The rest of the story will be dark from here, so any sensitive readers should tread lightly. I will be dealing with a lot of emotional and physical turmoil from now on.
If there was one thing that Nick knew right now, it was that he was no longer in the medical ward.
His arms were tied behind the back of a chair; the angle strained his muscles, the dull pain now stinging due to his waking consciousness. His legs were tied to the legs of the chair, rendering him immobile. His breath came to him through labored pants, and his eyes refused to focus on anything.
Nick took a moment to regain his focus, which turned out to be tough going as his mind and body were incredibly sore. Every muscle felt spent, and a strong migraine threatened him every time he tried to think. Whenever Nick could finally get his mind to focus, he realized that he was in a large room filled with wooden crates of all sizes and that Judy was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, an odd, familiar voice called his name. Nick looked around for the source of the noise, but couldn't find it. He tried looking over his shoulder, but his restraints deeply cut into his skin, forcing the fox to turn around. When he did, Nick's eyes locked onto those of his father.
Victor Wilde stood before Nick, a disapproving sneer on his muzzle. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his tail gave an irritated twitch every now and then. Cold, harsh, emerald eyes studied Nick, who wanted nothing more than to be able to shrink in on himself.
"I'm disappointed, son," said Victor, his growling voice echoing throughout the warehouse.
Nick only stared, unsure of what to do.
"I said I'm disappointed, son," Victor repeated, raising his voice. Nick winced, his ears folding against his head.
"You find yourself the perfect mate, and yet you couldn't even keep her safe," Victor leaned forward; Nick felt the older fox's hot breaths against his muzzle. "And you call yourself a fox."
Victor leaned back, his green eyes still glaring daggers into Nick. "She trusted you, depended on you, and you let her down," the father continued as he began to paced around Nick. "You're the predator here, Nick! She should have felt safe just knowing you were in the same room as she! You saw the look on her face: terrified, lonely, betrayed."
Nick began to shake with anger; Judy would never feel that way about him. "You're lying," he whispered.
Victor suddenly launched forward, startling Nick as they were suddenly face-to-face. "Oh really!?" the older fox challenged. "I'd tell you to ask Judy yourself, but I'm afraid she's busy at the moment – being eaten, that is."
Suddenly, loud growling and snarling filled the room. It sounded distant, as if it came from behind the wooden walls of the warehouse. There were muffled screams of pain, and the thick scent of coppery blood began to fill Nick's nose.
"You failed her, Nicholas," Victor stated, pushing away from his son. "You didn't even try to save her. No, once that muzzle was on, you went all, 'Oh God! I'm eight years old again, and I can't get this damn contraption off! I'm officially done for!'" The older fox mocked in a high voice.
Nick growled and struggled against the ropes that held his arms and legs to the chair. "You're lying!" he cried. His teeth flashed in the dim light as he snarled at the older fox. The echoing growl seemed to dim down until. . .
"No he's not, Nicholas," said another voice. Nick froze.
Rachel stepped out of the darkness, wrapping an arm around Victor's waist. Her amber eyes regarded Nick with a deep sadness. The snarling intensified, as did the cries of pain.
"Mom?" Nick croaked, feeling the last of his resolve start to crumble.
The vixen solemnly nodded. "He isn't lying," she repeated. "If you hadn't been unable to drive, maybe this whole thing wouldn't have happened. But it did, and you have to pay the price." Rachel blinked away tears before resting her muzzle in the crook of Victor's neck. The older fox took a moment to soothe his mate before acknowledging Nick again.
"I thought you had learned your lesson when Hunter had kidnapped you: it's your responsibility to care for your mate. She's a bunny – a prey mammal! She's fragile, meek, and helpless!" Victor said.
Nick shook his head as he continued his fight against his restraints. "You're lying!" he shouted, his voice echoing over the ever-present growling. "Judy is not meek or helpless! She's the most spectacular bunny I've ever met, and I've seen her take on predators three times her size!"
His restraints cut into his wrists, but Nick didn't care. His wife was somewhere, alone, hurt, and scared, and his parents were spewing nothing but lies about her. He had to get to Judy, to make sure that she's alright. A growl emanated from somewhere deep inside of his chest before rising up and out of his throat as he pulled against the ropes with all of his might.
A loud snap echoed throughout the room, and everything went eerily silent. Nick ignored his parents as he rubbed his raw wrists before untying the ropes around his ankles. Standing up, Nick pushed past his parents and began walking towards the front door. The horrendous noises remained constant, unaffected by the fox's rage.
"Are you sure you want to see this?" Victor asked over his shoulder.
Nick ignored him and kept walking. The snarls and snaps grew louder.
"Nick," Victor said as he and Rachel turned to follow Nick's movements.
Nick's ears folded against his head as he ignored his father. As he did so, however, the front door seemed to get further away from him, as did the hungry growls. Nick picked up his pace.
"Nick," Rachel called, her voice firm.
Again, Nick blocked out the calls from his parents, and again, the door increased the distance between it and the fox. Nick began to jog towards the door as panic slowly trickled down his spine.
"Nick!" Victor and Rachel called in unison, their voices morphed behind the growling that grew louder with each step that Nick took.
The door was even further now, but that wouldn't stop the fox cop. He picked up his pace again, thankful for the police training that conditioned him. However, as he ran, he felt his heart begin to erratically beat against his chest, and his breathing was anything but even. The omnipresent growling grew louder, seeping from the floorboards and walls.
"Nick!" his parents called again, sounding desperate and afraid.
To Nick, they sounded distant and muffled, as if they were outside the walls of the warehouse now. The door shrank into the horizon and continued to elude the fox. Nick was now desperately sprinting at the door as if his life depended on him getting there. He began to stumble and trip over his own feet as he fled some unseen terror behind him. The growling grew louder, following the fox as he ran.
An uneven floorboard suddenly caught Nick's foot, sending the fox to the ground with a thud.
"Nick!" his parents called again, but they sounded different this time. Whether it was the muffled distortion or the deafening growls, Nick did not know, but he could've sworn that the voice almost sounded like Judy's. . . .
With a mixture of annoyance at his parents' persistence and anxiety from hearing Judy's desperate voice, Nick whipped around, a growl in his throat. "What!?" he shouted before his eyes widened with surprise.
Everything went silent.
Standing before Nick was the very door he had just been trying to reach. The thick scent of blood was pungent now, clearly originating from somewhere behind this door. A small, muffled sob sounded from behind the door, followed by a sharp growl, a sickening crack, and then silence once again.
Nick stifled a gag as his paw hesitantly reached for the doorknob. The putrid stench of blood and decay blasted Nick, making him gag and cough, and a cold wave of dread washed up the fox's spine. He no longer wanted to do this, but he was no longer in control of his body. His paw snaked around the crude doorknob before twisting at the wrist. Nick pushed the door open, the metal hinges creaking loudly.
A feral Dallas stood on all fours before him, his maw coated with fresh blood. Sapphire eyes coldly regarded Nick as the beast stood above its finished meal:
Judy's mangled corpse.
"NICK!"
The fox bolted upright. His eyes frantically searched his surroundings, looking for anything familiar. In his current state, however, even the comforting atmosphere of his room did nothing to soothe his frantic nerves.
Nick began to hyperventilate, and his body began to shake with anticipation of the shock that would never come. He tried to open his mouth but couldn't; his body refused to move his jaw in anticipation of the painful muzzle.
Two paws wrapping around his chest in desperation quickly drew Nick's attention. Looking down, Nick found the one sight that immediately began to calm him down: his wife, alive and well. Her gray fur seemed to shine despite the fact that it was still dark in the room.
The rational part of Nick's brain began working again, and he noticed that Judy had no intentions of releasing her grip on him at the moment. A relieved smile played on the fox's lips as his now-calm arms snaked around the form of his mate. With only a small amount of hesitation – due to the severity of his nightmare – Nick lowered his muzzle and placed a gentle kiss between Judy's ears to calm the both of them down.
They remained like that for a few minutes, refusing to move in case this whole situation was a fragile dream.
It was Nick who broke the silence first. "Are you okay, Carrots?" he asked as he gently stroked her back.
The moment Nick's gentle claws touched her fur, Judy felt her entire body tense for just a second before melting into the soothing action. "I'm alright," Judy replied before glancing up to meet Nick's eyes. "It's you that I'm worried about; you started mumbling and groaning in your sleep, and when you began to toss and turn while your screams got louder, I started to worry. Then I couldn't wake you up, no matter how many times I shook you or called your name."
Nick hugged the bunny tighter to him and was rewarded with Judy's paw gently stroking the fur along his chest and back. "Well, it eventually worked," he joked in a weak tone.
A concerned light entered Judy's eyes. "Are you sure that you're completely alright?" she inquired as her amethyst gaze intently studied Nick; because it was still dark in the room, all Judy could see of her husband was a dim, almost blurry form that looked similar to the fox. "I know that ever since Hunter, you've been known to get anxious from time to time."
"And I learned how to control it so that it didn't keep me from doing my job," Nick stated and placed another kiss between Judy's ears. "I promise, I'm fine."
Judy wasn't convinced, but she trusted Nick. She chose to drop the subject, opting to bury her face in the fur on Nick's chest. She felt the fox chuckle before gently squeezing her body in an affectionate hug that the bunny quickly reciprocated.
"What time is it?" Nick yawned, glancing over at the clock on their bedside table.
It read 6:35 am.
Nick couldn't help but let out an amused groan. "And here I was hoping to get some extra sleep," he complained an a joking tone.
Judy's muffled voice reached his ears. "We don't have any work today; we could always go back to sleep," she suggested.
The corners of Nick's mouth twisted upwards in a warm smile. "That's a wonderful idea," he said as he gently lay back on the bed, bringing the bunny in his arms with him. "When did you get to become such a genius?"
"Very carefully," Judy retorted as she positioned herself in a much more comfortable position next to her fox. "When you live with a dumb fox, it gets hard to keep your intellect intact."
Nick chuckled. "Oh, really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Judy was now comfortably snuggled into Nick's side; the only thing missing was the tail that quickly wrapped over her form like a wonderful, living blanket. "Mm-hmm," she replied before a long yawn escaped her throat. Sleep overcame the bunny before she could make another retort, much to the fox's amusement.
Leaning down to place one last kiss between her ears, Nick smiled. "Goodnight, Judy," he murmured before pulling the large blanket over them and closing his eyes.
Sleep, however, was not so kind to Nick. It refused to visit him throughout the night, leaving the fox to replay his recent dream and the events from the night before in his mind. Nick certainly wasn't helped by all the what-if scenarios that decided to plague his mind, stitching themselves into his memories.
Nick's only comfort throughout the night was the slumbering bunny in his arms – his anchor to reality in the world of his fears.
Judy was careful not to wake Nick up as she gently pried herself away from his arms. While she was reluctant to do so, she deduced that a nice, warm cup of coffee to wake up to would make Nick's day all the better.
Despite popular belief, coffee was not introduced to the bunny until she and Nick had started dating about two years back. Even then, however, Judy rarely drank any as it would give her a massive headache for the rest of the day.
Then Nick had told her that coffee came in decaf.
The bunny had barely been able to contain her excitement at realizing that the decaf coffee kept her head comfortable and pain-free after a cup. Now, two years later, it was habit for Judy to wake up before Nick on a weekend or a day off to make coffee for them.
As Judy waited for the water to boil, her mind wandered. Normally, Judy wouldn't mind, but this time she tried to keep herself in check; her mind seemed determined to go over the events of two nights before. Unfortunately, Judy was a daydreamer, and old habits die hard; her mind quickly won the battle and sent Judy on an uncomfortable trip down memory lane.
Judy had never felt more relieved to hear the sound of the sirens, declaring that help was on the way. What was done to Nick and her was painful; the bunny couldn't remember the last time – since confronting Gideon – that she felt truly helpless and terrified. Judy's paws began to absentmindedly roam over her body, gently tracing out her new scars on her chest. Her ear was still sore, and though her leg wasn't badly damaged, Judy still walked about with a faint limp.
The trip to the hospital hadn't been as bad as it could have been. Her wounds were checked as they had already been cleaned and stitched closed thanks to the paramedics, and she was prescribed a cleaning solvent for her wounds and a general painkiller.
Even though the doctors decided to keep Nick overnight – after allowing Judy to stay with him, of course – the fox's injuries were not fatal. His wounds were cleaned and bandaged. The doctors checked for any organs that might have shut off due to electrocution, and thank God there were none.
The two cops had been released the next day, and the first thing they did was head home to sleep some more. Nick and Judy did nothing productive for the rest of the day.
A splash of hot water startled Judy and pulled her from her thoughts; the water was boiling. Judy immediately took the kettle off of the heat and poured the water into her French Press before going to check on Nick's coffee. The run-down coffee maker – a relic of Nick's last apartment before moving in with Judy – was incredibly reliable and still brewed top-notch coffee. However, it did take a "few" minutes to heat up.
Satisfied that the coffee would be brewing soon, Judy returned to her French Press. Already, the satisfying aroma of coffee began to fill the kitchen and wafted towards – to Judy's amusement – their bedroom.
The bunny could imagine it now: her fox is in the middle of a wonderful dream before his nose catches the scent of the tasty drink. His eyes flutter open, and it takes him a second to realize that his bunny isn't in bed with him. It takes him another second to finally register and pinpoint the delectable aroma that has been playing at his nose. His smile grows as he walks out of the bedroom to meet his mate in the kitchen, two steaming cups of coffee in her paws.
This was not the case, however. Nick was not smiling. Though it seemed that Sleep had finally decided to be merciful to the fox, it had continued to torment him by keeping Nick on that edge of being awake and falling asleep.
Nick had been awake when Judy got up to make the coffee. However, he had wanted to get some sleep before he felt obliged to wake up, so he decided to stay in bed. Without Judy, however, his mind constantly tortured him with the threat of nightmares.
The aroma of coffee helped soothe his troubled mind, but it also made the fox groan. Now that he had gotten a whiff of the scent, there would be no more sleep for him.
At least I don't have any work today, Nick thought as he reluctantly removed himself from the sheets. Upon hearing his spine pop back into place as he stretched, Nick threw on loose-fitting clothes and trudged out into the kitchen.
Despite his tired mood, the fox couldn't help but genuinely smile at the sight of his wife with two steaming mugs of coffee in her paw; he couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the sight of Judy carrying the mug that was Nick's size.
The fox made his way to Judy, enveloping her in a hug after retrieving his coffee. Their lips met in a soft kiss that chased away any sour feelings Nick felt.
"Morning Nick," Judy said after the kiss was broken. "Did you sleep well?"
"Nope," Nick replied truthfully before making his way to the couch. "There was the bunny that kept elbowing me in her sleep; I think she was having a bad dream or something."
Judy's brow furrowed in confusion as she sat next to the fox. "I don't remember any bad dreams, and you'd be darned before I go believing that you'd leave me for someone else."
Nick shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee. "You never know; there might be someone out there that can almost hold a candle to your good looks."
Judy rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee to hide the smile that decided to take residence on her face thanks to her husband's compliment. It didn't take long, however, for her concern to grow as she studied the bags around Nick's eyes. "Did you get any sleep?" she asked, and Nick turned to gaze out towards their balcony.
The sigh that emanated from Nick didn't do much for her hopes. "No," Nick confessed before taking another sip; his eyes never left the cityscape. "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. I don't know if my mind was being hyperactive, or if, for some reason, my nocturnal instincts finally decided to take themselves seriously."
Judy placed a paw on Nick's arm before gently stroking the fox's fur. Nick turned, his gaze locking with Judy's. Despite his tired outward appearance, Judy was surprised to find that Nick's eyes shone as bright as ever.
"Though, having a beautiful bunny such as yourself to hang out is rather rejuvenating," Nick joked before placing a quick kiss on Judy's forehead. The action had the desired effect: a smile from Judy and her body snuggling closer. Nick wrapped his tail around the bunny as his smile widened.
"So, Mr. Smooth," Judy said after taking a sip of her coffee, "what shall we do today?"
Nick scratched beneath his chin in thought. "Well, I was thinking that we just sit around here and watch TV," he suggested after a moment. "I don't feel like showing my face out in public right now."
On any other day, Judy may have argued. She may have suggested that they go jogging or visit Finnick - anything to get out of the house. But, she too was emotionally and physically drained from recent events.
"I like that plan," Judy agreed as she made herself more comfortable next to her husband. "Besides, it means I get to spend the day with my handsome fox."
Nick quickly swiveled his head, his eyes scanning the room. "I'm sorry Carrots, but I don't see any handsome foxes around here!" he joked.
A mischievous light in her eyes, Judy took a sip of her coffee. "You're right; I have to invite him over first."
Nick chuckled as he raised his paw to ruffle Judy's ears. He paused, however, when his eyes fell upon the bandaged appendage. Frowning slightly, Nick moved his paw to wrap around the bunny instead. "Touche, Carrots," he admitted before reaching for the remote. "Let's see what's on Zetflix, shall we?"
"Let's," Judy agreed, snuggling into her fox for his warmth more than anything else.
A series of sharp knocks caught Victor's attention. Turning towards the door of his office, the older fox called out, "Come in!" before turning back to stare at one particular item on one of the many shelves.
The door opened, and the four criminals filed into the room. "You wanted to see us, Victor?" Dallas asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
For the entirety of the previous day, Victor had avoided the four criminals, choosing not to acknowledge their existence. Seeing them lined up before him now only stoked the anger that he had been vainly trying to suppress.
Keeping his voice as calm and collected as possible, Victor answered the younger fox. "Yes, Dallas. We have important matters to discuss."
The older fox briskly turned and walked to his desk, retrieving a few items from within its drawers. He quietly set the objects on the table, not bothering to glance at the four mammals before him.
"Look, if this is about what happened two days ago, the ZPD arriving wasn't our fault," Dallas began.
"Of course not," Victor immediately replied as he finished emptying the desk of the desired items. He turned towards the younger fox. "You guys did a good job following orders; you left those cops behind and managed not to get caught."
Victor then began to slowly saunter around the desk, keeping his dark eyes on the quartet. "No, this is about something else entirely; something I should have been more careful with."
Hoofston cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What could that have been?" he asked; hearing that such an organized fox like Victor had made a mistake was disconcerting, to say the least.
Emerald eyes snapped towards the zebra, sending a chill down Hoofston's spine. "Well, you see," Victor began, pausing in his advances to retrieve a bottle of scotch. This was when the four criminals noticed a second object in Victor's hand. "I have a few, uh, critiques about your methods of torture – specifically towards my son and daughter-in-law."
Dallas rolled his eyes. "For the love of God, Victor," he groaned, "I know you need them, but that doesn't mean that they can't be punished! He's a fox, she's a bunny, for Christ's sake!"
Victor regarded the younger fox curiously. "True. What they have is against what society calls 'normal,'" he stated slowly as he carefully advanced to the quartet. "But that isn't my point. You said I needed them, which is true, but I need them at their best if my plan is going to work – not emotionally and physically broken!
"Besides, I still need to repay you for your little escapade from earlier," Victor said, a cruel grin creeping over his muzzle. The criminals stood their ground.
"What're you gonna do, huh?" Dallas challenged. "You've already said you needed us alive, so I think killing is not a choice."
"It might very well be for what you put my son through!" Victor suddenly snapped. The four criminals barely flinched, though a rising sense of dread was slowly crawling up their back. Victor took a moment to take a large swig of scotch to calm himself before continuing. "You see this?" he asked, holding up his other paw; inside was a police radio. "This was Officer Wilde's. I stole it from him so that I could keep tabs on the police. Apparently, the day that he and Officer Hopps visited my amusement park, he had already replaced this with a radio he had on his person."
"Meaning?" Dallas asked with a bored tone.
Victor stood directly in front of the younger fox, his cold, emerald eyes studying Dallas' face. "It means that I could hear everything," he said, and a malicious grin spread across his features. "And I have to say: using a tame collar on my son was a very stupid move."
Dallas rolled his eyes again, but in doing so, he noticed the glass case on the shelf. His insides turned to ice as his mind registered what has held inside: a broken tame collar. Glancing back at the fox in front of him, Dallas could see the broiling anger behind the calm, cool facade in those green eyes.
"Don't get me started on what you did to that poor bunny," Victor growled as his gaze never left Dallas. "I honestly would have thought that you of all mammals would understand the friendship between predator and prey!"
Dallas did not dare to challenge the angered fox, though his stomach churned at the thought of a fox and a bunny being married. It just wasn't natural.
The older fox took another swig of scotch before stepping away from the quartet. "However, I don't need to keep rambling on about how you potentially destroyed any chances of my plan working," he said in an eerily casual tone. Placing the radio in his pocket, Victor gestured towards the desk with his free paw. "On the desk is your next payment – all cash. Take it, and get out of my sight; Tony will let you know when your next 'appointment' is."
Dallas and the others watched as Victor took a swig of his scotch, seemingly uninterested in the whole situation. The four criminals stood still for a moment, warily eyeing the older fox.
Victor turned to them with an exasperated and impatient look on his face. "I'm serious! Get your money and get out! I've got very important planning to take care of!"
Still uncertain, Dallas decided to very slowly make his way to the desk as he constantly glanced towards the older fox.
Victor groaned and rolled his eyes before walking towards the desk. "Never trust a fox, huh?" grumbled as he reached for one of the four briefcases on the desk. . . with the paw that held the bottle of scotch. "Well, you're right," the older fox said before suddenly pulling his paw back. The cheap glass bottle struck Dallas in the face, breaking with the force of the impact. As the younger fox reflexively leaned back, Victor used his free paw to grab the back of Dallas' head and ram it into the side of the desk. A sickening crack filled the room as Victor turned towards the other criminals.
Rolling to quickly cover the distance, Victor made his way to the trio of mammals. By now, the general surprise had worn off enough, so the criminals were ready to fight. Victor targeted Hoofston first, deftly blocking the zebra's punches. The older fox batted Hoofston's hoof to the side before delivering a crippling kick to the zebra's shin. As Hoofston fell to one knee, so did his defenses. Victor jabbed the zebra in the gut – temporarily incapacitating Hoofston – before whipping around to combat Wolf.
The large canine was agile despite his size in comparison to the fox. Victor found himself on the defensive as Wolf's claws kept getting way too close for comfort. And there was Chains, the massive bear towering over the smaller mammals. The fox's ear perked as he felt Chains raise his meaty paw into the air. Victor suddenly ducked between Wolf's legs, and Chains' fist met the carpeted concrete floor. Whipping around, Victor used his claws to slash at the back of Wolf's knees. The canine howled in pain before falling to the ground and rolling away from the fox.
By this time, Dallas had picked himself up from the desk. His fur was matted with a mixture of blood and scotch. Spitting some of the red liquid from his mouth, the younger fox charged at Victor. The older fox noticed this and the massive bear getting ready to squash him. Just as Chains swiped at Victor, the crime boss rolled towards Dallas. The younger fox was taken by surprise for a split second before deftly attacking Victor. As Victor's defenses were strong, Dallas constantly glanced about the room to see which of his cohorts would be available to sneak up on the older fox. The distraction paid him dearly.
Victor suddenly went on the offensive, grabbing Dallas' paw before spinning into the fox's personal space. With Dallas' arm on his shoulder, Victor used his other paw to push at the elbow. A crack was heard, followed by Dallas' scream of pain. The older fox then bent over and pulled Dallas' arm simultaneously, flipping the younger fox over Victor's back and onto the cold, hard ground.
Hoofston now charged at Victor again, and Chains followed behind him. The older fox tensed the muscles in his legs before launching himself at the zebra. The sudden weight of the fox bent Hoofston over, giving Victor enough space from which to launch himself at the massive bear. Chains cried out as Victor's claws penetrated his shirt and dug into his skin, but then immediately went to swinging his paws at the fox that now climbed over his body. Victor made his way onto Chains' back and immediately wrapped and arm around the bear's neck and, using his other paw for leverage, Victor squeezed.
Unfortunately for the fox, Chains' neck was too thick for the stranglehold to work. With a laugh, the large bear grabbed Victor and flung the fox across the room. Victor landed on the desk with a loud crash.
Should've saved the bottle for him, Victor thought with a rueful smile. He quickly picked himself up and stood on the desk, staring at the four criminals, some of whom were picking themselves up to continue the fight. "Come on, boys! I know I started it, but do we really have to keep doing this?" Victor asked in a jovial tone. Upon seeing the scowls sent his way, Victor chuckled. "Alright then, have it your way."
The older fox suddenly jumped towards the three smaller mammals and landed in between them. He turned to Dallas, blocking the fox's one-pawed punches. Then, Victor quickly whipped around to Hoofston, who had snuck up behind the older fox. After ducking under the first punch, Victor quickly delivered a powerful uppercut to the zebra's snout. As Hoofston reflexively leaned back, the older fox quickly turned to Wolf. The large canine lunged at Victor, his claws outstretched. He met with air, however, as Victor had snuck into Wolf's personal space. A sudden weight pulled Wolf down as Victor clamored up and onto the canine's back before launching at Chains again.
This time, Victor didn't go for a stranglehold. Instead, he held onto the neck of Chains' shirt and delivered a lightning-fast blow to the bear's jaw. The impact temporarily left Chains dazed as Victor then climbed around onto his back. With little control over his body at the moment, the added weight began to pull Chains back. The bear shook his head to chase away the stars in his vision and straightened up before grabbing Victor and once again throwing him across the room. Only this time, his aim was off.
Victor was launched directly at Wolf, who had turned to watch the fox get pummeled by Chains. Unfortunately for him, Victor did not get pummeled; instead, he was now flying towards him with his arms outstretched. Victor caught the canine around the neck, twisting Wolf around the face the floor. With the unexpected attack, Wolf was bent over, and Victor's firm grip kept him from regaining his balance. The older fox wasted no time as he began to pummel Wolf's face. When the canine's paws came up to protect his muzzle, Victor resorted to kicking the wolf in the gut. As the other three criminals began to charge at the fox, Victor socked Wolf across the jaw one last time before launching the canine into the desk. With a loud crash and an equally sickening crack, the criminal broke through the wood and lay still.
Wolf was down for the count.
Victor quickly rolled away before the others could reach him, giving the fox time to catch his breath. As he analyzed his surroundings, Victor realized that the bear was going to be a problem. Glancing towards the desk, however, the older fox knew what he had to do. It didn't make him happy, though, as it could end the fight for him.
I'm getting too old for this, Victor thought as he charged towards Dallas and Hoofston. The fox ducked under Dallas' first blow and promptly knocked the convict to the ground. As Hoofston swung at the crime boss, Victor simply ducked and punched the zebra's injured leg. Hoofston crumpled to the ground and rolled away from Victor, much to the fox's relief; the zebra wasn't the current target. Victor quickly scrambled onto the desk and retrieved one of the heavy briefcases.
A roar from behind caught the fox's attention, but instead of whipping around, Victor rolled to the side. His hunch was correct, for not a split second later the desk vibrated under the impact of Chains' fist. Now Victor whipped around and launched himself at the bear. He quickly climbed around to straddle the criminal's neck before reaching around and clawing at the bear's eyes. A scream of pain emanated from Chains' throat. Victor dropped to the floor behind Chains and swung the briefcase into the bear's leg behind the knee. As Chains fell to the ground, Victor had to suppress the urge to call out "Timber!"
With one paw over his injured eye, Chains turned around and swung his other paw at Victor. His aim was off, throwing his balance off as well. Chains had to use his free paw to keep himself from falling to the ground, playing right into Victor's advantage. The fox swung the briefcase into Chains' elbow, smiling at the small 'pop!' that sounded as the bear's arm buckled. Before the bear could recover, Victor dropped the briefcase and grabbed the back of Chains' head with both paws. Mustering all the strength that he could, Victor then smacked the bear's head into the concrete floor, breaking Chains' muzzle and incapacitating the bear.
Chains was down for the count.
Victor nearly cried out in joy before a snarl from behind reminded him that there were still two more convicts to go. Whipping around, Victor barely had enough time to dodge the claws that lunged for his jugular. Dallas was thrown off-balance as he missed, allowing Victor to whirl around and land a blow on the back of the fox's head. As Dallas landed on Chains' unconscious body and stayed there, Victor turned towards Hoofston, who was just picking himself up from the ground.
Without wasting any time, the older fox quickly advanced toward and stepped behind Hoofston. Victor gave the injured leg another kick, knocking the zebra down and placing Hoofston's throat within reach. Wrapping one arm around the zebra's neck and clasping paws, Victor began to strangle Hoofston. The zebra tried to land a hit on the fox; being smaller and having a leaner build, however, Hoofston began to succumb to the stranglehold. Victor counted to ten and felt the zebra go limp in his arms before releasing his grip. Hoofston harmlessly crumpled into a heap on the ground before Victor.
Hoofston was down for the count.
A groan caught Victor's attention, and his emerald eyes snapped onto Dallas as the younger fox slowly picked himself up off of Chains' body. With a calm gait, Victor advanced on the criminal. He grabbed Dallas by the collar and pulled; Dallas' ragdoll body followed as he was still dazed. The younger fox's dizziness, however, vanished as a pair of cold emerald eyes filled his vision.
"I hope I have made myself clear," Victor said in a cold, even tone. "No one is to mess with my children again."
The last thing Dallas saw was Victor pulling his fist back before the young fox's world was filled with darkness.
Dallas was down for the count.
As if nothing had happened, Victor calmly returned to his desk, dusting off his paws as he did so. He didn't bother to clean up the mess that was now on his desk; instead, the fox reached for an intercom and pressed the button.
"Don?" he inquired.
"Yes, señor?" came the reply.
Without so much as a glance at the four unconscious criminals lying in heaps on the ground in his office, Victor continued in a calm tone, "Could you and Tony come to my office immediately? I have four dumb idiots that need a checkup. Actually, now that I think about it," the fox added, glancing at his bloodied fist, "I may also need one as well."
"You got it, Victor. We're on our way," Don said before the line went dead. Victor could hear the smile in the horse's voice.
As the fox leaned back in his chair, a sigh escaped his throat, and tiredness began to finally set in. He was getting too old for this. Glancing towards one of the framed photos on his shelf, Victor smiled.
Inside the frame was a newspaper clipping dated back about two years ago. The headline declared that the ZPD had just earned its first fox officer. The picture revealed a brightly beaming Nick with his arm around his best friend: the bunny that made this all possible for him.
"Don't let this get you down, Nicky boy," Victor mumbled to himself as he turned away. "I still need you."