Here's the next chapter! Oh, my gosh, I am so excited to be writing again! This spring break has been a little busier, both physically and psychologically, than I had wanted. I haven't been updating as frequently as I had hoped. I think part of it is also because I've been logging in chapters and one-shots into DeviantArt as well, under the name Carnelian-Fox. Who likes my new pen name? I do!

At any rate, I can claim the new OC, Spencer Dewclaw, in this chapter. He was inspired by Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara! Such a good show. If you're an anime fan, give it a try! And yes, cougars are also known as mountain lions. And per the request of Revan Alek Shan, I'm adding his OC, Kivuli, in the story. Right now, he'll be making more of a cameo appearance until I can better develop his role. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 8: Spencer and Elias

The very next day, Lucas sat down in the same seat he had claimed yesterday and eagerly awaited Hunter's arrival at the next soon as the bus made its next stop and the dear got on, Lucas's eyes lit up and he gave a small wave to the deer. Delighted, Hunter went over to Lucas and plopped down beside him. The deer sighed, "I'm so glad you're okay…"

"You were worried about me?" Lucas asked. "I'm fine."

"Really? You looked like you had been in tears. Ashira, too. And you could have done some serious damage to your body!" Hunter chided. His face softened a bit. "And…thank you for yesterday…in the locker room."

"I didn't do much. It was all Joey," Lucas mumbled, turning his head to out the window.

"You got him, didn't you?" Hunter asked, hoping to get Lucas to know how appreciative he was.

A little voice inside Lucas's head started calling him a coward for he himself had not spoken up against the bigotry. The fox had possible replies rolling around in his head, but they all washed away when he saw a vending machine in the air off in the distance. "What the…?"

"Spencer's at it again," Hunter informed the bewildered fox.

"Who's Spencer?" Lucas couldn't help but ask. Seeing a vending machine was new for him. He had been in the city for two weeks and had seen all sorts of things since he had arrived—none of which compared to that.

"Spencer Dewclaw, the strongest mammal in Zootopia. You know how doctors think that there's a limiter in our brains that keep us from overexerting ourselves all the time?" Hunter began to explain.

"Yeah," Lucas replied, having an instinctual inkling as to what his friend was going to say next.

"Yeah, this cougar doesn't have that," Hunter finished. "And he's got it out for an info broker named Elias Badgerton. And that's a two-way street. Honestly, I think they see each other as rivals because they have nothing better to do."

"And that constitutes a rivalry?!" Lucas exclaimed in shock. He had never heard of such reasoning before.

"They're both pretty nice, but really…unstable," Hunter continued to explain.

"Unstable?" Lucas echoed.

"Unpredictable. They've been known to go above and beyond. Why don't I introduce you later?" Hunter offered.

"I, um…" Lucas mumbled. He had been doing better with meeting new people, but his social anxieties were still a prevalent factor in his psyche and his life.

"It'll be good for you," Hunter urged. "And what did you and Ashira talk about yesterday? Lucas, I…I don't want to pry, but…"

"I guess I'll have to explain my situation to you eventually," Lucas mumbled, looking darkly at his antlered friend. "But you might not want to be my friend if I tell you." He didn't want to chase Hunter away. He didn't want to say anything, but he owed it to Hunter to let him in. Hopefully, he would have been understanding like Ashira. Still, his reluctance lingered. Lucas took a deep breath and began, "I'm damaged goods. It all started when I was eight and—"

"Stop forcing yourself," Hunter cut him off. He smiled warmly at his vulpine friend. "You're surprised I can tell? I don't want you to force yourself to tell me what it is on your mind. It's really weighing on your mind, though."

"It's been one thing after another. I still think I'm really lucky…" Lucas sighed. He started to see Hunter's interruption as a blessing in disguise. Once again letting his options roll around in his head, he said, "How about I just tell you a little bit at a time?"

"I'd like that, but only if you agree to meet Elias and Spencer," Hunter bargained with a cheeky grin. Lucas gave him a nod of agreement. His tail wagged a little. So many of the new mammals in his life—his new parents, Hunter, Ashira and Joey—had done little things for him that had made a huge impact. Every time, he had felt saved from his past and his inner demons. The 14-year-old fox still heard a voice in the back of his mind call him a coward for not saying anything even now, but he did his best to ignore it.

Lucas never really said anything when he needed to do so. Like Nick and Judy, every foster home he had ever been through only heard his story through some documents in a little folder with his name on it. After every foster home, a few more pages were added. All the first couple knew about him was the fire, so they took him in. They didn't really follow through, however. As a result, Lucas and several other orphans weighed the same amount on their ninth birthdays as they had when they were six or seven at best. He hadn't had the courage to speak, so his stomach spoke for him.

The second couple that took Lucas and some of the other orphans in fed them more than the first set of foster parents, but the foster father had used and abused him; treated him like a toy, an object, a doll. Lucas had been beaten and violated by the one who was supposed to be looking out for him. Most of all, Lucas had been degraded by him, devalued by him and fooled by him. Lucas had been fooled into thinking that what he was born for was to pleasure a sadist at the expense of his own mental health. He had begun to hate himself for it, but he hadn't had the courage to speak then, either. The fresh cuts he had made spoke for him.

The third couple took him in, but kicked him out within a year. They had said that their home was a foster home, not a psychiatric hospital. They had grown tired of him flinching whenever someone went to give him a high-five. They had grown tired of his nightmares about the fire. They had taken it personally when he struggled to trust anyone. They had the Little Kits Orphanage take him away. He had felt abandoned, but he never told anyone in the orphanage about his experiences in the foster homes. The disparity in his brilliant blue eyes spoke for him.

He hid all his ache and pain within himself in solitude. Complications had shrouded his days black for six long years. Those years were the era in his life where he worried that his life would shatter and fall apart at the drop of a hat. Yet, he never spoke up about the hell inside his head before yesterday.

"Lucas. Lucas. Lucas!" Hunter spoke his friend's name several times, shaking him a little. "Hey, man, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Lucas muttered. "Just daydreaming." He went to wipe his face with his paw when he realized that he had been crying all the while thinking about how he had bottled everything up for six years. Ashira was his breakthrough; she had been the first one to hear Lucas's story from his own snout and not some pile of paper enshrined in a beige office folder.

"You sure?" Hunter asked, his orange gaze filled with concern and a hint of confusion.

Lucas could only shake his head. He took in a deep breath and asked, "When can we meet Elias and Spencer?"

"Right after school, if you want. Their antics are what make it a regular day in Zootopia," Hunter answered. He wrapped his arms around the fox and whispered, "Don't take this the wrong way because I really want you and Ashira together—almost as much as you do—but you look like you need this and I want to be the one to give it to you."

"Thanks, Hunter," Lucas sniffled. "I needed that. Hey, can you please tell me more about this Spencer guy?"

"Well…he claims he hates violence," Hunter said, trying his best to sound convincing.

"Oh, yeah, every peace lover has a short fuse and uproots a PO box when angered," the lion behind them sarcastically remarked. Hunter and Lucas looked behind them to see a brown lion wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. "You guys are freshmen, right? I'm Kivuli."

"I'm Hunter! Hey, I think I remember you from middle school!" Hunter exclaimed as he introduced himself. "You're in the grade above us!"

"That's right," Kivuli said. "I'm a sophomore." He turned his attention to Lucas. "And you?"

"Lucas…" Lucas replied, swishing his fluffy tail into his arms and hugging it like a security blanket.

"Nice to meet you. Speaking of which, stand back about twelve feet when you meet Spence," Kivuli advised.

"How come he's never been arrested?" Lucas asked, wondering how such destruction goes without punishment.

"He and the bar he works at always pay for the damages. Besides, what judge is going to believe that a single cougar ripped a light pole out of the ground and hurled it halfway across Savannah Central?" Kivuli asked.

"I guess you have a point," Lucas conceded.

The school day came and went, thankfully without incident. As soon as the bell rang, Hunter, Ashira and Lucas got ready to go downtown. Lucas texted Judy 'Going to be late. Ashira and Hunter are taking me downtown.'

'We have a late patrol anyway and Dad has an errand to run. See you soon. XO' was Judy's response. Lucas smiled. Judy reminded him a bit of his biological mother, from what he could remember. The only differences that came to mind off the bat were that Judy wasn't a fox and was considerably younger than his mother had been.

"C'mon, let's go!" Hunter urged excitedly.

"What about Joey?" Lucas asked.

"He has soccer practice. He'll either catch up or go home to shower," Ashira informed Lucas. She gazed at him with soft scarlet eyes. Lucas's face heated up from her the gentle gleam in those beautiful eyes. Ashira wasn't going to run away from Lucas's problems. He could see that in her and it elated him. The trio went to a bus stop and boarded a city bus to downtown Savannah Central. The bus ride was quick, giving Lucas just enough time to be thankful for having friends with him. Had he been alone, he might have ended up having an anxiety attack.

They got down to a small crowd of people. A tall, blonde cougar wearing sunglasses and a bartender's uniform was standing seven feet away from a badger in a black overcoat. The mountain lion, Spencer Dewclaw, swiped at the badger, Elias Badgerton. Elias dodged and swiped back. Spender took half a step back to dodge and threw a kick with his long legs. Elias ducked and, in that instant, saw Lucas.

"Well, this is a surprise!" Elias exclaimed with a fascinated grin as he rolled over to Lucas, Ashira and Hunter. He stood up and greeted, "Lucas Wilde, I've been dying to meet you!"

"Hey, don't you look away from me, you devious weasel!" Spencer growled, but his grimace softened into confusion when he saw the trio. "Ashira? What are you doing here?"

"Spence!" Ashira exclaimed and leaped into his arms. With a huge grin, she asked, "How are you?"

"You guys know each other?" Lucas asked, backing up a little to give himself some space.

"Mm-hmm! My big sister Inari is a regular at his bar!" Ashira affirmatively informed him.

"How do you do?" Spencer asked as he gently let Ashira down.

"Stop in the name of the law!" a female's voice called out. Lucas knew that voice. It was Judy. She, Nick, Officer McHorn and Officer Wolfard were chasing a group of six thugs down the street.

"I was hoping they'd show up," Elias muttered and checked his watch. "A little early, though."

"Out of the way, pred!" a ram bleated and hit Spencer over the head with a wooden baseball bat from behind.

The cougar didn't budge. Instead, he whirled around and there was rage in his eyes. He grabbed the bat and snapped it with one paw. Spencer got in the ram's face and asked, "You know you could have killed me, right? Or hurt this little fox girl?"

"Um…" the ram hesitated. His friends stopped dead behind him.

"You guys are a gang, right? Judging by the bat and the cops on your tails, you just committed an armed robbery. You know what I hate almost as much as that badger over there?" Spencer asked. Before the ram could answer, Spencer punched him and yelled, "Violent hooligans like you!" The ram was hurled into the air by the impact and the punch had literally knocked his pants off. The four ZPD officers watched as the gang ram flew overhead. Only Nick was unsurprised.

Lucas swallowed and approached Spencer. The mountain lion turned and gave the fox his attention. Lucas stuttered, "Th-thank you for protecting Ashira… If something happened to her…"

"Don't mention it, kiddo," Spencer chuckled, his head bleeding from the bat.

"Spence, go to the hospital, will you?" Nick advised as he walked over. He cuffed one of the gangsters, a kudu, before asking Lucas, "Hey, bud, how was school?"

"Um, fine. Uneventful," a somewhat flustered Lucas answered. Judy, after cuffing a raccoon from the gang, run over to Lucas and gave him a big hug. "Uh, hey, Mom!"

"This is your mom?" Hunter asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm adopted," Lucas told his friend.

"Hi, there! You must be one of Lucas's new friends! I'm Mrs. Wilde!" Judy introduced herself as she extended her paw.

"Hunter Stagson," Hunter returned the introduction as he shook her paw.

"She's Officer Hopps-Wilde on duty," Nick added as he rested an arm on Judy's head. "Aren't you, bun-bun?"

"Nick, stop, you'll embarrass Lucas in front of his new friend," Judy giggled. Lucas was unable to muster a response. His recently active mind went blank.

"As for you two, are you at it again? Seriously, someone's going to get hurt trying to intercede one of these days," Nick said to Spencer and Elias.

"I had to be conspicuous. I've got news on the favor you asked me to do, but I didn't think your son would be here," Elias informed Nick, whose eyes lit up eagerly.

"Your dad knows Elias Badgerton?" Hunter asked in surprise.

"He knows everybody," Lucas replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, Nick, I'll back off a bit since Elias owes you. And it looks like you picked up a sweet kid. And here I thought you had topped off your lucky streak with your wife," Spencer chuckled.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Spencer," Nick sarcastically thanked Spencer.

"I remember you! You were at our wedding!" Judy exclaimed, pointing at Spencer.

"Yep, I was there. That was a good wedding, but your dad looked like he didn't want to let go of you," Spencer recalled observantly.

"That's because he didn't," Judy chuckled sheepishly. She looked at Ashira and smiled. "You're the girl from the train station, aren't you?"

"Yep! That's me!" Ashira cheerily confirmed. She walked up to Judy and got on her knees. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Thank you for helping him…"

"…I could say the same to you," Judy replied with a gentle smile. It warmed her heart to know that Lucas was opening up and that he had someone to listen to him. There was no way Ashira would have known otherwise.

Elias whispered something in Nick's ear. The fox officer's emerald eyes widened in shock. He gasped, "You're kidding!"

"Nope," Elias said as he shook his head. "You've got a good family, Nicky. Keep that in mind in everything you do."

"You should consider starting one," Nick advised.

"I love all mammals enough to consider everyone my kin. Except Spencer," Elias said and stuck his tongue out at the mountain lion.

"Why you…!" Spencer growled. Nick got between the mountain lion and the badger in order to prevent another violent clash.