"Fear cuts deeper then swords." - George R.R Martin
Within the inkiest recesses, and deepest, darkest parts of our mind... There is a great vacancy that only fear can fill.
Death... That is this chaotic and mysterious realm that every being must venture to one day. It is inevitable. It is unstoppable. It is fate itself.
But the mind and body are stubborn: If the mind is clever, and the body is strong, then one can seek to delay this coming transcendence.
After all, is that not the goal of every creature that wishes to live? Is their goal not the prospect of outlasting time immemorial? Of delaying their preordained death?
To you, I ask: If it isn't, then why does the canary fear the claws of the cat? Why does the cat fear the dog? Why does the bunny, fear the fox?
The answer is simple. It is hardwired into their brains at birth, of course! For the likes of prey and predator respectively, there are only two options...
Fear or be feared. Eat or be eaten. Run or die. Those are your options. Your only options.
The fox slipped in and out of consciousness multiple times throughout the journey.
Having his pharynx crushed didn't exactly sit well with him, but the badger that did this to him in the first place thankfully didn't kill him. Nick wondered if Judy had gotten it good: Being instantly and near-painlessly knocked out cold. Now, granted, the headache she'd likely get when she finally woke up would not be a very pleasant one at that; but at least she was knocked out, for the moment. Nick, at the very least, wouldn't have wanted her to say or do anything rash that might've gotten her hurt... Or far worse.
But in the end though, he figured that he was probably going to die here, anyways. The fox just hoped that these mobsters would be merciful to Judy, at least.
However, what worried the fox the most about this whole endeavor wasn't the monsters themselves, but rather, their boss.
Nick had seen what that creature was capable of before. He knew that it was him who had sliced clean through that poor antelope investigator.
But Nick had seen even worse atrocities committed by this mammal, if he could even be called such. Monster seemed more fitting in Nick's book.
He'd seen the photos, in the past: Seen the abominable horrors that this beast had wrought. And yet... The ZPD didn't even know he existed.
They had documents and other information on most everyone in Zootopia, but the only thing they had on the name of one Vladzotz Fangpyre, was the fact that he had apparently died in a nasty house fire many years ago. Nick didn't believe that fact one bit, and after seeing the picture of the dead antelope, knew with certainty that this creature was still alive and scheming. That was what the fox pondered at throughout the journey, before his very own mind finally slipped into blissful unconsciousness.
Every time he awoke, the first thing that he would do was squirm around a bit and try to spot Judy, to see if she was alright. His attempts were in vain though, as he would always either slip back into unconsciousness unintentionally, or his carrier, the badger named Russ, would give him another choke-squeeze, and he would have to look ahead.
It was a tiring and painful endeavor, and he wasn't even walking on his own two legs.
Nick had no idea where they all currently were, but he could easily guess where they were headed: Their bosses' lair.
Eventually, the mobbies that captured them reached their destination: A large, dark-wooded and black-bricked fortress of a mansion in the farthest corner of the Nocturnal-District's caverns. Nick recognized the exterior of the place, with it's looming black walls and towering peaks, for it was quite difficult to forget: Especially with the many multi-colored glass-stained windows; the largest source of color, each one adorned with the pure-black shape of a bat. A splotch of darkness in a sea of prismatic colors.
Nick feared this manor, and everything it stood for: This was the House of Fangs, also known as Castle Fangpyre, and the home of Nick's personal boogeyman. The fox had never been inside, but he'd always remember this hellish house. He had visited here once before, many years ago, before he had met Judy. It hadn't changed all that much.
As the badger that carried him trailed closer to the entrance, Nick spotted even more minute details: Scorch marks that branded themselves onto the wood. Despite the manor's seemingly ancient age, it was in incredible condition, with the exception of the burns and the occasional cobweb. The raccoon himself, who had stayed in the behind of the group for most of the walk, suddenly rushed forward and placed Judy at the foot of the porch, which was shaped almost like the gaping maw of some ferocious beast.
The coon lept up the first few steps and scampered to the top before turning around and addressing Nick.
"Aight' Nicky boy. We're here." He grinned maniacally. "I'm sure you recognize the place though, doncha' boy?"
He then turned toward the manor and opened the door, which slid forward with a slight creaking sound.
"Russ, you bring both the bunny and fox up the stairs. You can put him on his feet, and I'll handle it from there. Just carry the bunny." Sprock said.
The badger grunted approvingly and scooped up the dozing form of Judy. Her forehead was bleeding, but aside from that she appeared to be fine. Nick reached out and grasped her limp paw, which he gripped tenderly: He had no intentions of letting it go anytime soon.
Sadly, it didn't last long at all.
Once Russ had carried them up the staircase, he placed Nick on his feet and shoved him forward towards Sprock, who grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pressed his switchblade into his back, effectively causing him to walk forward and into the dark interior of the mansion. He momentarily glanced behind him so as to catch a glimpse of his beloved, but Sprock dug his knife in a little deeper into his shoulder, forcing him to keep his vision ahead of him. The raccoon chuckled softly and then spoke out to Nick;
"Keep yer eyes in front of you. You're gonna need 'em if you wanna see in this dugout... Ol' Fang-face likes to keep it nice and inky in here, case you didn't notice already!"
Even with his enhanced night-vision, Nick admittedly had trouble seeing anything at first. Soon enough, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he began to make out the area of a long hallway, with an equally long purple rug lain out in the center of the room. There were other hallways and doors that branched off, no doubt going deeper into the manor, but Sprock led them down the long hallway: completely to the very end, where a set of double staircases flanked the walls.
Nick was about to start climbing the staircase, but a noise from behind captured his attention, along with Sprock, who turned around in curiosity. Judy had groaned.
"N-Nick... Where are... You? I-I can't see! Don't leave..." She made a whimpering sound that pierced Nick's heart. "Help me, please." She cried softly.
Seeing and hearing his beloved mate so helplessmade Nick's heart ache. Because of her prey-based vision, as opposed to everyone else in the room, she likely couldn't see a thing. Nick himself was a nanosecond away from calling out to her when Sprock dug his knife deeper into Nick's upper back, and then whispered incredibly softly into his ear;
"If you answer her, I swear I'll slash the both of you's throats!" He hissed.
Nick personally thought that it was an empty threat, as it was pretty clear that the raccoon's boss wanted Nick alive, but the fox figured that he cared little for Judy: Nick just didn't want to risk it. He didn't want Judy getting hurt because of his mistakes. And so, he decided to take heed on the raccoon's advice, and refuse to call out to her just yet.
He grit his teeth and clenched his paws, but nodded to Sprock, who grinned in satisfaction before proceeding to direct Nick up the staircase to their left... and all Nick could do was obey while he listened to the terrified cries of his mate behind him, who was in pain, couldn't see, had no idea where she was, and couldn't move either.
I'm so sorry whiskers... The fox thought to himself.
Soon they reached the top of the stairs, which only led to another hallway. It was a short one though, with a large oaken door rooted some twenty feet down. The biggest difference about this hallway was the rows of mammals who flanked the length of the hall all the way until about five feet from the door, which they seemed to lean away from, almost out of fear. Most of the watch-mammals were badgers, like Russ, but some were raccoon and Nick even spotted a few moles ranging in size and species. They were all dressed similarly; With blood-red vests, or suits and ties. The only ones who dressed more uniquely were Russ himself, and Sprock especially, which told Nick that they must've had some shred of authority and power in this mob's chain of command. But down here, only one mammal truly mattered: And he was right behind that door.
Judy's prey-based eyes may not have been as good as Nick's, and definitely not as good as these Nocturnal mammal's: But it appeared that she was starting to adjust to some degree, as she made another whimpering noise and mumbled something about mobsters in red.
Sprock led them to the end of the hallway, where he mumbled towards one of the guards, something Nick couldn't quite make out, even with the mind-numbing silence. The guard then made a motioning gesture with his hand and all the other crimson-clad mobsters, including himself, dismissed themselves down the hallway and out of sight. Russ then placed Judy on her feet and shoved her toward the massive doors, while Sprock put away his switchblade and pushed Nick against the door as well.
"All yours, Nicky boy. It was nice knowing ya. Thanks for the shades, by the way! Not like they'd help someone like you down here."
With that, he chuckled softly to himself and released his hold on the fox before vanishing into the inky blackness of the hallway. Nick tried to focus, but he couldn't see any of the other mammal guards. It seemed that they all had left alongside Russ and Sprock, leaving just himself and Judy alone and silent in the middle of that dark, old hallway.
Could escape be so easy? He asked himself, but soon scratched the idea, as the guards were no doubt still out there, waiting for him to do something as reckless as that.
He then turned his attention towards his mate, who completely blind, was huddled in the corner of the hallway where the door met the wall. Nick dropped to his knees and shuffled over to her, grappling her in a tight hug. She momentarily made a tiny eek noise before realizing that she was in the presence of her beloved husband.
"Nick! I knew y-you wouldn't leave me!" She cried out quite audibly.
The fox gathered his bearings and spoke impossibly quiet, "Judy. Look at me. Look at my voice. I'm here, and I would never leave you... But you need to be quiet."
"Huh? Why? What's going on?" She asked timidly.
"Just don't make a single sound. Don't ask any questions, and whatever you do, don't talk to him unless he speaks to you first."
The bunny wasn't too sure of what he meant. "He? Who's he? And where are we, Nick?" She asked, this time in a much softer volume.
The fox cringed. He knew that Judy was scared. He didn't need his night-vision to tell: The way her voice quavered and the feeling of her body shaking and shuddering was enough for Nick to tell. But that still didn't stop him from staring deep into her eyes, where tears had begun to well up and leak down her face, wetting the fur on her cheeks.
"We're still in the Nocturnal-District. We just... Took a detour. And as for, who, well..." The fox swallowed. "Let's just say that he's a friend of Mr. Big's. Take my paw."
Nick felt Judy's fingers wrap themselves around his own and squeeze tightly, the warmth the followed a stark contrast to the enveloping cold of the manor. The fox helped the bunny to her feet, and carefully led her to the towering black doors, which were engraved with strange carvings and markings, but the centerpiece was the bat shape, the same one adorning the stained-glass windows from outside the house. Without further hesitation, Nick then pushed, opening the door and leading his beloved bunny inside.
The doors shut themselves behind the two officers with a loud and reverberating thud: One that shook the floor beneath their feet and echoed throughout the house.
The room they were in was a large one, and appeared to be some sort of office, almost. It was rectangular, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the left and right walls of this new room, and a sea of books and scrolls accompanied the many rows of shelves. The ceiling itself wasn't that high up, but it was a few feet taller than the hallway they just entered from. In the middle of the farthest wall was a fireplace. In it, a few small embers smoldered, creating pitiful lighting, but it was plenty to illuminate the outline of what occupied the center of the room. Judy had the most trouble with seeing what was around her, but even she saw the strange shape that hung from the ceiling, a few feet from scraping the ground: It looked like a deformed punching-bag, almost, and was weirdly shaped, like a sack of deflated rubber stretched over a bag of old, sharp bones.
Forgetting her oath of silence, she spoke out, "Are we supposed to punch it?" To which Nick nearly fainted, his blood turning to ice as he saw the 'punching-bag' twitch.
Then... Laughter. A deep, rasping, wheeze of a laugh emanated from the center of the room, the bass in it's chords making Nick's spine shake even more.
From the darkness, a pair of soft red lights suddenly appeared. They glowed softly at the bottom of the object that hung from the ceiling.
"Well..." The voice spoke out again. "What a pleasant surprise."
Judy wasn't amused. Her stubborn nature caused her to call out to the voice.
"Hey! Show yourself, you creep!" She nearly shouted, at which Nick face-palmed.
There was no answer, and Nick tensed up, preparing for anything.
Then, the voice, which by now the officers had deduced to be male, answered simply;
"Very well."
Judy watched in awe and horror as the glowing punching-bag began writhing around, and then grew in shape, massive arms - no, wings - unwrapping themselves from the form of something large, hanging from the roof. It was then that Judy realized that those glowing orbs were in fact the thing's eyes, which reflected a red luster, like blood.
Whatever this thing was, it was living, and hanging upside down from the ceiling.
The creature then lowered one of his wings to the floor-level, and released it's hold on the ceiling, detaching from the roof and while using the balance from the wing that touched the ground, dropped his entire body until his feet hit the floor, and he was standing almost upright. The creature's back was hunched over, and it's legs were folded strangely, with backwards knees and harshly angled ankles, but judging from the shape in the darkness, Judy reasoned that this mammal was at least as big as Nick was.
"Where are my manners?" The voice spoke smoothly and very calmly.
His words flowed over Judy like sweet molasses; His tone was spoken as if he were saying; It's alright... We're all friends here.
But Judy knew better. Whoever this creep was, it was clear that he was the one who had ordered her and Nick kidnapped.
The creature paced over to the fireplace, walking on all fours, feet and wings, until he halted directly in front of the mantle, where he grabbed a sack of powder and a block of wood. He placed the wood in the hearth, dusted it with the powder substance, and soon enough, a full-blown flame was blazing to life, illuminating the darkness of the room.
He had his back to them, staring deep into the fire. With the new light source proving ample visage, Judy took the opportunity to analyze her captor form the behind.
He was dressed in pure black slacks, with a double-breasted vest of the same color encompassing his torso. The vest was trimmed with a deep blood-red color, the same as the guards that had escorted Nick and Judy here in the first place. The inverse coloring was an interesting detail, but Judy didn't spend too much time thinking about it, as she continued to scan over this mysterious creature. His vest had no sleeves, and instead, protruding from the arm-holes where his sleeves should have been placed, a set of large wings emerged, with membrane-thin flesh stretched tight over long rows of bones. This mammal's wings were his arms. Judy had never seen a winged mammal before.
The creature's thin fur was as black as his vest, and his deep voice spoke out once more, effectively earning her attention.
"Now that you can see," The animal began rotating around to face his guests. "Allow me to introduce myself."
He fully turned around, and Judy got her first good look at his face. For as long as she has lived, she had never seen a more nightmarish-looking mammal.
The monster's head was large and angled, his long muzzle lined with crinkles and blemishes. His skin, which could clearly be seen through the thin fur on his wrinkly face, was purple-tinged and slightly speckled, and was nearly as black as his fur. He had ears even bigger than Finnick's: Large and fuzzy flaps of skin shooting upwards from the top of his head. His muzzle parted in a terrifying smile: Slimy black lips pulling back like curtains to reveal a large set of gleaming white fangs, pristine and perfectly clean.
Judy always thought that Nick had large fangs, but gazing in fear and awe at this animal's teeth seemed to make her finally understand the true meaning of the word itself. This creature's teeth were not only huge, but incredibly sharp-looking; With razor-tipped points that looked potent enough to pierce through flesh. Thinking back on it, Nick's fangs looked tiny and weak in comparison. Staring down at this peculiar beast, Judy thought back to a particular quote from Mr. Big himself that she had heard so long ago...
We may be evolved, but deep down... We are still animals.
This mammal seemed to embody that quote to a horrific degree: He looked more predatory and dangerous than any other mammal she'd ever come across, in the past.
Judy tried searching for something, anything notable of trust or sympathy in this creature, but she found none. His beady red eyes danced with a strange flicker of madness, and his claws were huge: the tiny fingers about mid-way up the length of his wings sprouted long polished-black talons. Judy knew the instant that she saw them that this must have been the mammal who had killed that poor, innocent antelope investigator. The rabbit watched as her captor spread his wings and bowed, all the while rumbling;
"I am Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre, the third of that name." His disturbing smile grew even wider, showing off his massive fangs. "And I humbly welcome you to my home."
Hey Everyone!
I'll keep this quick, as most of you know the drill by now: I hope you all enjoyed it, and be sure to favorite, follow, and review if you haven't already!
I'd like that very much. :)
As for my reviewers out there, what I really want to know this time is your opinion on this latest chapter, especially with the likes of how I introduced and personified Vladzotz himself, who will be serving as a minor antagonistic character! The next chapter will shed some more light on him. Stay tuned for it!
'Till next time...
Peace!
PS: In case you are wondering why I decided to scale him up to roughly Nick's size, well, it's for convenience's sake, to be honest. In a world of talking animals with opposable thumbs, I figured a tiny bit of leeway could be given to make Vlad (and in turn, his entire species) more of an intimidating force, and a match for our favorite fox and bunny officers. It isn't that big of a deal, but otherwise is the only difference I've ever made in regards to something like designing a mammal's body structure. Gotta stay as true to the source material as we can, after all. Still, some liberties can be taken: This is FanFiction, after all. Nonetheless, I do assure you that what's to come will be one heck of a ride, near and far. Stay tuned, and also feel free to leave some nice reviews along the way, too! I'd like that. Nonetheless, I still thank you all for your generous time and consideration thus far. It means a lot to me.