It had been a week since the missing mammals' case had blown open. There had been three more mammals reported missing and mayor Lionheart had locked himself into city hall and canceled all his interviews. But he couldn't blame him, because the press and others had been having a field day with conspiracies, and crack pot theories, like Lionheart's pred zoo, or Lionheart's new fur coats. He even heard of one that claimed Lionheart was keeping them hostage himself.
Another side -effect of the new fiasco was to overshadow the firing of one 'Judy Hopps, first rabbit police officer'. The only reason he knew about it was by a complete accident where he may or may not have accidentally searched her up in Zoogle and may or may not have accidentally read everything that came up.
He wasn't even sure why he was so interested in the rabbit to unintentionally stalk her profile. Was it guilt, or- "Wilde! What are you doing" Nicks partner in crime shouted up the foot or two to the red fox's blank face, forcing him from his revelry with a start, and made him drop the jar in his hands. Nick fumbled with the other and only just saved it as the other crashed against the floor, blasting popsicle fluid, and glass, across the pavement.
Finnick, who was already irritated with his friend's inability to pay attention, was now furious, and cussing out the red fox profusely to the point that Nick was surprised he wasn't foaming at the mouth. Following this line of thought, the corner of his lips began to curl upward until he realized what was happening and quickly wiped the smirk from his mouth before the one and a half foot tall, bat toting fox could see. It was always in one's best interest to not let on that the fennec was amusing.
"I'm pretty that I'm one hundred percent fox, and my mother wasn't a dog." Nick deadpanned, referring to his last insult. Finnick, seeing that Nick was unimpressed at his swearing prowess, quieted down and resorted to meaningful glances to the van, where, as usual, his bat was taking a 'beauty rest'.
Nick glanced down to the ground, watching as the red liquid seeped into his pads. It was going to take a while to get it washed out. Sighing, he looked back up at Finnick to give his own two cents on the blame of this situation, when he saw Weaselton, shabby as ever, walk up to a plant shop.
"Hey, Fin, look." Moving the remaining jar to his left arm, he pointed behind the fox's ears to the weasel, his full attention on the mammal. Finnick, on the other hand, didn't believe a word from his snout.
"Yeah, right. I turn around and you dump the other jar on my head."
"What?! No, just look!" Nick demanded, while kneeling and placing the jar on the ground to boost confidence.
The fennec, shooting Nick a warning glare, turned around in time to see the scraggly tail of Duke Weaselton slip into a plant shop. "So?" Asked Finnick, still grumpy "Dukes buying flowers. What's got your panties ruffled?"
Wisely, Nick avoided the trap and instead went for the issue "no, he's been targeting flower shops for the last month. Besides, can you think of anyone who would go close enough to smell flowers, let alone him?"
"Maybe the flowers are for the smell."
"Have to be some pretty strong scent."
"Maybe some roses, or, better yet, whiskey scented flowers, or- "
"Enough with the flowers!" Nick cut off, exasperated at how quickly the conversation went off track. Finnick only smirked seeing he had gotten to the other fox. "I've heard that he had been arrested for stealing onions, or something, so I asked around and apparently he's been the bane of florists for the last month.
He hadn't strictly heard it, but had read it from Judy's, extremely small, police record. Where, next to over 250 parking tickets, was the first, last, and only arrest of Hopp's career for a bag of moldy onions. But Finnick didn't need to know that.
"So?" Asked the grumpy fennec, perplexed at his partners sudden interest in the lives of others.
"Soo, he's probably going to steal more." Just as surprised with himself as Finnick.
"So, what are you gonna do? Call the cops?" Finnick asked gruffly, then abruptly switched to a high, squeaky voice. "Oh, officer, there was a scruffy weasel that went into a flower shop. Please, you have to stop him."
Then, immediately switching from wide eyed innocence to, well, Finnick, "It's not our business what he does. Now get the other bottles before someone else calls the coppers."
Nick obeyed, seeing the sense in his reasoning, and helped get the rest of the bottles in. Five minutes later and it seemed that Finnick had been right.
"Get in" Finnick barked, jumping into the driver's seat as he did so. Nick got in the other side, and the van started up with a complimentary backfire on the way out.
Sitting in silence for a bit, Nick was about to break it to tease Finnick about the extra cutesy act he pulled earlier that day, when a crash then yell sounded behind him. Whipping his head around Nick tried to see what had happened.
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Duke ran out of the flower shop, bulging duffel bag in his hands, and an angry pig right behind him (what's with pigs and flower shops?). Running down the sidewalk, Duke slipped through the crowd like only a weasel could, quickly leaving the overweight pig behind
He wasn't scared of being caught since he had made extra sure to strike when no police were around, so he ran through the crowd confident in his speed. He knew the stupid show off rabbit had been fired but he didn't want to take any chances. Besides, he had to get this delivery quick before Dug got angry. Or angrier.
The weasel side stepped into an ally making sure he wasn't noticed, then snuck through a loose board in the fence.
He stopped before stepping out into the slightly smaller crowd on the other side, trying to zip up the overflowing bag. Stepping fully out he started to scurry off to the regular drop off.
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"Stop!" Nick barked already opening the door.
"What the f- "Finnick started but stopped when Nick had already jumped out.
Hitting the ground harder than he expected (mission Impawsible made it look so easy) he still staggered to his feet and started running through traffic to the other side in pursuit of the weasel and pig.
He quickly lost sight of Weaselton through the crowd of mammals, but the pig stopped pretty, quickly hoofs on his knees trying to regain his breath. Sauntering up to the tired pig, Nick tried to garner some help.
"Excuse me sir, but do you know which way a weasel headed." 'Why'd I ask it like that?'
The pig looked up annoyed from his snorted grumbling to look at him like he was an idiot. "And why do you want to know. Who are you?"
Inwardly slapping himself for stopping to talk and not continuing the hunt, he looked around trying to find an excuse, when a grey furred rabbit walked by. The rabbit served to remind the fox of where he had learned of Duke's new taste in valuables.
"I'm here as a private detective for another one of Du-Weaselton's targets"
"Oh yeah? Then who hired you?" The pig asked, still unconvinced. The question would easily stump any else, but Nick had done his stal-reasearch.
"Mr. Boarston." Then just to rub it in, "his shop was attacked a week ago." A smirk crept across his face in self-congratulations.
The pig sighed and stepped aside, simultaneously pointing down the street where a couple mammals looked disgruntled. Thanking the unhelpfully helpful pig with a wave, Nick started sprinting in the pointed direction, hearing the pig mumble something about slick tongued foxes on the way out.
Squeezing through the crowd took a little bit and he started to despair that his run in with the pig had cost him the chase when a clank of wood echoed from the ally he just passed. Running back rewarded him in the swings of a loose board, one he had used quite often, as it swung closed.
Going on an educated guess, Nick ran down the alley to the faulty board, then stopped. Weaselton had been arrested recently so he would be cautious, probably the reason he chose this time, the same time Nick had chosen, because there were no patrols for an hour. So, he would be checking his back all the time.
Waiting till he had counted to ten, Nick lifted the board and slipped through checking around before coming fully out in the open. Checking around again he slid into the shadow of a nearby building, searching for any sign of Weaselton. The sun was starting to dip behind the buildings as more foot traffic began, ready to start off the night life.
Not seeing any sign of Weaselton, he started walking in a random direction checking for any sign of the weasel. He ended up walking for five minutes till he turned a corner onto a deserted street.
Looking up and down, Nick was about to head back defeated, and suffer Finnick's swearing, when he saw the end of a Weasel's tail disappear down a roped off subway.
Nick was about to follow, when he realized what he was doing. There was no reason to be nosing into Duke's business. He never did anything particularly malicious towards him, but it still wasn't legal. Not saying he was technically legal but at least most of his cons were harmless, at least the ones he planned. Finnick seemed to always meet People that would later complain of short bouts of unconscious and wake up with bat sized lumps.
Shaking his head to clear it, Nick got back to the problem at hand. He didn't know why he was doing this, though he suspected it had something to do with Hopps. Hell, she was the only reason he knew about this at all, in an indirect, stockerish way. Maybe it was some way of making up, of apologizing for just standing. It was just a What if.
What if, he had stood up for the little officer he had begun to admire?
What if, he had left with the rabbit before the chief could take her badge?
What if...what if he had jumped through the air and punched the stupid buffalo square in the jaw, and he had come crashing down like a fallen tree, the fox standing atop the chief with victory clear on his snout.
Nick shook his head again, smirking at the mental image. In the end, he decided he didn't care why he was doing it. He just wanted to, simple as that. He had gotten a taste of adventure from the rabbit and the week that followed was lack luster in comparison to the fur raising experience of being chased through the rain forest by a raving mad panther.
His mind made up, Nick walked briskly to the subway and ducked under the caution tape without a flicker of hesitation.