Judy glared at the black-tipped tail of the fox ahead of her, watching it disappear around a corner. This fox was fast, faster than she had expected. Nick was behind her, trying to catch up after having handcuffed the thief to a light to hold him until the officers that were called for backup arrived.

With a small skid, the rabbit turned the corner and continued her pursuit, watching as the fox sped towards a red-painted fence, roughly four times his size. Gotcha, she through, a small smirk appearing on her face, before it was practically wiped away by a few boards being pushed aside as her target slipped through the gap. A brief memory flashed in her mind, of when she had first confronted Nick about lying to her on her first day as an officer – this was that same alley, the same boards he had shifted.

The thought was pushed to the back of her mind as she rounded the corner again, giving a brief look around to see the black-clad figure racing for the corner. He knew this area about as well as Nick did, she realized, casting a glance behind her to see her friend turning from the alley not far behind.

Judy leaped at a pole once she reached the corner, grabbing onto it and using her momentum to swing around, gaining a fair amount of ground as she saw the fox glance back, eyes giving no hint of surprise or frustration, but rather a calm gaze. She grit her teeth and kept going, ears flailing wildly behind her as she cast another glance at Nick, who was straining to keep up with the two.

The honk of a horn brought her attention back to her front as she witnessed the fox ahead of her slide over the hood of a small car, the pig driving it shaking their hoof while the other clutched their chest from the sheer surprise. They didn't even have time to start moving forward again before Judy leaped across the hood, planting her paws on it and pushing off in an attempt to gain a little more speed.

Another glance behind her revealed Nick going around the car as it pulled forward, the look of strain on his face making it obvious that he wasn't going to be able to keep up for much longer. He was capable of either short sprints or a marathon jog, but not a marathon sprint.

The radio at her shoulder crackled to life as Clawhauser spoke through. "Hopps, Fangmeyer and Delgato have picked up the weasel, do you two have the other one?" he asked. Not now, she thought in response, focusing on the black back of her target as he raced along the sidewalk, brushing past confused pedestrians. Though confusion gave way to slight concern as they spotted Judy, clearly after him, with Nick in tow, the red fox still forcing himself to keep up with them.

Another left turn, down an alley, before making a right to cut onto another street. "Hopps?" Clawhauser asked. "For the love of- hold on, Clawhauser!" She snapped, immediately feeling guilty for it, able to clearly picture the cheetah's pained face at her response. She followed up quickly, hoping to make up for it. "We're in some alley's right now, I think we're going north on... Where are we?"

This fox was leading them along a winding route, and she had no idea where they were headed, until Nick's winded voice responded for her. "Downtown, Pack Street, headed towards Flock Street."

"10-4, Fangmeyer is on his way to help." Clawhauser replied. "Thanks, big guy," was Nick's response before going quiet, Judy casting another glance behind her to find that he was no longer in sight. She turned her attention back to the fox ahead of her, watching him take another left onto the sidewalk.

Could you please just give up, already?! She thought to herself, feeling her legs begin to burn.

As she took the same left, she watched with satisfaction as the red-furred malefactor was forced to pause as the traffic ahead of him blocked him off. After a brief glance behind them, though, the fox looked around for an alternate route, buying her just enough time to use the last of her energy in an attempt to tackle him to the ground after closing the last bit of distance.

With all her force behind it, Judy threw herself at the fox, forcing him to the ground, his deep blue eyes going wide at the sudden impact. For a split second, she thought she had him, before she felt him rolling beneath her, flipping the pair over so he was on top of her, his masked snout inches from her face as the beaked hood barely clung to his head, thanks to his ears.

His eyes widened again as Judy curled her knees to her chest and pushed against him with enough force to fling him into the air for a brief moment, his backpack clattering as he hit the ground on his back. The two managed to scramble to their feet in the same instant, each one giving the other an intense gaze – the amethyst of eyes of the bunny's, determined to bring down the other; and the blue of the fox's, determined to get away from his pursuers.

Judy glanced down as she noticed movement in his right paw, seeing it flick out from a pocket and off to the side. Her eyes instinctively trailed after it, only to widen as she realized it was a simple bouncy ball, quickly turning back to her opponent to find him moving across the street in the opposite direction.

With no thought she began to take off after him, only to be stopped as something tugged on the back of her uniform, yanking her from the road as cars began to rush past. With a groan, she landed on the ground, paws resting behind her as she looked up at Nick's exhausted face, his grip on her shirt collar loosening. "That was close, Carrots. You can't just chase after someone blindly – you might make good pancakes, but I don't think you'd be a good pancake," he chuckled, catching his breath.

Judy offered only a small, tired chuckle at his joke before letting her gaze turn to across the street, clambering to her feet as she saw the masked fox staring at the two between the passing cars. She narrowed her eyes as she studied him, watching him turn away and begin jogging down the street, only to disappear down another alley. With a sigh, she admitted defeat and turned away.

The bunny and fox both sat on the sidewalk, catching their breath, until Fangmeyer and Delgato arrived with their police cruiser, giving the pair a lift back to theirs. The ride back was mostly in silence, Judy uttering a small "thank you" to Nick, who simply smirked and nodded. "That makes, what, ten to two, in my favor?" He asked.

Judy huffed and lightly punched his arm. "You wish!.. Seven to three, counting the Night Howler case..." She admitted, causing him to let out a short laugh.

Once the partners had been dropped off at their cruiser, they jumped in and began making their way back to the shop several blocks away. After a brief check-in with the store owner, the two were headed back to the ZPD – after a brief stop for coffee, as Nick demanded one to re-energize himself after the "ridiculously long" chase, to which Judy rolled her eyes. She had been convinced to stop only once her stomach grumbled audibly enough for Nick to mention a carrot bagel he'd heard of at a nearby cafe.

Thirty minutes later, the duo finally had the cruiser parked in the Precinct and were headed for their cubicles. The paperwork for their little chase, and for the weasel's unique capture, wasn't going to do itself.

~ óÓÒò ~

The red fox stopped just inside an alleyway, planting his gloved paws on his knees as he bent over to catch his breath. He shifted over to the side a moment later, moving further down the alleyway to avoid anyone walking by from seeing him – at least, seeing him immediately.

With a light cough he undid the strap on his backpack, tugging it over his shoulder and unzipping it, swiftly taking off his coat and black hoodie, stuffing them inside, replacing them with a bright red hoodie bearing a winged fox skull. He tugged his pants out from his boots to make them seem more casual, and took off the gloves, shoving them into his pack as well. He also removed his belt, all the various items attached to it falling as he threw them inside. His mask came off next, also being tossed into the bag. Lastly, he undid a small strap towards the top of it, the navy blue bag sagging as it released its teardrop shape to become a simple, two-strap backpack.

The whole process took just under a minute.

He smirked. This was a cleverly designed bag he'd made, and it often came in handy. Cops would be searching for a blue-eyed red-furred fox, yes, but his description no longer completely matched. His backpack always had several books in it, covering a small pouch for his outfit so as to make it seem like padding.

With a light hum, he headed down the alley, taking out a pair of earbuds and putting them on and plugging them into his phone. With a swift glance to scan his surroundings, and at being satisfied with the lack of police, the fox began heading to Sahara Square.

Today, despite the problems that had arisen, had been successful. Phraxus didn't get their Night Howler seeds. The weasel was in custody. And the fox had still gotten away.

Flashing a smile, to a passing ocelot as he walked along, Aiden stuffed his paws into his pocket, keeping his eyes out for a familiar black and white car.