Hey there, readers! Happy June! I am so happy to have been able to crank out this new chapter, and at how long it is! There's going to be delving into some backstory of Mr. Dice, as well as some of human society. But don't worry, there's still plenty of sweet family moments, silliness, and downright cuteness. Also, please consider leaving a review or comment, as that really does make my day.

And happy Pride Month, everyone!

Found (Chapter 25)

by

Elite Shade

"Alright, son, let's start again, and this time with yer name," Dorian said to the now sullen-looking teenage human in the back seat of his cruiser. He had elected not to cuff the boy and was driving the scenic route, having called it all in beforepaw. He had been surprised that Mr. Dice hadn't wanted to press charges. The boy brushed a blonde lock from his face, his headfur reaching his shoulders but mostly tied back in a ponytail. The boy seemed to be busying himself with wiping the dirt and grass from his clothes. At being addressed, the boy sat up straighter and seemed to take on a 'proper' air.

"I am Timothy Sheltly, heir to the Sheltly family fortune and Sheltly Industries," the boy said. Dorian nodded as he drove.

"And how old are ya?"

"I am fifteen, Sheriff."

"Alright... now, why did ya try to break in to Mr. Dice's place?"

The boy took a second to look mildly offended. "I am not some common burglar, sir. I simply wanted to ask Mr. Kirin Dice a question, and things got rather... heated..."

"Uh-huh," Dorian looked back at Timothy in the rearview mirror, one eyebrow quirked. The boy frowned and furrowed his brow in response. "And what was the question that brought ya all the way out here and ended up becomin' a 'heated' conversation?"

"That is personal, sir," the boy said, quietly.

"I take it that it had somethin' ta do with you on the ground, cryin', callin' him a monster?"

"I-I... I have nothing more to say about that..." Dorian heard Timothy's voice crack a bit, signalling that he had struck a nerve.

"Based on all that, I'm led to the conclusion that it had somethin' to do with you leveling the accusation at Mr. Dice that he murdered yer brother."

The two were silent for a minute, before Timothy let out a ragged breath, his shoulders slumping, his gaze turning downward.

"Yes... it's because of Mr. Kirin Dice that my brother is dead," Timothy croaked out, wiping away at some fresh tears. His Hunter intuition not detecting any lying, Dorian felt a pang of sympathy for the boy.

"I'm sorry fer yer loss, son," Dorian said, "I figure that it probably didn't happen in my jurisdiction, but maybe we can get yer statement on record?"

"He didn't kill him himself," Timothy said before letting out a huge sniff and wiping at his nose with a pawkerchief he produced from his pocket. "He just left him in a situation that led to his murder. And I truly believe that he had planned it out in advance."

Taking a beat to assess the situation, Dorian pulled over and put the car in park, killing the engine. He then turned in his seat to regard the boy.

"I think it's about time ya told me what y'all know."

The boy first started to look defiant, until his hazel eyes looked into Dorian's ice blues. He sighed, and nodded.

"Alright... from what I've heard, we're about to go public with our existence anyway."

That made both of the law wolf's eyebrows raise up. "Y'all are?"

"Uh, yes, sir. After news got to the humans hiding beneath Zootopia about a pair of children of our own species being adopted, that was the deciding factor for us to finally reveal ourselves."

Dorian looked thoughtful. "Huh... well, we can circle back ta that."

Timothy nodded. "My brother's name was Robert. And he was my half brother, but as far as I was very concerned, he was just my kind big brother! And he wasn't stupid. Maybe a little slow and maybe a little too trusting... but he wasn't stupid! But... he was perfect for someone like Kirin Dice to get his hooks into."

"Gotcha," Dorian said, "and ya said he was yer half-brother?"

"Y-yes... he was the only child from my father and his mother's marriage, before she passed away when he was little. My mother," he said the word 'mother' looking as though he had tasted something foul, "was our father's mistress, and had given birth to me in secret. She had always hated Robert's mother, and she never liked him either, nor did she bother to hide that fact."

Dorian nodded in sympathy at the pain on the boy's face, waiting for him to continue.

"And Kirin Dice, the youngest son of the Ackley family, who owned almost the entirety of Kartakka's Silvein district, was the same age as my brother at the time. Anyways, when he had turned sixteen, she finally succeeded in convincing our father to throw him out. And that just so happened to coincide with the day..."

Back in Kartakka...

The lights above lining the massive cavern ceiling were glowing a bright yellow, having just recently transitioned from the glow of morning as the day approached noon. Robert, a boy who was taller and with more pronounced muscles than others his age, stood outside the gate to the Ackley estate. His midnight black hair was clipped short with ever so slight natural curls. Beneath his brow were a pair or hazel eyes that looked upward at the manor, wincing as he could hear a raised voice booming within the walls. While unable to make out what was being said, Robert knew when Kirin's father was cross with his youngest son.

The Ackley family estate spoke not only of wealth, but of order. All of the hedges were trimmed and uniform. The tall wrought iron fencing with the fleur de lis at the top was polished, with the gates well-oiled. The grass was neatly trimmed with the red brick walkway hand-scrubbed and the marble lion statues flanking either side of the steps leading up to the large solid oak double-doors, which itself was flanked on either side with two story stained-glass windows, all of which was pristine and clearly well-maintained. Robert watched as the doors were opened, and Kirin was tossed out, tumbling down the steps. Robert flinched a little at the sight of his friend's father, a massive man, scowling down at the two of them before slamming the door shut. In a heap at the bottom of the steps, Kirin took a breath, and began to laugh maniacally.

"Kirin, are you alright?" Robert asked, concerned, helping him to his feet.

"Alright? My dear Robert, I am wonderful!" the rail-thin and lanky boy said, looking up at his friend with mischievous glee twinkling in his eyes. "For my father and I have elected that I shall, this day, part ways with my family, thus freeing myself up for a multitude of opportunities!" Animated as usual, despite the fresh tears in his three-piece suit, Kirin carried himself like a circus ringmaster. He started to lead the two of them away, down the sidewalk, the gates shutting automatically behind them with a loud clang. "And since you yourself have been cast out of your own family home, it's safe to say that you are free to join me on this opportunity."

Back to the Present...

"So how did ya go about learnin' all of this?" Dorian asked.

"When they were still living on the streets, I had some of the more trustworthy servants allow Robert to sneak into my room with me, especially during stormy nights, so that he could have a place to sleep and sneak him a meal from time to time. And he would tell me of his and Kirin's 'adventures'," Timothy said, now leaning back in his seat. Dorian frowned at the idea of a father willingly letting one of his own children go without a place to stay or without food, feeling a slight pang of guilt over the rift that had formed between him and Vernon over his own stubbornness. He was still grateful that they had mended things, but the guilt of his own pup living hard for a few years to put himself through college with no help from him whatsoever, regardless of the help Auddey gave him that he knew about and pretended didn't happen, would always weigh heavily on the older law wolf. Hearing it happen, and sounding much worse, especially for a pup that was only fifteen at the time, that already was making his blood boil.

"Robert was a gentle soul, always willing to believe the best in others, even when it wasn't there to begin with," Timothy continued. "He had some reservations about Kirin setting up sidewalk cardgames, especially when they were using money that he believed Kirin may have stolen from his family estate before being thrown out that day. But Kirin... smooth-talking Kirin, always had a way of justifying what he was doing, at least to Robert."

"Yeah, the couple times I've met him so far, I could tell he was a slick one," Dorian agreed. Timothy nodded at that.

"The thing of it is, Kirin always had a plan, was always thinking three or four steps ahead. To him, it was all a game. See, the card tables he and Robert started out with, were not technically illegal, as he advertised it as card game lessons, that players paid upfront to learn how to play. And he always seemed to know the best locations to set them up in, to find those that would play hand after hand until they lost their entire weekly pay."

"So even from a young age, he was gaming the system then?"

Timothy let out a snort at that, his mouth turning up in a rueful smile. "You have no idea. Because, like I said, it all was a game to him. Making money doing technically legal things, right out in the open, all with that devil-may-care smile and attitude on his face. Once they had started to make a decent pull from their initial tables, he then found the poor and destitute, taught them how to play, especially how to win, and even how to set up in the best locations to draw in players. He even set up an entire section of the city, one he had researched no doubt, and for a small weekly fee, they could set up their own tables, earn some coin, and be under his protection from any thieves, angry patrons, or others who might try to muscle in on their little business."

"That sounds an awful lot like a gambling and protection racket," Dorian said, frowning.

"It was. And it wasn't too long before someone came along, looking to take over..."

"There's always a bigger fish," Dorian said.

"Yeah... but just because a particular fish is bigger, that is no guarantee that they are safe from a comparatively smaller fish..." Timothy looked out the cruiser window, seeming faraway.

"Near the section of the city that Kirin had carved out for himself and Robert, there was a notorious gang, called the True Sons. They were organized, with protection rackets, smuggling, and other unsavory dealings. All of it headed up by a male known only as Mr. Trisk. He had been arrested multiple times, but always witnesses to his crimes, even arresting officers sometimes, would recant, get in mortal accidents, or even just up and disappear. And so, being proactive when several of their stands were attacked, Kirin set up a meeting with Mr. Trisk to discuss negotiations, in a location of Trisk's choosing. He had chosen an alley between two condemned buildings scheduled to be demolished the very next day, and brought with him a significant number of his bodyguards. I still have not learned of how it was done, but somehow, that evening, while Trisk awaited for Kirin and Robert to show up... the charges, or some of them, detonated, on their own, according to all official reports. They detonated in such a way that the buildings, one and then the other, broke apart and toppled right into the alley, killing Trisk and a lot of his men."

Dorian frowned, but his intuition was not detecting any lies yet. "Yer demolition crews take down more than one buildin' at a time?"

Timothy nodded at that. "One of the Duke's many new laws and regulations. In the poorer districts, construction crews were given very tight deadlines, and with restrictions that cared little for the lives of those in such areas. All in the name of his idea of progress. Many died as a result, including those working on the demolition teams."

"So I take it that with Trisk outta the way, Kirin took over his operation?"

"Yeah... and the entire time, Robert was oblivious to what was happening, even as he was sucked deeper and deeper into the mire that Kirin had set up shop in. By that time, he had dropped the last name Ackley and instead started calling himself..."

Back Down Memory Lane...

"Dice! I think it rather rolls right off the tongue, Robert. Kirin Dice. The perfect name for one such as myself in the entertainment business," Kirin said, adjusting his black tie in the mirror, taking a moment to admire his new pinstripe suit. He looked over at Robert, his helpful companion sporting a freshly tailored navy-blue three-piece-suit. They were currently standing in the foyer of the apartment complex Kirin had recently purchased.

"I like it, Kirin," Robert said, enthusiastically following his friend outside, locking the maple door behind them. Kirin sighed and smiled, looking across the street at the construction going on. Humans were hard at work building Kirin's latest project, one that admittedly made Robert a little nervous, especially when he spied the Abbey's Grand Temple right across the canal. "Are you certain that it's alright for us to be opening a..." His voice trailed off, afraid to come right out and say it. Smiling, Kirin whirled on him, the new walking cane with the silver skull at the top with the glinting rubies in the eye sockets gleaming in the light.

"Say it, Robert. Say it with all of the respect and reverence that it deserves," he casually, yet firmly, commanded of his long-time friend and companion.

"A... casino... right across from the Grand Temple?" Robert said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course it is, my dear Robert! Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"N-no, of course not. It's just that the Abbey might not like-"

"It doesn't matter what those stuffy mask-wearing fools like or dislike. My religion and place of worship is just as... nay, more valid than their temple dedicated to self-hatred, paranoia, and quiet subjugation!" Kirin said, louder than Robert preferred, the larger human knowing how the Foremams that patrolled the streets took to heresy. He quickly looked around to see if anyone wearing a silver mask was approaching them, and sighed internally with relief to see the bustling streets bereft of any dangers.

"And thanks to all of the perfectly legal permits and our new friends in the upper echelons of society, as well as our new sponsor, they wouldn't dare make a move, regardless of where we build The Stargazer."

"Still, it does seem a little antagonistic..."

"Oh?" Kirin said, looking troubled. "But I wanted it to be much more than just a little antagonistic, I wanted it to be an outright slap in the face!" Robert grimaced a little at that and opened his mouth to speak before Kirin ceased the rubbing of his chin with a snap of his fingers. "I know! We'll rename it The Silver Mask!" Knowing better than to try and deter his friend, Robert inwardly sighed again, and the two made their way down the steps toward the structure, the bare bones of which was already dwarfing all other buildings as far as the eye could see, except for the Grand Temple. For the time being.

Once more, back to the present...

"A casino? I may not know a whole lot about where y'all humons are from, but I reckon that fer a project like that, Mr. Dice would have to have a lot of spending capital. He claims to be twenty-two now, so I'm wonderin' how he went about raisin' that kinda money." Dorian looked at the pup in his backseat who had resumed cleaning his scuffed clothes.

"Robert didn't know himself, but Kirin managed to find the money... gods only know where. That all happened when they were eighteen. A casino was practically unheard of, but he pulled it off. And he and Robert, business partners, ran The Silver Mask quite successfully for about three years, making more money than either his or Robert and mine's families did combined. He still continued to set up shop with card tables throughout the city, letting Robert run the floor of the casino itself. All the while Kirin ingratiated himself with two powerful figures of the underworld. If something had any part in the production and distribution of illegal substances, Torgston 'The Maniac' was involved and getting a cut. Thanks to the 'tragic' death of Mr. Trisk, he had started to fill in the power vacuum that was leftover by Kirin. For Kirin wasn't interested in the smuggling and other such rackets as you call them, sheriff. He only cared for the games."

"And who was the second underground bigwig?" Dorian asked, ice in his veins as he asked it.

"Her name was Amanda Knox, and she came from a wealthy family, but one of the lesser ones. She was known by the title 'Lady Nightshade', and she controlled everything that dealt with..." Timothy looked uncomfortable and blushed. "... with... uhm... the flesh... trade..." It took Dorian only a second to figure out what he meant, and nodded.

"So she was a Madam, then?"

"Yes, she was... she was also known for being ruthless. If anyone tried to enter her world without paying her tribute... they very quickly met gruesome ends. Working together, they were referred to as the Triumvirate. They held a shaky truce that lasted until things started to go bad for the Duke. It would seem that he was the secret sponsor Kirin had told Robert about. And it was his connection to things that... I find most repulsive of all."

Timothy looked Dorian in the eyes with a fierce fire in his own. "My brother, perhaps foolish, was still a good person, and had not known what was happening in that dreadful casino! Yes, he managed the floor, but there were areas he wasn't allowed to go, areas underground! And before I speak of them, I will have you know that while maybe not technically innocent in the eyes of the law, my brother would never have agreed to be a part of any of what happened!"

Dorian was a little taken aback, but nodded. "Alright, son, I believe ya." He was surprised to find that he did in fact believe the pup.

"... Okay then. What I learned is something that became public knowledge shortly after the rebellion. The Duke was known for his harsh punishments, and as things got worse and it became apparent that he was losing control, he refused to accept this and implemented even harsher ones. The lives of his enemies and of criminals in general were virtually worthless to him. Hence, why when, somehow, Kirin managed to approach him with his sickening idea... the Duke readily went for it..."

"What did he do?" Dorian asked.

"Kirin... he... he had already set up an arena in the casino. A secret one, underground, beneath the basement. It was one of the areas Robert wasn't allowed to go, and he... blindly agreed. I suppose if he had gone and looked for himself, he would've been killed on the spot... but still..."

Dorian sat there, patiently waiting.

"Kirin had ingratiated himself back into high society, and among other plans I'm sure he had constantly scheming in his dark mind, he sought out certain... individuals... I was surprised by just how many names from so-called 'respectable' families were involved. Like a secret club. They would attend at first weekly... and then almost daily events. Basically... Kirin was allowed to pick from the prison inmates to... fight to the death, in the arena, that the special guests would place bets on beforehand. And it wasn't just a regular straight-forward arena either. There were pressure plates and traps, like hidden blades that spun at ankle height, pressurised traps that when sprung would spray some kind of acid, even some that could electrocute the 'contestants', and even more."

Dorian could hardly believe what he was hearing, yet he continued to listen, still not picking up any lying from Timothy, who was crying once more as he spoke. "They would constantly be switched around, sometimes a walled maze being set up, and around two to at one time twenty prisoners, ranging from someone arrested for annoying the Duke to true homicidal maniacs, all fighting to the death and avoiding horrendous traps. If a prisoner won ten matches, they would win their freedom. The winners, if they displayed a certain degree of cold calculating cruelty, the Duke would offer them a position in his Elite Guard. After the Duke had dissolved the police, his Elite Guards took their place, and were nothing more than dangerous thugs with a license to kill. Those not picked were usually let go, to go and spread the word of what happens when you defy the Duke. And all the while, while hosting these diabolical events, Kirin Dice was there, his face painted with a skull on it, wearing some blood red circus ringmaster's coat and tophat, announcing and giving excited color commentary."

"... I knew there was a reason I disliked the mammal... but from what yer tellin' me, then yer claims of him bein' a murderin' monster were accurate, assumin' that it's true." Dorian, regardless of his Hunter's Nose, still had to remain neutral, even though a hard dark pit of worry had settled into his gut knowing that a mammal like that, at least as described by one pup, was in his jurisdiction, settling in.

"I take it he ran off before the... atrocities, could be uncovered and he'd find himself sharin' a cell with his sponsor?"

"Well, in a way yes..." Timothy shifted uncomfortably. "You see... when he went into business with my brother... he wrote up various contracts..."

Dorian winced at that. "He didn't read them, did he?"

The boy shook his head, looking deflated once more. "No. He trusted Kirin when he said that they were just a form of legal protection... which they were... for himself. Essentially, officially, Robert owned the casino and was financially... and legally, responsible for all that went on there. Kirin's name wasn't on anything. And thanks to the makeup and lack of any kind of cameras or recording equipment allowed in the arena... there was no physical evidence of him ever being there. I don't... have any proof myself... but... my brother wouldn't have done anything like that!"

"So he was just a fall-guy then?"

"... Yeah... in the end, that's what he got for trusting Kirin Dice, his best friend from childhood. When the Duke's power began to wane, Kirin saw what was coming, and quickly liquidated all of his assets, and emptied all of his bank accounts, and I'm guessing collected the money stored in secret places known only to him as well. He converted the vast majority of it to silver, and with the rest he booked a trip to the human settlement here near Zootopia. But instead of going there, where there were a number of enemies waiting for him, he somehow and slipped away to make contact directly with some high-ranking officials. I don't know how, I just know that that lynx was involved. The silver made him monetarily wealthy, as it was itself a large fortune that was able to be exchanged into the local currency... at three times the current rate of a Kartakkan shelt... our currency. And his knowledge of the hidden human settlements and cities made him politically valuable. Hence why he was granted asylum and full citizenship, before the current human administration had elected to reach out and make contact, revealing themselves."

"And now he's here, settin' up shop in my town," Dorian growled. Timothy nodded. Dorian looked to the pup and his features softened. "And yer brother?"

"He was left holding the bag... and ownership of The Silver Mask. When the Duke's influence started to collapse, The Maniac and Lady Nightshade both saw an opportunity to take control of Kirin's setup. They, entering into a partnership of two, sent a group to the casino... and only found poor Robert, confused and terrified, in charge. Kirin may not have pulled the trigger, but he knowingly set my brother up to take his fall..."

The law wolf turned back in his seat and let all of what he had just heard sink in. It all sounded so crazy... but so did an undiscovered species living in hidden cities around the world under far more advanced civilizations' collective noses. Yet Marcus already proved that to be true. Compared to that alone, Timothy's tale sounded downright ordinary.

"And how did you go about gettin' here since there hasn't been news of any secret civilizations bein' discussed yet?"

"I was... devastated when Robert's body was fished from the canal... and even moreso by the callousness with which the news of his passing was received by my mother and father. In my anger, I decided to track down the scoundrel himself and demand to know... if he even cared for my brother. Or if he even cared that he had used him as a pawn in his machinations. The short answer is... no, not truly. Robert was just a tool for him to use. Not that he outright said as much. Anyways, I gathered up a small fortune and... bribed a shipping boat to drop me off along the coast just before they entered the human settlement. I was lucky to find a traveling companion to accompany me, one who was surprisingly knowledgeable of the surrounding area. Thanks to him, I am currently set up in a little motel off the main road."

"Uh-huh... and what're your plans now that you've asked yer question?"

"Well... I have enough money to continue renting the room I am currently occupying... as well as enough to live off of, until I can arrange a trip back to Kartakka... or, if that's not possible for a while yet, I have an uncle who lives here in the human settlement. He's a bit estranged from my father, but still, I'm certain I can count on him allowing me a place to stay."

Dorian, his head spinning, nodded. Without another word, he turned the key, and fired up the cruiser, lamenting how things seem to have gotten much more complicated.

Meanwhile in Savannah Central...

It being a lovely day, Dawn found herself sitting beneath the shade of the tree in the front yard of their house. Next to her was Lily, who was sitting at her plastic princess table. Vernon had been excited that Lily seemed to have been wanting to play tea party, as a lot of her playtime lately revolved around law enforcement. Unfortunately for the large wolf, his pup was instead practicing taking prints with her dolls. Lily was without her favorite coat, Dawn having talked Lily into agreeing to let Vernon wash it, so instead she was only wearing a green t-shirt with butterflies on it, and a simple pair of blue shorts. Since they were in their front yard, Lily was also without her harness and leash, but still, Dawn was making sure to keep a watchful eye, while she rubbed her growing belly.

The morning sickness had already started, but thankfully her mate was right there by her side, supportive and helping keep her head floof back whenever she needed to throw up. They hadn't told the family just yet, wanting to explain the news to the pups first in just the right way. Just then, Dawn heard the tinkling of an ice cream truck playing its public domain jingles as it slowly started to drive by.

Ooooh, some ice cream would be really good, she thought to herself before, her eyes going wide, she looked to the now perfectly still Lily.

"Lil-"

"ICE CREEEEEAAAAAAM!" Lily cheered, jumping up and knocking her plastic play table and its contents over, bolting after the truck.

"Lily!" Dawn called out, her panic starting to rise. Just then, Trevor stepped outside.

"Trevor, quick, your sister just ran after the-"

"ICE CREAM!" Trevor shrieked happily as he ran right on by. Knowing that Trevor would be with her helped Dawn to calm down a little. Then she smiled when she saw Alice exit next, the little black wolf pup joining in the chase. Dawn knew that Alice would help rein in her sister, and, if need be, Trevor as well. It was as she was about to call for Vernon that he came bounding out of the house, his tail wagging.

"ICE CREEEAAAM!" he bellowed in excitement, full-on sprinting after the truck. Dawn started to giggle, and raised a hoof to her muzzle.

"Puppy, please get me a chocolate-dipped Clover Cone!" she called after her mate. His deep rumbly voice drifted back immediately after.

"You got it, Lamb Chop!"

Dawn giggled some more,especially about how Vanna told her that Zach had, on multiple occasions, pulled over an ice cream truck to "issue a warning" before placing an order for him and for herself, seemingly unfazed by Vanna's scolding of his misuse of police equipment.

Back in the Northern Meadowlands...

"Of course ol' Henry'd be the one ta put ya up without any questions," Dorian grumbled as he pulled into the motel that Timothy had directed him to. The Beet's Motel, run by a dubious warthog whom Dorian had, from a professional standpoint, become very well-acquainted with.

"I must admit that while the room and the service is rather... subpar... it has sufficed so far," the human pup said just as Dorian killed the engine. The white law wolf got out and opened the door for his passenger.

"And ya say that yer... chaperone, is still out and about?"

"I believe so, yes, he is very fastidious with his research, at least from what I have observed."

Just as Dorian was about to respond, he noticed a nearby bush that he couldn't recall ever seeing before, growing right up next to where he had parked his cruiser. In fact, Dorian was certain that said shrubbery hadn't been there when he had pulled in at all. It was then that he watched what appeared to be a miniature paw-held satellite dish, and Dorian's suspicions were confirmed.

"Ully, c'mon out. I know that's y'all in there." Timothy turned to regard the sheriff before looking where the older mammal was looking, the listening device was pulled back inside the leafy interior in haste, and the bush was perfectly still. "Ully," Dorian said, crossing his arms now looking and sounding stern. After a few more seconds, there was a sound of a zipper being undone, and Ulric stepped out of the back of the false bush.

"O-oh, uhm, Pa," the younger wolf with the emo hairstyle said, quickly hiding his listening and recording devices behind his back, looking guilty while trying to look casual. "F-fancy meeting you here..."

"Ully, what're ya doin' out here?"

"Uhm... n-n-nothin', Pa..." Ulric said, his tail tucking itself between his legs and his ears splaying flat in guilt, unable to meet his father's eyes.

"Ulric."

"M-maybe Honey and I got wind of there being another human sighting around here... and I was trying to observe them in the wild, without being noticed..." Ulric said, his left eye twitching as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Dorian rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Ully, ya can't go around harassin' mammals whenever y'all hear of some other crackpot theory."

"They're not crackpot theories! At least they won't be when I prove them, like I proved the truth about Moira Blackwool and her secret hybrid love child in Norwulf!"

"Which ya did before gettin' yerself and yer mate arrested, and gettin' the whole family banned from ever enterin' Norwulf and Schottram."

"The truth needed to be told! Besides, I just know that any day now, I'll catch a humane shedding its skin to become a catsquatch on camera, and then have proof!" While Ulric looked triumphant and Dorian looked exasperated, Timothy looked thoughtful.

"That sounds very similar to the prank posts my cousin and his friends post on those internet forums," the boy chimed in. Dorian looked over at the boy, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought yer species was behind us, technologically speakin'."

"It is undeniable that we are, some settlements moreso than others. But the human settlement here has been tapping into the city's internet for at least a decade now. It's a major part of the reason that they've been pushing all the other settlements into revealing themselves, believing that the time of our extermination ended long ago, and that it's possible for us to live relatively peacefully with the other mammals of the world. One of the problems of their hacking into the network are bored teenagers and pre-teen... I believe the term is called 'trolling', on forums. Especially ones involving conspiracy theories and cryptids."

"Huh... yeah, that sounds like somethin' pups would do," Dorian said, looking thoughtful, while Ulric simply frowned.

"I will say that some of the theories that my cousin Eric has posted are rather outlandish. Things like hidden floating squid/mammal hybrids hiding in the woods and telepathic spiders secretly controlling the Zootopian government."

"... LIES!" Ulric called out, now frantic. "TrollHunter42 is a reliable investigator of cryptids and unexplained paranormal phenomena! He may not have ever shown his face, but he's posted pictures of creatures he's caught on camera!" Ulric said, whipping out his phone and tapping its screen before holding it up, his tail starting to tuck itself between his legs. Dorian leaned in and took a look, seeing a semi-blurred picture of some wooded area in the background, with what appeared to be a purple octopus that Dorian immediately could tell was made of plastic and on some kind of clear plastic stick. Timothy took one look at it and stiffled a chuckle.

"That is Eric's model octopus he got when he was ten, in front of a poster for that band he enjoys so much, never cared for them myself, Zeke and the Catsquatches."

"N-no! It can't be!" Ulric whined.

"I'm sorry... sir, but you can clearly see the clear plastic pole that keeps the octopus suspended from the base, and also, you can see part of the band name in the corner."

Looking closer, Ulric did indeed see the letters 'ches' in pink font.

"B-but... that's the creature's translucent ninth tentacle! A-and, those letters were floatin' i-in the air, part of a larger sentence that read 'in the trenches'!" Ulric didn't sound so sure.

"His favorite prank post so far is his longest-running one. It's about an older gentlemammal recalling all of his run-ins with the Broch Kness Monster. And the monster is always asking him, or trying to trick him and his wife, into giving it $3.50, that the older gentlemammal keeps calling-"

"Tree Fiddy?" Ulric said, his ears splaying flat, letting out a whine. Timothy nodded, once more trying to stifle a laugh, making the frantic wolf whine again. " I thought that was, like... Ancient Broch Ness Monster-Speak! You mean to tell me that I've been tricked by... trollposts?"

Timothy nodded and Ulric whined some more. Dorian put a comforting paw on his son's shoulder. "I'm sorry, son, I know how much yer theories mean to ya..."

"Lousy teenaged pups..." Ulric grumbled, crossing his arms, and shooting Timothy a stinkeye.

Elsewhere in the Northern Meadowlands...

Marcus smiled as he retraced his path through the woods, with Brutus now riding atop his head, carrying his violin case. He came out to the clearing to find Lizzy already there with her drums.

"Oh yeah, the grizzle is the first one back!" the female bear proclaimed, strutting a bit as she finished setting up her drums. Soon enough Mina and Ty had returned, the goat girl carrying a flute in lieu of her bass guitar, and the raccoon boy had brought a keyboard with him. Travis was next to show, sporting his acoustic guitar, and then there was Aiko. She showed up holding her own smaller, violin case.

"WOO! Impromptu jam session in progress!" Lizzy said, making the group of kids chuckle.

"I knew that you were bringing your own violin... and I knew that Travis would be bringing his own acoustic guitar... so... I thought that perhaps there could be two violins this time?" Aiko said, worried about offending Marcus. The human boy smiled a little and nodded.

"I have no problem with it," Marcus said, smiling down at the red panda girl.

"Well then, shall I start us off?" Travis offered, the deer boy smiling at his friends.

"You may begin whenever, oh fearless leader," Ty snarked, earning him an elbow from Mina.

"Okay then. I was thinking something along the lines of light and airy," Travis said.

"That's the best way Travis can describe the musical genre he's feeling," Aiko explained to Marcus, who nodded. After another minute of setting up, Travis started. His hoof-fingers plucking slow tunes, before speeding up a bit. He was joined by Lizzy who was making a similar beat. The rest of the group joined in, with Marcus listening intently to the music. The song more or less started to coalesce, making him think of a bright and sunny field beneath a bright blue sky. He suddenly joined in, adding in quick notes, falling into a rhythm with the rest of the group. In his heart, he started to feel excitement. For the first time since he could ever remember, Marcus came to the conclusion that he was making friends.

Back at the Ranch...

"Hey, Kitten," Zach called out to his mate, who was assisting in helping his mother with her pumpkin patch.

"Yes, Goofball?" she called back, looking up as he approached.

"Have ya seen Marcus anywhere? I figured he and Bruno would be back by now. I was hopin' ta practice some more baseball with him," he said, holding up an impromptu suit of armor made from a catcher's padding, a throat guard, extra-thick knee and elbow pads, and old football helmet, having repeatedly learned his lesson after a few more practices that he had to assure Marcus were just fine.

Vanna rolled her eyes and smiled. "He and Bruno came back from their walk, and Marcus was excited. He apparently made some new friends, and they seem to have formed their own little band. So he came back, got his violin, and headed back out to meet up with them. Goofball, you should have seen how excited he was!" Vanna felt her heart soar once more as she thought of how her kitten was already making friends.

Zach, however, started to feel a sense of unease. "And ya just let him run off? Kitten, he's just a pup! They could be lookin' to rob him... or maybe they're a gang, o-or maybe some kind of musical cult!"

Vanna sighed and pulled her mate into a hug. "Marcus is a smart kitten, there's no need to worry." Zach didn't seem so convinced, but decided to have a talk with Marcus later. He returned his mate's hug, a thought suddenly coming to him.

"Oh, Kitten. How are you feeling? No more nausea?"

"I'm fine, Goofball," Vanna said with a happy chuff. "I must've caught a bug is all. It's probably already out of my system."

"What's this about a bug now?" Audrey asked, approaching the two. "Vanna, you shouldn't be working in the field if yer recoverin'."

"Oh, it's nothing Mama Hunter," Vanna said, giving her mother-in-law a reassuring smile, "it's just that the last couple of days I've woken up needing to throw up is all. But like I said, it's probably out of my system by now."

"Oh... ooooooh. Sure it is, sweetheart," Audrey said with a knowing smile, her paw coming to rest on her bulging stomach, "sure it is."

WOO-HOO! And there we go! I certainly hope that you all enjoyed it! Also, as many of you probably already know, WastedTimeEE, the creator of this wonderful AU that inspired me to write an AU of it, recently lost their home to a fire. Please consider reaching out on their and wherever you can DM them to send whatever support or positivity you can their way.