The honeymoon in Wolfska could be best described as 'extraordinary'.

Lazlow and Mich promised Nick and Aaron that they won't bother them for the rest of the week unless there is something really urgent that needs to be taken care of immediately only with the help of the canines. That gave the couple some time to finally do what normal newlyweds do on a honeymoon; explore, enjoy and relax with the other.

It wasn't a ride without complications though. As probably one of the most famous mammals, they had to wear disguises to hide their identity. It would have been really hard to enjoy stuff while continuously being called over to satisfy some admirer's immidiate praising. Plus the fact that the media would probably follow them like there is no tomorrow was another valid reason.

It was hard to disguise themselves though. Seeing a random fox and wolf from the same gender holding paws and being really affectionate could easily raise suspicions among regular folks. Not being affectionate would have also been disastrous, since Nick's early mating season was already at its fullest, and not being able to touch his mate for an extended amounts of time was actually bad for the fox's health. So they decided to still be their regular selves, but do things that wouldn't require much showing around. Things like city-seeing in a tourist bus instead of walking around, staying at one place in spas and aquaparks and being rather silent, enjoying the other's warmth. The keyword was not to draw more attention towards them than needed. They had to fully disguise themselves though if they went to places where subtlety was not an option, such as Adventure parks and festivals. Black-shaded sunglasses were a basic requirement while their usual clothes were no-go areas.

They had fun. There were suspicious gazes towards them time to time, but they managed to go under the radar. Thanks to that, the unusual pair could have all the week to enjoy each other's presence and their time together like a normal couple. 'Normal' these days seemed so distant and exotic to Nick and Aaron at that point, they have already forgotten how to live a normal life. Even saying the word 'normal' felt so not… normal anymore.

Nearing the end of the honeymoon, Aaron and Nick wanted to do one more big thing so everyone in Howlsaw would remember their time here as something pleasant. By sheer coincidence, there was very famous Zootopian DJ coming to have a night party in one of the bigger aquaparks. That wouldn't have been much, but Aaron still haven't forgotten how to Dj from his younger days and Nick agreed to show off his voice. When the DJ, who was a very friendly weasel, heard their proposition, he jumped off his chair in excitement and agreed eagerly.

The mammals who would come to the party are in for a big surprise.


Then the night came.

It was basically a free to join party in the aquapark. The directors had altered the place with drink bars and tables with stools, a dance floor and of course next to the dance floor: the Dj desk. This night the lights were off, only the united illumination of the party lights managed to give a dim, colourful lighting to the entire indoors area. The aquapark was closed for day while the preparations were ongoing and the moment the doors opened, hundreds of mammals in swimwear or in their summer clothes flooded the place. The music was playing, the bars started supplying the guests with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and the dance floor was already going crazy with the rhythm.

Two she-wolves could be seen at one of the bars, eyeing the crowd hungrily. A huge pool party was the perfect place to search for single male wolves and have some fun with them. If they couldn't find an outstandingly cute guy, then at least they could watch the different male wolves' body in awe as most mammals were shirtless, only wearing their swim trunks.

So far, all the guys had at least one flaw that either the taller she-wolf, Helena didn't like or her companion, Lena found worthy of a negative head shake. They wanted to have fun with a guy together, so if one of them deemed a guy 'too weak' for their taste, then the other accepted. It was hard actually, since while Helena prefered to see six-pack and muscles, Lena wanted cute guys with handsome muzzles. So far, no combination of both could be spotted.

They almost decided to go to another part of the park when something caught their eyes. It was grey and white male wolf in red swim trunks. Helena and Lena exchanged glances and smiled excitedly. He was cute, but not too girly while having muscles and the beloved six-pack, but wasn't bulky. He had sunglasses, a very rare fur color, and probably the handsomest smile on his face as he sat down at the side of the pool with two drinks in his hand.

It was perfection.

With an excited giggle, Helena and Lena left their stool and walked over to their target. He seemed to have a friend here if the number of drinks in his paw was any indicator, so the she-wolves may have just hit jackpot tonight. They walked over and sat down at both sides of him, making Mr. Handsome raise an eye brow.

''What does a cute guy like you do in a party like this all by himself?" asked Lena in Wolfski.

''I'm sure you could use some company." added Helena while batting her eyelashes.

Absolute confusion and a bit of nervousness was not the reaction they expected.

''Sorry ladies, I speak very little Wolfski, so I can't quite understand either of you. Maybe try again in English?" said the male wolf in a sexy voice and a smirk.

The she-wolves looked at each other. Of course it would be a foreigner that would look this hot. They suddenly understood the meaning of phrase 'The grass is always greener on the other side.' Lena spook very little english as she learnt Furench all her life, but Helena was luckier this time as she had English classes and hadn't had a worse grade than B ever since she started learning.

''Of course. What me and my sister here wanted to know was how come a sexy wolf like you were all by himself?" asked Helena while rubbing the male wolf's arm. He was well-toned, it almost made her mouth salivate.

The guy seemed conflicted for a second 'till a sly smirk over took his face. Before he could answer Lena spoke up in Wolfski.

''Hey sis, doesn't he look like Sir Aaron Wildeford?" asked Lena with a curious eye brow.

Helena wanted to laugh at what her sister was insinuating. Why would the king of Wolfska attend a party like this? Kings don't do parties, no matter that rumors say that these royalties have a modern view on the world. Although on closer inspection, Helena could see where her sister was getting at. She only saw the kings twice, but her memory wasn't good for anything besides english. She knew that Sir Aaron Wildeford had a fox as his husband, but she couldn't smell fox on this wolf, though his scent was denser than what she was used to from wolves and it contained a hint of different musk. She filed it as useless info, as she was sure that there was no way that mammals like the kings would attend a night party at a pool.

''My sister here thinks that you look like Sir Aaron Wildeford." translated Helena with an eye roll to the smirking male wolf.

''Oh? I will take that as a compliment I suppose. So what are two fine ladies like yourself doing in a party like this?" asked the male wolf. Helena started giggling sweetly, while Lena was studying her and the wolf's conversation. It sucked not to understand anything, but it gave her time to study this mysterious wolf and decide whether her hunch about him being Sir Aaron Wildeford is true or not.

''Well, exactly what normal mammals in their early twenties do. Having fun, enjoying the music, flirting with handsome tourists…" replied Helena with a wink. Lena guessed that her sister is currently seducing this wolf if her body language and tone could be any indicator.

Both sisters missed the sly spark in the male wolf's eye when she called him a 'tourist'.

''I am not disagreeing. I have been told I'm pretty handsome." said the male wolf mischievously. Helena liked confidence and pride, and what she was hearing was music to her ears. But there was something wrong in the air. She felt like she was missing something.

''…And as flattering as your affection and words are, I think-'' he never finished his sentence. Instead, his nose started to rapidly twitch and his smirk becoming dangerously wide.

The she-wolves didn't know what happened but suddenly two crimson paws circled around the wolf's neck and fox came into view. The fox wore green pawaiian swim trunks, an opened red robe that displayed his cream-coloured fur and sunglasses, plus oh boy, if the male wolf's face was sly, then what the fox wore on his face was downright frighteningly mischievous.

''Wolfie, I can't leave you for a second and you have fans all over you. You will make me jealous." came the sarcastic remark of the fox. Even Lena could understand now that something was really amiss, especially when the fox planted a loud smooch on the cheek of the wolf.

''Don't blame me. I'm like a magnet for females." said the wolf as he made place for the fox between him and Lena. The fox, instead of following what the wolf had in mind, sat into the male wolf's lap.

Absolute shock was the one emotion that really stood out from the flood of emotions both she-wolves felt. The first thing Helena and Lena immediately noticed about the fox was his smell. After a closer observation it was like the fox didn't even have a scent, or if he did, he had the exact same as the male wolf. The only addition that the fox's presence brought scent-wise was that he was in the middle of his mating season, which made both female's stomach pit feel funny. The second thing was the realization that they were probably a couple, which honestly saddened both she-wolves. This meant that their first hope of getting not one but two handsome wolves to be their partner for the night evaporated. To top it off, their original target was out of the picture aswell. How did everything fail so quickly, neither she-wolf knew.

The she-wolves didn't need much time to realize, that Lena's question about the male wolf being one of the royalties just strengthened by the minute. If only these two would take off those damn sunglasses and let the sisters see their muzzles, it would be enough conformation whether Lena and Helena really just stumbled upon two of the most famous mammals in the country. Everything pointed towards that Lena was right, but the realist Helena was in deep denial.

''Why are they so sad-looking suddenly?" whispered the male wolf to the fox's ear, snapping the she-wolves out of their train of thoughts. While they were thinking, the male wolf circled his paw around the fox's waist and hugged him tightly, like his dear life was depending on it.

''I think they just accepted that they can't flirt with you anymore." replied the fox, his tail subconsciously enveloping the wolf in a possessive nature. Now if that wasn't enough conformation for the she-wolves to back off, nothing was.

''Sorry." said Lena in one of the few words she knew in English. The heavily accented and shy word caught the fox's attention who looked at them and saw that they suddenly became really distraught. He didn't need more to know why were they apologizing, and smirked.

''Well, the only thing you two did so far was confirming that I have a very attractive husband, so I suppose I should be thanking you for agreeing with me. Believe me when I say that I have to force my compliments on this stubborn wolf." snarked Nick while ruffling the top of Aaron's head. Said wolf tried to bat away the fox's hands, but he managed to drive the paw into his own sunglasses, making it flop sideways and into the pool. That wouldn't have held any importance, except that now his face was completely uncovered. Lena and Helena felt as if somebody zapped them with electricity when they saw the face of none other than Sir Aaron Wildeford sitting between them.

A glint caught their eyes immediately coming from the fox's (or as it turned out, Sir Nicholas Wildeford's) paw and upon glancing at the source, they saw an overall beautiful Onyx mockingly shining at them with its pearl companions. And when they looked at the the other canine's paw…

Yep, they managed to miss a wedding ring. A whole wedding ring. Unbelievable.

''Damn, that was my disguise." muttered Aaron as he put Nick next to him and dived into the water.

''I don't think a pair of sunglasses could be considered a 'disguise', and it's not like the ladies didn't have a pretty good idea about us already." said Nick while lifting his own sunglasses to the top of his head and sitting cross-legged.

''Since when did you became such a sarcastic smartass, Bushy Tail?" asked Aaron while standing in the pool and shaking the water off his glasses.

Nick's eyebrow slowly arose and look at his wolf questioningly.

''On a second thought, don't answer that." dismissed Aaron while climbing back at the edge of the pool and letting his fox lean on his shoulder.

''You know you love me." commented Nick while stroking the bigger canine's shoulder.

''Oh boy, I do." replied Aaron as he planted a small kiss on top of Nick's head.

That's when they realized that they still had some she-wolves around, who were both staring at them, completely petrified in shock. To top it off, at least a dozen of other mammals were looking at them in disbelief. The really uncomfortably feeling Nick decided to check his non-existant watch and whistled.

''Oh! Would you look at the time! Wolfie, we should really head back to our weasel friend, it's almost time for the entrance." said Nick as he put his sunglasses back and stood up. Before he could turn on his heels, Aaron caught his arm and looked at him with a small smile, signaling that he had other ideas.

''Remember what… he asked us? About inviting mammals to the stage to spice the whole thing up?" asked Aaron, trying to be subtle of the DJ's identity. He couldn't avoid letting out a small bit of info though, which caught the attention of Helena, whose brain seemed to run in Safe mode.

'Inviting mammals to the stage?'

Nick stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around with a thoughtful expression.

''He did…" mumbled Nick while analyzing the proposition. They have been initially asked to invite some mammals from their circle of friends that could be considered as 'party mammals' (the Dj's words, not Nick's) to dance in front of the DJ table to add some wildness into the mix while they were playing. They of course couldn't promise anything, since the only two mammals they know in this city are Lazlow and Mich, and considering the nature of their jobs, they were out of the picture. But these two she-wolves could be just the answer.

''Ladies, do you consider yourselves as party animals?" asked Nick with a smirk and a wink towards Aaron.

''Erm, well… we regularly come to night clubs when we have the chance, but usually we are with friends. School doesn't give us a lot of free time, so we try to make the most out of it." said Helena nervously. Lena didn't know what the topic was about again but she hoped that agreeing to whatever her sister said is enough as an answer.

''Well in that case…" said Aaron as he sat up and extended his hand towards the anxious she-wolves.

''As a compensation for the disappointment we caused to both of you, how about we give you the best nights of your life?" asked Aaron with a friendly smile on his face.

The she-wolves would have politely refused it, saying that it wasn't that big of a deal in every other scenario, but ever since it has been revealed the the kings, The Alphas, were these two mammals, both of their instincts were screaming at them. Even Lena understood that something has been proposed to them since language is no barrier against instincts.

The Alphas words are order which must be followed. Follow the Alphas. Follow.


That's how they found themself behind the DJ table. What were their purposes there, they had no idea, but they couldn't supress their instincts telling them to do what the alphas say. It was annoying but it felt natural.

Before they could finally inquire about anything, the Dj's loud voice cut her off.

''Ladies and Gentlemammals! How are we doing tonight?" came the enthusiastic booming voice of the DJ. The crowd cheered with the same attitude.

''Watch, he is going to keep asking until the audience doesn't overpower the music or shatter a window." commented Nick, making Aaron snort. Helena and Lena was too confused to reply.

''I can't hear you!"

The crowd's reply was much more amped up

''What was it?"

Aaron could hear Nick rolling his eyes when the crowd's answer really was louder than the already deafening music. Suddenly, said music stopped and the DJ took a microphone in his paw. This was the sign for Aaron and Nick to ready themself for their entrance.

''I have a unique surprise for all of you. Some days ago, a really special pair of mammals asked me whether it would be possible for them to play tonight behind the DJ table for all of you as a 'thank you' gift for the hospitality this city showed them. I was confused at first since… well let's say their 'profession' wasn't exactly suited for the music industry, but I got to say I was pleasantly surprised, because let me tell you, they rock." said the Dj into the microphone in a really eager way. Least to say, that he got the attention of all mammals in the park. Helena silently translated to her sister.

''Wait, they are going to actually play tonight?!" whispered harshly Lena.

''If the missus asks whether we are going to play tonight, then yes, yes we will." cut in Nick with a backwards glance and a smirk. Helena could only nod in awe. This night is already a rollercoaster but she could not have foreseen this in a million years.

''I would like all of you to welcome these pair of mammals, who will show you that they are not just lazy kings sitting on the throne or pursuing bad guys in Zootopia."

Nick and Aaron almost lost it when they heard the whole crowd murmuring and gasping in disbelief.

''Come on ladies." urged Aaron when they stepped on the staircase that led towards the mixing table and basically the center of attention now.

''Y-you want us to come u-up?" asked Helena incredulously.

''Of course. Show those guys how real she-wolves party." said Nick as he walked behind Helena and Lena and started pushing them towards the stairs. The she-wolves question showed no resistance, but saying that they were anxious would be an understatement.

''Let's give a huge applause to none other than Sir Aaron Wildeford and Sir Nicholas Wildeford!"

''That's our cue." said Aaron as he and Nick came into view followed by the spooked she-wolves who soon found themself in the open, exposed to the whole audience. Fortunately, everyone was busy gaping at probably the last two mammals that they expected to appear.

Nick took the microphone out of the Dj's paws and glanced at his husband, mentally sending the message 'watch how the professionals do it'. Meanwhile, Aaron took the Dj's headphones and put it on his ears while cracking his knuckles and trying to remember all those tricks he knew from his younger days of DJ-ing.

''I would like to say some kind words right now, but I know that everyone is either A) too shocked to see us on the stage or B) too excited to see us play so my words would find deaf ears. Without further ado, let us show you how a real party looks like. No offense buddy." came Nick's voice from the loudspeakers. The DJ rolled his eyes upon hearing the last sentence and waved dismissively.

''Wolfie, your turn."

Aaron, not needing any more encouraging, began reliving his youth. Every button he pressed, every slider he adjusted, every swipe he did on the disk came from his muscle memory and was executed with grace. The last time he did those were when he worked for which felt like a life time ago. When Aaron noticed how easily he managed to mix the beginning of their performance without shredding a sweat, he couldn't hold a chuckle. Most of the audience was already bopping their heads to the rhythm and Nick didn't even start singing.

Aaron loved his police work dearly and wouldn't change it for all the treasure of the world, but right now he could feel why he had been dreaming of a career in the music industry 10 years back. He felt like he was stage diving as he gracefully coordinated his fingers between the mix of buttons, sliders and of course the two music disks. His muscle memory was rusted, but over the course of the last days when he, Nick and the DJ practiced together, those old muscles remembered. For an outlooker, Aaron made it look too easy. What was even more impressive that contrary to most of the mixers and DJs in the industry, Aaron refused to use any kind of automatic background beat to make it easier and use less buttons. This meant that every single note that the loudspeakers emitted was made by Aaron's paw.

He was the living testament that music is feeling.

Nick in the meantime was preparing for his part. Since mostly electronic and a bit of disco music was playing, his vocals were only playing a minor part and only in the refrain. What made it worse that the genres of the music required unnaturally high and deep voices that no singer could produce, without help that is. There was an old fox secret that you can gain full control over your voice and can overstep your boundaries in the vocal department if you use a strange combination; hot honeyed lime tea and Helium. If you consumed both in a short time, you can emit unnaturally high voices and its counterpart rather easily. What was funny that it didn't seem to work on other animals, only for canines.

So Nick gulped down his rather tasty lime tea and then sucked up a balloon of helium that was hidden under the table. His throat was feeling funny so he massaged it a bit while subconsciously bopping his head to the beat Aaron was producing at his left. He looked his to right and saw Helena and Lena finally escaping their anxiety as they were already jumping and urging the audience while enjoying themselves. Nick could see several male wolves watching them hungrily already, which was the intended effect Nick and Aaron wanted. It was kind of creepy how they ogled the she-wolves, but it was not his place to judge.

Then came the refrain and Nick started using his high voice. It was a bit robot-like or electric which was provided by the microphone he held. There has been no secret brew that could alter your voice to sound like a robot, so he needed help from technology. This difficulty aside, his voice was well-controlled, clear (well as clear as it could possibly be with all the alterations) and most of all; perfectly matching the music. Nick was more of a rock guy, but for these youngsters he would change genres for a night. He had to admit though, it was an interesting change and a challenging one, but if he had taken anything from Carrots, it was her determination.

His deep voice came in handy when the refrain ended, where he had to make his voice suddenly drop to deep and then repeat the last word, each time becoming more and more distant. The song used 3 more versions of the same refrain, each having a line replaced by a different one. Not the most creative solution if you asked Nick, but he wasn't complaining. Between these refrains, he could have time to observe his surroundings and the mammals around him. He had to give it to the makers of this event, they were going all out with the loud music, the special effects and the illuminating dance floor. It was surprisingly calm considering it was supposed to be a party, but it may be just Nick getting used to complete chaos in his life lately.

His life. Now that something he has been beating himself over and over since Aaron proposed the idea of kits. He wanted some of course, every normal mammal with base instincts knew that, but Nick really didn't know if he would be something the kits wanted. He knew that if he ever told Wolfie his insecurities, he would be told that he was stupid, he would make a great father yadda yadda, the usual. Don't get him wrong, he was more than grateful for his wolf and his confidence in him, but Nick was more of a realist. He knew that his experience with kits was around the same level as a postman's experience with magnetostatics. He played a dad daily when he was still hustling with Finnick, but he didn't exactly play from experience with kits or the things that he saw other fathers were doing. He just used the words that he knew would infuriate Finnick in every other scenario that coincidently looked like a father talking to his young kit.

A gentle stroke of a tail at his legs and the shiver it caused managed to rip him out of his thoughts. He knew that it was the sign for Nick to get ready in case he starts wondering away, which he did. He realized that his second refrain is about to come, so he took another gulp from the tea and a balloon of Helium and continued entertaining the next generation of Wolfski adults. Some were already drunk, some were literally at each other's mouth, but most were jumping up and down to the beat. It seemed like music was the perfect way to distract the attention from the fact who were the mammals providing the music. If it takes some buttons and sliders, a bottle of hot honeyed lime tea and some balloons to avoid being the centre of attention, then he would be packing some of those definitely.

After his second part ended he smiled at his wolf, who looked especially adorable now. With the headphones on his head, his closed eyes, his dead serious expression and his frantic head bopping while he was rapidly doing stuff on the Dj table Nick could not imagine understanding in a million years… Oh my, he was one lucky fox, that's for sure. It was only maybe half a year since that faithful day with the hedgehog and Nick basically turned his life upside down. Or was his life turning itself upside down? He didn't know nor did he care because it was his time of the life and he was not about to ask why. He had a big circle of great friends that just gets bigger and bigger as time goes, his reputation as an individual and a fox had increased massively, mammals actually respected him and trusted him. It was a welcome change that he could get used to, in fact, he already got used to it.

And then came his own guardian angel, the mammal who changed his heart and his life. Technically it was mammalS since Judy was the one who started it, but he would praise the dumb bunny later. Nick knew that it was just as hard for Wolfie to accept his life changing as it was for him. It seemed though, that Nick wasn't the only one enjoying the changes in their life to the fullest. His wolf was sweet, honest and humble, always helping Nick whenever he can and making sacrifices without asking for anything back. It was a bit too perfect to be real.

That's why the fox always wondered secretly (no matter how many times he tried to shoo away the thought) when Wolfie would throw the towel in and leave him. It was his loathed cynical side, that tiny little voice that always nagged him about his worth, or more accurately his lack thereof. He actually used most of his free time when he was not with his wolf to speak to his personal psychiatrist (the one who helped him with his PTSD with muzzles). The last thing he needed for something so wonderful as his relationship with Wolfie to get ruined by his hesitance and fears.

Another swish of tail and an other shiver and Nick mentally slapped himself. The wolf was committed to him and Nick won't drown in his insecurities and that's the end of the argument. He had more important things to do.

Little did he know that this mental slap was the final reassurance he needed.


''Y'know, if you decided to become a singer, I would totally be your mixer." spoke up Aaron as they were walking on one of the quiet, night-veiled streets of Howlsaw. It was not that chilly of a night, so they didn't bother changing back to their regular clothes. The only difference was that Aaron was wearing his own blue robe, obviously not wanting to get arrested for the tiniest public indecency. They decided, that in the last days they would man up and show themselves in the public more.

''Are you proposing that we abandon our police work that we worked so hard for and start working in one of the statistically most unreliable industries on the planet?" asked Nick without removing his eyes from his phone, where the map of Howlsaw could be seen to help them navigate in the city.

Aaron opened his mouth to say something but no valuable argument came in the mind.

''If you put it that way, it doesn't sound too good…" mumbled Aaron as they took a turn to their right. Nick, seeing that their destination is close and no need for any more navigation, pocketed his phone and looked up at his wolf.

''The video of our performance will definitely be on the news tomorrow now that I think about it, so we can expect our friends asking for private show soon…" said Aaron nonchalantly. Nick's snort and maybe some thinking was needed for the wolf to realize what he just said.

''…Did I just say that out loud?"

His answer was laughter coming from his right.

''33 years old, but his sense of humor still couldn't mature." mumbled Aaron with a heavy sigh.

''Oh come oooon, Wolfie. You know it was funny." nagged Nick while nudging the wolf with his elbow. Aaron just huffed stubbornly while crossing his arms.

''Wolfieeee, come oooooon. It was funny and you know it." whined Nick playfully. Aaron tried to hide his smile, but he just couldn't.

''Okay, it was a little funny, okay?" resigned Aaron while trying to bat away Nick's continous nudging at his side.

''You act like admitting that it's indeed funny is like the end of the world." commented Nick, making Aaron roll his eyes.

''Try again when I can feel my hands again. An hour of consecutive songs without any rest did a number on me it seems. I swear, the police training never made me this sore." said Aaron as he massaged his wrists.

''Are you proposing that we make Bogo install DJ mixing into the police training? 'Cause that sound mighty exciting if you ask me." said Nick with a sideways smirk.

''Of course, and in the future we will make the bad guys dance until they beg to be taken into custody." retorted Aaron with a snort.

''That doesn't sound bad actually. They get a last dance while we can entertain ourselves at how bad they move. Everyone wins!" cheered Nick, being a little bit proud of his totally ridiculous idea. Aaron snickered while shaking his head. His fox's imagination is something else, that's for sure.

Suddenly a strange smell caught his nose. It was faint and not pleasant, which was the reason why he was trying to dismiss the smell with his paw.

''Erm… Wolfie? Have you ever seen green smoke?" asked the uncertain question from Nick.

''Well, yes. Green smoke usually indicates chemical fire or that someone ignited something that contained alum. Why?" asked Aaron as he tried to determine what could cause the ugly smell.

Is it my arm pit maybe? No, it doesn't smell bad…

''Because then we may have a problem…" trailed off Nick's voice, making Aaron look up. He realized that Nick was not next to him anymore and instead he stood still some steps back and looking at the house over the street with concern. Aaron followed Nick's sight and saw that the house in question was a two storey house and green smoke was coming from its chimney.

Aaron was about to comment when an audible sizzling noise interrupted him. Aaron and Nick slowly turned their heads toward each other.

Uh-oh.

The next thing they knew is a deafening explosion and a blinding light coming from the house. The explosion was so strong, Nick and Aaron was knocked off their feet and flew back a meter into the flower garden situated next to the pavement. The only thing they could hear was a loud whistle in their ears and their vision becoming blurry. Aaron, since he was standing further away from the explosion, managed to recover rather quickly and rushed next to his fox's side who was still laying in the ground and groaning in pain.

''Bushy Tail!" came the scared exclamation from Aaron. He immediately started sniffing Nick's body, searching for wounds or blood. Fortunately, he didn't find anything, much to his relief.

''Oh god, that was not on my bucket list.'' groaned Nick as he massaged his temples.

''You okay?" asked Aaron while kneeling next to Nick and looking at his fox with worry.

''I'm fine, I'm fine, I think we have a much bigger problem than my headache." said Nick as he accepted Aaron's paw and balancing himself on his feet.

They looked at the explosion, and saw that the situation got way worse. The house was at least still standing, but one part of it was clearly destroyed because the smoke cloud became enormous. It was a darker shade of green, which meant that now not only was there a chemical fire but a regular one aswell.

Nick was about to rush in and help the occupants, but Aaron's death grip on his arm was not letting him go. The fox looked back questioningly and saw Aaron's face morphed into one of horror. Nick tried to get out, but the grip got stronger every time he tried to pry himself away.

''Wolfie…?" asked Nick concerned and a tad bit annoyed.

''T-this house… the dream…" stuttered Aaron quietly, his eyes wide and full of fear.

There was no mistaking it. It was the same house as the one that killed his fox in his dream. Now it was standing right in front of him and mocking him with its cracking voice, its ugly smell and horroristic visual. Aaron could swear he was hearing it laughing and taunting him about killing his fox.

Nick managed to salvage what his wolf was so scared about and sighed. He reached up with his paws and made the wolf look into his eyes.

''Listen Wolfie. In your dream, I was running into the house alone, right?" the wolf nodded uncertainly. ''So if we go into it together we can change things up. Like time travel. If alter something in the past, it can have a major change in the future. Dreams work like this too. Now come on!" urged Nick as he tried to pry away but the wolf was not letting from his grip.

''Please don't go, Nick." whined Aaron as he collapsed onto his knees. Nick's heart missed a beat when he heard his name but quickly shook it off.

''Please Maid Marian, forgive me." mumbled Nick with an annoyed sigh. Then with the paw that was not under the wolf's grip, he gave Aaron a mediocre slap, making the wolf hiss in surprise and releasing Nick's other wrist.

''Better?" asked the fox with an expectant look, trying to fight the guilt he felt for hurting his wolf. Said wolf was rubbing the spot, but his eyes contained less fear now and wasn't as distant.

''Yeah… thank you." mumbled Aaron as he stood up and dusted himself off.

''Come on then." urged Nick as he and Aaron finally took off. They ignored the shouts coming from around them from the mammals that came out into the streets to look at the event.

Luckily, the explosion managed to blow the front door out, so it was easy to enter the building. They could already see that the hall they arrived was somewhat unharmed, aside from the knocked over furniture, the cracks on the ceiling and the opposing wall missing. The elevator was clearly broken but the stairs seemed to be okay. Aaron and Nick nodded and rushed up the stairs quickly.

The first problem came when they realized that the second storey was completely blocked off by the blown up parts of the ceiling. Upon peaking through one of the gaps, they could see the second floor being completely overtaken by the fire already, meaning that no one on the second floor survived.

Nick and Aaron couldn't mourn for much, since another burning part of the ceiling collapsed in front of them.

''Okay. If your dream is anything to go by, this building is about to collapse, so we have to hurry." breathed Nick, getting a nod from Aaron.

''We have to separate to save as many mammals as possible." replied Aaron, clearly not liking his own idea.

''Hey… It's gonna be okay. We are police officers in the end. Danger is an occupational hazard." said Nick as he reached up and shared a reassuring kiss with his wolf. He felt Wolfie immediately relax by the gesture.

''Good luck Wolfie."

''Good luck Bushy Tail."


Aaron's P.O.V

After separating from Nick, the wolf went to work and kicked in the first door he could.

The flat was already full of smoke, making Aaron cough harshly. He put his nose into his blue robe and started advancing into the building towards a loud crying sound. He followed it through another door and saw something that should have been a living room, except that there was a pile of burning ceiling in the middle, blocking the way.

''Anyone here?!" shouted Aaron as he tried to salvage any voices that wasn'T the crackling of the fire or the murmur of the falling ceiling.

He suddenly heard a feminine yell coming from the other side of the burning pile. He hesitated not, and went into action, jumping over various remnants of furnitures while searching for the source of the voice. He managed to get into the other side of the pile and saw a female polar bear trying to calm down what seemed like her cub. He closed the distance between them and kneeled down next to the mother who looked at him with panic filled eyes while coughing violently.

''Can you walk?" shouted Aaron, but he saw that the mother was not understanding him. So he gestured with his fingers the general sign of walking and the pointed towards the exit. The mother seemed to understand and pointed towards her leg, where Aaron could see a big part of the ceiling. Using his sore paws and raw force, he managed to lift it up, so the mother and her cub could escape. After this success, Aaron accompanied the female polar bear while shielding her and her cub from the ember, ash and ceiling falling towards them.

They managed to escape the flat, and slowly but steadily they managed to descend the stairs towards the ground floor, while the mother was leaning on Aaron's shoulders. They managed to get out of the building, where some braver outlookers rushed to help them escape the radius of danger.

Aaron thanked them and was about to turn around to help more and assure that Nick is going to be okay, when a loud sizzle could be heard again, making his blood run cold.


Nick P.O.V.

After separating from Aaron, Nick rushed to the flat that was the closest to the source of the explosion, thus being in the biggest danger.

The door of said flat was wide open and after entering Nick had to hold his jaw from dropping; everything to his right, the walls, the ceiling, the doors were completely missing. He could see the night sky and the smoke coming from the flat above, and if he looked down at the hole on the floor, he could see the hall on the ground floor and the missing wall that they noticed when they entered the building. A door indicated that there was a room before, which Nick seriously hoped was a kitchen. He started running through the corridor to the left, opening doors and searching for survivors.

He found a door at the end of said corridor which seemed to have great importance. He opened the door and stared at the spectacle in front of him in disgust and horror; The room was completely on fire with two, unmoving arms under a huge, bloody fallen shelf. What was even worse that these hands were entwined, which meant that the two mammals squashed under the shelf was probably a romantic couple accepting their faith.

Either a couple or… parents…

It was a possibility, and if it was true, then there must have been a kit around here. With a big sigh, he left the room and kept on searching the flat for the last member of this poor family.

He needn't search much, since the room next to the parents' was the room he wanted. The wall that the two rooms shared were on fire and it was spreading quickly. He looked around the room and saw that the paintings of the wall were of cartoon characters, there were several damaged or intact toys lying around. His eyes stopped on a white baby cradle where he could see movement. The fire was dangerously close so he mustered all his agility, ran next to the cradle, scooped up the baby and left the room quickly. He was lucky, because the moment he left, he could hear a loud bang coming from the baby's room. He dared to peak onto the room and saw that a part of the ceiling crushed the cradle.

That was frighteningly close.

He took a deep breath and relaxed while leaning on the door with the baby in his paws. He looked at the little mammal in his paws and saw that it was a small coyote with golden fur and huge dazzling blue eyes looking at Nick with curiosity. From its scent, Nick managed to understand that it was a she.

''Hey there, little girl. I'm here to save you." said Nick in a soft voice. The little coyote cooed at him, making Nick's heart melt.

This moment was interrupted by an explosion coming from behind him, making Nick realize that it's not the time for this. With a deep breath, Nick bolted in a sprint and left the flat.

When he reached the end of the stairs, the loud sizzling voice could be heard again. Nick knew already what is about to happen, so he went into a bigger sprint.

When he stepped out of the front door, he was envellopped in a very familiar body that shielded him and jumped as far as possible when the explosion came. Him, the baby and the bigger body rolled on the ground. The bigger body managed to shield Nick and the baby, who started crying again.

It was a bit too much for Nick's body to handle though, so after making sure the baby was intact, he lost consciousness.


So, the combination of a small vacation at my grandma with nothing but my phone, the beginning exams and another illness managed to postpone this chapter by a week, and I cannot stop fuming, especially that we are at the final chapters. I'm sincerely sorry for the wait so I tried to make this chapter as well written as possible.

Btw, I sneaked in an Easter egg from one of my favorite movies into this chapter, and the next one will have another one. I tried to be subtle about it, but whoever saw that film will know immediately.