Fox Point

by MaveriKat

Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it but so are those who cannot let the past go. With the rise of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, one vixen is going to be uprooted from what she knew to live and breath the tenants of the ZPD: Trust, Integrity, and Bravery. Even if the city doesn't believe she can. Rated M for Violence, Adult Language, and Adult Situations.

12. And the Law Won

Disclaimer: "Zootopia" is owned by the Magical World of Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The "Sly Cooper" videogame series is owned by Sony, Sucker-Punch Productions, and Sanzaru Games. There are also aspects that will be borrowed from or directly inspired from Zootopia's pre-production works and concepts from Nicolaswilde's "Zistopia" Tumblr blog. Said story itself is a fan-based non-profit work of fiction written strictly for entertainment purposes only. Please support the official releases. Thank you.

Fox Point

By MaveriKat & Nanya
Beta Read By Innortal

Chapter 12: And the Law Won

Turning the key in the ignition, Carmelita shut off the engine of her vehicle before removing the key. Her hand reaching down the side to put it in her pants pockets, those nimble fingers then felt for the latch of the seatbelt, freeing it. Exhaling as she no longer had the Kevlar strap pressing down on her, the canid cop leaned her head against the backrest of the police cruiser, the vixen with navy blue tresses exhaled deeply. "Lo que es un puto día..." she cursed out the day in her native tongue as she brought her right hand up to her chest, idly slipping her index and middle fingers through the button folds her police shirt to idly rub at her collar bone where the safety restraint had pressed against her. As the woman's protective gear had taken a few bullets during the altercation with Mr. Pig, she had been made to turn in her Kevlar vest to one of the criminal investigation unit upon their arrival for evidence. "And already I feel vulnerable," she murmured in annoyance. At least she still had her trusty shock pistol for protection.

Honestly, this wasn't how the female red fox had pictured the day going... at all. But she couldn't deny she was already putting a dent into the criminal element. After all, while she had to let one of the Council Members' nephew go for what would have been illegal solicitation of sexual favors in return for monetary compensation, she did take down thwart an armed robbery and another notorious perp was off the streets. "Thirty arrests isn't a bad start all things considered," she mumbled to herself as she reached to her left and grasped the door handle. Pushed the driver's side door open, she then jumped out and slammed it shut behind her. Taking a moment to stretch her arms and legs, the vulpine woman began to walk the length of the ZPD's parking lot to reach the back door to the municipal building to meet with the Chief.

Yes, Idriis had told her she was off-duty but in making another arrest, she needed to give her report. Can't wait to get my own access to the system so I don't have to keep bugging the guy, she thought a bit guiltily. The woman understood how busy the horned herbivore was with running the force and she hated taking up the mammal's valuable time.

Reaching the door, the Latina red fox pressed her hand against the lower of the two steel handle bars that went across the mostly glass barrier set within the metal frame and pushed forward. Carefully swinging the door open, Officer Fox made her way inside, intent to make it to the stairs only to come to an immediate stop in the lobby as another mammal stepped in front of her. When it didn't move out of her way, Carmelita blinked her eyes and looked over the older mammal who was barring her path.

Yes, older. He was a gray-furred Central European boar, his facial hair done in that mutton chop style that was so popular with the species although his was a white coloration that spoke highly of his advanced age–as did the bright fibers of bear stubble that poked up among the pale gray pelt of his chin. Unnervingly, the vixen noticed the right side of his face had a series of scratches that went over his eye, leaving the blind orb an opaque blur in comparison to the left brown eye that was glaring down at her. Still, the vulpine knew he was one of the ZPD as he was dressed in a utility uniform the standard blue and black of the Zootopia police uniform although his was designed more along the lines of the tactical uniforms that were worn by various military organizations. He had a lot of the same gear the woman herself had been issued: steel knee-pads, fortified arm bracers, and a prominent Kevlar belt and ballistic vest set, albeit his included obvious steel plate inserts. However, unlike Carmelita's own currently missing vest, the porcine officer's had numerous scratches woven across it, testament to having seen a lot of action as well as being labeled prominently with a word, 'TUSK'.

When he continued to stand there before her, the Hispanic vixen took a deep breath to gather her wits before calmly asking, "Sir, would you please mo—"

"Don't call me, Sir!" The boar belted out, interrupting the slightly shorter woman. "I am a Captain and you will address me as such, subordinate!" His chest puffed up as he inhaled; nostrils flaring as he gazed down at her in an accusatory manner with his one good eye. "So you're the infamous Inspector from Interpol?" Think you're, "all that' huh?" He snapped as he poked her in the chest with his hooved right finger. "Think you're so much better than the rest of us, do you!?" He snapped angrily as he again poked her in roughly in the breast.

As that hardened digit pressed into her once more, Carmelita twitched in irritation. "Captain..." she growled out the porcine individual's title. "I kindly request you to remove your finger from my breast. Immediately." What he had already done was going to bruise so badly later as it was.

The higher-tanked officer of the ZPD poked her harder in response. "Don't tell me what to do, Fox! Just because you're some hot shit from Interpol doesn't mean a damn thing to me. You're in Zootopia and we do things the right way around here!" At the softness that surrounded his finger, the boar could admit it was almost a crying shame such awesome tits were wasted on a Yiffer like her. He didn't want to be labeled as a disgusting predophile.

Oh the things he would have done to her otherwise...

Her lip curling back in a barely restrained snarl, the vixen glared into the man's one good eye. "You may be a superior officer but you keep this up and I will give you a superior kick in the tail, you chuleta de cerdo," she said firmly before she brought her paw up between them and harshly smacked the wild boar's outstretched hooved hand away from her chest.

Eyes widening in surprise at the back talk, the Captain of TUSK snorted angrily; the rush of air causing the woman to narrow her eyes to protect them while her bangs fluttered from the rush of exhaled air. "You have a smart-mouth on you, Fox. Think you're a tough gal because you took down a single boar, huh?" He leaned in, getting right up in her face. "I'll have you know I've taken down hundreds of predators in a lethal fashion in my day... that includes dozens of you damned foxes. So if you push my buttons, don't expect to see the light of another day."

Her hands clenching into fists, Carmelita's eyes practically started glowing in anger at the unabashed threat directed at her. "Listen here, you—"

"FO~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOX!" A loud voice bellowed powerfully into the open air, causing every mammal in the building to drop whatever they were doing and turn their attention towards the source of the voice, the venerable Chief Bogo. The water buffalo was leaning over the side railing of the second floor, looking at the lobby of the ZPD with a stern gaze. His eyes narrowing in on the Latina vulpine, the man outstretched his left arm and pointed in the direction of his quarters. "My Office! Now!"

As the head of the police department turned about to return to his work area, the boar returned his attention to the vulpine and smirked at her. "Have fun, pelt." He laughed as she glared at him, warning him it wasn't over as he walked away. Oh it's such a shame she's a fox, he thought to himself as he motioned up to his face with is left set of hooves. Oh the things he would do to her if he could get away with it like they did in the good old days...

Watching the Central European boar point up at his good eye and then at her to indicate he was going to keep an eye on her as he made his way further into the building, the vixen huffed angrily before making her way to the left staircase; trying her best to refrain from stomping her feet. She wasn't a child and she refused to have a temper tantrum over this. But oh, how it irked her something terrible to see jerks like that in positions of authority. El cabrón poker, she thought bitterly as she climbed the stairs, not bothering to acknowledge some of the stares she was receiving as other officers slowed down to look at her as she passed them. Finally making it to the second floor, the Hispanic vulpine made a beeline the door to the Chief's office where upon reaching it, the vixen raised her right hand and knocked on the wooden frame with her knuckles a few times.

"Come in," came the muted response from inside. Standing on her tip-ties and raising her hand up high to grasp the handle, the canid cop turned the knob and let her weight swing the door inward. Jumping off, she landed on her feet with ease and carefully closed the glass and wood barrier to the man's office behind her. Taking a few steps further inside before coming to a halt, the vulpine woman carefully asked, "You wanted to see me, Chief?"

Gazing down at the vixen with a hard glare, those deep angry brown eyes of the bovidae's softened slightly. He waved over to the chairs before his desk with his muscular arm and hooved digits before telling her, "Have a seat, Officer Fox. We need to have a serious talk."

Sighing, the policewoman did just that. Climbing up the leg of the chair and getting settled into the seat, the Hispanic vulpine sate up straight so she could see over the edge of his desk without needing to stand. "If this is about the Captain Razorback, I wasn't going to hurt him..." she trailed off. Then after a moment, she admitted, "Unless he kept pressing on my breasts like a perverted porker."

Taking a deep breath, the muscular mammal looked down at the woman before him. "I'll be having a talk to him about that later," Bogo admitted to the female red fox. "Believe me. Even if you have to deal with specist assholes, sexual offenses are still severe enough that mammals will overlook any prejudice." Unless those mammals were cub-diddler sympathizers. Bogo still couldn't believe that some mammals would be willing to defend those animals. Just watch. With my luck, in a few years it'll be, 'you're a bigot for not liking cubby porn' or some other shit, he thought with absolute disgust.

The carnivore woman frowned at that bit of information. While she appreciated he would step in, the fact he could only do it on certain grounds was annoying. "I still can't believe the administration here would have let someone like—"

"Captain Bartholomew 'Black Bart' Razorback get away with such an attitude?" He asked, finishing the Hispanic vixen's statement for her. "That's simple: he's grandfathered into the department as part of the TUSK Unit."

Her lips pulling back in a frown across her muzzle, the orange-pelted vulpine chirruped, "That's another thing I wanted to ask... TUSK?" It had been prominent on his armored vest yet she couldn't think of any organization–military or municipal–that went by that designation.

Seeing the angered look of confusion on his subordinate's face, the horned herbivore took a deep breath. Taking a moment to collection his thoughts, the ebony-skinned herbivore began to explain, "TUSK is an acronym for, 'Tactical Utility Servicemen in Kevlar'. They were founded in the Fifties as a special unit of the ZPD that answered directly to the Mayor's office at behest of the city council. You can think of them as SWAT except they were specifically trained and armed to deal with predators during the city's Tame Collar Era." He frowned. "Captain Razorback is an old school sort and while TUSK doesn't see the same level of action they once had in their heyday, they are kept in reserve as a secondary SWAT team in cases of emergency."

Carmelita couldn't help but twitch at that explanation. "There's that, 'city council' I keep hearing about..." she grumbled irritably. Ever since she actually began working for the ZPD their department kept coming up more often than not

Although he was supposed to be an impartial sort, the cape buffalo couldn't help but frown in disgust as he nodded his head in agreement. He had his own thoughts on the subject; particularly his gut instinct telling him that the TUSK squad was the group of back-stabbers that were spying on and ratting him out to the Council as if they were citizens of the Little Rodentia District. "Because, Officer Fox, in Zootopia it has always been a democracy with a figurehead that runs things. While Mayor Lionheart might be the current face of city being the elected as Zootopia's first predator mayor, the actual voting said otherwise."

Considering that for a moment, the woman shook her head in annoyance. "Politics suck..." Carmelita groused irritably, getting a nod of agreement from the police chief. "I would rather be in a fire fight. At least you know that the bullets coming for you are from enemies." The vixen inhaled before sighing heavily in annoyance. "In politics though? You often can't see the knife coming for your back."

Chief Idriis Bogo nodded his horned head in agreement to the woman's description of the situation. "A rather apt way to put it," he praised the vixen, glad she could see the proverbial forest for the trees. Bringing his hands before him, the muscular mammal clasped his hooved digits together in front of his face, elbows resting atop his desk for support. "Which is why you need someone to watch your back for you..." he trailed off before admitting the truth to her. "In which case, you should know that I've been catching all the knives I could for you over the past two days."

Needless to say, that caught the canid cop's attention. Sitting up in her seat in alarm, the Interpol Inspector could only query, "Que!?"

Nodding his head firmly, the Chief of the Zootopia Police Department told her in a stern, almost lecturing tone, "I'll be blunt Inspector. You've had the City Council in damage control mode since your speech. Catching Mr. Teddy got them gunning for you. And now that you caught Mr. Pig–which just yesterday we talked about why the pair was so important–you, my dear Officer Fox, are officially up fudge creek without a pawpsicle stick."

Again, a frown adorned the Latina red fox's face. It was true that they had been purposely letting the pair run wild but when it came down to it, "It's not like I could just let an armed robbery go unchecked, especially since I wasn't too far away." Let alone the fact there was no way in hell the canid cop could bring herself to ignore what was going on once she saw Finnick's van parked outside the site of the robbery.

"I know and I don't blame you," he replied, trying to tell the woman he was on her side. "The city's council however, does." Bogo had no idea what to do with the City Council. At this rate things were going to get worse long before they got better. "Believe me when I say this: you have set things into motion and the results aren't going to be nice."

Her ears flattening back against her scalp as a growl began to reverberate in her throat, the female vulpine met the much larger prey mammal's gaze. "...You know what? Fuck it! Bring 'em on!" She practically roared; the conviction in Carmelita's voice strong enough that it made Chief Bogo stare at her in genuine surprise. "I promise you this! I won't purposely go out of my way to cause trouble with the Zootopian government but I will not idly sit back and be a, 'token minority species' or whatever! I am more than just a pretty face to push an agenda! I am a successful veteran agent of Interpol and I will be damned before I let them force me to sit on my paws and do nothing!"

Blinking his eyes a couple of time, the horned herbivore took a deep breath. As impassioned as that little speed was, he had to remind her, "While I can appreciate your integrity in the face of such challenges, there's not much I can do. Unless you can catch members of the city council being corrupt, conspiring for something against the law, or something else that would force them to be arrested without the department facing consequences, my hooves are tied."

And with that, a small smile graced the vixen's muzzle. "...How much do you want to bet they're corrupted?"

"Don't be naïve. Of course they are! Bogo snorted at the much smaller predatory mammal. "You find me an honest politician and I'll show you someone who's not in office," the muscular slab of beef replied in all seriousness. "But that's just it. These are animals who run this city, who are beloved by ninety-percent of the populace..."

Carmelita twitched at that response. "Let me guess... the prey portion of the city, right?" She spat out bitterly.

Again, the horned herbivore nodded his head. "Right. The council members will go to great lengths to look out for and impress the simple masses and what happened? You completely derailed a narrative they were setting up for their electoral debut surprise of taking down a pair of criminal... er... 'masterminds'..." the ebony-skinned mammal had to take a moment to scoff at the notion of those two dolts being anything greater than a pair of lowbrow thugs. "So now without a quick and direct show of success, that means the council will actually have to do some work to get the public to think of them in a positive light at the right time." He frowned and dropped the bomb he had been holding onto. "It's gotten to the point where Head Councilman Hornaday visited me personally an hour ago."

That bit of news made the Latina red fox blink her eyes. "Hornaday was here?" She asked, obviously curious as to what that was about.

"Yes. He came to talk to me about you..." he trailed off as he leaned over his desk a bit more to meet the woman's chocolate gaze with his own deep brown eyes. "Specifically, to ask why you weren't where I told you to go. I was able to get away with the excuse of it being a, 'clerical error' but believe me, they want you seen as nothing more than the, 'sultry fox' stereotype to discredit you. And if you keep doing this damn job like the fine officer of the law you are, well... I don't want to think about the lengths they will go to screw you over."

Standing up in the chair she had taken a seat at, the Interpol agent tried to argue, "Sir! You can't be serious! They're politicians but even they can't openly do anything. It's like you said! If they did anything like that, it would cause them to fall under scrutiny to the point where we COULD find something to pin them with!"

"Or they could possibly be pushed to the point of you being called down to aid in one of those fire fights you're so fond of and end up with one of the convict's 'magic bullets' somehow blowing out the front of your face when it enters the back of your head even though they perps are right in front of you," he said firmly, leaving it in no uncertain terms what could happen if the council was incentivized enough. "That's why I need to make a big show of things so I can cover your tail one more time for the time being..."

"...Thanks for the lovely image of my face turning into salsa..." Carmelita muttered. She couldn't help but blanch at that. "I would rather not keep my head down if I can help it."

"I'm not asking you to do it forever. I'm merely taking you out of the equation for a few days," he said in all seriousness. He pulled his hands apart to show her the palm of his right hand in a motion for her to stop. "I mean it. The Council wants some disciplinary action for not only derailing their own plans but also for you doing that on your own time without supervision AND for arresting one of their family members earlier today."

Officer Fox watched as the man then placed his hooves on the desk and pushed his chair back. "I am going to start yelling now. I need to make a show of things for them to protect you," he said explained in a firm tone, making certain she understood. "You are going to take the next two days off... which means I want to see you first thing Friday so we can talk things out if I don't see you sooner. You are being suspended but it won't go on your record and you will be paid. I just need you out of sight to get you out of their minds so they don't get pushed to the point of blowing yours all over the sidewalk. Do you understand?"

The woman gulped. Between keeping her head low and getting her head blown off, there really was no choice. "Lovely..." she grumbled in annoyance. "But fair enough." At least she had the Chief on her side. He must have really held a level of loyalty to Barkley to be bending over backwards this much to help her of all animals.

"And don't worry, I'll be talking to Captain Razorback later today about sexual harassment in the work place," he added, letting her know he wasn't off the hook either. "Unfortunately, I can't make a show of it as he deserves even though I would like to because of inter-department politics... but he will get a stern talking to from me," he promised the Hispanic vixen.

Carmelita sighed. Some consolation that was. "Can we just get this over with?"

Nodding his head, the horned herbivore drew himself to his full height as he stood up. "Right then. Again, take no offense... I am doing this to protect us." He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding outward to the point the buttons on his shirt looked as if they were going to pop. Then before the vixen could ask what he meant by that last bit, he roared, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, ACTING LIKE SOME SORT OF WILD WEST SHERIFF BY GOING AFTER CRIMINALS OFF THE CLOCK!? PROTOCAL EXISTS FOR A REASON! YOU CAN'T JUST GO BLINDLY INTO THESE SITUATIONS WITHOUT BACKUP! I KNOW YOU'RE EXPERIENCED AND USED TO WORKING ALONE BUT THERE IS NO 'I' IN 'TEAM'! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF BLOODY KILLED THIS TIME! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GOOD OFFICERS I'VE SEEN LOST BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO WAIT FOR BACKUP, BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO EXERCISE COMMON SENSE!? THERE IS NO SHAME IN LETTING A PERP GO IF IT MEANS YOU'RE ALIVE TO PREVENT MORE CRIMES DOWN THE ROAD! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, FOX!?"

Hear ears flat against her skull to protect her hearing, the Latina red fox blinked her eyes, wondering if this was how others felt when she blew her top. She opened her mouth to say something only to have Bogo continue, "I JUST TOLD YOU DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE AN INSPECTOR OF INTERPOL! I LET THE FIRST TIME SLIDE BECAUSE YOU DID HAVE OFFICER CLAWHAUSER WITH YOU BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO IT WHENEVER YOU WANT!"

The vixen blinked her eyes, the woman absolutely bewildered by this. She tried to open her mouth once more, only to have the African buffalo roar, "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE SUSPENDED TOMORROW! CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY I CAN'T DRUM YOU OUT ON THE SPOT! IF I HAD MY WAY, I'D KICK YOUR TAIL BACK TO EUROPE BUT THAT IDIOT LIONHEART DIDN'T NEED YOU FOR THIS ASININE INITIATIVE!"

Shrinking back into her chair as the sheer audibility she was bombarded with, the Carmelita found herself truly stunned. She knew he didn't mean anything he was saying, but damn! That was believable enough to make her feel ashamed of herself!

And he wasn't done. "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR TRAP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I SAID SHUT IT! TWO DAY SUSPENSION! COME ON, FOX! GO AHEAD! TRY AND BACKTALK ME! I CAN KEEP THIS UP AS LONG AS YOU CAN! EACH TIME YOU TRY AND MAKE AN EXCUSE I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP ADDING TO YOUR SUSPENSION, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" Smiling a little, he then told her in that booming voice, "GOOD! NOW GET YOUR TAIL OUT OF MY OFFICE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AROUND THE ZPD UNTIL FRIDAY! NOW GET OUT! O~OOOUUT!"

When the slightly trembling vulpine just sat there, he nodded to her and motioned to the door. "Remember, keep your head down and don't say anything to the other officers. Otherwise, please! Have a nice couple of days off."

Seeing the complete one-eighty in personality, the woman blinked her eyes once, twice, thrice. "...You're good," Carmelita finally muttered as she pushed herself off the seat and walked to the door in a bit of a daze. Damn, that was... wow. At least now the vulpine understood how the bovidae was able keep order in Precinct One so easily...

...

...At least when he wasn't on the phone, anyway...

As she exited the office, the canid cop didn't bother to meet anyone's gaze. Not only had she been told not to, but she didn't want to. She could be stoic about this. Yes, it looked bad on her part and that was the intention but at least she wasn't in trouble as far as her record was concerned. Yet oddly, the Latina vixen couldn't help but feel disappointed. She had been looking forward to doing her part, to try and make a difference. Sure in the beginning, Inspector Fox wanted nothing more than to fight coming to Zootopia in the first place but after what Bentley showed her and what she experienced getting here?

The city needed her. The animals of the city needed to have those last vestiges of prejudice broken so they could finally move forward and allow the untainted children to make a better future for it. And if that meant getting out there and showing the all a whole new way to think about predators and foxes, then so be it.

And that left the question... what was she going to do for the next two days?

"Looks like I'll be depending on Wilde and Zerdan more than I intended to," the Latina vixen with navy blue tresses murmured as she pushed the back door and entered the ZPD's parking garage. I'm probably going to have to stop by J.P. Mare-Gan to make a withdrawal with how much I keep paying out to the pair for their services, she thought with a slight chuckle as she walked along the black asphalt and gray concrete structure the neighbored the police station. Hopefully they would accept a pizza tonight as hazard pay. Not that they were at the Cash Cow on her account but she felt bad for them because of what they had to go through.

Walking up to her parked vehicle, the woman stood on her toes and reached up; the tips of her fingers barely able to get a grasp around the door handle but it was enough to get a grip so she could pull it forward and release the door latch. As the door swung open slightly with her hanging from it, Carmelita dropped to her feet fully and grasped the edge of the door. Swinging it open a bit more to get it out of her way the female red fox climbed into the driver's seat before leaning out to grasp the interior door handle before slamming it shut.

As she reached for the car key in her pocket, the vixen with navy blue tresses blinked her eyes as her phone began ringing. Her other hand diving into her opposite pocket, the woman fished out her cell and checked the front, seeing that Nick's name was on the front, she exhaled deeply and slide her thumb over the front of the screen to answer it. Bringing it to the side of her head, the policewoman greeted, "Hola, Nicholas. What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Carm!" The voice of the male vulpine chirruped in greeting. "Listen, you need to get return to the Cash Cow, ASAP!"

Her ears rising tall above her hair, the vixen blinked at that. The way he was speaking was full of excitement but she couldn't tell if it was positive of negative. It was just straight-up energy. "Is everything okay?"

"You'll see when you get here," the male fox replied, not giving her a real answer one way or the other.

The Hispanic vulpine frowned. "I don't know how much help I can be. I'm off duty right now..." she trailed off, not wanting to tell the man that she had technically been suspended.

"That's okay!" The Zootopia local chirruped. "We don't need Officer Fox, we just want Carmelita here. So can you stop by? Please?" He asked, the pleading apparent in the male vulpine's voice.

Taking a deep breath, canid cop nodded her head and replied, "Fine, fine. I'll be there as soon as I can..." she replied, getting the feeling that they needed her to help jumpstart the van. The same vehicle which made her go on ahead to check things out to make sure they were okay and ended up putting her in the line of the porcine prick's gun-sights. "You just hang in there, all right?"

"If I was doing that, I wouldn't be able to call," the male voice joked over the line, eliciting a groan from Carmelita. "What? Bad pun?"

"Extremely," the Latina vulpine said with a tired voice. Shaking her head, the vixen then added, "Still, I'll see you soon." Before she slid her thumb over the surface of her cell and cut the connection. Sticking the phone back into her pocket she then retrieved her key once more and stuck it into the ignition. Pressing her foot down on the brake pedal, she gave the key a twist, getting the engine to rev to life again.

Hopefully what the pair needed wasn't too urgent. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself by needing to use the sirens.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In all honesty, Carmelita hadn't been sure what to expect to deal with when she arrived at the Cash Cow. Although with everything she'd dealt with in her life, riots, fires, and naked dancing clowns were at the top of her list.

Seeing a large group of mammals there helping patch up the outside of the building while other animals were going in and out of it as they moved various stuff, be it fixtures, furniture, or merchandise, was not what she expected. "What the...?" she trailed off, her unasked question directed to no one in particular as she turned the vehicle off and disembarked once more.

Almost immediately upon exiting the large police cruiser, she was being flagged down. "Hey! Carm! Over here, Carm! Over here!" Nick called out to be heard over the crowd, waving his right arm to help in garnering her attention. When she came started to make her way over to him, the crimson-pelted canid was grinning ear-to-ear. "This is pretty unbelievable, huh?"

Looking over his shoulder, a very rotund mammal raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Hey, is that who I think it is?" The hippo who was replacing one of the broken windows asked as he looked the vixen up and down.

Nodding his head in confirmation, Wilde told the large semi-aquatic mammal, "Yep! That's her! The lady of the hour!"

Nodding his head, the hippopotamus offered his end of the glass window he was holding to a nearby wolf before turning his attention back towards the foxes. "Oh thank you, Officer! Thank you!" The portly mammal in blue denim shorts and white t-shirt thanked as he rushed over to smaller predator and picked her up in a bone-crushing hug.

"GURK!" Was the only sound the poor uniformed fox could make as she was squeezed in a way that reminded the woman a lot of one of Murray's hugs. Honestly, when Nicholas had called, insisting she return to the Cash Cow, the vulpine police officer had no idea what she was in for. With all the damage to the facility and Finnick, she could only imagine what went wrong this time that would require her to show up once more. She certainly hadn't been expecting to be hugged by a prey mammal that she had no clue as to who they were. Looking over to the male fox for assistance, she motioned to the large mammal hugging her with a nod of her head.

Chuckling at the awkward state Carmelita found herself in, the Hawaiian shirt-clad vulpine crossed his arms over his chest and explained, "That, my dear Officer Fox, is Mr. Geoff Hortenson... owner of the Hortenson Diner. He had been a victim of an armed robbery last month by a particular pair of armed thugs... thugs you, coincidentally, spent the past two days bringing to justice."

Ending the hug and allowing the police officer to gasp for air, Geoff smiled brightly. "It's great such criminals were finally brought down. When I saw the news I called everyone I knew who had been robbed by that nasty pig and mean rhino and told them about what happened to this place."

Steadying her legs as she was released, the vixen couldn't help but stare up at the larger prey mammal with wide eyes. "That's..." Carmelita panted with her hand on her chest. "Nice..."

"We just couldn't let this place go with such damage done to it," the hippo explained as he turned back to help a few others with the glass windows. As he hefted the glass panes, he continued to tell the female officer, "After all, if not for you, those two would still be on the loose and we'd all be worried they would come back after us again at some point!"

"No kidding!" Another mammal spoke up. When the Hispanic vulpine turned her head, she saw the source of the voice to be a hyena with heavy bangs that covered his eyes and clad in soft Kevlar jacket, worn denim jeans, a t-shirt that read, 'I'm Not Johnny' and a spiked collar... similarly to the other three other spotted canid men that were with him. "Those pricks hit my band up in the back of SheePGB's two weeks ago; robbed us after we had just gotten paid for a week's work! Bastards really screwed us over!" A number of his pals nodded their heads in agreement.

Watching as the mammal walked up to her, it took the vixen a moment but she realized he was the hyena she had seen in line with the rabbit the other day outside of the Wannabite's Food Truck. "Uh... you're welcome..." she replied, sounding a little confused and surprised as he took her right hand in both of his and started shaking. She didn't think people would be this happy to see a police officer. "I, well..." she stammered, not used to such gratitude from the populace.

Smiling at the flustered expression that was crossing the woman's lovely features, the male vulpine nodded his head. "I know, I was shocked too," Nick told Officer Fox. "I then made a few calls to a few mammals I knew who were also robbed or screwed over by those two in some way and lo-and-behold! In less than thirty minutes this place was packed with people who wanted to lend a helping paw, hoof, hand, or what have you to help out!"

"You know!" The nearby wolf that had been helping with the window yelled out, catching their attention. "I bet we can do some rearranging and expansion here! From what I saw, the inside is that it's pretty packed. It wouldn't need to be much, but I bet we can probably open up another few hundred square feet for the owners. What do you think, Hortenson?"

The addressed hippo brought a massive hand up and tapped his chin a few times as he considered the male lupine's suggestion. "That might be possible..." he murmured before going on to inquire in a louder voice. "I mean all the old freezers were shot up, right?"

Nodding his head firmly, the wolf answered, "Yeah! If we installed some of the modern ones that are of a smaller design, we can spread stuff out more."

Geoff nodded his head at that. "I know a few mammals. I can make some calls and see what we can get done."

"Oi, I could help," another of the hyenas spoke up, this one wearing a shirt that read, 'I'm Not Sid'. "When I'm not playing with the band, I work as an electrician. If you let me get the tools out of the back of the bus, I could take a look to see if the outlets will allow for the amperage of the newer units... I mean, no offense but this place is pretty darn old!"

"We can also offer some back muscle to move those units for you!" A third canid punk rocker chirruped, the front of his torn and stained t-shirt adorned with the phrase, 'I'm Not Steve'. "We might not seem like much but together we can offer quite the bit of help."

The Hippo chuckled. While they might not have looked to be the cleanliest or most professional of mammals, he wasn't about to turn down someone who genuinely wanted to help. "Why thank you, boys! That's downright appreciated!"

It was then a female aardvark came up upon the group, "Did you people say something about electricians?"

"Not much. Just that I am one," the hyena replied. Looking over to the woman, he smiled and extended his paw to her in greeting. "The name's Steve. Steve Bones." His grin widened as the small, plated armadillo-esque mammal took his hand and shook it in return. "A pleasure to meet you, luv."

As the two began to talk shop as they were apparently both electricians, the navy blue-tressed vulpine officer couldn't help but look on in awe. The fact that both predator and prey were truly working together to help one another aid their fellow victims of those two thugs was awe-inspiring. She didn't even try to fight the smile she could feel finding its way across her muzzle. This was the sort of thing she had come to Zootopia to help promote in the first place.

Perhaps the mammals here were closer to living in harmony with one another than she previously thought...

"GAH! GOUDA DAMMIT!" Someone yelled from the side of the building. "TURN THE WATER OFF!"

"THOUGHT I DID!" Another male voice yelled out above the crowd.

Taking a look over his shoulder to figure out what was going on, a small amused smirk found its place along the male red fox's face. "Looks like a water line broke..." Nick muttered, knowing exactly why mammals would react that way. "Gouda knows I've had that happen more than once." Particularly when it came to getting some liquid refreshment to water down batches of pawpsicle syrup to make it last longer.

Gazing over towards a gutted wall to see a soaked cheetah standing amongst a number of exposed piped, the vixen couldn't help but smile slightly at the humorous sight. Turning to look at her fellow red fox, the Hispanic vixen couldn't help but query, "You helped put this together?" She couldn't help but be in awe. Nicholas had seemed so mercenary and yet here he was, going out of his way to help those less fortunate than himself.

Shrugging his shoulders, the male vulpine chuckled with an embarrassed tone at the obvious surprise in the woman's voice. "What can I say? I felt bad for the elderly couple. And when the news crews came and started getting the word out... well, it kind of helped get the ball rolling. I merely helped prod it now and then to keep the momentum going."

Nodding her head in understanding, the Latina beauty straightened herself up. If she could lend a paw, she would be glad to. Officer Fox might not be on-duty at the moment but that didn't mean she couldn't put herself out there to do the right thing. "Well, does anyone need any help? I would be willing to move stuff."

Considering that for a moment, the crimson-pelted canid turned his viridian gaze to meet the lovely vixen's chocolate eyes. "There are still some perishables being moved into a freezer truck that some reindeer brought in," Nick mentioned, raising his hand and thumbing behind him towards the store. "You can go see if they need help. I'm going to make a few more calls and see if I can't get a few more animals who know what they're doing out here to assess the damage." At the looks he got, he shrugged. "I know some people who help put various businesses–including grocery stores–together," he said, feeling a tad nostalgic as he remembered when he was studying up to create, 'Wilde Times'. "I'm thinking this place is going to need new display shelves among other things soon."

Nodding her head, Carmelita followed the male vulpine's suggestion and made her way over to the white truck that had numerous cervidae moving goods back and forth. Coming up to the solitary crimson-nosed, antler-adorned buck, she asked the reindeer, "Need a paw?"

Raising his head up to look at the source of the voice, the deer smiled. "Sure!" The hooved prey mammal replied as he nodded towards her. "There's not much more we need to do but we can always use help emptying the last of the store's frozen goods from the back storage. I believe there are still a few cases of TV dinners among other things." He motioned to a blue-painted metal hand-truck further in the vehicle. "Here, you can use the dolly. No need to break your back doing the right thing, Officer."

"Gracias," she told the red-nosed reindeer as she made her way into the truck to get the offered piece of wheeled equipment. Tilting it, she then began to roll the trundler towards and down the ramp that lead from the back of the freezer truck to the ground outside, before going off to follow the line of mammals that were making their way inside of the Cash Cow. The Latina beauty raised an eyebrow as she saw a camel talking with the two older coyotes, mentioning something about making the place an active gas station again as well.

It was rather amazing to see. Considering how bad Zootopia was when she had arrived, this trun of events was just shocking. "I wonder what changed..." she muttered to herself as she went to get the last of the frozen things. Granted, Carmelita knew there was a good chance that she was the reason that things had started to go more positively but she didn't want it to go to her head so she stamped that thought out real fast.

As she slid the tray of the trolley underneath a large cardboard box of, 'Hungry Herbivore' brand frozen dinners, the vulpine tilted the equipment back so the box was held aloft with the rounded rubber wheels directly beneath the container. Carting the dinners off and into the store to make her way back to the truck with them, the Hispanic red fox realized that if anything, she was a reminder of what the citizens should be doing. Whether predator or prey, mammals were inherently good animals. She shouldn't be surprised that even in a place that never had a proper Civil Rights Movement that they could show one another simple animal decency.

It didn't take long to get most of the perishables moved out of the store and into the frozen trucks with everyone working together. Loading the box of goods up onto the stack of other cardboard containers, she then exited the vehicle before turned her attention back to the buck who had accepted her help in the first place. "So, tell me. How long will this hold?"

"We'll be able to keep them in here for a few days. We'll move them to some freezers we have in storage back at HQ," the reindeer replied as he closed the back and locked it up. "By the way, is it true you arrested Rock Teddy and Beebo Pig?"

Nodding her head, the vixen simply replied, "Sí." Blinking her eyes as the man smiled at her in a grateful fashion, Carmelita couldn't help but frown. "I take it they got you too?"

Letting off a small sigh, the bovidae male nodded his head in response. "Yeah. Those jerks broke into our warehouse a little over two months ago. They jacked about a month's worth of frozen pizzas, TV dinners, and ice cream. They set us back something horrible." At least the insurance covered the loss of money, but the loss of stock was a whole different kettle of fish to deal with. They had so many upset vendors to deal with. "As far as I'm concerned, anyone who gets those two lowlifes off the streets is an upstanding A-Class citizen of Zootopia, even if they weren't born here."

"That is very kind of you to say, Mister..." the woman trailed off, realizing she never got the buck's name.

Smiling, the arctic prey mammal held out a hooved hand to her in greeting. "Randolph," he offered as she took his offered mitt and shook it. "Randolph Kringle... but you can call me, 'Randy' if you wish. The others are my brothers Blitz and Dash."

"YO!" One of the two male reindeer called out from further within the driver's cabin of the freezer truck as he was writing records of everything brought into the vehicle for liability insurance purposes.

Nodding her head, the woman chuckled as she continued to shake hands with the young deer, "Carmelita. Officer Carmelita Montoya Fox."

Smiling wider, the reindeer replied, "Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Officer Fox. You're definitely someone who makes the nice list in my book."

The Latina vulpine returned the courteous smile. "Muchos gracias but I was merely doing my job. I'm just glad that no one got seriously hurt." Well, save for Mr. Zerdan getting shot in the rear by a ricocheted slut. She hoped he was okay; it was going to be pretty painful for him to sit down for the time being.

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"Ow~wwwww..." Finnick whimpered as he shifted atop the donut the paramedics supplied him with in the front of his van. "This sucks!" He growled irritably. The only reason he was sitting out on helping with repairs was because it hurt to move around too much. Having literal fire applied to one's ass did that to a mammal.

"Don't worry! It's okay, babe," Cherry's voice cooed sweetly over the man's cell phone. "My sisters and I should be able to get off the clock soon. Then we can go and get a slice your favorite pizza parlor. Won't that be nice?"

"Yeah baby, it will be... it will be..." the desert fox replied with whimper. After the day he had, the fennec didn't wanted nothing more than to sleep. However, the chance to spend time with his girlfriend was always a plus.

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"Strange. I could have sworn I just heard Finnick..." Carmelita muttered quietly, only to end up blinking her bright brown eyes when she heard the reindeer laughing.

Looking over to the vixen, Randy queried, "Finnick... he's that little fox that was limping, right?" At the woman's nod he told her, "I believe he's off somewhere making a phone call to someone. Damn though, as painful as that looked I can't help but laugh."

The buck's brother Dash nodded his head in agreement with that. "Yeah. Still, we aren't heartless. We couldn't force the little guy to work, not after finding out his keister was basically set on fire to close that bullet hole."

Feeling a little relief at hearing the short vulpine was still okay, the policewoman replied, "Gracias. I appreciate you gentlemammals easing up on poor Mr. Zerdan. He took a bullet from that damned Mr. Pig's submachine gun..." she shook her head in disgust. "Heck, I took a few bullets too but at least I had a Kevlar vest to help me take the bastard down."

The driver's side down of the truck opening, another antlered mammal jumped out. Coming up to the trio that was gathered at the back of the vehicle, the third reindeer brought his hooved hand up to tilt his trucker hat up. "And down you certainly took him," Blitz spoke up excitedly as he joined in on the conversation. At the female fox's confused look, the reindeer explained, "Some of the security footage made it to the news. Cheeses H-for-Hummus Crackers! You beat the bloody Hache-Eee-Double Hockey Sticks out of him!"

Blushing slightly as she realized her rough treatment of the porcine prick made it to the airwaves, the Hispanic vulpine had the decency to feel embarrassed at letting her temper get the better of her. "Sorry. He just really... well... you saw what happened right?"

The trio of reindeer began laughing at the woman's humble nature when it came to the amazing arse-kicking she delivered. "No need to apologize to us, Officer!" The youngest of the trio replied; his red nose seemingly glowing for a moment. "What you did was incredible! Boars are such nasty bastards... and I mean when it comes to their temper. The fact you were able to bring one down by your lonesome was astounding!"

"Thank you, it's just..." Carmelita trailed off as she saw movement out of the corner of her eyes that wasn't mammals aiding in construction but still carrying equipment all the same. "What the..." she queried as she turned about to take a look at the van. "Is that what I think it is?"

Taking a look at where the Hispanic woman was turned to, the eldest of the brothers went wide-eyed as he realized what it was. "ZNN?" Dash asked in surprise. "What are they here?"

Blitz shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said as he watched as a pair of the camera-mammals began to get their equipment up and running. Tilting his head towards the direction of his youngest sibling, he told the younger buck, "Anyway, everything's good. We should get this to the warehouse for safe keeping."

"Right," Randolph replied. He turned his attention back to the uniformed vulpine woman and he smiled at her. "Now then, Officer Fox, unless you want to take a ride with us to Tundratown, I believe we need to head off." He blushed slightly as he admitted, "Although I wouldn't mind giving you a tour of the District in thanks for taking those jerks down. They were seriously becoming a menace."

Smiling back, the Latina lady replied, "No need to gout of your way for me, Señor Kringle. I was just doing what any officer of the ZPD would do."

"More like did what they should have done..." he mumbled under his breath. Taking a deep breath, he then said aloud, "Anyway thank you again for the assistance. I hope we see you around!"

"Adios!" The vixen chirruped as she stepped back from the vehicle as the trip of deer began to load up into it. She watched for a moment as the freezer truck took off before turning her attention back to the Cash Cow in general where a number of mammals were beginning to gather out of curiosity. Yes, there was indeed the ZNN news truck there, albeit this time there was a male Koala in a green suit and purple tie. While the colors reminded her of the Riddler from those Bathound Comics of Murray's, she recognized the news-reporter as David Koalabell immediately.

"Well hello there!" The well-dressed koala bear called out to some of the animals that were close by, causing Steve Bones to look at him as the Australian animal was the closest to him of everyone. "Any of you wish to be interviewed? We'd love to have this air tonight if possible."

"Uh... sure!" The hyena said as he stepped forward. "What do you need?"

Smiling as he held up his microphone closer to the man dressed in tattered clothes "Just answer a few questions is all. We'll be asking a few people and then air it tonight," the bear-like marsupial explained as his technicians got the cameras set up. "Ready?" The hyena nodded as more of the others were walking over to see what was going on.

Nodding his head, the Zebra holding the camera called out, "And we're on in three... two... and one!"

Immediately, the news-anchor burst into action. "This is David Koalabell, reporting to ZNN from the site of the Cash Cow in the Downtown District! We're here to interview a few of the citizens who are assisting with the repair to grocery store after the turn of events earlier this afternoon." Turning to the canid whose species was known for bouts of laugher, he gave the predator an award-winning smile and queried, "So, Mister..."

"Bones, Steve Bones," the punk predator introduced himself. "And if you're wondering, I heard that this place was attacked by that nasty wanted criminal boar Beebo and had to do something to help. I got a call from my pal Geoff Hortenson and then I called some of my pals up and we came down here as quickly as possible. That arse-face Beebo has robbed everyone here at one point or another and we're just helping a fellow victim of his crime spree in a show of solidarity…" he trailed off and before adding another fact. "Well, all of us except for her!" The hyena chirruped as he motioned to the uniformed fox. "She's the one who took down that bastard porker!"

Turning his attention towards where the canid carnivore was motioning, the petite prey mammal's eyes widened in both surprise and delight. "Say, is that Inspector Carmelita Fox of Interpol?" He queried in surprise. He had seen a number of reports on her–including his fellow ZNN correspondent Boi's interview–and was eager to get on the proverbial gravy train to news the people actually wanted!

Nodding his head, Steve replied, "Totes! That's her all right! ZPD's own Officer Fox!" He said with a bit of excitement before shouting at her direction, "OI! FOX! OFFICER FOX! GIT OVER HERE!"

Hearing a thick British accent shout over the crowds, the vixen blinked her eyes as she realized that perhaps the pair in front of the camera were calling to her. Bringing her right hand up and motioning to herself, the vixen inhaled deeply as she saw the man nod his head. "Duty calls..." she murmured as she made her way over to the ZNN newscaster and his pair of cameramen. When she was close enough, the Hispanic red fox called out, "Hola! What can I do for you?"

"Would you mind answering a few questions?" David asked, smiling as she shrugged in a nonchalant manner before nodding her head in affirmation. "Thank you, Officer. What can you say about everyone helping out here today?"

Looking back for a moment at the group of animals working on the damaged business, the vulpine then turned her attention back to the smaller news-anchor. "Honestly? I'm surprised to see so many citizens show up to help out," the vulpine woman admitted. "But at the same time, you can't help but feel hopeful, seeing everyone coming to help out, no matter who's in trouble." She gestured to some of the mammals who were working on the water pipes. "If we could all work together like this consistently, I have no doubt we could make the world a better place." She turned back to the reporter and his camera-crew, a smile on her muzzle. "Really, all I did is catch a bad apple and take him out of the bunch. It is the citizens of Zootopia who came together to help the store owners out after their store was shot up."

The small Australian mammal raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?" Mr. Koalabell queried. "So you would say that in this case, the citizens are the real heroes here?" Honestly, he was finding this woman to be a bit of fresh air. During his career, he had met a number of police officers, politicians, and animals of fame in general who would immediately take all the credit when something was going right. To meet one who could let the people have their day something new.

Nodding her head, Carmelita firmly replied, "Yes. They are the ones who organized everything, people Mr. Geoff Hortenson and Mr. Nicholas Wilde," she smirked. "Prey and predator respectively; both men worked together to gather all the help they could to aid an elderly couple who were also victim to the perpetrator of this crime and left in dire need." She took a deep breath. "Honestly? It's times like this and the actions of good animals trying to do right for one another that make me believe Zootopia actually can live up to its motto. That this really is the city where—"

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"—Predator and prey live in harmony and anyone can be anything!" The wide-eyed and excitable Judith L. Hopps exuberantly chirruped her love of the great city-state as she was carted along in the back of her father's baby blue '51 F-Series pickup truck–aka the, 'Ford Bunny-Built'–the rabbit not at all minding the fact that the first post-Zoo War II truck design from Ford had no shock absorbers to speak of whatsoever which caused her to end up being jostled back and forth with every little uneven curvature in the surface of the road. She was so deliriously giddy to be on her way to the Zootopia Police Academy that nothing could bring her mood down!

However, the passenger sitting in the back of her papa's truck with her, one Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether, did mind... particularly as the 1951 model switched the truck bed from an all metal floor to that of hardwood... and in being sixty-plus years old, that once prime wood had begun to splinter something horrible, her wool catching all kinds of slivers of wooden pain and giving her a constant pricking sensation against her skin. "That... that's the idea Jud~iiieee..." she squeaked out in pain as the pickup hit a yet another pothole and she could feel a whole mess of pin-like stabbing sensations against her fluffy tail.

Blinking her violet eyes at the shrill squeal that sounded out of the sheep's mouth, the little lapin lady turned her attention towards her fellow petite prey mammal. "Are you all right, Assistant Mayor?" She queried sweetly, worried about the safety of the lady who was helping her achieve her dream. "I know this isn't the most comfortable way to get to Zootopia but I promise we will get you there! Hopefully we have enough hay to cushion any rocking the flatbed might do."

Suppressing a twitch, Dawn nodded her head. Oh yes, the hay they included in the back was yet another problem she would have to deal with. The sheep was going to have to clean out of her wool to get it back to a pristine white condition after all the hay fibers got spun through it; a trip to the groomer's to make a date with a shearer might be in order too. "Oh I'm fine, Judy! Really!" She assured her fellow petite herbivore. "I appreciate you all giving me a ride back..." she trailed off as she refrained from adding, 'to civilization'. Either way, the sentiment of the statement was still true. She couldn't believe the Mayor fell through on his end to get her transportation back to Zootopia!

...Scratch that, I can totally believe it, Dawn mentally amended. The damned lion was such a bully to her! She understood that he had to deal with the city council but that didn't give him the right to take it out on her all the time! And worse, when he wasn't lashing out at her, he was tossing all his excess duties on her shoulders! Honestly, I should have made my own arrangement to get back to Zootopia, she thought with distress. At least if she had a chance to take a look at things beforehand, she would have discovered one actually had to buy a ticket for the Zootopia Express! She was so used to the free public transportation within the Districts that she had no clue one actually needed to pay to take the monorail into the city!

Still, the bespectacled woman could admit she was lucky the rabbit she had talked into joining the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was so grateful that she and her family were taking her to the city with them as they dropped her the girl at the academy... even if it meant riding a rickety death-trap that likely got worse mileage than any of the Sahara Square racecars the local camels drove. Oh yes, Mayor Lionheart and I are going to have a talk when I get back, Bellwether thought bitterly. Normally she didn't have the courage to stand up to the lion but having to spend days out in the Burrows with no money and the fact he wouldn't pick up his cell phone... well she as angry as she'd ever been! The instant she got back to the office, she was going to give him SUCH an earful! Or a pinch, she wasn't sure which.

Her dangerous train of thought was broken when the vehicle hit another one of the many potholes in the 211 miles between Bunnyburrow and Zootopia at just the right angle and speed that Ms. Bellwether found herself in the air and falling out of the truck. "HELP! NOOO!" She screamed as she grabbed the tailgate of the pickup. Her screams got more frantic as the tailgate opened up, but they didn't last long as straw started falling out of the back and into her mouth, caused her to spit and cough as she practically chocked on the deluge of hay.

Her violet eyes going wide as the bureaucrat was being dragged along the road, the lovely lapin lady pushed herself to the back window of the front cabin and began rapidly knocking on it to get the attention of her parents. "Mom! Dad! Stop the truck! Stop the truck!" She called out in alarm... only to realize her they couldn't hear her as they had country music playing on the radio as loud as it could–Billy Ray Cyruff if she wasn't mistaken. Rapping on the window harder, she shouted. "DAD!"

"Don't tell me my head, my empty auto-head... you know I wouldn't understa~aaaand," he sang merrily and terribly off-key. In being so loud, Stu Hopps and his wife missed the sounds coming from behind them as the greatest thing in Country during the Nintenies played, let alone the urgency in their daughter's voice.

"Muttonchops! Baby back ribs! Me~eeeeaaaaaaaaaaad!" Bellwether bleated out a wail of despair as she was dragged along the asphalt, her wool taking the brunt of the damage but absolutely ruining the cleanliness in the long-run...

*Splash*!

Poor woman didn't even see the mud-filled pothole coming.

"Ooooh!" Judy growled before jumping into action once more, doing her best to climb on top of the Ford's cab. Slipping a little due to the fact that such vehicles were never meant to be crawled around atop of–what with being metal boxes with a trailer on the back–to prevent things like manure, straw, or even tails from the various species that might be in the back from getting caught and trapped in something. While it was fairly ideal for shipping stuff, the rabbit found it made for a terrible jungle gym, especially when it was moving.

A few moments later, the young lapin with dreams of being a policewoman managed to get on top of the behicle. She then crawled forward, inch-by-inch before slid forward onto the front windshield. "STOP THE TRUCK!" She yelled at both of her folks in the tiny riding space.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Her parents screamed as her father slammed both of his big bunny feet on the brakes so hard that the tailgate lifted up and launched poor Bellweather up and over the truck and into a pile of soft, wet, and rather disgustingly smelly dirt with a massive splat!

Seeing the state the poor bovidae woman was left in, the young rabbit brought both her paws up to her face to stifle a gasp. Lowering them, she stared with wide-eyes as the woman laid there, twitching. "Oh my gosh!" Judy finally managed to say before jumping off the Ford. She then ran over to Miss Bellwether, feeling slightly relieved as the other woman had begun to sit up in the mess. "Miss Bellwether! Are you okay?"

Trying to wipe off her mud-covered glasses with the side of her hooves to clear them enough for some vision, the sheep looked up at the lapin lady, feeling slightly pleased that she was worried about her. "Yeah... I'll be fine," she replied knowing she'd gone through far worse than this when it came to taking care of things for Zootopia City Hall. "Thankfully all this mud softened my fall."

Upon hearing that, the gray-furred female rabbit came closer... and cringed, needing to take a step back as she caught a whiff of the smell. "Miss Bellwether, ma'am? I hate to tell you this but that's not mud." Taking another step back to get fresher air, she explained, "That's manure."

Blinking her eyes once, twice, the sheep slowly removed her manure-covered glasses outright to stare at the young bunny and the rabbits who were just starting to exit the pickup. "...Say what?" She squeaked out, hoping that her hearing had been playing tricks on her there.

The driver's side window rolling down, the Patriarch of the Hopps family called out, "It's like my daughter said... you see, we're in Cowslip County! This is the area where a lot of Zootopia's dairy goods are produced and that means a lot of feral cows... and feral cows make... well..." he reached his left arm out of the side and motioned to the sheep. "Well they just don't have the common decency us evolved animals do to use a toilet, you know?"

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" The woman called out in the proper sense, forgoing the generally acceptable rodent style of cursing in as brutal a manner as possible. An absolute disgusted and horrified appearance crossed her face. "I... I can't even... I... I..." she stammered, ready to go into a full mental meltdown.

Taking a deep breath, the woman stood by the passenger's side of the pickup and leaned in, reaching into the floor space. "Good thing we got some water." Mr. Hopps said as his wife pulled out a couple gallon jugs from the floor of the car. "Miss Bellwether, could you step away from the, 'cowpie'. We'll help wash it off."

"You... you will?" She looked at him hopefully as she stood up and carefully stepped out of the manure pile. "Why would you... how would you..." the Assistant Mayor trailed off, not sure if she should second-guess this show of hospitality.

Coming up beside the smaller sheep, the matronly lapin smiled. "We're always prepared," Mrs. Hopps explained to her. "Sometimes the radiator needs some water and sometimes you're working outside all day and need something to drink. We always carry about five gallons of water in this thing. Now we don't have much in the way of soap to help with the smell but hopefully..." she grunted as she began to lift the jug. "An impromptu shower will wash off the worst of it."

Jumping off the top of the pickup and into the flatbed, the daughter of the pair of farming rabbit opened her suitcase before pulling out a set of overalls her father made her pack. "It might not be much but you can have this. It'll be something clean you can change into for the ride," the gray-furred lagomorph replied as she held the garment up so it was in view of the poor manure-covered wooly woman's line of sight.

Looking up at the country clothing, the petite bovidae nodded her head. It was better than nothing to say the least. "Just hurry... please?" The sheep asked quietly, all but whimpering. The smell was really, REALLY bad and all she wanted to do was get it off of her, go home, shower and then shower some more, then sleep, then shower and hopefully she could actually feel a little bit clean once more.

As the matronly lapin began to do just that, dousing the woman in a slow deluge of water, one thought tugged at the back of the wool-covered woman's mind.

This was all Lionheart's fault...

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Sitting in the front passenger seat of the orange '71 Ford Lobos Edition Econoline van with side panels decked out in the themes of the Latin America Aztec culture as it tore down the roads of the Canyonlands District, Carmelita's gaze darted about the bottom of the deep ravine they drove; a walls of stone at either side of them as they had a between pairs of slightly sloping cliffs. While the animal-made geo-tabling pattern along the surface of the escarpments stunningly mimicked natural erosion, the homes that were carved into the walls of the landscape proved that they were indeed artificially-created structures. As they travelled, the Interpol Inspector on loan to the ZPD noticed that despite being considered a secondary part of the Sahara Square District, there was a distinct lack of camels in the area. Instead, this area was filled with a numerous coyotes–most of whom were clothed in Native American fashion like the wife the couple who had been running the Cash Cow had been–a number of donkeys, Barbary sheep, llamas, and aardvarks as well as much smaller mammals walking along specially designated pathways along rocky outcroppings such as cape ground squirrels, meerkats, Mauritanian shrews, and North African gerbils to name a few. "I take it this is where all those who couldn't afford to stay in Sahara Square proper but needed the dryer environment ended up."

It wasn't a question.

Still, the Latina beauty got an answer. "You bet your fluffy tail it is," the vertically-challenged driver of the vehicle replied from where he sat beside the much larger vulpine he currently shared the couch-styled front seat with–but not the hemorrhoid donut. "The Canyonlands, while indeed its own district, is still considered a part of Sahara Square District; much like how the Downtown and Little Rodentia areas are to Savanna Central," he was quick to explain. "Also it helps that the camels aren't as developed physically for the rockier terrain as a number of other desert mammals are. Sure, the centralized Oasis area which surrounds the Golden Palm Resort has all the glitz, glamor, high-end businesses, and spacious luxury homes to smack unsuspecting visitors upside the head with but the Canyonlands? This is what's left of the real Sahara; where all of the mammals who had been living down in the desert area ended up once the Saddle Arabians moved in and caused the value of their homes and more importantly, their taxes to rise higher than they could hope to afford. Here is where you'll find all the mammals who can remember the days when their Districts were known as, 'Snakeway Sands' and 'Reptile Rocks'."

The currently-suspended policewoman twitched at that bit of information. It was yet another reminder of the crimes Zootopia had wantonly committed in its past. However, as important as the history of this place was for reminding the Hispanic woman of just why she had accepted aiding the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, the vixen was still a bit distracted. Sure, the truth behind what shaped the world going on around her was interesting to note but the vulpine with navy blue-tresses couldn't help but keep darting her eyes to her left, gazing at the mammal driving the vehicle. "Finnick?" She said the desert fox's name calmly, not wanting to upset him as he was a stubborn person but she wanted to make certain of something. "I appreciate you hauling us out here but are you sure you don't want to let someone else drive? I mean..." her eyes darted further down to gaze upon the extra cushioning he was sitting atop. "You did have quite a stressful afternoon and this is quite the rocky road. I don't want you to end up hurt yourself further if it can be prevented."

His large ears flattening back, the petite predator grunted in irritation. "Listen here, Carmelita. I appreciate you worrying about me but here are three things we need to get straight," he began with a firm tone of voice. Despite her being a cop she had technically saved his life so he was willing to give her a pass. "First off, we call things like they are. In this case, I got shot in the ass! The paramedics shaved it, numbed it as best they could, and took the bullet out... before overwhelming me with a sensation that felt like a hot poker because frankly, I wasn't numbed enough for that level of pain!"

Her own ears pulling back against her scalp to where they practically disappeared into her hair, the female red fox could only tell him, "Lo siento, Finnick," the woman apologized to the tiny tod as he kept his hands on the wheel, keeping the vehicle steady as they made their way through the rocky terrain. "I just worry about you. I mean this isn't the best driving conditions and you're still recovering."

"That's the second thing," the fennec continued in response. "The van is my baby. No one else drives it, period. I had to hand-tool these damn gas and brake extension pedals with my own paws, so it's best suited for me and no one else. So yes, I'll handle it. I mean, that's what I got this fudgin' hemorrhoid donut for." His eyes darted to his right to look up at the larger vulpine and he smirked. "But hey, look at it this way, Miss Fox. If I ever and I mean ever finally broke down and had to let someone else take a turn behind the wheel of my baby, there's a better chance of it being you than Wilde."

"Say what!?" A male voice called from the back. The head of the pawpsicle hustler came forward over the backrest, between both the female red fox and the male desert fox. "You can't mean that, Finnick! We've known each other for decades while you've only known Carmelita here a few days!" He brought his right arm up and thumbed over at the vixen. "You'd really trust her behind the wheel over me?"

Mr. Zerdan didn't even need to think before replying, "Yes."

Smiling a little, Carmelita couldn't help but bark out a laugh as the male red fox pouted. "Don't worry, Nicholas. If he knows you so well, it only means he cares about you."

Turning his head to the right to look at the lovely vixen, Nick couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in a questioning fashion. "No offense to you, my fine Officer Fox. You are a great police officer, the best I've ever known... but you obviously aren't as good a detective as you think you are if that is the reason you came up with." The Hawaiian shirt-clad mammal didn't even need to check to see if his illegitimate business partner was nodding his head in agreement. The con-mammal merely knew the smaller predator was. After all, they were as in-sync as a pair of heterosexual business partners could get!

Really!

...

...That was his story and he was sticking to it!

Shaking her head good-naturedly at the pair of vulpine males, the Hispanic red fox replied, "Okay, okay... I get it. No need to drive home the fact in stereo," she told the pair with a slight hint of a teasing tone to her voice. "But tell me something, Finnick. What is the third thing I should know?"

"Right," the fennec began as the male red fox began to lean away from the backrest of the front seat. "The third and most important thing is to not worry about me. I might be small but don't underestimate me for a second, Miss Fox! When push comes to shove, I can handle myself. Hell, I've been doing it nearly all my life! I'm used to having the worst come my way and I know how to pick myself up. Getting shot in the ass hurt my wallet more than it did physically."

Once again, the smaller vulpine managed to catch the attention of his fellow canid con-mammal. "You sure?" Wilde chirruped from the back of the van. "You were screaming rather loudly back at the Cash Cow..." he brought up in a teasing fashion. "Hard to believe the hundred and fifty dollar bill they gave you for the on-the-spot surgery was all that terrible."

His lip curling back across the left side of his muzzle as he snarled, the petite predator's fingers clenched around the steering wheel tight enough to make the faux-leather exterior creak. Taking a deep breath to calm himself before he flipped out and did more damage to his rear in a tirade, he heatedly replied, "Oh shut your trap, Wilde! You of all animals should know better than that. We don't need to lose money to unnecessary stuff that could have been avoided!" In this case, the desert fox really, really could have done without getting shot in the posterior.

Clasping his paws together, the tie-wearing vulpine made a steeple shape with his index fingers in front of his muzzle. Tapping his index fingers together, the male red fox mulled over that for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "True enough, big guy," he honestly admitted. "I don't know if there's a heaven, I don't know if there's a hell, but what I do know is the only god that everyone worships around Zootopia is the almighty dollar."

That seemed to be what the smaller carnivore needed to hear; the large-eared fox's snarl shifting to a grin as he let out a hearty laugh much like the vixen had earlier. "Preach on, Brother Wilde!" Finnick chimed out merrily; the mammal calming down considerably. After all, he could rest easier whenever the other fox began to talk some sense. Those were the times when the desert fox didn't have to worry about the taller vulpine doing something stupid like sharing emotions or thinking... both of which were incredibly detrimental to their line of work.

Shaking her head in exasperation, Carmelita couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Dios bueno..." as the pair laughed with each other over their shared love of cash. Switching back to English, the vulpine woman then spoke aloud, "Really? I can understand that things haven't always been the best for foxes in Zootopia but there's more to life than money." That was one thing she had to admit about the Cooper Gang. A lot of their thefts had nothing to do with the actual monetary value of their heists but the thrill of the challenge, the camaraderie shared, and the chance to make the world a better place in their own unique albeit highly illegal way. She didn't condone it but at least these days the Hispanic vixen could admit she understood the logic behind their actions. Nick and Finnick on the other paw, were a whole other kettle of fish. "I mean, when it comes down to it money can't buy an animal happiness."

"You're right about that Carm, it certainly can't," Nick admitted from behind her. Coming forward so he rested his arms atop the backrest of the van's front seat, the male red fox then brought his chin down atop of them so his head was right next to the lovely Latina lady's. "But the fact remains that it can buy a mammal peace of mind and a good night's sleep. In Zootopia, the simple rule of life is that cash is king of the concrete jungle."

Pumping his left arm, the tiny tod in the driver's seat couldn't help but merrily chime, "Testify! Testify!" Thank Gouda All-Bitey! Nick was finally starting to sound like his old self again! And to think, all it took was a near-death experience, the fennec thought with an internal chuckle. Leave it to nearly kicking the bucket to put life into perspective.

The Hispanic red fox frowned at how both of her fellow foxes seemed okay with how their lives were. She found it odd after how Nick had been so forthcoming with her, but the off-duty police officer was willing to chalk it up to the fact that he had survived a violent armed robbery and was all of altruism for the time being after setting up the refurbishing of the coyote couple's store. Honestly, she was surprised Finnick was still his usual crass self despite actually having actually taken a bullet. Better get them off this topic and onto something better, the vixen thought before speaking aloud, "So... tell me again why we're going to Tundratown when Savanna Central has at least two dozen pizza restaurants listed in the directory?"

"Because Largo's Pizza is the best in all of Zootopia," Finnick replied firmly. "Cherry introduced me to the place on our third date and I've only gone to other places out of convenience. But with the day I've had and the fact you're buying?" He chuckled in a rather devious fashion thanks to his deep baritone voice. "Oh, we're going to make a night of it!"

"Speaking of Cherry," the male red fox spoke up from where he leaned forward between the two sitting in the front seat. Idly scratching his chin with his upturned right hand, Wilde had to ask, "Did you manage to get ahold of her?"

A smile blossoming on his face, the desert fox nodded his head. "Yep!" He chirruped happily. "Her boss was kind enough to give her the night off after he heard what happened or something like that," the fennec explained. "She and her sisters should be meeting us there at some point." Turning his head to the right slightly, he gazed past his partner and zoned in on the vixen in the front seat with him. "I hope you don't mind that I invited my girlfriend and her sisters. I figured it would do you some good to meet a few more foxes." Well that and after what happened he really needed to cuddle up with his sweet Cherry more than anything.

The vixen opened her mouth to reply, only to wince at the bright light that suddenly blinded her as they pulled out of the Canyonlands District; the cliff-sides giving way to the arid open skies and sunny desert heat of Sahara Square. Carmelita had to raise her right hand, waving herself as the van's air-conditioner suddenly wasn't enough to combat the rising temperature–especially since she had been talked into dressing for colder climate and had a long-sleeve turtleneck shirt on underneath her jacket. Taking a moment to gather her wits, the vixen was quick to reply, "I don't mind. The more the merrier, I guess. It would be nice to meet a few more foxes." Females in particular too! She was curious as to how they had been fairing in Zootopia, all things considered.

"Great!" Finnick replied, the mammal the happiest the Latina vulpine had seen him, causing her to wonder if he suffered from bipolar personality disorder. "I think you two are going to get along great! Cherry is a sweetheart in every sense of the word! Despite how bleak things can get, she's always looking on the bright side, unafraid to call things out for what they are while being bright and cheery!"

A chuckle reverberating in his throat, Nicholas interjected, "Basically, she's sweet enough for two people and they happen to balance each other out quite nicel~EEEE!" The male red fox cried out as he fell back, bringing both his hands over his nose after the desert fox smacked him with the back of his right first.

"Don't distract the driver, Wilde," was the fennec's response as he brought his paw back to the steering wheel as he turned them onto a more crowded lane of traffic. There was a haze wafting in the air just above the asphalt road from how hot it was getting but fortunately, the presence of numerous expensive vehicles was helping to cut through it. "And remember to sit down and buckle your seatbelt when the vehicle is in motion. Standing up is just unsafe!"

Needless to say, Carmelita was quite alarmed at that. Turning about in her seat as much as she could to the left, the vulpine woman looked over her shoulder at her fellow red fox. Seeing him on the floor and realizing he'd been truly knocked on his butt. "Nick! Are you all right?" She asked, genuinely worried for the man. She had seen the desert fox punch the man now and then before but that had been a genuine attack. That was something the vixen couldn't let stand!

Rubbing his nose for a few more moments, the fox in a green Hawaiian shirt lowered his right hand as he heatedly told his shady business partner, "You don't have any seatbelts back here. It's a mini-bachelor pad!" He sniffled audibly to clear his nostrils; the fox's nose twitching left and right as he did so. Realizing the good Inspector was still staring at him, the crimson-pelted canid was quick to assure her with a plea, "Hey now, you don't have to worry about me. I'm used to his temper tantrums by now."

Realizing that Nicholas was okay, the off-duty ZPD officer turned her attention back to the much smaller vulpine. Seeing the unrepentant expression on his face, the Latina beauty frowned in irritation. "Finnick!" The vixen snapped his name angrily. "I can't believe you just hit Nick like that! He was just making a joke! A joke!" When no answer was forthcoming, the orange-pelted predator sighed as she realized he was being petulant about the whole thing. So taking a deep breath and counting backwards, Carmelita began to talk once more, this time in a much calmer fashion. "Look, Mr. Zerdan. I know you've had a rough day but you can't just go hitting your friends like that! That strike went beyond being simple friendly macho posturing."

Continuing to drive the van through the desert traffic, the tiny tod tapped his fingers along the rim of his steering wheel, stalling for time as he considered what she said. "I know I have a bit of an anger problem but you said it yourself. This is not my day. So please, let's just drop it like I dropped Wilde before he could become more of an asshole than his usual charming self and just look forward to the pizza we have ahead of us." He took a sharp turn off the left of the road he was using, causing Nick to yelp out in the back as he went rolling.

Leaning forward and putting her hands to the dashboard to steady herself, the vixen had to grit her teeth. Don't get angry with him, she reminded herself. These guys have had it harder than you. Obviously this is just a coping mechanism. He and Nick will be fine. Just don't try and push his buttons further or else he'll get us all killed, the Latina vixen mentally told herself before settling back into her seat as the ride got smoother. She raised an eyebrow as she looked ahead to the windshield and saw they were heading to the climate wall. At least we're almost there, she thought with some measure of growing relief.

Coming forward and leaning over the backrest of the front seat once more, the male red fox looked down at his buddy with a raised eyebrow. "I take it jokes concerning Cherry are now off the table?" He chirruped. "Honestly, I didn't realize you loved her that much. I think you actually hit me harder than you normally do when I make any wisecracks about your height." He chuckled as he quipped, "I didn't think you could get any shorter with me."

Rolling her eyes, the vixen let off a small sigh of relief. The attack must have looked worse than it actually was if the man was already trying to bait his partner almost immediately. Well, either that or he's just used to such abuse by now, she thought sadly.

Understandably, all the fennec could say in response as they entered the tunnel was, "Smartass." He would have taken the time to smack the taller fox once again, but the policewoman was getting antsy and he needed to keep his attention on the road now. Once they got through, he was going to be on the ice roads of Zootopia's most frigid district. Being a desert mammal himself, the heated arid atmosphere of Sahara Square felt more like home than anywhere else in the city-state–even with all those darn camels around! On that same note, it always felt like he was going into an alien world whenever he had to come to this icy hell but he would cross it and back if it meant getting to spend time with his girl.

Finally exiting out on the other side of the tunnel that went straight through the climate wall that separated the two truly opposite districts, the Ford Lobos van came out into the Tundratown side of things. Finnick frowned because, as usual, the cold weather was in full effect to cater to the various mammals whom thrived in such an environment; the snow machines currently going full blast to give the locals a nice snow-storming atmosphere at the moment. "Snow..." he grumbled irritably. "Always snow."

"Well, it makes sense," the female vixen to his right chirruped. "I mean, the entirety of the district–including the buildings–is made of ice. Shoot, even the fountain at the plaza releases a deluge of snow rather than water." She had taken a trip a couple of days ago with Benjamin as part of her tour of Zootopia but now that McHorn had filled her in on a few things, the actual look to the icy part of the city made sense. Yes, the number of the roofs looked like pieces of glaciers that fell off the granddaddy that sank the Titanic, and the streets were no better than crevasses in a sheet of snow but there was also a lot of Russian influence to be had. Particularly the cues from Imperial Russia she could see dominating the landscape as a lot of the carved ice roofs were the onion domes of the Kremlin that were luxuriously decorated in the baroque style that Catherine the Great was a fan of. It also didn't hurt that the Russian Renaissance was known for constructing their important buildings, as a rule, from white brick or whitestone; snow making an excellent substitute for such. And one of the few things that weren't snow, in this case the windows, were the circular stain-glass artworks that were notably used during the Russian Byzantine revival in church architecture.

Really, Carmelita was almost expecting the State Anthem of the Russian Federation to start playing over hidden loudspeakers at any moment.

Well, either that or Eskimo penguins would show up and fight the local polar bears in an epic battle that included spears, trout, and caviar.

Why the thought about something like that, the vixen had no clue. However, it was a rather amusing mental image all the same.

Eventually, the van started to come to another icy section of the Tundratown District, one that she was surprised to see was a bit more... colorful. Of course, the expanse of white was predominant but there were a few splashes of red and green, making the vixen think of the Christmas season. What truly stood out to the Latina fox, surprisingly enough, was the fact that she could see a number of mammals in the open that weren't indigenous to the frozen North. A number of ursine citizens that weren't the polar variety were trudging about as well as a few elephants... the pachyderms all decked out in very thick winter coats and heavily-padded jackets and pants. Mammals that had the body mass to help them withstand the cold.

"And welcome to Tundratown's, 'Little Italy'," Nicholas said as he leaned over the front seat of the van once more, pleased to see the awe in the vixen's lovely face. "I mean, sure! It might seem like nothing compared to Zootopia's real Little Italy up in the Canal District but they made a nice little satellite area all the way out here."

Considering that little tidbit of information, Carmelita chirruped, "Well Northern Italy is rather mountainous. There is a lot of colder culture associated with the country that most mammals don't think about because of all the usual stereotypes that are entrenched in the ZSA culture thanks to movies like the Dogfather. It's really no surprise that some of it would have taken root here in the coldest part of Zootopia."

Hearing the woman talk about a certain film caught the smaller driver's attention. "Oh? You know that movie?" Finnick asked, slightly surprised that a cop would enjoy a story that practically romanticized the concept of organized crime.

A small smile graced the vixen's muzzle. "Yes, it's a classic," Carmelita said as she nodded to him. When he continued to stare at her, the Hispanic vulpine raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you think that Europeans don't get those movies?"

The desert fox immediately shook his head. "No, no... it's just..." he trailed off, stumbling over words for a moment. Taking a breath to get a moment to gather his thoughts, the tiny told replied, "I know how hard it is to get good movies from one area of the world to another." Oh yes, he could remember how it took over eight years for that one movie that he had wanted that was in Japan to come out in Zootopia. By the time it did, the box office receipts were horrendous because the interest had died down, preventing the others in the series to get released out West. At least there's piracy, he thought with relief.

Thinking of which, he really needed to catch up with Duke to see what the bootlegger had in stock these days. It had been awhile since he checked out the weasel's wares and he might find something to interest Cherry and him with for an evening.

Still, that was something he could do that later. Seeing a snowy structure that had the Italian flag flapping in the wind as it hung by the door on a horizontal mast, the fennec pulled the van up into one of the open parking spaces long the frozen curbside. "All right, people! We're here!" He chirruped, refraining from turning off his vehicle for the time being to give them a few more moments to appreciate the heater. "Wilde! Hand me my jacket!"

"Sure, sure," the male red fox replied as he withdrew from the backrest of the front passengers' seat. Turning about and gazing around the smaller vulpine's homestead, he caught sight of a yellow ski jacket–child's size, naturally–crumbled up in the corner. Picking it up, he flapped it out a few times to straighten it out. "Is it this yellow thing?" He called out to the front of the '71 Ford Lobos where the other two were.

"Yeah!" Finnick called out in response. There was no way he was going out there without his jacket on. Considering his desert-acclimated biology, he ran the risk of freezing to death in the literal sense! True, he wouldn't mind seeing some females go without a jacket–it was always a nice reaction when they got blasted by cold after all–and if he was honest with himself, that was part of what drew him so strongly to Cherry in the first place. As this was her neighborhood, well... she went in more natural, conservative clothes. To think, a desert mammal like him would end up with an arctic mammal like her. The Gods must have been screwing with them but he wasn't going to complain.

So taking the jacket from his illegitimate business partner, the fennec settled himself within the warming depths of it. "All right, last call! We all ready for Largo's Pizza?" He called out to the pair in the van with him as he zipped himself up.

"Hell yes, we are!" Nick cheered. With the afternoon they had, they had missed lunch and then had kept working! Oh yes, he earned this pizza. "Don't forget to bring your hemorrhoid donut with you! Soft as some of those seats are, I doubt your rear could handle it right now."

Twitching at the reminder, the petite predator glared at the smarmy red fox. Yes, Zerdan knew he would have to, but did his jerk of a fellow con-mammal have to bring it up? "Just watch yourself. You keep this up and I just might kick you hard enough that you'll need one too!"

"You'd break your foot, dislocate your hips, and need a trip to the ER for a month if you did that." Nick shot back, grinning as Finnick's ears flattened at that. Ah, the wonders of being taller. Maybe that was why the little guy managed to get along so well with Carmelita. With her height, he didn't even fool himself into thinking he could put on a show of dominance.

"..." The fennec continued to twitch in irritation, unable to come up with a good comeback. Screw it. Maybe that near death experience was the worst thing for my fellow con-mammal, he decided before turning to his right to look up at the taller female fox. When he realized he had her attention, the sandy-furred vulpine gazed at her with a raised eyebrow. "...Miss Fox, do you mind smacking my partner for me?"

Considering that for a moment, a small smile played on the vixen's lips. "No thank you, Finnick. As much as I would have fun with that, I have a feeling Nick might appreciate it far too much."

A wide blossomed on the Hawaiian-shirted vulpine's features. "Guilty as charged," the pawpsicle hustler shot back as he let off another laugh. "Now come on, people! We need to do less talking and eat more pizza!"

Nodding her head in agreement, the Latina beauty replied, "Excellent idea." So saying, the vixen with navy blue tresses reached to her right and opened the passenger's side door to Mr. Zedan's van and jumped out, her boots causing snow to scatter as her feet firmly planted against the ground. Turning about to close the door behind her, she then made her way up to the entrance of the establishment, her ears twitching as she could already pick up the sound of Italian music playing from inside; the windows alit with a warm and welcoming glow of light. It seemed like a nice place from the outside at least.

Upon opening the door and entering the pizzeria, Carmelita found herself genuinely surprised to say the least. While she had been expecting the whole structure to be carved of ice and snow, like Officer Clawhauser had said a number of the places around here were, this restaurant in particular had stone walls and wooden floors on the interior. Solid, stable materials that were more along the lines of what she was used to!

Seeing the mixed expression of confusion and relief on the vixen's face as he came in after her, Nicholas couldn't help but allow a mischievous smile to play across his muzzle. "While I understand you might have been expecting something a bit more on the chilly side of things, I believe you should know that not all of the Tundratown District plays to the completely frozen stereotype. In the places that have to deal with a lot of heat and/or are run by animals who don't originate from the Arctic Circle, they like to use more traditional materials for structural foundations and building frames to increase the integrity of the structure's stability. So in a place that needs a hot oven for cookking, you're definitely going to need a lot of stone to make sure the place doesn't come crashing down on us."

The vulpine woman nodded her head, acknowledging what her fellow red fox was telling her. "That's good," Carmelita murmured as she continued to gaze around the restaurant, seeing so many tables and chairs and booths... all of which had a well-used look to them. "So where are we going to—"

"Finny!" A female voice suddenly yelled out, interrupting the suspended policewoman's inquiry and causing the trio to turn in time to see the source of the cry being a female Arctic fox; the white-pelted vulpine woman running up to them. "Oh, my poor baby!" She cried out as she gave the smaller carnivore a tight hug. "I hope you're not hurting too much."

The tall Hispanic vixen blinked her eyes as a lovely white-pelted female vulpine got down to her knees and embraced the smaller fox... although admittedly the woman wasn't that much bigger than the fennec, possibly only a head taller than him. It made female red fox chuckle as she realized that they had a full set of head heights with this new girl added to the mix: Finnick, then this girl, followed by Nick, and finally herself. "So Finnick," the Interpol beauty piped up. "I take it this is the infamous, 'Cherry' I keep hearing about?" She queried as the two continued to hug and cuddle there, the tundra vixen practically dragging the desert fox to the floor atop his circular cushion.

Realizing his somewhat-pal was in no condition to answer, the taller male vulpine happily supplied the information Carmelita. "Of course," Nick answered. "I admit, when I first met her, I was half-expecting her to have more of a reddish coat after hearing her name." Still, at least Cherry was a nice gal even if a bit ditzy at times. Completely unlike her sister—

"Wilde," A gruff female voice spoke up from beside him.

It took everything he had to suppress the shudder he could feel wanting to squirm its way up his spine. "...Angeline..." the male fox greeted through slightly gritted teeth. "Pleased to meet you. I wasn't expecting you to join us tonight." Green eyes carefully watching as the woman retrieved a package of cigarettes and a lighter from her purse, he queried, "Since you're here, does that mean..." he trailed off, not sure he should talk about the third sister in front of Carmelita.

Nodding her head in affirmation to the man's unspoken inquiry, the Arctic vixen replied, "Yes, Wilde. Vanilla is here too." She thumbed over to one of the tables. "We couldn't exactly get real time off on such short notice but we were able to be given the task to take Morris out for dinner. Been awhile since he's had pizza and his father couldn't say no to him when he asked." Even as she said that, Angeline looked at the taller vixen and then back at Nick. Her icy blue eyes shifted back and forth between the two for a moment before a small but insidious smile actually curled on her muzzle. "Well, well... new girl, huh? This promises to be a rather... fun night for you... won't it, Nicky?"

Hearing the shorter woman say something as cryptic as that, Carmelita raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "...Pardon?" She asked, wanting to know what the other woman was getting at.

Flicking at the trigger of her lighter a few times to get a flame going, the vixen used her other hand to slip a cigarette free from the package that was hanging out the open top of her purse. "Oh, it's nothing much really. I just can't wait to see how he screws things up this time."

Watching as the woman lit a cigarette for herself, both Nick and Carmelita went flush with embarrassment at what she was insinuating. While Wilde found himself stammering in denial, it was the female red fox who more sternly answered, "We're not like that. Nicholas is a friend and has been helping me get settled in Zootopia since I arrived."

The lithe and lovely Arctic fox nodded her head at that explanation. "Ah, so you're like my eldest sister; check him out and see how much of a loser he is so you don't get drawn into that hot mess that is, 'walking the Wilde side'. Good on you, girl..." she trailed off thoughtfully as she genuinely praised the woman. She then finally lit her cigarette before taking a solid drag.

Raising an eyebrow as she watched the other female fox exhale a cloud of smoke shaped in a perfect ring, the Inspector from Interpol slowly turned her head to look over at her fellow red fox. "...'Take a walk on the Wilde side'?" She queried in a most curious fashion, wanting to know the story behind that statement.

His shoulders sagging as he let off a small groan, the male vulpine couldn't help but cringe at having that quote thrown back in his face. "Don't ask... I was desperate at the time," Nick groused, shaking his head in dismay.

And that was when he heard it. A familiar, melodious female voice call out, "Nicholas P. Wilde? Is that you?"

Going stiff as a board, the crimson-pelted canid turned about to see that yes, the eldest of the triplets was indeed there. "Hello, Vanilla..." he greeted her nervously as he held up his right paw and waved at her in a nervous greeting. Technically the last in a long line of girlfriends, even if they were never officially together... but it made him feel nervous to have her in the same place as Carmelita all the same.

And he wasn't sure why.

Offering him a gentle smile, the white-furred vixen with black paws looked up at him with those icy blue eyes she shared with her identical twin sisters. "You're looking well. Are you finally eating better?" She asked curiously as her eyes darted over his frame, noticing he seemed to be putting on enough weight that she didn't see the outline of his ribs. "I was always worried about your eating habits." Left unsaid was, 'there's more to life than top ramen'.

Catching onto the woman's worry for his health, the canid male brought his right paw up behind his head and scratched the back of his neck. "Eh... just a little bit, I guess." Honestly, Nick wasn't sure how to respond and this was starting to get kind of awkward.

An awkwardness that was fortunately broken by the cry of, "UNCLE NICKY!"

It was that moment Wilde found himself tackled to the floor by 80 lbs. of polar bear cub muscle. "OOPH" The fox yelped as he was being hugged by a bear that was as big as he was if not an inch or two taller. Blinking his eyes, it took a moment for the mammal but he realized he recognized the younger predator. "...Morris?" He laughed as the cub hugged righter. "Well I'll be! It is you, squirt! You got BIG!" He praised as the kid moved them to a sitting position, the young ursine still holding tight.

Nodding his head excitedly, the youth replied, "Yep! I haven't seen you in forever, Uncle Nicky! How come you don't come by Papa's no more? I miss playing with you and Uncle Finny!"

"Ah, we've just been really busy, scamp," Nick reassured him. "It's not like I'm trying to avoid you or your family, we just haven't been able to find time to come up," he told the young polar bear who was so much larger than the last time he saw him. "Cripes though... you're getting bigger kid! Last I saw you, you were as sm—big as Finnick!" He chirruped, correcting himself so he didn't set off his partner.

Blinking his eyes, the kid let up on his hug. "Where is Uncle Finny?" He chirruped as he began to look around... only to pause as his eyes were drawn to the tall vixen he had missed seeing earlier. "And who is this pretty lady?" He asked as he gazed upon the new fox in awe. He couldn't place it but there was just something about her that looked familiar...

Carmelita smiled at him. "Hola, my name is Carmelita Fox. I'm pleased to meet you, young one," she said as she bent down slightly to offer him her hand in greeting.

Finally releasing his hold of the male fox outright, the young polar bear reached out and took her offered mitt into both his paws. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Fox! Do you want to have dinner with us? Papa gave us money for pizza!" He chirruped in excitement.

Smiling, the Hispanic vixen told the white-furred predator cub in a sweet voice, "That is very generous of you but I promised I would pay for my friends' pizza. Still, if you don't mind sharing a table we would be more than happy to eat with you and the others." She looked up past the boy and gazed about at the trio of Arctic vixens. "That is, if you ladies don't mind?"

Considering that offer for a moment, Angeline shrugged nonchalantly in response. They had arrived so Cherry could have some more time with her boyfriend, but she wouldn't mind. Why, this would be amusing as all hell!

"I'd be happy too!" Cherry chirruped ever as sweetly as her name implied, standing up so she could allow Finnick to get off the icy-cold floor of the Italian eatery. "We got a big booth to use; more than enough room for all of us."

Nodding her head, the eldest sister replied, "Sure. I wouldn't mind." She smiled in the direction of the orange-pelted vulpine. "In fact, it would give us a chance to get to know Miss Fox here," she said pointedly. She was rather curious as to the story behind her and Wilde.

Realizing they were all going to be eating together and have a chance to compare their own experienced with him, Nick mentally groaned. Oh, this was going to be a lo~ooong night.

He almost hoped there would be an interruption.

Fortunately, the male red fox got one in the form of the owner of the pizza parlor coming out from the back of the restaurant to greet the group. The bright chocolate-colored fur of the Marsican brown bear in dress shirt, jeans, and apron stood out considerably against the bright white and snow of the cold environment the eatery was built. "He~eeeeeeeey! I thought I heard some familiar voices!" He laughed as he clapped his paws together. "Looks like little Morris and all the foxes are here tonight..." he trailed off as his gaze was drawn to the tallest vixen among the group. "Plus one!" He bent forward slightly, practically crowding the off-duty Interpol Inspector. "And who may I ask are you, lovely lady?"

Smiling, Wilde nodded his head. Yes, this would certainly do. "Matteo!" He addressed the large ursine. "It's always good to see you get your butt out of the kitchen! And good timing too," he praised the larger predator as he motioned over to his fellow red fox. "I would like to introduce you to my friend, Miss Carmelita Fox. Carm? This is Matteo Largo, the proprietor of Largo's Pizza."

Gazing up at the Italian mammal, the vixen nodded her head. "Hola," Carmelita said in greeting as she smiled at the bear. "This is a lovely place you have here. The place actually managed to surprise me when I first walked in." It was still a bit odd to her, but she wasn't going to complain, it was pretty nice inside and warmer than she expected it to be.

Smiling, the large bear took her right hand into both his massive paws and lifted it up; the man craning his head to kiss the back of her mitt. "Grazie, bella volpe! Grazie!" Releasing her paw, the portly predator straightened up to his full height. "It took a bit of doing but we Italians are slowly but surely carving our own little niche in the ice of Tundratown." He motioned about the establishment with a wave of his massive, muscled arm. "This place? It's my passione! I worked very hard to make it a nice hangout for the locals and it's begun to catch on with the locals quite nicely." As much as they loved their cold homes, everyone enjoyed a hot meal.

"My, my... such a gentlemammal!" Carmelita smiled while bringing her free hand up to her cheek. "But, yes, I can see that." The Latina vulpine replied as she looked around the restaurant once more. "It feels nice and cozy in here." Which in her opinion, was as plus. Most places to eat felt like they were just a place to sit down, have a meal, and get going instead of a place one could sit and have a discussion about anything or hang out to relax with friends and loved ones.

"Thank you for the compliment and may I say it's nice to meet you. Are you Nicholas' new girlfriend?" He queried innocently. With his attention on the vixen before him, he completely missed the horrified expression on the male red fox's face... although his ear did twitch at the sound of Angeline laughing in a most fiendish fashion. Ugh! That sound always sent chills down his spine worse than the cold could manage.

To her credit, Inspector Fox just smiled and blushed slightly. "No, I'm not his girlfriend," she said calmly, feeling a little sad that the portly bear seemed to pout at that; obviously he was the romantic sort of anima. "I will admit that he is a great person to have around if you need some help."

Cherry nodded her head in agreement to that statement and chirruped, "He is quite the handymammal. A real Mr. Fix-It in all ways... except plumbing. The guy can't handle plumbing to save his life," she said in all seriousness as she continued to cuddle with her desert fox boyfriend. "Unlike my Finny-pooh, here! Finny is GREAT with plumbing!"

Smirking deviously at the set-up her sister unintentionally made for her, the middle child of the Arctic vixen triplets took a deep drag of her cigarette to gather her wits. Taking a moment to exhale, she then added, "Very. Wilde is so bad with plumbing that he gets it flowing in reverse," she teased deviously.

The youngest sister nodded her head, innocently replying, "Yep, it's true! Last time he tried, he caused the opening to just reject that flaccid wienie outright! Spat it out hard and fast, that it was just a useless effort on our part to try and get it back in there!" She said, remembering when that tofu hotdog first got stuck in there and clogged the sink drain. Although that reversed garbage disposal now made for an excellent impromptu snow maker at parties. Throw a block of ice in and ta-dah! Instant snow!

The middle sister snickered at hearing that one. "Oh yes! I remember how he screwed it up so badly that it only accepted tacos instead of wienies."

"Um... what?" The youngest sister chirruped, sounding confused as her elder sister smirked at her. The Arctic vixen considered that and remembered the event. "Ah! You're right!" That was how they discovered it worked as a great ice-shaver. In trying to prove he had 'fixed' it, the man had thrown out a half-eaten burrito that had been in the back of the fridge for two weeks. "I just Wilde would have stayed to clean up the mess he made."

A smile firmly plastered on her muzzle, the middle-child of the vixen triplets nodded her head. "Yep! He just the sort that can't stay to make things right," Angel replied. Oh by Gouda, how she loved her younger sister's naivety sometimes. And the way that Finnick was laughing his furry–or half-furred if the story about one cheek being shaved for surgery was indeed true–butt off let her know that at least someone could appreciate comedy done at the expense of the so-called 'Slick Nick'.

His shoulders sagging as his head lowered in defeat, the male vulpine let out a small, sad, exasperated sigh. "Could we... could we stop, please? Animals are staring," Nick muttered, rubbing his forehead with his right paw. He REALLY didn't want to be reminded of his past failures like this.

Especially not in front of Carmelita.

As if sensing the dread the man was feeling, the taller Hispanic vixen took a step towards her fellow red fox, gently placing her left hand on his shoulder. "There, there..." the taller woman cooed, trying to let Nicholas know it was all right. "If it makes you feel any better, my boyfriend wasn't all that good with plumbing either."

Yep, that was Sly Cooper. Master Thief, Gentlemammal Criminal, Suave Charmer, Interpol Elite... and the Shittiest Mr. Fix-It that ever lived! Within the first two months of living together, it had become rather obvious to her that Bentley was definitely the brains of the operation!

At least the turtle was kind enough to fix the toilet in the guest bathroom for her once Sly went missing.

Angeline fell over laughing as she heard that. She wasn't sure if Carmelita knew what they were talking about, but it was way too funny with the previous context.

Nick blinked his bright green eyes once, twice, thrice. He also didn't know if Miss Fox was playing along with the context of the Arctic vixen's prank or being honest but either way... it gave him hope! Blushing enough that it managed to add a glow to his already crimson facial fur, the pawpsicle hustler managed to reply, "Uh... thank you, Carm. That actually helps."

"No problem, Nicholas," the Latina vulpine gave his shoulder a squeeze before release it. "Now then, ladies?" She chirruped as she looked over to the trio of white-furred vixens. "Where were you sitting again?"

"Over there," the eldest reminded her, Vanilla raising her left paw and pointing at the circular booth in the furthest right corner of the room. "One of the biggest tables here; enough room for everyone."

"The best table if you ask me," the Marsican brown bear spoke up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head back to the kitchen! Some of the staff can't tell mozzarella from parmesan! Ciao for now!" He chirruped as he waved at the gathered customers before heading through the set of double doors and into the back of the restaurant once more.

Gazing at the rounded table, the Hispanic beauty nodded her head. "Works for me," Carmelita replied as she and the rest of the group made their way over there. The trio of vixens started lining into the center while letting the polar bear cub take one of the ends in general. Then Finnick entered from the opposite end, making certain he sat next to Cherry while Nick followed and then the line was capped off by Inspector Fox at the opposite end of the booth. She took hold of one of the menus that had been left atop the table and began to peruse it. "So, did you all have a chance to order anything yet?"

Looking past her boyfriend and to the tall red fox on the end of the booth, Cherry answered, "We ordered some mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for an appetizer but we haven't decided on a pizza yet."

The Arctic fox sitting next to the young polar bear nodded her head. "Yes, we were waiting for you all to arrive before we made any final decision," Vanilla explained. "Cherry told us you would be joining and we wanted to take your desires into consideration as well." She looked at the tall vulpine woman and queried, "Especially since Finnick mentioned that you would want to help pay." She had to admit, that was rather generous. She obviously didn't know how much ursine mammals could pack away; particularly children.

Nodding her head, Carmelita told her fellow female fox, "It's true. I felt bad for what these two had to go through today so I offered to treat them to dinner. Imagine my surprise when they told me they simply wanted pizza." Her eyes began darting around the parlor. "Although I will admit, this does look like a good place to get a pie."

"Matteo sells pies here too," Cherry chirruped, causing Carmelita to blink her eyes in surprise. "Apple, raisin-custard, pumpkin, rhubarb..."

That response made the tallest of the vixens at the table blink her chocolate eyes in surprise. "At a pizza place?" When she had said, 'pie' she meant it as slang for pizza... to hear the Italian eatery offered genuine pie was surprising!

"Yep!" The youngest of the triplets nodded her head at Inspector Fox's dumbfounded question. "Seasonal only though, and they don't make that many at a time but holidays always have a couple flavors of pie available." She smiled wider. "Mr. Largo makes them deep-dish style as if they were Chicago pizza to appease those who want that style of food without having to go against their instincts of making their pizzas New York style. Flat and fluffy!" She chirruped.

Smiling at the female Arctic fox's practically infectious positive attitude, the vixen with navy blue tresses couldn't help but comment, "I'm beginning to understand why you and Finnick are a thing."

If possible, the smile on the Arctic vixen's muzzle brightened. "Of course! Because my Finny-poo has the nicest, most squeezable a—"

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The desert fox screamed at the top of his lungs as he practically jumped atop his hemorrhoid donut.

Blushing immensely as she quickly withdrew her grabby paw, the youngest of the vixen triplets cried, "Oh I'm so sorry, Finny! I didn't mean to! It just happens on reflex whenever I think of your cutie-booty!"

It took every ounce of self-control he had but Nick managed to fight back the urge to laugh at his partner's expense. He knew it would be cruel but God! Karma was such a wonderful bitch sometimes. I really should feel bad but after all the teasing he puts me through? It's kind of enjoyable to see, he thought deviously. The male red fox might not have enjoyed the fact his friend was suffering but that didn't mean the predator couldn't get some entertainment out of WHY it happened. Even better, there was no way the fennec would bring himself to yell at Cherry so he was safe to revel in his amusement without the usual rant follow-up.

However, as everyone was focused on the poor desert fox's abused rear, Carmelita's ears twitched as she heard the jingle of the bell set at the door. While she only meant to give a perusing glance to see who was entering, the Latina vulpine turned her gaze fully towards the group in seconds. While most mammals would have ignored the quartet of polar bears in black track suits with colored piping an highlights as just a few more patrons, each one was setting off the vixen's Inspector's Intuition.

In particular, the orange lights that danced in her vision were garnered on the crown logos that were adorned into their jackets over the left pectoral; an image she immediately recognized as the logo on the business card Mr. Manchas had given her. However, more alarming was that the glowing sparkles were making an outline of handguns hidden within their clothes.

Tensing up, the female red fox turned to her Arctic sistren and whispered to them, "Is there another way out of here besides the front door?"

"There's the emergency exit over there to the right," Vanilla answered as she motioned to the side, confusion in her voice. "Plus there's got to be a couple in the kitchen as well in case of a fire. I think the windows back there come off if needed too. Why?"

"Get Morris out of here, those guys are armed," she whispered to the eldest of the trio as she began to grip one of the utensils on the place setting before here. She was internally cursing herself for leaving her shock pistol at home but she could make do in an emergency. Carmelita knew she was more than just her weapon.

"Seriously?" Nick whispered as he looked over the top of the booth at the group... only to grimace as he recognized them. "Dang it."

Hearing the decidedly negative tone to Wilde's voice, the vixen's features pulled back into a frown. "What is it?"

"They're Big's men..." the male red fox muttered, causing the Zootopia natives to stiffen and suddenly realize what had gotten the Latina vulpine so alarmed. "The one with the blue pipelining and the gold dollar sign necklace is Raymond; a part of the Mr. Big goon patrol."

Carmelita nodded her head. Now she at least had a name, and it sounded like a criminal organization at least. What she didn't know was that was actually the name on their 'business' card that they gave to certain mammals.

Before she could ask Nick how he knew these people, the polar bear with yellow in his uniform homed in on the group instantly, his deep-set eyes focusing on the cub at the end of the booth. "You!" He shouted as he motioned towards them. "Stay where you are!" He shouted as he and the others started to rush towards the seating area; all of them sticking their hands into pockets the vixen knew had firearms in them.

Gritting her teeth, the vulpine hissed at the vixens, "You guys get out of here now! I'll handle this!" She said as she pushed herself out of the booth. She might have only been armed with a knife and a fork but in all honesty, she had worked with less before.

Oh yes... she wasn't sure why these bears were here but one thing was certain: she was going to show them why she was tops at the Paris Branch of Interpol.

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Author's Notes: Clawhauser said it best: "Oh... em... GOODNESS!"

Seriously, this chapter was a pill to get out on time and I still didn't get it out first thing. With the new baby in the family, it's really cutting into my writing time. I will do my best to keep to bi-weekly the schedule I set for myself but I think I'm at the point where it will no longer be posted first thing in the morning. I was working right up to the moments before posting.

Seriously, a huge shout-out to my Beta-Readers Nanya and Innortal. With their feedback and positive reinforcement I keep on trucking.

I'm happy I finally got the Arctic vixen triplets into the story outright. I loved how Nicholaswilde portrayed them in his tumblr comic and these darlings deserve more page time!

Also, as a small shout-out to J Shute Norway and Chronocrosser? There's your Bellwether and Judy snap-shot. I hope to show just why the sheep ended up becoming the villain in the movie because I really don't think it was one thing that caused her to snap. Oh no, it was a series of little things piling up until she couldn't take it anymore.

And that includes diving face first into a cowpie.

I hope you all enjoy! I'll do my best to make certain the next chapter comes out in two weeks.

And remember: Try Everything!