Our Finest Hour
Chapter 3: The Scent of Blood
Downtown Zootopia really was beautiful, I decided. Staring out the window of our white bus, I tapped my giant bunny feet on the floor in thought. Their architecture was larger than life, inspired, you could say. Gleaming towers shot high into the sky, none of them the static rectangles less prosperous cities boasted. Zootopian skyscrapers were all curves, some were even shaped like giant palm trees. The lengths these people would go to hide their moral decay.
Silently listening to the deep voices of my peers, I came to the realization that I was the smallest mammal there. Most of my fellow aid workers were large caribou or buffalo. Of course, we were all prey. The Red Cross Societies decided to send an all-prey entourage for security reasons. It had been a point of contention, but in the end, everyone agreed a team of Prey were less likely to raise Zootopia's ire. That wasn't what worried me. Anxiety constricted my chest at the thought of working with known terrorists. The Talons, they'd called themselves. After the Bellwether wall was erected around Happy Town, effectively cutting off the largest Predator population, they rose to power in the chaotic open-air prison. Nobody knew how they got their paws on military grade tech, but since then, they'd successfully resisted several Zootopian incursions, even succeeded in ridding Happy Town of Collars. It would be admirable, if the Talons didn't retaliate against innocents or make their money off of meth.
The bus came to a stop. I took a peek out the window and wished I hadn't. The Prey supremacists were waiting. There were tons of them. A sea of wool, horns, thick skin and black shirts. Nearly all of them were sneering or shouting; something obscene, I'm sure. I sighed in relief when I spotted the police. They had a line going to the front doors of the white building. As my fellows got up from their seats and moved to the front of the bus, I took deep breaths and focused. C'mon Mary, you can do this. You can do this… Slipping on a mask of quiet determination, I hopped to it.
Stepping out into the sun, I followed close behind our director, a pun-loving, witty moose as we made our way. My heart went into overdrive as the protestors shouted their discontent.
"Predophiles!"
"Race Traitors!"
The venom leaking from their words surprised me. I wasn't prepared for such open displays of hate. It was a shock to the system. Thankfully, the walk didn't take more than a minute and nobody got hurt. We were in the cool safety of the distribution center before my anxiety could really kick off.
Giving a contented breath, I shot my ears to attention and swiveled them like two radar dishes. Quiet conversation filled the spacious lobby. A few sofas and solitary chairs littered the room, a bit threadbare but serviceable. The smooth stone floor was scuffed, some of the polish worn away throughout the years. Hushed whispers filled the room as police and IFRC discussed logistics, among other things. Tossing my gaze to the far side of the lobby, I saw them. I clenched my fists and tried to ignore the pangs of fear their black combat suits sent trilling through my heart. So, it seemed our Talon escort had arrived before us. At least they were professional. How they evaded the mob outside, I'll never know.
"Miss Stormr?" I was interrupted from my observations by Director Mosenhauz. The moose looked at me in concern. "Is everything alright? I don't think you heard a thing I said." My cheeks went red from embarrassment.
"Sorry. It seems I was lost in reverie." He chuckled.
"Must have been powerful. I was waving my hand right in front of your face!" Oh shit… Even my ears went red.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized profusely. "It won't happen again." He waved me off.
"It's fine. Just make sure to daydream on your own time. I have something important to tell you Veterinarian." Yeah, I was the only vet they decided to send. I tried requisitioning an assistant, but they refused. The only available medical staff were Predators, so that was that. "It's not my call, but since the Prey supremacists killed our last doctor, additional mammals have been assigned to your security." I gave a tentative smile.
"Thank god. So when do I get to meet the officers in question?" Mosenhauz' grin grew to shit-eating levels.
"It's one mammal, and not a cop." I traced his eyes as he turned to stare at the black clad Talons. My blood went cold. You gotta be shitting me.
"The Talons sir?" I squeaked, feeling the fear leech into my bones. I was shivering in my boots. He nodded.
"I'll go get him and you two can acquaint yourselves." Heart hammering away, I watched with dread as Mosenhauz strutted up to the terrorists. I expected him to grab one of the hulking bears, or perhaps even a lion. I wasn't expecting him to turn to their smallest member. Tall enough to be a fox, but I couldn't be sure as to what kind. He wore black goggles, a loose black hood and mask, as well as their signature uniform. The fox even had his tail wrapped in dark bandages! In his gloved hands was a beat up looking rifle. It fit him just fine.
I felt insulted as Mosenhauz and the fox came back to me. Really? This is the mammal who's supposed to ensure my safety? It was like a slap to the face.
"Howdy ma'am." His voice was modulated. "Please follow my directions and we can both come out of this unharmed. If it comes to it, don't be a hero. Let me take the line of fire. I'll cover your escape." Well… I had to be impressed at his professionalism. We were nearly the same height, so I stared into his impenetrable goggles as I offered my hand. He took it and we shook.
"Vet Mary Stormr." I introduced.
"Black Hood." He replied in that electronic voice.
It didn't take long to finish loading the convoy. We were on our way within the hour. Sitting beside Mr. Black Hood at the back of an IFRC car, I whittled away the time lost in thought. The streets were all but abandoned, just a few weary souls here and there. So why did I feel so tense? I stole a glance over at the fox. He was on high alert, flicking his gaze across the old buildings near the Bellwether wall. His paranoia had to be infectious. Yeah, that was it. I decided to lighten the mood with conversation.
"So, what convinced you to pick up arms?" I asked him, sincerely curious. He didn't take his eyes off our surroundings when he answered.
"My parents were constitutionalists." I nodded, remembering the now defunct organization from my briefing. "They were naïve, leading a peaceful rebellion against autocrats." I widened my eyes.
"They LED the constitutionalists?" He nodded.
"Until my whole family was murdered. Zootopia won't even spare children… disgusting." The Black Hood growled. I was horrified. Even children suffered execution!? These were dark times indeed. "Listen." He commanded. "I know you don't like me or my organization, it's in your body language; but we do what's necessary for survival. I don't know where you're from, but non-violent protest doesn't work where they kill even Prey for voicing dissent." His words tore at long held ideals. I was an ardent believer in peace, that war was never the answer. Any rational minded leader would bow before a people united against them.
But what about power-mad dictators? The thought came unbidden. In a system that didn't resist, but PUNISH displays or even thoughts of disobedience, the only open avenue for change was simple. War. The situation was more complicated than I'd believed.
"Shit!" The Black Hood cursed. "GET DOWN!" He screamed, tackling me to the seat before I could blink. An explosion rocked the street. I screamed as windows shattered and our car went flying. Metal grated against asphalt as we skidded to a halt amidst the retort of gunfire. Eyes glazed in shock, I could barely hear for the ringing in my ears. We'd been flipped onto the cabin, thank god I'd used my seatbelt. The smell of blood leaked through the car. I checked myself for injury. Patting myself down, I felt no pain or wet spots. Turning my attention to the Black Hood, I saw him fumbling with his seatbelt, cussing like a sailor. So that left… I gasped in terror as I turned my eyes to the driver. Blood was spattered on the cracked window shield, dripping in a stream from the deer's crimson head. His antlers were a bloody mess, cracked and broken. Swallowing my fear, I narrowed my eyes in determination before unbuckling myself. Crawling forward, I put my diminutive paw on his carotid artery. My face paled as I felt nothing. No pulse… He was dead.
"We need to leave!" The Black Hood cried as he grabbed my arm. I looked at him and nodded, still numb from the crash. It had all happened so fast… The Black Hood peered out his broken window before crawling out. My heart beat like a drum in my ears, my fear mounting before he peeked back in to give me the all clear. He offered me a hand, which I gratefully took.
The world outside was a hell scape of screams and shrapnel. Fire danced along the edges of craters in the road. Bullet holes littered buildings and cars alike.
"I need suppressing fire!" A water buffalo police officer roared, shooting his assault rifle into the window of an old apartment building. A spurt of blood covered the windowsill in gore. Nausea coiled deep in my gut. The scent of blood was everywhere.
"C'mon!" The Black Hood yelled, shaking me out of it. He grabbed my arm and led me behind an overturned truck. The engine was smoking. A fire was blazing out of control in the cabin. The smell of cooking flesh filled the air. Doubling over, I vomited on the sidewalk, feeling so scared I thought I was going to just burst into a four-legged sprint at any moment. "Jesus Christ…" The Black Hood muttered. Tearing off his mask and goggles, I finally saw his species. He was a handsome black-furred fox; tinges of silver appearing in his cheeks and brow. His features were robust for a fox, more commonly found on wolves. His eyes though, they were a gleaming sky blue full of life.
"Copy that, command." He spoke into a radio linked to his earpiece. The fox looked at me. "Reinforcements are coming." My relief was short lived. "But so is the military. They believe the Talons are responsible." Under the hail of bullets, I was incredulous. This was bad. I'm not stupid. I knew what they did to Pred sympathizers. They could claim that I was killed during the initial attack… "We need to go. Happy Town isn't far. You'll be safe at headquarters." He stood, offering a hand. "Trust me. I won't let you die." And he finished with an endearing little smirk. I searched his face for any indication that he'd leave me behind if the going got rough. There was an authentic gleam in his eye, in the small smirk. His body language was calm and collected, trustworthy.
"I trust you." The words coming from my mouth were sincere. I knew he could tell, since his composure slipped for the briefest moments. He probably wasn't used to a Prey's trust. Not in this city. So I took his hand and let him pull me up. Falling into him, I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. He tensed beneath my embrace. "Thank you." I told him. "Thank you."
Our feet slammed against the concrete as we ran. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I felt imbued with the energy of a lightning bolt. Nearing the exit to the alleyway, The Black Hood rose a fist and stopped. I skidded to a halt behind him.
"Hear that?" He whispered, looking to the sky. I strained my ears. It started out quiet, but grew louder every passing second. A helicopter zoomed above our heads, landing in the street just in front of us. I narrowed my eyes at the whirlwind gale. As soldiers in urban camouflage jumped out, I nearly missed the last to depart. She was a… bunny?
"Just our luck." The Black Hood whined. "It's Judy fucking Hopps." He seemed genuinely scared. Shuffling up beside him, I flicked my gaze to his in surprise.
"She's so tiny." And it was true. In comparison to the bulls and lone rhino of her squad, she was merely a speck. "What's she going to do?" The Black Hood laughed hoarsely.
"Judy's a menace on the battlefield. Out of anyone, she's killed or captured the most of us. That bitch hates Preds with a passion. She'll pull your claws for just looking at her wrong." He pointed back in the direction that we came. "We need to find another way." He took another peek at the soldiers. They stood to attention, saluting Judy Hopps. I nodded and we turned back.
Our journey to the wall was agonizingly slow. The sun had begun to set and the sky was a bloody orange. The Black Hood gave a sigh of relief when one of the checkpoints came into view. Manned by Talon insurgents, the gate was a welcome sight after the day I've had. Until it burst into flames. A whistling noise pierced the air. I saw something long and pointy strike the middle of the checkpoint before everything went to hell. The explosion buffeted my fur and popped my ears.
"NO!" The Black Hood screamed, a look of panic crossing his face. The howls of the dying filled the air, bringing tears to my eyes. I looked upon the carnage with utter horror, shaking where I stood. Mutilated bodies decorated the barbed wire. Arms, legs, and bits of torso scattered the street. Blood pooled beneath unmoving corpses, their eyes glassy as they stared up at the crimson sky.
The Black Hood whirled around to face me.
"We have to go!" I was paralyzed in my terror, so he did the next logical thing. Scooping me up into his arms, he dropped his rifle and booked it to the ruined gate. A single gunshot sounded and the Black Hood screeched in agony. He tripped with me in his arms and we went tumbling to the ground. Dazed, I rose my head off the ground and saw him nursing a bloody calf. Someone shot him in the leg. His muzzle was contorted in a grimace. He wasted no time in pulling a small pistol from around his waist. Pushing it into my quivering hands, he snarled at me. "GO!" I shook my head dumbly.
"Not without you!" I searched for the soldier responsible for his injury and shot wildly into every alley I could find. The kick of the recoil soon pained my shoulder. Hearing the hammer click against nothing, I tossed the now useless gun to the road in a rage. Switching my attention back to the fox laying on the ground, I felt my resolve turn to steel. Helping him off the ground, I tossed his arm around my shoulder and hobbled to the gate as fast as our bodies were capable. A hail of bullets surrounded us, but none found their mark. That first crippling shot had to have been pure luck.
Tugging the Black Hood behind the wall, I set him down and collapsed onto the dirty street. Exhausted, I listened as civilians and insurgents alike worked feverishly to erect a barricade.
"You…" The black fox panted. "You saved my life." His eyes were wide, as if he believed this to be but a dream. Gasping for breath, I forgot my sore muscles and got up.
"We need a medic over here!" I roared at the top of my lungs. Kneeling by his injured leg, I ripped a strip of fabric from my shirt. His wound was bleeding pretty bad, exacerbated by our desperate struggle for safety. Blood scent filled my nose, turning my stomach on its head. Concentrating on my training, I slipped into a trancelike state and began working. "This is going to hurt." I warned before tying the strip to his calf. His curses filled the smoky air.
ooo ooo ooo
I tossed my head back and let out a steady stream of profanities. Blinding pain pierced my calf as Mary staunched the bleeding. Panting, I looked up as two wolves carrying a stretcher between them stopped before us.
"You're gonna be okay pal." One of the wolves told me with a smile. The wolves grabbed me gingerly and in a single, fluid motion, slid me onto the stretcher. I watched as they carried me away, trying to make the journey as smooth as possible. Mary stood, staring at me as she grew smaller and smaller. Before she vanished from view, I saw her race towards another poor soul in need of aid.
"That hare sure is something." I whispered before laying my head down and closing my eyes.
Arriving at Happy Town's dilapidated 'hospital', a small, refurbished clinic, I was quickly ushered past the crowded lobby and into a room. A polar bear orderly in a nurse's outfit stood by. Sliding me off the stretcher and onto a table, the red panda doctor hurriedly checked me for wounds.
"My leg." I grunted, feeling the wound pulse with agony.
"Okay." The doctor nodded. He went down to my legs and looked over Mary's bloody bandage. He sighed in relief. "Someone did a good job patching this up. Otherwise you'd probably need a blood transfusion by now." I chuckled.
"Thank the new hare doctor. I escorted her to the wall, but she saved me."
"It's great to see Prey haven't gone completely savage." He commented.
"It's just Zootopian Prey." I told him. "Remember, chompers don't have to wear collars beyond the city limits." The doctor sighed.
"Don't remind me."
Slowly, my doctor unwound Mary's bandaging. I grimaced as he got close to the wound. It hurt like hell.
"There's no exit wound." The doctor observed, his adorable red panda ears twitching.
"Fuuuuck." I groaned, realizing what this meant.
"I'm going to have to remove the bullet." The doctor winced as he remembered something. "We're all out of morphine. I was hoping to receive some medical supplies in the latest shipment of aid, but nothings arrived so…" I breathed deep in preparation for a world of hurt.
"Just do it." I told the red panda. He nodded glumly and rooted around in a cluttered drawer.
"Here." He handed me a thick length of tough crocodile leather. It was covered in teeth marks. "Bite down on this." Positioning the piece of leather between my teeth, I bit down. "Close your eyes and I'll begin shortly. Making myself comfortable, I closed my eyes and laid my head down on the table. "Hold him down. I don't want to make the wound worse from his thrashing." Large paws enclosed my whole body. Probably the polar bear orderly I saw hanging back.
Anticipating the pain, I crunched down on the thick leather in my mouth. My eyes flew open when hot fire exploded in my wound. I screamed through the leather and wriggled fruitlessly in the polar bear's grip. Tears rolled down my face as the red panda dug around in my leg. The seconds ticked away, but to me it felt like I was being tortured for eons. Spitting out the leather, I screamed for mercy.
"Stop! STOP!" I screeched. No one paid me any attention. After several more seconds of agonizing torture, it stopped. The pain didn't go away, but it lessened considerably. Panting and covered in sweat, I looked up as the bear released her grip. The scent of blood hung thickly in the air. By the time I rose my head to look at what had been done to my leg, the red panda had already affixed a clean white bandage over the injury. It quickly stained red.
"Hmm." The doctor hummed thoughtfully to himself. "Hollow-point rounds to cause maximum damage." His voice was dry. "And small caliber to boot. Like the ones a certain infamous rabbit uses."
"I was taken out by Judy Hopps?" I sighed in relief. "I'm lucky Mary was there. I'd be dead or in chains by now if she weren't."
"Worse." Talon growled from the doorway. "You would've been tortured for information. The Zootopian savages know torture isn't an effective information gathering tool, but you being such a high-value target, they wouldn't simply kill you." I gulped. REALLY thankful Mary was there to save me. "But enough about that." Talon continued, giving me a relieved smile. "I'm glad you and your escort made it out of there. She's already saved so many lives." I smiled, feeling exhaustion overwhelm me.
"No offense Talon." I began. "But I'm beat. I need to go home and catch some sleep." Talon nodded in understanding. There was a glint in his eyes.
"About that." There was a chuckle in his voice. "That hare doctor doesn't have a place to stay, and seeing as you have that spare room…" I sighed, seeing where he was getting at.
"You want her to stay with me? And how the hell did you know I had a spare room? You've never been in my apartment." Talon only laughed and walked away. Damn, I really needed to change the locks.