[AN

Hey guys! New chapter is there! Thanks again for sticking with me!

This one is fairly longer than the previous, as I find it easier to write with each passing day. I take it as a good sign, so don't hesitate to tell me if I'm mistaken :)

It is time to take a closer look to some of the main characters, as it will guide most of the story. You will also find (or not, time will tell ^^) a few clues on what is coming next. So, still no breathtaking action in this one, as it is still a bit too early, but I found it very satisfying nonetheless. Hope I won't be the only one!

Enjoy!

AN]

Silence followed the last sentence, all officers turning to the red fox who hadn't move at all, using all his inner strength to keep his mask on, despite the obvious surprise to hear his name. Bogo stared hard at him, and the fox simply stared back, no emotions forcing their way on his stoic muzzle. After a whole minute, the buffalo nodded.

"Fine. Wilde, you are to do as Wolfard commands, and if he decides you have to make decisions for him, you better make the right ones. Understood?" Nick kept silent for a few seconds, still trying to understand why he had been chosen.

"All right, sir."

"Good. You all have your orders. Dismissed."

All officers slowly left the room, except for two. Nick's intense thinking was stopped when Wolfard put his paw on his shoulder and cleared his throat.

"You ok there, Wilde?" The fox nodded. "You are wondering why I chose you, right?" Another nod. "That's easy. Something in my guts tell me this case will be hell, and I want the best by my side. I know things have been…difficult… for you those past months, but I still believe you are one of the best officers this precinct has ever welcomed." He paused, letting his colleague make up his mind. "So, what do you say?"

Nick took another couple of seconds to let the words be processed by his confused brain. He knew he was a good cop, and Wolfard had several times asked for advice or help on tricking suspects into divulging more than they were willing to, thanks to his reading skills and ease with words. They had even been partnered twice before.

The first time was during the previous winter, when Judy had gotten ill and was forced to stay home for a whole week. The second time he had volunteered for an undercover operation in Sahara Square, trying to get rid of a band of street hustlers becoming a bit too prolific for the neighborhood. Though his former partner had not been too happy to be dumped like this without warning, his curiosity had been too strong for him to resist such a case.

In both cases they had proven an effective pair, and their friendship had only strengthen. Still, hearing he was considered one of the best by the most experienced and respected officer of the precinct was something he hadn't been expecting to hear. If he was honest, he didn't even know how to answer such a praise, so he settled for the easiest answer he came up with.

"I'm in."

Wolfard smiled, and pat his friend on the back twice before adding. "Good. Let's go check if one of the conference room is free, we have an investigation to prepare and I have a lot to fill you in." With those last words, he exited the room, leaving a still confused cop behind him, as Nick's legs were still waiting for his brain to stop pondering the wolf's words and give them the order to start moving.

.

The room was large, enough to accommodate at least two dozen mammals, except if all of them were bear sized or bigger of course. Several wooden tables had been arranged to form a "U" in the center. Two more had simply be put along the wall on the far side of the room, white tablecloth stained with coffee or other drinks from previous meetings. All were empty now, except for the closest to the white wall on which stood a modern overhead projector and a laptop to work on. Two whiteboards on wheels surrounded the middle space of the wall, enabling anyone to add notes to the slides that were projected on the wall.

When Nick had entered the room, it was already crowded. Wolfard had taken the seat with the two appliances, and was busy typing something on the computer. All other officers were chatting amongst themselves, until they finally noticed the red fox and all fell silent. A wave of unease nearly flooded the fox at seeing all his colleagues' eyes on him, the sudden silence making him feel like he had been the main topic of the entire audience.
Keeping his usual smirk on his muzzle, he moved directly to the empty seat next to Wolfard and turned it towards the wall, offering his back to the rest of his colleagues. He saw in the corner of his eyes a brief but amused grin flash on the wolf's face at this show of confidence and nonchalance, before the meeting finally began, as the grey wolf rose to his feet.

"All right everyone, listen up." Wolfard's voice carried his authority easily, the cop clearly used to this kind of meeting, another sign of his experience. "You all heard chief Bogo earlier, this investigation will require all of you, physically and mentally, no matter if some of you are lacking in either domain." A wave of chuckles agitated briefly the room, the light joke between colleagues a good way to reduce the pressure that had been building inside them all since roll call. Once again, Nick was impressed by the grey wolf and his wide set of skills.

Whether it was natural or learnt with years of training, Wolfard had become a real leader, and the chief's choice completely made sense. Maybe he would become the next chief of police one day. A soon as this thought crossed his mind, he recalled the wolf's praise of earlier, and this time he couldn't stop the genuine smile that reached his muzzle for a second or two, before he managed to put his mask back in place. Luckily, he was turning his back so nobody could have noticed it. Shaking his head slightly, he focused on the briefing again.

"To begin with, I stuck together a few photographs, interviews and reports from the Irina case, I tried to keep it short so it doesn't exceed fifty-three slides." Another round of laughter broke out, while Wolfard allowed himself a smirk at his own joke. A side-glance to the red fox was followed by a wink, before the wolf resumed like nothing had happened, leaving the fox speechless. This was so easy for the older cop Nick couldn't help but imagine what the pair could have done if they had partnered up when hustling. Another thought then reached his mind, and he froze. Since when does Wolfard make jokes and wink when at work? Was he actually rubbing on his colleague?

"So, the guest of honor, Irina herself." While speaking, Wolfard had activated the projector and the first slide was visible on the wall. The photo had two black vertical stripes on the sides, indicating it had been taken from a mobile phone. It displayed a female mammal who was turning toward the source of the photo, as her body was showing her profile while her head was already facing them directly. Nick recalled what Bogo had told them, and understood that it was the photo taken by the seven-year old boy that led to the assassin's arrest months later.

The way Irina was looking straight at them now left no doubt in his mind that she knew about the photo and had voluntarily let the boy keep it. She seemed to have some sort of principles, as she didn't make her victim suffer and never hurt anyone else, but taking the phone from the boy without hurting should have been easy for her. Why she had decided to leave behind such a crucial evidence for the ZPD left Nick shaken, so he decided to focus on the photo and the mammal herself.

He had to admit she was quite the beauty. She wore a pair of black slacks that highlighted her generous curves, and a white top that revealed the upper part of her back and some of her shoulders. Her golden eyes reflected some background light, and the timid smile on her lips added to her feminine charm. The fur that was visible was dark brown or black, it was hard to say, but it made her eyes stand out even more. The pair of long ears that reached high above her head were as dark as the rest of her body, and for a moment he wondered if it was her natural color or if she had dyed her fur.

That's when he finally realized what Irina was, and he let out a shocked gasp, earning him a few chuckles from some of his colleagues.

"I was wondering how you could stay so serious and focused, Wilde, but it seems you just took your time realizing what everybody noticed first." Wolfard's voice was taunting, his eyes filled with mischief, as he stared at the perplex fox at his side. "Yes, Irina was a bunny. In Zootopia, anyone can be anything. She decided she wanted to be an assassin and prove the world bunnies were not all weak and frail."

Nick was speechless, as it reminded him all too clearly of another bunny.

.

Nick's jaw was hanging slightly open. A bunny! The most deadly assassin who had ever plagued the city, the hitmammal who managed to avoid the ZPD for months, was a little dark rabbit. And he had been so focused on her silhouette he had missed that detail. Before he could compose himself, Wolfard addressed his colleagues once again.

"This mostly explains why it had been so hard to find her. Nobody would have thought Irina could be a bunny. Some of the victims were jaguars, wolves and bears, and our forensics always told us the blade had pierced the heart of the victim in a straight-forward manner, so she needed to be tall enough. Thus, we focused our efforts on wolves, tigers, lions and that kind of predators."

Francine, the only elephant in the room, raised her hand, asking permission to interrupt like a kit in class. With a nod, Wolfard accepted the question.

"Why a predator?" The question was followed by murmurs of approval, as the question was actually a very pertinent one.

"Good question." Wolfard sighed in resignation and his shoulders dropped a bit, as he recalled how wrong he had been. It was still weighing heavily on him, even after all this time. Nick felt even more respect for the wolf and decided he would give his best not to let him down.

"I'd say it was because we didn't have Hopps and Wilde at the time." All looked at the fox, who raised a brow questioningly. "What I mean is that we were much more narrow-minded than we are today. Before you and Hopps joined the ZPD, cops had always been big and strong, because the most dangerous criminals were big and strong too, and required cops able to face them. Brute strength versus brute strength."

The wolf lowered his eyes to the ground. "We were stuck in stereotypes. Only a predator could kill in cold blood like this, we kept repeating ourselves. And to be honest, the fact that most killers we had caught in the previous years had actually been predators didn't help us to question our methods or way of thinking. She could have walked straight into the hall with a knife under her shirt, talk about the weather and leave like nothing had happened and still we wouldn't have bat an eyelid to her presence within our walls."

Wolfard then sit, like the weight of his failure was becoming too much to handle. "It's been three years since Hopps joined the force, and my mind has been torturing me since." A long sigh followed, one that further increased the tension filling the room. It was the first time any of the present officers had ever seen the wolf so down. "If she had joined sooner and opened our eyes, we might have been able to stop Irina sooner, and save some of them. This is our fault. My fault."

An uncomfortable silence ensued the last statement. All officers were holding their breath, the life-lesson striking them harder than everything the academy, while ferociously unforgiving, could throw at them. A common thought crossed their mind, like they were all linked by some psychic tie in that very moment: if Hopps and Wilde had not been there, the plot against predators would have turned out far worse, and the casualties would have been much higher.

They had all made the same mistake Wolfard did.

The cloud of guilt that fogged the room was so thick it was nearly tangible. It took a flash of red to disperse it. All were now looking with eyes big as saucers the paw being held in front of Wolfard's face. The grey lupine stared at the paw with incomprehension for a long time before raising his head to look at the fox. What he saw made him gasp. Nick's face was dark with determination, his eyes shining with a strength he hadn't seen since he Hopps was gone. Taking the paw in his own, he was then strongly pulled up to his feet.

"None of Irina's choices were your fault." The fox's voice was harsh, but not with anger or reprimand. It shone with respect and pride.

"The past is the past. We have a future to protect."

Like one, all officers in the room rose and saluted the duo facing them, a sense of family surging through their puffing chests at the strongly symbolic gesture.

"And you will not bear this cross alone, Gary."

A roar of fervor boomed in the room, shaking the very foundation of the building with its intensity. A bright smile crossed Wolfard's muzzle as his eyes darted from right to left, catching all his colleagues' eagerness and unconditional support. The depressive mood had been lifted entirely with just a few words of the sly fox, which made him realize just how right his choice had been.

"Well, gentlemammals. I believe we have a case to crack then."

The rest of the briefing was much more professional and by all means tiring. The few breaks for coffee had been greatly appreciated, but that didn't prevent them to crawl under the massive amount of information being forced into their brains. Still, when the day was finally over, all officers were happy and proud to be part of something this big. There had been no rollercoaster of emotions this time, but none had forgotten Nick's words and attitude towards their new leader, and when they clocked out and exited the building to go home, it had been with a renewed dedication, looking forward to the coming days.

Only two of them had decided to work extra hours that night, Wolfard and Nick still needing to come up with a battle plan. Their knowledge of the past had now to be put to good use, and it was their job to lead the others. They took two more hours to discuss the best course of actions, and more importantly who would perform which task. When they had finally agreed to every aspect of the plan, they walked in content silence towards the great exit door.

Nick's mind was racing. Since he had seen the bear's picture, he had known he would have to go to Mr. Big; the problem was that none of them, not even chief Bogo, were aware of his connection to the mob boss. And now he had to decide if it was time to tell Wolfard, or play it solo. After his earlier statement it would be cruelly ironic to go with the second option, but his guts were screaming at him to keep it to himself, though he didn't really understand why at first.

He had kept contact with Big and his daughter mainly through Judy, as the bunny insisted to visit her goddaughter and watch her grow. He had not been too happy with it at first, fearing what the growing friendship between a cop and the daughter of a mob boss might end like. But as time flied and nothing happened, he had softened and even begun to enjoy their visits. They had even managed to escape Zootopia twice, to go on what Big called family weekends, without being caught.

.

They had been pleasant memories in the end, though he had thought his time had finally come on the first trip. Kevin had awaken him in the middle of the night, and led him outside, bringing the fox to a solitary pond a few miles away from their resting place. Seeing the artic shrew waiting near the pond had brought a surge of fear within his chest, as he began wondering how deep the pond really was and if his body would one day be found. The first minutes had been spent in complete silence, Big eying the fox from head to toe again and again while Nick had kept his gaze to the floor. After what had felt like an eternity, the shrew had spoken with a not hidden touch of disappointment in the voice.

"Why, Nicky?" He needn't say more to make the fox understand what he was talking about. After all, it had been the first and only time Nick had tricked the mob boss. He opened and closed his mouth several times, his words dying in his throat every time. Inhaling deeply, he finally found the courage to come clean with his past.

"I needed the money. I sold the real rug, then bought this cheap one and sold it to you because I needed the money." His words had escaped in a shameful whisper, his ears flattening on his skull and his shoulders drooping. Big had stared at him, trying to find any deception in the fox attitude, but had finally understood he wasn't acting. Still, he wasn't satisfied.

"That's no answer, Nicky." The shrew's voice lowered and anger resonated in the chilling air. "I had been paying you generously. You could have asked for more, but you decided to trick me. And thus disrespected Gran-Mama. After all she had done for you, you dared turn your back on her like she was nothing!" This last word had been roared with so much fury nobody would have ever been able to tell it was coming from such a tiny mammal. It broke something in Nick, who jumped to his feet, claws coming out as his anger started mirroring Big's.

"I didn't know why you wanted the rug, I swear! Had I known, I would have never done it!" Nick was breathing heavily, his control slipping throw his fingers like an eel in a fisher's paw, and he pointed an accusing digit to the shrew. "I loved Gran-Mama like a second mother, and you know it!" Big waved a paw to the polar bear behind Nick, who hadn't felt the danger closing in his back. Kevin let out an angry snort through his nostrils and stared at the fox for several seconds, his wordless menace looming over the todd's head, as inevitable as the wind. Big broke the following silence.

"Let's say I believe you. Why then?" Nick gulped, and fell back on his rump, bringing his knees to his chin and crossing his arms over them. His tail moved to wrap him in a futile attempt to protect him. His next words could barely be heard.

"She was dying." Big frowned, but Nick went on before he could demand more explanations. "My mother was dying." Nick swallowed hard, recalling all too well how his world had started spiraling down from that fateful day. "It took nearly a month before a doctor finally accepted to check her, and the pneumonia had already taken its toll on her body. Her only chance was to go through surgery. It should have cost a bit less than twenty thousand dollars, but as she was a fox, we were charged seventy." Tears began rolling on Nick's cheeks.

"I needed money, and I needed it fast. I panicked. And I betrayed you." Nick had hidden his head under his arms, as his shoulders started shaking under uncontrollable sobs. Only two more words could be deciphered in between his sobbing.

"I'm sorry…"

Big was not a forgiving mammal. His reputation for icing his enemies was not born from rumors, and of the many who had underestimated and crossed the little shrew, few had survived. The ones who did had been spared to spread fear. But he had only one goal in life. He had been driven to create his empire for one reason and one only: his family. Raising his daughter safely, as no sane mammal would dare attack her knowingly, and keeping her away from need her entire life. On hearing the fox's story, he understood he would have done the same for his daughter. And for the first time in years, he felt sympathy for the fox.

"Nicky, my boy, you should have told me…" His voice carried genuine concern, which made the fox's ears to twitch, before he raised his head and his red eyes locked with Big's. "Family always comes first. I respect that." With a sigh, the shrew opened his arms." Now that I understand, I can finally forgive you, Nicky." Nick's emeralds grew big as the shrew's words sunk into his mind, and he leaned down to kiss with the shrew on both cheeks, like Judy had done a few months ago, on Fru-Fru's wedding.

Back to the present, Nick shook his head to get rid of the memories, only to realize they had already exited the building and Wolfard was staring at him, aware of Nick's internal conflict but simply waiting.

Family comes first.

The words echoed in his mind, as he pondered which family should come first, his family in blue or the shrew's one. Three years against more than ten. Mammals who had chosen this dangerous trip against an innocent adorable shrew and her baby who didn't have a say. The choice was so evident it made Nick freeze for another second, unease growing within as he realized how easily he had chosen a crime lord over his colleagues. Inhaling deeply in the cold night air to compose himself, he put his mask back in place, and waved to the wolf.

"Sorry pal, already working tomorrow's actions in this thick skull of mine. See ya!"

Before the wolf could answer, he turned his back and started the quiet walk towards his apartment.