There were several things that Nicholas Wilde was afraid of. As a confox, it was any criminal power he had managed to piss off. As he helped a dumb bunny with her investigation, it was the threat of his income tax evasion sending him to the slammer and, later on, savage animals. As a cop, it was the looming presence of Chief Bogo's office door.
Every officer in the ZPD knew of the cape buffalo's explosive temper, making him an animal to be feared. However, every officer also knew of Bogo's rationality; no matter how angry he got, he was never unfair in his judgment and punishment. This fact alone had brought many – including Nick – to fully respect and trust the chief. So, even as Nick nervously stood with his partner before the massive, intimidating form of the door to Chief Bogo's office, there was a certain sense of calm in the fox. That calm, however, was hidden beneath bristled fur and uneven breathing.
Nick took a deep breath to calm himself and watched his reflection in the door visibly relaxed. His tail still wagged nervously behind him, but his cool, smug demeanor was much more believable now.
"You okay, Nick?" Judy asked, drawing the fox's attention away from the door.
Nick's eyes locked with Judy's, and the effect was immediate: his body relaxed, his tail calmed down, and his smile became genuine. "Honestly? No, not really. I – we – just received Bogo's trust, and now we have to walk in there and tell him, 'Hey, we like that you trust us, but – Whoopsie! - we decided to completely disregard it!'"
Judy reached out and gave Nick's paw an affectionate squeeze. "I don't want to have to do this either, but things will be much worse if we just sweep it under the rug."
Nick sighed. "I know," he said. He turned to Judy and asked, "How much are we going to tell him?"
Judy thought for a moment; her ears folded back in the process. "I say we tell him everything. That way, he knows that we still trust him enough not to hide anything about this from him."
"That sounds like a good plan," Nick said, nodding in agreement. "If we want to sign our death warrants," he added under his breath, though Judy still heard it. Looking back to the door, Nick took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Alright, let's get in there and get this over with."
Stepping up to the door with a sense of purpose, Nick gave a knock that was anything but confident. The soft tap tap tap of his knuckles on the glass of the door was almost non-existent, but caught by the buffalo nonetheless.
"Come in!" said the chief, his deep voice all-too-familiar to Nick and Judy. With some effort to reach the doorknob, the fox and bunny crossed the threshold into their boss's office.
The sight of two of his best officers entering his office didn't surprise the chief in the slightest. "Officers," the cape buffalo said with a curt nod. "I assume this is about your message from earlier?"
The hesitant nod from both officers was not surprising either. With an affirmative grunt, Bogo gestured towards the only other chair in the room. "Alright, have a seat."
As the fox and bunny did so, Chief Bogo could feel the hesitancy and the nervousness radiating off of the two mammals. Heck, even Hopp's nose was twitching furiously! The chief had been in this position enough times to know how nervous an officer can be in his presence. Remaining completely silent and talking first were both terrible ways to go about these situations, he learned. So putting the ball in the other side of the court was Bogo's best option.
And he did just that. "Whenever you're ready, Officers," the cape buffalo stated.
The effect was immediate. Nick's shoulders relaxed somewhat as he sighed, and Judy's nose twitched much less than it did earlier. Most of their hesitation evaporated, creating a slightly calmer environment for all three mammals.
Finally, after a few moments of silence, Nick spoke up. "First off, we have a confession to make."
The only response from Chief Bogo was an inquisitive eyebrow raise.
Taking this as his cue to continue, Nick uncomfortably cleared his throat and spoke again, "Officer Hopps and I have taken it upon ourselves to investigate the Victor Wilde Case."
Bogo's other eyebrow joined its counterpart, and a slight frown completed the buffalo's surprised expression. He wasn't surprised with the information; he was surprised to see something he'd never thought existed in Nick's eyes. There was hesitancy and even a small amount of fear, but the most prominent factor was trust. Nick trusted Chief Bogo. This phrase chose to repeat itself inside the buffalo's mind, engraving it into his memory. How he should react to it, however, was still undecided.
Nick sighed. "Hopps and I understand the need for caution when dealing with this case and the consequences of being careless. The extent of our investigation was talking with my mother and – while on patrol – scouting out any possible haunts of Victor Wilde's." The professional tone Nick had adopted unnerved the chief; it felt wrong to hear the quick-witted, sarcastic fox talk like this.
The fox paused, letting the buffalo know that he could speak now. After a beat of silence, Bogo did just that. "Did you learn anything of consequence?" he asked.
This was clearly not the answer Nick was expecting, so the fox stammered as he formed his reply, "W-well, we learned that my father used to be a tailor before being driven out of his job by some of the city officials. Since then, he had found other forms of work and eventually left my family. As for his favorite haunt, we found a small cafe called The Den just off of 26th Street."
"Anything else?" Bogo asked after a beat of silence.
Nick nodded. "I convinced Officer Hopps to join me in a," he paused, "temporary return to my previous occupation. My plan was to sell pawpsicles outside of The Den in hopes to see Victor and confirm the legitimacy of this location as a lead. Contact was made with the suspect, though while my guard was down, a wolf managed to sneak up and steal my wallet. I gave chase, leaving Victor behind. Hopps was able to cut off the wolf after a short time, knocking my wallet from his paws. However," Nick paused again and seemed to wrestle with something. Bogo allowed the fox to sort through his feelings; if it was enough to make Nick hesitate, then it was something serious, "the-the wolf used my partner as a distraction to get away. When we realized this, we decided to report it in. It was then I found that I had lost my radio, perhaps during the chase." With that, the fox fell silent.
"Nick," Judy said, placing a paw on the fox's arm, "I'm as much to blame for this as you; there's no need to try to make it look like it was all your idea."
"She's right, Wilde," Bogo said, the grumble of his voice masking any emotion. Retrieving one of the recent files on top of his desk, Bogo glanced between both mammals. "This is a log of 911 calls within the last few hours," he said, holding the sheet of paper for both mammals to see. "We received a total of ten calls in quick succession. Luckily, none of them were emergencies. In fact, each one was forwarded to me from Clawhauser. Apparently, ten different mammals saw you two in different parts of town – and I quote from one individual – 'gallivanting rather close to the wrong side of the law.'"
Setting the sheet of paper down, Bogo studied the horrified expressions on Nick and Judy's faces. Nick's bright red fur was paled due to the now-white skin underneath, and Judy's nose once again twitched furiously.
"I hope you two understand the situation that I was placed in," Bogo said, his voice sharpening as he glanced between the two, small mammals before him. "Without any idea of what you two were doing, I had to cover for you and assure those civilians that this was all part of an ongoing investigation. And now I'm to hear that this was for an investigation that you two weren't supposed to be on!"
Nick and Judy both lowered their gazes, shame etched into their features. "I hope you two understand how lucky you are that nothing of great consequence happened because of this! Despite this, you two will still be disciplined."
Another beat of silence went by before the buffalo spoke, but it felt like an eternity for the fox and bunny. The anticipation of the promised punishment was nearly painful.
"You two will be working on paperwork until Clawhauser is relieved of his shift," Bogo said finally, breaking the tense silence. "Before I dismiss you, though, I need to clarify: this leniency is not to be expected should you disobey my orders again. I fully understand your desire to be on this case, I do, but like I said, we cannot allow anything that could turn all of Zootopia on its ear!" Nick and Judy remained silent, their gazes still downcast. "This leniency is an opportunity for you two to process and understand the consequences of your actions," The chief paused one last time, allowing his words to sink in. "It is also to show you that I still trust you two."
When Nick and Judy looked up at the Bogo, they were surprised to see a faint light of sympathy behind his stern glare. The shame was very much still felt by the fox and bunny, but a particular, warm feeling soon entered them as well.
"Now!" Bogo said, slightly startling both cops with his suddenness. "Get out of my office! You've got quite a bit of paperwork ahead of you; Clawhauser gets off late tonight."
Nick and Judy gave Bogo a salute before they hopped off of the chair and exited the office. When the door closed, Bogo took a deep sigh; not yelling at his officers was more taxing than actually yelling at them. His gaze fell upon two folders atop the other files on his desk, causing him to sigh again.
Picking up the two folders, Bogo once again looked through their contents. Once again, he was tasked with the question that had been eating at him for a while now:
Were they ready?
Nick and Judy stepped into their shared office, closing the door behind them. The short walk from Bogo's office to here was spent in silence, both mammals trying to process the events of their talk with the chief. Neither mammal truly knew how to react to what Bogo had said.
Having grown up as he had, Nick knew no one trusted him; he could put on a friendly face that was good for business, but no matter how likable his outward appearance was, he was still considered shifty and up to no good. Long since having built his entire lifestyle around this fact, Nick wasn't prepared when he earned Judy's trust, but earn it he did. That was enough for him, Nick had thought. He didn't feel like he had to go around and make an effort to win the hearts of every mammal in Zootopia.
Fortunately for him, that didn't stop mammals from trusting him. Knowing that Bogo trusted him was great enough, but knowing that even after his and Judy's blunder today, the chief still had faith in them. Unfortunately, this made the fox's guilt about the events of earlier today worse.
When Bogo had first told her that he saw her not only as a legitimate cop, but a good one, Judy was too focused on having ruined the lives of hundreds of innocent predators to really drink it in. Now that Judy had learned that the chief still thought highly of Nick and her after their direct disobedience today, this same feeling was lost under a wave of guilt.
Did Judy blame Nick for what had happened? Not one bit. Neither of them had thought of the possible consequences as they were too focused on actually getting ahead in the Victor Wilde Case – a case that they were not assigned to. Judy's stomach dropped a bit lower, and her ears folded behind her head as another wave of guilt washed over her.
The only sound in the small office was the faint ticking of the clock that hung on the wall though it was soon joined by the gentle padding of Judy's feet on the carpet floor. With a tired sigh, Judy sat on the couch that sat to the left of the room; with how hard the cushions were, the action was almost uncomfortable.
Nick chose to stand; sitting felt like an injustice to the active nature of his thoughts at the moment. A few more seconds of silence went by between the two mammals, neither one sure of what to talk about.
"I'm sorry, Carrots," Nick said, finally breaking the uneasy silence. "That was a dumb move on my part."
Judy gave another sigh. "Nick, you and I both know it was our fault; not yours, not mine. I wanted to be on the case, and you agreed to help. So please stop trying to take all the blame!"
Having grown used to her happy, optimistic attitude, Nick was taken aback by Judy's exasperated tone of voice. Studying his wife, Nick was equally surprised to see Judy so tired.
Without another word, Nick made his way to the sofa and sat beside the bunny before gently wrapping his arms around her. He felt Judy melt into his touch, her muscles relaxing as she let out a content hum.
"That was probably the most taxing talk with Bogo I've ever had," Judy complained, her tone sincerely tired. "It makes me miss his yelling rants."
Nick's paw slowly stroked Judy's back, and Nick felt the last waves of tension gradually leave the bunny. "That, and his inspirational talks," the fox chimed in, placing a kiss on Judy's head. "I didn't know I could still feel guilt, but, like always, I'm full of surprises."
When he felt Judy chuckle, a warm smile crept over Nick's muzzle. The two fell into silence once again, though it was a little lighter than before. Nick continued to stroke Judy's back as he occasionally planted a gentle kiss on her head. Judy lost herself in the gentle caresses of her mate, and soon the whole ordeal was driven from her mind.
Looking down at the bunny in his arms, Nick couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty again. Three years ago, he had helped Judy keep her badge; today, he had helped her nearly lost it. Whether it was both of their faults or not, Nick felt like he had to make it up to her.
Nick carefully removed the bunny from his side, though he almost stopped when he heard her whimper of complaint. Getting up from the couch, Nick walked over to his desk and sat down before getting to work.
"What are you doing, Nick?" Judy asked, looking to the fox who left her.
Nick looked over his shoulder. "As my part of the apology, I'm getting some of your paperwork done for you," he said. He held up a paw to keep Judy from talking as he continued, "You can apologize to me by keeping me company. Sound fair enough?"
"No," Judy replied as she walked over to Nick, a faint smile on her face. Pulling her own chair over, Judy used the extra height to comfortably wrap her arms around Nick's neck. "But I'm not complaining."
Nick gave an amused snort. "Glad to hear that I'm not terrible company," he joked after turning back to his work.
"You misunderstand me," Judy began, "I'm not complaining because I know it won't get me out of this office any sooner. I can't wait to be outta here!"
"I'm still good company, right?" Nick asked innocently.
Judy paused for a moment, pretending to think it over. "I can't decide just yet," she joked before rubbing her cheek along Nick's. A satisfied smile crept over her muzzle as Nick paused in his work, his eyes wide and his heartbeat racing. "Though, I'm sure your crafty mind can think of something to help pass the time once we get all of this paperwork done."
"If we get this done," she heard Nick mumble, causing her to snicker before placing a kiss on Nick's cheek. True to her "promise," Judy refused to leave Nick's side as she watched her fox work in the reports; more than once did she point something out to help him fill out the form to her standards.
The next few hours were spent in general silence, though the room was filled the with the sounds of pen on paper and the sounds of the chairs creaking under the weight of both mammals. However, Nick's mind was anything but silent; he found it very hard to focus on the work at hand.
Their conversation with Bogo continued to repeat itself in the fox's mind, each repetition clearer than the last. Everything that Bogo had said had made an impact on Nick, but what the buffalo didn't say was weighing on him more. Bogo could have fired them, that much was certain. What Nick was worried about – had been worrying about for the past few hours – was how careless he had been to even warrant being this close to termination.
Are there other things that hurt Judy that I don't know that I'm doing? Nick thought, a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Thinking long and hard, Nick found that he couldn't pinpoint anything specific that could give an answer to this question. This fact didn't soothe him; in fact, it reminded him of how oblivious he had grown to the harm he inadvertently caused other mammals.
Another thought raced through Nick's mind: why hadn't he thought of this sooner? Why hadn't he asked her about this years ago? As he asked himself these questions, the answer hit him hard in the face, Because you're a dumb fox, Nick.
Nick nodded in response to his mind; he couldn't argue there. Luckily for the dumb fox, Bogo had unintentionally given Nick and Judy the perfect opportunity to talk this out, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Judy long since unwrapped her arms from around Nick's neck and moved to sit beside her fox, working on some of the reports; she had convinced Nick to let her do her own work. Nick turned to the bunny, and, clamping down on the wave of nervousness that decided to rush through his body, cleared his throat to catch Judy's attention. It worked.
Looking up to see green eyes inquisitively staring at her, Judy set her pen down and asked, "What's up, Nick?"
The awkwardness of what he was about to ask began to fight against Nick, but he was determined to have this conversation; at the very least, he would be able to focus on his work again. Taking a deep breath and exhaling loudly, Nick began, "Judy, I've wanna ask you something that I should've asked a long time ago; like, a really long time ago."
"Okay?" Judy asked, slightly concerned; it wasn't often that Nick started a serious conversation, let alone be a part of one.
"And I want you to be as honest as possible when you answer, okay?" Nick asked, his tone sincerely earnest.
Judy nodded and focused her full attention on her partner.
Nick paused for a moment, trying to piece together his thoughts before even attempting to talk. Finally, his gazed turned back to Judy as he slowly asked, "Is there anything that I do that you don't like?"
The question caught Judy a bit off guard, and the resulting silence left the question hanging in the air. Nick gazed expectantly at his partner, waiting for her answer with a nervous eagerness. Judy, on the other hand, didn't know quite how to respond to the question, let alone what Nick meant by asking it.
"What?" Judy asked quietly, her eyes alight with confusion.
Nick let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, the sound coming off as exasperated. To quickly make up for the false tone, Nick asked again, "Is there anything that I do – be it my teasing or my name-calling – that you don't actually like?"
Before Judy felt comfortable enough to answer, she felt that she needed to figure out Nick's exact reason for asking this. She started by asking that exact question.
Nick looked a little hurt that she wasn't answering, but complied to reply, "Look, Judy, today I nearly got us fired because of my general carelessness. Knowing how careless I've been in the past, I began to realize that there might be some things that I do in general that aren't as great as I think they are."
Judy's expression softened at this, bringing her to lean forward and place a gentle paw on Nick's arm. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Nick.
"Before you go saying how 'perfect I am,' or 'there isn't a part of you that I would change,' please think about where I'm coming from, Judy," Nick began, his tone firm but gentle. "I've never had anyone love me like you, so I don't want to screw it up! I can't not screw it up, however, if you don't tell me what really bugs you about me – if that makes any sense."
Judy paused for a moment before it finally clicked, and when it did, her ears folded back behind her head. She wasn't the type of bunny who was comfortable with telling someone of their faults, and telling Nick was no exception. Having been his partner for three years and his wife for one, she had long since gotten over his quirks, telling herself that those were what she loved about him the most. Now, however, she realized that she loved her fox the most, not some silly character flaw.
"I promise not to be mad at you, Judy," Nick said, drawing the bunny from her thoughts. Gazing up, Judy couldn't help but snicker at the mischievous light in Nick's emerald eyes; her unease immediately fled at the sight, leaving Judy with a content, safe feeling.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Judy innocently joked, "What was the question?"
Nick rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the smile on his muzzle from Judy. "We'll start easy, then," he said, turning back to Judy. "Are there any nicknames that I use that you don't like? For example, 'Carrots'?"
Judy had her answer almost immediately. "Carrots doesn't annoy me like it did when we first met. In fact – and this is gonna sound cheesy – it feels like every time you call me Carrots, you also say 'I love you,'" an embarrassed blush filled her cheeks, and Judy pulled her ears over her head to hide her face. She did, however, continue, "It feels affectionate, which is silly because to any other bunny, that would be an insult."
She felt like she waited for an agonizing eternity for Nick's answer, though it was only a few moments in reality. Because she was hiding behind her ears, she didn't see the warm smile on Nick's muzzle. "Alright, so 'Carrots' is 'safe,'" Judy heard Nick say. "What about the others, like 'Fluff' or 'Judes?'"
"You've never called me Judes!" she said, a smile on her muzzle as she released her ears.
Nick shrugged. "Perhaps, but who's to say I won't start using it. If I do, I need to know if it's alright."
Judy huffed, though the smile never left her face. "Well, I don't like them as much as I like 'Carrots,' but I'm not against them; they still hold a feeling of affection. However, if I have to be honest, I would prefer you use 'Carrots' more than the others," she answered.
Nick nodded. "Got it," he said, pretending to write down notes on his paw. "Use 'Carrots' more. Now," he said, his gaze returning to Judy's, "what about teasing. Do you ever feel that I tease too much?"
For this, Judy had to think for a few moments. It wasn't that she didn't have her answer; no, she wanted to put it to the right words, and that was something that took a little extra thought.
"Well, honestly, I don't mind your teasing much," she slowly began, carefully choosing her words as she went on. "I know you're not trying to be mean, though you and I both know that you mean to be irritating," she sent a knowing glance at the fox, who replied with a sheepish grin. "However, there have been times that I wanted to have a deeper conversation with you, and – for all I know it could have been out of habit – you shrug it off with a sarcastic joke. I am aware that it comes with the 'Nick' that you created from your past, but I would like to get to know the real Nick."
Judy intently watched Nick as she finished, hoping to read his expression for any hint of what he was thinking. Though she couldn't figure out anything, Judy could tell that Nick wasn't angered or hurt by her answer. In fact, he looked rather relieved, if anything.
After a beat of silence, Nick spoke up, "I'm sure the real Nick would like to meet you too, Judy, but I don't think he's strong enough to get rid of the mask." There was, undoubtedly, a waver in his voice as he said this which pulled on Judy's heart.
Judy gave her fox a warm smile and stood up in her chair, bringing herself to eye level with Nick. "Well, then it's a good thing that all he has to do is ask for help," she said, touching her nose to Nick's. "I'm sure there's someone around here who would be willing."
She pulled her fox in for a passionate kiss, hoping to convey the entirety of her message with this act. As Nick's arms tightened around her form and pulled her closer, Judy knew that he completely understood what she wanted to say.
They parted for air, gazing deeply into each other's eyes. Neither needed nor wanted to say anything, for they felt that words would just ruin the moment.
They had remained this way for another few moments before Nick thanked Judy for humoring him and returning to his work. Judy did too, though she had a much more comfortable seat now. She and Nick continued to file reports, but as long as Judy was in Nick's arms, the long day didn't seem so bad after all.
In Zootopia, most criminals are kept in the main prisons at each Precinct for convenience, cost effectiveness, and the fact that most criminals were dangerous to warrant any other course of action. This did not mean that the city had no facility for the "special" cases. In fact, the reason why most criminals weren't dangerous enough was for fear of the dreaded Cliffside Asylum.
After the arrest of Lionheart and the facility was emptied, the ZPD jumped at the opportunity of refitting the looming building into a high-security prison. It was far from the eyes of the public, and should any inmate somehow escape, he would have a hard time getting back to the city without being caught again.
The downside, though, was the large amount of time it took to transport prisoners to this location. The hidden roads were devoid of anything interesting, and the drivers soon grew bored and tired; it didn't help that they had to drive at night to avoid detection by the public or worse, anyone with an interest in the criminals being transported.
At the Tundratown Penitentiary, a small group of officers was preparing for such a drive. Four cruisers were to accompany the prison van, but that didn't help the feeling of uneasiness that each driver had. The sight of four criminals – three of them muzzled – being harshly shoved towards the van drew the eyes of the other officers.
Dallas, Chains, Wolf, and Hoofston took their seats in the back of the large van, and their cuffs were chained to hooks in the floor; comfortable movement was not allowed.
"All right you lot!" cried the sergeant, an elephant who's features put him in the state of a permanent frown. "Let's get this show on the road! I'm sure our guests would love to have a change of scenery as soon as possible!"
Some movement to the right caught the elephant's attention. A uniformed wolf – a rookie, by the looks of him – was struggling with a muzzled fox. The fox was resilient, but a well-placed punch in the gut rendered all attempts of escape useless. The elephant smiled when the blow landed audibly.
"Sorry sir," the wolf said, his voice promising a richness that only came with age. "Just, having a little trouble with this one."
"I can see that, Rookie," the sergeant bellowed. "Get him in there; I'm sure he'll enjoy the company."
The rookie officer non-too-gently shoved the fox into the van and attached the chains to his cuffs. With an extra tug to make sure that it wasn't going anywhere, the wolf walked out of the van.
"Get moving!" the sergeant barked after the van doors were closed. "I want that scum out of my ward!"
He turned and stormed off as several of the officers got ready for the long, boring drive to Cliffside Asylum. Four cruisers were to accompany the van, each carrying two officers. Once the arrangements were made, the caravan of vehicles set off into the night.
The ride was quiet and cold as the snow softly fell on top of the silent parade. The road was not smooth, and after the umpteenth violent jostle, the five criminals began to think that the drivers of the van were purposefully hitting every pothole possible.
Nothing was said between the cuffed mammals, though the first four were rather wary of the other fox. They all felt a sense of unease, and Chains, the massive bear, faintly inched away from the fox.
No other cars were seen for miles off, for the chill of Tundratown was nearly too much to bear at this time of night. The wind howled against the metal cars but could do nothing to the officers inside, each of which was enjoying the warmth emanating from the built-in heaters. These heaters, however, did not reach the back of the prison van. Before long, the breaths of each convict could be seen as a cloud of fog.
The next few minutes were passed by in silence, and nothing had changed except that the mysterious fox's ear seemed to be twitching rather uncontrollably. It was only after he gave an affirmative hum – seemingly to himself – before he spoke up.
"Weren't you the guys that robbed that bank the other day?" he asked, his voice surprisingly clear despite being muzzled; he must have quite a bit of experience with the device.
However, the other predators that were muzzled hadn't as much experience, so they couldn't talk. Hoofston, the zebra, answered for them, "What's it to you?"
The fox chuckled at the cold tone of voice. "Oh, is that any way to treat your benefactor?" he asked, a dark gleam in his eyes.
The four other mammals raised their eyebrows in confusion, but none of them were convinced. "Benefactor!?" Hoofston coldly echoed. "Who the hell do you think you are!?"
When the fox smiled, the blood of each mammal ran cold. It was a joyless smile that told the other four convicts that this attitude was not tolerated. Suddenly, the van hit a rather large pothole hard enough to make the small, fluorescent like above flicker and shut off for a moment. When it turned back on, the fox stood before them, his cuffs, chains, and muzzle lying harmlessly on the ground.
Each of the four mammals stared at the discarded devices in amazement before turning back to the fox. "Now, we'll try this again," Victor said, his tone calm as he placed his paws behind his back. "Is that any way to treat your benefactor?"
The four mammals hesitated, unsure if saying anything would release the wrath of this mammal. Finally, Hoofston spoke up, "Wh-who the hell are you?" his tone was entirely hesitant and inquisitive, nothing like the cold voice he had used before.
Victor chuckled darkly. "I'm tired of repeating myself, Hoofston," he answered. "However, we can skip the pleasantries and get on to business!" He clapped his paws together. "How would you four like to get a free ticket to not stay at the Cliffside Asylum?" Victor's salesman tone threw off the other four convicts, resulting in a hesitant air about them.
"We don't have all day, guys," Victor said impatiently, casually glancing at his wrist despite there not being a watch there. "According to my sources, we'll be reaching the maintenance tunnel in five minutes; it's now or never."
"Alright fine!" Hoofston cried; he was getting fed up with the games this fox was playing.
Victor smiled. "Good," he said before placing a paw to his ear. "Richard, they've accepted."
Confusion could once again be read on the faces of each of the four convicts, and Victor drank in their expressions with glee. "This is the fun part," he said as he casually sat himself down.
Hoofston opened his mouth to ask what the fox meant when the lights suddenly went out, bathing the room in pure darkness. The vehicle seemed to slow down and drift to the left before suddenly speeding up again. After a few moments, the lights came back on. Nothing had changed, though Victor's grin was very broad now.
"See?" he asked as he once again stood up. "Wasn't that fun?"
"What happened?" Hoofston asked.
Victor sent a sharp glare at the zebra. "None of your concern," he said coldly, his emerald eyes glinting in the artificial light. In fact, they looked a lot like a certain fox that the zebra knew. . .
"Besides," Victor suddenly said with a clap, startling the zebra out of his thoughts. "A magician never reveals his tricks! But for now, we can move on to business; I'm sure you're all dying to know what I have planned for you!"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Hoofston said coldly; he was quickly growing tired of this fox. "Or, more specifically, what do we get for working for you?"
Victor's smile widened, but there was no cheerful emotion attached to it. The fox's tone of voice was as cold as his smile, sending a shiver up the spine of the four convicts in the room.
"Revenge."