Chapter 12: I Am The Godfather/Drastic Measures


Alex drove through the snowy paved streets of Tundratown, thankful that there was a part of the ZPD that dealt with regularly salting the roads and making sure there was no ice. In fact, that part of the ZPD was one that he had been assigned to several times. By now the white wolf had spent so much time in the Tundratown district that he had gotten acclimated to the frosty temperatures.

That didn't mean that all of the animals were able to bear the frigid environment though. Depending on their fur length and body size some animals still couldn't stay outside in Tundratown for too long without warmth, and there were several vendors across the subarea which had fires to warm up by.

At last, the wolf arrived at the imposing manor. Before he got out of the car, he received a call from Nick, answering it. "Nick, what's up? I have an important wedding to attend, and they wouldn't like it if I talked with you inside." Alex sighed in irritation. "Your 'girlfriend' made me take her to the DMV to run a plate after threatening to arrest me on tax return charges, which are bogus. Just wanted to tell you I'm not gonna help her anymore." Nick told the wolf.

Alex's free paw curled into a fist in frustration. "Nicholas Pliberus Wilde. I believe it is time for me to… cash in." Alex growled. He could hear Nick gasp and go silent. "Y-you're not serious are you?!" The fox asked. Vulpines had a special cultural/ritualistic tradition known as a life debt. When someone saved the life of a vulpine, the vulpine was indebted to them for the rest of their life, and their savior could choose how the vulpine would pay off the debt. Most vulpines nowadays didn't follow this tradition, but Nick was one of the few that still did... and since Alex had saved Nick's life twice, he had twice as much power over the crafty fox.

"I'm absolutely serious. You will pay off your first life debt by helping Judy for the next…" Alex paused to look at the time, and it was three o'clock in the afternoon. Judy had gotten the case at nine thirty in the morning. "...Thirty-six hours." Alex finished. Nick audibly groaned on the other end of the line. "Fine…" He muttered before hanging up. Satisfied, the cop pocketed his phone before getting out of his car and walked up to the mansion's door.

Ringing the doorbell, Alex waited patiently for the door to open. When it did, the polar bear Koslov greeted him. "Ah, Alex. Good to see you, my friend. I trust you've been well?" Koslov asked. Alex nodded his head. "Yeah, I've been doing all right. Sorry that I couldn't make it to the rehearsal dinner yesterday, I was busy helping out the newest member of the force. She had a rough day." Alex answered as he stepped inside the luxurious manor.

Koslov stroked the fur of his chin thoughtfully. "I remember seeing that in the news. The ZPD's first rabbit officer, eh? I think she'll do a fine job. Who knows, maybe we'll even get a rat or mouse officer one day. And Mr. Big was fine with you not being able to attend the rehearsal. He only needs you present tonight for the actual wedding." Koslov said. Alex nodded. "I remember the last time someone upset him… good thing that Nick decided to quit when he did." Alex remarked.

Koslov frowned but didn't say anything further about that incident. "Alex! I'm so glad to see you!" A familiar female voice squeaked. Alex turned to see Fru Fru standing on a table. "It's good to see you too, Fru. Your dress is beautiful." Alex complemented, giving the bride of the day a bow. "Aww, thank you!" Fru Fru exclaimed.

Alex hung around with the wedding goers and talked about their lives, catching up with each other. It had been a while since he had paid the Big family a visit. This lasted for several hours until something changed. Koslov left a while into the festivities, and then Alex needed to use the bathroom. After relieving himself, he walked back to the main hall when he felt something.

What was this feeling that was dwelling within him now? He used all five of his senses to identify the source of this sensation: tasting the air with his tongue, running his paw along the wall of the hallway, listening with his ears, scanning the area with his eyes, and sniffing the air. That was when he realized the source of the feeling. It was the familiar scent of none other than Judy!

What was Judy's scent doing here!? If she was here, then she could be in danger! Only now did Alex remember that Otterton was treated like a family member of the Big family and he had heard Emmit's name come up multiple times during overheard conversations. Alex knew at that moment he had to get to Judy and make sure she was okay.

Drawing his gun, the wolf stealthily and silently ran through the halls, approaching the office where Mr. Big held his "interrogations". He knew he was heading in the right direction because Judy's scent grew stronger and stronger. Once he reached the door to the room, he took a moment to break out his gun before turning the door handle and bursting into the room. Inside he witnessed Judy and Nick being dangled over the ice water pool by the two polar bears.

"Put them down. SAFELY." Alex commanded. Knowing that Alex was a police officer, the polar bears immediately set them down on the ground, but kept holding onto them. Mr. Big's tiny eyes widened with shock. "Alex, my son. What are you doing here?" The crime boss asked. "We had a deal. I take down anyone who threatens your empire and keep their mouths shut, and you don't touch any cops. That rabbit there? She's my partner." Alex snarled.

"Alex!? What are you doing here?!" Judy gasped in shock. She stared at him in a mixture of awe, fear, and something else that Alex couldn't quite identify. "I'm a guest of the bride. In fact… you might say that… I am the Godfather." Alex snickered. He couldn't help but make that joke. "Y-you're the lord of a criminal empire?" The rabbit exclaimed in horror.

Alex quickly shook his head no in response. "No, no, no! Sorry, I couldn't resist making that joke. No, I'm an old friend of Mr. Big. I saved his daughter's life, and the life of his most valued friend Koslov. He gave me a job as a bodyguard. This was all before I officially joined the ZPD. I never did anything illegal for him, I was adamant about that. Although… occasionally I was sent to remind clients of their debts. I had a reputation for being quite… unsettling." The wolf clarified.

"Indeed. He saved my daughter's life. How could I not reward him for such a selfless act? He fought hard and braved bullets transporting her to safety. He became part of the family, and Fru Fru admired Alex very much. She even decided to name her unborn child after him." Mr. Big continued. After a nod from Mr. Big, the polar bear who was holding Judy let her go, and the rabbit quickly ran to Alex and hugged him. "Very well. I will allow the rabbit to go free, but the fox will not go unpunished. You and I both know the grievance he has committed against me and my family." Mr. Big sighed.

Alex knew all too well about the skunk rug incident: he had called Nick and warned him about the crime lord's fury, which had likely saved the fox's life. However, Alex was still really pissed at Nick for lying to him about having a real job for all these years. "I understand. In fact, he's gotten me pissed off lately too, he conned me as well. If you would allow me to inflict a similar punishment on him?" Alex offered. "A-Alex?" Judy worriedly said.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill him or anything like that. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Alex whispered softly in her ear, squeezing her paw lightly for reassurance. Mr. Big smiled cruelly. "Excellent. You've always been quite good at scaring the living daylights out of others, my child. I shall allow you to punish Wilde yourself." The mouse mused.

"Alex, buddy! Old pal! Please!" Nick begged the wolf as he walked over to Nick and grabbed him by the shirt, hoisting him in the air and over the pit of icy water. "Shut up, Nick. You have a lot of nerve for lying to me for years about going legit with your business. Then I find out you were running scams and that whole popsicle business of yours was just you purchasing resources and repurposing them for your own gain. And then you insulted the living daylights out of Judy. I'm going to give you a wake up call. Become a better animal like you promised you would back then, or suffer the consequences." Alex darkly said before he slowly lowered the fox's feet into the pool, dipping them just below the surface before pulling Nick back out.

The second Nick's feet hit the surface of the water his breath stopped and a wave of cold jolted up his spine. Even after he was pulled out and set back on the ground he was shivering like crazy. "Now, we need information on the Otterton case." Alex said to Mr. Big.