Ashe ducked behind a building as a police van drove past. The scaled creature grits his teeth angrily, finned tail flicking in his irritation. It was the sixth time in a single block he had to duck and cover; at the rate it was going he wouldn't be able to relocate at all from the 'hospital' he woke up in. he couldn't keep scaling the walls to roof run either- the animals were bound to notice the indentions sooner or later. 'It's not an issue I want to deal with,' the humanoid thought to himself crossly. With a growl, Ashe turned and slipped away in the shadows of the building, making the admittedly embarrassingly short walk back to the walled-off alleyway he'd been camping in for the last three days and nights.
Ashe's stomach rumbled, making the humanoid grimace and lay a clawed hand over his belly in a vain attempt to soothe it. How long had it been since he'd eaten? At least since he'd woken up, maybe even before then? It was hard to tell.
Sighing, he craned his head back to look up, the sky a sunset orange and inviting, almost calling to him, but without knowing how to fly Ashe had little hope of reaching those heights. Electric-blue eyes lowered to the ground, clawed hands digging into his jacket and crumpling the fabric; well, at least it was close to sunset- the animals here didn't come out after dark very often so Ashe could use the time to explore again… and hopefully get some food. It would be a risk he didn't think he'd take if the circumstances weren't as dire as they were now- at this point, Ashe would eventually hunt down a small bird or something and eat it raw.
Blood was hard to get out of clothes, and he'd rather not have to rob a store again.
As the last rays of light fell behind the massive walls of the city, Ashe breathed a sigh of relief in feeling the familiar evening air wash over his skin and scales, allowing the streetlights to flicker on and light the way.
Carefully looking up again, Ashe took three steps back before leaping up and grabbing onto the fire escape on the side of the building he usually climbed up. Soundlessly he reached the roof before crouching low to the concrete, looking around to find the route he wanted to take before ducking at the flashes of red and blue. When the cruiser passed, the humanoid made a cautious leap, wings flapping haphazardly to keep balance, before landing in the street and taking off at a brisk jog. Ashe's horns pulsed gently, a dull glow in the backdrop of night down every alleyway he went through, and the homeless animals avoided the intimidating figure as he moved with the shadows.
Hopefully, the night would not bring any unwanted attentions to his metaphorical doorstep.
Unfortunately, in the coming few minutes would do exactly that, disrupting the peaceful night the Zootopians were settling into.
He should have looked before he lept.
Judy sighed as she climbed into her cruiser where her partner was waiting for her, the duo finished tracking the last clues of the night for their Mystery Relic.
The ZPD issued vehicle was parked between two sandy tan buildings in Savannah Square, the darker issue for blending into the night in stakeouts. In this case, it was for nothing as they didn't come up with anything new. She had managed to get her paws on some CCTV footage of the street where the creature had fled from the hospital, but it was the same as what ZPD had already gotten hold of, just from different perspectives across the taller buildings. At the rate things were going, ZPD was going to be hitting many dead ends; with no mayor in line still, even three months after the Nighthowler Incident, no true authority could authorize a more thorough search in the surrounding area.
With every day that passes, the creature was more and more likely to have left Zootopia altogether without a trace for one simple reason… it's wings. Those things were able to shield it from bullets as if it were oil and the bullets were water, not to mention that it could be anywhere because it could fly.
The bunny groaned, flopping forward into the wheel to let out a frustrated growl.
"Easy, Carrots," Nick said with a smirk. "Keep that growl up and I'll be scared of getting into bed tonight." Judy peeks over at her vulpine boyfriend and cop partner with a simmering glare.
"We've made no progress, Nick," she said quietly, leaning back and losing her glare. "Mammals could be in danger with that thing slinking around, and we can't even ger a whiff of it's tracks…" the fox's smirk fell slightly in seeing how distraught the situation made her, but he reached over the place his paw on her head. "I get it, Bun," he said. "But this thing is smart- it knows to stay hidden if we haven't seen it for the past week… but when it does show up," Nick tapped Judy's chin with his finger, pushing it up so she could look him in the eyes.
"We'll be ready for it."
Thump
Both the Fox and the Rabbit stiffened, Nick's pupils turning into slits while Judy's rabbit heart sped up. Turning from each other to face the mouth of the alleyway, they saw the hulking, darkly dressed figure of the Relic. Its tail waved fluidly as the wings folded tight to its back; the two bull-like horns, forward facing and patterned like the cracks in a street or on dry earth, glowed a dim indigo blue while its eyes were a vivid electric blue- if Judy had to give a comparison, she'd liken them to cat eyes or a white wolf's with how vibrant they were.
Claws sparked the concrete as it stood up to its full intimidating height before it began to move away, its footsteps thumping and audible even through the armor of the police cruiser. The two cops in the car had moments to react and react they did.
Instantly, Judy started the car while Nick threw her the radio mouthpiece, which she grabbed. The Relic whirled around, sand-colored skin nearly glowing in the sudden highbeams, and it raised an black-scaled forearm to block the searing light, sharp teeth bared in a grimace while its eyes went wide and its pupils slit to pencil thin lines from fear.
"This is officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde- we have eyes on the Relic in Greyskin Alley! Engaging in pursuit!"
The Relic turned and raced away, keeping low to aid in maneuverability.
"ZPD to Hopps and Wilde- this is Chief Bogo. Take any means necessary to take that thing in, or take it down! We have back up closing in on your vehicle's tracking signal as we speak. ETA, ten minutes."
"Copy that, sir!"
Ashe's breath was ragged from the initial shock of being ambushed. His coat and pants did well to mask the glow of his horns and chest, but it didn't hide them completely. He ran along the sidewalk behind the parked cars along the street, hoping to find cover, but tapered ears twitched at the second set of sirens closing in a few blocks away.
Shit.
Ashe's heart hammered in his chest, and he immediately turned to dip into an alley again, but a gunshot rang through the air and he ducked away from the corner with a curse, the brick next to his left wing exploding with a new tiny hole in it and sending shards of rock into his hair.
"This is the ZPD! Surrender now, and you won't be hurt!"
Yeah, fat chance if they were willing to shoot him first.
Scrambling away, Ashe sprinted down the street again with that car hot on his trail. As he passed two blocks, he heard a third set of sirens closing in. then a fourth.
A fifth.
Sixth.
The creature let out a ragged moan as he pushed his muscles, trying to turn a corner. He ran into the street but was blindsided by tone of the eight cruisers to sound off, letting out a cry of pain as he was rammed. His right wing bones, arm, and ribs groaned before he felt several of them give under the impact as he rolled over the hood, roof, then off the side of the car, thumping to the ground.
'Get up…' Ashe forcefully pushed himself up again, blood streaming down his side and his right wing limp and mangled from the impact. The night livers of the city were starting to come out from their establishments, curious of the ruckus going on. Somewhere, a female screamed as Ashe's hood fell from his head, revealing his face and horns to the world.
Everything was hazy and muffle, but he could hear the animals in blue demanding everyone stay back for their safely.
Ashe could already feel his bones starting to mend themselves, and he limped heaving over to the side of a building, tense and shaking at the rise of sound and barked orders from the animals dressed in blue.
his one working wing twitched before fanning out, the membrane hardening before reverting, then repeating the action, making the crowd and blue-dressed animals uneasy- an intimidation tactic, used to get some space sorely needed. That burning feeling from before was back, his guts and chest pulsing rapidly with the heat as it grew.
"Listen up, Relic! You have exactly ten seconds to decide whether you want to surrender willingly, or by force!"
He didn't answer- couldn't.
"Ten!"
He didn't know who this 'Relic' was, though odds are they were talking about him.
"Nine!"
He was in pain, tired from the chase and the aldrenaline, shaking and burning from the fire within him fighting to get out.
"Eight!"
Ashe's chest heaved, his ribs snapping back together and in place one by one.
"Seven!"
He just needed a few more seconds to let himself heal- he didn't have a good grasp on his healing factor yet, but it was fast when the situation called for it.
"Six!"
His wing still lay limp, but the membrane was repaired now. Just a few more seconds…
"Five!"
He could hear more clearly now; the audible 'click' of hammers being cocked on tens of guns tapping in the air, the whine of electricity and tasers.
"Four!"
He had to get out of here… he was surrounded, animals all over the place- black figures on all sides, long poles and the scratching of pens on paper, acrid burning smells and smoke hovering in the air around him- if he didn't so something, things would get ugly.
"Three!"
The rapid shifting of his working left wing from flesh to metallic was more rapid now, and Ashe was fighting down the urge to unleash the fire inside.
"TWO!"
Smoke jetted from between clenched teeth and his tail twitched erratically, the fins opening and closing threateningly. Ashe really needed an angel right about now… the final bones in his wings audibly snapped back in place and Ashe tensed his muscles, prepared to blast his way through the line into the street beyond.
"ONE!"
Warmth.
And Ashe froze, his threatening display falling as the familiar scent, though having only smelled it once, wafted towards him.
The world seemed to move in slow motion- Ashe turning towards the Gazelle, already in motion as she was racing towards him, to shield her, the large, blue-dressed buffalo roaring out a single word:
"FIRE!"
"Chief, wait!" a rabbit screamed out, realizing what was happening a moment too late. "THERE'S A CIVILIAN IN THE CROSSFIRE!"
Before the eyes of several civilians and the City's beloved idol, the ZPD opened fire on the 'Relic' and coincidentally, without meaning to, Zootopia's Angel with Horns.
Been a hot minute, huh?
My laptop had fried itself and I couldn't afford a new one for a while, and the only other computer I had available was one my younger brother uses, the family desktop, and he watches p++n on that thing and I have NO desire to go anywhere within ten feet of it for that exact reason- the seat is crusty af. anyways!
things went from 0 to 100 real fast huh? for good reason, as you'll find later. leave reviews and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism! it's good to be back!