Scars and the Claws That Leave Them

by HakuroNoKage

William Grimm newly transferred to the ZPD from the Ulfhaven Sheriff's Dept. tries to move forward with his life as his past remains a burden that seems to haunt him at every turn. Rated M for everything under the sun, and Nihil Nove Sub Sole. Much love, and many thanks to Darkwolfslayer21 for a cover image for this story, and for so much more besides. It's Nodachi Time.

16. Logos Naki World

Brief A/N: Bit of a retcon in this chapter thanks to eng050559's author's notes concerning coffee, and chocolate toxicity; as he's fond of saying 'it's potency that makes the poison'. I can't actually go back to the chapter where Will mentions his coffee habit to Jade thanks to the Doc Manager system doing it's thing to reduce server strain so just assume from here on out it's a given that Will can handle more caffeine than your average canid. I was already going to put in Will pointing out that some chocolate every now, and then wouldn't kill anyone; as someone who has three dogs including a chihuahua I'm well aware how canines can survive getting into the choco, or rat poison for that matter in which case administer vitamin k regularly for like a month if veterinary services are something you can't readily afford [though don't just take my word for it, google it because I'm probably not remembering everything right in regards to quantity of vitamin k to administer, and for how long]

So yeah this chapter's story recommendation is Lost Causes, and Broken Dreams by eng050559 which is amazing both for it's emotional depth, and the rather informative author's notes. Like seriously medical professionals are unsung heroes, and you will learn things. Also as I just checked the author's page it will be updating relatively soon so now my tail is wagging lol.

I'm also recommending the new story by Zanrok which is 'The Conspiracy' because I ship Wolfeyer, and once I'm done with my Scars 'universe' best believe I'll be putting in my own take on that particular duo.

This prompts me to mention yes I already have that far in the future story started, and in a way I've already hinted at how Scars is going to end; there's only one possible way it could end given the way things are set up, but just because I tell you this doesn't mean you shouldn't look forward to how it all plays out.

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Friday [Week four, day five]

05:30

Thanks to his phone alarm Will awoke on time, and somehow not as tired as he had been the previous morning. He vaguely remembered having gotten off the floor to go to the bathroom then collapsing on the bed muzzle first. He was quite comfortable nuzzling into the softness of his pillow, but alongside the sound of his alarm in his ears he realized there was a certain weight on his back. Turning his head from resting on the right to the left side he found out it was his mate Layla sprawled across him as if he were an extension of the bed; she even had one of her legs wrapped around his right one.

There was no way he was going to get out of bed without waking her, but out of bed he needed to get. It took some wiggling but he managed to slink his way off the left side of the bed, and on to the floor on all fours without jostling her too much, but she groaned in her sleep clearly wanting her consummate bed warmer to stay. Rising to his hindpaws Will couldn't help his tail wagging as he looked at her sleeping form with her fur all mussed from his grooming efforts last night.

With a sigh Will made his way to the bathroom to get the shower started. Once the water was running Will waited for the water to come to temperature keeping a paw in the stream so he could keep it from getting too hot. When it was good, and warm he walked back into the bedroom, and chuckled lightly seeing Layla curled into the warm spot he'd made. He hoped she'd appreciate what he was about to do, and not fuss too much. Getting on the side of the bed that she was closer to Will did his best to roll her on to her back along his left arm then getting his right arm under her legs picked her up 'princess-style', and carried her still sleeping form to the bathroom. Having left the shower door open it was a simple thing to step in, and set her on her feet in the spray of the warm water though he had to hold her steady.

"Just stand there, and I will wash you okay babe?" Will said to her only getting a groggy groan from her in response.

"Your fur was a mess, and you looked funny as hell, but I'll have you right as rain." Will assured her as the water did the trick of waking her somewhat.

Will kept his right arm around her waist to keep her steady while he reached with his left paw for her strawberry scented fur shampoo which he seemed to have been using all week. He managed to get the bottle open with his left paw, but needed his right if he were to properly bathe her, and luckily she was awake enough to stay on her hindpaws though she kept her eyes shut fighting to go back to the realm of sleep. It wasn't for nothing chewing coca leaves was popular among canids in military circles, or actual cocaine, and amphetamine where such was permitted.

Getting the strawberry scented fur soap lathered in his paws Will started with scrubbing it into her chest fur, and arms. When he got it good, and into her neck fur her pleasure at the attention was written on her muzzle. From there he dropped to one knee so he could scrub her legs then got her to turn around so he could wash her back. She actually growled in pleasure at the way he got his claws into scrubbing her back while kneading with his paw pads a trick he picked up from bathing with felines. He moved his paws downwards giving the same level of attention to her rear, and the backs of her legs before finishing with scrubbing her tail with the same level of gentle care he showed it the previous night.

He had taken enough time cleaning her that he had to rush a little to scrub himself, and once they were both well rinsed he turned off the shower before getting out on to the fur drying pad getting it switched on then picking her up, and placing her next to him. Once they were both dry he picked her back up 'princess style' so he could carry her back to their bed where he laid her down then proceeded to get himself dressed. By the time he'd gotten a clean pair of boxers, and uniform trousers on Layla had fallen back asleep sprawled across the bed.

By the time he'd gotten dressed in a clean uniform a quick glance at his phone told him it was a quarter past oh-six-hundred which left him enough time to make it to work. Once in the living room Will set about leaving Layla her morning note which read 'I used to always be hopin' someday I'd find someone, someone to love me, someone to need me but until then well I kept on Dreamin' until my dream came true. I don't want you to ever forget that you are that dream come true, my lovely vixen.'

That done Will left their apartment locking the door before taking the elevator downstairs. Down at his Shelby he retrieved his gun belt from where he'd left it in the trunk the night before, and after getting it on got in his car plugging his phone into the aux, and charger cables before getting the engine going. Once it was started Will got the music playing starting with "Rise" by Origa; he'd been saddened when he'd read on an anime news website that she'd died so relatively young. He was an ardent believer that the artists of the world were the ones who filled it with so many multitudinous reasons to be protected, and fought for; even hearing older artists like Lemmy, David Bowie, David Brockie had left the mortal coil bummed him out when he heard the news.

The next track to play on his drive to the precinct was "Siberian Doll House" and Will thought to himself 'I dare any anime fan to say Yoko Kanno isn't the shit.' Just past the halfway point between his place with Layla, and the precinct while at a red light "Idoling" queued up then was followed by "Train Search" leaving Will pleased he'd chosen a playlist of songs from the Koukaku Kidotai soundtracks in particular the Stand Alone Complex OST's for his morning commute.

Down in the motor pool once he'd arrived Will greeted Joe on his way to the lift. The snow leopard in charge of the precinct's vehicle fleet asked him what was up with the word he'd shown up covered in blood, but Will played it off as nothing he needed to worry about adding that story was 'Chief's ears only'. Up on the ground floor Will had the time so he made his way to Benji for his customary morning greeting, and dose of positivity.

"So how is my favorite cheetah this morning?" Will asked.

"Excited for tomorrow's party. I remember you saying you wanted to DJ it?" Benji answered.

"Oh, I do though maybe I can just give my playlist to Sage, and let her have that bit of fun. After all she, and I are the two mammals to come to for the music that keeps halloween a year round thing." Will responded.

"I'll ask her later, then." Benji replied.

"Well I'm gonna get to the bullpen early, I'll catch you later buddy." Will said with a friendly smile before heading off.

Once in the bullpen Will waved to Nick, and Judy who looked like they were recovering from yesterday's events fairly well, and shared a paw-bump with John on his way to his usual seat next to Autumn. His partner greeted him as he sat down, and they waited for the Chief to make his appearance.

"Alright, listen up!" The Chief began once he'd reached the podium at the front of the bullpen "First order of business thanks to those of you who volunteered to help with interrogations yesterday we've got good intel on this gun smuggling ring. Enough so that I'll be coordinating the SWAT units from this precinct, and precinct two to put an end to their operations. However what we don't have is anything on whoever delivered these smugglers to us, and having mentioned their M.O. to the officers in charge of the other precincts I got a call from Captain Cenote over in the Rainforest District that last night these same mammals hit some drug traffickers again leaving the criminals tranqed, and robbed with enough contraband to put them away, but clearly some of said contraband missing."

The Chief pinched the bridge of his muzzle with a hoof in exasperation before continuing "On that note Wolford, Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, and Delgato I'm assigning you to figure out how these mammals got a hold of the tranqs their using, and the weapons to fire them. Surely someone somewhere is missing some ordinance."

The rest of the officers got regular patrol duty with the encouragement from the Chief that crime of late was on a decrease, and to keep it that way. Will, and Autumn however were assigned desk detail with Will up front with Benji, and Autumn assisting the two as needed. Will took the assignment in stride since he was always happy to work with his favorite cheetah while Autumn once they were out of the bullpen complained a little.

"I swear we're getting punished for whatever it was you did yesterday to those two leopards." Autumn groaned at Will.

"Heh, no. Now being assigned parking duty that would be a punishment. I get the feeling the Chief just wants to keep his eyes on me." Will responded with a grin.

"And why would he want to do that hmm? If not for you getting covered in blood like it was the new fashion." Autumn groused.

"You keep bringing it up, and I'll tell you just what I did which you really don't want to know. That's not the only reason he wants to keep watch on me; I can just about guarantee he still suspects me of being responsible if not knowing who is responsible for the gun runners brought in, and now the drug dealers precinct two brought in. Can't say I blame him, but all he's got is circumstantial nothing, and his cop's instincts to go on." Will said while they made their way to the front desk.

"Yeah, I really don't want to know what you did, and why would he suspect you?" Autumn asked.

"I'm at the top of his suspect list because I fit the bill of a mammal who could pull all of it off more than any other ex-special forces mammal in the city. If I were responsible however, I'd have gone through the Chief first, and as it stands based on what he's told us of their M.O. I'm trying to figure out what they're really after." Will answered.

"Really you could pull that off?" Autumn asked skeptically as they were nearing Benji.

"You've seen my 'Go Unnoticed' trick, and you doubt me?" Will inquired back almost offended.

"It's not that I don't think you could do it, I just wonder how you would do it." Autumn answered placatingly.

"Hey, you two. What're you talking about" Benji asked his muzzle expression on par with a curious kit.

"We're talking about whoever's responsible for taking out those gun runners two nights ago, and those drug dealers last night in the Rainforest District." Will answered before going into detail with what Autumn wanted to know "For the record any SWAT trained mammal could pull of what these guys are. Enough scent neutralizer, and body covering including helmet, and tail net and you've got relative anonymity unless someone spots you. Now how their hiding from all the street cams in the city besides knowing where those cameras are is using some sort of jamming device which wouldn't be easy to come by, or make, but a smart enough tech savvy mammal could do it. The hard part of what their doing is in how they're using tranqs; those are rather specifically regulated as are the weapons to fire them so thieves that they are they probably stole a shipment, or two most likely from a manufacturer before it made it into a secure vehicle."

"Okay, so what does their M.O. say about them?" Autumn asked with Benji as attentive as if he were watching a new Gazelle music video.

"Well let's start with the fact that they're using tranqs, and policing their darts. Policing your brass is something they drill into you in special forces in case you get selected to go on the kind of classified mission where it's imperative you leave no trace, and the kind of mammals who call those kinds of missions their bread, and butter police their spent brass, or tranqs like it's a religion. This tells us the kind of training they've had, as well as the likelihood that they have serious combat experience. Now once their done pacifying their targets what do they do besides police their tranqs? They pickpocket every mammal they've downed, take whatever contraband they want, and then give the local ZPD an anonymous tip." Will began his breakdown of his, and Layla's M.O. as if it wasn't theirs "They add insult to injury pilfering petty cash from the criminals they've taken down probably to rub it in the muzzle of said criminals that they're being outclassed, there are any number of reasons they'd take some of the contraband they have with the simplest being just because they can, and they tip off the ZPD so the criminals account for their actions."

"They almost sound like a modern day version of Robin Hood, and his Merry Mammals." Benji opined.

"Hahaha, I guess so huh?" Will chuckled at the fluffy cheetah's observation "That might just be a possibility for their motives though to really make money to give to the poor they'd have to sell the contraband they've stolen which wouldn't make them any better than the criminals they deliver to us. I think that they deliver the bad guys to us is indicative that their real goal is to put a dent in crime the ZPD might not be legally in a position to, and that they take from the criminals what they do is just because they can, or to throw us off, or both. It could be the other way around however, and what they take is the real hint on what they're really after with more criminals behind bars being an added bonus."

"Is there any way to narrow any of that down?" Autumn asked adding "That's quite the line of reasoning you laid out there."

"Didn't I tell you that's what Agents do in the ZIA? Well mostly analysts, but the best Field Agents learn from all sides when it comes to espionage, and counterespionage; and I learned from two of the best. Without more intel than we already have there's nothing more we could do to figure out the 'why' that would lead to the 'who'." Will answered with a grin as he thought of Jack, and Sky.

"Don't you guys need to get on patrol?" Benji asked as he realized they'd been chatting quite a while.

"Actually buddy I'm up front with you today, and my lovely partner is our runner. I assume it's because the Chief wants to keep his eye on me after what I did yesterday, and despite my lack of involvement, or knowledge regarding those responsible I'm still suspect number one in his book on this whole 'vigilante' case." Will answered adding "That I only have access to department issue tranqs, and my main late night 'extracurricular activity' is between the sheets with my mate should be proof enough of my innocence, but I can't exactly fault him for not trusting me."

"But why wouldn't he trust you? You're one of the best officers we have." Benji responded shocked that Will was so casual about the matter.

"Because I'm a killer Benji, and now he knows of just what calibre. Police work is my rehabilitation into a more normal way of living. One I might add that I am ardently trying to pursue now for the sake of my future kit, and not just my own, but it still stands that I know the taste of blood, and the feeling of watching the life leave a mammal's eyes as I cause it's heart to stop beating. I may not crave killing like some other mammals who've gone as far as I have, but for me it will always be an acceptable course of action when the situation calls for it that it would never be for nearly every other officer under his command." Will answered though the usual light in his eyes seemed to dim as a certain weariness crept into his voice.

Benji was too caring a mammal to see one of his friend's demeanor change so drastically, and so he did the only thing he could think to do; he hugged Will saying as he did so "But you save lives Will, every chance you get."

Will just buried his muzzle into Benji's shoulder grateful for, and accepting of the comfort he offered telling him "Thank you, Benji. Let no one say a truer friend than you ever existed, or that the Great Mother of Cats isn't proud to call you her son."

The two of them had a small cry after that, but both felt much better afterwards, and once they'd recovered wasted no time getting to work. Like the usual routine Will, and Benji seemed to have intuitively worked out the fluffy cheetah focused on the dispatch side of things while the nearly tiger sized arctic wolf took care of the paperwork with his partner aiding in getting things where they needed to go alongside him which as far as efficiency was concerned was certainly noteworthy. Will wasn't entirely wrong about Autumn, and his day's posting being a sort of punishment aimed at him, but the Chief also put them there because capable leader that the Chief was he enjoyed seeing the increased productivity out of the usually on the slower side Benji, and with Will going out on a five day leave felt it prudent to keep him 'in-house' where things were less likely to get out of hoof as the previous day's events proved they could.

That wasn't to say with Will in the precinct that things wouldn't get interesting. During a lull in their work Will had asked Autumn if she minded fetching him a mug of coffee since he hadn't had his daily portion with the stipulation that it be in a mug sized for her, and not say Wolford for example. Autumn had agreed easily since the rapport Will, and Benji had alongside the upbeat attitude they bounce off each other while they worked together was besides being infectious quite the morale boost to witness. Will was in the middle of mildly flirting with Benji more in a manner befitting friendly teasing than anything when Autumn returned with his requested mug of coffee from the break room, and she realized from Will's body language that he was engaging in the same casual contact two felines on friendly terms would normally do which she stopped to watch for a moment. Autumn knew from her sister who had been his roommate in college for the two years he'd been there how as expressive as he was in wolf terms with his body language he seemed to innately pick up on, and imitate unique body language cues in other mammals particularly felines, but to know a thing was different from actually seeing it.

As she watched the two she remembered a story her sister had told her about how his tendency to physically express himself as other mammals did extended even into how he would talk with her example being when a foreign student from England had gotten the dorm next to theirs, and within an hour of talking to the other wolf Will's accent had shifted into the same way of speaking as the other wolf albeit as the English wolf had said Will had a more Scottish sound. According to Summer Will had openly said he sometimes slipped into the accent he was speaking in without control over it, and attributed it to the amount of british music he listened, and sang along to telling them both about a forest fire he'd been at during his time in the Ulfhaven Conservation Corps which handled camp logistics, and he'd pretended to be from Ireland for the amusement of the crew he was working with in receiving, and distribution. Coming out of her musings Autumn gave Will the mug of coffee which was black without sugar, or cream as requested, but no sooner did Will finish his first drink than his entire demeanor shifted, and Will moved the mug away from his muzzle to glare at as if it had personally offended him which it had.

"Partner, where did you get this?" Will asked knowing full well the state of the contents of the mug he held in his left paw were not her fault.

"The break room" Autumn answered a little perplexed at Will's shift in demeanor.

"Do you know who made the pot?" Will followed up his inquiry.

"I don't know who made it." Autumn replied then asked "Is there something wrong with it? It smelled fine to me."

"Are you much of a coffee drinker Autumn?" Will asked her in response his tone with her quite cordial.

"I'm a cop. We, and doctor's alike run on the stuff." Autumn said with a hint of a smile at him.

"While soldiers get coca leaves. After boot camp anyway . . ." Will responded with a grin of his own before offering her the mug saying "Try this."

"Okay, that's not coffee. Not by a long shot from a horse's dick" Autumn said frowning after she managed to swallow the small drink she took.

"Indeed it is brown water. As with cannabis just because it smells like good shit doesn't mean it is." Will replied nodding as he did so before turning to Benji to ask pointing at the bottom of the mic in front of the cheetah "The switch to turn this mic over to broadcast on the station P.A. was this one right?"

"Yeah, that's right" Benji affirmed.

"Alright, don't mind me I'm just going to borrow this for a sec" Will said as he slid the microphone over so he could speak into it.

"Will whoever made the coffee currently in the break room kindly present themselves therein ASAP. I repeat if you made the coffee in the break room please report to me there promptly." Will's voice carried through the station over the public address system.

There hadn't been a hint of anger, or malice in his voice, but officers could be seen pausing in their duties to watch Will as he headed for the break room coffee mug in paw. After he passed Benji was rushed by those who wanted to bet on who was responsible for what Autumn confirmed was a sub par, and absolutely lackluster brew of the sacred beans as well as bet on what Will had in store for the culprit. A few put their money on the responsible mammal being new to the precinct though Will was the most recent patrol officer to join their ranks, and no one really knew of any new hires in other departments; most put money on that whoever it was they were gonna get a Chief level tail chewing from Will which after he had come back covered in blood the day before sounded like something far worse than what their commanding officer was capable of. Autumn for her part was the only one who only put money on what Will would do, and that he would simply show the culprit how to properly make a pot of coffee; though some of their fellow officers openly laughed at her faith in her partner with some commenting she'd have more chance winning if she bet on the odds of the Chief wearing a dress Benji shared her optimism, and put her down fair, and square in the small ledger for the office betting pools that he kept in his desk.

Will made it to the break room, and found it empty which suited him fine. He eyed the contents of the mug he held with disappointment then shot a disdain filled glare at the coffee pot from whence it came. He didn't have to wait long before a mammal joined him in the break room, and he could tell from their footsteps that they were nervous though he kept his back turned to the door as he stood facing the coffee pot he'd swiftly turned off shortly after entering.

"I take it you're the one responsible for the fresh pot?" Will asked as he turned to face the culprit who turned out to be a leopardess. She wasn't exactly model gorgeous for her species, but she was definitely pretty nonetheless at least in Will's eyes, and he would defend her as such to anyone who said otherwise.

"I did." she answered unable to hide her nervousness since she expected a tail chewing that would definitely still smart for a few days.

"Well officer what is your name?" Will asked in turn doing his best not to grin as she looked up at him still nervous as hell.

"I'm Lieutenant Haylen, sir." She answered doing her best to sound professional towards who she assumed was a superior officer.

"Your first name?" Will clarified the answer he wanted.

"It's Nora" Haylen replied.

"Well Nora I'm Will it's nice to meet you" Will responded with a grin offering his paw which she shook his calmness doing a great deal to negate the stress she'd been feeling.

"It's nice to meet you too Will" Nora said as she released his paw.

"Now on to business. Are you a coffee drinker Nora?" Will asked seriously though his friendly demeanor didn't change.

"I am actually." Nora answered.

"Do you brew your own coffee at home?" Will inquired.

"No, I usually just stick with Snarlbucks." Nora replied.

"What is with my generation, and simply buying coffee already made?" Will wondered rhetorically before passing Nora his mug, and saying "Try this."

"That's no Snarlbucks, now is it?" Will asked with a wicked grin in open amusement at the frown on Nora's muzzle, and a chuckle when she shook her head in response to his question.

"You know you're lucky it's me you have to deal with on this one. If you'd say brought the Chief a mug like this he'd put you on parking duty for a month." Will said with his grin softening before continuing "Now I want you to show me what you did before I show you not only how to do it right, but how to do it graveyard shift style. As the old saying goes the mammal who makes the coffee good rules the campfire."

"Well first I filled the back with water, and tossed out the used grounds" Nora explained while as she did so Will poured out the brown water, and likewise refilled the tank listening to her continue.

"I found coffee filters next to the coffee tin, and I didn't know just how much to put in once I had the filter where it goes so I asked one of the officers who happened to be in here with me. He just said put in a couple scoops, and it'd be fine." Nora finished telling him.

Will had seen what the problem had been when he tossed out the spent grounds, but withheld telling her until he'd seen the scoop that was inside the coffee tin. "Well Nora you can't exactly be faulted for being given bad directions, or the fact that this scoop is totally unsuitable unless you were making coffee for someone Judy's size. As a general rule you want to fill the coffee filter half full with grounds at least though only for the later shifts would putting more than that be called for."

After telling her this Will himself went about putting in a new filter, and fresh grounds where those went in the coffee making apparatus. He waved her over so she could see his handiwork before he closed the lid, and turned the machine on.

"So you new around these parts Nora?" Will asked making conversation while they waited for the coffee to brew.

"Yeah I got promoted to the administration side of things about three months ago over in precinct two, and they transferred me here two weeks ago." Nora answered.

"So hear any good rumors about me?" Will wondered with an easy grin.

"I don't really pay much attention to what others usually say about other officers. I learned pretty quick over at precinct two that just because the word around the office was that a given mammal wasn't nice didn't mean said mammal was actually disagreeable." Nora told him honestly.

"Come on, humor me. If I asked just about anyone else they wouldn't give it to me straight." Will encouraged her.

"Well when I first got here most folks were still reeling from that sparring match you had with your sister, and all I really knew about you was what I'd seen on zootube. Rumor has it though you get around with certain of your fellow officers particularly the station quartermaster. Though I take that with a grain of salt since Benjamin speaks so fondly of you, and is really happy he gets to be one of the witnesses before the judge when you legally marry your mate. She is really pretty by the way; Benjamin showed me pictures." Nora gave in, and told Will mostly what he wanted to hear before asking "Is it really true you showed up back at the precinct covered in blood yesterday?"

"Ah the station rumor mill where do I even begin? It's true I've been more than just friendly with Mihoshi that's Officer Yama, and Jade who's Officer Caldera. It's also true that Jade is welcome in, and has been in the bed my mate, and I share. Of course Benji would say nice things about me though I don't always deserve them; he was the first friend I made when I transferred here from Ulfhaven nearly a full month ago now, and I swear he gives the best hugs. As for yesterday, yes I did come back covered in blood, and none of it my own, but I don't take very kindly at all to threats to my pack mates, or extended pack mates of which not only Judy is a part since Nick is my pack brother so too is Nick's mom, and Judy's whole family." Will explained though as he was speaking this last sentence Wolford came in to the break room empty coffee mug in paw.

"That's a whole lot of bunnies Will, I've seen the family photos" John commented before greeting Lt. Haylen "Hello, Nora."

"Hello John." Nora replied, and Will noted her shift in body language.

"Even if I weren't who, and what I am Brother I would still take on the responsibility of her whole family being my extended pack mates" Will said to John with all seriousness before commenting "I see you two are on a first name basis."

This of course caused Nora to blush slightly something neither wolf failed to notice though John tried changing the subject "So she's the one you summoned to their doom over the P.A.; I see she's still in one piece so I guess that means your partner Will is going to win the pool."

"I'm not the Chief, Brother" Will responded with a laugh "She'd never really used a coffee maker before thanks to the existence of Snarlbucks, and made an honest mistake, but I showed her the ropes. By the way a fun fact you two might find interesting: Did you know that the Great Mother of Cats, and the Wolf Father besides being brother, and sister as angels in heaven also are extended pack mates so to speak, and not exactly averse to being intimate which leads to them looking rather fondly on situations where their children get along rather well."

"I've never heard of such a thing, and that seems rather . . ." Nora replied trailing off as she searched for the right word.

"Incestuous? Taboo?" Will suggested before clarifying "For that matter the Wolf Father, and Wolf Mother are fraternal twins. The rules for what is acceptable out here besides varying wildly depending where on this earth you go mean absolutely nothing over there. My point wasn't that certain angels in the realms of heaven get freaky though believe me they do; my point was that if you asked the Wolf Father, or the Cat Mother they'd both tell you the notion that canines, and felines were never meant to get along is absolute bullshit."

"If you know so much what would for example the Wolf Father say about a pairing like Wilde, and Hopps?" Nora asked curiously while John as apparent by his muzzle expression also wanted to know.

"This is something that's hard for most mortal mammals to understand, but all the angels in the realms of heaven of predator, and prey alike are all brothers, and sisters. Sure there's like in any large family some quibbling, and sibling rivalry, but one thing they all share in common is ardent approval of the children they watch over not only getting along, but becoming more than friends. The Wolf Father looks upon Nick, and Judy, and their partnership fills him with gladness there are no words for." Will explained to them with no small amount of seriousness.

"Well coffee is done, shouldn't we be getting back to work?" John asked his tail wagging as he tried to change the subject.

"That it is Brother." Will replied picking up the full carafe to fill his mug after he'd poured it out in the sink. Will also extended the carafe in his paw so he could refill John's mug before placing it back in the apparatus, and telling the two of them he'd catch them later.

On his way out of the break room it was hard not to notice the Chief standing off to his left.

"Hey, Chief been standing there long?" Will asked.

"Long enough." The Chief answered.

"I guess you weren't the only one of a mind that I'd come unglued on one of our fellow officers, over something like a shitty pot of coffee. You're funny boss. Oh! That reminds me!" Will replied before sticking his head back into the break room and calling out to the leopardess within "Hey, Nora remind me when I get back from Ulfhaven the monday after next that I'm upgrading our coffee setup, and getting us better grounds; I want espresso roast on paw in an airtight container."

"So you need anything Chief? Maybe a back rub?" Will asked turning his attention back to his superior with a grin on his muzzle.

"I don't think so, Grimm." The Chief answered tersely.

"You sure sir? It's not for nothing felines make excellent masseurs, and I know their secrets." Will said waggling his free paw before sipping from his coffee.

"What're you playing at Grimm?" The Chief asked raising an eyebrow.

"You don't trust me farther than you could throw me right now, but what have I done to lose the trust you did have in me? I rescued our smallest officer from quite the threat as far as I, or her partner for that matter were aware of at the time, and despite my being honest about my lack of involvement in certain activities targeting the city's criminals you still suspect me. I did tell you that if I were to start appropriating funds from criminals to recoup my losses, and bolster the precinct budget I'd run it by you first didn't I?" Will answered pointedly.

"I don't recall you saying anything quite to that effect though you mentioned such a course of action." the Chief replied.

"Then consider this me running it by you, once I'm back from Ulfhaven my duties here permitting I'm going to go after the more stubborn criminal elements in this city, and reappropriate their assets. Anything over the first two million I'll split between donations to the whole ZPD, and any charities of your choosing. I think that's only fair since I was the anonymous donor responsible for us getting reoutfitted with dragon skin vests, and polyaramid weave uniforms." Will responded well aware that he would be overheard by John, and Nora.

"What?" Nora exclaimed while John involuntarily spewed a mouthful of coffee from his muzzle thankfully back into the mug he'd lifted to his lips before saying "No wonder Jade was so happy when we got that first shipment she marked you. So that's what we're getting? Nice."

"You two are to keep that information to yourselves. That Is An Order, Understood?" The Chief quickly addressed them before turning to Will saying "What is your major malfunction Grimm?"

"Tell me John if I ordered every canid in this building with the full weight of my authority to turn on the Chief what would be the outcome?" Will asked Wolford temporarily ignoring the Chief though he kept his eyes locked on the cape buffalo's.

"We . . . We would be compelled to obey, but . . ." John responded clearly disconcerted by even the mere suggestion.

"By even issuing such a command I'd be dividing my own forces, and face open insurrection. Let me pose another hypothetical to you John. Say the Chief issued commands that were for the safety of this city, but were morally questionable, and went against not only the code of honor every good cop follows, but were such that the canids under his command considered desertion except for me, and I used my full authority to second his hypothetical unconscionable orders; what would happen then?" Will asked him.

"We wouldn't like it, but we'd be compelled to obey. Why would you even suggest such things?" John replied, but felt the need to question Will.

"Thought exercises like these are important John both for commanders, and the commanded. No matter how unlikely a scenario it is better to be mentally prepared for it, and never face it then to not even have that much, and be waist deep in blood, and guts putting a gun to your head because you never considered having to take a life with the weapons you were born with but had to go muzzle deep into killing at the most brutal level." Will answered John before saying to the Chief "I don't have a major malfunction Chief, I just felt the need to lay some cards on the table. You finally understand the kind of asset I am, but aren't willing to accept me as an asset instead of a potential liability, and as John just helped me point out it behooves me not to usurp your command, but to reinforce, and augment it. I told you what happened the last time my higher-up considered me a liability; don't make his same mistake."

"Why would you be compelled to obey him John?" Nora asked Wolford.

"Nora that is between the canids in this precinct, and me. The salient point is that I would never just order them around on a whim. I am not here to rule, or conquer anyone." Will answered her question before turning to head back to the front desk.

"Will." the Chief said stopping him in his tracks "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Water under the bridge sir." Will replied sipping his coffee then continuing on his way.

When he got back to the front desk Autumn was waiting for him an expectant look on her muzzle.

"So partner who was your hapless victim?" Autumn asked though her tone was teasing.

"You mean the poor excuse for coffee culprit? That'd be a one Lieutenant Nora Haylen, and I didn't reprimand her, or anything of the sort. I just showed her the more proper amount of grounds to put, and made a fresh pot." Will answered sipping from his mug for emphasis before adding "I also asked her to remind me after I get back that I want to upgrade our coffee makers, and store of grounds. By the way here any betting pools open on Wolford, Benji?"

"So you didn't yell at her, or anything?" Autumn sought clarification.

"Why would I do that? If it had been a male officer okay I would've barked at him a little, but females are my weakness partner. I'm only mean to them if absolutely necessary, or they somehow manage to press my buttons the wrong way, and that's rare." Will answered her shaking his head at her for being ridiculous.

"Yes!" Autumn exclaimed "I won. Cash me out Benji."

"Hmm? Wait, you won?" Benji responded having been engrossed in his phone.

"Yep. Though who's Lieutenant Haylen? I need to thank her for being the reason I won, and split my winnings with her." Autumn told him grinning ear to ear.

"Nora was the one who made the bad pot?" Benji asked turning to Will.

"Yes she was Benji, and since you didn't hear me the first time are there any open bets on Wolford?" Will responded before adding to his partner "She was transferred here from precinct two about two weeks ago, and is more in the admin side of things. She's actually really nice, and pretty too."

"Okay then let me just send out a message that you won Autumn" Benji said to her quickly tapping out a group text on his phone, and after sending it retrieved the stack of bills she'd won saying "There you go. You'll probably find Nora up on the third floor. Now I can tell you Will that right now there aren't any bets open on John. You thinking of starting one?"

"I am. I want you to put me down for forty bucks that within a month he asks Nora out." Will said pulling out his wallet, and getting out two twenties.

"Ooh, you think he likes her?" Benji asked excitedly.

"They're on a first name basis, and I think they both like each other, but we'll see how it goes. Monday is the opening of the 'Gates of Death' which marks the beginning of winter so if it affects John anything like it affects me he'll be more inclined to make a move." Will answered.

"I've never heard of Halloween ever called that. Sounds morbid." Benji commented as he took Will's money, and made notes in his ledger.

"For mammals like Will, and I who're naturally closer to the realm of spirit that's what we refer to it as. Well I'm gonna go track down Lt. Haylen" Autumn said before giving them a wave, and heading for the elevator.

"Likewise I'm heading out front for a smoke break, okay Benji." Will said to him setting his coffee mug down on the front desk.

Will made his way through the front doors towards the ashtray out front having with fluid ease already placed a cigarette in his mouth by the time he reached said doors. After he lit it using his black flip lighter he pulled out his phone to get in touch with Layla via text. He sent her a message letting her know about what he'd told the Chief about appropriating funds from criminal elements once they were back from Ulfhaven as well as asking if she minded changing their 'date' night into a 'Hentai, and chill' night. With his phone back in his pocket Will took his time enjoying the last half of his cigarette, and decided to smoke another once it was dead.

On his way back in his phone's text notification went off, and he read Layla's response while he walked. She'd given Adam, and Kat the heads up mentioning their previous 'date' nights were at least effective test runs for those future 'dates' they'd go on. She also told him she was all for a little 'Hentai, and chill' so long as she selected the hentai. Will tapped out his reply to her that, that was fine by him hitting send just as he sat back down next to Benji, and after taking a sip from his coffee got back to what work needed doing at the front desk.

The two of them fell back into their work rhythm with Will having Benji teach him the ropes of handling dispatch since he already was familiar with handling calls. When Autumn came back she commented to Will that he was quite right Nora was nice, and definitely pretty. The three of them continued working up until lunch, and Benji revealed his boyfriend Michael had made him a healthier lunch than what he'd normally be eating.

Will expressed his approval of the chicken dish Benji had since it really did smell good, and usually food that was healthy didn't smell that appetizing. When Autumn suggested they go get something from the cafeteria though she wasn't that hungry Will responded that they could go have that sparring match to work up their appetites. Benji looked shocked since Will's suggestion reminded him of the sparring match Will had with Lola, but Autumn was game so they made their way to the training room.

Once they were there Will prepared by removing his uniform shirt, and doing some stretches while Autumn retrieved the necessary protective gear. Neither noticed that Jack who'd been using a weight set quickly left; Brushfire felt the need to spread the word that Will was sparring with his partner. When Autumn came back over to where Will was with head, and mouth guards along with boxing gloves Will just shook his head at her telling her to simply remove her gear, and step in the ring with him. Autumn was almost obstinate about not going up against him without protection, but Will was emphatic that for one thing he didn't box since he was trained in Aikido which required free paws, and that while he wasn't going to go easy on her he wanted her to be able to go all out on him. Eventually Autumn agreed on the condition that if she called the match over then it would be which Will agreed to without hesitation.

Once Autumn had likewise removed her uniform shirt revealing the sports bra she wore underneath, and they were in the ring they both noticed the audience they'd gathered with Jack among those in the front. With a nod from each of them that was their agreed upon signal they each took stances, and began circling eachother starting their match.

Will's stance was loose with his paws held low while Autumn kept her guard high since all she really had was the boxing training from her academy days. Will gave his partner his best devious grin that reached his eyes trying to psych her out, and as soon as he saw it working he made the first move. With a playful yip he lunged, and though Autumn dodged she played into his paws allowing him to almost land more of swat in her general direction than an actual strike.

They continued circling each other with Will continuing his efforts successfully giving Autumn playful shoves along with a couple snaps of his jaws not meant to actually come in contact with her. It took Autumn a minute to realize that he wasn't actually trying to fight her so much as play with her in the manner wolf, and tiger cubs tended to. Once Will saw her catch on to the game he was playing at he dropped onto all fours continuing his antics teasing her with what soft blows he landed. Autumn likewise got on all fours, and catching his playful mood felt no qualms about using her claws in their play.

Their audience was certainly confused by their antics at first, but Anthony, and Jason both laughed as they were first to realize what was going on since as fathers they'd seen their cubs play like Will, and Autumn were with other cubs their age. Eventually after they started wrestling, and play biting at each other Will eventually let his partner win with Autumn grinning as she got her fangs around his throat claiming her victory. They both sat on their haunches panting at each other for a moment before Will got back on his hindpaws first then helped Autumn back up.

Their focus no longer on each other they both had a laugh looking at their audience who'd come to see a fight, but got a different kind of show.

"If I had told you that was what I had in mind for a trust building exercise instead of an actual spar would you have agreed partner?" Will asked after they'd left the ring, and went for their discarded gear.

"Probably not, but that was fun. Thank you Will." Autumn answered.

"Don't mention it. Just because we're adults doesn't mean we shouldn't behave like cubs every now, and again." Will responded with a smile.

"No wonder you're so good with cubs. That was too fun watching you play with those young ones in the park yesterday." Autumn said while she got her uniform shirt back on.

"Like I said that's the me I'd rather be." Will replied likewise getting his uniform shirt, and gear back on.

Once they were back in uniform they headed out of the training room, and towards the cafeteria. After they'd eaten having definitely worked up an appetite they headed back to the front desk, and just in time to help Benji with the post lunch rush. When the Chief asked Benji to get some files in his office put in archives Will took over dispatch duty having gotten the hang of how that went.

The three of them kept up their work with positivity that spread to those around them. Jade even stopped by in the middle of the afternoon mostly to pester Will out of boredom though she did give him an update on her progress getting stuff packed away in the armory, and after confirming with Autumn that she was cool to back up Benji for a bit offered to give Jade a paw which she gladly accepted.

Will surprised Jade with just how strong he proved to be when they got to packing away the kevlar vests meant for mammals polar bear size, and larger. The kevlar only vests weren't actually that heavy, but were awkward. It was the vests with ceramic plate inserts that proved heavy especially since they were older variants seeing as most of the rhinos, hippos, and elephants hadn't needed to use that much armor in well over a decade; the precinct still had them on paw just in case, but with the dragon skin vests they'd be getting the older vests simply had to go. Jade was actually worried when Will went to move an elephant sized vest since she'd meant to get one of the elephant officers down to actually help moving that section of gear, but her fears were unfounded. Will simply moved it enough that he could pull out the ceramic plates which on their own weren't that heavy.

While they worked they bantered back, and forth on the merits of the city's efforts on firearm control, and the necessity of even keeping such heavy armor in stock. Jade was of the mind that with the city seeming safer, and safer every year that they'd even kept the gear was a little ridiculous. Will on the other paw reminded her that smugglers could still theoretically at least get ordinance into the city that would require deploying every elephant on the force in what amounted to light versions of the armor those militaries with elephants outfitted them with. When Jade asked if Will really had taken down a 'War Elephant' after he mentioned off paw that it wasn't fucking easy he answered that with only his knife, and his fangs he had, but it was probably the most difficult exercise in physical combat he'd ever undertaken simply because he'd had to get close enough to go for the legs then the throat. He explained to her that the only reason he'd had to even do it was because the bull in question had been a closet meth-head, and went nuts on his whole platoon during a training exercise to the point lethal force had been necessary.

Jade thanked Will for his help when they were done, and gave him a hug since she'd heard about his upcoming trip, and that she wouldn't see him for a week. Will chuckled hearing her say she'd miss him, and reminded her that not only would she see him tomorrow night at the halloween party, it was only a week he'd be gone which wasn't long at all. She insisted she'd miss him all the same before inquiring what his costume would be, but he told her he honestly didn't know since Layla still kept that bit of intel close to her vest.

After Will bid Jade a goodbye with the promise she'd see him tomorrow he went back up front to lend his paws to his partner, and Benji. For the next couple hours the three of them finished up their day's work, and neither Will, or Autumn thought about clocking out until it was time for Benji to do so around eighteen-hundred. Will commended Benji on his ability to handle twelve hour days like they were donuts while they were clocking out getting a laugh out of the fluffy cheetah who simply played it off saying it was easy for him since he loved his job.

Down in the motor pool Will got in his Shelby, and after starting up the engine got jams from Dagoba pumping through the stereo. First on the playlist he'd set his phone to shuffle through was "The World In Between". With his window rolled down, and a lit cigarette in paw Will drove out of the motor pool waving to Joe as he passed him. Making his way to his apartment with Layla the main thoughts on Will's mind were what was for dinner, and just what Layla had planned for their halloween costumes.

The next track to play was "Shen Lung" while Will enjoyed his drive home. He felt good to have the work week he'd had finally over, and all the moreso because he could sleep in till ten in the morning which he planned to do. In the last stretch of distance to his apartment building Will headbanged to "Black Smokers [752 Farenheit]" while still keeping his eyes on the road. Once in front of the building that was his destination Will parked in the free space behind Layla's bike, and after pausing his phone's music player got it unplugged before turning off his Shelby.

Making his way to the building's elevator, and up to the fourth floor where their apartment was didn't take him long, and as soon as he'd stepped through the door which had opened automatically for him he was first greeted by the wonderful smells of whatever it was Layla had been cooking.

"It's good to be home my love. So tell me good lookin' what is it that smells so good you got cookin'." Will said as he followed his nose into the kitchen where he found his mate.

"I felt like Italian, so I made chicken parmesan." Layla answered turning from the sink where she'd been doing dishes to give him a smile.

"Well my nose is happy so I guess my stomach will be too though I can think of at least one thing I want before we eat." Will told her with an easy grin.

"And what would that be hmm, wolfie baby?" Layla asked.

"Oh, just this" Will replied as he walked over to her then wrapped his arms around her giving her a deep kiss.

"We haven't even gotten to the hentai yet, and you want to chill already?" Layla said putting a paw on his chest.

"Who needs porn when they have a mate as sexy, and beautiful as you?" Will responded before rubbing his cheek against her's marking her.

"Wise words my soon to be husband, but maybe I enjoy the foreplay." Layla replied with a satisfied grin at his attentions.

"Who doesn't?" Will said rhetorically before asking her "So how was your day?"

"Good so far; I went out to get the supplies we'd need for our halloween costumes. Mainly a lot of fur dye, and a new bikini. On that front I really lucked out that it's colors match how my fur is going to be dyed. I had lunch with Adam, and Kat; gave them the heads up, and we three all want to know just what prompted you to say what you did to the Chief." Layla answered him.

"Okay you really have to give up the goods on what the hell we're going as. Just because I can make an accurate guess doesn't mean I wouldn't rather simply hear the truth from you. You can tell them, or I will, whichever, that I brought up making our 'dates' semi-official because even with me lying through my teeth, and using sound logic he still suspected me; You know how sometimes I have no patience for pretense so I decided on the fly to semi level with him." Will explained.

"I see, okay then. Well I had figured getting you turned into a black wolf, and dying my red fur crimson with my white fur dyed black would have us looking sufficiently scary. I even made sure to get the kind of dye that'd be safe over all of our fur. Though after you telling the Ulfhaven version of little red riding hood . . ." Layla said lowering her muzzle as she trailed off

"Oh, I'm down for that. Now, hey you are my Akazukin, and I'm your Big Bad Wolf completely different from that particular story; if there were a costume competition tomorrow night we'd win." Will told her lifting her gaze so she could see the grin on his muzzle.

"Alright." Layla acquiesced before saying "Dinner's been ready so let's eat."

Layla had already plated their meal having only made enough for them tonight since they'd be gone for a week. She passed Will his plate along with eating irons, and followed him to the table. Will set his food down on one side then pulled the chair that was on the side to his right over next to where he would sit so Layla would sit directly next to him, and though he patted the seat next to him after he sat down she'd already gotten the hint. Will watched her as she set her plate next to his then instead of sitting next to him went to the fridge to get them both a can of Mountain Mist soda from the twelve pack she'd picked up while she'd been out, and about getting the fur dye they needed. Only once she was next to him, and about to dig into her own plate did Will likewise tuck in to his, and he closed his eyes savoring the first bite of crunchy cheesy chicken, and flavorful marinara.

"This is really good babe." Will complimented her leaning into her shoulder, and giving a satisfied hum in expression of his enjoyment of the meal she'd prepared.

"I'm glad you like it." Layla responded adding "Like you would always say when you, and Maria were teaching me how to really cook just follow the recipe, and usually there's nothing you can't make, and even if you mess up it can still be edible, and you learn."

"Yeah, but you really took her advice to heart that it helps to put a little love into what you make." Will replied feeling the need to say "I can only imagine how much fun we'll both have cooking with our kit, and teaching him, or her their way around a kitchen; you really are going to be an awesome mom."

Layla had to look at him as he said that his words so warmed her heart, and she seeing that he was crying told him "Now you cut that out, or we'll both be blubbering messes, and I'm not even pregnant yet. Don't sell yourself short either. You're going to be the best father ever."

"I'm going to try." Will said while tears still flowed from his eyes as he focused on eating so his emotions wouldn't overwhelm him.

"Speaking of our future kit do want it to be a boy, or a girl?" Layla asked.

"Honestly I don't care. All that matters is that our kit is born healthy, but even if they aren't I would give my wings for him, or her to survive, and have a long life" Will answered her seriously as fresh tears fell from his eyes before adding "Secretly though I hope our kit is a girl."

"Damnit Will." Layla said turning from her food, and burying her muzzle in his shoulder to hide the tears she couldn't hold back "Why do you have to say such things? So why do you hope I give birth to a daughter?"

"Because the thought of having a son, and him being a mini-me scares me. Plus I like the idea of being the proud warrior father who passes along his skills to his daughter." Will said with a weak smile the thoughts behind his words stemming the tide of his tears.

Layla couldn't help laughing into his shoulder finally managing to respond "You're scared of a mini you? Really?"

"It's not funny!" Will asserted.

"Yes it is." Layla countered.

"It is not. What if he has the same protective streak I do which he probably would, and he goes as far as I have to protect others. Just because I have the strength necessary to handle having gone that far doesn't mean he would, and I would never wish having to go that far on any son of mine." Will told her in all seriousness.

"With you as her father a daughter could be just the same." Layla replied.

"Yes, but knowing my luck our daughter would be more of a balance between us if not completely different from either of us. Which brings me back to the fact that it doesn't matter if our kit is a boy, or a girl because we're going to be the best parents we can, give them advantages with what we can teach them that most never have, and they will know love from the both of us for as long as we draw breath." Will responded.

"You're right; boy, or girl our kit will be our kit." Layla agreed before raising her muzzle to whisper into his ear "You know, I think my appetite has shifted away from dinner."

"Well I'd rather finish this wonderful meal you've prepared, but if you'd rather skip to dessert already I don't mind. So what is for dessert?" Will asked playing obtuse.

"Dessert is you do your husbandly duties, and fuck me till your baculum surrenders." Layla growled her answer at him not exactly wanting to play around.

"That settles that then doesn't it?" Will responded smiling at her warmly.

What was left of their barely half eaten food remained that way, and only got colder since it was quite forgotten as they made their way to their bedroom trailing their clothes behind them.

When they made it to their bed the both of them quite naked Layla made it plain that she wasn't in the mood for his usual attentive ministrations. With just a few growls, and not so subtle body language from his mate Will got the message loud, and clear he was to fuck her, and hard. Though she pulled him onto the bed as she fell back on it Will kept her paws pinned above her head with his own while she nipped at his throat, and wrapped her legs around his waist. It didn't take long for his member to reach readiness, and like a divining rod seeking water found the entrance to her sex. His hips seemed to thrust of their own accord as if they were powered by an electrical motor instead of his mind, and when his knot swelled inside her locking them his pace only quickened much to Layla's vocal satisfaction.

They maintained their position, and the pace of their clashing hips until there was nothing left in Will to release into Layla, and she used her legs to keep them locked together until she was satisfied his knot had been doing it's job. Neither of them was quite done with the other, and they only separated once his knot deflated long enough for Layla to flip her position, and present Will her tail end with her tail curled to the side around her. Will's baculum wasn't ready to surrender either, and allowed him to pull Layla back onto his member until blood flow reengorged it as he slid in, and out of her slick folds. They continued their quite primal display with renewed vigor once his reinflating knot resecured them, and they didn't give up their passion to mate until they were both quite spent capable of only falling on their sides. Afterglow was an understatement for the contentment they both felt as they fell asleep Layla spooning into Will, as his arms kept her against him.

---

Saturday [Week four, day five]

Sometime around 09:00

For cubs, kits, and other young saturday mornings typically are for cartoons, but for at least most working adult mammals they are for sleeping in, and that is precisely what Will, and Layla both did. They were both mammals for which being nocturnal was easier than being diurnal which made getting enough sleep regularly important, and after the late nights they'd had catching up on sleep was not only vital it was well earned.

Eventually the realm of sleep released it's grip on Will, but even as his mind entered the state of wakefulness he kept his eyes firmly shut. The first things he became aware of were the pressure of Layla against him, and his muzzle buried in her ruff. As this registered in his mind his actions accordingly were to hold her closer, and further burrow his nose into her neck fur which made him aware of the fact that he'd drooled on her in his sleep. As he did so the vixen who held his heart in her paws stirred against him particularly with her furry rear, but his member having been well worn out the night previous made it rather apparent to Will anyway that it was taking the day off.

Layla continued her stirring, and Will relaxed his hold on her which allowed her to roll over to face him whereupon she began slowly licking the underside of his chin, and his neck. Will simply tilted his head back enjoying the sensation of her tongue against his fur, and Layla pushed herself forward causing him to roll onto his back with her following to lay on him nuzzling into his ruff before laying her head against his neck.

They stayed like that for a while both relatively awake, but absolutely reluctant to leave their bed, and the warm spot they'd made on it. Eventually though certain biological necessities urged them to break their morning tranquility. Layla was first to rise, and make her way to the toilet with Will following shortly thereafter. While Layla sat on the throne she'd claimed Will's bladder brokered no patience so he availed himself of the shower, and it's drain to relieve himself.

Once his bladder had been emptied Will reached in to turn on the shower both to wash down the drain the remnants of his urine, and so they could bathe, and be clean for the day. Neither had really said anything to the other yet, and they didn't really need to; while the water was coming to temperature Will busied himself by giving his teeth a quick brush rinsing using hot water as was his particular quirk regarding the custom of dental maintenance. He likewise made use of rather minty alcohol based mouthwash, and after he spat it out into the sink rinsed his mouth with more hot water savoring the pain. Since they were about to get in the shower Layla hadn't bothered wiping herself, and wasting toilet paper, but did take over the sink to likewise handle her oral hygiene though she turned the water to cold. While she was busy at the sink Will went to the shower, and stuck in a paw to test the water which he needed to adjust down so as not to turn them both into something resembling a cooked lobster.

Once Will had the water at an agreeable temperature he got in the shower, and just let the water soak through his fur enjoying the sensation of it. Layla having not bothered with mouthwash wasn't that far behind him, and once she'd joined him he moved so she too could bask in the delicious warmth of the shower's spray. With the both of themselves as wet as they needed to be they each got pawfuls of fur soap, and scrubbed each other down. It was a little awkward as they tried to each scrub the other's front in tandem, and they shared a laugh at the endeavor. Layla washed Will's back first, and knowing how much he enjoyed it when she did so got her claws into it scratching his back as she worked the fur soap into his undercoat. Once she was done, and Will was as relaxed as a cooked noodle he returned the favor enjoying how his larger paws made the task a simple affair. While he was getting her lower back lathered he couldn't resist copping a feel getting a soft hum from Layla in response before moving on to get her tail clean.

His prowess, and the care he took in taking care of her caudal appendage was something Layla had always appreciated though Will kept how, or why he knew to be, and was so gentle, and attentive with her tail a secret. Wolves with their generally coarser fur could afford to be, and often enjoyed a little roughness when it came to getting their tails clean; Will's secret was that when they were younger, and Sophie was still a new member of his family she'd been his, and Lola's bath buddy of sorts though even as they grew older they still enjoyed their communal baths for the pack bonding exercise they were. Will had always had something of a soft touch with his paws, and he'd already been inclined to be gentler with Sophie than he would be with himself, or Lola which allowed him to learn how she liked to be cleaned, and how much firmness of touch she found enjoyable; the skill he gained from those experiences he simply applied to not only the vixen before him, but any other female he happened to bathe with.

Once they'd gotten the fur soap rinsed from their fur they both shook some of the water off themselves after turning the water off though not as much as they could've gotten out of their fur if they'd done so on all fours. Stepping out of the shower they both made use of the fur drying vent pad which turned up to it's highest setting left them both looking amusingly poofy. After getting sufficiently dry they both had a giggle at the other's appearance then set about brushing each other's fur down. While Layla made to brush him first Will dropped onto all fours to make the task easier on her which once she'd kneeled next to him it was. His ears folded back, and he closed his eyes in enjoyment of the feeling of the brush through his neck fur, and particularly along his spine. When it was his turn to brush his mate Will simply accepted the implement of grooming from her after shifting back onto his knees since with the length of his arms he could easily reach her shoulders. The strokes he made brushing down her fur were long, and smooth with Layla's muzzle expression showing she enjoyed the attention much as he had. Will lowered into a seiza position as he brushed out her rear, and legs saving her tail for last. Brushing out her fluffy appendage with loving care Will had a little fun rubbing it against his muzzle savoring the feel, and scent of her fur where it was softest besides her ventral fur.

Between their waking, and finishing their morning ablutions they'd taken their time an hour, and a half passing in what seemed like a third of that time. Exiting their bathroom they stayed naked save for their fur as they made their way into the living area of their apartment. While Will headed for the kitchen to get coffee, and breakfast started Layla busied herself at her laptop after turning on the stereo with it's remote since she had the portable computer wirelessly connected to the sound system. With the coffee pot gurgling away, and filling their apartment with the nose gratifying smell of hot water passing through espresso roast grounds Layla got music going at a comfortable volume starting with "Waking Hour" by The Gathering who were a Dutch band they both enjoyed.

Will having got the coffee pot going turned his attention to getting a pan hot while he decided what to fix for breakfast. Eggs, and shredded cheese were pulled out of the fridge, and placed on the counter along with a half-gallon of milk while frozen country style potatoes were retrieved from the freezer. Will's tail swayed in rhythm with the music as he set about mixing the eggs in a bowl with a fork, and a splash of milk for the omelettes he was going to make keeping breakfast simple yet satisfying. That done he made sure both of the non-stick pans he had heating on the stove got a bit of vegetable oil in them to help evenly apply heat to what he'd put in them. First to go in were the potatoes which still frozen would take a minute to get good, and crispy which Will poured from the bag into the pan on his right. He seasoned them with just enough salt, and pepper with a light dusting of garlic powder then gave them a stir before starting on omelette number one.

The next song to play while Will was cooking, and Layla was lounging on the sofa was "A Noise Severe" which was Will's favorite song by the Gathering, and he sang along to it softly while he got the first omelette flipped with a spatula he'd grabbed, and sprinkled cheese on the already cooked side. In short order the cheese was good, and melted, and after folding the omelette over Will got it on a plate then gave the potatoes another stir before getting omelette number two going. Next through the stereo's speakers came "Your Troubles Are Over" while thanks to the already quite hot pan the second omelette was ready in short order. Once he'd gotten it on a second plate Will turned his attention to the potatoes which were crispy enough to be called good, and so he divided them between the plates he'd gotten for himself, and his mate. The finishing touches on their food were a sprinkle of cheese on their potatoes, and a dollop of mayo for each of them though Will was more liberal with the mayo he put on his plate which he also gave a light drizzle of sriracha. His last order of business was to get them out clean coffee mugs he poured coffee into preparing both mugs with just enough cream to change their color a shade, and enough sugar to taste without overpowering their coffee. For a final flourish Will grabbed a can of whipped cream from the fridge applying a decent layer to each of their coffees.

"I heard that." Layla called from the living room having heard the telltale sound of Will squirting whipped cream into his open maw.

"What can I say Sophie isn't the only one who enjoys a good shot of whipped cream straight from the can. In fact she, and my Aunt Kay are famous for it." Will responded with a chuckle as he brought their coffees to the living room, and set them on the coffee table.

"You know I'm looking forward to meeting this vixen I've only seen in photos on Monday" Layla said before picking up the smaller of the two coffee mugs which was her's, and sipping from it with a humm in enjoyment of the brew.

"I'm looking forward to Monday too." Will agreed before saying with a grin "Hmm, hold still a second babe."

Layla just looked at him quizzically before he leaned his muzzle towards her's, and with a quick flash of his tongue licked the whipped cream off her nose.

"Did you put whipped cream in our coffees just so you'd be able to do that?" Layla asked with a grin.

"Nope, but it certainly was an added bonus." Will replied as he walked back into the kitchen to retrieve their plates.

When he returned he sat on the sofa next to Layla, and passed her plate to her with a fork already in place before picking up his own fork, and mixing the mayo, and sriracha he'd put on his potatoes into them then eating a forkful. They ate in silence simply enjoying their food, and the music playing through the stereo which Layla had changed to "Into a Frenzy" by The Dreamside.

While they were eating Will's phone went off from where it still was in his fallen uniform trousers in notification he'd gotten a text which he ignored until he'd finished his food. Setting his empty plate on the coffee table he got up to retrieve the device from his pants, as well as his black flip lighter, and his cigarettes from the pocket of his uniform shirt. Sitting back on the sofa he offered Layla a cigarette, and then his lighter after he'd lit his own then checked his phone finding he had a few texts to read over.

The first text he read was from Benji letting him know the location of place he'd booked for the precinct halloween party, and that since as a cop was always on duty as an emergency responder the party would only be from eighteen-hundred to twenty-two-hundred. Will responded to Benji with a simple 'Ten-four Benji-buddy' then checked the other text he'd gotten which was from Maria. She let him know that she was already packed, and would be over at David's place which Layla already knew how to get to. Will's response to her was 'Bueno gatito, I'll be by to pick you up sometime probably after 22:00.'

While he was taking care of his messages Layla got their dirty dishes to the kitchen which she quickly cleaned, and rinsed putting them in the drying rack to the right of the sink. Once they were both done they headed into their bedroom to get dressed for the day though Layla only put on her PJ's since she wasn't going anywhere while Will put on a pair of black fatigue trousers, and one of his newer graphic t-shirts he'd bought from an online store when he was in Ulfhaven which bore the image of a grumpy looking wolf caricature holding a mug of coffee with text underneath it reading 'I woke up like this'. Once he was ready to go Will gave Layla a kiss goodbye, and a scent marking to her neck for good measure before heading out, and down to his Shelby.

His destination was the sex shop he'd bought the fuzzy paw-cuffs, his collar, and leash from since they also sold lingerie which he needed to purchase for his Rocky Horror song, and dance number he'd be doing. After he got his Shelby started he plugged his phone into the charger, and aux cables then got the Rocky Horror soundtrack playing so he could decide which songs he wanted to sing. As he drove towards his destination listening to "Time Warp", and "Sweet Transvestite" it occurred to Will that he'd need to get a couple others in on the act since he really wanted to open with "Sweet Transvestite", but who would really know the lyrics as well as he did, and be willing to join him was the question especially since he wanted it to be as much a surprise as possible.

He thought on it as he drove along figuring for "Time Warp" Layla would be the Magenta to his Riff-Raff with Sage covering Columbia's lines; it also seemed too perfect a thought to get Judy to convince Nick to be his performance's Brad while she'd be Janet for "Sweet Transvestite" which as he listened to the soundtrack would work better in their original order. Then again his thoughts circled around to how he wanted it to be a solo performance on his part for shock value, but half the fun of the performance would be them joining him if they agreed.

Parked out in front of his destination Will silenced the music before turning off his Shelby, and phone in paw first called Layla to run everything by her first. Layla was all for joining in the performance, but pointed out that for his plan to work it hinged on Sage, Nick, and Judy agreeing, and getting the lines down. After he ended his call with her he dialed Sage, and when she answered laid out what he had planned. She told him that Benji had spoken to her about DJing the party, and needed him to send her his playlists since she knew he'd have tracks she didn't that'd be perfect, but she declined to sing Columbia's lines with the reasoning that with her costume being what it was for her to do so would be out of character. When he asked what her costume would be she only told him that it'd be a surprise, and that he'd be jealous then hung up on him much to Will's chagrin though he laughed at her hanging up on him. He thought for a long minute, and remembering her performance with him of the 'Nyan Nyan commercial jingle' decided to see if Mihoshi would agree where Sage hadn't. When Mihoshi answered Will jumped right in to asking her if she'd be willing to join in his performance adding that while for "Time Warp" he'd sing Riff-Raff's lines he'd switch to Frank-n-Furter's lines for "Sweet Transvestite" as well as do so in drag. That alone had Mihoshi more than willing to participate rather enthusiastically so long as she got some photos of him which he promised her without hesitation. Then came the make, or break call to Judy.

"Will." Judy answered his call flatly.

"Judy do you remember last week when I mentioned wanting to do a Rocky Horror number at the party tonight?" Will asked hopefully.

"I do." Judy answered.

"Well I have a bit of a favor to ask." Will said.

"What kind of favor?" Judy asked suspiciously.

"How well do you know the music to Rocky Horror?" Will inquired before explaining "I had the thought that for when I sing 'Sweet Transvestite' after I do 'Time Warp' with Layla, and Mihoshi that you, and Nick would be perfect for Brad, and Janet's lines in the song. I was hoping you'd agree, and use your bunny magic to convince Nick to join us."

"Thanks to Abby I actually know it pretty well; it's a really fun musical." Judy responded before saying "I'll see what I can do to convince Nick. That actually sounds kind of fun."

"Sweetness, and thank you so much. Alright then I have some lingerie to buy for my performance; I will see you tonight." Will replied, and she could practically hear his grin through the phone.

"Yep, we'll see you there. Though hey, when did you want to pick us up to get heading to Ulfhaven?" Judy asked.

"Well it's more, or less a thirty-six hour drive, and to get there Monday afternoon we'd have to at least hit the freeway by midnight. I figured we'd just pick you two up on our way to the party that way once we leave all we have to do is go pick up Maria, and David." Will answered.

"So we'll be stuck in our costumes for the whole trip?" Judy wondered, and Will could hear her apprehension.

"Layla, and I will be, but if you, or Nick want to stop by either of your places to change into something more comfortable there should be plenty of time." Will responded easing her concern.

"Okay then. I'll be at Nick's later so we'll see you there later tonight." Judy said.

After saying goodbye again Will hung up, and feeling quite pleased about that bit of business being settled got out of his Shelby locking it before he headed in to the shop.

Walking in to the shop Will recognized the she-wolf attendant who had helped him pick out his leash, and collar. She likewise recognized him, and in a friendly tone asked what he was there to get. When he told her he was in to purchase some lingerie she assured him they had quite the selection, and asked what he had in mind to get for his vixen since she was a reader of 'Our Voice'. Will chuckled, and told her he was getting the lingerie for him showing her a picture of Frank-n-Furter from Rocky Horror. Her reaction was priceless as she told him that no one would believe her that he would be going as that particular character for halloween. He explained that he actually was going as the Big Bad Wolf from the Ulfhaven variant of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, but would be singing "Sweet Transvestite" in front of his coworkers at the ZPD halloween party that evening for shits, and giggles, and wanted to do so in character. Hearing this she rather enthusiastically helped him pick out everything he'd need from their selection of lingerie sized for tigresses on the smaller size since he was closer to them in size than he was any she-wolf.

Once Will had purchased everything he needed along with a few sets of fuzzy pawcuffs for his home in Ulfhaven, and a new simple black faux-leather collar for 'formal' occasions he left the store wearing the fluffy red boa he'd purchased with no small amount of flair sashaying his way out of the building simply for his amusement, and the she-wolf's who had given him the employee discount without telling him.

Back at his Shelby Will deposited the bag with his purchases in the passenger seat then went around, and got in the driver's seat. He took off his new boa since he'd only worn it to get a rise out of the she-wolf who had helped him. Will didn't bother plugging his phone into the aux cord for his trip back home, and just got his Shelby started then used his signal to merge back into traffic. As he was driving at an easy pace maybe a mile from the sex shop he happened to pull alongside an older van with a rather well done mural on the side of a celtic style wolf warrior carrying a white she wolf princess style with lighting in the background. His eyes caught by the well done graphic Will thought nothing of abusing his authority as a cop, and slowed down to get behind the van then turning on his emergency lights pulled it over.

Once the driver had pulled to the side of the road at a clear spot by an alleyway Will parked behind the van, and turned off the lights as well as the engine before getting out of his Shelby which he locked. Phone in paw Will walked alongside the van, and got a photo of the artwork that had caught his eye before approaching the driver side door. When the driver rolled down the window Will saw that it was fennec fox who most probably mistook for a kit due to his size, but Will knew first paw that fennec kits were actually much smaller.

"Do you know why I felt the need to pull you over when I'm off duty?" Will asked with a friendly tone which seemed to catch the fennec off guard.

"A busted tail light?" The fennec asked sarcastically with a deep voice that surprised Will.

"Nah, you're good. I just wanted a photo of your artwork. You do it yourself?" Will answered with a grin.

"I did. So you gonna let me go?" the fennec inquired.

"Not just yet. So you on the level?" Will responded.

"I ain't no snitch if that's what you're askin'." the fennec said gruffly.

"You got me all wrong brother." Will assured him, and pulling out a small bag of weed, well small for him anyway asked the fennec "You got any rolling papers."

The fennec just looked at him like he was a two headed alien so Will added "I just want to smoke with you brother. I ain't gonna bust ya, or nothin'. Hell I'd probably hire you down the line for some art I can put up in my apartment. Besides foxes in this city have it rough, and I make a point of befriending every fox I can 'cause I'm on your side."

"I thought I'd seen it all when that rabbit cop hustled my boy Nick, and then he joined them mammals in blue just because she thought he'd make a good one. Now the biggest wolf I've ever seen, and a cop no less wants to smoke with me just because." The fennec laughed heartily at that before agreeing "What the hell, alright I'll smoke with you, but I ain't got no papers just a bong."

"Even better. Joints waste smoke." Will replied with a chuckle.

With that the fennec pulled into the alleyway so his van would be less conspicuous then opened the side door for Will to get in.

"You mentioned Judy, and Nick. My first day after transferring here to the ZPD the Chief had me with him, and then the next day with her. I'm Will by the way." Will said as he got himself situated sitting cross legged on the floor of the van.

"Yeah, me, and Nick we go way back. Since that bunny came into his life it's been good to see him doing better than he ever was hustling with me. Name's Finn." Finn replied pulling out his bong from where he kept it.

"Good to meet you Finn. Any friend of my pack brother has a friend in me. Ya, know I prefer little one footers like that to any four, or five foot piece any day; they're much easier to take a hit from." Will said passing Finn the bag of weed so he could pack it.

"Am I stoned already? Did you just say Nick's your pack brother?" Finn asked doing a double take, and nearly dropping the bag that was large compared to his stature.

"Nah, we ain't stoned yet 'cause you haven't packed it yet, but yeah I told him when we were at Judy's parents place last weekend I wanted him to join my pack, and tuesday he did. Matter of fact he's the only other male in my pack besides me." Will answered.

"Wait, he was at her parent's place, like she introduced him to her folks? Give me a sec to pack this 'cause now I need a hit." Finn responded resting the bong between his legs then opening the bag to pull out a nug nearly the size of his paw which he broke up into the bowl of the piece.

Will accepted the bong, and lighter from Finn after he'd taken the first hit, and took his own hit which he held deep before exhaling then regaling Finn with the story of that.

"So thursday last week the Chief had me, Nick, and Judy go to Savannah Central High to talk to the students. After we visited with my cousin, and pack sister who's a first grade teacher at the elementary school there Judy mentioned wanting to take Nick to the harvest festival down in Bunny Burrow. I managed to score an invite by offering to drive them down there, and get us that friday plus this last monday off. While we were down there that friday at dinner with her folks I think Judy was the only one who didn't realize he was looking at her the way I look at my vixen, and after dinner was done they went off for a walk, and while my mate, and I were having a smoke on the back porch I saw them kiss. They've been going steady since, and far as I know her parents are pretty cool with it." Will told Finn who had just held the bong as he listened then hit it once Will was finished.

"I knew he had a thing for her. Wait a minute you're with a vixen?" Finn asked after he exhaled passing the bong back to Will.

"More than with" Will said pausing to take a hit continuing after he passed the bong back to Finn, and exhaling "She's my mate, my soon to be wife, and somehow by the grace of the Mother will be having my kit just as soon as I get her pregnant. It's been my new life goal since I found out tuesday that we could indeed have a kit in the first place."

"Most vixens I know are barely as tall as Nick. How do you not break her?" Finn asked bluntly camping with the bong for a minute.

"She's probably the world's tallest vixen. Let me show you." Will said as he pulled out his phone, and after scrolling through his gallery showed him the same photo he'd shown Wolford, Delgato, and Fangmeyer.

"Holy shit." Finn said looking at the photo before taking as big a rip from the bong as he could then coughing like hell as he passed it to Will.

"You know this week has been the one where I seem to just come across the mammals who're close to Nick" Will said before he killed the bowl then held out his paw for the weed, and explained what he meant while he packed a fresh bowl "Monday after we got back in town I was at the grocery store, and ran into Nick's mom even gave her a ride home, and helped her carry up her groceries."

"You're the wolf Mary-anne said was flirting with her? She told me about what you did for that kit. Now it makes sense Nick would call you his alpha when we foxes don't usually have packs like you guys do." Finn said adding when Will passed him the freshly packed bong "You're giving me the green hit?"

"Well yeah, I just took one." Will replied as if this were common sense then said "I'm not gonna lie to you Finn I have a real soft spot when it comes to foxes, and not just 'cause I'm mated to one. When I was fourteen I rescued an arctic vixen from her parents car in a freak blizzard. They'd broke down near my parent's place, and tried making there for help. I used the warmth of my own body to keep her warm, and that morning when I was carrying her home I nearly fell over her parents frozen paw in paw in the snow. We ended up adopting her, and she's been my little sister ever since."

"Damn." was Finn's solemn response before he took a hit then passed Will the bong.

"Nah, you want a 'Damn' worthy story ask me what happened thursday to two ZIA shit stains that went rogue, and figured they could use Judy as bait to lure me into a trap to kill me with the kind of drug that causes mammals to die from their natural fear response." Will responded with a chuckle before hitting the bong then passing it back.

"If Nick's bunny were dead I'd have heard that news; so what'd ya do?" Finn asked warily.

"Cut the head off of one then after I'd got the other cuffed to a chair having loosened his shoulders with my bowie knife, and hamstringing the fuck softened him up with the wet end of the arm I cut off the corpse of his brother as it turned out then used that severed head like a ventriloquist uses a dummy. When I suggested with the head that I'd make him a neck tie from his brother's tail he sang like a canary then I cut off his legs, and arms before biting his head off in two bites. Didn't find out till after I asked Nick that they were leopards." Will told him matter of factly.

Finn just stared at Will with his jaw nearly on the floor, and his eyes as wide as saucers.

"You should hit that." Will said gesturing towards the bong with his paw then adding "Yeah, I don't take kindly to anyone threatening my pack mates, or extended pack mates for that matter least of all in an attempt to get to me. Now I only told you since close as you are to Nick you're in my extended pack just like Mary-anne, Judy, and her family so you know just what kind of mammal you have in your corner if you ever find yourself in trouble; get a message out to Nick, and it'll reach me, and I'll tear through any mammal I need to."

"Where were you when Nick pissed off Mr. Big by selling him a skunk ass-fur rug?" Finn asked as he managed to regain his composure before then hitting the bong, and passing it to Will.

"I don't know though speaking of Mr. Big don't tell anyone, but there was a hyena into cub porn that didn't go through that ice hole until I made it look like he drowned to hide the fact that for no apparent reason his heart stopped." Will answered before taking another hit.

---

Judy, and Nick had gone out to lunch, and then stopped by a special effects supply shop to pick up the make-up they'd need for their halloween costumes since they were more likely to have what they needed that would be safe to use on Judy as rabbits usually had more sensitive skin than other mammals, and the last thing either wanted was for her to have a bad reaction to the stuff Nick would be using to make Judy look killer for the party later that night.

They were walking along the street heading towards Nick's place, and Judy was waiting till they got there to bring up Will's song, and dance number idea when Nick made an observation which he pointed out to her.

"Hey, Fluff that's Will's car." Nick said to her pointing across the street.

"Huh, and isn't that Finnick's van?" Judy asked motioning to the van parked in the alleyway near where Will was parked.

"I haven't heard from the little guy in a while; don't tell him I called him that. I wonder how he's doing?" Nick responded.

They both decided to pay Nick's long time friend a hello at least so they made their way across the street. As they got nearer they could see smoke leaking from the van, and though Judy expressed concern Finn's van might be on fire they were close enough for her to hear laughter intermingled with coughing which she told Nick causing his expression to turn from worry into a knowing grin which only grew once he caught the smell even though they were upwind. Pausing by the back doors which were usually unlocked when Finn was in his van they heard Will telling a joke.

"Oh, I got one for you. What is the best selling food at Las Putas taco truck?" Will asked.

"Ceviche?" Finn guessed.

"Hahaha, nah the zesty pink taco" Will told him the punchline before guffawing.

---

It took a second for Finn to get it, but when he did he fell back on the floor of the van he was laughing so hard which only made Will laugh harder. The next thing either of them knew however the back doors of the van were pulled open though as the hot boxed van cleared of smoke it took a moment to see who had done the deed.

"Hey. You're letting all the smoke out." Will chastised whoever the offender was before he saw who it was, and greeted them "Hey Brother, hey Judy how's it going?"

The look on both their muzzles was a mixture of surprise at the scene before them, and their sudden contact high from the cloud that washed over them causing Will to laugh in amusement.

"Will you are on officer of the law! What are you doing?" Judy demanded as she came to her senses though her consternation was muted thanks to her contact stone.

"Don't get too mad at him Carrots. I haven't seen Finn in this good a mood in a while." Nick told her seeing as his long time friend was still prone, and chuckling muttering 'zesty pink taco'.

"For the record usagi-chan I am off duty, and what I do behind closed doors is my business. You were the one who opened those doors so don't fault me for what you witness though it's not like we were doing anything illegal. The brother of my Brother is my brother, and we were getting acquainted." Will told her surprisingly serious for as good, and stoned as he was.

"Cannabis is illegal in the city." Judy responded firmly.

"Actually possession of up to an ounce been decriminalized, and I only ever keep fourteen grams on paw though when it comes time to vote in a couple weeks we'll have it relegalized across the board. At least this city was smart enough to not prohibit cannabis ruderalis alongside indica, and sativa like the americans did, damn draconian puritanical bastards though half of their states have relegalized it in the past couple years so yeah now we just got to get the chinese, and japanese on board." Will told her matter of factly adding "Need I add that the properties of Tetrahydrocannabinol insulate neurons in the hippocampus, and the terpenes in cannabis have anti-cancer properties? Long term methamphetamine use is more harmful."

"Spoken like a hardcore stoner." Nick commented with a chuckle.

"I'm not a member of LEAP for no reason, responsible drug regulation, and use is better for society than prohibition will ever be though heroin, and meth are scourges. Anyway I'll take this as my cue to head out. Catch you later Finn." Will said as he got himself out of Finn's van on all fours before standing back up on his hindpaws.

"Wait, you're going to drive stoned?" Judy asked incredulously.

"Judy I've flown helicopters safely good, and twacked. Driving stoned for me isn't any different than driving sober. If I were drunk on the other paw then I wouldn't even put myself in the position to need to drive" Will answered pulling out his keys, and unlocking his car.

Back in his Shelby Will got it started then after rolling the windows down, and plugging his phone into the aux cable turned on the radio cranking the volume before starting up some Rob Zombie for his drive home starting with "Dragula". The aural assault on Judy, Nick, and Finn didn't last long as Will signaled before pulling into traffic accelerating gradually just to prove his point.

His drive back home didn't take him long, and after he'd parked in the free space this time behind Layla's bike he grabbed his purchases before exiting his Shelby which he locked using the key fob more out of muscle memory than conscious thought. Back up at their apartment Will was greeted warmly by his mate who inquired what'd taken him so long. When he told her how he'd met Finn while showing her the photo of the fennec's van she chuckled, but agreed it'd be cool to have him paint them something to add some art to their apartment. She even suggested commissioning him to do something similar to the artwork on his van with Will covered in blood, and wings manifest carrying her which Will agreed would look cool though mentioned that particular image might be too much a reminder for both of them of the CLAWS last mission.

With the time around fourteen-hundred they had plenty of time before the party to get ready, but Layla was ready to get their fur dyed so they both stripped, and got in the bathroom where she'd already set up the several boxes of dye. On Will's suggestion they started with getting Layla done first starting with the dye that would have her red fur looking a vibrant, and as Will put it boner inspiring crimson. The kind of dye Layla had gotten could be applied to dry fur, and would only wash out with the use of specific fur soap which came in each box of dye so they had more than enough to return themselves to their natural coloration once they were up in Ulfhaven.

After the red dye had set Layla got the excess rinsed out of her fur then used the fur dryer before Will repeated the process though with the black dye which he applied to the parts of her fur along her arms, legs, ears, and tail tip that already were naturally black before carefully getting her white fur from her muzzle to her sex dyed without getting the stuff on the now beautifully crimson parts of her fur. As Layla had said the dye was safe to use even on genital fur, but Will still was as careful as he could be applying the dye to where the lower end of her white fur ended. Once the dye was set, and she'd rinsed out the excess it was Will's turn to undergo rather distinct recoloration which Layla set to work doing with a grin.

Though her paws were now more resolutely black furred she still used the paw gloves that came with the dye, and having Will sit on the floor started with his head, and ears before moving down to his neck which prompted her to open a second box of the black fur dye. Even with his undercoat thinned which would be growing back out over the next few months the sheer thickness of his fur, not to mention how much more of it he had thanks to being a specie adapted to arctic conditions had prompted Layla to purchase a full dozen boxes of the black fur dye just for the purpose of his recolloration though she didn't expect to use all of them. Once she was done with his arms, and upper part of his chest, and back she had him stand so she could more easily apply the stuff to the rest of him. The rest of his torso had necessitated her opening box three, and with the opening of box four she got his tail, and genitals done with the same care he'd shown her same anatomy. The rest of box four's dye only managed to get the top half of his right thigh since his tail he hadn't had thinned. The dye from box five, and some from box six finally got the rest of him done. After waiting the requisite time for the dye to set it was Will's turn in the shower to rinse out the excess then get poofy thanks to the fur dryer.

For posterity they each used their phones to get photos of the other, and as Will was of the opinion that Layla looked amazing she was in turn of a mind that he looked a new level of handsome. For Layla it had been a long time since she'd seen him go black-furred which he'd done for undercover work as necessary though when he got stuck staring at his reflection in particular his eyes it occurred to her that maybe it hadn't been the best of ideas. It wasn't for nothing that psychologists spoke of how a mammal's appearance effected their behavior, and how different changes to their appearance from a simple difference in clothes worn to something as drastic as changing fur color could alter a mammals expression of their personality for the positive, or the negative. In Will's case with his fur it's natural white it was easier for him to channel the angelic side of his nature, and delve into the darker aspects of himself, but come back to normal; with his fur now completely black it was very much the reverse as he was in his own mind at least, now embodying the side of him that was a pure killer with a taste for blood. When Layla managed to distract him from his getting lost in the darkness he knew in the depths of his eyes windows to the soul that they were which was easier than she thought it would be she saw that he was still deep down the loving mammal she loved with her whole being, and it waylaid her concern.

By the time they were done in the bathroom is was around sixteen-hundred, and they spent the remaining hour, and a half before they needed to leave rehearsing for Will's performance, and going over how he'd pull off his wardrobe change when they transitioned songs. This prompted Layla to give him his Christmas present early which was a polyaramid-weave cloak his size that was black opposed to her red one so he could use it to hide the lingerie he'd change into before they began their 'show' though much to Layla's amusement when they were getting dressed he decided to wear his stockings, and silk underwear under a pair of black fatigue trousers while remaining shirtless. Layla for her costume was only wearing a bikini she'd custom ordered online which was colored so it would match her dye job making her appear naked without actually being naked with her polyaramid-weave red cloak over it.

Once they were ready they left their apartment with Layla carrying Will's cloak, his red corset, and matching fingerless forearm length gloves in a messenger satchel while Will carried her week's worth of clothes in a duffle bag; since he had plenty of clothes still at his home in Ulfhaven he hadn't need to pack more than his police issue gear, and M1911 which were in Layla's duffle while his badge he kept in a wallet in one of his pockets. After getting her duffle into the trunk of his Shelby using it to hide his Gauss rifle which was on the right side of the trunk Will got in the driver's seat handing Layla his phone so she could handle the jams while he drove towards Nick's place to pick up the tod, and Judy.

As Will pulled into traffic, and got headed in the right direction Layla started the music off with "Dia de los Muertos" by Rezurex. The playlist Will's phone was shuffling through was just a quick one he'd thrown together for their drive which was just a mix of tracks from Rezurex, and Zombie Ghost Train. The next track to play while they ate up the distance to their destination was "In the Shadows" by Zombie Ghost Train then "Black Rose" by Rezurex came on after.

When they pulled up in front of Nick's place Layla paused the music to give Nick a call letting him know they were there, and not long after they could see Nick, and Judy exiting the building with Nick carrying their luggage with one paw, and a walking stick with a skull shaped paw grip in the other. Will couldn't help the whistle that escaped him seeing the two of them, and Judy in particular who was dressed up as a zombie bunny while Nick was of course the Witch-doctor who'd zombified her. When they were getting in the back seat after Layla had gotten out, and shifted the passenger seat forward Will complimented them both on their costumes, adding Judy looked like she came out of a horror film that had way better than a b-grade budget an opinion Layla seconded. Judy of course credited her appearance to Nick who ate up their following compliments on his skill.

Once they were back on the road Layla resumed the music with "Everyday is Halloween" by Rezurex. With Layla giving Will directions using zoogle maps on his phone for gps they made decent progress through traffic while the next track to play was "Zombie Girl" by Rezurex which got a chuckle from Nick. Along the way Nick mentioned that he was totally in for Will's performance later so long as he got a picture of Will in drag for proof, and Will happily told him that he'd be having Benji get the whole thing on video. The song that played for the last stretch of their way to the hall Benji had booked was "Monster Rock & Roll" by Zombie Ghost Train.

Once Will had found a place to park at the side of the street on the same side as their destination he, and Layla both insisted Nick, and Judy head in first to make their entrance so they could make their own. While Nick, and Judy were heading in Will put on his spiked collar, and leash then made sure his Shelby was secure then dropped onto all fours allowing Layla to ride him with his leash for reigns, and her cloak open revealing the full extent of her dyed fur. Fortunately the door to the place was open which made their entrance easier, and when they were noticed by Will's fellow officers many of the same jaws that had dropped seeing the pair Judy, and Nick made were even more on the floor at the sight of them.

Benji who had been greeting Nick, and Judy turned his attention to Will, and Layla though even the friendly expression on his muzzle fell since Layla definitely looked spooky while if such a thing were possible Will seemed more intimidating.

"Hey Benji" Layla greeted him happily before getting off of Will to embrace the cheetah whose costume consisted of nurse's scrubs courtesy of his sister Rachel, and a sign around his neck which read 'Free Hugs'. When she let Benji go she turned to Will who was standing back up on his hindpaws, and told him "Ha! I got the first hug from Benji." then sticking her tongue out at him.

"I take it since you're the nurse with free hugs then your boyfriend over there is Doctor Feelgood." Will said to Benji approaching the fluffy cheetah with his arms open. As Benji returned the hug his friendly grin returned when Will asked "So are these free hugs a one per mammal deal, or can I just get as many as I want from you for no reason at all."

"There should never be a limit on free hugs" Benji responded with a laugh before telling Will "Judy may look like a real zombie, but you two have to be the scariest mammals here so far."

"Mission accomplished then. So you gonna introduce me to Dr. Feelgood? If he's got what I need then I'll pay good money." Will replied jokingly.

"Officer I swear it's only a bag of grass" Michael took his cue to introduce himself pulling out a literal bag of grass from the white doctor's coat he wore over scrubs also courtesy of Rachel.

"I'll take it" Will said unhesitatingly as he pulled out his wallet, and retrieved a twenty holding it out to the handsome leopard.

The ice was sufficiently shattered after the visual shock Will, and Layla had been with everyone including the Chief laughing at the humor of the exchange. The cape buffalo in question was wearing a rather authentic general's uniform, and seeing him Will, and Layla further got chuckles from the crowd when they saluted him with Will saying "Captain Grimm reporting for duty, sir", and Layla echoing him with "Captain Eidolon reporting for duty, sir."

"At ease." the Chief told them unable to not grin at their antics before complimenting them on their appearance "It's hard to say which of you two are the more striking sight though you're the Big Bad Wolf with Little Red Riding Hood to hold his leash; I must say, I approve."

"You should look up the Ulfhaven variant of the tale sometime Chief. In it the Big Bad Wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood take on a pack of wolves side by side, and die together in victory." Will explained to the Chief.

As Will, and Layla mingled through the crowd they greeted Carol, and Mihoshi who were dressed as a huntress, and kunoichi respectively with both wearing actual weapons. When Will asked Mihoshi if she knew how to wield the ninjato across her back she responded that her father had taught her kendo prompting Will to suggest they should spar with bokken sometime though as a black-belt in iaijutsu he'd go easy on her. Layla introduced herself to Carol, and inquired if she was any good with a bow causing Will to chime in that according to Carol's dad she was the best archer in the family. Mihoshi expressed excitement for Will's upcoming performance to which Will responded that Nick, and Judy were in on it too though at Carol's curiosity as to what they meant they told her she'd find out in due time.

After that Will followed by Layla made his way to Sage following the sound of the speakers she'd set up, and when he saw her if he hadn't already been black furred from ears to tail, and then some he would've turned green from envy. Standing in front of the laptop she was using to play a selection of classic halloween tunes through the speakers she'd set up Sage was dressed in a stillsuit that looked like it was used in the David Lynch film adaptation of Dune with an imitation crysknife on her hip, and contacts in her eyes that made her sclera, and irises appear a piercing blue.

"Sweet Sage you tell me how you came by your costume, and you tell me now." Will demanded once he was within earshot of her though there was no harshness in his tone.

"I told you that you'd be jealous, and it wouldn't do for me to join in your performance later." Sage responded with a smug grin before she really registered his, and Layla's appearance saying "Holy shit. You two are fucking spooky you know that. I mean Will you could probably give the boogey mammal a jump scare from the shadows, and Layla my pack sister just damn; you are totally the Little Red Riding Hood to Will's Big Bad Wolf."

"I truly am." Layla replied with a satisfied grin.

"I don't hear you telling me how you came by that stillsuit, or how I can obtain one of my own." Will said his envy written on his muzzle.

"Back when I was still in receiving, and distribution I contracted a costume designer to make me a replica from the film, as well as the crysknife I'm wearing. I can see if I still have their contact information, and give it to you when we're up in Ulfhaven." Sage told him.

"You had damn well better." Will said in response grinning at her.

After Will transferred some of his music from his phone for her to mix into rotation he also gave her the two tracks from the Rocky Horror soundtrack he'd be singing, and let her know he'd give her the heads up when he, and everyone else who would be in on it with him were ready. That done Will, and Layla continued mingling through the crowd saying hi to Anthony, and John as they came across the two who were dressed as soldiers ostensibly under the command of the Chief.

They had ended up back around by the entrance when Jade entered dressed as a witch, and she hugged Will, and Layla as soon as she saw them being one of the few mammals totally unphased by their appearance. When she asked Layla just how much dye it took to get Will's fur as black as her own she laughed hearing it'd taken a full half dozen. While they were talking two of the last mammals to arrive were Autumn, and Nicole who in Will's opinion stole the contest if there had been a costume contest to begin with. Like Layla they were both wearing bikinis that matched their fur making them appear naked at a distance. As they entered paw in paw Will was the first to greet them surprising them both with his drastic change in appearance, and he was first to correctly get that they were together Yin, and Yang. Nicole seemed nervous to be so nearly naked, but Will's complimenting them both on the thoughtfulness, and simplicity of their costumes helped encourage her as did Jade throwing in her two cents that Nicole was absolutely beautiful.

Layla, and Jade were both curious as to how Nicole had gotten her fur dyed the way it was, and both Will, and Autumn chuckled at their mistake telling them that in fact that was Nicole's natural fur color. No sooner were the words out of their mouths then Layla, and Jade alike each wanted photos with Nicole embarrassing her slightly with the attention they lavished her with. What truly was a photo worthy moment was when Autumn introduced Nicole to Benji, and she totally took him up on the offer of free hugs which Will had his phone in paw for. Will was happy for his partner seeing her with Nicole, and that the two of them were enjoying themselves. He happened to overhear Nicole discussing with Benji their shared belief that unicorns were real, and he couldn't help his grin at their conversation since it made perfect sense that the two gentle souls would be fast friends.

The party such that it was had reached the point where it was fully underway with Sage kicking out the jams, plenty of different types of punches both alcoholic, and non-alcoholic, and plenty of foods for pred, and prey alike that the caterers Benji had hired kept coming. The hour was encroaching on twenty-hundred when Will felt ready to make his surprise performance for his coworkers, and made his way with Layla through the crowd to gather their cohorts. After a short confab where Will made sure everyone was on the same page he took Layla's messenger satchel with him to the bathroom so he could change only half aware that Nick followed him. Using one of the stalls to get his trousers off then his corset, gloves, and then cloak on stowing his trousers in the messenger satchel when Will stepped out covered by his cloak to head back towards Sage he noticed Nick was with him, and inquired as to why.

"Layla asked me to keep an eye on you, and come get her if you got stuck staring at your reflection. Are you really wearing lingerie under that cloak?" Nick answered him.

"Well her worries were unfounded since my focus right now is on getting quite the rise out of our fellow officers, and you will find out once we're done with Time Warp now won't you." Will responded then asked "You ready?"

"Yep, this is going to be fun." Nick answered with a nod.

With that the two of them made their way back into the throng with Nick heading back to Judy, and Will searching out Benji. When he found the cheetah Benji inquired about Will's wardrobe change, but Will simply told him to follow him, and get ready to get everything on video. While Will lead the way Benji got out his phone his curiosity quite piqued. After Will gave Sage a nod she stopped the music, and used a mic to let everyone know that the benefactor for their little halloween party had a surprise for them all, and asked them to turn their attention towards the open space before her which was just enough room for what Will had in mind. It wasn't exactly a proper stage, but it would do as Sage cued the track at a volume so the backing music would be loud enough, but the vocal track would be quieter as Will, and his cohorts were going to actually speak the parts, and sing the lyrics as opposed to lip synching.

"You've arrived on a very special night" Will began addressing Judy, and Nick "It's one of the master's affairs."

"Oh, lucky him." Judy replied.

"You're a lucky, he's lucky, I'm lucky, we're all lucky! Ahahahaha!" Layla joined in raising her voice as she did so finishing with quite the cackling laugh which tapered off as the chiming of a clock began through the speakers.

Then the guitar riff began, and Will began singing the lyrics to "Time Warp" with Layla joining him for Magenta's lines. The two mammals who were most stoked for the performance unfolding before them were Benji, and Nicole who led those of the gathered mammals who knew the song in the chorus while dancing the titular dance. Right on cue Mihoshi joined in for Columbia's lines, and it truly was fun. Then it was over, and it was time for the finale.

"Look I'm just cold, I'm wet, and I'm just plain scared" Judy complained doing her best damsel in distress as they began 'Sweet Transvestite'

"I'm here there's nothing to worry about" Nick reassured her with excellent strong mammal delivery.

When Will let his cloak fall Judy screamed right on cue, and it was perfect since her shock at seeing Will attired as he was truly was real. With the guitars in the background Will delivered the first verse grinning, and strutting around. Will particularly had fun with the second verse as he sang 'Don't get strung out by the way I look; don't judge a book by it's cover. I'm not much of a mammal by the light of day, but by night I'm one hell of a lover. I'm just a sweet transvestite from transexual Transylvania'. Will proved he was truly comfortable in the clothes that was in such that they were with how fluidly he moved. As he delivered the next lines he was more focused on his performance than the audience.

"I'm glad we caught you at home. Could we use your phone? We're both in a bit of a hurry." Nick said in time as Will finished the third verse.

"Right." Judy said.

"We'll just say where we are then go back to the car. We don't want to be any worry" Nick finished his line.

"Well you got caught with a flat, well how 'bout that? Well babies don't you panic. By the light of the night it'll all seem alright; I'll get you a satanic mechanic." Will sang in response.

With the jazzy backing track Will finished singing the rest of the song, and only then took in just how their audience took in their performance which in his opinion had gone off pretty well. A good portion of his fellow officers had gotten into it, and were clapping once it was over. The look on the Chief's muzzle was truly priceless, and Will would've laughed his tail off seeing it, but he barely had time to catch his breath before Benji, Nicole, and Jade swarmed him expressing their enjoyment of how entertaining he'd been as well as congratulating Nick, and Judy for being perfect stand ins for Brad, and Janet as well as Layla for playing Magenta, and Mihoshi for how accurately she sang Columbia's lines in 'Time Warp'. Jade didn't hide the fact that she found Layla's performance downright sexy while Nicole was totally enthused by the whole thing, and only wished they'd done more. As Will watched over Benji's recording of the whole thing he got a kick out of the audience feed back during 'Time Warp', and told Benji to send him the video file so he could show his family adding that he wanted the recording up on zootube for posterity. When the Chief heard that he tried to be the voice of reason since no officer needed to be seen publicly in that way even if Will was the officer in question, but he was resolutely ignored by both Will, and Benji.

As the party began to start winding down around twenty-one-hundred Will, and Layla checked in with Nick, and Judy to see if they were ready to hit the road, and when they agreed they all said their goodbyes to their friends getting one final free hug from Benji. Will also got hugs from Jade, Nicole, and even Autumn who told him that though the upcoming week would be quiet without him she looked forward to getting back on the beat with him when he got back.

The drive over to Nick's place so he, and Judy could get changed into more comfortable clothes was relatively quiet as they simply talked about how much fun they'd had, and Layla asked if Nick didn't mind her borrowing his shower so she could get the black dye out of her fur since she'd only wanted to look scary for the party, and wanted to put her better paw forward with Will's parents. Nick didn't mind, and as Will added since they'd left the party an hour early they'd actually had plenty of time for wiggle room on the trip, and would make good time on the road.

Will waited in the car outside Nick's place, and found it rather fortunate that he was left alone since to pull off the thirty-six odd hour drive he intended on he wasn't going to do so without a little assistance from a line, or three of coke which he had stashed in the center console along with a small paw mirror, and plastic tube for a 'hooter'. Within the first ten minutes of waiting Will had already done two lines, and had enough left over for a couple more he may, or may not really need. After putting away his stuff back in the stash box that was his center console he just relaxed in the driver's seat closing his eyes to enjoy the rush while not exactly burning through it just yet. In what seemed like no time at all, but was actually closer to another twenty-five minutes Layla, Nick, and Judy were back, and got themselves in the Shelby. Once they were all buckled Will started the engine back up, and got them headed towards where David's house was.

When Will pulled in front of the house Layla had directed him to they both got out to go get Maria, and David. David's mom answered the door when Layla knocked, and after calling out to Maria, and her son the melanistic jaguaress, and white furred grey wolf in question made their way to the door with Joy in tow who gave Will quite the appraising gaze though his cloak hid what he was wearing under it. He was about to flash them for shits, and giggles, but his intent was written on his muzzle, and a squeeze of his paw from Layla caused him to look at her, and see the look on her muzzle clearly indicate that he should refrain from whatever he was considering doing. He did it anyway getting quite the chorus of 'Ah!' in shock from David, Joy, and their mom while Maria burst out laughing, and Layla gave him a backpawed smack to his gut with all her force, but it was worth it. After David, and Maria had said their goodbyes Will carried their luggage to the trunk of his Shelby where he put it next to Nick, and Judy's stuff. Then Will opened the driver side door, and moved the seat forward so Maria, and David could get in. It was an advantage that the Shelby was large enough to seat four of Will, and that Nick, and Judy together only took up one seat so in the back there was plenty of room for all four of them. Before they set out Will laid down a few ground rules for the trip since he'd be driving the whole way. First was that they could switch up whose phone was connected to the aux cable, but Will retained veto of song selection. Second was that if for any reason be it want for a snack from a gas station, a stretch of the legs, or a bathroom break they were to tell him as soon as possible so he could pull in to a gas station, or rest stop as needed adding that he himself would probably be pulling over regularly with the need to urinate, or stretch his legs. The rules agreed upon he told his traveling companions to buckle up, and make themselves comfortable then got the engine fired back up, and got them on the road.