A/N: As of 12/1/2016, I've made edits to this chapter in order to correlate with the relationship between Karen and the Wilde Family.
The Unintended Target
A lone fox walks silently in the downtown area of the Downtown/Savanna Central District, an umbrella in hand and dressed in a business savvy suit. But his mind wasn't focused on anything business related, but about everything that had transpired not too long ago. He had left the cemetery only moments ago after seeing the graves of his dead aunt and supposedly dead brother, Matt. His eyes were looking down slightly at the ground, and his head was tilted downward in a similar angle. Now he walks along the sidewalk in pure silence, occasionally passing by a group of mammals, small and large alike, with his mind clouded with his own thoughts.
Several minutes already pass since he had left the graveyard in silence, and except for the occasional sound of thunder, the chatter of other mammals, sounds of horns being honked and so forth, it still remained silent. A soft shrug escapes the fox's mouth before looking forward with his jade green eyes, completely oblivious a driver preparing to pull out of an alleyway. He continues to remain silent in his thoughts until a loud 'HONK' snaps him out of his train of thought. Quickly jumping back upon hearing the noise, the fox fixes his eyes towards the fennec driver inside of the van and throws his arms up in the air.
"Jeez, Finnick! What the hell?! You trying to run me over or something?!" Nick asked with furrowed eyes right before the fennec fox moves his head out of the window, which was a but if a difficult task due to his small size.
"If you don't get'cha ass in here, maybe I won't have to!" Finnick growled. "We got a delivery to make down at the abandoned warehouse in the Rainforest District".
"Delivery? Good grief, what are we, a pizza delivering company?" Nick asked with a cocked brow, now curious and even slightly suspicious about what it was they were needing to deliver.
"I'm ain't sure what the hell it is we're supposed to be delivering, but it sure ain't no pizzas", Finnick replied. "The crate's already been placed in the back of the van. So hurry up and get yo ass in here", he growled right as Nick rolls his eyes, but nonetheless walks to the other side of the van and enters the vehicle through the passenger door.
"How much are we getting paid for this?" Nick asked while he was buckling himself in and looking at the crate in the back for a moment, which happened to be identical to the one they tried delivering last night prior to discovering the bloody scene. However, he turns to the front and leans back against the seat as the fennec presses the gas pedal, allowing the car to accelerate towards the driver's destination.
"From what I was told, five grand", Finnick replied.
"Five grand?!" Nick replied with shock while quickly turning his head towards the fennec with his eyes shooting wide open.
"Yep, and that's assuming everything goes as planned, unlike last night", Finnick added, recalling the bloody discovery both foxes made last night and not noticing Nick turning towards the passenger side window. God, thinking about it right now was starting to make the fennec cringe. "Ugh, Who the hell was responsible for that damn mess, anyways?" he asked with a disgusted tone. And although Nick wasn't exactly paying attention to it, he couldn't blame the fennec for cringing. He would've been cringing at the thought alone, but his mind wasn't focused on the ones responsible for the bloody murders.
"I don't know…" Nick answered with a sigh leaving his mouth, slowly blinking and looking towards the ground with his right hand-paw supporting his head. Finnick caught this quickly and turns his head towards his partner in crime right as he got to a red light.
"What's wrong with you? You've been down ever since the bloody discovery last night", Finnick asked with a genuinely concerned tone, even if his face looked angered (which he wasn't, but had mostly kept that look to scare other mammals off).
"I visited the Downtown Zootopia Cemetery not too long ago…" Nick answered with another sigh coming out of his mouth.
"Downtown Zootopia Cemetery? What the hell were you-" Finnick was about to ask, but immediately stopped himself immediately before he unintentionally stupid. "Oh… your aunt and little brother, Matt…"
"Yeah…" Nick replied with a soft nod, again another sigh escaping Nick's muzzle right after his response. "Look, I don't mean to pry on your private life, but what were you doing at the bar a few hours ago?" the fennec asked with a curious tone. Nick turns towards the fennec for a moment before leaning back against his seat.
"Well… lets just say I had a lot on my mind at the time", Nick answered honestly.
"And I'm assuming some of it involved the bloody scene last night", Finnick asked before pressing on the gas right after the light turned green, allowing the smaller fox to continue driving towards their destination.
"Yeah… amongst other things", Nick answered with a shrug. Although he wanted to pry on the matter a bit further, the fennec decided against it, thinking it was best to leave the fox be for the time being.
"I see", Finnick replied quietly, yet loud enough for his friend to hear, before focusing his attention on the road and continuing to drive towards their destination.
The remainder of the trip was silent throughout, with the exception of the windshield wipers wiping the windshield along with Finnick checking the radio stations to see if anything good was playing. Unfortunately, nothing good came on the radio and merely shuts it off, making the fennec shrug out of aggravation. Then again with all the crappy scene music and electronicore bands playing on the radio, what else is there to listen to on the radio without an IPawd? Finnick was practically hoping he didn't have to drive in the silence for much longer.
Fortunately for him, traffic was rather pleasant throughout the trip and not a single accident was seen on the road, which helped shorten the trip by a great amount. The other drivers drove towards their destinations swiftly without any trouble despite the heavy amount of rain pouring over the city of Zootopia. And before they knew it, Nick and Finnick manage to spot the factory they were heading towards a few minutes after entered the Rainforest District.
The factory itself was a five story building entirely made of steel, unlike the other residences within the area that were mostly made of wood. While its appearance proven to look abandoned, that was not the case for the location. Near the entrance of the place, from what the two vulpine males could see, there were several other mammals walking around the front of the property. Some of them bore black business suits, yet the others were seem to be bearing modernized ninja outfits? Whether it was some sort of private convention or some sort of meeting, none of them knew, but either way, one thing was certain.
"We're here", Finnick said to his partner in crime before driving near the entrance, noticing a checkpoint as the two males drew closer to the abandoned looking factory. The fennec presses on the break when they arrived to the checkpoint, the two males noticing one of the business dressed mammals, particularly a lean built cheetah, approaching them with a stern look on his face. With a couple knocks on the driver's side window, Finnick rolls the window down and gazes directly at the business savvy cheetah standing outside.
"State your business, fennec!" the cheetah ordered authoritatively, albeit with a calm tone in his voice.
"Relax, buddy. Me and my boy here were told to deliver the crate to this place", Finnick replied. "The sooner we drop the crate off, the sooner we'll be gone", the fennec added, only to receive a cocked brow from the cheetah himself. However, with a light shrug, the feline nods with understanding and takes several steps back, turning his head to his left and giving a thumbs up to the checkpoint's gate operator. The male arctic fox, who was the checkpoint's gate operator, nods before pressing the button and allowing the linear gate to rotate upward. With the gate pointing directly upward, Finnick prepares to press on the gas pedal, but the cheetah walks towards the driver's side and causing the small fox to stop what he was doing.
"Before you enter, park the van at the lot on the left side of the building. The others will direct you to our boss when the deed is done", the cheetah said to the fennec following an acknowledging nod coming from both Finnick and Nick. With this now in mind, the small fox presses the gas pedal and drives directly towards the entrance, quickly turning left right as they entered the facility's grounds.
As soon as Finnick gets the van parked near the front, both he and Nick step out of the van and quickly start rushing towards the back. Nick opens the back of the van and picks up Finnick, placing him inside the van before jumping into the back with him. Two other mammals, one being business savvy and the other dressed in modernized ninja clothing, approach the van with a dolly cart in their possession. Talk about convenient, huh. Because right as Nick and Finnick manage to get the crate at the edge of the van and pushes it right onto the square shaped dolly.
"Good, now go meet with out boss. He will discuss payment options with you", the business savvy dressed mammal, a brown furred horse, said to the two foxes before he and his ninja dressed partner, a light brown and white furred husky, walk away and take the crate to a nearby stack. Both Nick and Finnick nod towards each other before jumping off the back and shutting the doors behind them.
With the crate taken care of, both foxes walk directly to the entrance of the abandoned appearing facility and enter the building, their eyes gazing at their surroundings closely. One thing they noticed was the fact that, despite their nocturnal vision, there was a lack of lights in the warehouse, with the exception of a few torches being lit. The only light source inside the seemingly abandoned factory was at the heart of the facility itself. And there, standing in the middle of the hugely sized room was the boss in charge.
The boss was a tiger bearing orange and white fur colors, with black stripes being seen on parts of his body. For instance, the other tiger happened to bear long, brushed back gray colored hair along with an identically colored mustache and chin goatee on his muzzle. He was rather tall in height, possibly double or triple the height of Nick. The muscles he bore on his body were strongly built and defined, with his facial area being aged enough to show he was somewhere in his early forties. Those factors, along with the stern look he bore on his face, were enough to give the tiger an intimidating look. His clothing was strongly identical to the those bearing ninja based outfits, with the exception of not wearing a black long sleeve shirt under the brown sleeveless kimono shirt. In fact, his strongly built arms and parts of his chest were exposed because of the fact he wasn't wearing one.
Regardless of how intimidating the tiger was for both foxes, Nick covers his mouth with his left clenched hand-paw and quickly clears his throat.
"Excuse me, Sir! You're the guy running this place?" Nick asked while placing his hand-paws behind his back.
"I am", the tiger answered with a stern nod. "My name is Tatsumi, and I was informed you would be the ones delivering a crate to this location, are you not?" he asked.
"Uh, yes, sir, we are", Nick answered with a nod. "I'm Nicholas Wilde, and this is my partner, Finnick", the fox said while moving his right hand-paw towards Finnick's direction. "Now that the introductions have been taken care of, shall we start talking about the payment methods?"
"Yes", Tatsumi replied with a nod, his hand-paws moving towards his pants pockets. "But before we do, there is something I wish to discuss with you, Mr. Wilde".
"Nick, please. 'Mr. Wilde' makes me feel older than I look", Nick joked with a couple of chuckles. "But in all seriousness, feel free to ask me anything, Tatsumi", the fox added, receiving a nod from the stern looking tiger a second later.
"Of course", Tatsumi replied, his eyes narrowing slightly at the twenty five year old. "This morning, I have been made aware about the murder of one of my colleagues in an alleyway a couple blocks away from the Vulpine Vibes Pub in Savanna Central. I had been informed you were there at the time of my colleague's death", the tiger began, Nick cocking a brow at him upon hearing this.
"I beg your pardon?" Nick asked, yet that didn't seem the be the right thing to do after seeing Tatsumi's eyes narrow slightly again, but with a dangerous tone to them.
"A colleague of mine was killed in an alleyway a couple blocks from the Vulpine Vibes Pub and I was told you were there at the time of his death", Tatsumi repeated.
"Are you accusing me of killing him?" Nick growled, although the growl was unintentional.
"No", Tatsumi answered. "I already know you were not the one who killed my colleague. However, you merely happen to be there at the time he was killed", the tiger claimed. "His murderer was another fox like you, who goes under the alias, Battousai the Animal Slayer. His eyes were a jade green color and the fur colors on his body are much identical to yours", he claimed, the fox moving his head back and narrowing his eyes directly at Tatsumi, completely oblivious to the fact several ninja dressed mammals were slowly approaching the group. "Tell me, is the Battousai by any means related to you?" he asked before the fox rolls his eyes and scoffs.
"Uh, no", Nick replied quickly. "Last I checked, both of my parents are gone, and I only have one brother who's still alive", the fox added.
"I see…" Tatsumi replied with a low growl, which was hardly noticeable thanks to him retaining a calm gesture. "I suppose it was merely a coincidence. But last I checked, Nick, one of my other colleagues had said otherwise".
"What do you mean?" Nick asked suspiciously, both he and Finnick taking a couple steps back upon hearing that.
"One of my colleagues ran into the Battousai at the Big estate last night and slaughtered several of Mr. Big's henchmen", Tatsumi claimed, immediately causing the fox's eyes to widen upon the mentioning of the deaths. The Battousai was at Mr. Big's estate? Let alone killed several of Mr. Big's henchmen?! "He claimed to hear the Battousai mentioning you as his older brother. And since I see you have the same eye and fur colors as the Battousai, there is no mistake!" the tiger exclaimed right before pointing his right index finger directly at Nick "You are the assassin's brother".
"I don't have a younger brother anymore!" Nick growled with a furious tone of voice, bearing his fangs at the tiger and not caring if he was smaller than he was. "My little brother died over eight years ago! And to hear you lying to me by claiming he's still alive, that's completely ridiculous!" the fox growled again out of anger before turning a quick one hundred eighty degrees and began marching away from him. "C'mon, Finnick! These pricks are wasting our fucking time", he continued while marching towards the exit, the fennec fox shaking his head and quickly marching towards his partner in crime.
"You will not be going anywhere, Nicky", a familiar, Russian accented voice growled, suddenly causing both Nick and Finnick to stop dead on their tracks. Finnick cocks a curious brow at the familiar voice, but Nick's eyes widen with shock and terror. He knew that voice, and the fox was now trembling with fear, although only slightly. But the trembling increased the instant the polar bear came into the open and several meters in front of him.
"Roman?!" both Nick and Finnick exclaimed with surprise, not having expected him to be here, not even expecting him in different clothing.
Roman's clothing consisted of an outfit much identical to some of the mammals wearing modern day ninja clothing. A long sleeve black shirt was was worn under his brown sleeveless hakama shirt, both shirts being tucked into his black hakama pants. The leg openings were tucked into his brown open toe boots, much similarly to the sleeves of his long sleeve shirt being tucked into his brown samurai bracers. Two swords were equipped on the left side of his body, one being a thirty six inch long katana and the other being an eighteen inch long wakizashi.
"H-hey, Roman! What are you doing here?" Nick asked with a nervous chuckle and ears folded back, soon backing away the polar bear despite the larger mammal walking towards the fox. "Yeah-uh, I-I like the new getup! The whole ninja thing, ya know-" the fox tried to continue speaking right until he felt someone punch his back, a loud yelp in pain escaping the fox's mouth right as he was sent flying directly towards the polar bear, much to Finnick's shock. Roman grabs the vulpine with his left hand-paw and tightens his grip around his waist the instant he grabbed him.
"NICK!" Finnick growled with shock right before dashing towards him. However, Tatsumi, the one who attacked Nick in the first place, suddenly kicks the fennec fox towards the other ninja dressed mammals like a soccer ball hitting a goal. And the goal were the mammals behind Finnick, all of them grabbing the small fox easily with their large hand-paws. The fennec tries to do what he could in order to break free, but to no avail.
"Neither one of you aren't going anywhere", Tatsumi said sternly towards the struggling foxes before shifting his attention towards the polar bear holding Nick. "Roman, interrogate Nicholas here and extract whatever information he may have regarding the Battousai".
"Of course", Roman replied with a nod. "And what about the fennec?" he asked. But right before the tiger could answer, his phone suddenly goes off and causes him to pull it out of the case. He unlocks the phone and looks at the message sent to him, cocking a brow at the text before placing it back inside its case.
"As much as I want to remain here until the we've gathered enough mammals supporting the Neo-Shogunate cause, I must return to Kawasabus immediately", Tatsumi answered. "I was informed of a situation happening within the government's capitol as of now", the tiger continued, turning towards the other mammals holding Finnick with their hand-paws and glares at the trio sternly. "You three interrogate Finnick here and see if you can gather any information as well. Once you find out, text me with the information so I can put it to good use", with the order given out, the tiger quickly dashes away from the scene at a very fast speed, much to the surprise of both Finnick and Nick. But none of them had time to think about that. What they needed to do was get the hell out of there, and fast!
As for their captors, well… lets just say they have much planned for them.
"Alright, mammals! Bring the foxes inside the factory and interrogate-" Roman was about to give out the order until Nick suddenly bites his hand, a yelp of pain escaping the polar bear and loosening his grip enough to allow the fox go free.
Now that Nick was freed, he suddenly darts towards his partner, Finnick and jumps towards the three ninja's holding him captive. However, the fennec manages to bite his captors ferociously right before Nick got to him. With the two foxes now freed, the duo quickly rush towards their van in the parking lot and use the crates to camouflage themselves. Whether it'll help the two lose their captors or at least delay them enough to where they can flee, none of them are sure. But either way, they needed to get the fuck out of there, and fast!
Fortunately for them, they were able to escape the maze full of crates with ease, both of them being several yards from the van. Finnick's sprinting quickened greatly when he saw his van, his home, quickly grabbing his keys and pressing the unlock button to the vehicle. The fennec jumps up to the handle and pulls it towards him, thus opening the door and allowing the small fox to climb into the large van quickly. He places the key and was about to turn the ignition forward… right until his eyes catch the sight of Nick being captured by Roman and sever other ninjas, with the larger sized fox struggling to get free.
"NICK!" Finnick shouted and was about to jump out of the van, but Nick quickly shakes his head towards the fennec rapidly.
"Fin, don't!" Nick shouted, much to the fennec's surprise. "Get out of here while you still can! Go get help, and I don't care if its the cops! Just GO!" and those were the last words that managed to come out of the fox's mouth before he was knocked unconscious by the with a nasty fist punching the left side of his head. Finnick, as shocked as he was, knew that he had to do something. Grabbing the handle of his door as quick as he could, the fennec closes the door and starts the ignition to his van.
With the van up and running, the small fox pulls the lever to reverse and pulls backwards, turning the car to the right ninety degrees and switches the vehicle to drive. Loud tapping noises can be heard from all over the car, especially on the glass. Either way, regardless of the car's windshield starting to crack, he didn't care. He needed to get the fuck out of there and get some help. With the press of the gas pedal, the fennec quickly drives out of the parking lot and right through the wooden, linear gate, not caring if he was driving erratically within the wet roads of the Rainforest District.
"Hold on, Nick. Just hold on…!" Finnick thought inside of his mind and narrows his eyes slightly towards the road, keeping his attention focused on driving towards Savanna Central. He was gonna get help no matter who it is, regardless if it was the fuzz… or if he's lucky, an extremely skilled assassin to eliminate Nick's captors!
Downtown Savanna Central, ten minutes later
Many mammals walk along the streets of Downtown Savanna Central with umbrellas in hand, many of the business savvy ones already heading to their late lunch hour breaks despite the heavy rain. Traffic was fairly heavy thanks to the crappy weather and all, along with some of the mammals having got off work early and were trying to get home or some other place. While this was the case for many, this wasn't the case for one fox in particular.
Matt was currently running through the alleyways trying to find his brother, Nick, or hoping he could find any potential assassins after him. He was playing a huge risk in potentially having his identity compromised, but that was the least of Matt's worries. He had to find his brother, and fast! The fox didn't care if they were from the Neo-Shogunate clans of even the Ishin-Mirkwood clan, he had no intention of letting anyone kill his brother, no matter the cost. Why the hell would someone in his own clan give the order to kill an unintended target, let alone his own brother?
Speaking of the order, the assassin immediately knew who to call. The fox suddenly grabs his phone and pulls it out of his pocket, unlocking it and scrolling through the contacts list until he spots 'Thrandeer' on the list. With a couple taps on the touchscreen, the fox places his phone on the right side of his head and listens to the ringing noise, continuing to rush through the dark alleys as quick as he could. The dial tone soon came to an abrupt stop the instant he heard Thrandeer answering his phone.
"What is it, Matt? What seems to be the problem?" Thrandeer asked on the other end of the line.
"Oh you know damn well what the fuck I'm talking about, Thrandeer!" Matt growled lowly.
"What do you mean?!" Thrandeer replied with a similar tone, the fox's eyes narrowing upon hearing this. "And why am I hearing rain in the background? I thought I told you to stay put at the safe house once you gathered all of your-"
"Who the hell do you think you are trying to order a hit on my own brother?!" Matt immediately interrupted with a growl. "Let alone, having me be the one to put my brother in the fucking ground!"
"I didn't give out any orders for you to kill someone!" Thrandeer shouted on the other end. "Let alone, your own brother!"
"BULLSHIT!" Matt shouted. "Iizuka called me and told me the order you-"
"Iizuka?!" Thrandeer exclaimed with angered surprise. "I should've know he'd be the one who gave you the order!" the deer continued with a low growl. "Look, I don't know what the hell is going on, Matt, but whatever's going on in Zootopia regarding your brother, get it situated immediately. I've already made preparations for the chopper to extract you, with me acting as the co-pilot. It will arrive in the Northern Meadowlands in less than four hours from now", he claimed. "I will see you within the allotted time. And regarding Iizuka, I will deal with him once we return", with that, the deer hangs up on the other end, the fox quickly placing his phone back inside of his phone case.
"Shit…! How the hell did this happen?!" Matt thought inside of his head while continuing to sprint through the alley. "If Thrandeer didn't give out the order, then who did? And is it possible Iizuka might be-" the fox continued his train of thought, only for his ears to flicker at the sound of a deep voice that seemed to be coming from nearby. The fox rushed towards the source of the voice and notices another alley on the right, turning to the corner and notices a male fennec fox pacing back and forth behind a familiar looking van. The fox cocks a curious brow towards the fennec before narrowing his eyes slightly. "Wait, is that… Finnick?" the assassin wondered inside of his mind and continues to watch the fennec closely, seeing him continuously pacing back and forth with a smartphone placed on the right side of his head.
"Listen to me, Scott! I need help getting my boy back!" Finnick growled with a mixture of anger and distress, much to the curiosity of Matt himself. "I don't care what you do! I've already tried getting the fuzz to help me with the situation, but none of them wanted to listen!" the fennec continued and kept listening to the other mammal he was talking to on the phone. As for Matt himself, he began wondering what had happened that got the fennec so distressed in the first place. But his question would be answered a lot sooner than he expected. "Scott, please! Send some guys to the abandoned factory in the Rainforest District before those Neo-Shogunate pricks or whoever they are kill Nick!" the instant Matt heard those words escape Finnick's mouth, his eyes widen with shock.
"What?! The Neo-Shogunate armies captured Nick?!" Matt thought with a shocked look on his mostly concealed face, watching the fennec fox stopping on his tracks with a horrified expression on his face. But soon enough, he watches his eyes furrow furiously and his eyes narrowing just the same, a loud growl fleeing Finnick's mouth before he ends the call angrily.
"DAMMIT!" Finnick shouted and marches directly towards a nearby dumpster next to his fan and furiously punches it with his clenched left fist. "What the hell am I gonna do?! I'm running out of options!", the fennec growled while continuing to ferociously punch the dumpster, not caring to the fact his knuckles started bleeding. Completely oblivious to the raging fennec, however, the assassin began rushing towards him rather swiftly.
"Where's Nick?!" Matt asked quickly, grabbing the fennec's attention to the point he stopped what he was doing and turns to face the taller vulpine. "Where is he?!" the fox asked for the second time after stopping when he was several feet away from the smaller fox. Finnick's eyes were wide when he first saw the other fox, but quickly narrows them with furrowed brows prior to growing at him.
"Why should I tell you?!" Finnick growled furiously towards the masked fox in front of him, his brown eyes directly gazing towards the other vulpine's jade green pair, a pair that he knew too well. "Why should I trust you Neo-Shogunate ninja, samurai, or whatever the fuck you are anyways?!" the fennec growled again, both of his fists clenching despite the left set of knuckles bleeding from punching the dumpster viciously.
"I have no affiliation with those bastards whatsoever", Matt answered with a lowly growl, his eyes narrowing only the slightest, but with the strongest of seriousness in them. "Now let me repeat the question. Where's Nick?" the assassin asked calmly, albeit sternly nonetheless.
"Hell no! Why should I even bother to tell you in the first place?!" Finnick growled, much to Matt's annoyance. "You ninjas and samurais are just the same, carrying your swords and butchering other mammals like animal slayers", he growled prior to walking towards the driver's side door. "Fuck this! I'll save Nick myself even if it costs me my-" that was all he could say before Matt suddenly grabs a hold of the fennec by the collar of his shirt, picking him up and swiftly pinning him to the back of the smaller fox's van.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY BROTHER?!" Matt growled viciously with a deathly snarl, despite his muzzle mask concealing much of his face. But the snarl was gone the moment after he said that, both his and Finnick's eyes widening simultaneously. Regardless of how shocked he was, the assassin kept his grip on the fennec and kept him pinned against the back of his van.
"Brother? Just who the fuck are you?!" Finnick growled with shock before attempting to reach for the fox's muzzle mask. Matt steps back a bit and lowers the fennec onto the ground before he could grab the mask. A heavy sigh escape the assassin's mouth as he reluctantly removes both his muzzle mask and pulls the hood back, revealing his face and long, partially tied back hair to the fennec. All the fury Finnick had was gone in an instant, the feeling being replaced with one of shock… and familiarity. "Wait a second… I know you", the fennec said with a calm, shocked tone in his voice, his right hand-paw being raised and pointing directly towards the assassin. "Your N-Nick's little brother, Matt".
"Yes…" Matt replied with a calm tone, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before exhaling through his nose. He reopens them moments later and looks at the fennec fox standing in front of him. "Look, I don't have time to explain how I'm still alive. But you have to trust me", the fox began. "You have to tell me where my brother is so we can save him. I will handle the Neo-Shogunate armies wherever they're keeping him imprisoned at", he explained.
"How?!" Finnick shouted, but the taller fox pulls out his katana and reveals the blade to him.
"They'll die by my sword", Matt answered bluntly. "The same way I've slain nearly four hundred other mammals in Kawasabus over the past three and a half years", the instant he said that made the fennec's eyes widen with unexpected shock.
"Nearly four hundred mammals?! Holy shit!" Finnick swore with shock, making Matt roll his eyes briefly before fixing themselves towards the fennec again.
"Yes, and I believe you may have heard this before, but in Kawasabus, I'm known as one of the deadliest assassins within the area", Matt replied. "The assassin known as-"
"Battousai the Animal Slayer?" Finnick interrupted. "Yeah, I know. One of Roman's ninja buddies told us the assassin he mentioned looked a lot like Nick, which is why they're trying to interrogate him to see if there's any relation between him and you", the fennec claimed.
"I see…" Matt replied before looking up at the van. He knew they needed to leave, and they needed to immediately "Alright, we gotta get going! Explain the rest of the details on the way", the fox said suddenly and rushes towards the passenger's side door, the fennec rushing towards the driver's side himself.
Both mammals quickly enter the vehicle and buckle themselves inside, with Finnick placing the key into the ignition and placing the lever on drive. With a press of the gas pedal, the fennec starts driving back towards the facility where the incident occurred, all while Matt was putting his hood back on along with his muzzle mask.
"Alright, so what exactly happened?" Matt asked, his attention turned towards the fennec as he asked.
"We were delivering this crate to the abandoned factory in the Rainforest district shortly after I picked up Nick", Finnick began. "He was dressed in a black suit and looked like he came out of-"
"The Downtown Zootopia Graveyard", Matt interrupted calmly. "Believe, I was there when he was visiting the graves".
"Only to find out you're a dead mammal?" Finnick asked. And the moment Matt heard that, he couldn't help but let a light chuckle escape his muzzle.
"Pretty much", Matt answered with a slight hint of dark humor in his tone before shifting it towards a more serious one. "Anyways, what else happened?" the fox asked, noticing the fennec giving a calm, deep sigh before answering.
"Anyways, after I picked him up, we went to the said abandoned factory in the Rainforest district, only to find out that these businessmammals and Ninjas dressed in brown and black colors were occupying the place", Finnick replied.
"The Neo-Yaminobu Ninja Clan", Matt said upon hearing the mentioning of the ninja's colors. "I killed one of them roughly four to five hours ago", he claimed, much to the surprise of Finnick. If he wasn't driving, he'd be looking directly at him with a shocked pair of eyes and a gaping mouth. However, with a calm sigh, he retains his focus on the road and continues driving to the factory.
"So that's who they were, huh? I didn't expect Roman to be one of them", Finnick replied with with a scoff.
"Most likely they sent one of their own here to gather intel on me or the Kawasabus Neo-Shogunate government's been busy for the past few years", Matt theorized. "Not to mention that explains a thing or two about how he knew about me in the first place".
"Probably", Finnick replied before tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Shortly after we found out about Roman being one of them, Nick and I tried to escape from the damn place, but Roman and his goons got Nick right after I got in the van. I attempted to go get him, but Nick urged me to get help before one of them knocked him unconscious", the fennec finished before following a heavy sigh. "I just hope he's alright".
"Don't worry, Fin", Matt began. "My brother may be a conmammal, and sometimes an idiot, but he's a lot stronger than he looks, that I can tell you", he reassured as an attempt to comfort Nick's partner in crime. And right as they arrive to the road leading to the Rainforest District, one thought courses his mind. "Don't worry, Nick. I'm coming".
The Abandoned Factory, Rainforest District
Pain. Pure, throbbing pain, was the only thing Nicholas Wilde was currently feeling at this moment, especially on the left side of his head. His eyes were shut tightly, and nothing could be seen except for the pitch black color of darkness. But light would slowly illuminate his eyes to the point where he could see, albeit dimly at that. The eyelids that closed his eyes slowly opened to the blurry environment, but the blurriness blinding his eyes soon clarified to where he could see his surroundings. And with how the environment was set, it was not pleasant.
The fox tries to move both of his arms and legs, but to no avail. He was being bound by a thick, brown colored rope that wrapped around his torso down towards his knees, with his body hanging upside down. His breathing became rapid, and his heart was pounding hard with fear. His eyes scout the surroundings and began searching for the occupants inside of the abandoned factory. And by the looks of it, none of the occupants, nor his captors were within the facility, or at least the area he was unwillingly occupying.
"Hello?! Is anybody there?!" Nick exclaimed loudly and continues to struggle out of his binds, even if they were in vain. He was about to shout again, but the sound of footsteps quickly silenced immediately. It was dark at first, but once the figure got close enough to the dimly lighted room, Nick's eyes widen with a shocking sense of familiarity. "Roman?!" the fox shouted with pure shock, looking directly towards the polar bear and noticing a sinister grin forming on his face.
"Yes", Roman replied with his left hand-paw clutching his own right clenched fist and began popping his own knuckles. "I knew sooner or later I would find you, fox. It was only a matter of time", he claimed and starts walking slowly towards the captured, bloodied and injured fox. "I must admit I was expecting to get you shortly after you sold that skunk butt rug, but you've managed to stray from me much longer than I had expected. And for that, I genuinely commend you" the polar bear added with a sarcastic, but honest tone of voice. However, he soon frowns directly at him before suddenly grabbing a hold of the fox by his legs. "However, fox! You luck has ran out, and your time has come!" the polar bear growled while raising his right hand-paw upward and unsheathing the claws bound inside of them.
"No! No! No! No! No!" Nick rapidly replied all while shaking his head frantically at the sight of his unsheathed claws. "Please! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!" the fox pleaded fearfully with tears slowly starting to form at the bottom of his eyes. The polar bear could only grin sinisterly towards the fox with a pair of slightly widening eyes.
"Is that so?" Roman asked with a cocked brow, the fox quickly nodding fearfully the instant the polar bear asked. "Even if what you said was true, I know better than to trust a-" the polar bear was about to finish his biased remark right until he heard the sound of screeching tires along with the screams and cries of many of the other mammals downstairs. His attention quickly turns to the entrance of the room he and Nick occupied and look upon a male gray fox entering, the mammal wearing identical clothes to Roman.
"Roman, its that fennec from earlier! And he's brought the Battousai with him!" the Neo-Yaminobu gray fox shouted right before the panicked and pained cries of many others began filling the silence of the lower levels of the facility.
"Damn!" Roman swore under his breath before growling at the gray fox. "Well don't just stand there! KILL THEM!" he growled furiously right before the Neo-Yaminobu gray fox nods and sprints out of the huge room Roman and Nick occupied. "As for you, Nicholas", the polar bear began, pausing momentarily and grabbing a hold of the rope binding him. "You're coming with me!" and with those words, the bear pulls the rope and snaps it off, allowing him to hold the bound fox by it and rush out of the room quickly.
Downstairs, Matt Wilde was currently in the middle of slaying many of the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas occupying the first floor of the facility, slaughtering the mammals with different attacks. Whether the sword sweeps were horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or a mixture of them, it didn't matter, because those who got in the Battousai's way were slain in an instant. Finnick was currently trying to find his friend on the first floor hoping he hadn't been killed by the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas occupying the abandoned facility. However, he couldn't help but look back and forth between his search for Nick and the deathly manslaughter he was committing. The way he was killing them was extremely efficient, and the attacks he made in order to slay his opponents were swift and clean. But as he looked at the taller fox, his widen almost immediately at something he didn't think about right up until now.
"Holy shit! Is it possible Matt may be involved in that Savanna Heights Incident?" Finnick thought within his mind and narrows his eyes slightly, as if he were focusing his vision directly towards Matt like adjusting the lens of a camera. And as he watches the fox slay the Neo-Yaminobu ninja gray fox, his eyes widen with shock and immediately came to a conclusion. "Yes, he's involved in that mess without a doubt, or one of them at the very least", he concluded in his mind right before his ears flicker to the sound of footsteps coming from the second floor. He looks to his right and immediately notices a familiar polar bear carrying a familiar, rope bound fox with him. "Oh, Shit", the fennec swore before quickly turning towards Matt. "Battousai! Roman's getting away!" those words grabbed Matt's attention and causes him to turn towards Finnick, then turn to the direction the fennec was pointing at.
As soon as the assassin saw this, the Battousai quickly flicks the blood off of his sword and rushes directly to Roman. However, it appears the polar bear expected this and soon began sprinting just as fast, keeping the fox at bay by ensuring he ran at a constant pace to the point the fox wouldn't catch up. Nick was practically dangling behind the polar bear like a large bag being carried over his shoulders, and he was constantly grunting in pain despite trying to free from himself from the ropes tightly binding him. It wouldn't be too long before Roman spots a moving train heading towards the Savanna Central/Downtown district, much to his convenient surprise. With a wide grin forming in his face, the polar bear sprints towards the train and jumps on top of the moving train. Although the fox was behind in terms of distance, his eyes narrow at the train before he, too, jumps on top of the moving train. He now knew the bear was running on borrowed time, and he was gonna make sure he died by his blade.
Roman kept sprinting towards the back of the train as quick as he could despite the high velocity the tracked based vehicle was moving through the Animalia Line rapidly. Although he kept quite the distance from the assassin, he knew he could keep up with the chase for much longer. Battle between the two and the death of one or the other was practically inevitable at this point. Who will live and who will die? Or will they kill each other in the process? Either way, the question would be answered soon, perhaps much sooner than the polar bear had hoped.
The polar bear soon reaches the back of the train and reaches a dead end, much to Roman's annoyance. A loud growl escapes his muzzle before quickly turning around, seeing the Battousai walking towards him to the back cart. The fox's right hand-paw gripped the bloodied sword by the handle tightly, and his jade green, ravenous eyes gaze directly towards Roman, along with the bound victim in his grasp.
"Its the end of the road for you, Roman! Now hand over the fox!" Matt demanded with a growl, moving his right foot-paw back and leaning his upper body forward in a battle ready stance. "Or die!" he exclaimed with a strongly fierce voice, only to watch the polar bear smirk deviously towards the fox and let several quick chuckles escape his mouth.
"Ah yes, Battousai the Animal Slayer", Roman chuckled at the fox and tightens his hold on the rope binding Nick Wilde. "I knew you were the deadliest assassin in all of Kawasabus. But I must admit, I find it ironic that you of all assassins standing at the mercy of the Neo-Yaminobu", the polar bear continued with an intimidating tone of voice, but Matt wasn't intimidated by the polar bear whatsoever.
The assassin was angry, no, fuming at the fact Roman had captured his brother along with putting his identity at risk. The fox had to find a way to kill his opponent without revealing his identity to his brother. Roman quickly noticed the assassin wasn't gonna stand down, and he knew it was time to take measures up another level. He moves the hand-paw holding the rope towards the back, much to Nick's dismay, the bound conmammal dangling almost rapidly thanks to the moving train. He tried to struggle as hard as he could to get his arms loose, but to no avail. Roman's attention turns to face the fox behind him and grins deviously towards him before shifting his gaze back to the assassin. The Battousai, on the other hand, narrows his eyes with a glare that could pierce even the fiercest of opponents.
"This is your last warning, pal! Hand over the fox!" Matt growled fiercely, clutching the handle of his sword tightly with both hand-paws and preparing to fight. "Or DIE!"
"Ha! You're more than welcome to try and kill me, Battousai! Just know that if you do, Nicky here will be the one paying for the consequences of your actions!" Roman growled with a sinister grin on his muzzle, with Nick's eyes widening with shock the instant he heard those words. The assassin, on the other hand, retains his stance and lets a scoff leave his mouth.
"That's unlikely to happen", Matt replied with an unusually calm, menacing tone in his voice, the polar bear cocking a confused brow at the assassin. What did the fox have planned? And what was he about to do. he wondered. But whatever it was, he had no intention of letting the Battousai have his way, and with one simple move, that was all he needed.
"We'll see about that", and with those words coming out of Roman's mouth, the polar bear releases his grip on the rope, much to Matt's surprise and Nick's horror. Speaking of which, the bound fox screams loudly for his life and began wiggling frantically, trying to get out of his binds as quick as he could even if it was no use. He didn't care if it was fruitless, had to break free from his binds before his life came to an abrupt end.
With a draw of a sword, Roman immediately sprints towards the fox with a predatory growl escaping his mouth. But the sprinting didn't last for much longer, since the polar bear suddenly jumps right at the vulpine with his sword raised. But as he was about to strike the fox, Matt suddenly 'disappears' from the spot he once occupied, much to his opponent's confusion. His rounded ears perk a bit and suddenly turns around with a pair of wide eyes, his optical orbs now gazing at the assassin pulling the thick rope towards himself.
"What in the hell?" Roman exclaimed within his mind right as the assassin manages to pull Nick up on top of the train, using the bloodied sword to cut the ropes binding its prisoner. "How was he able to move from here to the back of the train within an instant. Let alone grab the moving rope binding Nicholas?!" the polar bear thought with an audible growl escaping his mouth. However, the assassin turns to face his opponent while Nick drops to the ground and secures himself by grabbing the right side railings on top of the train.
"Nononononono! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!" Nick exclaimed while frantically shaking his head despite managing to secure himself with his grip on the short train railings. Although secure, the rest of his body was dangling towards the opposite direction where the high velocity train was heading. He slowly pulls himself along the railing right as the Battousai began marching slowly at the polar bear's direction.
Roman, while still surprised at the speed of the Battousai himself, soon snaps out of his trance and began marching directly towards the assassin. With his sword clutched in the grip of his right hand-paw, he quickly starts sprinting towards the fox with great speed. Matt's eyes narrow slightly at his opponent before he, too, sprints at the Neo-Yaminobu ninja hastily. Their swords quickly meet with a violent 'clank' sound and thus the battle between the two assassins begin.
Their swords constantly clashed with one another violently with blow after blow. And despite their noticeable difference in size, their swordsman skill were practically equal in various ways. While Roman may have the power behind his attacks, Matt compensated with sharp speed and defense. Those who saw the fight, whether they were on the small, glass observation decks on top of the train or even in buildings above the tracks, stare at the battle with shocked eyes. A few lucky enough to witness such a battle quickly grab their phones and recorded what they could.
As the fight between the two continue to progress, much to the mixed excitement and fear between a few of those lucky enough to witness the battle, Nick manages to pull himself back onto the roof of the moving train while retaining a tight grip on the railing. His eyes remain focused on the battle several meters away from him, and they never move away even after he began standing up on top of the train. The wind was blowing on his wet clothes, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting the hell off of this train, and away from the two assassins fighting. His body, however, refused to move not necessarily out of fear… but awe?
"I don't get it…" Nick thought inside of his mind while watching the Battousai performing a quick diagonal sword sweep, managing to slash the polar bear with the tip of his blade. Although the assassin managed to injure the polar bear from the strong attack and even knock him back a few steps, Roman ignores the pain and starts dashing towards Matt. "He's smaller than Roman, yet he's able to hold his own without any-" and that's when something hits his mind. "Wait! That's not possible! Could he be…" the fox paused his train of thought right as his eyes widen a bit more upon the realization of who he was. "He is! He's Battousai the Animal Slayer! He's the one behind the bloody attack at the Savanna Heights Apartment Complex", the fox thought with shock all while watching the assassin and Roman continuing to clash blades at one another.
Unbeknownst to them, Finnick was currently driving his van throughout Savanna Central, having entered the town moments ago and currently following the train as much as he could. He managed to escape the seemingly abandoned facility roughly several minutes ago with minor injuries around the torso and facial regions. As of right now, the fennec continues to follow the train as swiftly as he could, regardless of whether or not he could see the battle. He needed to get Nick back, and he needed to get him back alive. With the help of Matt, his partner in crime might get out of this mess alive.
"Hang in there, bro! I'm coming for ya", Finnick thought within his mind whilst trying to keep his eyes on the train and on the wet roads.
Back on the train, the sound of blades clashing against one another with loud, swift 'clink' noises constantly filling the air. Although Roman had received an injury from the fox, albeit a minor one, both swordsmen were practically fighting against one another in a draw. They were, for the most part, even with one another despite their difference in size. It didn't matter of some of the smaller mammals were watching from inside of the glass observation rooms on top of the trains, that didn't stop the two assassins from fighting at all. They continued to fight as if they were battling on the streets of Kawasabus.
But it didn't take long for the tides to turn in Roman's favor. Because with a ferocious knee kick to the stomach, the polar bear knocks the Battousai onto the next train car in front of him, the fox landing on the hard, smooth surface painfully on his back. Painful grunts escape the assassin's muzzle as he tries getting back onto his feet-paws, but with a foot-paw knocking the fox back onto the ground and holding him by it, Roman traps the fox and now had the Battousai at his mercy.
"I have to admit this was one of my best fights I had in years, even if it was short", Roman began with a smirk forming on his face. Unaware to the two assassins, Nick's eyes widen out of an instinct he can't put his finger on, and growls soon began escaping his mouth. "However…" he paused only briefly enough to replace the smirk with a stern frown, his foot-paw also pressing harder against the assassin's muscular built body. "this ends now… with your DEA- OW!" he was about to finish, right until he felt a series of sharp, pointy objects painfully pierce his left shoulder following a loud, painful cry. His gaze shifts towards his left and discovers Nick having sunk his teeth inside of Roman's shoulder. "Get off me, you MUTT!" and shortly after those words escaped Roman's mouth did the polar bear grab the conmammal and throw him onto hard, flat surface of the train. Nick lets out a pained cry upon hitting the surface painfully, much to the point where his nose broke along with a few ribs.
With the attention now focused on the conmammal, Roman marches towards the fallen fox and began kicking him hard enough to cause serious injury. Matt recovers from the attack and pants heavily after having nearly been squashed to death by the Neo-Yaminobu ninja almost literally. But as he was panting, his eyes shoot wide open upon seeing the polar bear striking Nick repetitively with his foot-paw. A deathly snarl began escaping the fox's muzzle, and his right hand-paw clutches the hilt of his sword tightly. He's had enough of this asshole, and he's fought him long enough.
"I've had enough of you, Nicholas Wilde!" Roman growled furiously as he kept kicking the conmammal harder, causing Nick to start coughing up a good portion of his blood from the polar bear's actions. His kicking ceases moments later and soon raises his own sword, the tip of the katana pointing directly towards Nick's skull. "Its time I put you in your god damn-" that was all Roman could muster right before the assassin's blade slashes through his left shoulder, trailing down from the left shoulder down towards his right oblique. Blood began spraying onto the roof of the train car along with some of the tracks and onto much of Nick's body, much to his unsurprising shock.
The severed body of the dead polar bear collapses onto the rooftop of the moving train car, both of the halves rolling off of the train much to the shock of the passengers who witnessed such a sight. But in all honestly, Matt didn't care about that one bit. All he cared about right now was the condition of his brother, and speaking of his brother, Nick looked like he was on the verge of losing consciousness. The assassin rushes to him and kneels in front of the twenty five year old fox, the Battousai gently wrapping his left arm under Nick's bruised head and looking down at his brother's gradually narrowing eyes.
Nick's eyes, despite them slowly fading into a sense of unconsciousness, looks back up to the assassin's jade green eyes, the same eyes that now glisten with pure innocence. Those eyes looked innocent enough to the point they bore a familiar sense in them. Did he know him? Was he actually his brother like Roman claimed? Or was it all a coincidence, and an extremely odd one at that? Those questions constantly flowed in his mind like water coursing an endless river. But his eyes soon close and his vision fades to black.
With his brother now unconscious, Matt gently rests his older brother's head on his left thigh and quickly grabs a rag from his right cargo pocket, using it to clean the blood off the blade with one, quickly thorough swipe. Now that the blade was clean, the assassin sheaths his sword and places the cloth back into the same pocket before gently lifting his unconscious brother enough to place him over his shoulder securely. The train soon started slowing down enough to where Matt can survey the surrounding area a bit more clearly. And that was more than enough for him to spot a familiar van pulling up into a nearby alleyway.
As the train began slowing down much more quickly, the assassin jumps off the train and immediately sprints down the staircase, not caring if he was passing by a large number of mammals as he fled the scene. His ears perk at the sudden initiation of sudden conversations happening behind him, but again, he didn't care about them. All he cared about right now was to get his brother back to Finnick and get him medical attention.
Fortunately for Matt, it didn't take him relatively too long to reach Finnick in the alleyway he parked in, which was roughly a good few blocks away from the train station he got off of. Quickly turning into the alleyway, Matt spots the van parked nearly thirty feet away from the alleyway entrance, with Finnick leaning back against the front rims of the van. But he didn't stay at his van for much longer, because the instant his eyes gaze at Matt carrying his unconscious, injured brother, the fennec's eyes widen and immediately darts towards the two.
"Oh shit! Nicky!" Finnick yelled with shock in his voice right before making a stop just in front of the assassin. "What happened? Is he alright?!"
"He's alive", Matt replied calmly, but with a reassuring tone added to the mix. "However, he took a nasty beating from Roman right after he bit the guy's shoulder", the fox continued right before walking towards Finnick's van, with the fennec himself following behind.
"And Roman?" Finnick asked with a slight growl, his hand-paws clenching into fists upon mentioning that bastard's name.
"Dead", Matt bluntly replied right before getting to the passenger's side and pulling the door open. "Look, I need you to get my brother to the hospital right away and make sure he isn't suffering from any internal bleeding", the assassin continued while gently placing Nick on the front passenger's seat, buckling him in securely enough to where he won't fall to the side. "I doubt his injuries are that severe, but I still think its best to get him checked out-"
"Just to be on the safe side? I get where you're going at", Finnick interrupted. "Don't worry, buddy. I['ll take him to the hospital right away. You focus on whatever you need to do in order to avoid the fuzz", and with those words, the fennec starts the ignition to his van and closes the driver's side door, the assassin shutting the passenger's side before watching the fennec drive out of the alley and turning to the right.
Now that the fennec was gone, it was time for the fox to return to the safe house and gather his things. With the rain continuing to pour heavily, the assassin walks hastily away from the area as fast as he could. His ears shot up suddenly upon catching a hardly recognizable sound. At first, it was faint since heavy chatter from the large numbers of mammals filled much of the silence. But as he kept on walking away from the scene, the noise got progressively louder. As soon as the sound was within a few blocks, he immediately recognized it as the sound of wailing police sirens, and not only were they coming from all over the area, but they sounded like they were heading towards his direction. He was about to diagonally cross the four way junction and enter another dark alley, but nearly a dozen large sized police cruisers suddenly swarm in on him and encircle around the heart of the four way road, thus trapping the fox in the middle of it.
Regardless of the current situation he was in, the fox's eyes gaze directly at the officers stepping out of the vehicles. Their hand-paws grab their holstered handguns and aim them directly at the assassin, but the fox never raised his hand-paws. Instead, his right hand-paw prepared to reach for his blade, but a repetitive sound coming from the distant skies. It was hardly noticeable at first, but as the sound grew louder, the fox recognized the quickly repetitive 'chakk-chackk-chak-chak, chak-a-chak-akk-chk-chk-chk' sound as that of a helicopter.
His head tilts upward in the same direction his eyes shift their attention towards. And flying directly towards him was none other than a police issued helicopter, which was a cerulean blue color with black stripes running horizontally on the sides. On those black stripes bore 'POLICE' written in bold, yellow letters. From what the fox can see, two occupants currently occupy the helicopter as it is, one of them being a brown and white timber wolf, and the other being a cape buffalo. Both males were dressed in short sleeved police uniforms, yet the pilot wore a white helmet bearing a microphone attached to the right side of the helmet. The buffalo, on the other hand, had a megaphone tightly gripped on his left hand-paw and was currently walking towards the left side of the chopper.
With the chopper descending somewhat towards the assassin's direction, the buffalo grips on the handle just above the door with his right hand-paw. His left foot-paw steps onto the corresponding landing skid before raising the megaphone towards his mouth. With the press of the trigger, eight words leave the officers mouth.
"Battousai the Animal Slayer, you are under arrest!"