Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 7 of Tooth and Claw! I'm currently working on Chapter 7 of Kinesis Chronicles – which is half done at the point of writing this AN – so expect to see that some time within the week. Honestly, I'm quite saddened by the fact this hasn't gotten any Reviews on , but it's likely just not interesting or people don't feel like it. That kinda irks me, because as a writer I want to know what people like and don't like in my work. I can't change and grow if people don't tell me what I need to do to change and grow. I mean, it's gotten plenty of views and I think a favorite or two, including a few follows possibly, but I want to know what people think. I can't do that if nobody Reviews. So while not required or anything, I do ask you at least tell me what you do or don't like about the story. It doesn't have to be huge and insanely detailed, a simple paragraph or so will do, but I do want to know what you guys think. Honestly, not knowing just makes me want to give up on this story at least for a while to focus on my two other projects, Zootopian Assassins and Kinesis Chronicles, and that's not fair to the people who like it. Sorry to go off on this little tangent, I suppose I'll give you a brief little overview on what I do plan to happen this Chapter; somebody gets shot, I try my hand at writing some heavy angst, and the next two Chapters – including this one – are the last for this little segment of the Past. There will be two more or so Present Chapters to develop Lance and Blake's relationship, as well as show just how bad Nick's death truly affected him. Time to try my hand at writing some depression! Yaaaaaaaay...! I got some truly amazing tips from two or three Reddit users on how to portray the issue, and I hope I do it justice. Maybe I can get the help of a few other people if I get insecure enough about it. Oh, and you also get to see just how protective Lance truly is. Oh, and you also get to meet Ghost for the first time. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I think it's time to get...onto the story!
I leapt out of the cruiser, stumbling as I did but quickly righting myself, and ran for the door. I crashed through it, pausing only to look around for any of my fellow officers, saw Hasan leaning against the wall, got waved on by him, and I dashed for the back.
"Lance, wait!" I heard Is call, but I ignored it. I shoved open the door, coming to a stop at the sight of Nick leaning against the wall a few feet away, panting heavily and staring into space.
"Nick!" I shouted, rushing forward. Nick's eyes focused at my voice, and he raised a paw to ward off any physical interaction.
"I'm fine, Lance. Hasan too, but he took a bullet to the chest. Get the Operators on the med van, we're done here." I blinked in surprise at the words, then glanced around.
"Where's the culprit? They should be around here somewhere." I said, Nick shaking his head.
"They went through there. Probably long gone by now." He said, and my gaze hardened. I turned to where he had gestured, Nick laying a paw on my shoulder. "Lance, you can't go after them!" The words were practically said in a begging tone, and I grinned.
"Relax, Nick, I won't put 'em in the ICU." I said calmly, Nick pulling his paw away with a start.
"Lance, even if you do somehow catch them, you can't beat them up! That's wrong!" I sighed, then began walking at a casual pace. I paused at the door, glancing over my shoulder.
"Okay." With that, I stepped through the door and closed it behind me.
I eyed the stairs briefly, then hummed in thought. They likely went upstairs, since down was a basement, so I began climbing. I paused on the second floor, then crouched down by the door and pulled my sidearm free. I flipped it around and reached up, banging the bottom of the magazine on the door. I quickly retracted it, and only a second later two shots punched holes in the thin metal.
"Dude, why'd you do that!?" I heard somebody whisper shout, and I blinked at the electronic sound of it. Sounded like a voice filter.
"Well, what if it was a cop?" Somebody else asked.
"Then you don't do anything! Maybe he would have gone away!" The first voice shouted, then grunted. "Alright, go see if they're dead."
"Why do I have to do it?"
"Because you shot them!"
"Alright, fine! Go check out the windows, make sure nobody's coming to see what the noise was."
"Okay, fine. Now go do your job."
"You too."
I slowly stood, my eyes holding an impassive and bored expression quite different from the anger I felt.
When the door opened, I waited for a moment to see if anything would come through. I heard a confused grunt, then a Gray Fox stepped through the door and glanced around. When his gaze met mine, he froze in surprise.
"Hello, I'm Officer Whitney. Prepare to be arrested." I said, the Gray Fox opening his muzzle to say something when I flashed a paw out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer and head butting him. Hard. The Fox collapsed and I let him, stepping over his unconscious form and into the room.
"Hey, you find the cop-" The Wolf at the other end of the room cut off as they turned, their gaze locking onto me and showing me they also had a small mesh mask on that covered their jaw and eyes. "Hm. Didn't realize they sent the two Foxes of the ZPD out here. Whitney, right?"
"S'up?" I drug out the word, the Wolf letting out a small growl that was heard even from the distance we were separated by, though that wasn't all that far.
"So, I take it you're here to arrest me?" The Wolf inquired, and I shrugged.
"That would be the preferable outcome, yes." I answered, stepping closer. The Wolf had a pistol out and pointed in my direction almost immediately, and I hesitated. My gaze flicked past him briefly to the window, and I frowned.
"Preferable, possibly. What's going to happen? No, sorry to say. What is going to happen, however, is you are going to let me leave." The Wolf said, and I snorted.
"And why would I do that?" I asked incredulously, the Wolf turning their head briefly. I rushed forward at the opportunity, the Wolf turning their head back to me quickly and raising the pistol slightly. I ducked under their arm, raising it and intending to jab a paw into their throat when they fired the pistol. I yelped at how close it was to my ear, the noise reverberating in my head as I stumbled back, clutching my ears. The Wolf stepped forward, and I let out a gasp as his paw slammed into my gut. I fell to my knees, the Wolf kicking me onto my back.
"Sorry about that Officer Whitney, but I am afraid this is where I bid you adieu." The Wolf's words were barely audible, likely shouted, and I rolled over only to watch helplessly as he walked past me and out the door.
A moment later Operators Keto and Larsson rushed in, saw me, and rushed over.
"Lance! You okay!?" Is shouted, and I nodded. I gestured to my ears, then mimed a gun firing. Lumi scowled, then knelt down next to Is. I saw her say something, though the ringing left it inaudible. Is nodded, then turned and dashed out of the room.
It felt like hours before Lumi led me out of the room and down the stairs, and I noted the Gray Fox was gone. I turned to her, thought I asked where the Fox had gone, but she didn't say anything or even gesture so I couldn't be sure.
At the bottom of the steps, I paused hesitantly, Lumi letting me do so, before I opened the door. She followed closely, and I could feel her gaze on me as I made to turn for the door when the spot Nick had been standing in gained my attention. I blinked at the sight of blood, then turned to Lumi. I might've asked why there was blood where Nick had been, though with my hearing still out I couldn't be completely sure.
Lumi's mouth moved in answer, and she quickly realized I still couldn't hear her when I nodded slowly with my eyes dancing around in nervousness. She hung her head, then just raised her paw and placed it on my shoulder. She spun me around, then pushed me forward and I frowned but didn't try to say anything as I headed for the door.
It took thirty minutes afterwards for my hearing to get back to normal, and in that time I learned Nick had been shot as well, but in the back, though the wound was superficial and unlikely to do any major damage. I had momentarily panicked as Lumi explained it to me before hearing the last part from her, and I had nodded slowly. I also told her about the Gray Fox and the Wolf.
She drove us back to the Precinct while Hasan and Nick were taken to the hospital to get their wounds taken care of. I was a bit surprised she didn't take me, what with having a gun go off so close to my head, but I figured she knew enough to be confident I'd be okay. Or at least, I hoped so.
As we came to a stop in the parking lot, she turned to me.
"Listen, Lance, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was out of line, and it was wrong of me." I blinked in surprise, not quite certain where this was coming from.
"Um...thanks, Lumi. I'm sorry about how I reacted, as well. It's just...I don't know, Lumi, Nick's everything to me. I just get so worked up when I think of him in danger, and it's a little scary. I mean, what if one day I snap and actually do hurt or kill somebody because they say or do something?" I asked, genuine fear in my eyes and voice, and Lumi gave me a sympathetic look.
"You're scared because you worry you'll revert back to savage when somebody threatens your mate and you'll do something to drive them away." I could do nothing but blink at how understanding Lumi sounded.
"You...sound like you've been there." I remarked, Lumi huffing and letting a small smile touch her muzzle before it disappeared.
"I have. I've always had this...shall we say devotion to my family. Is, especially. I used to snap on a dime when we first started hanging out as friends. Believe it or not, it's how we got together. Some little runkata made a speciest remark about how Hares and Bunnies are known for being promiscuous and how a mammal would be better off with their own species. I was so, so prepared to rip the little lutka to shreds, and I almost did, but Is stopped me." Lumi paused.
"How?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if Lumi was comfortable continuing but too curious to not ask.
"He spun me around by my uniform, pulled me down and kissed me. And I don't mean some weak chaste kiss like you see between two mammals who aren't sure or are embarrassed, I mean a full blown kiss. I think there was a bit of tongue, too." I nodded, an impressed look on my face, and Lumi looked nervous suddenly. "You aren't...against the idea, are you? Of a Pred and Prey being together?" I scoffed.
"Lumi, I think at this stage it'd be hypocritical of me to judge somebody for who they love. I'm happy, really." She looked surprised at that, and I continued. "I mean, I'll admit I was surprised by it, but I wasn't ever against the idea. I've always been of the mind that who somebody loves isn't what matters. If they truly love them, if they would fight to the end for that mammal no matter what happened, who am I to say it's wrong just because they love somebody outside their species or, hell, even a mammal on the opposite end of the food chain from them? Now, I would obviously worry about the genetic aspect of it of course, as well as any...ahem, size differences, but other than that...what's the point of getting all worked up over something so trivial as who somebody's attracted to?"
"You are so lucky we are in this cruiser right now." Lumi suddenly remarked, and I arched an eyebrow.
"Why?" I asked, Lumi huffing.
"Because I would be hugging you so hard right now." She answered, and I frowned slightly.
"I'm...not real big on the whole touching thing. I tend to only touch others if I have to." I said, Lumi arching an eyebrow.
"You touch Nick a lot." She pointed out, and I rolled my eyes.
"That's different. He's my Mate, of course I'm going to touch him a lot." I retorted, Lumi pausing momentarily at my words.
"Mate? As in with a capital M?" She asked, making me freeze up in nervousness.
"Y-yeah. He's the only one for me, so he's my Mate." I answered, my eyes flicking around in thought. "That is how it works...right?" I asked, suddenly unsure if I understood Fox Matehood correctly.
"What, you saying you've never been in a relationship before?" Lumi questioned, her tone one of guarded curiosity.
"Uh...no...?" I answered, my shoulders hunching up nervously and my gaze drifting away from the Vixen.
"Hm. Seems we're in the same boat then." I snapped my gaze back to Lumi in shock, my eyes wide and mouth open. She huffed softly in amusement at my expression. "It's true. Is is my first, both in terms of romantic relationships and...other things."
"Huh. We have a lot more in common than I thought." I remarked, Lumi chuckling.
"Yeah. I suppose we do." She agreed, silence falling between the two of us for a time.
Finally, after a few minutes, I glanced at the dash clock.
"We should probably go in and report." I said, Lumi nodding in agreement. "I do hope Wolford and Fangmeyer brought that mammal in." I remarked quietly as I opened the door, hopping down to the ground.
When we entered the Precinct, I was quite surprised at how subdued Clawhauser looked when he saw me and Lumi. I approached wearily, knowing that if something had the guy down, it was bad.
"Hey, Lance, Operator." He greeted, Lumi not speaking up on the fact she had a name. She could feel the mood change too.
"Clawhauser, buddy, what's wrong?" I asked, the chubby Cheetah hesitating.
"It's...it's Nick." Instantly I felt my blood freeze, and a slowly dawning horror began to overtake me. Clawhauser apparently saw it in my face, and he was quick to correct himself. "No, he's fine, Lance, I swear! Larsson just called and said that Nick said to tell you that tonight might have to be postponed, whatever tonight was supposed to be." I let out a small breath of relief, then glared at the Cheetah.
"Why didn't you just say that instead of nearly giving me a heart attack!?" I asked, the Cheetah shrinking back at my shouting.
"I...I'm sorry, Lance, I didn't mean to worry you." My gaze softened at Ben's words, knowing he meant them and likely just hadn't been sure exactly what to say.
"I know Ben. I'm sorry for shouting." I apologized, the Cheetah nodding slightly.
"So...if I may ask, what was tonight gonna be?" He carefully asked, and I let out a small laugh that the question.
"Eh, you know, just going out. Nothing major." I answered easily, though Ben frowned at that.
"If it's nothing major, why did you seem so disappointed when he told you?" Lumi suddenly asked, making me nearly jump in surprise.
"What? I didn't seem disappointed...did I?" Lumi nodded.
"Yeah. What were you gonna do, Lance?" She asked, and I cast a brief glance at Ben.
"Tell you later." I answered after a moment, the Vixen grumbling to herself at the answer. "Anyway, nice seeing you Ben, but we should probably go report to Bogo and all that." I said, the Cheetah nodding.
"Oh yeah, he did not seem happy that two of his officers got shot in what was supposed to be an empty building. Watch your step, I'm not sure if we got all the shards of glass from his lamp up." Clawhauser warned, me and Lumi exchanging glances.
"Uh...sure. Thanks for the warning buddy." I said, Clawhauser nodding and lowering his gaze back to his computer as me and Lumi walked past his desk and towards the elevator.
We stepped into the giant metal box, Lumi pressing the button for the top floor and stepping back as the doors closed. When the doors opened on the top floor, I let Lumi step out first before following to Bogo's office. She knocked on the door, then stepped back.
"Come in!" Bogo shouted, Lumi glancing at me with an 'oh boy' expression before opening the door.
"Sir, we're here to report on the incident at the crime scene." She announced, the Cape Buffalo huffing in acknowledgement behind his desk. I stepped inside but remained by the door, feeling nervous about being in the room.
"Whitney, would you care to tell me what happened?" I hesitated, glancing at Lumi.
"I...think Operator Keto would be better equipped to do so." I answered, my gaze lowering to the floor. The room was silent for a moment before Lumi took a step close to me.
"Lance...you okay?" She asked, her voice quiet and her gaze worried when I raised my own to her.
"Yeah, it just hit me that Nick could have died today." I answered quietly, Lumi nodding and turning to Bogo.
"Is there something I should know, Operator?" Lumi shook her head in answer, and I smiled briefly.
"I heard shots fired while keeping an eye out for mammals with Operator Larsson while Officer Whitney took a mammal to the cruiser after they were found there. Officer Whitney rushed inside despite Larsson's warnings to the contrary, whereupon he found officers Wilde and Hasan. He went after the mammals responsible and...subdued a Gray Fox." I hunched my shoulders slightly. "He encountered a Wolf, I believe he said it was, but was unable to subdue them due to having a firearm discharged next to his ear. The Wolf escaped, and we believe he took the Gray Fox with him." Bogo turned his gaze to me when Lumi finished.
"Is this true, Officer Whitney?" I glanced at Lumi briefly, then nodded.
"Yes sir." I answered, the Cape Buffalo keeping his gaze on me for a long moment before sighing and leaning back in his chair.
"Very well. Go do whatever it is you two do when you're bored." Me and Lumi nodded, and I let her exit first before I turned to follow her. "Except you Whitney. The bathroom still smells." I flushed, my eyes wide, and let out a nervous cough.
"Understood, sir." I said, closing the door behind me. Lumi seemed to be trying to hold back a laugh, and I rolled my eyes as we made our way to the elevator. "Oh come on, like you weren't the same way when you and Larsson hooked up."
"Okay, first of all, we hooked up in the winter, so that isn't fair. Second...okay, yeah, you're right." I smirked, then quickly dropped it as I remembered something.
"Hey, Lumi, I'm gonna go see Nick, okay?" The Vixen nodded as we stepped inside, and was silent for a long while. Finally, after the doors opened on the first floor, she spoke.
"Yeah, go check on your Mate. Try not to attack the doctors if they try to make you leave, though." I rolled my eyes, then chuckled.
"No promises." I joked as I headed for the front door, Lumi heading for the cubicles. I passed Clawhauser, the Cheetah remaining silent as I did so, and I stopped. "Hey, Ben, I'm going to see Nick. Call me if anyone needs me." I said, the Cheetah glancing up at me.
"Okay, Lance. I will." His tone was dismissive, and I sighed as continued on my way.
I paused as I stepped outside, taking a deep breath as I glanced around before descending the steps. I paused at the exit as I thought about where Zootopia Central was before turning right and walking.
A few blocks down from Precinct One I passed a small, sand colored Fox at a little stand.
"Hey, ya want a Pawpsicle?" He asked, making me blink in surprise. The word sounded familiar, but I ignored it and finally nodded.
"Sure. Two bucks, right?" I asked as I reached into my pocket. The Fox seemed to notice my uniform for the first time and perked up.
"Hey, you that Fox cop that they say's in a relationship with that Wilde fellow?" He asked, making me pause. Nick hadn't exactly told me a lot about his past as a conmammal, but enough to indicate he had more than enough enemies.
"Who's asking?" The Fox scoffed before raising his paws to the side in a 'isn't it obvious?' gesture.
"What, hasn't he or that Hopps Rabbit told you 'bout me?" I frowned in thought before realizing why exactly the word pawpsicle had sounded familiar.
"Uh...Finnick, right?"
"Yeah, man! Man, I never thought Nick would be into that, I gotta admit." I arched an eyebrow, slightly offended, and he held up a paw. "Don't get me wrong, I got no problem with it, I just never got that kinda vibe from him." I smiled.
"Thanks." I pulled the two dollars from my wallet, but the Fox held up a paw.
"Naw man, keep it. But just this once." He plucked a pawpsicle free and held it out. I blinked, surprised and slightly touched by the gesture, then smiled and took it.
"Thanks. Actually, I'm going to see him in Central now. You want to come with me?" The Fennec looked surprised at the offer, then frowned.
"What'd he do this time?" He asked, and I huffed.
"Well, I can't say much since it's still ongoing and all that, but basically, he got shot. He should be fine, from what I've been told so far, but I thought I'd go see him since I got nothing else to do." I paused in thought. "You know, that sounded better in my head."
"Nah, I know what you meant. The Todd's pretty insufferable at times." I frowned.
"No, that isn't what I meant. I meant that I literally have nothing else to do. Even if I wanted to do something else, which I would never, I couldn't." I explained, the Fennec nodding.
"Yeah, I get that. Tell him I said hey for me, would ya? I'd go, but I'm still holding out I'll sell these." I nodded.
"I will. Thanks." I said, dipping my head to the smaller Todd and continuing on my way to Central, the small red treat in my jaws and paws in my pockets.
I arrived a few minutes later, stepping inside and momentarily stopping at the stench of disinfectant. Shaking my head in disgust, I approached the counter at the other end of the room. Leaning against it casually, I waited to see if the nurse behind it would notice. When it became obvious she wouldn't, I cleared my throat. She looked up, blinking in surprise.
"Oh, sorry, officer! I didn't see you there!" I smiled briefly.
"It's fine. Haven't been here long anyway." The nurse glanced around quickly before returning her attention to me.
"Well, seeing as we had that other Fox officer come in, I presume you're here to see him?" She inquired, and I nodded.
"My Mate, yes." She hesitated, just for a second, but it was enough for me to catch and become nervous.
"Okay, second floor, room 221B." She said, and I smiled and nodded in thanks, then trekked over to the elevator and stepped inside. I pressed the button for the second floor, then crossed my arms and leaned against the wall as I waited. When they dinged open, I stepped out and glanced around briefly. I found a sign and, seeing that the room was to the left, began walking.
After a few minutes, I found it and stepped inside, nodding in greeting to Operator Larsson who sat in a chair with a slightly bored expression. He stood, stopping me and glancing at the curtains where I presumed Nick was.
"He might be a little loopy from the pain meds still, but he's otherwise fine. Clean through, missed the major stuff, thirty cal." I nodded and the Hare seemed to pause in thought. "Okay, I have some questions but first, what in the name of sanity have you got in your mouth?"
"It's a pawpsicle. I eat pawpsicles now. Pawpsicles are cool." Is looked unamused by my answer while I just grinned. "Always wanted to say that."
"I figured." Is remarked dryly, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he stepped past me, though a chuckle did escape him. I approached the curtain, drawing it back quietly to see Nick laying in the bed. He looked surprised to see me.
"Hey." I said gently as I approached, stopping right next to him.
"Hey." He echoed, a small smile touching his muzzle. "What's that?"
"I met your old pal Finnick on the way here. Bought a pawpsicle." I answered, Nick blinking.
"Really?" I nodded. "Huh. He stay behind or he coming in in a few minutes?" Nick asked, and I shrugged.
"He said he'd be staying with the cart, though he might come in later. How's the back?" Nick scoffed.
"A little sore, as to be expected with a gunshot wound, but the pain meds are doing their job." Nick answered, and I nodded.
"Good to hear." I bit my lip nervously, unsure if I should bring it up just yet. I sighed. "So, about tonight...?" Nick let out a sigh, then shook his head.
"Sorry, they said I'll be staying overnight to be sure there's no infection and whatnot." I groaned, then pulled the chair in the corner over and sitting down. "Hey, you aren't staying here overnight too." I made to argue, but Nick beat me to it. "You need sleep, and trust me, hospital chairs are not good for that. Or your back." I arched an eyebrow.
"How do you know about that?" I asked, amusement in my eyes.
"Well, when you're partnered to Judy Hopps, you tend to find yourself in a hospital from time to time. Whether it's you or her in the bed may vary, though." I huffed in amusement at the answer.
"Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be easy." I remarked, Nick shrugging. Or at least he tried to.
"You get used to it." I smiled, then sighed.
"You know you could have died today." I said, Nick blinking in surprise.
"Lance, I could die any day. Any one of us could." I shook my head.
"No, Nick, you don't understand. I can't even think about the idea of you dying without freezing in fear. And then you get shot, and you could have died." Nick looked confused, like he didn't understand why I was making such a big deal over something that could happen at any moment.
"Where are you going with this, Lance?" He asked, and I sighed.
"Nick, you are literally everything to me. Before you came along, I was just some nobody living in an apartment who couldn't even get a job. And then I met you and my life changed. You gave me something to live for." Nick just looked even more confused, and it wasn't like I could blame him. It wasn't like I seemed to have a point aside from telling him what he meant to me. "I believe...it's time we go meet your mother."
"...How in the world does that correlate?" Nick asked, his confusion in full swing by now.
"I don't know! I'm not good at this stuff, okay?" Nick let out an affectionate huff, then chuckled.
"Alright, I think that's a good idea. I've been meaning to take you to meet her anyway. You'll like her." I smiled.
"If she's anything like you, I think we'll get along great." I remarked, Nick letting out a laugh.
"Yeah, I feel like you will." Nick agreed, his laugh dying down. We continued to talk for a few more hours until nearly eight at night, when a nurse came in to let me know visiting hours were gonna end soon. We said goodbye, Nick telling me he'd be home tomorrow night, and I left.
I arrived home soon, locking the door behind me and peeling the ZPD uniform shirt off. I tossed it onto the kitchen island, intending to pick it up later, when a small grunt surprised me into doing a double take. Judy sat at the counter, staring at me in shock, and I noticed she was staring more at my bare chest than me. I had put on some muscle, as would be expected of somebody who went to the police academy, though I didn't think it was noticeable. My gaze whipped to the right slightly as I noticed a shape rise up from where it had been just out of view.
"Ugh, he still keeps warm soda on hand. Geez, I never could stand tha-" the mammal froze when they made eye contact with me. I raised both paws to stop any words.
"Before anybody says anything, I have a question. Okay, Judy, I can understand you being here...but why the hell did you let my mother in?"
Boom, cliffhanger! This Chapter kinda got away from me a bit, and I apologize about that. So yeah, that last line is supposed to indicate that Lance doesn't have a good relationship with his mother – or at least not as good as when Nick and I started – and I'll explain that next Chapter. I honestly practically gave up with Lance's little speech to Nick, which I gave an example of by Lance saying he wasn't good at that stuff. I had a point in mind, but I got distracted and it was too Lance to get rid of. I hope that made sense otherwise now you're even more confused. Sorry, getting off track! I just wanted to say go check out Hunter's Rules by CodeOne. It's amazing and hilarious and a very good twist on the normal 'Human in Zootopia' story. Very good laugh, especially Officer Barker. Speaking of which, if you excuse me, I have a Character to steal. Now, Imma go work on a bunch of Zootopian Assassins Chapters – no exceptions future me – because I've been slacking and I suddenly have ideas. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 5,400