Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Hello!" – normal speech

"Italic on the whole sentence." – thoughts

Italic on individual words – emphasis


The Savage Jungle

.

.

.

Most of the mammals that lived outside of its borders, and quite a few of those who lived inside them, would tell you that it rained all the time in the Rainforest District. Which was just unfair.

Like it did for dry Sahara Square and cold Tundratown, the incredibly complex Artificial Environment System in Rainforest was designed to closely simulate the weather of its namesake geographical region. And yes, that meant a fair amount of yearlong warmth and humidity, but nowhere near the eternal rain many a detractor liked to tout when stating their reasons to never live in the place... which were readily countered by others pointing out the district's breathtaking green canopy, serene groves, twisting rivers, misty lakes, sparkling waterfalls, cozy swamps and overall unmatched biodiversity.

That being said, it was raining that night. A lot.

The yellow van's headlights pierced the inky shadows of the winding road. The silvery rays of the moon could barely reach them through the dense cover of foliage high above, but the road kept going ever upwards. It curved around the gigantic trees like a black serpent, linking the forest floor with the elevated residential areas built around and inside the massive trunks.

The Chemist felt them start to slow down, and then stop completely by the roadside. The voice of his cousin soon revealed why.

"This is it, Doug." said Woolter from the driver's seat, in his usual dour manner. "As far as I can get you guys. Any further and we'll have the damn cats all over us." and as he said it, he peered anxiously through the rain at the trees all around, as if waiting to catch a glimpse of felid eyes glinting in the darkness.

The Chemist grunted at his kin's paranoia, but he did have reasons for it. "Understood. We will continue on hoof." he informed the dark-woolen driver. Then he turned to the ram across from him in the van, who was busy tinkering with his pet drone...

...while cooing softly to it, as if the thing was a newborn lamb.

As he always did, the Chemist ignored the Engineer's antics. "We're moving out." he stated flatly, as he grabbed his sniper rifle and went to open the van's side door.

Red goggles flashed up to him, and their owner smiled. "It's cool." then he turned to Woolter. "No sneaky-peaky eyes 'round, brudda?"

His cousin shook his head, still peering apprehensively into the rain. "Don't think so."

The Engineer laughed as he also stood up, and tapped his drone lovingly. "Well, we'll see 'bout that, won't we Rackety?"

"You do that, sir. Oh, and no traffic cams on this corner, either." Woolter added.

"Big Sister will take care of those for us, anyway." He waited until his companion was ready, and opened the side door. Rain started to pour down on them as both rams jumped off, and the sound of millions of water droplets hitting millions of leaves all around was enough to drown out most other noises. A fortunate thing, given their mission.

"Rainy night in the jungle, heh brudda?" the Engineer remarked, as he gently put his praised creation down and started fiddling with the computer on his wrist.

The Chemist scoffed. "It's just water." he watched the drone come to life, its three rotor blades starting to spin silently. Soon enough, the little machine flew off into the night. As much as he disagreed with his fellow's personality, he had to admire his craft. That drone of his was fast, whisper-quiet, and almost invisible at night. It had an array of powerful sensors and a suppressed, high-precision, medium-range gun slung underneath its body. Not some fancy chemical or electrical weapon either, but the old-fashioned and very lethal kind.

That little thing was a terror to any target caught in the open; a fantastic assassination tool, and the Engineer's pride and joy. Big Sister had suggested more than once to use the machine as a carrier for their new weapon, but the Chemist would not have it. Just remembering that proposition made him squeeze the rifle in his hands. He had poured years of his life into this chemical, and he would not let anyone else wield it.

Doug Ramses might not have many emotions left in him, but pride was definitely one of them.

"Heh! But water has power, brudda." the other ram turned to him, smile large and eerie. "Water keeps us. Water can save, and water can kill."

"So can we." he stated flatly.

His partner laughed. "Aye, so can we." he tilted his head to the side, and Doug knew he was reading the information displayed behind his goggles. "Path's clear, brudda. Some nasty little kitties hiding in the shadows, but we can avoid them."

He nodded. "Good." without another word, both rams jumped over the road's guardrail and into the thick branches just below. They stealthily started following the long and tortuous tree path up to their target's location. They would need to jump over deadly heights, climb up slippery trunks and swing over vines of dubious strength to get there. Not feats most would think a pair of fat sheep to be capable of.

But they were Chemist and Engineer, the Flock's Executioners, and this was just part of the job.

.

0000000

.

Judy Hopps' thoughts were a mess, and it was all the fault of one lying fox. She liked to think of herself as a rational mammal, whenever reason was called for, yet she felt personally betrayed by Wilde and she could not explain why!

With no small effort, she decided to lock away the anger and strange sadness she felt and focus on the case. Finding Otterton was the most important thing, she could deal with Wilde later. And she would deal with him, there was no longer any doubt about that. For now she resolved to treat the fox as a necessary evil, a very dangerous one that she would keep under her sights and at arms-length all the time. Above all, she would not be fooled by him again.

"This driver of yours... she's a gangster, too?" she asked flatly.

"Ha! Nice try, Carr... Hopps." Wilde snickered out, and Judy held back a snarl at how untroubled he sounded. As if nothing had changed between them. "I ain't giving your copper self any dirt on my friends." then he scratched his muzzle pensively. "Well... not on the ones it would actually matter, anyway." green eyes looked sideways at her. "Let's just say that Skully gives me a lift now and then, whenever Finn is too busy or too sloshed, and that she will get us inside the Desperados' canopy without fuss."

The rabbit tapped her foot, arms crossed in impatience. They had been standing in front of the entrance to Mr. Big's grounds for only about ten minutes, but it felt like hours. "Couldn't your Boss just call them himself? Give us the go ahead? I feel like the least I see of what you call 'friends', the better."

The confox shook his head, and seemed genuinely disappointed. "That's unfair, Officer. Think what you will of me, but you'll be hard pressed to find a more kind-hearted mammal in this city than Priscilla Tripletoe. And even Finn has never done anything worse than confidence tricks and the occasional drunken brawl." Judy felt a pang of shame, remembering the sweet DMV sloth. "To answer your question, though, the reason is simple; you're ZPD, and I'm a former Hunter."

She ignored his slight stressing of the word 'former'. "So?"

"So, if the old boar calls the Cartel to arrange safe passage on their turf for someone with my history and an officer of the Law, he suddenly owns them a favor. A big one, actually." then, he gave a mischievous grin. "If, on the other paw, an ex-operative who is still favored by an allied Alpha just happens to escort a cop around the neighborhood, then Mr. Big ain't got nothing to do with that. The cats will watch our every move, of course, but they'll leave us be... as long as we stay the hell out of Cartel business and don't pick any fights."

The bunny blinked at that reasoning. "That's... that doesn't sound all that right to me."

He shrugged. "Just how it works. Gang etiquette can be subtle like that."

His ears perked up about the same time hers did, and they both turned to look at the distant headlights approaching them trough the falling snow. There was a car coming up the frozen road to the mansion, and it was coming in fast.

As in 'pissing all over the speed limit' fast.

Soon enough, the driver did an impressive drifting turn over the slippery asphalt, and came to a stop just a few steps in front of the rabbit and fox. The car was a sleek, tuned, midnight-colored sports model. The mammal who stepped out of the driver's seat was a tigress, wearing biker jeans and a sleeveless purple jacket. Her frame was strong, lean and feminine. On her left shoulder was a permanent dye of a grinning feline skull, one of the 'eyes' winking out at them. She gave them a smile full of sharp fangs.

"Señor Wilde?" her voice was, at the same time, soft and spunky. She could not be much older than Judy herself, or much younger than Wilde. "You needed a ride?"

The con's face lit up in a matching grin. "That I did, Skully. Sorry for dragging you out of bed this late."

The tall female gave a sigh of old suffering. "It's 'Calavera', Señor Wilde."

"Yeah sure, Skully. Whatever you say."

This time she just shook her head with a small grin. She turned and gave Judy an appraising look, but not a hostile one. "Hola! Raphaéla Clawson, at your service. Though everyone just calls me 'Calavera'. Everyone with some respect, that is." she shot playfully at the fox, who just smiled. "And you're the bunny that was all over the papers a while back, si?"

The reminder of her unwanted celebrity status soured an already poor mood. "It's Officer Judy Hopps. And don't remind me." she ground out.

The tigress gave a sympathetic nod, and did not seemed bothered by her less-than-friendly tone. "I feel ya, girl. All those pendejos snapping pictures at you had to be a pain." her golden eyes turned from cop to con, and back.

The bunny felt a little embarrassed, but her mood lifted a bit. "Yeah, thanks."

"So... you guys going on a jungle date?"

And there went her mood again. "NO!" she stomped her foot in indignation, ears straight up and hot. "Why does everyone think we're mates?!"

Once again, the tigress was unfazed. She crossed her black-striped arms and reclined against her car, shrugging. "Because it's so hard to see a bunny and fox together, that the only good reason for that to happen is if they're rutting? I know that's what I thought."

While Judy spluttered in scandal, Wilde had his eyes closed in a pensive pose. He nodded. "That makes sense."

"No, it DOESN'T!"

"Anyway," the felid interrupted, turning back to the fox, "Wasn't sleeping, so don't worry. Was on a date myself, actually."

The con tilted his head. "Oh? Double sorry, then?"

"Don't be, that tiger was getting on my nerves." she left the passenger door open for them and got back to her seat. The bunny was not happy to find she would have to share the other one with Wilde, especially after that last implication, but there was little she could do about it. Once they were all inside, she continued. "Spent all night trying to convince me to let him show his 'piloting skills' on this beauty." she made quotes with one paw and patted the car's dashboard with the other. She started the engine, then revved it twice with a contented smile. The sound echoed around the cold night. "As if! He can ride me, but no one rides my chica without me behind the wheel."

The rabbit had no energy to feel shocked again. Wilde just laughed. "Shame on him. Now he gets neither."

"Exactly." she grinned back. "So, Señor Wilde, Vine and Tujunga, wasn't it?"

"Yep."

"Too easy." she cracked her neck. "Should get you guys there in 20 minutes or so."

Judy frowned. Wilde had told her the Desperados turf was on the outskirts of Rainforest, a very long way from their current location on Tundratown. "There's no way we can get there that quickly." she was not trying to sound accusatory. It was just a fact.

Instead of looking offended, the tigress exchanged an amused look with the fox. "Is that a challenge, Officer?" the slightly-crazed glint in her eyes sent a shiver down the bunny's spine.

Wilde answered cheerfully. "Sure sounded like a challenge to me."

"Ahh..." Judy looked quickly from one to the other, ears splayed down. She had a feeling she had just made a big mistake.

'Calavera' put the manual transmission on first gear and revved the engine again. "Agárrense fuerte, chiquitos!" was her only warning, before they began tearing through the zootopian roads. Over the next weeks, a few late drivers would comment how a black demonic car was haunting the streets at night. Others replied it was a common thing, and that they should see the red-and-white one.

.

0000000

.

"Rackety has reached the target, brudda. Everything's quiet-like." the Engineer informed. "Having a lookey-look now."

"Understood."

While his companion carefully operated his pet drone, the Chemist look out for a good sniping position. The rain buffeted them, but they kept their hooves firm. In the distance he could see the many multicolored lights of a large treetop community, shining through the fine mist. One of those trees held their target.

"Desperados' territory." he thought. "Filled to the brim with Predators."

Unlike most of his brethren, Doug felt no particular hatred towards the Predator species. For him, this was all just a very interesting experiment. Every mammal was a slave to their flesh, to the exchange of chemicals and electrical impulses inside the brain. It fascinated him how their new weapon could undo millennia of evolution in just a few seconds, how fragile their so called 'evolved' minds really were. And he felt his pride was entirely justified. Anyone could take a mammal's life. But to take away the self? That was his power, only.

Sure, he was not the one who discovered the basis of the process. But he was the one who studied it, refined it, perfected it.

"I think that spot will give me adequate line-of-sight." he told his partner, pointing to the top of a close tree. "You don't need to move any further. Stay here."

The Engineer nodded, still focused on his readings. "Righty, brudda. Our kitty is home, and he has a guardian angel." he looked at Doug now. "Good luck."

The Chemist snorted, and patted the case where he held his special ammunition. He had only a single shot, but that would be enough. Not only was the serum hellishly hard to synthesize, it also had a very short viable life. It was impossible to stock the stuff.

And it would be a waste to carry spares, since he never missed a shot anyway.

"I'm going up."

.

0000000

.

Exactly 18 minutes and 44 seconds had passed since they left Mr. Big's estate.

"Here we are." Clawson told them, purring with satisfaction. "There's the bridge you want." she pointed outside, at a suspension bridge that went off towards a distant tree. Beside it stood a street sign with the names 'Tujunga' and 'Vine'.

Judy shook her head, still not believing the last few minutes. She was not afraid to drive fast, but what the tigress had done since they entered Rainforest District went beyond reckless and straight into suicidal.

It was raining, for goodness sake!

"You know, I should really arrest you for that." the bunny felt the need to say.

The crazy driver laughed. "You a detective or a meter maid, coneja?"

Judy swallowed her retort, as her ears got hot again. The fox shaking with repressed glee beside her did not help matters any. "Let's just go." she finally managed to get out with a huff.

"Yes, let's." Wilde agreed, still holding his laughter. "Hey, Skully? Did you..." he trailed off.

"Si. Called abuelo Colmillo on my way to the Tundra. The boys will leave you alone, and I'll be nearby in case you need me again."

"Thanks a bunch, Skully. I will transfer the usual amount to you tomorrow, okay?" he told her. Judy's ears twitched at that.

And Clawson's satisfied face collapsed into a frown. "Can you cut that shit already? How many times do I have to tell that I'm trying to repay you?"

The fox shook his head. "And how many times do I have to tell you it was nothing?"

The tigress snarled, paws closing tightly over the steering wheel. "Saving my life wasn't nothing!" when her answer was a simple shrug, she relaxed and her eyes softened. "Honestly, I can't decide if you're the most arrogant bastard in this city, or the humblest."

He gave a little smile. "Can't I be both?" he nodded to Judy, and she opened the door. Immediately, cold droplets started to pelt them. Wilde followed her out of the car, then turned back to the tigress. "See ya around, Skully." he waved a lazy paw.

She put two fingers to her forehead as a farewell sign. "See you, Señor Wilde. Take care." her eyes drifted to Judy. "You too, Officer. You seem like one of the good ones, so let me give an advice. Listen to that zorro. He acts all aloof, but that's just some lone-male shit. You don't hurt nobody who doesn't deserve it, and he'll make sure nobody hurts you."

The rabbit's face hardened and she looked at the fox, who had paws in his pockets and eyes firmly on a nearby tree knot. "Thank you." she answered stonily.

The tigress gave her a long look, before nodding and closing the door. With a brief goodbye honk, the black speed freak was once again streaking down the wet and twisting roads, away from them.

"Let's go." she said, voice still flat, and started to cross the suspended bridge. Wilde followed in silence. After a short distance, though, she had to ask. "That 'advice'... you put her up to that, fox?" Judy glared at him.

He gave her a brief, taciturn look. "Tsc, 'course not." he denied. He was silent for a moment, before continuing softly. "If anything, I think Skully has a seriously inflated opinion of me."

The officer frowned. "You saved her life?"

A shrug, as the fox gave a distracted look at the black abyss below them. "Yeah, I got her out of a mess. But that was like, a decade ago. A couple of years before I left the Family. Skully still thinks she owns me." he laughed thinly. "She's one stubborn tigress. Everyone gave me a wide berth after I retired; out of fear, or respect, or both; but she somehow managed to stick around."

They went quiet for several steps. The rain was unrelenting, but not as cold as she expected. The wind rustled the countless branches and leaves, and their bridge swayed gently. Judy wondered about Wilde's somber mood, and what about the tigress' compliment could have put him in it.

"She mentioned an abuelo? Someone named Colmillo?"

At that, he gave her a longer look, most likely judging the merit of telling anything. "That would be her Grandfather, Alfonso Rayas, AKA 'El Colmillo Rojo'." he looked up, at the moon shining faintly trough the canopy. "Leader of the Desperados' Sweepers, and arguably their greatest fighter."

Now that was interesting. "Oh? Another friend of yours?"

That made Wilde burst into laughter. So loud and sudden and unexpected that she even gawked a little. The fox had to grab the ropes of the bridge to support himself trough his mirth.

"Ha ha... oh gods, t-that's funny!" he pounded his chest weakly. "No, Carrots, he's not my f-friend, ha ha, not by a long shot. The old tiger hates my guts!"

She caught his use of her old nickname, but let it slide this time. "Why?"

He brought himself under control, wiping a tear with a paw. "Ahh, I needed that. Long story, Hopps. One for another time. It's not important right now."

She bristled. "Not important?" she gestured all around them with her arms. "We are in the turf of a gangster who 'hates your guts'! And he knows it! How's that not important?!"

The fox put his paws into his pockets and started to walk again, unconcerned. She had no choice but to follow. "Because it isn't the 'I want revenge', kinda hate. More like the 'I detest everything you stand for' type. So don't lose those knickers now, it'll be just dandy."

Fox and rabbit stepped out of the bridge and into a wooden platform surrounding the large tree, overrun by a multitude of colorful plants. A short distance away stood a house. Looking gloomy in the dark of the night, with only a single yellow light to illuminate the porch, the entire front of the structure was covered in vines and patches of moss. It gave off an air of abandonment. This had been Renato Manchas' house growing up, from the day he was born all the way to his moving out to cold Tundratown about five years ago, to stay closer to his new job. By Wilde's account (who learned it from Mr. Big) the jaguar had never bought into the gangster lifestyle, despite being surrounded by mobs his entire life. A peaceful mammal by nature, he was happy to work for a known crime boss as long as nothing violent was asked of him. And nothing ever was. Wilde made sure to point out how most of Mr. Big's businesses were quite clean and legal, as were the mammals who worked in them.

The main reason, he'd said, that Manchas decided to work for the Family instead of joining the 'home team'.

Judy was about to go to the door, when her ever sharp ears caught something. Her mind might be in turmoil, but that did not dull her senses. And even with the patter of rain, the rustling of leaves, the creaking of wood and the chirping of insects, she was sure she heard something coming from the vast green cover above them. Without betraying anything, acting as if she was just admiring the house, she listened.

And then whispered as discreetly as she could. "Wilde, there's someone hiding in the branches." she made sure not to seem as if she was ready to reach for her stunner.

The fox had been standing there, waiting for her to move. "Very good, Hopps." he praised, just as quietly. He gave her that easy smile of his, and made a show of examining a nearby shrub. "Didn't expect you to catch him that fast. Yes, one of the Cartel's watchers is up there. They're all over this canopy, actually. Act naturally." he plucked a small and bright yellow flower from inside the shrub, and then went to put it gently on her vest's collar. With how they whispered to each other, the act must have looked very intimate.

It was harder than she would admit to contain a blush. It was even harder to keep herself from punching him. Over and over.

His smile was still relaxed, but his green eyes glinted slyly in the light of the porch.

"If I were allowed to act 'naturally', I'd have you in cuffs by now." and she meant it. However, her declaration only made the fox's look even more mischievous.

"Woe for wasted opportunities, then." he whispered sadly, finished securing the flower, and straightened. "The cats keep a very close eye over their turf, day 'round. It's almost impossible to sneak up into this place." he gestured gallantly to the door. "But like I said, we don't have to worry about Sicarios jumping us tonight. Ladies first."

Keeping the faces of Mrs. Otterton and her children into her mind, to remember why she was putting up with the con, she dutifully went to press the doorbell. A funny chime sounded out, and they waited. She glared back at Wilde. "You stay back there and keep quiet, fox. This is police business."

Said fox reclined against a tall, broad-leafed plant. "You're the boss." he agreed easily, but then warned her. "Just go easy on Manchas, Officer. Remember that's no brutal enforcer behind that door, just a scared chauffeur."

Judy huffed, but also tried to relax her stiff stance and put on a more friendly expression.

She heard the sound of soft steps inside the house, coming closer to the entrance. A male voice, throaty and with a pronounced accent, called from inside. Followed by the door opening just a little, and a single green eyes peeking out at them from a black-furred face.

"Who... who is it?" he sounded cautious and even a little paranoid.

"My name is Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD." she heard a soft gasp of surprise. "I'm here to ask some questions about how you got hurt, Mr. Manchas."

"Boss sent you?" he asked with a little incredulity. But then he seemed to answer his own question. "Oh, uh... sure. Guess you wouldn't be here if he hadn't." as in being here alive and unharmed, was the unspoken statement. Judy's inner cop bristled at the implications, but if that helped her reach her target...

"Exactly, sir." she went along, giving him a reassuring smile. "I just want to know what happened to Emmitt Otterton."

"Otterton?" his visible eye widened. "You should be asking what happened to me!" he seemed much emboldened now, because he suddenly opened the door as far as its chain lock would allow. It revealed a large and athletic jaguar, wearing comfortable gray pants and a white tank top. But that registered later, because the thing that immediately caught their attention was his other eye. It was closed off and swollen. Above and bellow the socket, deep and angry claw marks ran over his skin. They were only beginning to heal, and would certainly leave scars. She doubted his fur would be able to fully cover them, as was the case with her own childhood wounds. Over the jaguar's exposed shoulders and collarbone she could see more, shallower, marks.

The rabbit was shocked. Mr. Big did tell them that Manchas had the wounds to prove Otterton's attack. But despite the savage scene they had found in the limo back at Tundratown, her mind had still refused to accept that a sweet old father could be capable of such violence.

"What happened, Mr. Manchas?"

"He-he was an animal!" he told her, and then looked fearfully at the sides, as if expecting said animal to suddenly jump out from the shadows. "Down on all fours, like a savage!" he closed his one good eye and whimpered, lost in the traumatic memory. "There was no warning. Just scratching, and snarling, and gnawing, and-and..." his whole body shook lightly now. "...his eyes! Oh, gods, his eyes..." he put his head inside the crook of his arm, as if that could shield him from his own mind.

"It's all right, sir. No one's going to hurt you n..." she began, but was interrupted.

"The Nighthowlers!" he screamed suddenly and retreated into his house, door once again only a sliver open. "He kept yelling about the Nighthowlers! Over and over, the Nighthowlers..." by the end, his voice was just a frightened whisper, his breath labored. "What does that means?" he asked her.

She had no answer, and she really needed him to calm down so his story could start to make sense. She needed a beginning, a middle, and an end. But she could see that the jaguar was still much too affected by the incident, and she felt as if wrong sentence would see him slamming that door into her face.

Before she could think something up, however, Wilde solved that problem for her. "So he talked about the Nighthowlers, huh?" the con's voice came from behind her.

Both rabbit and jaguar turned to the fox, who was calmly walking over to them. He was different now; his stance was straight and confident, his gait was precise, his eyes were fully open and locked onto the jaguar's own. His voice was no longer lazy, but a smooth and soothing drawl. All in all, he gave forth a quiet and calming authority.

"We're investigating these 'Nighthowlers', you see." he continued, as he came beside her. "Dreadful stuff, but we believe Emmitt Otterton might provide the information we need about them."

Manchas seemed to calm down. He opened the door again and even put his head outside, looking hopefully at the fox. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. And we could really use your help." he gave Judy a look, and that was all she needed to catch on to his plan.

Manchas was desperately trying to make sense of the assault. He was understandably afraid of the little otter, but there should also be a healthy dose of anger beneath all that fear. Saying that their goal was to help his attacker would be counter-productive, they needed him to focus on something else.

"Exactly, Renato." the officer took up, speaking softly. "We can tell you all that we know, if you return the favor. We can make sure something like this never happens again." she tried to project the same reassuring aura that Wilde had.

The chauffeur looked from one to the other a few times, before making up his mind. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and nodded. "I-I can do that. Just... just let me put a jacket first, please." he closed the door, and they heard him remove the chain lock. Realizing the poor guy was now feeling a little self-conscious about his scars, she decided to give him the time to dress before entering.

.

0000000

.

When he was sure the jaguar was out of sight from his visitors, the Chemist squeezed the trigger. The silenced rifle shot its deadly load straight and true, through the open window of the house. As always, he calculated his target's movement perfectly and watched trough the scope as the Predator went to the ground and quickly started to convulse. He would no longer be able to speak to anyone about anything.

But the damage was already done.

"You're sure about that?" he asked in his radio.

"Aye, brudda." came his partner's response, and it sounded very offended. "I'll have you know that Rackety's ears are all keen-like. The kitty was yelling about them plants, fer sure."

Doug grunted. "Then we have a problem." the drone had been too far away for it's auditory sensor to catch the whole exchange, but their target screaming 'Nighthowlers' had been clear enough, according to the Engineer.

It was just a word, and spoken out of context it meant little. But it was still a clue. More than enough for a smart mammal.

They could not risk it.

"What now?" the Engineer asked.

"You've cut off their communications?"

"Rackety's jamming away, brudda."

"Then we watch." he answered, trailing his scope on the pair of little meddlers that could ruin his whole operation. "And we make sure our new friend gets his meal."

And if only the tinniest bit of vindictiveness seeped into the ram's voice at that idea, it went unnoticed.

.

0000000

.

"I told you to stay out of this."

"That you did."

Judy sighed. "You really did this kind of thing before."

The fox looked at her, having gone back to his usual laid-back self. The difference was remarkable.

"I am a little rusty, I'll admit." then his eyes darkened, the usually bright green looking dull and harsh. "Dealing with the victims... the really messed-up ones... that was always the worst part of the job for me. But that just made me want to bring the bastards who'd hurt them down even harder."

She opened her mouth to speak, exactly what she did not know, when they heard a surprised yelp and the sound of someone hitting the floor, followed by a series of painful wails and grunts.

Rabbit and fox had their respective ears straight up. Wilde reverted to what Judy was beginning to think of as his 'Hunter' stance, while she had her stun pistol in paw. She slowly opened the door, revealing a gloomy main hall and a black-furred form writhing on the wooden floor. The grunts were slowly becoming less pained, and more... angry?

She took a step just inside the house. "Mr. Manchas?" she called out for him. Instinct made her charge the stunner. "Are you all right, sir?"

Suddenly, the jaguar stilled. For a moment, all that could be heard was the soft sound of the rain outside. Then Manchas slowly rose, but he did not stand on his two feet, no. He had his front paws on the floor, and a low and ominous rumble came from deep in his throat. He sniffed the stale air once, twice... and then snapped his head towards them.

Both of his eyes were open now, and they shone with an unnatural light. Mad and feral.

The bunny officer brought her weapon to bear. "Stand back, Mr. Manchas." she yelled, pointing the stunner at him. Her order went unheard, though, because with a single forward step to gain impulse, the melanistic jaguar jumped straight at her with a mighty roar and deadly claws fully extended.

His hindpaws had barely left the floor, and Judy fired. The stunner's dart hit Manchas in flight, biting into his skin and delivering its paralyzing charge straight into his chest. His roar became a growl of pain, and she deftly rolled beneath his body as he went flying out of the house and crashed down in a mess of rolling limbs. He laid there, snarling and twitching.

She glanced at Wilde. The fox had his attention on the prone black form, but he gave her a sideways nod. "Good move."

"What was that?" she asked, already reloading her pistol with another dart.

"You ask me, the same thing that happened to the otter."

"Then we should..."

She could not finish, because at that moment another form jumped down from the branches above the house to land next to the jaguar. He was, most likely, a cougar. It was hard to tell the species for sure, because the feline was covered head to toe in forest camouflage. Even what little exposed fur he had was dyed black and green.

Manchas had stilled again. As if unconscious.

The cougar had a weapon in his paws, a carbine. He had it pointed right at them. "What the hell is going on here?!" he demanded to know. He gave a quick look to the jaguar, and his eyes narrowed angrily. "This one is under protection! What do you think you're doing?" he yelled again. When they only looked at each other, each wondering how to explain the situation, he lost his patience. "Answer, NOW!"

Judy's mind went a mile a second, as it calculated actions and outcomes. If worst came, she believed she had a good enough chance to dive into the cover of the front door before she could be hit. The wood was very thick, enough to withstand medium caliber ammo, and keeping the Cartel thug's attention on her would leave Wilde safe until she could stun the cougar.

All that planning became moot, however, when the fox yelled. "Watch out! Behind you!"

Instead of obeying, the thug pointed his gun at Wilde, and then paid dearly for that mistake. In the blink of an eye the downed jaguar was up again. He immediately threw the smaller cat to the ground and sunk his fangs into the soft neck.

A gunshot echoed trough the jungle and red sprayed into the night. The cougar gurgled while his carbine went flying from his paws, over the edge of the platform and down into the darkness. The crazed Manchas did not even wait for his victim to bleed out. The jaguar twisted his head violently, and they heard the sound of snapping bones.

The cougar stopped struggling.

Judy Hopps had never witnessed an assassination, but she thought she had been prepared for it. She had been prepared to see a fellow mammal being knifed down, shot, or even beaten to death. She had been prepared to react without hesitation. But this was different, this was nothing like she had mentally strengthened herself for. This was primal savagery, predatory, and for just an instant it left her paralyzed. Which was unfortunate, because Manchas decided to try again. Leaving the body of his former watcher behind, crimson blood dripping from his bare fangs, the jaguar turned to her and pounced. She could only watch. Her mind screamed at her to move, to shoot, anything, but her limbs would just not obey.

But the approaching black savage was stopped once again, this time by a red-furred form colliding with him at mid-air. Faster than she could comprehend, Wilde had moved and jumped, hitting Manchas at the side with a spinning kick. The fox was a third the size of the felid, and likely just a tenth of the weight. And yet, the strike was powerful enough to send the jaguar crashing into the wall beside the entrance. As the larger mammal collapsed in a daze, the fox twirled gracefully in the air and landed lightly not too far from him.

"Get alive, Hopps." Wilde told her, though his eyes never left Manchas, who was slowly getting back to his paws. "And check that poor sod out." he gestured to the unmoving cougar.

That snapped her out of her torpor. Burying the terrible memory behind a wall of focus, she jumped to the smaller cat. Wilde quickly moved so he was between them and the snarling mammal. Adrenaline pumping into her veins, the bunny only twitched slightly at the sight of the absolute mess that was the cougar's neck. Blood still oozed from it, and it was bent into a decidedly unnatural angle. A quick check of his pulse confirmed what was already obvious.

"He's dead."

The fox clicked his tongue in frustration. By this time, Manchas was back into a hunched position, his eyes focused on this new enemy. "Renato? You still in there, buddy?" the vulpine called out, voice light. "Do you have any idea of the shitstorm you just put us all in?"

His only answer was another roar. But the jaguar did not jump again. Apparently, having his pounce painfully stopped twice now had put some caution in him. The madness was still in his eyes, but that crazed anger had been replaced by a feral cunning. He began to slowly circle the fox, snapping his bloody jaw menacingly now and then.

"Yeah, didn't think so..." Wilde snorted.

"I can give him another zap." Judy told him, pistol already trained at the stalking mammal. But her companion shook his head.

"Didn't work for long the first time, and I'd bet you that was more out of surprise than anything." his eyes narrowed further, as Manchas stalked ever closer. "That wall-smash should have put his lights out as well. Something isn't right here."

"No shit?!" she glared at his back.

"Besides the obvious, rabbit." he waved an impatient paw. "Look, we need to subdue him before he bolts. That dead cat behind you will already be trouble enough, we can't allow this guy to go on some crazy rampage."

"We..." but at that moment, the jaguar attacked. He had moved close to the fox, who just waited in a loose stance. In a blink, sharp claws were going straight for a red-furred neck. In his feral state, Manchas was blinding fast.

Wilde, on the other paw, was unreal. He was standing in front of the jaguar, just waiting for those natural blades to rip his throat open. And in the next instant he was flowing around the large feline, putting an open palm to his back, and slamming Manchas to the ground so hard she heard his bones rattle. A fox should not have anywhere near the body mass to push a fit jaguar around like that.

"Easy, pal." Wilde retreated with light steps, body still relaxed and in no particular fighting stance. Manchas soon recovered, however, shaking his head angrily as he got back up.

"Can't you hold him down?" she asked, since he was already disregarding common sense.

"Hum... 'fraid not." he gave a wry smile. "Let's just say my superfoxy strength is more suited for short bursts than sustained effor-"

He had to stop and fend off another attack. Twice more the savage mammal lunged at Wilde, twice more the fox dodged impossibly fast, and twice more he bore his attacker to the ground. Once with a palm-thrust to the side, and then with a perfect shoulder-throw that was painful to even watch.

But still, Manchas came back. Each fall only seemed to increase his ferociousness.

"Okay..." the fox wondered, easily sidestepping away from an open jaw. "He's definitely not just irrational. Cat's much tougher than he should be."

"You got no right to say that." the bunny accused quietly. He gave her a brief, sly smirk, even as he sent the jaguar crashing into a flower bed with a sharp kick to the chest. As multicolored petals flew into the air, Judy realized three things.

She realized that Nick Wilde was so far beyond her in physical combat, it was not even funny. He was better than anyone she knew, for that matter, even the masters from the Academy. They could never move that fast, and only the heavyweights could strike that hard. But not with such deadly exactness.

She also realized the fox was actually holding back at the moment. He could have easily struck Manchas in the throat, or joints, or liver, or any other incapacitating or lethal spot. But he did not want to cause the unrelenting jaguar serious harm. At least for now.

And that made her realize he was waiting for her to come up with a plan.

So she did. She cast her eyes around them and found what she wanted almost immediately. On the corner of the platform, there was a lamp post, older and bigger than the more modern light poles that doted the edges. The lamps appeared long broken, but the post itself was made of thick wrought-iron. It would be perfect.

"Get him next to that post!" she pointed.

"Roger." he began running towards it, at a normal pace, and called back to Manchas. "Come and get me, buddy!"

The jaguar obliged, roaring after his prey. When they arrived at the post, the fox turned and went on the offensive. Manchas never had a chance. A palm-strike to the jaw sent the jaguar reeling. A second one to the solar plexus took all the wind out of him. Dazed and out of breath, the felid could do nothing as Judy quickly ran over to them and fastened one end of her handcuffs to his leg, and the other to the post. Both of them jumped away from the recovering jaguar.

"Tough fella." Wilde commented in a mild voice, fixing his tie as if he had not just fought circles around a vicious great cat ten times his weight. "Okay, that buys us some time. What now?" he put his paws at his back.

She watched as Manchas snarled and roared, leaving deep scratches into the ground as he tried to claw his way to them. But the post held firm, and he was never breaking those cuffs. They were made to withstand the strength of rhinos and elephants.

"Now I zap him again, and you use those vines there to tie him up." she pointed to a set of the hanging plants that looked particularly strong. "But first I call the Precinct to send a team to extract us."

"That will get ugly." the fox warned her. "Watchers a mile off will have heard that shot our friend got out before he bit it... heh, bit it. Anyway, I'm sure there's a squad of Sweepers on their way right now."

She gave a harsh glare at his joking with the cougar's death. That scene would be forever burned into her mind.

"What do you suggest, then? That we just leave Manchas here?!"

The fox looked at the jaguar, who still tried to reach them. He sighed. "No. They find him like this, they'll fill him with bullets."

"Something big is going on here, Wilde. Something terrible. The ZPD needs to get to the bottom of this." she pointed one paw at the black-furred mammal, while the other withdrew her radio. "I think this merits a raid into Cartel territory. Don't you?"

He narrowed his eyes, locking them against Manchas' crazed ones. "Maybe..."

She didn't wait for his approval. "Officer Hopps to dispatch. I have a 10-91, jaguar gone savage."

.

0000000

.

"Kitty is in chains, brudda." the Engineer informed him, as the Chemist lost sight of the group when they ran behind the house.

"Unexpected." he said. He was reviewing the altercation in his mind. That was no ordinary fox, for sure. And even the bunny did much better than he imagined. "And also unfortunate."

"We can't let the little ones go home." the other ram reminded, and sounded almost sad about it.

"No, no we can't." Doug considered the risk. Interfering now would give the pair even more clues to follow.

But that was only if they survived.

"Engineer?"

"Aye?"

"Kill them."

"...aye."

.

0000000

.

"Dispatch." she repeated, but all she heard was the sound of static. She tried a different channel, but got the same result. "Dammit!" she turned to Wilde, and saw that he had been gathering the vines. "Once we have Manchas tied up, we'll drag him to the house and barricade ourselves."

"Sounds like a plan." the fox nodded, walking back to her. "I just might be able to talk the fellas down."

"Let's hope so." she tried her phone next, but it had no signal. Taking a weary breath, she looked to the heavens, searching for some otherworldly reassurance. And that was the only thing that allowed her to catch the movement of a strange dark shape as it passed under a beam of moonlight, gliding through the air not far from their platform.

And somehow, she just knew it was looking right at Wilde.

"Watch out!" she yelled. Unlike the dead cougar now cooling off near Manchas' doorstep, Wilde did not hesitate at her warning. Before the second word even left her mouth, he had already vanished from his previous spot, dropping the armful of vines he had been carrying. And just in time, because in that same instant something tiny and deadly hit the ground where the fox had stood, accompanied by the soft 'thump' of a suppressed firearm in the distance.

Too quiet for most mammals to have heard it over the forest sounds, but not her.

She dived to the ground herself. "We're too exposed!" Judy tried to come up with a plan as she crawled behind the foliage. Plants would not provide enough cover. Running for the bridge was suicide, and even the short path to Manchas' house was too far away for comfort. She took out her radio again, but stopped short of using it when she heard the sound of a bullet hitting metal, and breaking it apart.

And the heavy footsteps of a jaguar that was now free from his chains.

"Son of a...!" she swore quietly. She got up and was ready to risk it all on a dash to the house, when she felt herself being enveloped by furry arms and lifted from the ground. The familiar russet color was the only thing that kept her from lashing out by reflex.

"Hey!" she yelped.

"It's too hot up here." Wilde yelled back. Then he jumped over the edge of the platform. Another bullet whizzed past the air just inches from them as they fell.

A dozen or so meters below, the fox landed on a very large and mossy branch. He kept her firmly secured in his arms, but her own grip on her radio was not so good and it slipped from her paw and into the darkness. Before she could protest, he dashed across the entire length of the branch, jumped down to a lower one, crossed it as well, and dived inside a small opening in the trunk of another massive tree. Somewhere along the way he had shifted to carrying her with a single arm across the stomach.

But she cared little about the less-than-dignified grip, because the speed of his dashes left her dizzy. She gave scarce notice as he gently put her down. His grim voice brought her back to full attention.

"I caught some glimpses of the thing, it's following us." he told her. It was so dark in their hideout she could barely see him but for his faintly glowing green eyes. "Manchas went the other way, though."

"Damn it! Well, I didn't get a great look, either. It was some kind of flying machine, but it looked too small."

"Pretty well armed, though." he showed her the left sleeve of his floral shirt. From close up she could see a large tear in the fabric, and that the red fur beneath had been singed. "That would have been on the chest, I'll bet. You saved my life, bunny."

There was something soft and sincere in those words. It left her uncomfortable. "Just... just doing my job." she cleared her throat. "You saved me too, back there with Manchas. So we are even. Anyway, what exactly is that thing?"

He tilted his head. "Maybe the Cartel is employing rodents in mini helicopters now? That would be funny to see." he chuckled.

"Be serious, fox! We've lost our jaguar and a flying gun is out there hunting us!"

The smile turned wry, but remained. "I know, and it sucks about Manchas. But we can only deal with the current threat." he cracked his neck. "So, the way I see it, we have three choices." he lifted three fingers of a paw. "One, we can sit tight and wait for it to go away." he brought one finger down. "Two, I can take you again into my warm and muscled arms, and carry you to safety." when she only grunted at him, ears down her back, he chuckled again and took out another finger. "Or... we can try to scrap the thing."

The rabbit blinked. "Scrap it? Wilde, that thing is flying. How would we do that?"

"With this." he reached behind his back, and revealed a gun almost the size of Judy herself. She recognized it as the carbine dropped by the Desperados' cougar when he had his unfortunate encounter with Manchas.

She blinked again. "When did you get that?" she took the massive (for her) weapon and examined it. Firearms had been banned outside of military action years ago, so most of the models circulating on the streets these days were of crude making, or old. This one was neither.

"Found it on the way here." he answered with a shrug. "Figured it could be useful."

"Hum, semi-automatic... looks like a modified AL-18." she took out the magazine. "Wow, pretty large caliber for such a small gun!"

"Small?"

"Shut it! You know what I mean." she put the magazine back, and started to think. "But will it be enough to do damage?"

"You had all the tactical training, Officer. You tell me."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay. The machine was not large, and seems pretty agile. Must not be all that sturdy, then." her eyes narrowed. "It was painted to blend in, flew silently enough that neither of us heard it... and I think it only attacked us after Manchas was out. Doubt it shot those handcuffs by accident." she considered the carbine closely. "I think it's remotely controlled, and more of a surprise weapon than one made to trade fire."

"Nice." the fox nodded. "How 'bout this? I go out there and make it shoot me. Then you'll know where it is and can take it down." he said cheerfully.

She gave him a look that told all too well how stupid she thought he was. "What crap of a plan is that?"

"That machine's wreck could lead you straight to whoever is using it. I can dodge that thing if I'm aware of it, and I am now. I can see pretty well in the dark, too."

"Well, then you should have this." she raised the carbine. Ignoring, for the moment, the part about him being able to dodge bullets.

The fox pushed it back to her. "Nah, I'm rubbish with guns. They're not my style."

"Rubbish? Really?"

"Yep. But you can hear it just fine when it's firing, right? So you take it down."

"And who told you I am some master marksmammal?"

"No one. Could tell that just from the way you handle your zapper. Look, we can do this, bunny." he put one paw on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

She pushed his paw away and opened her mouth to call him a retard, but then shut it with a 'click'. She took a slow and calming breath, eyes closed, then fixed her gaze on his own.

"Wilde, this is suicide." she told him softly. "If either of us is not as good as you think, or if there's more than one of those things out there... you'll die."

He looked back at her for a long moment, all serious now. "Can I call you Carrots again?"

"What?!"

His face came closer. "Can I call you Carrots again?" he repeated, very slowly.

She was caught flat-footed by the strange request. "You... oh darn it, Wilde, you can call me whatever the heck you want. What does that have to do with you wanting to kill yourself?"

The fox straightened and fixed his tie again. "Everything." he told her simply, then gave a full smile. "Because now I can die happy." and just like that he dashed out of their shelter, calling out to her. "I'm counting on you, Carrots!"

"Hey!" she watched, helpless, as he perched himself into a thin branch and started to peer around, into the rain. Completely in the open, with nothing but a mess of twisting tree limbs separating him from a mortal fall. "Damn you, you stupid fox!" she muttered. But even as she cursed Wilde furiously under her breath, she still went to the edge of the hole and readied the carbine.

They did not have to wait long.

She saw his ears twitch and less than a second later he jumped away, the branch he had stood on breaking off as the powerful bullet pierced it. He landed on another one, but almost immediately had to dodge again. A distant part of her mind realized that Wilde was not dodging the projectiles themselves (thank goodness), but that he was somehow able to predict when they would be fired.

By that time, Judy was ready. The first faint gunshot told her the general location of the machine. She sprung out out the hole and braced herself fully against the trunk, supporting the oversized carbine with her whole body. The second shot allowed her to pinpoint it, and confirm it was moving slowly as it tracked her partner.

The third one was all she needed. She could not see if the fox managed to escape the last round, her full attention was on hearing. Unable to see her target, trusting entirely on her ears, the rabbit fired her gun a heartbeat after the enemy's. Once, twice, than a third time.

She just hoped it really was not some mouse in a small aircraft.

.

0000000

.

The first bullet struck the drone's sensory suit, making it partially blind. The second one took away the support of one rotor entirely. It could have still flow with only two lifters, but the third bullet nicked one of the tiny blades just enough to stop a second one. Now destabilized, the Engineer's prized hunting craft fell down and crashed against a cluster of small branches.

"RACKETY!" the ram's agonized cry was loud enough to make the radio crackle. "THAT RABBIT WHORE KILLED MY CHILD! I'LL GUT THE LITTLE FUCK!"

"You'll do no such thing at this time." he told his partner coldly. "This mission is over. We're retreating back to the van."

"But..."

"No 'buts', Engineer!" he interrupted. "They're too far from here, Desperados are coming, and your childish rant might've just given away your position." he was already making his way down. "We're leaving right now. You can have your payback later."

"Oh I will, brudda." he promised, pure venom dripping from his voice. "I will."

.

0000000

.

They stood on some branches a safe distance from the small wreckage, watching as it released some faint blue sparks. Her limbs burned something fierce from the strain of firing a gun that was never intended for a mammal of her size.

Wilde had his paws in his pockets, and not a scratch on his pelt.

A small, cold part of her wondered if she should not have just let the fox get shot. After witnessing his unnatural strength and agility, and remembering what he once did for a living, what he could do again... that part of her wondered if such a dangerous individual might not be better gone from the world.

"And then you'd be no better than him. And dead, as well." the greater part of her pointed out. She dismissed both thoughts. "Let's grab that thing and get the hell out of here." she said.

The fox nodded. "That would be best. I believe we've vastly overstayed our welcome." but before either could move towards the wreck, it suddenly ignited in a ball of fire and sparks.

Because the Engineer would never allow others to desecrate his child's corpse.

Startled by the detonation, Judy gave an instinctive step back. And that single step saw her slipping from the branch she had been on. Wilde caught her paw immediately, but that jostling was more than the wood could handle, as its base had been right underneath the exploding drone. The entire branch fell off, taking fox and rabbit down with it. A long way down.

The first half of the fall was a blur to Judy, as her little body tumbled into broad leaves and was tossed around violently. The world spun in a kaleidoscope of colors as the many lights dotting the trees flashed across her vision. About half-way through, she managed to right herself enough that she was falling mostly head first. Which was worse, because now she could see the unforgiving asphalt of the road below coming ever closer. A couple of dozen meters before she met a squishy death, however, she hit a tight cluster of vines. She felt another furry form slam into her, and they both got tangled up. A second later, with a thug that made her feel as if she was going to be torn in half, they stopped.

Just two meters above the street.

It took her a second to realize they had been saved by the District's flora. It took a few more to calm her pounding heart.

"Well..." the confox said from her right side, his voice was infuriatingly cheery. "That was fun."

"Fun!" she yelled, and bumped his head with her own for good measure. "We almost died, again, and now I've lost the witness and the evidence!"

"Ouch... okay, okay, everything sucks. But listen, Carrots, we really gotta scram. You have a knife or something?"

They were out of time, however. Both could now hear the sound of cars coming up and down the street. And it did not take long before they were surrounded by glaring headlights.

The vehicles were of various models, but they were all painted black. In that same vein, the mammals who stepped out were of various species, but they were all cats.

And they were all armed.

Judy felt her fur stand up as a dozen pairs of predatory eyes fixed on her, along with the barrels of a dozen guns. Not a word was said, the cats just stood there looking menacing.

Wilde felt her stiffen, and tried to softly reassure her. "Don't panic now, bunny. We can still get out of this..." he whispered. And in that moment another car arrived. From the back door stepped out another felid. "Oh, crap."

He was a tiger, wearing an impeccable pinstriped white suit with a blood-red hat and tie. He was old but still looked vigorous, despite the elegant black cane he carried. He walked towards them in an unhurried pace, golden stare never leaving the suspended fox.

"Hey, Mr. Rayas!" the vulpine greeted friendly. "Long time no see. Could you give me a paw here? For old times' sake?" the tiger had stopped near them, paws on the top of his cane. He did not answer, his face remained austere, but his eyes flashed.

He was not a buffed hulk of a cat like those dancers that often teamed with Gazelle, but Judy was not fooled. This tiger's gait, his posture, the cold cunning behind his stern gaze... all those things spoke of danger far more than bulging muscles ever could. When he finally spoke, it was with the calm voice of one used to being obeyed.

"You made a mess in my home, zorro." the sound of his claws drumming against the cane was ominous. "We're going to talk."


ANs:

So, it has been a very long hiatus. I'm sorry for just disappearing like that, didn't even answer the last reviews.

But I believe I'm back now. I thank everyone for reading and reviewing, especially the ones I haven't given a reply to. I hope it doesn't discourage you folks from giving your opinion in the future.

The character Raphaéla 'Calavera' Clawson is the idea of Magus Neon, and I thank him very much for letting me use her in this story. She will appear again. And yes, she will have a scene with a certain sloth... someday.

Our favorite fox might be all chums with Mr. Big in this story, but I just couldn't allow him to not be in hot waters with some big shot gangster. :)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that it was somewhat worth the long wait.