Zootopia - Loves Blind

by OneWolfe

Office Judy Hopps finally has the life she always wanted as a police officer with the perfect partner. However her growing personal relationship with Nick is putting a strain on her job that everyone else can see except them. Love can be so very blind at times. (Drama)

42. Loves Bond 18 - Singing Goats

[A/N] This is the third revised chapter. A few things have changed to coincide with the changes from earlier but for the most part is nearly identical. You are welcome to skip it if you have already read this one.

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Loves Bond

Chapter 18 - Singing Goats

A pair of police issued paw straps crunched over a multitude of broken glass shards. The ornately carved, marble floor was coated with a plethora of the dangerously sharp fragments, while heavy cloth and rubber soles protected the rabbit's hind paws from being cut, as she walked through the perilous crime scene.

Stylish, oak tables had been placed curiously around the store's lobby to provide comfortable browsing for guests. On top of each table would have been a securely locked glass case, if the thief hadn't brought a heavy sledgehammer. Now, every single case had been thoroughly smashed and the contents removed. All that remained were velveteen stands that resembled a mammal's elegant neck or supple fingers.

The rest of the furniture in the jewelry store was untouched. Stools where guests could relax while trying on the latest fashions sat unscathed under the broken cases. Potted plants rested unharmed on top of their cases or shelves. Even a delicate, oval viewing mirror remained in place, while the rest of the case it sat on was smashed into tiny bits.

In the front of the store, two large and intricately cut, oval windows had also been smashed, leaving only the fancy moldings to show where the glass had been. Through the empty space, a warm savanna breeze blew, causing some broken shards to tinkle quietly in the window frame. A potted fern next to one of the windows had been knocked over, dumping soil across the rose marble floor.

Despite the sharp glass on the smoothly-polished floor, Judy sluggishly dragged her paws. She kicked the glass around as she shuffled slowly from one broken case to the next. Taking notes as she went, the grey rabbit examined the bits of glass and the jewelry stands alike. Occasionally, she would take photos of the scene with the built-in camera on her cell phone, but her shoulders were slumped, and her ears drooped, like they weighed several tons.

Every case that she examined, had been emptied of its contents. Not a single loose emerald or diamond could be found, nor a leftover golden or silver chain link. The rabbit felt a little tear appear under her left eye when she looked at the naked display stands. Everything looked so sad and bare and it reminded her of how she felt inside.

Looking around the once elegant store, she felt as if it was pieces of her heart that had been shattered and broken on the floor, instead of the soulless glass. Her dreams were now akin to the smashed and empty display cases. Nearly everything in the store was in disarray, like a mirror of her own life. It had been three days since she walked out of that arrogant fox's life, but she still felt like she had been stabbed in the chest.

Her best friend and partner had simply cut her out of his life. He had pushed her away and thrown out everything that they meant to each other, leaving a vacant space in her heart. A space that used to be filled with a smart and pawsome fox that had always brought a warm light to her darkest of days.

Her eyes began to swim as she placed the back of her paw against her damp forehead. This morning's hangover was the result of her attempt to forget the fox and everything else that had happened. She knew alcohol wasn't the answer, but it had made the pain go away, at least for a little while.

This morning, the pounding in her head did nothing to help ease the deep aching in her heart. Combined, they only made her feel sick, and she held back the urge to vomit. Her tall cup of morning coffee was having little effect in her attempts to drown both the hangover and her sorrows.

Lifting her head slowly, Judy looked around the large, broad room, when she noticed something on the walls. She had been too focused on the broken cases and the missing jewelry to pay much attention to what was on the walls.

Hanging from the walls were several, artistically stylized photos of mammals showing off their expensive jewelry. Most were stylish, young females in opulent poses, but there was also the occasional wedding scene. The pictures contained both pred and prey mammals, but all were of medium height and build.

What caught the rabbit's attention was that lines of black spray paint had been haphazardly applied around the walls. Most of the muzzles in the photos had been covered over with a stylized ram's skull or simply blacked out. Behind what Judy suspected was the main counter, a large picture had been sliced and torn from its frame. In its place was a large, black ram's skull and the words, "Cure The Disease."

"Can you help me with this?" Judy called to a large, uniformed tiger, who was walking out of the back room following a well dressed hampshire ewe. The ewe had thick, white wool and a black muzzle. When Fangmeyer helped the rabbit lift the picture off the floor, they saw it was a wedding scene focusing on the bride's gorgeous, diamond ring.

At first glance, Judy did not think anything of the married couple in the torn picture. Slowly, it began to dawn on the rabbit that something was odd about them, but it took her several more moments to realize what it was. The bride was a sheep with a thick coat of grey wool, but the groom was a grey furred wolf, who looked into her eyes like he was staring at the moon while he gently slid the shining ring onto her delicate finger.

"What do you make of this," the rabbit asked the much taller tiger.

Without a second thought, Fangmeyer declared confidently, "It wasn't sliced by a predator's claws." She pointed at three of the parallel cuts that ran across the bride's half of the photo. "Do you see how these look like they were torn by a blunt object and not something sharp?" The tiger extended her own, sharp claws for the tiny rabbit to see.

Judy barely flinched at the sight of the giant cat's own, personal set of dangerous, kitchen utensils. She turned to the proprietor, who had been at the scene when the two officers had arrived, and asked, "What can you tell us about this photo?"

The well dressed ewe, who had told the officers that her name was Melissa, looked up at the picture and placed a hoof over her muzzle with a soft gasp. "That is my sister and her husband of five years now. She was so happy that day and wanted to donate this photo to the store, so that others could share in that feeling."

Pointing at the graffiti behind the picture, the rabbit asked, "Do you know anything about this?"

"Not really," the ewe shook her head. "I think my nephew has something like that on a t-shirt, but I thought it was for some rock band."

"I have seen those shirts all over town as well," Fangmeyer added.

"T-shirts," Judy snapped her fingers. "Now I remember."

Fangmeyer glanced down at the smaller officer in puzzlement. "What is it?"

"Do you remember that gang we arrested back in the summer?" The rabbit struggled to not mention any details of the case where they had to rescue Officer Wilde from a gang of ruthless sheep and goats. "They all had this symbol on their shirts or jackets."

The tiger thought for a moment before she replied, "Yes, I do remember them. Wasn't that where you're?"

Judy cut her off by waving both paws, "Please don't remind me." More tears formed under the rabbit's eyes.

"I think I will go ahead and call that plumber now," the proprietor said, while the tiger knelt down and put a giant paw on the rabbit's shoulder.

"Hopps, you are going to have to get over this," Fangmeyer said soothingly. She tried to wipe away some of the rabbit's tiny tears before they fell to the floor. "I don't know if drinking away your sorrows was such a good idea." When the rabbit sniffled and looked up at the big cat, she shook her head and continued, "Those dark circles under your eyes do not look good. Maybe if you should come join me and the girls at the karaoke club tonight and have some fun instead, that could help ease the pain a little."

Rubbing her pink nose with the back of her paw, she nodded at the tiger. "Ok, but you remember what happened the last time?"

"Yes," Fangmeyer smiled warmly. "And you have such a lovely singing voice too. So much better than my gravel and boulders."

A soft snicker left the rabbit's muzzle, "Wolfard seems to like your voice."

Standing up with a huff, the tiger looked down at the rabbit. "Let's not talk about all the things that Wolfard likes about me. And yes, he also agrees with me about your voice."

"Alright," the rabbit agreed with a loud sigh and droopy ears.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that." Fangmeyer chided. "It will be fun, and far better than those sleazy dives you have been telling me about."

Judy shook her head and looked down at the floor instead of up at the tiger while she spoke, "I haven't felt like being around other mammals lately."

"I can tell," the uniformed tiger declared softly. "You haven't been sleeping either, and I am surprised that Bogo is still letting you come to work in your condition."

Before the small rabbit could respond, Melissa hung up the phone and spoke to the tiger, "The plumber said they could be here in thirty minutes."

"That is good news," Fangmeyer said with a polite nod. "Normally it can take hours for one to show up."

"What do we need a plumber for?" Judy asked with a hint of curiosity breaking through her sad demeanor.

Waving the rabbit towards the back of the store, the tiger explained, "There is something that you have to see. I don't think this was a simple robbery or even vandalism."

They walked through the employee-only area of the store until they reached the private restroom. It was a small room that was little more than a water closet. Inside, was a single toilet, with a bowl that was nearly as tall as Judy, along with a tall sink and a large mirror.

The washroom had been finely decorated, as was the rest of the store, with a pretty potted fern in one corner and elegant paintings on the walls. Now, all the paintings were torn and demuzzled like the ones out front. On the mirror was the same, horned skull symbol with the words, "Cure The Disease," written below it.

Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, until Fangmeyer asked, "Can I lift you up, Hopps?"

Judy raised her paws over her head and said, "Sure, go ahead."

When the tiger lifted the rabbit into the air, the smaller mammal covered her muzzle with both paws and gasped. From her new vantage point, she could see that all the missing jewelry had been shoved into the toilet, until it was overflowing with shiny jewels and precious gemstones. "This is terrible, and disgusting at the same time!" Judy cried.

Setting the rabbit back on her own paws, the large tiger said, "We need a plumber to help the ewe find out what all is missing and see if they can recover anything that might have been flushed."

"I think you are right, Fangmeyer," Judy nodded thoughtfully. The tiredness and sorrow slowly drained from her muzzle, to be replaced by a cold determination. "This was a hate crime!"

"My thoughts exactly," replied the tiger.

"I need to speak to the ewe again."

"She is probably in the main office."

A simple desk with a computer sat in the small office, where the sheep was looking through some inventory books. "What can I do for you, Officers?" Melissa asked.

Stepping up to the desk, Judy scribbled on her notepad before speaking, "I know that you have already given your statement to Officer Fangmeyer, but can you please tell us what happened again?" The desk was not as large as the one in her boss's office, but Judy was still not able to see over the edge without jumping.

"Certainly," the well dressed sheep said as she set the open ledger down on top of the desk. "I will be happy to help in any way that I can." She folded her hooves together on the top of the desk and leaned back in her chair before speaking. "I arrived early to open the store this morning. When I came through the back entrance, I did not realize anything was wrong until I walked into the lobby. After that, I immediately called the police and left everything as you found it. Then, I called my employees and told them to stay home for the day."

"Ok," Judy stated while continuing to scribble. "And what time did you arrive?"

The ewe glanced up at the tall tiger, "It was a little after eight o'clock, I think. I cannot be exactly sure, but that is around when I usually get here every morning."

"And you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when you came in through the back?" The rabbit asked.

"No," Melissa said, shaking her head. "Everything back here seemed to be in proper order, so I was quite shocked when I stepped out front."

Flipping the page on her notepad, Judy jotted down more clues. "What kind of security do you have? I take it, there is an alarm system as well as cameras?"

Nodding, the ewe replied, "Yes. That was why I was so shocked when I walked into the lobby. The alarms had not been tripped."

"From what I have seen, the system is fairly old. It could have been faulty equipment," Fangmeyer declared gruffly.

"Once this place is cleaned up, that will be one of the first things that gets replaced." Melissa leaned forward and closed the open ledger on her desk, before she looked down at the rabbit to add, "I should also mention that the front door was unlocked when I checked it."

"Who has keys and access to the security system?" Judy asked thoughtfully.

"Um," the sheep looked back and forth between the rabbit and the tiger nervously as she spoke. "Just-just myself, my husband and Diane."

"Diane? Who is that?" More details were scribbled on the small, yellow pad.

"She is the weekend manager, but she also closes and locks up some evenings."

Judy looked up at the large predator, but could not read the tiger's expression, so she proceeded with her next question, "What can you tell us about your husband?"

"Erick?" The sheep seemed puzzled by the question. "He is a great mammal. I met him in college, where he was studying business and metal-working. He followed in the family business, and we eventually opened this branch shortly after we were married."

"What about this other mammal?" Judy asked, tapping the leafy end of her carrot pen on her chin. "Diane was her name?"

"Yes, Diane. She has been a friend of Erick's family for many years," the ewe said with a nod. "I think they even grew up in the same neighborhood, but she really has a knack for cutting gemstones. I can show you some of her work, if you wish."

"Those are the only two mammals that have the alarm codes?" Fangmeyer asked. When Melissa nodded again, the tiger continued, "And you trust them both implicitly?"

"Of course I trust them. The three of us have been running this store together for years."

Flipping through her notes, Judy continued to tap the pen on her chin as she spoke, "Ok, I think that is enough for now, but I do have one more personal question before we take a look at the security footage."

"Ok, what is it?" The ewe asked as she once again folded her hooves and leaned back in her office chair.

Judy looked directly into the sheep's eyes, and without any emotion, she asked, "What species is your husband, ma'am? I noticed that you are not wearing a wedding ring, so I am curious."

The sheep scoffed, as if insulted by the question. She spread her hooves wide before responding, "Duh." A moment later, she leaned forward and glared down at the much smaller mammal before continuing, "How is that relevant to this robbery?"

Returning the sheep's gaze, the rabbit's muzzle had slightly more emotion than if she was looking at a blank wall. She calmly waited for the ewe to answer the question, but her hind paw began to thump slowly on the marble floor.

Fangmeyer quickly caught on to the rabbit's line of questioning and jumped in to ease the wooly mammal's concerns. "Ma'am, your store provides service to mixed couples, does it not?"

Turning her muzzle away from the rabbit, the sheep's expression slowly shifted from angry to concerned. "Yes, we don't discriminate here. Isn't that illegal anyway? We won't turn away any couple who wants to purchase our fine jewelry. Romantic preferences are none of our concern, be they straight, gay, or inter, we have never refused anyone." Again, she looked between the warm tiger and the cold bunny. "I still don't see what any of this has to do with the robbery."

The tiger waved her paw towards the small rabbit before replying, "Officer Hopps and I suspect that this wasn't a robbery, but we won't know that until you are able to finish taking stock of what is missing. We think this break-in was more personal."

Judy held up her pen as she asked the ewe again, "Can you at least tell us if your husband is a sheep or not?"

Shock filled the store manager's muzzle as she spoke, "Are you serious?" When both police officers nodded in agreement, her shoulders slumped as she continued with a sigh, "Yes, my husband and I are inters. I am a sheep and he is a goat. Both of our families were very accepting of our relationship, but we still go out of our way to hide the fact that we are married."

"That explains a lot," the rabbit declared, and her nose began to twitch.

"It explains what?" The sheep asked.

"Can we see the security footage?" Judy changed the subject, like a steamroller driving over a deflated tuskball.

Getting up from her chair, Melissa waved her hoof in small circles towards the two cops, "Of course, please follow me." She led them through the back area, past a few jewel-working benches, to a solid door with only a number pad next to the handle. The sheep covered the pad with one hoof, while she entered the code and opened the door.

Inside the secure closet was the standard, video surveillance equipment and an office chair built for medium mammals. However, the standards were obviously from more than ten years ago. Everything in the room, even the chair, was extremely outdated. The monitor was tiny and there weren't even any controls to pause and play back the video.

"Will this work?" The proprietor asked with concern.

"I don't think we will be able to use this equipment," the tiger uttered.

"Sorry," the sheep shrugged. "I only know how to make it record each night."

"Can we get a copy of last night's video?" the small rabbit asked.

"Sure," she said as she pressed a button next to one of the two slots on the console that read, "Backup." A shiny silver disk popped out of the device and the sheep hoofed it to them. "I hope this can help you find out who ever broke in."

"Thank you, ma'am," Judy said with a forced smile. "We will work on this back at the station, but please let us know if you find out anything else, or discover that any more items are missing."

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A black and white police cruiser carefully drove through the streets of downtown Zootopia. Tall buildings lined the streets as the large car followed the slow moving, midday traffic. Most of the cars that drove by were not as big as the police car that was designed for medium and large mammals. It was not the largest vehicle in the ZPD's fleet, but it still dwarfed everything on the street that day.

The many neon signs, that seemed to grow like vines throughout the city, whistled in the cool autumn breeze. Images of giant mammals danced across enormous screens, while product names scrolled past. Even in the middle of the day, some signs still glowed and blinked merrily, under the dark and dreary clouds.

Driving the black and white, was the largest tiger on the force. Fangmeyer wore the dark blue uniform of a regular patrol officer with a flat, black tie and her badge pinned proudly over her left breast pocket. She held the giant steering wheel steadily in her huge paws, while she attentively drove through the heavy, lunchtime traffic.

Fangmeyer's amber eyes scanned the traffic ahead and behind her car, while looking for any traffic violations or other illegal activities. After leaving the broken-in jewelry store, she and her partner had dealt with a number of speeding citations and a couple of jaywalkers on their way back to Precinct 1. They had even chased down a chipmunk purse-snatcher who thought they could escape by climbing up the long neck of a giraffe. Each transgression that required their attention slowed their return to the station, and the tiger continued to keep a sharp eye out for more.

In the front seat, opposite to the large, striped driver, was the ZPD's smallest officer. Barely able to see out of the large windows, the tiny, uniformed rabbit sat glumly in the huge car seat. Her muzzle seemed to be set in a permanent frown, as she stared past her toes at the clean and carpeted floor.

Gently clasped in the rabbit's paws, was a square, plastic case that contained a crude video disk. Her mind was not on the job at the moment, as her eyes stared blankly into the distance. Two, long, fuzzy ears drooped joylessly behind the rabbit's head, while her soft, white toes wiggled in thought.

A soft sigh whistled past her big, front teeth, as she slowly blinked her large, purple eyes. Lowering her head, she seemed to sink even further into the huge cushion that covered the passenger seat of Fangmeyer's cruiser. The pink, heart-shaped nose barely moved, as it slumped with her frowning muzzle.

Judy had been partnered with the large, friendly tiger for three days, but that was not the reason for her current heartache. Her mind once again drifted to the smart and witty fox, that had been her partner, til only a few days before. His absence should have brought a tear to her eye, but thinking of him caused her to clench her fists and grind her teeth.

She had stood up to the Chief of Police, to get this fox accepted into the academy, so that he could become her partner, but at the beginning of this week, he had thrown all of that away to join the T.U.S.K. team. Even though they were the most elite team on the force, they had started to develop a bad reputation under Sergeant Razorback's recent leadership.

T.U.S.K. teams had frequently come under review for excessive force and unnecessary fatalities of suspects. Many of the officers in that department were also under I.A. review after a violent hostage situation had resulted in the loss of some officers' lives, and several more were still in the hospital. For a small mammal like a rabbit or a fox, it was practically a suicide assignment.

The small, grey officer feared that she would never see those brilliant green eyes or that beautiful, black and orange tail ever again. Every time she thought about his choice, the image of his gravestone filled her vision. It wasn't even a fancy, marble headstone, either. She pictured that someone had crudely carved the words, "Nick Wilde, Dumb Fox," into the side of a random boulder atop a lonely, rain swept hill.

Without a single tear in her eye, she could not bring herself to cry over the vision of his solitary grave. Kneeling before the large rock with her mate's name on the side, she beat her tiny fists against the dark grey stone. "Why!?" She would scream in her dreams, "Why did you leave me, stupid fox? I needed you by my side!"

Sometimes, she would hear his charming voice behind those alluring green eyes, "It was a hustle, Sweetheart." As much as the sweet sound of his voice warmed her heart, his words only fueled her anger, and she would reach out to punch him in the shoulder. When she opened her eyes again, she would see that he was not beside her, and the sadness crept back into her heart.

For days, her emotions had circled around like a delicate, koi fish in a dark and bottomless pond. They shifted between how much she loved the fox, her anger at how he had so callously ended their partnership, and simply wanting to curl up into a tight ball and cry her eyes out. By the end of the second day, she was starting to feel numb, but a simple thought or a flash of orange would bring the pawsome fox back into her mind.

Thoughts of his sharp mind, caused another sigh to escape between her teeth. He had a knack for spotting details that she would miss at a crime scene. Working together, they often made connections that solved cases, where detectives twenty years their senior had failed to piece the clues together. She could not deny that they made the perfect team.

They not only worked well together on criminal investigations, but they had grown closer together as friends and partners. When Judy found that she had romantic feelings for him, she began to pursue those feelings, until they eventually became mates. Over the last few months, not a day went by when she did not imagine kissing the soft, creamy fur around his lips or running her fingers through his fluffy, long tail.

Now, all of that was gone. The sharp witted partner would never help her solve another case, while the beautiful mate would never hold her in his strong arms. She would never again get to fall asleep with her twitchy nose nuzzled into his soft, warm chest. It was all because he chose to transfer to that ghastly death squad.

The main source of her anger was that he had never bothered to talk to her about transferring before he had dispassionately slapped the papers down on Chief Bogo's desk. She was his mate, and he had not once confided in her about his plan. He must have had those request papers filled out and in paw long before the giant buffalo asked them into his office. It was so infuriating how callous the fox had been, that she wanted to box his ears in.

What had she done to push the fox away? Why would he have ever thought of filling out those papers? They made such a perfect team, couldn't he see that? Had she been too clingy? His mother had said that foxes were solitary creatures, and Judy knew that rabbits were very tactile. Was it all of her hugging and touching that had pushed him away?

Why had he been so callous towards her feelings? When she had told him about her concern for how the city saw them as a couple, he had only scoffed at her. Everything had gone wrong that day and her fox was no exception. It started with the threat of suspension and parking duty in the rain, then finding that horrid newspaper and finally ended with Nick throwing her out. Her mind frantically scrambled to put the clues together.

Judy tried to think back to that single moment when her fox had pawed the transfer papers to their boss. What had gone on in that giant office? What had Bogo said that caused Nick to take on such a dangerous assignment?

The Chief was angry by their conduct over the last week, and he had been trying to decide their punishment. He was threatening to separate them, she remembered that part, but something about it seemed to tug at the back of her brain. In his fury, the buffalo was going to send them to opposite ends of the city, but one of the locations seemed to almost anger the normally cheerful fox.

Struggling, the rabbit tried to remember exactly what her boss had said. After several minutes of running through the conversation in her head, she remembered he had threatened to dump one of them into the deepest basement in Tundratown, but the second location seemed to elude her. Nick had later brought up the same location and even declared it was no place for bunnies.

Raising her head slowly as the memory surfaced, Judy looked up at the tiger, who was still driving the car, and asked, "Why are rabbits afraid of going into the Nocturnal District?"

Fangmeyer suddenly slammed on the brakes before she looked down at the small, uniformed rabbit. "Where did that come from?" She asked in shock.

Waving a paw, Judy replied casually, "Oh, it was just something Nick said during the fight."

"Was that what you were fighting over?"

"No," the rabbit sighed. "I told you before that we fought over a lot of things, but I remembered that he called me a weak bunny and I could never handle the Nocturnal District."

"Aww," Fangmeyer exhaled. "I am sorry to say Hopps, but on that point I do agree with him."

"What?" Judy asked with a small snarl. "Bogo was threatening to transfer one of us there."

The tiger growled loudly as she put her paw back on the accelerator, "If Bogo even thought about assigning you to that dark pit, I would rip out his tail and shove it down his arrogant throat!"

Judy put up her paws, "Whoa, calm down kitty." When the large tiger continued to bare her teeth in a broad snarl, the rabbit asked, "But why? Is it really that dangerous?

Lightly tapping the break as she turned the next corner, Officer Fangmeyer shook her head. "It is not entirely dangerous, no. Nor is it the most lawless district in the city."

"Then what is it?" The rabbit asked softly with her ears slowly raising.

Sighing, the tiger looked down at the small grey officer that sat next to her as she asked, "Rabbits are normally night blind, is that correct?"

"Night blind?"

"They can't see in the dark. Or more correctly, it means they are nearly blind in low light," Fangmeyer explained.

"Oh, yes," Judy nodded. "It takes me a very long time for my eyes to adjust to the dark, while I have seen Nick wearing sunglasses at night and saying that it is still too bright."

Chuckling, the big cat replied, "I can believe that."

The rabbit rubbed a paw against her chin before asking, "I get that it is dark down there, but why are you and he so upset about me working down there."

"Because of what happens to bunnies who get lost in those dark and twisting tunnels," the tiger said with a tone that sent a shiver down the rabbit's spine and caused her nose to twitch violently.

"What happens to them?" Judy asked with a mix of curiosity and fear on her muzzle. "Do they get eaten?"

Again, Fangmeyer shook her head as she responded, "Despite the rumors of vicious cannibals living down there, I have not encountered a single case of predation in the Nocturnal District. But, what I fear happens to the rabbits, is much worse."

Gulping slowly, the rabbit steadied her breathing before she said, "Please explain."

Pulling into the Precinct 1 parking garage, Fangmeyer took a deep breath before she explained, "An unusually high number of rabbits, both male and female, seem to disappear in those winding tunnels each year. When we do find them, weeks, or even months later, they are usually drugged out of their minds and being sold in one of the numerous brothels."

Fangmeyer parked the car in her usual spot before she continued without looking at the rabbit beside her, "I have no idea why, but it seems that rabbits of any age always fetch a high price down there. And like I said, gender does not seem to make a difference."

She turned to look at the slightly shocked rabbit. "Bunnies are not the only mammals that wind up down there after going missing. Every single missing mammal case that gets filed is sent to the Nocturnal Precinct, so the officers down there can search the brothels and nip dens."

Judy's nose began to twitch, and her eyes lit up, "Last week, there was an unusually high number of kitnappings around the city. Could they be tied to what is going on with those brothels?"

"Highly unlikely," the tiger scoffed. "So many of them happened in broad daylight, right under the parents' noses. This doesn't seem like the work of the nocturnal gangs. They would always wait until you are in their tunnels before they grab you. No, these kitnappings don't seem like their kind of M.O. And don't even think about heading down there to look for them yourself."

"I really hate sitting around and waiting for these kits to show up."

The tiger showed her teeth again in a barely contained snarl, as she spoke to the fearless rabbit, "You can't help them if you are caught or killed in the dark. I know you hate being told no, but please listen to me when I ask you to stay away from the Nocturnal District."

Sighing, the rabbit didn't seem eager to do much of anything at the moment, "Ok, Fangmeyer. I promise that I will not go rushing off by myself, to search for missing mammals in the Nocturnal District."

Opening the car door, Fangmeyer climbed out before she pointed back to the rabbit holding the video disk. "We are here now, so let's check out that security footage."

"Ok," Judy declared, only slightly more enthusiastic than a few moments ago.

Nearly an hour later, the rabbit and tiger met up in the audio visual room, after filling out their daily reports. The day had not been overly exciting for the pair of officers, but glum Judy had taken twice as long to file her reports. Now, one small and one large mammal sat behind a single desk, looking at a flat video screen.

Being smaller, the rabbit sat at the controls, while the tiger squinted to see the screen. The video playback device they had chosen to use was designed for medium mammals. That meant it was slightly too large for the rabbit to use comfortably and slightly too small for the tiger to see much detail. With the vast difference in their sizes, they decided that this was the best option to go through the footage from the jewelry store break-in.

The security disk stored multiple angles of the store, from the main lobby to the back room, but none of the main office or the private restroom. The disk must have been changed yesterday because it started right before the store opened yesterday and only went up to the point where the owner had hit the eject button this morning.

Judy started by skipping the footage up to around sunrise this morning, but the damage had already been done by then. Glass covered the marble floor and the walls were painted in crude graffiti. She then jumped back to midnight before slowly skipping forward until someone entered the store.

At roughly 2:30 am, a mammal in a dark jacket and a pair of short and slightly curved horns entered the store and walked directly across the lobby towards the back room. In another camera angle, the pair of officers watched the mammal walk up to a white box mounted on the wall near the back door. At the camera's angle, they could not see what he was punching into the box, but it only took two tries before he returned to the front.

"Wait a second!" Fangmeyer declared, as she held up her giant paw, and Judy paused the playback. "Can you zoom in on that mammal's muzzle?"

After a few seconds of rewinding, Judy found a good angle and zoomed the video. Shaking her head, she said, "Sorry, that is the best I can do." The mammal's muzzle was covered in a cheaply woven ski-mask that obscured most of his distinguishing features, but they were still able to determine that his species was the common alpine goat.

"Ok," the tiger uttered with disappointment. "What does he do next?"

Returning the video to its normal playback speed, they watched the masked goat casually stroll back to the front door. He opened it and gestured outside to three other masked mammals. Seconds later, two sheep and a second goat rushed through the door. Both sheep carried large sledge hammers, while the new goat held a plastic paw basket used for grocery shopping. In the basket were several tall cans that looked like spray paint.

The first sheep through the door rushed forward and smashed the nearest glass case with several swings of his large hammer. Behind him, the other sheep headed towards the front windows, but before he could swing the heavy tool at the brittle glass, he kicked a potted plant, dumping the loose soil across the finely polished floor.

Dumping the spray cans on the floor, the second goat, which Fangmeyer and Judy suspected was female, picked up one in each hoof. She popped the lids and began to shake the cans to mix the paint. After several shakes, she strolled over to the first image of a female snow leopard, with a fancy, jade necklace, and began to draw a stylized ram's skull. It was the same skull that was drawn in white on the back of the vandals' jackets.

The original goat that had opened the door and let the other mammals inside the store, casually picked up the pawheld shopping basket and began to load it full of the loose jewelry, that now lay freely exposed inside the smashed and broken display cases. He swept the broken glass out of each case and onto the floor with his bare hooves, as he collected the valuables.

As the crude artist worked around the room, she seemed to scream violently when she spied the wolf and sheep couple behind the front counter. She threw down the cans in her hooves and began to scratch at the large photograph. Despite how blunt the fingers on her hooves were, her anger still caused them to rip the delicate paper. With one hard pull, she tore the image of the inter wedding from its frame and let it fall rudely to the floor. Grabbing a new pair of spray cans, she drew a large, black skull and added the words, "Cure The Disease."

With the graffiti finished, the female walked up to a small potted plant that had fallen on the floor. She gingerly lifted the plant and placed it back on top of the now broken display case. Before walking away again, she gave the brightly colored leaves a gentle pat with her hoof.

Once all the display cases had been smashed and the pawbasket was filled with jewels, both goats headed towards the private restroom in the back of the store. The two sheep with the large hammers stood by the door and waited for the goats to return.

Several seconds passed, before the pair of goats came back to the front room and collected the empty spray cans. With an empty basket and hooves full of cans, they headed for the front door. Once the others had left, the first goat ran back to the security alarm panel and began pressing buttons. After quickly punching in a code, the goat sprinted back towards the front door and left.

The entire operation had been completed before 3:00 am. It seemed to have been well planned and coordinated. Judy almost suspected that this was a group of professional vandals, or they knew the store well.

"There is something very wrong about this whole thing," the rabbit declared, with her head slightly tilted and her nose scrunched.

"Yep," Fangmeyer nodded. "I am guessing that you have not worked an insurance fraud case before."

"Only one," Judy explained to the large cat. "It was an arson case I had with Wolfard back in the winter."

Nodding, the tiger looked down at the small rabbit, "I remember that one. Didn't that boar pay his neighbor to burn down his own pizzeria in order to collect the insurance?"

"That is the one," the rabbit nodded, with a slightly sad smile.

Pointing at the screen, Fangmeyer affirmed, "Well, this case has the distinct smell of insurance fraud all over it."

"Other than the perp walking in the front door like he owned the place and easily turning off the alarm, I am not really sure," she said with a shrug.

"Sure, that is the obvious point," the tiger explained. "But the owner is a sheep and her husband is a goat. The vandals are a mix of both species. Doesn't that strike you as a very odd coincidence?"

"Ok," Judy nodded thoughtfully, but something seemed to bother her and the tiny, pink nose continued to twitch. "Yet, insurance doesn't pay out very much for vandalism. It is possible that nothing was actually stolen, so they would get nothing for the jewels. None of that makes any sense."

"I guess you are right," Officer Fangmeyer said while rubbing her chin.

The rabbit continued to explain, "Based on what I learned from that case with Detective Wolfard, the insurance payouts for fire and theft are the highest. Theft only ranks that high if your entire inventory is taken, which the detective explained was rarely ever the case. So graffiti and broken cases would barely net you enough to buy some paint and new glass. I just don't think that insurance is a good enough motive here."

"Maybe we should ask the other owner what he thinks."

"And I would like to talk to this weekend manager as well," Judy stated with determination.

---

Erick Geitost sat in a very cold and uncomfortable stainless steel chair. In front of him, was a large, steel table, whose surface was covered in large dents and scratches. A thick and well scratched ring was welded to the center of the table.

Despite the cool, autumn weather outside and the cold steel under his tail, Erick was sweating profusely. He had to remove his formal coat and loosen his tie in order to breathe, but sweat still poured off his muzzle. The single, fluorescent light, that hung from a crude chain, seemed to glare angrily down at him while heating the room even more.

The glass of water he had requested when he arrived never showed up, and it had been over an hour. His lips were becoming parched in the dry air, and his tongue felt like it had been glued to the side of his mouth. He attempted to not think about his dry tongue, but the more he tried to push it out of his mind, the more he seemed to concentrate on the weird sensation in his mouth.

As the well dressed goat was about to reach up and scratch at one of the long horns protruding from the top of his head, the door was thrown open with a loud bang. Through the open doorway walked a very tall and uniformed tiger whose muzzle showed all the signs of having a very bad day.

Behind the angry tiger hopped a small rabbit who was fumbling with a large file folder and a glass of water. The goat stared thirstily at the glass that had a thick layer of water droplets built up around the sides. With an audible sigh, he watched as the small rabbit stumbled and spilled some contents of the glass.

Eventually, the uniformed rabbit managed to climb up onto a chair next to the tiger without spilling any more of the precious water. She carefully placed the glass down in front of her next to the disorganized folder.

"What is going on here?" Erick asked, trying to wet his dry lips. "I was told you had some information regarding the break-in of me and my wife's jewelry store. Why am I in this empty room, and what took you mammals so long to speak with me?" He slammed a hoof down on the table in mild anger, but he never once took his eyes off the cold glass of water.

"I asked that Lieutenant, whatever his name was, for a glass of water over an hour ago."

The tiger scowled down at him while the rabbit fumbled through the papers inside the manila folder. She seemed to shuffle them around clumsily before she spoke softly, "M-Mr Erick G-Geitost correct? Co-owner of the Geitost Jewelry store branch on A-Acacia Street and 9th?"

He leaned over the table towards the small rabbit in order to better hear her meek voice, "Yes, that is me. M-My wife Melissa also owns the store." Without much success, he tried to avert his gaze from the vicious predator that was still glaring at him hungrily.

"What can you tell us about the break-in, Mr. Geitost?" The little rabbit asked while she wrote something with a cute pen shaped to look like a delicious carrot.

Sitting back in the stiff chair, he glared back at the rabbit, but his tone was slightly nervous as he asked, "Not until I get some water." He leaned back towards the rabbit and softly added, "Please."

"Sure, Mr. Geitost," the rabbit said, slowly sliding the wet glass toward the parched goat. "Now, will you tell us about the break-in?"

"Do you mean the one from this morning?"

"Have there been others?" The tiger finally spoke like she had a truck load of gravel stuck in her throat.

"What? No, I mean." He seemed to think carefully about his words before he spoke again, "It is nearly impossible to run any jewelry store without the occasional theft, but none have ever caused so much damage before." Even with the cold glass in his hooves, he felt his palms begin to sweat. What were these two up to, and why did it feel like they blamed him?

Shuffling through several pages in the folder, the grey rabbit eventually slid a photograph the size of an entire page towards him. "Do you recognize any of these mammals," she asked, and the timid nature in her voice was completely gone. She seemed to carry a fierce determination instead of the meek rabbit he saw only moments ago.

Looking down at the photo on the table, he saw a group of four mammals entering his store in the middle of the night. The photo had obviously been taken from one of his security cameras, since he recognized the angle. Shaking his head, he answered the rabbit's question, "No. I don't recognize any of them. Mammals dressed all in black are kind of hard to make out."

"How about a closer look?" the rabbit officer asked as she slid another photo towards his side of the table.

In this new photo was a masked goat from the same species as himself, but what caught his attention was that this goat was standing next to the security control panel for the entire store. He could not make out exactly what the display on the panel said, but he had a very good guess, "Alarm Disabled."

"What is going on here?" the goat asked as he looked back and forth between the small and large cop. "Are you telling me that these vandals knew the security codes?"

"You tell us, Mr. Geitost," Fangmeyer demanded calmly, while still showing her long fangs.

Gulping, the goat tried to avoid looking at the dangerous predator while he replied, "I don't know anything about these mammals. Why would you think I did?"

Without another word, the rabbit slid another photo across the table. This time it showed a sheep as he smashed a glass display case with a very heavy hammer.

"What about this symbol?" the rabbit asked, pointing to the photo, where a white ram skull was stitched onto the back of the vandal's black jacket.

"N-No," he stuttered, shaking his head. "What is it?"

"It seems to be for a gang of prejudiced prey mammals," Fangmeyer explained. "We are not sure what their goals are or where to find them. Have you encountered them before, or know any reason why they would have targeted your store?"

"No!" Erick declared again. "We are very open and accepting of every mammal who comes through our doors. We even help those who are down on their luck find the right piece for their needs, and offer in house financing."

"Even to foxes?" The rabbit blurted out suddenly.

"W-Well," he stuttered for a second. Why was this small police officer concerned with such a destitute species? "Y-Yes, if they can provide a valid source of steady income, then we would be able to finance them. We also have layaway plans on some smaller ticket items." He spoke with confidence, like he was reading from a sales pitch. "I have never turned away any mammal who was honestly in need of an engagement or wedding ring. Although I have never seen a fox ever set foot in my store, I would not turn them away." His ear did flick slightly, like it was swatting at an annoying fly, every time he said the word fox.

Judy watched and listened to the well dressed goat as he spoke. He seemed to genuinely believe what he said about the store's lack of discrimination, his wife had also claimed as much, but something felt off about him when she had put down the picture of the vandals.

"What about this one?" She asked, pawing over a close-up of the female goat. Her sharp ears heard his heart skip several beats, and he took a stuttered breath when he looked at the photo.

"Um, no," the goat said as his eyes rose towards the ceiling, and he gently pushed the picture away.

"Please, take a closer look," Judy demanded warmly, sliding the image back towards the goat.

He took a deep breath and glared intensely down at the masked goat in the large photo. The rabbit could clearly hear his heart racing and his breath came in short little gasps as his eyes nervously searched the features on the image.

Again he shook his head and shoved the photo away as he spoke, "Sorry, but no. I wish I could help you more, but honestly, I don't recognize any of these animals."

"Ok," Judy said with a soft and reassuring tone as she collected the photos and put them back into her folder. "What can you tell us about your associate?" She looked at another file in the folder before continuing, "How well do you know this Miss Lockwood?"

"Diane?" Erick asked. "What do you want to know about her?" His eyes glanced around the room, and he licked his lips suspiciously at the sound of her name.

Once again, the rabbit's radar-like ears picked up the increased rate of his heartbeats. "Your wife said she also has access to the store and the security codes?"

"Of course," the goat declared with a faint glint in his eye. "She runs the store on the weekends and closes up some nights."

Before the rabbit could ask her next question, she swiftly kicked the tiger with her paw and gave the big cat a look that she hoped would be understood.

Fangmeyer wasn't sure what the rabbit was getting at, but she understood the signal to ask the next series of questions. "How long have you known Miss Lockwood, Mr. Geitost?"

"Oh, gee. It's been many years," Erick explained, leaning back in his chair with a soft sigh.

"Go on," the big cat encouraged.

"Well, um," the goat uttered. "We, um, went to school together as kids, and my parents, they, um. They helped her study gem cutting when they discovered that she held a, um, a great fascination for all kinds of minerals."

"Is there any more you can tell us about her?"

"Like what?" He seemed confused by the question, and his eyes darted around the room. "Are you asking what kind of mammal is she? Are you asking if she can be trusted or not?"

"You tell me," Fangmeyer stated when the rabbit kicked under the table again. She leaned onto the table, looking directly at the nervous goat.

"Of course we trust her," Erick waved his hooves in the air as he leaned back in the uncomfortable chair. "She has been a family friend for many years and has managed the store since Melissa and I opened it." A warm smile crept across one corner of his mouth as he looked into the distance.

"Did she close the store last night?" Judy asked calmly as she closed the folder in front of her.

"No," the goat shook his head, but his eyes were wide as he glared at the bunny. He lowered his head as the soft, gentle glare from the rabbit bore through him. "Yes," he finally said. "She closes the store three nights a week, Wednesday through Friday, and then opens on Saturday."

"Does your wife know," the small officer asked coldly, without looking up from the table.

"What?" Again, the goat seemed slightly shocked by the emotionless question. "Of course she knows, she is the one who wrote the schedule."

Slamming her paws on the table as she stood to her full height, Judy glared daggers at the well dressed goat. Her voice echoed like a thunderbolt in that private, steel lined room, "Does your wife know that you are sleeping with Miss Lockwood?"

Erick lurched back in his chair like the tiger had struck him across the muzzle with her giant paws. After several moments, he recovered enough to say, "No, no!" He took a deep breath before continuing, "At least I don't think so. She-she has never said anything about our affair before, but, but ..." His voice trailed off as a slow realization crept up his muzzle.

"Oh, god, no." He put his muzzle into both hooves and began to sob softly.

"We are done here," Judy declared as she shoved the folder under her arm and jumped down from the table. Fangmeyer stood and followed the rabbit with a slight hint of shock in her eyes.

When the pair was standing alone in the hallway outside, the tiger looked down at the rabbit with near admiration. "Hopps, how did you do that? I would never have guessed it was a jealous girlfriend."

Judy shook her head sadly as she looked up at the large cat looming over her, "His breathing and the way that he refused to look at her picture told me that something was going on. And then again his behavior when you kept drilling him for information about her."

"And you knew all this just from the way he was acting?"

"No," the rabbit frowned. "I was only guessing until he told us himself."

Smiling, Fangmeyer replied, "It was a good gamble."

"I am just glad that it paid off," Judy said with a soft sigh. "Otherwise we would be back to ground zero again."

"Well, I guess the only thing to do now is to get Miss Lockwood to confess."

"Let's do it," the little rabbit cheered with a clenched fist held up for the tiger to bump.

"I got this, Hopps," the huge tiger declared, taking the folder from the small rabbit's paws. She then took two steps down the hall and opened the next large steel door.

Sitting in the cold chair of interrogation room number three was another alpine goat. She wore an elegant, black jacket over a fancy, red silk blouse. In her ears were a pair of stylish diamond stud earrings. Despite being from the same species as the goat in the other room, her horns were shorter and narrower than Erick's.

She sat calmly with her hooves folded in her lap as she watched the large tiger enter the room with a friendly grin on her muzzle. The goat's warm smile dropped suddenly when the scowling rabbit hopped up into the chair across from her.

Fangmeyer placed the manila folder on the scratched and dented stainless steel table and began to thumb through the files inside. She tapped a large, furry finger on one sheet of paper before reading the name at the top, "Diane Lockwood?"

"Excuse me?" replied the goat from across the table.

"Diane Lockwood," the tiger repeated. "That is your name, correct?"

"Yes, that is me," she answered, nodding. Leaning towards the tiger, she placed her hooves on the large table and asked, "What is this all about?"

Ignoring the goat's question, Fangmeyer continued, "And do you work at the Geitost Jewelry store branch on Acacia Street and 9th?"

"Yes," Diane replied, nodding with a puzzled expression on her muzzle. "I came down here because I was told that you had information about the robbery this morning. What is going on here?" A hint of anger rose on her muzzle and she leaned on the table.

"Please calm down, ma'am," the tiger said softly with her paw raised gently, but the small, uniformed rabbit still glared viciously at the goat. "That is what we are trying to find out. We just wanted to ask you a few questions about the break-in."

"Um, ok," the goat seemed to calm down slightly, but her eyes kept glancing over at the angry rabbit. "What do you want to know?"

"First off, what can you tell us about the break-in?"

"Wait, why are you calling it a break-in and not a robbery?"

"Please, Miss Lockwood. Just tell us what you know, and then we will tell you what we know," Fangmeyer explained kindly.

"Fine," the goat huffed. "I really can't tell you much. I wasn't there at the time and only heard about it second hand from Erick."

"That is fine, ma'am," the tiger said with a polite nod. "Go ahead and tell us what you do know."

"Ok," Diane said, brushing the front of her jacket as she leaned back in the stiff chair. "I know that the store was pretty trashed when he opened up in the morning, and all the display items were gone."

The irate rabbit's ears twitched slightly, and her small nose wiggled before she spoke with a barely contained snarl, "Can you think of why anyone would want to hurt you or the Geitost family?"

"Maybe they were mad at how they treat other mammals," the goat spoke without thinking before she coughed and then shyly blinked. "Wait, what does that have to do with any of this? Are you saying this wasn't a simple robbery?" She put her muzzle into her hooves and sniffled sadly, "Was Erick hurt? What really happened?"

"That is what we would like to know. Please, is there anything else you can tell us?" Fangmeyer asked as she placed her large paw on the goat's arm reassuringly.

Diane's head swiveled back and forth between the small yet menacing rabbit and the tender and friendly, giant tiger before she spoke with a slight stutter, "Th-They told me that the damages were quite extensive."

"What does that mean?" the tiger asked again.

Another sniffle escaped the goat's muzzle as she spoke, "They said that they would have to replace everything and completely remodel the store after this."

"Yes, that is probably true," the tiger remarked as she pulled a small stack of photos from the bottom of the folder. She slid the first image over to the goat before asking, "Do you know any of these mammals?"

The stylish goat inhaled slightly, and the skin under her fur slowly turned pale as she glanced across the picture of the four mammals barging through the front door of the jewelry store. Without taking a second glance, she shoved the photo back towards the tiger. "I don't know any of them."

Sliding the image back towards the goat, Fangmeyer pleaded, "Are you sure? Can you please take another look?"

After taking a second look at the photo, the goat's muzzle turned harsh, and she shoved the image back across the table. "I told you already, I don't know any of those mammals."

"How about this one?" the big cat asked as she slid the image of a sheep swinging a huge hammer down on a glass case.

Scowling down at the sheep, Diane shook her head, before pushing it away. A second sheep replaced the first, and again the goat only scowled and shook her head.

"And this one?"

When the zoomed in photo of the masked male goat slid across the table, the fancy female barely responded. Her scowl only deepened, but the slight flick of her left ear preceded her angry words, "Why do you keep showing me this shit when I have already told you that I don't know any of these guys?" She gestured with both hooves before shoving the photos back towards the kind tiger.

A soft tenderness filled the tiger's eyes at the goat's angry display, "Please, Miss Lockwood. We are almost done here." She sighed softly before turning to the goat and spoke like a friend asking for advice, "We have one more question that has had us both stumped all day."

The goat took a deep breath to calm her stretched nerves and looked up at the tall tiger. She nodded before replying, "Ok. I'm sorry for my outburst. What can I do to help you?"

"Do you know what this means?" Fangmeyer asked warmly as she slid a new photo over to the goat. The image on the table was not a blurry black and white screen capture from an outdated security camera, but a high definition photo taken by the newest model iCarrot. It showed a poster sized image of a mammal showing off her classy ruby ring, but her face had been blotted out but black spray paint in the distinct shape of a ram's skull. The tiger tapped a large, fluffy finger directly next to the skull image.

"What? The SPS?" Diane uttered without a second glance at the image before she realized her mistake.

"What is the SPS?" Judy asked, without lowering the intensity of her dark glare.

"The Species Preservation Society," the goat stated like it was only obvious. "I thought everyone knew that."

"Thank you," the rabbit stated warmly, as her ferocious anger instantly dropped to be replaced by a friendly demeanor.

"Alright then," the goat said, rising from her chair. "I have answered all of your questions. Can I go now?"

"Sure," Judy said pleasantly, waving her paw towards the door. "But don't you want to hear what we have to say about the break-in? That is why you came today, isn't it?"

"Oh, right," Diane blushed as she returned to her seat and folded her hooves together in her lap, but started to anxiously twiddle her thumbs and quickly glance at the door. "Go ahead, I am listening."

"Well, here is what we know," the rabbit started explaining with a warm cheery smile like she had seen her mother use when describing how to make carrot chip cookies. When she delivered the last part of the sentence, her voice was dark and slightly creepy, "Erick already told us everything."

The goat's jaw dropped as her eyes glared down at the menacing bunny in horror, but she never spoke a word.

Judy stood on her hind paws and placed her fists on the edge of the steel table. "He explained that this was all your idea, and that after he collected the insurance money, the two of you would run off together with both the money and the jewels."

"That is a total lie!" Diane screamed down at the rabbit while she planted both hooves into the shiny table with a loud clang. "Erick had nothing to do with this, and if he told you anything, then it is a blatant lie."

Snarling at the larger, horned mammal across the table, Judy yelled while waving her paw towards the mirrored wall behind her, "Well why don't you tell that to him? He can hear everything you say right now."

"Erick, you lying sack of shit," the goat screamed across the table, ignoring the two cops in the room who watched her tirade with curiosity. "I told you it would never work as long as you were with her. I tried to show you again and again that your relationship with her was unhealthy. Every time you ran back to me, you still stayed with her. But you would never admit to or leave that disgusting sheep!" The spittle flew from her mouth as she spat out the angry words.

Diane slammed her fisted hooves on the table again making it shake with her fury as she continued to bellow across the room, "I did all of this for you Erick, so you would see the truth. So that you would finally realize that Melissa could never make you happy. I did it because you and I were meant to be together. You have to leave that filthy sheep and be with me like you promised."

"Diane Lockwood," Judy's small voice finally cut through the goat's jilted rant.

"What?" the goat yelled down at the small, irritating rabbit, who stood her ground without so much as a blink.

Calmly, the rabbit officer looked up at the spurned goat, "Where are the jewels?"

"We dumped them in the lavatory," Diane nearly shouted. "We didn't try to steal them or anything. We only tried to flush them down the toilet, but they wouldn't go, so we just left them." She looked up at the blank mirror with tears in her eyes, "Erick, I didn't mean to hurt you in any way."

Solemnly, Fangmeyer stood up from her giant chair and pulled a pair of hoof cuffs from her utility belt. Sighing, she declared, "Diane Lockwood, you are under arrest for vandalism, breaking and entering and attempted grand theft." The large, uniformed cat walked around the table and pulled Diane's arms behind her, while the goat stared at the feline with nothing but shock.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

When the cuffs clicked into place, and she finally realized what was happening to her, Diane began to struggle against the tiger and scream at the wall, "Erick. I love you! Please tell them. Help me, I know you love me too. Please!" Real tears began to stream down her cheeks and across her long muzzle.

Sadly, the large tiger looked down at the well dressed goat. She shook her head and said, "There is no one there."

When Fangmeyer nodded to the rabbit, Judy slapped her paw on the mirror three times. After the third slap a light came on in the other room revealing only a large cheetah operating a high quality video camera with dismay written all over his chubby muzzle.

"You lying assholes!" Diane screamed again as she fought and struggled in vain to escape the giant tiger's grasp. "I am going to tell my lawyer about this little charade, and I can guarantee he will have your badges for this farce!"

---

It was karaoke night in the club and the place was jam packed with mammals waiting to take their turn on the music machine. Large mammals laughed and danced along with the flashing disco lights in front of the stage. The long bar stretched the entire length of the club, leaving little room for patrons to stand.

Luckily for the small rabbit, her tiger friend had already claimed a large round table away from the stage. Judy worked her way through the crowd until she reached the table where Fangmeyer sat. Three other mammals sat at the table when she climbed up into the last empty seat.

On Judy's left sat a young cheetah named Marie, who she had worked with over the summer on the still ongoing drug case. On her right was a medium brown bear named Tina. She tried without success to remember if Tina worked in mammalicide or forensics. To the right of the bear were Wolfard and Fangmeyer. The big tiger casually had her long arm draped across the grey wolf's shoulder, and she was openly flirting with the detective who was ten years her senior.

Judy had not wanted to join up with Precinct 1's karaoke clubbers tonight, but she knew that she could not stay at home wallowing in sorrow. Her plushies and pillows could not take another tear wrenching night, so the sad rabbit had decided to join them instead. The club was also in the Rainforest District and far from her apartment, so she had been forced to take a Zuber.

Sitting down in the chair that was far too large for a rabbit, Judy's sad eyes barely cleared the edge of the table. Her ears drooped, and a deep frown covered her muzzle. She barely even greeted the other mammals at the table as her soft scut hit the seat of the chair.

"And there she is, folks," Fangmeyer cheered, lifting a tall glass of bright yellow liquid towards the rabbit. "Here is to the up-and-coming Detective Hopps." The other mammals around the table raised their glasses and clinked them together with the tiger's toast, but the rabbit hardly noticed the salute.

"Today, she single pawedly solved the infamous Geitost heist in only a few hours," the tiger declared while sipping at her strong drink.

"How did you do it, Hopps?" Wolfard asked.

The rabbit only shrugged with a small grunt that was barely heard over the loud music.

Without slowing down, the tiger began to explain, "She read this goat like he was an open paperback." She gave the old wolf a squeeze across his shoulders. "While I was trying to figure out what kind of scam the owner was running, this little detective suddenly realized that he was having an affair with the night manager."

"It was only a wild guess," Judy tried to explain, but none of the other mammals at the table believed her. Each one of them cheered and praised her quick thinking, but it only made the little rabbit feel even smaller.

After several more minutes of discussing the recent case, a waitress brought Judy a rabbit sized glass of something orange and carrot flavored. The rabbit took a sip and thanked the young elk before she strutted back to the bar.

"Why so glum?" Marie asked when Judy sighed with her long droopy ears.

Taking another sip of her carrot cocktail, the rabbit shook her head and sighed. She leaned forward on the table and placed both paws around the glass and began to turn it slowly with her fingers. "It's nothing," she said, without looking up from her glass.

With a loud snort, Fangmeyer responded to the question from across the table, "She got into a big fight with her boyfriend."

"Liz!" Judy cried. She plucked a small chunk of ice from her drink and threw it at the large tiger.

"What?" The cheetah asked, perplexed. "Do you mean that fox? Were you two actually dating?"

"Yeah," the rabbit replied with a long sigh. She took a long sip and seemed to stare deeply into her glass, like it held all the answers to the universe in its orange swirls.

"What was it like?" Marie asked with her peppy cheetah enthusiasm.

"Liz and I fight all the time," Wolfard stated. "But we always make up eventually."

The tiger nodded and booped the end of the wolf's nose. "Yes, sometimes it's only a few days, but it has been as long as two weeks before he comes crawling back to me."

"Wait?" the excited cheetah asked. "I just now found out that they were together, and they have already broke up?"

"Give it some time, Judy," Fangmeyer said reassuringly.

Standing to her full height, her chin barely rose above the tall table. Judy placed both paws firmly on the edge and declared, "What happened today is one more reason why interspecies relationships can't work." She emphasized her point by stomping a large paw in the middle of her chair.

All the other mammals at the table turned towards the wolf and tiger couple waiting for their response. Wolfard and Fangmeyer only looked at each questioningly, until the wolf leaned over and asked, "What are you talking about, Judy?"

"Our relationship works just fine," Fangmeyer added.

Balling her tiny paws into tight fists, Judy cried, "But you have to keep it hidden from everyone. Bogo, even your friends and family don't know that you're a couple."

Snorting between sips of her own drink, Tina began to laugh. "Half the precinct knows."

"What is wrong, Judy," the grey wolf asked.

"I thought you supported all inters, why the sudden change?"

Emotions ran across the rabbit's muzzle like a kaleidoscope of colors as she tried to consolidate her jumbled thoughts. "I see the way mammals look at us, Nick and I. How they treat us on the street."

Judy lifted her glass and chewed on a chunk of ice before she continued. "I was blind to it before, but after everything that has happened this week, it has become clear. Everyone treats us like we are a disease. Can't you see it?"

"Judy, that is not true," Fangmeyer declared firmly.

"Sure, there are a few speciest jerks out there," Wolfard added. "But most mammals in the city have been open and accepting of our relationship."

"Of course," the tiger nodded as she squeezed the wolf's paw. "Even his super strict family has been accepting of me, of us."

"What about Bogo?" Judy demanded.

Both large predators looked into each other's eyes before Fangmeyer responded. "He knows we're dating, but we both remain extremely professional on the job."

"I heard you two were half dressed and making out in the second floor supply closet," Tina noted casually between sips.

"Wow!"

"Judy! What were you thinking?" Fangmeyer sat up straight in her chair. "I am surprised that Bogo didn't fire you on the spot."

Judy's ear fell as she sat back into her chair and stared at her tall glass of orange colored concoction. "I," she muttered. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"I'll say," the cheetah remarked. "Even Ryan and I aren't that foolish. Sure we have fooled around a few times at the precinct, but it's never been more than simple flirting."

"We're not against you, Judy," Tina said with a warm smile. "It's nice to see another mixed couple like you and Nick around the station."

Wolfard leaned onto the table and stretched out his paw towards the sorrowful rabbit. "As your friends, you know that we are always here for you, whenever you need us."

"Yes," the tiger affirmed. "You can always call us if you ever need anything, Judy."

"Yeah," the bear and cheetah added together.

"Thanks, guys," Judy said with only the hint of a slight smile before her frown slowly returned. She also reached out and patted the wolf's extended paw in friendship.

"Ok, enough melodrama," Liz clapped her large paws and stood up. "It's time for some fun, and I just saw an opening by the karaoke machine." She grabbed her date by the collar and dragged him away from the table, "Come on, wolf boy, you owe me a song." Looking back at the sad rabbit, she added, "Are you going to join us, Hopps?"

"Naw," Judy replied glumly. "I just don't have anything to sing about right now."

"Suit yourself," the tiger huffed.

"Count me in," Marie called as she downed her drink and followed after the bigger, striped feline.

"I will catch up to you in a bit," Tina added, before she returned to flirting with a male grizzly from the next table.

Watching the larger mammals race for the stage, Judy finished the rest of her drink in one slow gulp before ordering a second round. When the new glass of carrots mixed with strong bourbon arrived, she took a long pull and sadly rested her head in her soft white paw.

Head in paw she watched the trio sing and dance up on the stage. Wolfard and Fangmeyer were far from shy about their obvious relationship. There was a great deal of biting and licking between the pair of predators and the crowd seemed to be eating it up. She noticed that there were no boos or hisses as the last song ended with a deep and very passionate kiss.

Thinking about what her friends had said, maybe they were right. Maybe the world really didn't see inters as badly as she had thought. Or was it that the dance floor was filled with like minded mammals. There were a few mixed couples dotted about, but it looked like the rest of the bar was filled with singles.

That still left the issue of kits. She would never be able to have a family with that sexy, smart fox. There would never be any small bunnies and foxes running around the apartment they shared.

Her head suddenly lifted and she glanced around the room. Where had that thought come from? Trying to banish the image, she turned back to watch her friends' antics on stage.

Still, the fox's brilliant green eyes and fluffy orange tail seemed to find their way back into her thoughts, no matter where she was. Judy took another long sip and told the dumb fox to go away between chunks of ice that crunched under her flat teeth. Clearly he never listened to her, not in her dreams nor in real life, and his smug muzzle filled her vision.

She was obviously going to have to try harder to banish this gorgeous hunk of a daydream. Taking a deep breath, she drained nearly half the glass in one go, and the sudden rush of alcohol made her head swim slightly. Despite her efforts, the fox remained.

With a small snarl, she tried to concentrate on what her friends were doing up on the stage when she heard a familiar voice call her name, "Judy!"

Looking around, she could not quite locate the source of the voice and nearly fell off the huge chair in the process. A soft paw caught her arm as the room began to spin, and the voice called her name again, "Judy. Wow, it is so nice to see you again."

A middle-aged rabbit, with soft cream colored fur and so much red glitter that she actually appeared pink, climbed into the chair and sat beside Judy. "Hey darling, how have you been?" The pink rabbit asked sweetly. She wore a light-brown two-piece with a very tight skirt and frilly bands around her arms. Around her smooth neck was an intricate gold chain, and in one ear she had a pair of dangly earrings that tinkled together when she moved her head.

"Cotton?" Judy asked, trying to clear the thick haze that was quickly filling her head.

"Oh, sweetie. It has been too long," the older doe cooed warmly.

"Yes, it has. How have you been?" The grey rabbit replied while she clumsily took another sip of her cocktail.

Cotton, gently plucked at the sleeve of the frilly autumn outfit that Judy wore. "This is such a lovely outfit, hun. So much better than that tight little blue burrito you usually wear. It really shows off your best features."

"Thanks," Judy said with a slightly tipsy slur. "What best features?"

"Why your eyes of course, dear," the pink rabbit flirted shamelessly as she brushed the grey rabbit's cheek. "Those bright and beautiful, purple orbs show the world what a lovely soul you have."

A bright smile quickly replaced the frown, and Judy giggled for the first time in many days. She tried to focus her vision and look into the pink rabbit's eyes as she spoke, "Thank you, Cotton. That is the nicest, sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to me." With a small hiccup, she turned away from the soft brown eyes and took another sip of her sweet, carroty cocktail.

"What are you drinking, dear?" Cotton asked. "It looks quite tasty."

Sighing, Judy leaned back and had to think for a second before responding, "It's a Maple Carrot Smash I think, and yes it is very tasty. Would you like to try some?" Without a second thought, she pawed the tall glass to her friend.

Sipping from the same straw Judy had used only moments before, Cotton warmly smiled and hummed. "Yes, this is wonderful. It is sweet, and tarty with a bit of a strong kick, just like another rabbit I know." Placing one paw over Judy's while it held the glass, the pink rabbit passed the straw back to the younger rabbit.

Gigging at the warm compliment, Judy took another sip of their now shared drink. "Thank you. This one is almost gone, would you like to order another?" Passing the straw back, she blushed and giggled again.

Cotton lifted Judy's small grey paw to admire her claws. "I love what you have done with your claws dear. They are sharp, shiny and very predatory. I knew that you weren't like other bunnies" Judy's blush deepened, but she did not pull away from the other rabbit's touch.

Draining the last of the strong juice, Cotton sighed as she watched Judy place the empty glass back on the table. "No, dear. Let me get the next one, please." Looking down, she noticed that she still held the younger rabbit's paw.

Cotton once again brushed her free paw across the front of Judy's outfit. "This is really quite pretty. Where did you say that you got it?"

"Oh, this old thing," Judy said while a slight red color rose in her cheeks and her nose twitched. "I got it from Petite's."

"No way, hun!" The glitter covered rabbit exclaimed. "I didn't know that you shopped there too."

Nodding, the grey rabbit smiled back at her friend. "Yes. It is a great place for rabbit's and smaller mammals. My friend Tabby helped me pick this out, along with nearly an entire new wardrobe."

"Tabby?" Cotton seemed taken aback for a second, but she still held onto the small grey paw. "Is that the fox you are dating?"

"No!" Judy waved her free paw while she looked into the other rabbit's brown eyes sincerely. "Tabby is just a friend." Her warm smile slowly turned to a frown and her ears drooped. "Besides, I am single right now."

"Y-your single, dear?" The older doe asked cutely as she slowly blinked.

Judy lowered her head and let her ears fall down her back before asking, "Is that a problem?"

Cotton gently reached across the tiny distance between them and lifted Judy's sad, white chin. She looked into the deep purple orbs and spoke reassuringly, "Not at all, dear. Being single is great, don't you think?"

Shaking her head back and forth in a wide arc, Judy looked back at the glittery doe and tried desperately to focus on the warm brown eyes, but her vision only swam before her like looking through a tall glass of water. She silently gave her friend a sad smirk and a shrug.

Raising her paw, Cotton brushed aside a small tear that she thought she saw falling down the other rabbit's grey cheek. With a tipsy Judy staring into her eyes, she felt a connection spark between them and leaned closer to the sweet young rabbit.

In response, Judy tried to pull away but tiped closer to the pink rabbit instead, and the spinning room nearly washed over her tiny body. Without warning, a pair of soft lips pressed against her muzzle. The wave of dizziness, combined with the warm and tender sensation, caused the room to spin even faster, and she fell towards the seductive rabbit.

Even with her eyes wide open, she never saw Fangmeyer return from the stage as the pink doe pulled her into a deeper kiss. Opening her mouth to allow the older rabbit's tongue to caress her long buck tooth, Judy never heard the tiger exclaim, "Oh my!"

Cotton, clutched at her little blue burrito and revealed in their first passionate kiss. She licked around inside the younger doe's mouth and enjoyed the strong taste of maple and carrot. One paw rubbed at the soft fur of the sweet bunny's cheek, while the other raised to caress her long fluffy ear.

Drunkenly, Judy sunk into the warm, passionate kiss. It was intense and fierce, yet soft and tender. The deep kiss was everything she needed right now to ease her aching heart. It was everything she remembered, and it was nothing like what she desired.

She tasted the other doe with her tiny pink tongue, but something in the back of her mind kept screaming at her. In the dark corners of her mind, she heard a small voice calling to her. While the kiss deepened, the voice grew louder in its demands that something was very wrong. When Judy realized that the teeth she was licking were flat and stubby instead of painfully sharp, she knew what it was.

Gently, Judy tried to push away from the desperate kiss, but the other doe held her tightly. "No!," she cried into the hungry kiss as she wedged both paws between her and the other doe. With a determined shove, she eventually pulled away from the seductive pink rabbit.

"No!" Judy cried again without wiping the slobber from her angry lips. "I am not that kind of mammal!" The slur in her voice made all the words come out as a jumble, yet the other rabbit seemed to understand.

"What kind of mammal is that, dear," Cotton asked curiously with a warm and tender blink.

"I-I am not into does," Judy declared firmly, yet drunkenly. When she saw the older rabbit's warm expression sink coldly, she took the other's paw and patted it tenderly. "Y-You are a great friend, Cotton, b-but I can't be what you want. I-I don't have those kinds of feelings for you." A hot red blush ran up her cheeks for a second as she confessed, "Besides, I think I prefer predators."

Cotton blinked sadly, before a smile slowly graced her muzzle and a twinkle lit her brown eyes. "You and I are a lot alike, you know that?" She brushed the grey doe's cheek, "We are both into predators, and to be honest, I prefer males too. But for a strong and tough rabbit like you, my dear, I would make an exception." Giggling, she leaned over and tried to kiss Judy again, but the other doe held up a paw and shook her head.

When the third round of Maple Carrot Smash arrived, Judy took a tender sip before her eyes widened in shock. "I think I need to pee." Standing up in the chair, the grey rabbit quickly turned around and fell flat on the floor without so much as an, "Ow."

Wolfard was kneeling at her side in an instant. The large wolf gently cradled the small grey ball of fluff and lifted her with both paws as he called her name, "Judy, are you ok?" Shaking his head, he looked up at the pink rabbit and asked, "Do all bunnies have such a hard time holding their liquor?"

Judy giggled and snorted in response, "Is this the toilet, because I really need to pee right now?" She held the wolf's furry paw and snuggled her cheek against it as she slurred, "Such a warm and fluffy toilet seat. Do you mind if I pee all over you?"

"No, Judy, don't," Wolfard cried loudly, trying to stop the giggling rabbit from drenching his big paws. His eyes grew wide as an idea came to him, and he raised his voice to yell at her, "Officer Hopps, ten-hut!"

The small grey rabbit straightened in his arms and swung her right paw towards her head, but the paw missed and flew backwards instead. Her expression remained firm for only a second after her salute had failed. As her arm fell to the side limply, she began to giggle foolishly.

"Liz," the grey wolf looked up at the tiger who had been standing behind him. "Could you take Officer Hopps here to the latrine?" He stood up and pawed the rabbit over to the large tiger.

"I can help," Cotton offered confidently. "We are both the same size, of course."

Shaking his head, the wolf replied to the small pink rabbit, "I am not sure if that is such a good idea."

"Officer Hopps," Fangmeyer was saying to the drunk rabbit laying in her large paws. "You are going to follow me to the restroom, where we can both do our business in private and away from these uncouth males. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," the grey bunny declared while once again trying to hit herself in the forehead.

"I need to go too!" The cheetah exclaimed, leaping from her chair and followed after.

Watching the three out of uniform cops quickly walk towards the ladies room, Cotton smiled and licked her lips. She took the time to savor the taste of the only rabbit she had ever fallen for. Dreamily, she leaned forward, pulling the tall glass of carroty cocktail towards her, and slowly sipped at the strong concoction.

---

[A/N] Not much to say this time around. Its a brand new year and I have some big plans for my personal life. I started the new job this week and I am enjoying it. Unfortunately the old job wont let me go until I have trained my replacement. Working two programming jobs it may be difficult for me to find time to do any writing but I am going to force myself to get the last three done soon.

I understand that some of you may find this section of the story depressing, especially if you have already read these chapters before. The next original chapter comes out in February so I hope everyone can look forward to that.