EDITED BY: DrummerMax64
Chapter Seventeen - The Right and Wrong
Green irises carefully scanned the aging gold numbers on the top of the doorframe. Thirteen-Fifty, South Antler Street. This was the first hit on their list.
Charles glanced toward the building. The windows felt ancient, dirt and grime lining their edges. Someone had tried cleaning them recently. Paint was peeling off of the walls while cracks had begun to show in the mortar between the dark red bricks. After many decades of harsh weather, it was to be expected. The ground wasn't much better. Even the sidewalks were filthy and cracked, disregarded as much as the mammals who walked them everyday of the week. Past remnants of graffiti were clear as day, marked up by a slightly darker shade of red that tried desperately to match the brick. Even the area smelt a touch on the foul side, almost as if he were standing near a garbage dump.
It was clear that this part of the city had been left forgotten. Considering the location, it wasn't hard to believe.
Happytown. More specifically, Charles was at the edge of what could be considered an "unofficial district," seen as such only to the mammals who didn't inhabit it.
Happytown was considered by many a historically bad area, sometimes labeled as the slums, the poorest part of the city to most mammals. Built to house most of the predators in the city when the nation was navigating through predator rights, cheap housing, deplorable living conditions, and a stellar crime rate made it unsavory to most mammals. No one dared to visit, and those who did were either living there themselves, or asking for trouble. And with the low level of police presence, help wasn't to be expected if things got dire.
The feline felt nervous. He didn't like being in this part of the town. Being here in broad daylight helped, but it didn't ease him enough to let his guard down.
His old boyfriend came from Happytown. If he recalled correctly, the old apartment they shared together was a block down past Antler. His ex's friends still lived there. After all this time, would they still know who Charles was? Were they waiting for the opportunity to come find him? One thing was certain: he wasn't keen on finding out.
I wish Edward was here, the tiger thought to himself.
In addition to being one of his best friends and the best at helping lift Charles's spirits, between the two of them, Edward was the best at interviewing by a mile. If they didn't have that fallout, surely he would be here helping. How long would it take for him to come around?
Months, Charles pondered. Years?
A sigh bellowed from his nostrils. Between the two, he hoped for the former.
Charles looked briefly at the old sign above the gold numbers that read Valentino's Violets and Vanities before checking over both his shoulders, and finally trotted inside.
Upon entering the store, the fresh natural aromas of flowers and soil flooded his senses. It felt like he was hit with the entirety of Bunnyburrow square to the face. The potted and bundled flora around him were bright and colorful, arranged in various styles that drew his eye. Located in the far right corner were empty decorative and glass vases, bags of soil, and basic gardening equipment to help the uninitiated into the basics of plant care.
The store was relatively small compared to someone like Charles. It was meant for mammals like Sharla or even Edward considering his stunted growth, not someone like the feline, who clocked in at around six and a quarter feet tall—
"Welcome to Valentino's!"
Charles didn't get more than two steps in before his guard intensified.
He was spotted by a thin, dark-furred reynard standing before a half complete shelf. They wore a flora-green apron, fitted tan slacks, and a baby blue t-shirt with a low neckline. Their smile was faint at first, but as they stared him down with their cinnamon-colored irises, their grin widened.
"Let me finish up here and I'll be right with you."
Their voice was nice and light, almost as if the fox was walking on air. They handled the flowers in front of them with precision and care, the finished product masterful in its appeal. It looked beautiful.
The reynard smiled at their work and brushed their paws clean, flinging dirt every which way. The sign in front of the shelf lay face down next to the freshly potted plant.
The canid strutted over towards the feline, their graceful movement almost distracting to the tiger, even with his gaze trained on them. Eventually they took their place in front of the counter, tail swishing happily from side to side.
"My name's Bailey," they smiled. "What can I help you with today?"
"Hi, Bailey," he spoke with hesitation. "My name's Charles. I believe you received a call from my colleague Anders about helping us with something? If you don't mind, of course."
"Not at all, Charles. Business hasn't exactly been booming as of late, so you can take all the time you need."
Their charcoal and white-colored tail flicked slowly back and forth. Thin sapphires stared him down with a smile, the fox resting their head on their paw. They weren't hiding the fact that they were checking him out.
"Well," Charles cleared his throat, "I guess we should start with the basics." He pulled out a small notebook and the pen stuffed in the metal rings, opening to a fresh page. "What did Anders tell you about what we're looking for?"
They stared at the items in his paws curiously, and answered, "From what I understand, your friend told me that you needed help finding some farming equipment. He said it was for a friend who bought a plot of land."
"Yes, exactly," the feline caught on. "My friend bought a farm back in the Burrows because he thought one-upping his old man was a good idea. His birthday is coming up, so I want to make sure that he has everything he needs."
They sighed and looked around the store.
"In terms of the necessities, what we have here is limited. You could've probably guessed that there isn't much farmland in the city."
"No way," Charles laughed, "and here I thought every place was like the Burrows."
"Well, I got some bad news for you, pal." Bailey laughed back. "You're in the big city. Mammals here normally come for bouquets, corsages, edible floral arrangements, and houseplants. Not farming equipment. Although, it doesn't mean that we don't have anything." The fox waved the tiger on. "Follow me."
The reynard stepped out from the counter and led Charles to the far end of the store, taking him to a section seemingly dedicated to those just starting their trek into floristry.
"Take a look at some of the equipment on the back shelves over here," they pointed out, "that would be your best bet."
Charles nodded, observing the store's wares. He tried to make it painfully obvious that he couldn't find whatever he was looking for. Luckily, the fox was able to catch the bait.
"If you're having trouble finding anything, I might be able to get someone from one of the other stores in Savannah Central to help. A couple of my friends run some stores down there."
"I'm almost positive he has the basics," Charles played off as uncertain. "There's just getting the little things and making sure he can maintain his crops."
"Your friend seems to know what he's doing."
"Knows a lot more than me, that's for sure. He's dead set on it. Even went to college for it."
"Is there anything specific you need help finding?"
He paused, thinking, then played his request out. "Do you have any… sorry. He told me about this thing one time and that he really wanted some for his first season. What's it called? I know it's not a tool. I think it might be a flower."
"Can you describe it?"
"It's… purple. Yeah! It was purple, with yellow in the middle. It's used to keep bugs off of produce—"
"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Midnicampum Holicithias, would you?"
"I think that's the one. Why? Is something wrong?"
The fox slumped their shoulders. They peered around the store, noticeably glancing at the near-empty shelf they were working on prior. Suspicious vibes were felt in the air.
"Wait right here," she finally mumbled. "Let me see if I have any in the back."
Charles followed the fox back towards the front registers, then did what he was told and waited at the counter. They pushed through the opaque PVC curtain and disappeared into the back room. He quickly noted in his notebook the minimal amount of the flower they had.
When the fox turned the corner, through the openings of the plastic panels, Charles couldn't help but notice something familiar hanging along the wall. Something his eyes were naturally drawn to.
Normally, he wouldn't pay any mind to pointless knick-knacks and decorations. It wasn't his business, nor his job. He wasn't that kind of reporter. It wasn't necessary. Decorations had nothing to do with the story, nor the Nighthowlers. They were personal items. In fact, it would probably get him into more trouble than he already was, and would make him seem biased in some way.
But, as it turned out, these decorations were something that he couldn't take his eyes off of once he spotted them. After all, they were a big part of his life, even if one of them didn't impact him as directly as he suspected it did Bailey. They were integral to them.
The decoration in question was a pair of flags that hung along the back wall. On the left was a striped flag resembling all the colors of the rainbow, and the other one on the right was a flag with stripes of blue, pink, and white.
Charles smiled. Although he associated more with the flag on the left, the flag on the right reminded him of Thomas. The moment he came out to him, he was awkward, funny, and cute as a button. He was so worried about what Charles would think of him, especially when it came time for their first foray together. They had nothing to worry about. It was lovely and magical all the same, like any flourishing relationship should be.
Maybe he shouldn't be lying to the fox, just in case he actually wanted to be friends later on. They seemed really… nice, for lack of a better word.
Not too long after they left, Bailey waltzed back towards the registers, causing a blush to creep onto Charles's cheeks and ears.
"I couldn't find any Midnicampum bulbs... in the back."
They watched the tiger, who unintentionally still lingered his gaze on the two flags hung up in the back room. Once they realized where his gaze was focused at, their expression sullened, and their eyes followed their tail and ears down to the floor.
"Someone broke into the store a couple weeks ago and stole whatever we had left of them," they spoke in a low tone. "The cops never found who did it. Figures, you know?"
"That's awful," Charles spoke, attention now on the reynard.
"It is, isn't it? Would you be surprised that it isn't the first time?"
"It isn't?"
Their look hardened, then they turned their back to the tiger, head turned to the right so their ear was still facing Charles. Their words weren't like venom, but calm. They demanded his attention.
"Take a look in front of me and look at where we are. Did you expect sunshine and rainbows in a place like this? That's fantasy. If you thought being a fox was hard, try being in my shoes for a day. Not only do I have to deal with mammals constantly thinking that I'm sly, sneaky, or up to no good, I've got others who keep stealing from me and the shop—and yeah, before you ask, my apartment is a shithole, too. And to top it all off, I have to deal with the ignorance of mammals who wish to berate me just for being me."
"I can imagine how hard it must be for you."
"Can you?" Bailey said doubtfully, turning back around to face the feline.
"Yes, actually," Charles nodded. "Apart from my miserable childhood and how I was brought up, my boyfriend was… well, is in the same boat. He told me it took a while for his work to accept him, but his boss assured him that he would be safe, and that any discrimination of any kind should be brought to him directly. Though, it doesn't mean that he still doesn't get any."
They scoffed, attempting to hide their true feelings with a forced smile. "He's lucky to have someone like that. My boss barely puts up with me, and he's my father."
Charles's eyes widened a bit. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say.
"It's alright," the reynard shrugged. "There's nothing anyone can do about it anyways."
"Why not just work somewhere else?"
"You think someone is going to hire a fox willingly, especially with what's going on in the city?"
Bailey sighed.
"I wanted to work here all my life. When I was ten, my dad told me I was a natural at being a florist. Told me that he was proud. I decided then that I wanted to help my family, to help support them in any way that I could. Then I came out.
"To be honest, they aren't that bad, trust me. For them, it's difficult to understand how I feel, because they've never felt… different before. I know they still love me. They tell me every day, especially my mom. Unlike my stubborn dad, at least she's understanding… I wish others could understand so the shop didn't have to suffer."
A light bulb flickered in the feline's head.
"Maybe… I can help with that," Charles thought aloud.
Bailey raised a brow. "How so?"
"My boyfriend works at the ZPD. I'm sure that once he's done working his case, he wouldn't mind coming down here with me to hang out. Maybe we could do other things too while we're out… shit." He instantly regretted uttering that out loud, seeing the growing grin on the reynard's muzzle. "Please don't take that the wrong way. I didn't mean that to sound that bad."
"Now why would I take that the wrong way?" Bailey spoke lustily. They grinned, climbing onto the counter and strutting towards the cat, getting ever so closer with every syllable. "Afraid this little, conniving, sly fox…" Their finger slowly glided along his button-up and ended up pulling Charles close by the blazer. The tiger tried leaning back as much as he could as crimson flooded his face and ears. "...is gonna swindle your heart away?"
Charles didn't know what to do. Bailey's muzzle was mere inches away from his. One false move, and they'd be locked into a kiss. He couldn't come up with a joke for this situation to save his life. Charles gulped.
Before he knew it, the fox erupted into a laughing frenzy, letting go of the feline's blazer.
"So nervous! I thought someone like you would be the curious type," they said, climbing back down from the counter. "Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of crossing a police officer, let alone steal his boyfriend. My foxy self would be eaten alive."
They paused while Charles finally began breathing again. Bailey considered the offer for a moment, until finally nodding.
"I'll gladly take you up on that, Charles, and doing 'other things,' whatever that might mean for you."
"G-great," Charles smiled with a stutter, pulling out his phone. "What should I tell him?"
The fox smiled. "That I'd appreciate any help we can get. And tell him that Bailey sends her regards."
"Will do."
Within minutes, the tiger got a reply from his boyfriend. The three of them shared contact information, Charles and his boyfriend agreeing to stop by to check up on the fox as soon as they could.
Other than the agreement, another lustful advancement, a small correction of labeling the seed of Midnicampum as a bulb, and no new information about Nighthowlers further than what they already knew, Charles determined that it was time for him to leave.
Charles said his goodbyes to Bailey, who thanked him for the help, and started for the next flower shop.
Mulling the whole experience over, he was glad that he met the reynard. She was definitely something, definitely memorable. She had the makings of a good friend, he could feel it. If only the interaction between them yielded any new information about the supposed conspiracy.
His next stop—upon the vixen's request—was a store that went by the name Flora and Fauna. It was on the outskirts of another park on Grazer Street, which was simply named Grazer Park. It was also the park that held Little Rodentia, which was the rodent city within the big city. At the same time, Little Rodentia was also its own district, with its own police precinct, fire department, parks, train, and streets. It made up over half of Zootopia's population of three and a half million mammals, which was considerably small for a rodent city. Normally, cities like Rodentia would be upwards of eight or eleven million.
Charles minded the ground and his surroundings to make sure he wasn't about to step on someone, until eventually he arrived at the floristry.
He didn't get a chance to properly observe, but compared to Valentino's, it was a lot cleaner. The area around the shop was nicer. There were mammals actually walking on the sidewalks. It felt lively. Then again, he was worried more about other things, such as Edward, the crucial information they desperately needed, and his own general safety.
The inside was similar to Bailey's store, the only differences being the cleanliness, the organization, and the significant price increase on all items in stock. It was ludicrous. Minutes passed before he was helped, and by that time he got to see the empty display that would've stored Midnicampum Holicithias.
The pig who owned and managed the store didn't provide any new information relevant to their case—there was a robbery, Midnicampum was the only item stolen, and there were none left at his store. Charles asked if anyone had spoken to him about purchasing the plant prior to the burglary. Unfortunately, he wasn't certain. Charles made sure to ask if he could look into it and told the owner to call him back if they found out more.
Flora and Fauna sold the flower's bulb at a premium, one-hundred fifty dollars a bulb, much more than the tiger was willing to pay by a mile. The owner explained that because of the rarity of finding someone willing to buy them and how difficult they were to find, stock, and sell, the plant sat on the shelf. In fact, before the robbery, the product hadn't been moved for months.
Another store on the list provided by Anders had a similar experience two weeks before. Located a few streets down and owned by a family of stags, Charles expected something different. This time, however, they confirmed that someone attempted to purchase all they had in stock for one-hundred dollars. The owner didn't budge on the price, and a couple days after, the entire stock was stolen right from under them. Charles asked them if they could call him if they found out who it was, which they agreed to.
The store after that was unaware of the string of robberies targeting floral shops. They and Charles agreed that this must've been a recent occurrence, though Charles had his reservations.
Planning something this big took time. Getting materials, funding, and help wasn't something that they would just glance over. Whoever was abusing these Nighthowlers was smart. Or was there more than one mammal behind this? Charles needed more information to know for sure.
Hours passed with nothing new coming to light. Most stores couldn't stock Midnicampum on their shelves—claiming that they normally did—while others didn't sell any whatsoever. It didn't mean that they hadn't received calls from this mysterious stranger, so they still needed checking. There were only three other stores that were broken into, one of which received a call about someone willing to purchase the bulbs, but to no avail. That was out of twelve locations. Charles was nearing three-fourths done with his list, and it was around four-thirty in the afternoon. Most stores were in the midst of wrapping up their business for the day, which meant that he would have to save the rest for another day. Still, he needed something groundbreaking to make today worthwhile.
The tiger checked his phone again. Other than the texts about the various locations, Anders apparently had nothing more to say. For all Charles knew, he was trying to get some rest.
He looked at the text chain below Anders's. A sigh emptied from his lungs. Nothing from Edward, he frowned.
Unwilling to look at his phone any longer, Charles stuffed it away into his blazer and stepped into the store in front of him.
The light, pastel colors of the store reflected the bayside atmosphere it was located in, the beach and waters of the Zootopian Bay just outside the shop across the street. It rivaled the Burrow's infatuation with using pastels.
After a quick introduction, he was helped begrudgingly by a sheep named Carl standing behind the counter.
He didn't like Carl.
Getting the male ewe to agree to his questions without any of his own was a challenge, but he agreed to answer them despite his reservations.
Charles was keen on making them quick. Neither of them wanted to be where they were. The store owner made that fact perfectly clear with his body language and scowl. The scowl wasn't the first Charles had received today, and he already knew why, so it didn't surprise him as much as it did dampen his spirits. What he didn't want from this exchange was a stubborn mammal, and the store owner undoubtedly looked the part.
He really didn't like Carl.
His first question asked if he stocked Midnicampum Holicithias in his store. It gained him a reaction he wasn't expecting.
The moment he uttered those words, the ewe's expression noticeably shifted, albeit a slight break in his surly demeanor. Was it shock? Worry? Whatever emotion it was, it clearly told Charles that something was up.
The ewe inquired why he was asking about the flower, to which the tiger replied with the lie he had been telling all day: his friend had just bought a farm and was shopping for his birthday.
At first, the shopkeep didn't believe him. "Isn't that a little pricey for a gift?"
Charles retorted, "Not if it's for someone who's been my friend for as long as I can remember. He also saved my life once, if that amounts to anything."
The ewe grumbled. "Well, as much as I hate to say it," he said with faux sincerity, "we don't have any Midnicampum in stock at the moment, and I'm not sure if we'll have any more in stock by the time you need it."
"I'm sure he won't mind if it's delayed by a couple days," the tiger sniggered.
"You're not the only one who's looking for that bulb, Mr. Clawson."
"I didn't know that there were farmers in Zootopia."
"You'd be surprised."
"Would you mind telling me who's looking to buy your stock?"
"What makes you think I know who it is?"
The tiger flashed a confused look the ewe's way. "What do you mean?"
He grumbled. "Look, I don't know what you're getting at, but here's all I got: Whoever keeps buying my stock has more money to burn than Geoff Hayzos. He buys the bulbs at top dollar, then sends other mammals to pick them up rather than come themselves. Even if I did know the guy's name, it'd probably be some sort of alias to protect his identity."
"Doesn't this seem super shady to you?"
"What my paying customers do with my product is none of my business."
Charles shook his head and conceded. "Does this alias have a name?"
"I think the last one he used was… something-howler, or something like that."
The feline didn't bother writing down the information so he didn't clue the shopkeeper into what he was investigating. Though, it was the closest he'd come to finding whoever this was so far.
"Is there anything else you know about this mammal?"
He shook his head. "No. I don't. Why are you so interested in this guy anyways? You hoping to strike some sort of deal with him or something?"
"If I have to. Maybe he'll let some of the product slide for my friend."
"Yeah, sure. Good luck with that." The door chimed open behind them, Charles turning to see an elderly rabbit walking inside. "I hate to cut our conversation short, but if you're done wasting my time, I've got a customer to help."
"Sure," Charles agreed, stepping towards the exit. "If you hear or learn anything about your buyer, call me with the number I gave you."
"If you're expecting me to save some product for you, Mr. Clawson, then you better have some serious dough if you want to beat his offer."
He loathed Carl's very existence.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Carl."
o o o
Paw and hoof tightened together as the two bodies neared the closest self-defense shop to their home. It had taken Sharla close to an hour to calm the wolf back down and bring him back to Earth. The only time she saw him this distraught was when they were in the hospital two weeks ago. The optimism and glow to his personality had all but went dark, his cobalt eyes glassed over with melancholy.
They allowed an hour of their day to get some brunch and coffee into their systems and plan the next part of their day, which was arguably the toughest challenge their marriage had yet faced.
They managed to find a self-defense store through a quick Zoogle search that was five minutes away from their apartment complex, appropriately named Savannah Central Defense. It was a quaint location, a normal town building with natural-looking accents riddled throughout, around four to five stories high. Copious amounts of five-star reviews.
Edward asked if she wanted to go after they ate, to which she agreed, and now they were steps away from setting foot inside the store.
Sharla looked up to her husband before entering, who looked utterly shattered. She glumly surveyed his face. It was as if the rest of the world could've been on fire for all he cared; it meant nothing to him at the moment. And although Edward was partially aware of his surroundings (thanks to his ears), he was beginning to fall behind—something that Edward normally didn't do with her. He favored being out in front, leading her. Now Sharla was leading their two-mammal pack.
It was difficult for her to see him so soulless. Past holding her mate's paw, what could she possibly do to mend an obliterated spirit? She felt useless.
Before she had the chance to answer her question, both Sharla and Edward had stepped through the pair of automatic sliding doors and into the store proper.
Once inside, she found her train of thought lost to what lay before her.
They were met with shelves and displays filled with a vast arsenal of gadgets, equipment, and electronics made to deter any mammal from unwanted confrontation, or to make the user feel safer from whatever life decided to throw their way. The store wasn't as big as she expected it to be. A giraffe would have to crane their neck just to fit inside.
Right at the front near the entrance was a bright pink metal display, tiered with different-sized cans for mammals of any size. It was a new product from a company called Dragon's Breath, the advertising showcasing a new formula of what appeared to be pepper spray, Fox-Away. Fox repellent.
The sight of the product made Sharla's lip curl. Why would anyone need such a thing? Why not get regular pepper spray? It was essentially the same thing. And why foxes in particular? They might look sneaky and conniving, but surely that didn't mean all foxes were bad. Who in their right mind would buy or use something so blatantly speciesist like that? Again, the answers would never come.
She thought up a distasteful joke about having it when she was little, relinquished the thought of destroying property that wasn't hers no matter how much she wanted to, and left it at that.
Past the display at the front were aisles dedicated to specific types of products: home security systems, cameras, safes, pepper sprays, even self-defense kits and keychains that resembled cats. They were cute.
Off to the far right of the store was a windowed display shelf filled with tasers and gun-like holsters for specific brands of pepper spray. She half expected there to be firearms in the store, but she quickly remembered the ban put in place years ago.
Along the wall behind the store counter was a variety of batons, varying in size, look, shape, and design. Some were designed to be hidden to the user, while others were simply plain and wooden, something for inside the home if the ewe had to guess.
Standing on the other side of the counter was a brown bear. He was on the heavier side, his tucked-in black polo managing to make himself appear thinner than he actually was. The bear was tall, his head nearly reaching the ceiling. He was smiling behind a pair of rimless glasses, and his brown irises were staring the couple down. It was then she realized that she and her husband still had their hoof and paw together.
Wait… why did she care?
"Hey-ya," the bear spoke in a clear baritone, grounding Sharla's current thoughts. His accent sounded like he came from up north, a stereotypical Canidian if she had to guess. She tried her best to focus. "Don't think I've seen you two around here before. This your first time?"
"Yes," the ewe said plainly.
"Great! Welcome to SCD. My name is Tyrell, or Ty for short. We're one of the oldest home and self-defense stores in the city, founded in 1906. Our goal here is to provide help and assist anyone who doesn't feel completely safe. We are in the big city after all." The bear leaned in close with his arms on the counter, and asked, "What can I help you with today?"
Sharla blinked at the question, processing it, trying to formulate a response of some kind. She didn't want to offend the bruin in any way. He, like Edward, was a predator. How could she word it?
"Um," the word awkwardly slipped out, "we were looking… I mean, I was looking for… something—"
"We were hoping to purchase something in light of the recent events to help better protect my wife in case something were to happen."
Sharla's eyelids opened fully. She was shocked. Why was she? Why was she so anxious? She felt suddenly hyper aware of her surroundings.
She first looked to her mate, who held a stoic expression through the slight tint of red in his eyes from earlier. He seemed relatively calm. He didn't appear angry, or upset. What about telling some stranger about their marriage? Was this his confidence? She gripped his paw tighter.
Where was hers?
Sharla looked to the grizzly, whose gaze glanced to the ewe then back to the lupine. When his smile didn't falter, she felt a little bit at ease.
"Anything in particular you were looking for?" he said soothingly to the both of them.
"I…" she stammered, "I don't know… I'm not sure—"
"It's okay, hon, I got you," Edward said. He turned to the bear. "What would you recommend? With everything going on, I think I'd trust an expert before I trust myself, you know?"
"Understandable," he agreed. "I have to warn you two though, some of this stuff can be very dangerous if you don't know how to properly use 'em, not to mention that they could cause some serious damage."
She knew that last part was meant for Edward. He still wasn't smiling, and his ears were tilted slightly backward. She half expected him to back down. But, he defied expectations yet again.
"As long as my mate feels safe," the lupine spoke, "then I can take it."
Half stunned and half eager to make a sale, the bear stood up straight. "Once we get everything settled, I can offer a demonstration of each product if you like."
If Edward's fur wasn't blocking his face, they would surely notice the color drain from it at that very instant. Ty was able to spot his fear straight away.
"And don't worry, we've got some test dummies in the back, in case you were worried about these tests being conducted on you."
A silent sigh escaped Edward's lungs. "We'd be more than happy to take you up on that," Edward nodded.
"Great! Let's start with something simple first…"
The bear escorted them to the third aisle parallel to the counter—where the self-defense products began—and showed them the first item, which was one of the cat-looking keychains Sharla saw earlier. The item was pretty self-explanatory: the user put the metal keychain on their key ring and, with its two big eyeholes, it could then be used for close-range encounters. The item came in both cat and wolf variations. She ended up picking up one of the wolf ones that was painted grey, finding it oddly satisfying that it resembled Edward, even if it was minimal.
On the other side of the aisle were wireless, phone-operated cameras, an extension of the aisle prior if she had to guess, but the bear didn't bother explaining the cameras, let alone acknowledging them considering the couple's needs.
They followed the bear to the next aisle, and they were met with products meant to stun foes at close range, similar to how the keychain operated. She picked one of those out as well, limiting herself to things that were easily portable.
What came next after that were pepper sprays and repellents. The way the bear put it, they were practically the same thing.
Sharla was taken aback at the vast amount of products available. The most she expected was a quarter of the shelves, not both sides of the aisle.
Considering that one of the brands was labeled Wolf-Away, she could tell that this wasn't going to be pretty. Her heart was close to breaking, but when she looked back to Edward and saw that he was warily eyeing the can she was looking at, his ears close to becoming flush with his skull, it finally began splitting in two. The situation was becoming increasingly real by the second.
It didn't feel right. Not one bit.
Regardless of how much she wanted to object, she opted for something general and left it at that. She didn't want to think about it anymore.
Their final stop was back at the counter. Batons, tasers, holsters, and gun mounts for pepper spray canisters were all that was left.
The bear stayed with them and went through his rundown of what each item did in detail, with the exception of the batons. Classes including boxing, martial arts, and paw-to-paw combat were available at their store as well.
Then came the explanation on their tasers.
Tasers were used by the ZPD as a last resort to subdue aggressors and suspects who had no intention of complying. Prongs would shoot out of the yellow and black-striped area at the front of the weapon, embed themselves into the attacker, and immobilize them without causing major damage if done correctly. The device had a maximum voltage of fifty-thousand while soaring through the air, but when the plugs hit their mark and imbedded themselves into a mammal, the voltage topped off at only twelve hundred.
Looking to her wolf, Sharla noticed how low his tail actually was. Edward looked terrified of the idea.
"...In accordance to city law," the shopkeeper spoke, pulling out a binder full of papers, "I can't sell you a taser without having you go through a background check, plus some proper training."
The ewe was passed a step stool to reach the top of the counter. Once perched atop the stool, she began looking through the document as he continued.
"The training for the tasers is performed on site by an ex-ZPD Officer on the second floor, room one. The class is only a couple hours long and shows a quick demonstration of the weapon."
Sharla took the pen into her hoof, looked at it, then turned to her mate, mildly curious to find out his insight on whether or not this was a good idea..
"Are you sure we need something like this? Even if you… you know…" She grimaced, the thought unbearable to imagine. "I don't want to hurt you."
After a brief hesitation, he smiled.
"Sorry if I sound like a broken record here… or a little cliche, but I think we should go for it. Regardless if it's me or some other predator, you need to be able to defend yourself. Your safety is more important to me than living with the danger of me or another mammal hurting you, hon. Besides, it's one of the most effective tools out there. How bad could it be? It shouldn't be more than just a shock, right?"
"It's about two-thousand times worse," the bear clarified with frightening levels of nonchalance.
Edward cleared his throat. "It's not the end of the world. I couldn't hate or judge you for something like this. You're my mate, Shar. We got married for a reason. Nothing will change that fact."
Forlorn, she turned back to the booklet on the counter, staring at the first blank space on the open page. She lingered on his words, doubting that he wouldn't hate her for her blatant fear. If she didn't feel bad before, that exchange was the final nail in the coffin.
The bear pushed the book closer to the sheep. "Just sign on the first spot here and I'll get you in for next Saturday's class."
Sharla gripped the pen tighter and held it above the first open line on the document. The font, style, and its officialness screamed that it came straight from the state government. Once her name was written in, she would begin her state registration as a carrier of a taser, a weapon.
A weapon. The very notion of owning one sounded foreign to her.
Why did she need this? Sure, it was to protect her from predators who had the possibility of going savage, but what justified having it on her person? To flaunt around to predators on the street? To show them that she meant business? She was confident, but she wasn't arrogant. She knew her own shortcomings better than anyone.
Sharla threw the pen to the side with disgust. This was wrong. All she felt now was shame. How stupid could she be? She nearly used fear to justify buying a weapon. Even if the weapon didn't do any physical damage, it was still a weapon. She felt no different than those speciest protestors at Savannah Central Park.
Edward was stunned. "Hon, are your sure—"
"Let's just take the keychains and go."
Tyrell nodded and completed the purchase for the couple, who quickly made their exit after a short goodbye. Even if the realization was super late, she managed to find her resolve.
She would never make that mistake again.
o o o
"...Mutton chops."
"I wouldn't worry, Dawn. Right now everything's fine. If this tip is true, it'd be another day for us. It's not like this hasn't happened before, we just haven't told you."
She was appalled. "How can you call the exposure of this entire operation fine? You're delusional. If we get found out, not only will my promising career as a politician get thrown out the window, but we'll be thrown in jail."
"I understand the situation. This is why we haven't told you."
"Do you?"
"If I didn't, I would be stupid to try talking with you. Trust us on this one. Woolter, Jessie, and I have it covered. We only just got the tip from one of our suppliers a few minutes ago."
"And? What did he say?"
Doug put his phone on speaker, set it down on something—making a soft 'thud' on Dawn's end of the line—and ruffled through some papers.
"He told us that a couple guys were asking about purchasing some Nighthowlers for a friend. It doesn't sound like they know anything about us, but from what I've heard, they've been skulking around all the flower shops in Savannah Central."
"And you're positive they don't know anything?"
"...Now that I'm looking over the notes… no, I'm going to say 'not definitively.' With what our friend told us, it doesn't seem like they're onto anything, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had a clue."
The female ewe ground her teeth together. How could someone be onto their plan? It was foolproof. They took all the steps to keep this under the radar. And something like this almost happened before? She wasn't going to drop this. No, she needed to stop this.
"We need to take care of this."
"I don't see why we should bother. Maybe all they know is slim at best?"
"Slim could still mean enough to get us shut down for good," Dawn grumbled. "Even if one mammal knows, we're put at risk. If these mammals get any closer and inform the ZPD, we'll have to back off, and then the entire plan is ruined. No shock collars, and no bringing preds to our level."
"I know, I know," he whined. "It doesn't mean that we won't check it out. Don't worry about it."
"Don't tell me not to worry about it, buster!" she nearly screamed. Remembering she was still in the office, she lowered her volume, "It's our livelihoods on the line, and more importantly, mine. I know you don't give a hoot about anything, but I do. You better fix this—no, you're going to fix this, or I'll make sure that you and your friends are the only ones going down."
A metallic click sounded over the smartphone's speaker. "You don't need to tell me twice."
When the call ended, Dawn closed the phone shut and gripped it tight. She hoped they weren't too late.