mess, when in fact it was Charles's own carelessness that brought them to this point.

"If anyone's lost in this relationship, it's not you Eddy..." A shaky sigh broke up what he was trying to say, almost unwilling to utter the truth to him. But, his emerald eyes stared right into the wolf's gaze as he forced the words out of his throat. "It's me."

They shared a pause that seemed to last an eternity. Edward stared at him with this perplexed look on his face, and shook his head. "W… w-what…"

"When I asked you out six months ago, I thought I was making one of the best decisions of my life. I truly loved you Ed. I loved every moment we spent together. But…"

"But what?"

"I became selfish. I took your love and I just… threw it away." He fought back the need to cry as his whole body shook. "And now because of my negligence, not only have I let you down, I hurt you. To me, that's something I just can't forgive. I can't bear it."

He stood up from his spot and shut his glossy eyes.

"I know what I want in a relationship, and I also believe I know what you want. What you want isn't me. I don't deserve you, Edward. You have such a kind heart and such a good soul, you'll find someone better than me. I know you will."

Another round of tears filled the room as the wolf rubbed his eyes.

"So you're… we're done for good? You're just gonna leave after I…" He paused. "After I gave you everything? My v—"

The wolf couldn't finish the sentence without cutting himself off. He nearly blurted out the last word through the thin walls of his home, which would have more than likely pulled some more unwanted attention to their situation.

But, It was true. Charles had done everything to help make his little circle of friends even a little bit larger, and even (hopefully) made him more comfortable with himself and whomever he's with after this. Regrettably, he was indeed the one to fully immerse Edward in the benefits relationships brought, and now he was just ending it as soon as it started.

However, there wasn't any way that he'd leave his friend in the dust. Not by a long shot.

Charles flashed him this half-hearted grin in a futile attempt to brighten the mood.

"Who said we were done completely?" It didn't work, as Edward continued to weep. Charles slowly approached him and cupped his muzzle with his paw. His own silver paw raised and covered the tiger's as he leaned towards him, almost achingly. "I still think we can be friends, Eddy. Don't let this little scuffle get in the way of that. What we had before was fantastic, and I think it's absolutely perfect. We don't need to be a couple to keep getting coffee or seeing movies with each other."

All he could do was reassure him that everything, in the end, would be alright, even if it did leave scars on whatever they once had. Just looking directly into his friend's distraught eyes managed to make him feel worse. He was even beginning to tear up.

Despite everything he said or thought to deny it, some small part of him still loved him in a way that a mate should. At least there was that.

"I love you with all my heart," Charles spoke shakily, planting a peck on the side of the wolf's muzzle. "I really do hope you can forgive me."

The tiger pulled his hands into his denim jeans and trotted sorrowfully out the door. At the doorway, he paused, forgetting one last thing he had to do. He gulped down the lump in his throat.

"It's a terrible night for it to be raining."

"What do you mean?" The wolf weakly frowned. "There's not a cloud in the sky."

He looked down to the floor as a droplet hit the dark hardwood under his feet. "Yes." He turned to his friend, tears in his eyes, and pulled out the red parcel his love dropped on the locker room floor. "There is."

Charles gently placed the box on the desk next to the door and slowly took his leave, his tears soaking into his striped fur.

o o o

"Please…" The treble voice fell on deaf ears as he watched his friend walk down the hallway. "Don't leave me all alone…"

o o o

"Edward?"

The call echoed loudly in the lobby of the skyscraper. A couple of heads turned to him—none of them wolves—as mammals strolled towards the elevators, either with energized spunk or with exhausted laziness. Nearly every single one of them had a cup of coffee in their grips, which made him envious. How he craved to have some of that delicious nectar of bitterness right about now.

But he'd get to that later.

Ignoring the staring mammals, it'd be absurd to think that his friend would be entering the building again after that farce in Horn's office, and he couldn't have gotten far. The elevators weren't that fast. Charles peered carefully at the front of each and every shop on the ground floor. First was the Jim Horkens café and bakeshop, then the overly expensive Flock Grill, the local bank, and finally the oddly placed, predator-aimed fast food joint, Bug-Burga. Unfortunately, not a single one of these stores had his canid friend, nor contained a single wolf for that matter.

Growing desperate, his head looked upward at the second-floor balcony, eyeing all of the doors through the spaces in between the metal railing. The chances that he had ended up there were slim at best, but it was still plausible enough for him to check at the very least.

Failing in his search, he scratched the back of his head and started to panic a bit. Where is he?

Then he heard it. The squeamish sound of bile and nausea hitting the inside of a toilet bowl. Looking in the direction of the public restrooms, a moose strolled out with haste, grimacing back at the doorway.

Charles spared no time and scurried into the restroom. The door opened to reveal an immaculate savannah-themed space similar to the look of the lobby. On the floor of the bathroom was a mammal wearing denim jeans and a light blue flannel. His black paw pads and silver and white fur were more than enough to clarify that it was indeed Edward.

"Snow?" He called out hesitantly, reaching the open door of the occupied stall. With the lack of response, he slowly peered into the small space. Inside was his friend and coworker, hunched over the toilet bowl, paws grasping the sides of it for support as he struggled to catch his breath. Charles couldn't help but empathize for him. He looked miserable.

The tiger quickly grabbed a few pieces of paper towel from the sinks and kneeled down to his level. He brought the neatly folded scraps into Edward's peripheral vision while he began slowly rubbing the wolf's back. His entire body was shaking. Without moving his head he accepted the offering as his paw unsteadily grasped the stack of paper towels.

"You're okay Ed," Charles said softly while Edward brushed the paper over his silver muzzle. "You're okay."

If there was anything about Edward he remembered well, it was the panic attacks that mercilessly plagued his confidence. Fortunately, to his limited knowledge, he hadn't had one in quite some time.

It was always so heartbreaking to see him in this state. In their younger years, Charles recalled an attack so bad that it left Edward out of commission for an entire week, leaving him with little to no contact from nearly anyone other than his direct family and some select friends, including the tiger. Knowing that there was little to nothing he could do to help him besides the pitiful attempts at rebuilding his self-esteem pained him deeply, even now. He wished with all his heart he could do more.

Ignoring the pungent smell of whatever was floating inside the porcelain bowl, he leaned in and quietly spoke.

"Is it all gone?" He nodded his head. "Are you good to walk?" Despite the pause and round of breaths that left the question in the air, he nodded again and slowly started to get back on his feet. Charles stripped off the black blazer covering his button-up and covered his friend with it as they both left the stall. Edward slowly made his way over to the sink and began lightly washing away at the fur around his muzzle.

While Edward was pulling himself together, Charles stared off into space, replaying both meetings with their boss in his head.

Give me an interesting story about the savage attacks in the city before Saturday.

"Before Saturday, eh?" He quietly mumbled to no one, as his arms folded across his chest. A little less than three days to come up with the story of the century, or they—or rather Edward—hit the road.

If he could credit Horn for anything, her reprimands were nothing short of legendary. She knew how to make a statement, and if you dared to cross her, mercy would be the last thing you could and should expect. Even his own mother wasn't that harsh on a good day. Nevertheless, they had their assignment, and time was wasting away.

Considering that it normally takes him around two weeks in the field to acquire the proper information and evidence for his stories, this task would be no easy feat. If their topic was covering the cases of savage predators in the city, the best place to start would be directly from the source: the families of the afflicted mammals. Obviously, the odds of learning new information about the situation would be slim at best. The interview would more than likely be for the sentimental value to gain the hearts of the reader. If they were going to delve deeper into this case and take this story seriously, they would have to treat it like they were the ZPD, like an investigation.

Anders would be their best bet if they wanted to score any interviews with the predator families, considering that he knew practically everyone in the city. Hopefully, his connection would be glad to assist them in their time of need.

Charles dug his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his coworker's number. After a few rings, his friend cheerfully answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Anders, it's Charlie." He smiled.

"What's up, Charles? Word around the office is that you and Eddy wound up in Horn's office."

Impressed by how quickly their visit circulated around the office, he quipped, "Word travels fast."

"What happened?"

"It's not important," he quickly avoided. "Listen, I need you to get me an interview. Has to be by today. Maybe near lunchtime if you can. Tell 'em were desperate."

"Who's our perp?" The pig asked giddily, not skipping a beat.

"Any one of the families of the savage preds."

There was a short pause after he gave him his target, followed by the sound of a pen on paper. A musical hum buzzed through the speaker. No doubt he was having fun with this one, despite the grim nature of the request.

"Got it," the prey chimed. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. If you could, compile a list of all the preds that've gone savage and any information that you can dig up about them, then send it to my z-mail."

"Sure."

"You're a big help Andy, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it."

With a string of goodbyes, he ended the speedy phone call. If there was anyone he could count on to get whatever he needed to be done, it would be Anders. He was dedicated, quick, persistent, and knew how to talk his way into anything. If Charles could bet on it, he'd wager that Anders would have that interview by around eleven o'clock, tops.

Now for the other third of the article.

His paws fiddled away at his phone until he reached his text messaging application, and pulled up his desired contact. Right away, his fingers quickly spelled out a string of messages.

Hey babe! Hope you're havin a great morning so far. If you can, I need you to do me a huge favor for this story I'm writing, and I need to get a peek at some evidence. My friend is gonna lose his job if we don't.

Before he clicked send, he carefully reread the message. What he was about to ask for was a very large order, one that he'd never asked for before. Whether it was possible (let alone legal) was one thing, but putting yet another career on the chopping block was another issue entirely.

On one paw, they needed this intel. Even if they had to jump through hoops to get it, Charles would gladly take that chance. On the other paw, if this request was too much to fill, he'd have no choice but to just come to terms with that outcome. But he had to at least try.

The following sentences popped into existence as both of his striped thumbs flew across the screen. We'll understand if you can't. Even if it's just the report, we'll take it. Please text me back as soon as you can.

Placing a heart at the end of his block of text, he tapped the send button and stuffed the device back into his pocket. No matter what answer he'd receive, he would be content.

He snapped back to the wolf that was now standing beside him, the oversized blazer folded over his silver arms. Both his ears were pushed to the back of his head as he continued to get lost in his own little world. How long had he been standing there like that? He looked completely enthralled with whatever he was thinking about if his gloomy expression was anything to go by.

Pushing the question to the back of his mind, Charles smiled while he adjusted his glasses. "Hey Eddy," he began, halting the wolf's train of thought as he aimed his attention at him. "You want to walk around for a while? I think a little bit of fresh air will do us both some good. What do you say?"

At first, the wolf just stared at him with this puzzled look on his face, as if he was trying to comprehend what the question entailed, then looked away with that same saddened look as before. There was no doubting it now, he was completely lost. Could he blame him? If any of what his friend was going through happened to him, he would more than likely be as distraught as Edward was right now, probably fired outright if his temperament with Horn was any indication.

Now that they were on top of things, a little break from the office wouldn't hurt. They were stuck doing nothing for the time being with Anders on the case and his love missing his texts like he always did, so a distraction was exactly what they needed.

With a sigh and a weak smile, probably coming to a similar conclusion, Edward looked up at him and answered his question. "Sure."

Flashing a smile of his own and taking the black blazer from his friend's shoulders, Charles strolled out of the restroom with Edward and into the savannah-themed lobby. The outside world seemed so close he could almost taste it. He cracked a smile as they neared the exit. Outdoors, here we come, the tiger thought happily.

o o o

A pair of emerald eyes scanned the circular park. Several families were out and about, some were sprawled out on blankets and enjoying a nice and healthy brunch while others were playing games of soccer. It felt natural. Zootopia in the morning was always full of this life and charm that could be summed up with a single word: bliss. If only he weren't stuck in the office or out doing fieldwork for the Gazette all day, then he could just sit back, relax, and take in the fresh air.

Today the weather was warm and clear, almost the polar opposite of what hit the city yesterday. It was his time to enjoy this little moment before he was inevitably forced back into his job.

Charles brought the Jim Horkens coffee cup in his paw up to his lips and took a big sip of the beautiful caffeine sitting inside, a deep satisfied 'Mmm' rumbling in his throat.

Checking the hands on his silver watch, it was nearly eleven o'clock in the morning. He still hadn't received anything yet from either his boyfriend Thomas or Anders back at the office. Despite time slipping away from them, he wasn't too concerned with their pace. Gathering information effectively took time and precision. Rushing this delicate process was the last thing they needed and would only slow them down in the long run.

Right now, they were in the downtown district sitting on a bench in one of the most beautiful parks in the city, Peak Garden on Peak Street, and he was enjoying a cup of coffee with his friend and coworker. Life felt pretty grand in his eyes.

Unfortunately, however, his friend wasn't exactly on the same wavelength. He sported the same absent-minded look as before, brushing his thumb against the side of his own coffee cup repetitively.

Charles flashed him a loving half grin and stared at him for a brief moment, then looked back at the entirety of the park.

"It's a nice day today," The tiger began, hoping to stir any sort of response from the wolf. The twitch of his silver ear gave him the desired reaction for him to keep going, filling the silent air around them with a low grumble. "The sun's out, the sky's clear, and we've even got some coffee to boot."

Again, getting no type of response from him, the tiger's shoulders slumped as he took another swig of his beverage. Then, a memory played in his mind. He chuckled.

"I remember when you took me here for the first time. If I recall you sat me down right on this bench and gave me the biggest pep talk of my life. That was… what, two years ago?" The question hung in the air, as he tried to remember the exact date. "Yeah," he smiled, "two years ago. I never really got to tell you how thankful I was for you saving me. Must've been one hell of an experience to try and get me from that platform, right?"

Edward turned his head away from Charles, his shoulders raised up. Regretting mentioning it in the first place, he cleared his throat and started again, this time pushing the topic to their current dilemma.

"I called Anders to see if he could help us with getting an interview with one of the families of the savage predators, just so we have some more information in regards to what the families might be dealing with. Plus, I'm also trying to get a list of the mammals who've gone savage too, what they've done, who they were, that sorta deal. After that, we'll see what we can do from there."

"Do you think we can do it?"

Charles nodded his head. "Absolutely. We're gonna rock this story Ed, don't you worry about it."

Edward turned his head and looked at him, unconvinced. "Are… are you sure—"

A digitized electronic ringtone put a stop to whatever the wolf was attempting to say, and left him staring at the tiger as he fumbled about, looking to where he stuffed his cell phone. When he finally located it, he looked at the screen. A sly grin took over his muzzle. He then pointed the screen at Edward as he scanned the image of their pig coworker, Anders. As he pressed the green accept button, he replied with a gleeful, "Without a doubt."

He stood up and placed his coffee cup onto the wooden bench. He took a few steps forward, looking at the time before pulling the phone up to his ear. 10:57. Right on time.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Charles!"

The pure joy in his tone only strengthened the grin on his muzzle, and made him confident when he asked, "Were you able to find us a meeting with anyone?"

"Yep!" Feeling the need to celebrate, his fist pumped the air, then flashed a thumbs up to Edward as the pig continued spilling the details. "You're meeting is with Mrs. Lucille Otterton, wife of one of the savage preds, Emmitt Otterton, at Zootopia General Hospital. Your meeting will be at one o'clock this afternoon."

"This is great Andy…"

"And," he emphasized, "I've also got a list of the preds gone savage, all twenty-four of them. I'm still looking at their occupations, relations, and any other information related to them, but I'll keep updating the list when I learn anything more or if more preds… you know."

"I gotcha." Charles understood. "This is still great Anders, thank you so much."

"It's no problem. Oh," he paused, "If you see Edward, tell 'im I'm rooting for him."

A stunned look shot across his striped muzzle. "What do you—"

"I'm not an idiot Charles. I've known about his little secret for quite a while. Just a simple web search will bring up the little article they did on the 'first official interspecies couple in the Tri-Burrows,' which I think is a bit much in my opinion. Granted it's one of the smaller news outlets out near Bunnyburrow, but I'm not one to judge. Must be some secret if someone can just search it up online."

Unable and unwilling to admit to it, Charles shrugged. "I'll say."

"Anyways, I've got some other stuff to work on, so I'll keep you posted when I can."

"Thanks again, Andy."

"Anytime Charles."

Their phone call ended, leaving the tiger standing on the stone pathway in front of where Edward was sitting. For a moment, he didn't dare turn around. Was it because of Anders that he finally understood the gravity of Horn's threat to Edward? How was it that this critical piece of information was so easy to obtain? What would happen if this information were to leak in the heat of all the predator and prey nonsense going on in the city? If he were being honest, he didn't even want to find out, and he absolutely didn't want to imagine what both Sharla and Edward would face if they were to fail.

He stuffed the question down to the far reaches of his mind and took in a deep breath. He turned to Edward with a smile on his face.

"Well?" Edward inquired.

Charles hesitated with his reply, but managed to keep his cool. "We've got our meeting. Zootopia General, one o'clock."

Edward took a big sip of his coffee and let out a breath of his own. For a moment he sat there inert as he looked into the plastic top of his coffee cup. What went on in his friends head was still a mystery, even after years of knowing each other.

"Alright then," he simply stated before leaving the sanctity of the park bench, grabbing the lonely cup sitting beside him. The wolf handed him his drink and stood next to him looking fairly more confident than he was moments ago, taking the tiger by surprise. "Let's head out."