The Good Life

AN: We're right at the edge of the main conflict in this one. By next chapter, we get to the good stuff...and maybe see a certain fox show up, too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia or the Bad Guys or any canon characters.

Chapter Six:

A few more weeks went by without much of significance happening. Wolf still went to work at Viktor's shop and spent his free time during those days working on his new car. He also spent Saturdays working on it, much to Snake's displeasure. Wolf wouldn't tell him what he was working on, so the reptile was a bit less understanding when his canine friend wanted to spend half the weekend working on his secret project rather than spending it with Snake. Likewise, he still refused to tell Diane or the rest of the gang when they asked, their curiosity piqued at his secrecy.

During that time, he also worked on securing the title, tag, and insurance. He used cash for all of it as that meant less of a chance of Webs finding out too early. He really wanted all of them to be genuinely surprised when he unveiled his new car.

At the end of April, Wolf scored himself another tryout with yet another potential sponsor. Twelve candidates all took to a local circuit, racing as if for real. The winner of a twenty-lap race would become the driver for Herds & Grazing. They definitely weren't the type of sponsor Wolf had expected to get, but at this point, he wouldn't complain.

Registration would begin two days after this latest attempt, so both Wolf and Diane were acutely aware that failure here meant failure to get into the festival. It was a warm day. Spring was in full swing now, but that didn't mean much in Sahara Square where it was always hot. The circuit chosen for this event was a mixed-surface one with asphalt, dirt, and gravel sections.

That fact alone worried Wolf immensely. He didn't know how to drive rally-style, yet the provided cars were just that: rally cars. "To find the best driver on all surfaces," the event runner told them. Half of the festival events were to be either dirt or snow rallies, so he supposed it made sense. It just made him realize how out of his element he was.

Ironically, most of his competition seemed to be preds. There was a single pig and a horse in the ranks, yet most of the other drivers were canines or felines. It was a bit of a strange sight when this tryout was for a very prey-centric company.

He didn't really talk with any of them. There really was no sense to. Maybe he could get some nice tips or inside information about how they raced, but that would only be good if he had any chance of winning. But unfortunately, he thought that outcome was highly unlikely. Still, the gathered drivers, pit crews, company representatives, and track workers talked. Pretty much everyone was gathered in pit lane, so it was kind of hard not to overhear a few tidbits here and there.

Sometimes he heard agents discussing potential deals with their drivers. Other times, he heard the track workers discussing particular parts of the track. For example, the gravel-to-asphalt transition on turn eight was always slippery. Any drivers caught unawares could easily spin out there. Stuff like that, he filed away for later.

The most concerning piece of information he learned was who was racing with them today. Vanessa Spots, a cheetah, was a professional rally driver who'd won events all across the country and even in Europe. Some theorized that the company had already chosen her to be their driver, and this was just her warm-up before the festival. If someone beat her, well...it just saved the company money by hiring a relatively unknown driver that couldn't demand such high rates based on their name alone.

When Wolf heard that, his chances went from slim to pretty much zero. From his last tryout, he'd learned that circuit racing was different to street racing. He just wasn't in his element in the pro scene, and rally races were even further out of his expertise. Backing out, however, wasn't an option. He needed to at least try. Maybe he'd surprise himself and everyone else here.

About an hour before the race began, someone started going over the track's layout with him. It was a longer track than the last one he raced on, nearly two miles in total, and there were five zones in total: two asphalt, two dirt, and one gravel. One of the asphalt zones was only the main straight, so there would be no advantage in there for anyone. All of them had the exact same car, a early 2000s Subaru, so winning off speed alone wasn't possible. Skill was needed here, especially cornering skill.

His car was really different than his personal car. Instead of a supercharged V8, this one had a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, so it was a lot less power than he was used to, about 400 hp from what he overheard. Thankfully, it was still a manual six-speed, so that was still the same as his.

All in all, when he got in that car and lined up to await the green light, he didn't have high hopes for winning. He predicted fourth. Maybe fifth. Surely his experience wouldn't let him do any worse, right?

When the green light was given, the stadium came alive with the sound of high-revving engines and tire squeals as Wolf and every other driver slammed their cars into first and floored the gas pedal. As expected, the unfamiliar terrain made the first few laps a pain. Wolf spent the majority of the time near the back of the pack—not last, at least, though he was fighting for ninth.

By lap ten, he had gotten the hang of both his car and the track. Unfortunately, the rest of the drivers had, too, which meant even as his lap times became shorter, the others' times were still matching that. In the end, he got sixth.

The worst part about that loss was how the winner, Vanessa Spots, belittled and mocked all the other drivers when she won. 'Narcissistic and arrogant' is how he would describe her with her self-satisfied smirk and unapologetic superiority complex. From the mutterings of the other drivers, he could tell the others felt a similar way about her. It made him hope that she didn't make it far in the upcoming festival.

One his way home, he was stopped at a red light, brooding over his failure when several cars went zooming past through the traffic. Horns blared and a few pedestrians nearly got hit by the street racers. In a split second, however, they were already gone, and traffic resumed as normal. No doubt it was a terrifying experience for everyone else involved. Wolf, however, had the brief thought that maybe he would be better off in the street scene. It was an absolutely terrible idea, however. Besides, he already had a good job. And so, when the car behind him honked for not going when the light turned green, he forgot the encounter and hit the gas.

He...may have been speeding quite a bit on the way home.

When Wolf got back home after that incident, it was nearly dark out, and he was in an understandably foul mood. He ended up splayed across the couch and glaring at the tv as the local news droned on about something or other. All that without ever saying a word to his reptilian roommate.

And that's where he'd been for the last hour-and-a-half. Snake was pointedly glaring at him, had been for the entire time. He was a smart guy and probably already knew what was wrong. Wolf's tryout today hadn't been a secret, and Snake knew there was only one reason why Wolf would be so angry at the world.

The whole atmosphere was tense, had been from the minute he arrived. The only sound to break that was the tv...and the sudden ringing of Wolf's phone. With a small growl, Wolf pulled out the infernal device and sighed in resignation when he saw the caller ID. "Hey, Diane." He didn't even bother masking his disappointment.

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound like a happy Wolf," she tried joking. Normally, that would cheer him up, but not tonight. He blew his last chance to get into the festival. When he didn't respond, she spoke again, a bit more worried. "You still there?"

Right when he was about to answer, Snake snatched his phone away from him, making Wolf stand thunderously. He grit his teeth to prevent himself from growling and held his hand out in a silent demand for his phone. Snake didn't listen. "Yeah, he's here. He's just all mopey 'cuz he didn't win his race today." Wolf's expression turned downright stormy at that. "And now he won't even talk to me, so maybe you can make him." With that, the serpent tossed the phone at Wolf, who caught it easily, snarling at his friend as Snake slithered away. "I'm going out," he declared, opening the door and swallowing one of the apartment's keys. "Don't wait up for me." The door slammed behind him, and then Wolf was alone with Diane on the phone.

Wolf glared at the door for a moment longer before bringing the phone back up to his ear, both of which were flat against his head. "What happened today?" At least it was a genuine question. She didn't sound angry or anything. Then again, she didn't sound too sympathetic, either.

"I was out of my element," he answered truthfully, flopping back on the couch. "They made us do a rally race against a professional rally driver. You know how many dirt roads are in LA, Diane? None."

She sighed heavily, and he could just imagine her rubbing her eyes in exasperation. "Well...I don't have to tell you what that means." She didn't. He knew it was all over. "When are you coming back?"

Wolf was quiet for a long moment as his anger evaporated at that particular question. "I'm staying," he answered quietly.

His job at Viktor's was still going good, and he'd already told the bear he would stay. True to his word, he allowed Wolf to keep his current payrate. The day after they bought Wolf's Ferrari, the bear had gone back and purchased an early 2000s model Jaguar XJR, which they'd since sold. There was barely anything wrong with it, really. It had a bad alternator and a spotty paintjob, but that was pretty much it. The previous owner must have just had cash to burn if they'd scrapped it rather than sold it to another owner. Even though Wolf just replaced a few mechanical components, gave it an oil chance, and put some new tires on it, Viktor still gave him a portion of the sale. It was an extra five grand he'd be putting into his own car.

When Diane finally responded, it sounded as if she didn't really believe what she heard. "What?" Most of what he heard was disbelief and sadness, though he thought he could detect a small hint of anger somewhere underneath.

"I'm staying," he repeated. "I've got a good-paying job and a great boss here. I'm more useful working here than sitting around worrying in LA. Besides, the rest of you all have your new gigs and dreams over there. You don't need me over there." He tried to say all that with a light-hearted tone, but deep down, it hurt to say. It felt like saying goodbye, which he supposed, he was in a way. "And if Snake wants to go back, I can buy his plane ticket," he added as an afterthought.

Diane didn't answer immediately, and he began to mentally prepare himself for the chewing-out of a lifetime. However, to his surprise, it never came. Rather, her voice was surprisingly gentle. "Wolf..." She sighed. "You know how upset your friends are going to be, right? They wanted you to leave, so you could chase your own dream, not to make you think you had to stay away for their sake."

"I know..." he responded quietly, already feeling worse now that she pointed that out. "But I can do more good over here."

"And I respect that you feel that way," was her immediate response. "You've got a good job with good pay that you enjoy, which is important. Believe me, I know exactly how important it is to have fun while doing what you do. But you aren't going to get rid of us that easily. Say the word, and the guys will travel all the way to Zootopia to start anew with you."

"I know..." he repeated, a few drops of moisture building in his eyes. He was so utterly fortunate to have such loyal friends. It was a miracle for a guy like him. What had he done to deserve friends like them?

"And I have no intention of letting our relationship become permanently long-distance. As soon as my term is up, I will leave California if that's what it takes to be with you." At her declaration, the first few tears began to fall, so he closed his eyes with a soft whimper. "Hey...don't cry, Wolf..."

"I'm not crying..." he denied with a sniffle as he wiped his eyes with his free thumb. "I'm just...cutting an onion. It's really a potent one."

She laughed, and he found himself smiling. He loved hearing her laugh—even more so when he was the one who made her laugh. "Alright...I believe you." He could picture her smile, the kind with the tiny smirk and the affectionate twinkle in her eyes.

God, he missed seeing her smile. "I miss you, Diane."

"I miss you, too. And I love you. You going to be alright now?" He smiled but realized this conversation was probably coming to an end. From her tone, it sounded like she needed to be somewhere. And as much as he would have loved talking with her even longer, he didn't want to keep her if she was busy.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll need to apologize to Snake, and...tell him my decision." That wasn't going to be fun, but hopefully, Snake would at least try to understand where he was coming from. "And I love you, too." They said their 'byes' after that, and Wolf just dropped the phone onto the couch once she hung up. "What did I ever do to deserve her?" he asked aloud. Unsurprisingly, he didn't get an answer.

As much as he hated the idea of Diane leaving California just for him, he wouldn't deny that it was her own choice. She was much better off than he was, after all. If she was willing to travel across the country just to be with him, that was just...awesome. It made him realize just how lucky he was to have her, and he had no intentions of taking that for granted. He'd do right by her.

AN: So Wolf's decided to stay. I'm sure that won't come with horrible consequences. And I really like the dynamic between Diane and Wolf right now. Wolf's the guy that tries to help everyone else first, yet he's open with Diane and lets her help him rather than the other way around. She's sort of like his rock, I guess.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22