Hello there, readers! Here's the next chapter of Found for your enjoyment, hopefully! Please consider leaving a comment or review, as those are just so lovely and a great pick-me-up!

Found (Chapter 29)

by

Elite Shade

It was late on a Saturday morning. The blue cloudless sky was crystal clear, and birds were chirping. Marcus was sitting at his desk in his room, reading his chemistry text book and answering the questions at the end of chapter three. His phone buzzed and, picking it up, Marcus saw that it was a group text from Travis to him and the rest of their friend group. He smiled, excited, because he and his friends had planned to meet together at their usual hang-out spot to work on composing some original songs, as well as having a nice lunch together outdoors. There'd been talk amongst them about forming their own band.

Sorry guys, the text read, a last minute Ranger Scout obligation popped up that I can't reschedule. Next Saturday good instead?

Marcus understood and was starting to type a response when Lizzy chimed in.

GAH! My mom sprained her ankle, gotta halp my Pop run the bakery all weeknd. My brother will be home next week. Will rope him into pitching in if Mom's foot still sore. Sorree! Followed by a tearful teddybear emoji. Marcus modified his text to tell both Travis and Lizzy that it was okay, and he was free next Saturday, as well as his hope that Lizzy's mother would feel better soon.

Mom and Dad are dragging me to the dentist today, sorry guys. And Mina's got Moo Jitsu today too. Sorry my sister's a ditz, Ty added, with Mina's reply swiftly following.

Everyone forgets things from time to time, Ty! Like the time you forgot you were baking a frozen pizza in the oven!

I'm legit surprised that it got as smokey as it did, Ty said.

I'm legit surprised that you still actually tried to eat that giant blackened hockey puck before Mom took it and threw it out, Mina quipped, adding a glaring goat emoji. Anyways, sorry guys. Clearing my calendar for next week for sure!

Marcus giggled at their antics. Never in his life before coming to Zootopia would he have ever believed that he would have any friends, let alone ones who didn't simply want to use him as another political connection. But he had found that the friends he had made were warm, caring, and silly mammals. He felt a little disappointed that it looked like their get-together today was going to be completely cancelled. As soon as he started again on his homework, there was another chime from his phone. Picking it back up, he smiled again.

I'm still free today, Aiko commented, with an emoji of a red panda shrugging. Marcus was quick to type.

Me too! Marcus said, now worried that he was sounding too eager, but not sure why that was.

Cool! How about around noon-ish I swing by and we can have a picnic? Marcus was unaware that over at Aiko's house, she was hugging her fluffy tail to her chest. "GAH! A picnic?! Why do I have to be so dorky?!"

Sounds great! With a confirmation from Aiko that she was going to be coming over in a little while, Marcus was quick to finish the last few questions of his homework. He began to wonder if a simple t-shirt and shorts looked good. Unbeknownst to the boy, just down the road his grandfather was talking to Vernon and Yuri, the former who had taken the subway after getting a strange call from his Pa, and the latter who had claimed to have been dragged back to the Ranch by his mate, despite him having taken the time to bring gifts for all his nieces and nephews. Yuri was planning on heading on over to Dawn and Vern's house in the city when they were done visiting up at the ranch, and had been surprised to find his brother already there, even moreso when they'd both been invited into Dorian's study. The older law wolf had closed the doors so as not to be heard.

"Alright, Pa, what's this all about? Why'd ya call me up fer plans about a casino bein' built in the Nocturnal District?" Vernon asked, sitting there still dressed in his suit and tie. Yuri was wearing his usual leather jacket, which Vernon now noticed, had had another few buttons added to it. Three of them, which were right below the wolf and sheep ones that signified him and Dawn, were a soccer ball, a book, and a little silver tiara. He then spotted another one, a violin button, over by the clown and tigress buttons. Vernon smiled. Yuri might be crass and rough, but he had his own ways to show how much he cared for his family.

"Well, I had a chat with that Dice feller the other day," Dorian said, sitting behind his desk and looking at his sons, his face serious. "And he told me that that's what he was openin'. The Zoodoo Lounge, he called it."

Vernon and Yuri both frowned at that. "Ya think he's plannin' somethin' big with it then." Yuri stated this, not asked.

"Yeah... y'all remember what I told ya about what Tim said he did back in that human city, Kartakka?"

The grey and black wolf nodded, Yuri letting out a low growl while Vernon looked disgusted.

"I was wonderin' if any of the plans suggested any kind of unusual underground work? Maybe something that suggested a large open space?"

"Ya think he's gunna try to set up some kind of death games here in Zootopia?" Vernon asked with wide eyes.

Dorian was quiet for a moment, and then spoke. "A mammal sick enough to do something like that in the first place... that's a mammal that is absolutely gunna try it again, or somethin' just as bad."

"Would he risk it, though?" Yuri asked, now in detective mode.

"Y'all haven't met the mammal. That smile o' his..." Dorian visibly shuddered, "it's like a mask. There's a wicked fire twinkling from behind those eyes. And he's only in his twenties. He's not even close to bein' done."

Vernon frowned and scratched his chin. "Well, I only got a little look at the plans fer this casino of his, and I looked at the groundwork first, just like ya said, Pa. But aside from things like sewage and gas lines and all the usual, there ain't any major excavation goin' on. At least not fer some kind of underground arena."

"Y'all said it's like he's playin' a game with ya," Yuri chimed in, "maybe he knows that yer gunna check up on him. And maybe pass along to other law enforcement officials in other districts about what ta look fer? If that's the case, he might change what it is he's gunna do. Or at least be sneakier about it. It could be that the casino is just a distraction fer somethin' elsewhere."

Vernon's tail thumped in his seat, smiling at Yuri. "Y'all might be right! I can make some calls and ask around about any other activities he's up to. A human spending lots of money here and there is bound ta draw attention, no matter how much he tries ta hide it!"

"Still," Vernon said, scratching his chin some more, "maybe it'd be better if we got some inside information."

"What're ya plannin'?" Dorian asked, an edge of worry creeping into his voice.

"While I was askin' about the Dice project, I did learn that he has an appointment with a city architect today to look at some modifications with the plans."

"So, yer gunna have one of yer coworkers go in there with a wire and look at the plans while also askin' about his possibly illegal activities?" Yuri asked with a snort.

"Not quite," Vernon said, smiling smugly while proudly puffing out his chest.

Half an Hour Later...

Zach padded over to the front door, having heard the doorbell ring. The wolf opened the door and looked around, confused and briefly wondering if someone was playing a prank.

"U-uhm, down here, Mr. H-Hunter," a quiet voice floated up from the ground. Zach looked down to see a young red panda girl, around the same age as Marcus by Zach's estimate, looking up at him with big brown eyes. In her left paw she was carrying a picnic basket that seemed a little large compared to a mammal her size. In her right she was hugging her red and white striped tail, and strapped to her back was a guitar case, sized for her species. She was wearing a red t-shirt with some yellow Japandanese characters on it, and some jeans.

"H-hi! I'm Aiko. I'm here to see Marcus," she said, feeling nervous and wondering if the casual outfit she had picked made her look like a hobo. Zach frowned and crossed his arms.

"Oh, you are, are ya?" he asked. He had been concerned for his adopted pup ever since Marcus had told him and Vanna about meeting a group of pups his age out in the woods. Zach was suspicious about what a group of youngsters out in the woods would be up to, and didn't buy the story of them being out there to play music. He was worried that Marcus was being groomed to be pulled into a gang.

"Y-yes sir," Aiko said, giving Zach her brightest smile. The deputy seemed unfazed and instead invited the red panda girl inside, directing her towards the kitchen. He offered her a seat, after grabbing a dictionary to prop her up a bit at the table. Aiko thanked him, and gratefully passed him her picnic basket and guitar case when he held out his paws for them while she climbed up into the chair. Zach promptly opened the guitar case, finding an ordinary acoustic guitar, making sure to check inside the case and inside the guitar itself, for any possible contraband.

"Do you play?" Aiko asked, unaware what Zach was looking for. Instead, Zach gently put the guitar back and snapped the case shut.

"Oh, just some saxophone," Zach said, smirking proudly while he then opened the picnic basket, sniffing around for anything that wasn't food, and looking around at what Aiko had packed already. "Huh, this looks like quite a spread," Zach said, pulling out several tupperwares. He found two salads, one of which contained bamboo leaves and shoots, as well as some flower blossoms, the other regular leafy greens that Zach was able to identify as being safe for humans, along with some carrots and berries. There were also a couple of omelettes, and another with fried grasshoppers.

"Hmm, there seems to be more meat dishes here than veggie ones. Y'all expectin' some more company?" Zach asked, sniffing the grasshoppers, his tail wagging as it smelled just like his mother's fried chicken. Aiko looked confused, before letting out a laugh, figuring out what Zach meant.

"Oh, no. All of our friends had to cancel today, so it's just me and Marcus hanging out. Despite what a lot of mammals think, us red pandas are actually omnivores."

"That so," Zach said, resealing the container, having palmed some of the grasshoppers, which he quickly popped into his mouth when Aiko wasn't looking. They even tasted like his Ma's chicken.

"Yup! Although a healthy diet for us focuses more on plants, we still need eggs and insects from time to time. We used to also eat rodents, but, well, we obviously don't anymore."

"Ah," Zach grunted, looking at a curious set of triangle-cut sandwiches that appeared to be filled with some kind of cream and strawberries and kiwis. He raised an eyebrow to Aiko, who happily informed him that it was a furutso sando, very popular in Japanda. And finally, he pulled out a couple boxes of black and white checkerboard-looking cookies that Aiko informed him were sent to her from her aunt Megumi.

"Well, this all looks very... nice," he said, making the red panda girl blush. Suddenly, she found a desk lamp shining right in her face, temporarily blinding her. "I don't suppose y'all can account fer yer whereabouts all week long, can ya?"

"Wha?"

"Just what're yer intentions fer my pup?" Zach asked, his voice firm.

"Oh! Well, we were going to enjoy the beautiful day, have some lunch, and practice our instruments." Aiko spoke, blinking her eyes, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was being interrogated. It was then that a throat was cleared behind him. Both Zach and Aiko turned to see Vanna, a pronounced baby bump visible beneath her flannel shirt, standing there with crossed arms, looking pointedly at Zach, whose tail was already tucking itself between his legs. "H-hi, Kitten," he said with an audible gulp.

Shortly after, Marcus, with his violin in its case in tow, was walking along the path out into the woods next to Aiko, both oblivious to what Zach had been trying to do. While Marcus took a few more minutes to get ready, Vanna sat with Aiko, having a chat with her, being warm and inviting, and even packing up a couple of slices of pumpkin pie that Audrey had baked and brought over the night before. All the while, Zach was standing facing a corner, rubbing the sore ear of his that had gotten tugged. Vanna smiled as she watched the two walking, Bruno on his leash, the woodpecker happily chirping as he followed along.

"Well, Goofball, at least you didn't manage to scare off that sweet little red panda. I swear, when we took in Marcus, I knew that it would be a challenge to be a parent, but I never knew that that meant my mate, and not our son." Vanna turned to glare at said mate... only to find that Zach was no longer in the corner. She spotted a nearby window that hadn't been open and saw and sighed. She also noticed that the box that Ulric had given Zach containing some of his Catsquach hunting gear was open. A quick look showed Vanna that the bush disguise and the listening equipment were missing, making her let out a growl. "Goofball," she said before heading towards the door.

At that moment, Vernon was straightening his tie before he got out of the truck. He knew that his father had never stopped by Dice's manor in it and parked a ways away from the front door before he approached.

"I would like to, once again, point out how stupid this idea of yers is," Yuri's voice crackled in Vernon's ear, where the wireless earbud was securely in place. Vernon turned to pretend to admire the fountain before he spoke.

"Y'all didn't have a better idea, Yuri," Vernon quietly said into the mic hidden in the lapel of his coat. The top button on his coat was actually a camera, with a live feed recording on Dorian's phone. The old law wolf was parked in his cruiser just around the bend, waiting to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Yuri was out in the field in the tall grass nearer the manor itself, also ready to jump to the rescue if need be. Dorian hadn't liked the idea anymore than Yuri did, and had tried to talk Vernon out of doing this cockamamy idea. Unfortunately, Vernon had inherited his own stubbornness and made it clear he was dead-set on going through with it. Vernon walked up the steps and Dorian saw that the guards were different this time. Both mammals wore expensive-looking black suits and ties with sunglasses, but today one was a rhino and the other a zebra. They both watched Vernon approaching, but said nothing.

"Ahem. I'm Ver-er, Victor! Victor Howlbert," Vernon said, catching himself before almost accidentally giving out his real name. He correctly guessed that Yuri and Dorian were both simultaneously face-pawwing at that moment. "I have an appointment with Mr. Kirin Dice today?" His voice was without a trace of his usual Meadowlands drawl. He was calling on his skills he had worked hard to try and hone back in college to kick his accent. The guards shared a look before the rhino spoke softly into his cuff. After a few heartbeats, the double oak doors were thrown open wide by Kirin Dice himself, whose pinstripe suit today was black with red stripes, with a matching fedora. His breast pocket square and tie were both crimson, and appeared to be made of silk.

"Mr. Howlbert, welcome!" Kirin said. Vernon forced a smile and shook the human's red leather-gloved hands, fighting the urge to recoil. His father was right. In the eyes of the mammal before him, there was something... wrong. Something dark. Vernon repressed a shudder as well as the instinct to wipe his paw once the handshake had ended. He spotted, standing a little ways behind the human, the lynx Dorian had mentioned. Bandile. "Well, come on in!" Kirin said, beckoning for Vernon to enter. Vernon did, his jaw dropping. The interior was massive. Polished black and white tiles right there in the entrance, leading to a set of double stairs, made from carved marble, to the second story.

Looking up at the ceiling, Vernon froze. At first, he thought he was looking at a mirror, until he noticed that there were no reflections of him or the other mammals present. It was a carving of the entryway, complete with the double stairs. At first glance, it looked identical to what he was standing in. But, looking down and then up in comparison, he noticed a number of small differences. Like how the staircase on the left had an odd number of steps as opposed to its counterpart on the ground, as well as some of the carvings along the banister looking different as well.

"Like it?" Kirin and his brayjun accent said, bringing Vernon's attention to the human who spoke. "It's one of those spot-the-difference puzzles!"

"And... it's carved... right up there on your ceiling?" Vernon asked.

"That's right!" Kirin said with a wink, starting to walk down the left hall, Bandile in tow. Vernon hurried to follow along. He looked at all of the tall stained glass windows, and saw that they were all in grid-like patterns of seemingly random shapes and colors. Kirin noticed him looking and sauntered over to one. With Vernon watching, he reached forward and plucked a hand-sized square of clear glass. Then, he began to shift the different squares from space to space, leading Vernon to realize that each pane of stained glass was just another puzzle. In a matter of seconds, with Kirin having to stand on his tip toes, he placed the clear pane near the center at the top. Then, with a push, the window soundlessly opened like a set of double-doors.

"The only way to open any of the windows is to solve the puzzle, else they remain locked," Kirin said with a smirk. Vernon followed, feeling very uneasy in this house that an apparent madmammal had rebuilt. On the way to what Kirin said was his study, Vernon stopped when he saw a line of slot machines. They appeared to be the old-fashioned kind. The ones without computer screens but instead regular reels that spun inside and levers on the side to pull, instead of pushing a button. But he paused when he saw that some appeared severely burnt, their metal frames and handles twisted and misshapen.

"I see that you're admiring my newest piece for my collection," Kirin said, standing right next to Vernon and making him jump in surprise. Vernon took note that apparently humans can be quite stealthy when they want to be.

"Collection?" Vernon asked, curious, but not liking the glint in Kirin's eye.

"Oh yes. Are you at all familiar with the ancient god Caenidrus?" Kirin asked, looking sidelong at Vernon.

"I'm afraid that I'm not familiar."

"Well, ancient humans, some of them, used to worship Caenidrus, the god of luck and fortune, and opportunity. In the modern Animalia world, Caenidrus is often represented as a fox, and as such many superstitious humans tend to view foxes as being inherently lucky. But I digress. I am a firm believer in Caenidrus," Kirin said, motioning towards another statue like the one in the fountain, this one of a fox in a toga, with a knowing smirk on his muzzle, looking down upon them from a pedestal in a nearby alcove. Vernon couldn't help but think of Nick, looking at the statue. "I always had an affinity for games, especially games of chance. All the more reason to make my newest project all the more exciting. Opening up the first legal casino in Zootopia since the MGM Ram had to close its doors after the fire."

Kirin walked over to the slot machines and lovingly stroked the warped handles. "On November 21, 1980, there was an electrical fire that spread very quickly. 85 mammals died that day, with over 600 injured in the ensuing chaos. Of those that died, 7 were employees, and 78 were guests. Most that died did so from smoke inhalation, being trampled by other frightened guests trying to flee, and in one case, by jumping from a three story window to escape."

It was then that Vernon, and a listening Yuri and Dorian's stomachs all turned, as they all came to a sudden conclusion about the slot machines there, that Kirin was admiring and displaying.

"A-are those..." Vernon asked, trailing off.

"And, amongst all the chaos, with the flames encroaching, the air getting harder and harder to breathe, there were still some mammals, believed to be five total, who continued to play the slots. Danger approaching, death becoming a certainty as they played, yet play on they did. Feeding their money in, just hoping, most likely very desperately, to win big, to hit the jackpot. I wonder, did they think if they won the jackpot that they would have enough time to collect it and get out?" Kirin chuckled, his voice making Vernon's skin crawl. Suddenly, the human spun, twirling his cane that Vernon did not remember seeing upon entering, looking like a magician showing off his latest trick.

"What some may see as a crippling addiction, I see as true devotion! Devotion to luck! To chance! To opportunity!" He winked at Vernon while walking past and into his office. "A casino is a sacred place of worship. A cathedral dedicated to chance itself! The flashing lights, its stained glass windows, the bells and whistles, its prayers. Where the dealers are priests, where faithful parishioners come to generously donate their tithes, whether that be a small set amount, their entire paychecks, their entire bank accounts, it is all up to them! All so that they may give with the hope of fate smiling upon their sacrifice and reward them in kind." Kirin let out another chuckle as he took a seat in his large ostrich leather chair behind his mahogany carved desk and spun. He stopped, resting his chin on his interlaced fingered hands, his elbows resting on the desk, while he waited for Vernon to take a seat.

"I see," Vernon said, confirming his earlier suspicion that this mammal was completely off his rocker.

"And my new project is going to reflect that... Mr. Hunter," Kirin said, letting out another chuckle as he leaned back in his chair. Vernon froze, his insides practically icing over.

Oh no! Vernon's cover's been blown! Zach has gone off after Marcus and Aiko! I've got brownies baking in the oven! Whatever shall happen?! Tune in next time to find out! ;)