Arching his back and standing to collect the two empty cups of tea on a tray, Slush chuckled, "Well, I think that's enough crying for both of us for now. Want to order a pizza?"

Daniel finally brought himself to a stand from the comfy chair as well. "Whatever is fine," He responded.

Slush contested, "No, you decide. You've been through a lot lately, and it looks like you haven't eaten in weeks."

Daniel replied, lightly, "Hehe. I guess pizza would be great. I can't remember the last time I had a good slice."

Slush observed his friend's expression. "Oh, well that's about to change; the pizza place near me is local and super delicious. Does an anchovy pizza sound good?"

Daniel suddenly felt himself getting hungry. "Sounds great actually. Thanks."

A smile was planted on Slush's muzzle, "Alright, guess you haven't changed too much from Uni days after all."

Daniel returned a polite smile. He had not really thought too much about his days in college recently. He had studied environmental science, but all of that information, all of his college experiences, had passed his head. Now, he was always occupied with other things, and he told himself he had no time to even think about those days anymore. Plus, sometimes thinking about the fun times he had in college with Slush and some of his other (but far distant) friends only made him unhappy.

Slush grabbed his newer-model phone and began to dial the pizza place. He ordered both a large cheese pizza and a large anchovy pizza. Daniel protested, saying he was fine with just sharing one pizza, but Slush insisted and said it would be his treat.

Slush put down his phone, ending the call. "They said they'll get here in about 20 minutes. What do you wanna do in the meantime?"

Daniel's mind began to wander. He really wanted to continue his search for Asher. But he agreed that he needed a break and some time to catch up with his old friend. Daniel finally suggested, "Maybe you can give me a tour of this house?"

Slush became excited, "Oh yes, of course! Finally my oversized abode will actually serve a purpose to a mammal other than myself."

As they were both standing in the living room, Slush decided that's where they would start.

He began, "Well, this is the living room, as you have already seen. Just got a bunch of furniture in here. I just chill here a bunch when I'm off work to be honest." He then laid on a purple couch which had been adjacent to the table and chairs that the two canines had chatted on earlier. The fluffy, long throne opposed a medium sized flatscreen TV. The cool colors of the furniture contrasted pleasantly with the white walls of the interior, and the arrangement of the room made it feel over all quite hospitable. Slush remarked, "Bro, You don't know how god-tier I have become at FIFA though with this set-up. I could beat you instantly!"

A slight smirk appeared on Daniel's muzzle. He responded with, "That's cap," even though he new he hadn't played the game since his college days.

Daniel once more glanced around the room, eyeing all the neat decor and furniture choices. He complimented, "Well I must say, Slush, your sense of design certainly did not escape you!"

Slush put his paws towards his heart to feign hurt at the suggestion that his design and fashion sense would ever go away. In an over dramatized way, the arctic fox replied, "Of course not!" He then gestured towards his fashionable violet suit to indicate his love for fashion was not going anywhere.

"Oh, about that suit," chortled Daniel, "Do you wear suits like that everyday?"

The arctic fox began to laugh, "Of course not, old wolf," He said jokingly, "I only wear them when I feel like it or during special occasions. I have less flashy clothing for work and casual clothing too of course. I just thought this would be fitting to this year-long awaited meeting."

Daniel questioned, "You wanted to see me again?"

Slush replied, "Well, of course I was still super mad at you, but I mean you were my really close friend. Deep down, I was hoping you had a really good explanation-" Slush caught himself, "I mean, I didn't want anything bad to have happened to you, and I'm sorry for what you had to go through, but I guess deep down I was just hoping that you didn't just abandon me because you felt I was not worth showing up for or something. I don't know." He was speaking fast, "Oh God, I sound so stupid right now."

Daniel cut him short, "Oh, don't sweat it. Like I said, I was an idiot too for keeping you out of the loop. I mean I'm just glad things worked out. -well, aside from this Asher business of course." Daniel's ears instinctually drooped behind his head.

Seeing Daniel's expression turn sour, and steadfast on his idea of giving his friend a much needed break, Slush got up and turned 60 degrees to the left and declared, "Alright, next, the kitchen!" He swung out his arms in a gesture to present the kitchen space.

The kitchen was open; there was no wall separating the kitchen from the living room. The kitchen consisted of a predominantly warm color scheme, in contrast with the more modern, cool look of the living room. The kitchen was not huge, and it was definitely made to accommodate a mammal smaller than a gray wolf. Yet, it had all the essentials needed for a successful kitchen: an induction stove, an oven, a toaster, a microwave, a dishwasher, and some other neat trinkets and gadgets that could be used to prepare food and drink.

Daniel was amazed, "You know what? I've never seen an induction stove in person before."

Cabinets lined the walls and counters. In them lay a colorful assortment of kitchen utensils, measuring cups, and silverware. Slush opened one drawer to reveal a clutter of stacked pots and pans of various sizes. A knife rack was stocked with a nice collection of matching knives, each with their own purpose.

"You must be a great cook," commented Daniel.

Slush replied, "Hehe, I wish I could say I was. Cooking is more like a hobby to me. I tried to pick up cooking when I first moved here a few months ago. Still couldn't say I've mastered it though." A smile was plopped on Slush's snout, and Daniel assumed the fox was reminiscing about his previous memorable episodes in the kitchen."

"Ah, you're so humble. I bet your cooking's not that horrible," Daniel said.

"Oh trust me," Slush asserted, laughing, "It's not that great, but do make pretty amazing chicken tacos." He paused, "Well, I did, before the poultry ban. Predator problems, am I right?"

Daniel nodded.

Slush then proceeded to quickly show Daniel how to use some kitchen appliances in case Daniel would find himself staying at the fox's place for an extended amount of time.

Next, Slush continued to show Daniel the downstairs bathroom located by the kitchen. Afterwards, they both stepped outside onto Slush's backyard. The medium-sized yard was empty and covered in snow, as the whole property was situated in the Tundratown portion of the city.

Unfazed by the cold, Slush stated, "Let's go back inside, let me show you one of my most prized possessions."

They both reentered the building with their fur puffier than before. Slush then lead Daniel to a door just right of the living room, on the opposite side of the house as the kitchen and directly across the house stairs.

Slush declared, "Welcome to the garage!"

The garage itself was relatively minuscule, but the icing on the cake was actually the car that was parked inside the space. It was far from a luxury car, but it was obvious that Slush took much pride in owning it.

"2015 Catillac. Remember, I told you in Uni I was saving up for a car?"

Of course Daniel did; Slush always was so cautious about spending money in order to get a car. The wolf responded, "Yup, can't believe you finally got it. And a Catillac too! Very impressive."

Slush's fur masked a slight blush, "Thank you, thank you. We could definitely use it too, you know, for the the search and all."

Daniel nodded, "Yeah, I don't have a vehicle, actually, so I normally have to rely on public transportation. This car would definitely help. Though I haven't driven in a while."

In response, Slush asked, "Wait, how did Asher get to school then?"

Daniel answered, "Train."

Slush followed up, "Wasn't he like fifteen?"

Daniel replied, "Actually he's seventeen now. And I guess he's become comfortable taking public transport. It's actually kind of funny-" He paused, "Well, actually, more like sad: He went missing on his own 17th birthday."

There was silence. All the attention that had been on the car was lost.

Then, Slush exclaimed "That's so horrible! Oh Daniel, I'm so sorry."

Daniel replied, "I know, I'm such a stupid idiot. I wanted Asher to have the best day of his life, but when I got home, he was gone. I couldn't stop it. It was all my fault. He must have been enraged that day, somehow, to go savage like that.. I couldn't protect him like I promised."

Slush quickly grabbed Daniel by his paws. "Daniel, don't ever say that! It wasn't your fault- At all! The situation is way too complicated to say that! You are a great mammal and from what I've heard, you'd do anything for Asher!"

Daniel muttered, holding in some tears, "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Really."

Slush replied, making sure to make eye contact with the wolf. "Don't mention it. You really are a great mammal Daniel, and please, for me, just know it wasn't your fault."

There was a slight pause.

Slush continued, "Now, I don't at all want to sound insensitive or anything, but I think we should maybe compose ourselves for now, so our minds are sharper later. We can chat about the case over some fine pizza. Do you want to finish the house tour?"

Looking down to face the shorter mammal, and with trust in his eyes, Daniel replied, more assertively this time, "I'll try my best not to blame myself. It might be a bit hard though, but I'll try. And yes, let's finish the tour." Daniel mustered up a small smile. He was grateful to have Slush as a friend.

Slush let go of Daniel's paws and offered the taller canine a smile. "Alright then," He chirped, trying to brighten up the current mood, "Now, for the upstairs."

Slush led the way to the straight, wooden staircase opposing the garage door. Daniel counted the stairs as they climbed: There were 17 steps in total. The top of the stairs led directly into a vibrant study room.

Slush introduced, "This is the study. I wish I could say I work in here, but to be honest, a job that tests food chemicals has little room for working from home."

The study included shelves that lined the walls, all full of a colorful display of books. Upon closer inspection, Daniel found a good portion of the books to be written by authors with common predator, and especially canine, last names. When Daniel questioned Slush about this, Slush simply responded with, "Gotta support."

In between the bookshelves at the left side of the room was an office desk, which had a personal computer on it. Next to the computer were stacked papers and office utensils. Daniel found it hard to believe that Slush never did any type of work in his study.

Noticing the wolf's curiosity, Slush stated, "Don't be fooled, those papers have been there for ages." Slush then turned to the shelves filled with books, "Anyways, you like to read, right?"

Daniel replied, with his muzzle tilted slightly to the floor, "Haven't really been reading much recently, to be honest."

Slush replied, "Ah, I see."

"Anyways," he continued, "let's take a look at the bedrooms, shall we?" They began to walk towards the hallway that opened from the library.

"They say you get to learn a bunch about a mammal from their bedroom, you know? I'm sure mine won't be any different," Slush said with a chuckle.

Approaching the first, white door to the right of the hallway, Slush turned the knob and presented the room, "Welcome to the actual fox's den!"

Daniel was impressed. The room was far more lively than even what he had been in when he was living with his parents a year ago. The walls of Slush's room where sky blue, with white polkadots dotting them. They gave the appearance of falling snow. On the walls laid framed posters of what had to be some famous male fashion stars.

On one corner of a room, there was a desk that had test tubes atop it. Daniel amused that even with Slush's love for fashion, he was a scientist through and through.

Daniel turned to the bed, which was hard to miss as it was in the middle of the room. The bed would probably be a bit too small for a mammal the size of Daniel, but the wolf imagined it would be a perfect size for someone like Slush. The bed was covered in checkerboard blue and white sheets and drizzled with light blue and white pillows. The room's gray carpet floor was lined with a simple white rug that was in the shape of an arctic fox, and the room even came with a space for firewood under another flat screen TV.

On another side of the room, an open door revealed a personal bathroom. Daniel had been living in his apartment for so long that the thought of having more than one bathroom was a luxury to him.

Turning to Slush in amazement, the smaller fox simply responded, "Aye, told ya! Biochem jobs pay well. And I've had a lot of luck. Do you like it?"

Daniel responded, excitedly, "It's awesome!"

Slush felt his tail suddenly begin to wag.

Slush then remembered, "Thanks, but wait, that's not even the best part!"

"Huh?" Daniel was in disbelief. "What could possibly be better than all this?"

Slush then made his way towards a brown double-door next to the bathroom door.

Opening it, he said, "The closet, silly? Do you even know me?"

Daniel's mouth drooped. Slush's closet was the grandest closet he had ever seen. Daniel felt that it could be suitable as its own bedroom. Hung around the walls were hangers filled with any suit imaginable. Draped underneath the hanged clothes were cabinets and drawers with even more clothing. The whole closet must have been only one-third the size of Slush's whole bedroom, but it was monumental compared to any closet Daniel has ever seen.

"Careful," warned Slush, lightheartedly, "You don't want any of your wolf drool getting on the carpet."

Embarrassed, Daniel quickly shut his muzzle. He was speechless. Taking in his surroundings, he could only muster the word, "How?"

Amused by his friend's amazement, Slush replied, "Hehe, when I found this place this space was just kinda awkward, so I just thought, 'Eh, why don't I just convert this into a huge closet?' I mean, yeah it looks grand and all, but living alone, it's basically all I spend my earnings on aside from food, the car, and the actual house itself. Plus, I make a lot of the suits myself, so I get to save a lot of money that way."

"Stop trying to convince me you're poor," Daniel guffawed.

Slush countered, "Hehe, I'm very grateful for all I have."

Daniel replied, "And you've only been working for like a year!"

"Almost a year." Slush corrected, "I feel so lucky I've been able to do so well."

"Oh, give yourself some credit, you snowball. You worked hard for what you have."

"Thanks." Slush shied away slightly. He was not used to receiving much compliments.

"Your mom must be super proud too!" Daniel continued.

Slush responded rather hesitantly, "Yup... She's doing fine. She's content where she is."

Daniel sensed Slush was not telling the full story, but he did not push for more.

Slush then began, "Anyways , I have two more bedrooms to show you before we conclude our tour, sir."

"Ah yes," Daniel replied, "Lead the way."

Slush and Daniel exited Slush's room and made their way to a white door, this time to the left of the hallway. Opening it revealed a bedroom smaller than what had been Slush's and with far less decorations. Also, this room did not come with a bathroom. Adjacent to the bed was a table with a sewing machine on top of it and many fabrics scattered around.

Slush explained, "Of course, nobody sleeps here. I mostly just do my sewing for my suits in this room."

Daniel gave a slight nod.

Exiting the second bedroom, the pair made their way further down the hall and opened a final door to the right.

Slush proclaimed, "Alright, this is the last room of the tour: The guest bedroom."

Again, this room was smaller and quainter than Slush's own room, and it was comparable to Asher's room in Daniel's apartment. There was only a limited amount of decor, and the room sort of had a stale ambience Yet, the simplicity overall was still aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eyes. Similarly to Slush's room, however, this room did include a mini bathroom.

When they were both inside and situated, Slush mentioned, "I don't know how long this quest will take us, but Daniel, please, you can stay and use this room for however long you need. The only mammal who's used this room was my mom for a few times, but the last time she did was actually quite a while ago, so everything should be stocked and clean. Just tell me if there's dust or anything and I'll clean it up for ya'."

"Oh Slush, you're so kind. Thank you! And I really would hate to be an inconvenience, but I think I actually would possibly have to use this room a few times, if it's okay with you. Your house is a bit closer to stuff and all."

But Daniel had another reason he wanted to stay too: He felt that if he would stay at his own apartment, he would feel lonely and possibly go mad. He felt greedy, but he so desperately felt like he needed to keep a friend alongside him during his current crisis.

"Of course, Of course. I really don't mind. It would probably be good that this room gets put in use anyway. This house is too big for just me, I tell ya'. I don't know, I guess I just thought I would have met some mammal by now. But I mean, I'm still only twenty three, so-" Slush felt that he was rambling now and became embarrassed. "Anyways, let's go back downstairs. The pizza guy will probably be here soon. It's been around twenty minutes."

And just like that, the doorbell rang.

Slush answered the door and politely thanked, paid, and tipped the young hare that had delivered the pizza. A wonderful aroma suffocated the air inside the house as the pizza boxes were brought in.

Daniel's short break was healing, but now he was ready to discuss the serious case while stuffing his stomach.

Slush placed both the pizza boxes on the high kitchen counter. Opening them, the remaining smell of pizza that was still trapped inside the boxes escaped rapidly.

Being a courteous host, Slush insisted, "Let me get some plates."

Returning with two paper plates, the arctic fox found the wolf sitting at the counter seemingly in a trance, just staring at the food, with drool escaping his muzzle.

Slush amused, "Wow, someone's hungry."

Daniel shook his head rapidly, bringing him back to reality. "Sorry, Just haven't really had an actual meal in a while."

Slush looked puzzled, "Huh? Why? What have you been eating?"

Daniel lowered his head to face the fox. "Granola bars? It's a little hard to eat when you hear your brother is missing and possibly savage."

Slush was stupefied, "But Daniel! You have to keep eating. If you wanna find your brother you gotta help yourself too first."

Daniel replied, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But, I mean, I'm hungry now.."

Slush replied, "Ah yes, eat. Just know you gotta keep yourself in good shape, okay?"

Daniel nodded and reached for a slice of the anchovy pizza first. Putting the slice into his mouth, he remembered to eat slowly in order to savor the food. He didn't know when he'd next eat a meal as good as this one.

Anchovies and fish in general on pizza is not for all mammals. The truth of the matter is, eating some form of meat is still important to a predator's diet for the protein it provides. A predator could go vegetarian, and a considerable amount have, but it requires a huge change in mindset and an intense amount of searching to find protein alternatives. Unfortunately, the types of meat allowed to be consumed by predators are always being limited by the prey-majority legislature. Obviously, the consumption of mammals is strictly forbidden as all mammals have evolved and are participating in society. But birds and fish are a different story as they have not evolved to an even near level that mammals had. Until recently, birds and fish had been accepted by the population, even the prey, as normal food products for predators, but a few months ago, the consumption of birds and poultry was banned, leaving many predator families no choice but to change their diets. The ban greatly affected especially the poor predators, who found it difficult to have a stable supply of food in the first place. However, ever since the issue was brought to congress, more prey have been calling to ban the consumption of fish as well, while many predators protested the bans in general. Now, a few months later, the tensions had calmed down to some extent. However, a predator would now find it difficult to eat a fish meal in public without some stares of a few prey animals.

"Sorry I got us paper plates," Slush chimed in, "I know that you don't really like them, with the environment and everything. But I had them for a while and felt that I should probably use 'em up."

Daniel finished chewing on a bite and responded, "Don't be sorry; that's a good idea."

Watching Daniel eat, Slush stated, "I'll have what you don't eat. You can and need to eat as much as you can after not eating for a few days."

Daniel argued, "No, please, start eating. Like I've said, I've eaten granola bars, not nothing. Plus, I'm used to eating only a little. I'd rather have Asher eating than me. He deserves a better life than me."

Slush shook his head, "Daniel, look at me."

On the fox's command, Daniel turned to Slush with a half eaten pizza slice still in his paw.

Slush continued, "I know you love your little brother. Even I adored him. But like I said, you can't be worrying about him all the time. You have happiness too, you know? You have a life too. Yes, as his older brother and legal guardian, you should watch out for him, but you can't neglect yourself to give him everything. I know you Daniel, from university, you had big dreams. Times are hard, but you can't give up on your own life. If you do, and keep caring only for Asher, then are you truly happy?"

Daniel suddenly got mad, "Truly happy? My parents died, and we've been evicted, and he's... depressed! And now, even worse, he's missing! Why should I be so greedy as to care about myself right now?!"

...

Slush responded calmly, trying to deescalate the situation, "I'm sorry, I should have been clearer. That's not what I meant. I mean, you used to be more carefree, I just don't want that part of Daniel to fade away, you know? I'm looking at you now, and I just want to say, I care about how you are doing too. I know Asher is important to you, and we will find him. But you need to take this mountain of pressure and blame off your back, or else you're just gonna drown in your emotions and not reach the end goal. Listen, I'm on your side, and I understand your desire to keep him safe, but please, don't be too hard on yourself."

Daniel slumped back in his high chair. Feeling a bit calmer, he responded, "I'm sorry for getting mad. I guess I just felt like after my parents died, it's just all up to me to care for Asher. And now that he's missing, I just feel horrible. I'm sorry."

Slush replied, "No, it's okay to feel a bit hectic, I understand."

At this point, in compliance with Daniel's insistence, Slush began munching on pizza rather conservatively, ensuring there was still plenty for Daniel.

"Anyways," Slush continued, "Maybe you can give me a full summary of what happened again? So we're both fully on the same page."

Daniel nodded, and talked between bites "Well, on Tuesday, four days ago, mammals from work were staring at me, I didn't know it at the time, but my zebra colleague who was allegedly attacked by Asher had told them about the scenario.

Then, I went home to a damaged apartment and Asher missing, but with no signs of any blood or another mammal. Actually, I'm pretty sure the ZPD inspected the room and door for any foreign paw prints, but they could only find Asher's prints.

So I went back to work, and that zebra colleague, Nate, told me about how he was attacked by Asher just north of the office building at the border of Tundratown and Sahara Square."

"And what else?" Slush asked. He did not want to miss any important details.

Daniel continued, "Well, Nate said before Asher could do him any harm, some wolves claiming to be from a fake 'Canine Anti-Drug Agency' used a net gun to capture him in a black van that went to who knows where. They said they'd take him to a rehab center, but they were obviously lying."

A small portion of Daniel's fangs became visible, "I talked to the chief and told him about what I learned but he didn't believe me. I also learned that the ZPD is slow and isn't much help. Then, I went to your place."

Slush responded, "Wow, you've had one hell of a week."

Daniel smirked, "Tell me about it."

There was still one thing Slush wanted to confirm, "And you're super-duper positively sure we can't just leave this to the ZPD?"

Daniel responded, "Yes. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here right now. And if I'm wrong and they solve the case before us, that would still be a win either way. But at the rate they're going, it would take a while. It seems like it would take a miracle, maybe some star cop, to get the ZPD to actually solve the case. But it seems unlikely. They've only analyzed the scenes, but they haven't taken any real action yet."

Slush conceded, "Okay, I trust you."

"Oh, and I almost forgot," Daniel mentioned, after he finished what was left of the Anchovy pizza.

He reached for his satchel and revealed the crumpled box to his friend Slush. Daniel opened it and placed the box on the counter.

"No, Danny, you didn't get him a Canine bond bracelet," Slush said in disbelief.

Daniel answered, "I was supposed to give it to him for his birthday, you know, to show him that I cared for him as a brother."

"I didn't know they even made those anymore. Aren't they like a few hundred dollars?"

"Yup, I saved up for it. Now I'm just waiting to give it to him. I want him to have it as soon as I see him," said Daniel.

Slush cooed, "Aw, you're such a great brother."

"Thanks, I try to be," Daniel deadpanned, as he covered the box and put it back in his satchel.

Only a little bit of the cheese pizza was left, with both Slush and Daniel having eaten a good amount.

Slush returned the conversation to the case at hand. "So Daniel, what do you think caused all this then, with Asher going savage and all?"

Daniel looked down towards the floor, "I haven't figured that out yet."

Slush began to speculate, "Hm... I know those wolves said they were from a fake drug agency or whatever, but what if Asher actually was on drugs? That's the only way I could think of how he could have gone crazy. I mean, it isn't the stone age; mammals don't just go 'savage'."

Daniel replied, "I know, I was thinking that too, and it might be possible, but I've never seen Asher doing any drugs, and that wouldn't explain why all those other mammals went missing at the same time with similar ravaged conditions at the scene. Maybe they all went savage too."

Slush replied, "True. And all the mammals were predators, right? Something tells me the city will make a fuss about that."

Daniel noted, "Actually, I went on Asher's phone after the incident and found an unsent text basically saying he was feeling down and that he wanted to do something, but it was cut off."

Slush now found his large ears drooping behind him. "Oh no. That can't be good"

Daniel concluded, "Yeah, but it still wouldn't explain the other mammals."

Slush asked, "Did he know any of those animals?"

Daniel responded, "Not that I know of."

There was a pause before Slush broke the silence, "I say we research about any drugs that could have caused Asher to act that way, and then maybe after that we could go to the site of the attack and try to look for clues. You know where it happened, right?"

Daniel replied, "Basically."

Slush confirmed, "Alright. Nice. So you agree with the plan?"

Daniel agreed, "Yeah, sounds good. Maybe you're actually a detective in disguise."

Slush responded with a light chuckle, "Ha, maybe I was destined to be a Fashionable scientist AND detective. Anyways, let's go to the study to do the research."

"Alright, sounds good," Daniel said.

They began to make their way to the stairs. Midway, however, Slush turned back towards Daniel.

"Oh wait," The fox brought up, "By the way, when I used physical contact earlier, like the hugs and stuff. That didn't bother you, or weird you out, did it?"

Daniel thought for a second and then responded, "Um, I didn't really think much of it to be honest."

Slush replied, "Okay. Anyways, let's go."