Chapter 40: Howling at the moon
While Judy was worried that there would be more arguing on the drive back, to her relief, it was anything but. As per Bogo's orders, they now knew know that, bar Trigger having lied to them about where he had gone off to all this time, he was at innocent of causing harm while he was missing. With that in mind, and with Nick occupied with driving them, she decided that at least she herself wasn't going to question the pilot further for now. And while she didn't voice her opinion to James, to her relief, the larger officer also stayed silent rather than pester Trigger more, leaving him to stare out the window through large, longing eyes.
If anything, seeing how intensely he was watching the scenery move past them, especially once they hit the interstate back to Zootopia, that Judy even felt a slight pang of guilt over placing him in the middle seat rather than the right seat where he can have the best view.
But even that didn't last, as from right next to him, she observed Trigger as his head started to sag, eyes slowly closing and rapidly opening again as he struggled with fighting off fatigue. Mentally running through his recollection of the past couple of days, it dawned on her that he had been operating on far too few hours of sleep ever since running away from the precinct. And how restful was the sleep that he did manage to get really was? Whatever the answer was, the pilot was very quickly quietly snoring away, head only held up by the seatbelt wrapped around his torso and neck.
As an unusually tight turn pulled them all to the side, Trigger slid with the motion, almost toppling to the side if it wasn't for being blocked by James' body. The wolf officer's response at feeling the unconscious coyote fall into his side was to let out a startled, and even faintly angry, growl.
The noise stopped mid-snarl when the two officers in the back exchanged equally surprised looks. Urged on by a hopeful smile from Judy, James rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself, readjusting himself to a more comfortable position, but most importantly, not actually pushing Trigger off him.
"But if he so much as starts to drool-" he warned Judy, letting her know that he was only going to tolerate his patience being tried for so much.
She nodded quickly, agreeing with him in principle, but really, just grateful that he was tolerating even this. Watching the view out the window herself, she had to admit that while pretty, the setting sun also meant that Trigger wasn't actually missing out on too much, with the increasing shadows and decreasing light making seeing everything ever so harder. Nevertheless, sometime later during the drive, while James wasn't looking, Judy made sure to snap a picture of the two canines, grinning with relief when the picture was saved with enough clarity to tell what was going on. Scrolling through her contacts, she was mere seconds away from sending the image to Dahlia when she hesitated. Would the tiger, still in the hospital due to the shoulder wound, appreciate an additional reminder of the stress of work?
Deciding that there would be a better opportunity later, Judy begrudgingly slipped the phone back into its pocket. Besides, they were about to cross the bridge into Zootopia, and were really minutes away from being back in the precinct. With that in mind, she started to wonder how the conversation with Bogo will go upon Trigger's return to custody.
Not too terribly rough, she hoped. No matter how little or how much the pilot deserved it.
Getting off the interstate, Nick wove though the dense city traffic with practiced ease, finally making the final turn into the second, and luckily final, police station of the day. Driving straight for the underground indoor parking, he found a spot right next to the main doors and parked there.
Just in time for them to open, revealing Chief Bogo standing on the other side. If he was surprised at the timing of their arrival, he didn't show it.
With them now already the chief's close watch, James didn't bother with being gentle as he started to shake Trigger awake. "We're here, pup. Time to get up! Now!"
Trigger snorted awake, complaining underneath his breath at the rude awaking. But if he had anything to voice louder, it was instantly forgotten, eyes widening with raw fear, when he saw who was already waiting for them just outside the car window.
Bogo glared at the car, waiting impatiently for the officers to exit the vehicle.
"He looks really pissed," James commented, a low growl escaping through his teeth. Ignoring Judy's protest at his angry tone, he continued. "Frankly, as he should be, so don't keep him waiting." Unbuckling himself, he exited the car, motioning for Trigger to follow him.
To his credit, despite his nervousness and completely exposed fear of what was to come, Trigger didn't linger and followed the larger officer to the doors, and the waiting chief. It was almost possible to see the steam coming out of his ears as they came over, snarled muzzle and narrow eyes showing just how positively livid Bogo was.
Trigger gulped, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane as he started up at the much larger mammal. "Chief..."
"You-" Bogo leaned over Trigger, glaring at the pilot and wrinkling his nose in disgust just in time to Nick and Judy to join them. Even worse, it was clear that he was struggling to speak through his anger. Trigger winced and shied away, prevented from walking backwards only by the firm paw from James keeping him in place. "Shower. Thoroughly. ...My office, thirty minutes." He pointed at Nick and James. "Wilde, Wolford, make sure he's presentable. Hopps? With me."
Without another word, he turned and quickly walked down the corridor back to the precinct, not even bothering to say anything else to the officers.
Judy let out a sigh of relief at the lack of a confrontation. "Could have been better, but I think it could have been a lot worse," she said with an uncertain grin aimed at Nick.
"Hopps!"
Bogo wasn't going to let them chat.
"See you in thirty minutes!" Not wishing to anger the chief any more, she bounded off after him.
James let out another growl of warning in Trigger's direction. "You heard him, murderer. Get moving, pup!" Roughly shoving the pilot along, he made sure to keep the pilot in the front as he followed close behind, keeping his gaze away from where he will see Nick staring at him with disapproval.
The rest of the walk to the precinct gym where the showers would be was spent in a glaring silence, the tension thick in the air, and not one of the three brave enough to brake it. When they did arrive to the changing room, James roughly sent Trigger to the nearest shower stall before heading over to his own personal locker, grabbing the nearest set of spare clean clothing that he knew was too big for the coyote, but would fit better than anything Nick might have. Back at the stall, he shoved an arm through the curtain until the clothing was grabbed out of his paw. Satisfied that he didn't need to do much anymore, he waited for a little while, standing next to the stall.
"I don't hear the water running!" he yelled into the curtains. "Don't waste our time!"
Satisfied with the frantic noise of the pilot stripping out of his worn and dirty clothing on the other side of the curtain, James found the nearest metal bench and sat down roughly on it.
Seconds later, Nick took a spot next to him. Their two sets of ears swiveled in the direction of the shower stall as the sound of running water filled the room. For several minutes, the two officers just sat on the bench with nothing more than to listen to the sound of the shower. Nick pulled his phone out and tapped away at it, while James just glared at the nearest wall restlessly.
Work on his phone done, Nick put the device back into its pocket. "You shouldn't be so hard on him, you know," the fox officer said rather suddenly, braking the silence between them. "He's grieving. Everyone's bound to make a mistake or two in such a situation."
"He ran away!" James spat. "He was gone for almost a whole week!"
Nick raised a finger. "First of all, only half a week. Second of all, he's back now, so no harm done. And I really mean it: he didn't actually harm anyone."
"But he could have!" James pointed out, fists clenching in anger.
Nick looked at him squarely in the eyes. "Wolf? You're still mad at Brian, who did hurt others." The statement wasn't judgmental. "Don't take it out at Trig."
It was perhaps this lack of judgment that caused James to start having second thoughts over his attitude. "You... weren't there. Kid lost his parents and went postal. Do we even want to know how close Trigger was to doing the same?"
"I wasn't there, but I was the first to the body," Nick reminded him. "And I did talk to the friends of his. There's a big difference between Trig and him. The only one that matters. The reason why he went to a police station to call Bogo rather than doing something much worse."
James grunted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah? What's that?"
"Trig had a good upbringing," Nick answered plainly, lowering his arm. "I've seen your bodycam video. Between Trig and Brian? They're very similar, but also very different, and I'm not talking about both being canines. Strikes? He's… Yeah, he's grieving. Badly. God only knows I also want to grab him and strangle the life outta him for what he did. And let's just say that it's more than obvious that you also want to do something similar, or worse. But with that in mind, let's remember that even at his lowest point, Trig was able to keep his cool and, well? For the lack of a better word, kept his head down and accomplished the mission. Which mission? Well… run away to get home. Well, what used to be home, at any rate. What I'm saying is that there's a reason why we didn't have any sign of him until he walked into a police station and called the chief. As for Brian? He… He snapped and lashed out at the first target he found."
"Trigger's a murderer," James reminded him bluntly. If he cared or not if someone overheard them, he certainly wasn't trying to hide his words. "You heard Savage and Winters. They both saw the evidence- Bogo did too for that matter. They all believe Trigger's guilty, so why should we pretend otherwise? Does that sound like someone who keeps his cool? And we know he always had issues controlling himself. We've seen him lose his shit how many times now? Do remember how Count said repeatedly that he was bad at it back at their penal unit too. Perhaps... the only reason we didn't bring him back in cuffs and muzzle is that he didn't run into any Urusians. This is Zootopia, after all. We're all Animalians here. Well, almost all of us. But what I'm saying is that there's a good chance that he didn't do anything bad just out of pure luck, and not because he wasn't planning on causing harm. He is 'Three Strikes' after all. Remember what those lines mean."
Nick eyed him warily. "I don't think it's really Strikes we're talking about, is it?
Sure enough, a growl of warning was the answer he got from James. "Be careful what you're saying, Wilde."
"Fangs is still in the hospital," Nick explained slowly. "And you are still only operating a few days after killing someone. Which, despite what common perception might have the general public, is still something most police officers go through their entire career without ever doing. But as much as I hate to admit it, the similarities between that Brian kid and Strikes? I mean, they could almost be siblings. Emphasis on almost. I meant it before, and I say it again: It's okay to be mad at Brian for what he did, because he deserves it. Just don't take it out on Strikes. Don't want to waste your breath barking up the wrong tree. Or howling at the wrong moon."
James furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not even how that idiom goes!" he complained. "It's 'don't howl at a new moon'!" He glared at Nick for daring to try and use language that was completely natural for wolves, but won't be natural at all for the fox. "And besides, the meaning for that idiom is something completely different."
Nick grinned, letting him know that he knew the correct words to use all along. "But am I wrong?"
James looked down, appearing disappointed in himself. "No, I guess not. Would have been a lot nicer if Trigger never ran away in the first place though." Not to mention that Nick's use of that particular idiom got him thinking about something else entirely...
"-Is anyone perfect?"
Unwilling to answer the three simple words, James tried to distract himself by taking a look at the shower stall. The water was still running, but the sound was coming out of the stall oddly, too consistent and not enough variation caused by someone… not actually showering.
Telling himself that he was just being paranoid, James stood up with a low growl and walked over to the stall. "Trig? Finish up in there! How long have you been showering in there for anyways?" He banged a fist on the tiled wall as the closest thing he was able to do without a door to knock on. "We need to head up to Bogo's office!"
No answer came from the pilot, so James banged his fist again before heading back to the bench with Nick still on it.
"If he so much as dares to try and run away again…" James warned coldly.
Nick patted his shoulder gently, and rather playfully too. "There's literally no way for him to escape though there," he pointed out. "Between the unscalable walls, especially now that they're wet, and the plumbing that perhaps only a mouse or smaller can get through? Strikes isn't escaping."
James grunted, unconvinced. "Then why is the water still running, and he's not moving in there?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, he stood up and walked over to the stall again. "Trigger? If you're done, turn the water off and get changed!" Waiting a few seconds, he still didn't get an answer. "Damn it, Trigger, if you don't say something, I'm going in to check where the hell are you!" he warned. "And you better still be in there!"
As he expected, but hoped against, there was no answer from the other side of the curtains. Letting out a groan of frustration, he didn't really have much of a choice, especially after his warning. "That's it! I'm going in!"
Pulling the first curtain aside, there was the spare clothing he set aside for Trigger. On the floor in a heap was the clothing they had found the pilot in. But with only one curtain remaining, there was no sign of the pilot. "Trigger? I'm serious. I'm going in." Taking in a deep breath and grumbling to himself over the work needed to be done, he prepared for
Sweeping away the second and final curtain, he found the pilot. Not escaping. If anything, the complete opposite.
Trigger was huddled up on the floor, hugging himself as he stared at the air in front of him, completely oblivious to the now lukewarm water hitting him from above, apart from the occasional shivering. If he was aware of the officer standing there, he wasn't showing any signs of it.
James bit his lower lip as he looked over the pilot. To think that he was badmouthing this guy just moments before. Reaching over, he turned the water off, seeing that there's no reason to leave it running. "Nick? Grab me a towel, would you?" Mere moments later, a towel was shoved through the curtains, and he wasted no time in using it to cover up the pilot from the neck down. "Come on, get up." Grabbing below Trigger's shoulders, James helped haul the pilot up to his feet. "And Trigger? Look at me." Twisting the pilot around, the two locked eyes. "You still need to dry yourself out and change to go up to Bogo's office," James reminded him. "You still got work to do. Focus on that. Can you do that?"
Trigger just blinked slowly, mind still miles away from here.
"Trig-" James gripped his shoulders hard. "Snap out of it. You need to get yourself presentable, remember?"
After a few tense moments, Trigger woke up from his daze. While he didn't say anything, the slight nod of his head was enough for the officer to let go.
"Things are going to get better, you hear me? Just hang in there." Grabbing the small pile of spare clothing for the pilot to put on, James place it carefully on a dry spot on Trigger's towel. "Dry yourself out and get changed. We don't have a lot of time."
Returning to Nick's side, he waited again. With the water off, it wasn't difficult to listen in on the pilot drying himself out and changing, if rather slowly at it. During this wait, James took out his own phone, quickly hopping online and typing away at a specific website. A part of him didn't even know why he was filling out the information the website was asking for, but it just felt… right. Nick, for his part, took a peek at the phone screen, and despite the smirk that formed on his muzzle, wisely chose not to comment about it, even with the larger officer not needing to take his eyes away from the screen.
And even better, just as he finished and put the phone away, Trigger got out of the stall, slowly walking over to them without saying a word. The damp pilot was shaking slightly in his new clothing, stuffing the hem of his shirt into his pants so that it won't go so far down below his waist.
"Just leave your old stuff here," James said, "we'll take care of that later. Now?" He took in a breath. "Bogo's office. You're ready?" The slow shake of Trigger's head was more of an answer than he dared to hope to get, but it was better than nothing at all. "Well, even if you're not, you don't have a choice in this. Nick? Let's go. Take the lead, try to get us through the building with running into as few people as possible."
"That I can do!" But before he started to lead them to Bogo's office, Nick gave a hesitant glance at the pilot. "Listen, Strikes, whatever happens up there… We can help as much as we can, heck, I know Carrots definitely will, but I'm afraid our paws are tied. You running away? Practically an international incident. So just, if you can, don't say anything you might regret, okay?"
"Wilde?" The warning from James was enough to stop Nick from perusing further.
"Okay, follow me. I'll take us round the back. Shouldn't run into anyone." Sure enough, Nick was able to navigate them through the precinct corridor without so much as running into a single other officer. Taking an elevator, with James noting with a sick irony being the same service unit that Nick had access to and had them use after the discovery of Trigger's past, they were able to avoid running into anyone on the second floor where they had less options.
As the most senior officer, it was James who knocked on the door to Bogo's office when they arrived.
The answer was swift.
"Enter!"
Wordlessly, the three made their way inside, where the chief was waiting, glasses over his eyes as he glared at a paper without even looking up. Judy was there too, with a nervous Count occupying one of the two. Flanking the room were Jack Savage and Skye Winters.
And everyone's attention was on the lone pilot who strolled slowly and silently in, wordlessly plopping down into the waiting chair. And while he did settle down without a fuss, Trigger refused to look at anyone, not even at Count next to him, gazing instead at Bogo's desk right in front of him.
Bogo evidently decided that it wasn't worth it to wait for him. "You-" he began coldly. "Gave us one hell of a ride. Do you have any explanation for why you've run away from us?"
It was a rhetorical question. Everyone in the room knew why he had been missing.
Bogo lowered the glasses from his nose. "For your effort, the Ocelotians have sent several people this way. OIA, OADF… I don't care who specifically they work for, but I can only imagine that they are not happy to have to fly here. They'll be arriving early tomorrow morning, so the timing of your call to pick you up is… as much as I am displeased to admit, a reason for us to be grateful, and definitely saves us a few major headaches. What the Ocelotians will do to you though, that I do not know." With a heavy sigh, he pulled open a drawer in his desk and pulled out an object hidden inside.
It was the TAME collar.
Trigger looked up from the desk wall in front of him, eyes widening in fear at recognition of the device. Next to him, Count squirmed uncomfortably.
"Sir, you really can't be-" Judy started to argue, but a sharp glare from her Chief told her to close her mouth.
"Savage and Winters," Bogo spoke at an almost bored tone, "I believe I was explicitly told that this collar needs to be worn at all times as soon as we bring the pilot back…" He slid the collar in Trigger's direction. "What I don't remember is if I was only imagining getting that memo, or if I really did read it. Frankly, I'm far too busy to bother finding the time to check, as I am sure our two ZIA agents are too." He gave a sidelong glance at the two to make sure that they understood his point, even if it wasn't needed. Without another word, he slid the collar back and put it back in the drawer. "Unless I get a reason to investigate the matter, I am content to continue to imagine that I only dreamed about getting the memo. Don't make me regret this." Despite the warning, he did pull out an ankle monitor from the same drawer. "However, since you did run away and force a mammal hunt for several days, you will be wearing this all the time. It's only coming off when you two are no longer my problem. Count? Make sure he puts it on and keeps it on." He tossed the monitor to the deer pilot, who caught it midair.
Glancing at the computer screen, he frowned at whatever was on it. "Look, I'll get down to it. I don't have time to chew you out. What you did was wrong, Trigger. We're all very disappointed in you. Even… it doesn't matter that you didn't do anything. As a soldier, you know your orders were to stay here and listen to us until further notice. Running away? I don't know what Ocelotia does to soldiers who go AWOL. Combine that with what's already on your record? Look, I wish I knew what's going down tomorrow, but I really don't. My responsibility lies in protecting this city. A city of which you are not a part of. So tomorrow? Tomorrow the world might come down on you. And I realize that it's not even the first time you felt that way, but that's the only warning I can give. Otherwise? I need you back in your cell." He glared at the two pilots. "Count? Make sure he stays there. Wilde? Hopps? Escort them back. Savage and Winters? We have a meeting in ten. Dismissed."
As everyone got out of their seats and shuffled about the room, there was one officer who was grateful to be let off the hook. But before James could so much as turn to leave and get back to his cubical, he was stopped by a grunt from Bogo.
"Wolford? A word with you, if you may?"
James sat back down, nervously listening to the office door close and leaving him alone with the buffalo. "Sir?"
"My understanding is that you lost your temper at Trigger today?"
James winced, but knew it was stupid to lie. "Sir, I? When I saw him? I did get angry. But I wasn't rough with him! Just… I wasn't polite to him, if that's what you mean."
Bogo nodded. "Hopps filled me in. I'll take a look at the officer cams later if I feel like I'll need to. What I'm worried about is how you're doing after the corner store incident."
The ears flatted on top of James' head. "Sir, I don't want to be placed on leave. I can still do paperwork, and I don't want to feel useless at home. But I'll be honest, I'm not ready to return to active patrol."
"I'll be the judge of that," Bogo grunted quickly. "Wolford? We have enough to deal with in the city right now, I don't need you antagonizing the pilot with three strikes to the point where he might try running again. You and Fangmeyer saw first hand what happens to someone who believes they don't have anyone to run to."
James eyed the floor, a part of him finding it ironic that he was doing what Trigger was just moments ago. "I'll apologize to him," he promised. "What I'm going through shouldn't effect how I act around him. I guess… I did allow my anger to be directed at him. Even after Count warned me about it. And Judy repeatedly tried to remind me to stay calm." He let out a groan, rubbing his ears. "Made me a poor representative for the ZPD, didn't it?"
"I would normally agree with that, but it does leave me confused," Bogo continued. "I see here that some thirty minutes ago, you filled out a howling permit? With the location address being this precinct? For what? Don't you wolf officers normally go home to do that sort of thing?"
Now James felt downright silly. "Sir? It's the full moon tonight. The skies are clear of clouds, barely any wind on the forecast. And I- ideal conditions, really! I thought… Trigger can't exactly go to his family's funeral, so this is the next best thing."
Bogo rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Some of the things other species do-" he started to complain.
"It's a canine thing," James said with a hopeful smile.
"I am well aware of that," Bogo said. "You really want to go through this? I thought you were mad at him."
"I'm mad at a lot of things," James answered with a frown. "And at least partially I am mad at him. But not that much. He didn't lash out at the innocent like Brian did. He just… went home? I mean, who wouldn't want to do that? He doesn't have access to a phone or a computer to fill out a howling permit. And I think he also feels too ashamed over what he did to ask for a favor like this. So I filled it out for him instead."
Bogo leaned over his desk. "He can't leave this building," he reminded the officer. "Especially not after dark. The only people who have the authority to have him leave are Savage and Winters. Are they in on this?"
"No, they're not. I just thought the roof will be a good spot," James said. "North roof. Easy to get to, large and flat. Middle of the precinct complex, so not the best roof to escape from either. And I'll be there to make sure that he won't escape again."
A moment of silence followed, ended by a heavy sigh from Bogo. "You won't be able to do it on the clock, Wolford," he said. "What you want to do in your spare time is up to you."
James let out a slight grin. This was as close to explicit permission as he was going to get, but it's enough. "I need to stop by home first and get some other things done."
With a nod, Chief Bogo let him know that he was free to go.
James stood up, but hesitated. "Sir? Tomorrow, when the Ocelotians show up? What are they going to do to him?"
"I don't know, Wolford."
He felt a nasty feeling deep within him. "They're not going to hurt him, are they?"
"I said I don't know!"
James winced at the sharp tone. "Sorry sir. I'll get going." Hurrying, he exited the office.
And so it was several hours later that he found himself on the north roof of the precinct. While he had expected to bring Trigger along, he was surprised when he had arrived back to Precinct One to find Nick and Judy still there. After explaining his plan, they agreed to join him.
Which was also why they brought Count along too, although the second pilot was less than pleased to be on the roof at night. Between the two of them, Trigger looked even worse off, not helped by the ankle monitor paired with cuffs holding his wrists together.
"So what's the big deal now, huh?" Count complained. "I can be sleeping right now, you know! You didn't drag us out here to see the stars, right? Can barely see 'em anyways with all of this light pollution! Or are we here to 'disappear' before our guys can take us back?" While Nick chuckled at the jab, Judy shot a very nasty look in his direction, raising a fist in warning to behave.
James watched Trigger carefully. "It's a full moon, pup," he explained. "First full moon is always the best when the grief is raw. Your parents… They might appreciate it. You don't have to howl if you don't want, but this is the only chance you've got. And I've already filled out the permit and everything. It's legal."
Trigger stared back in shock. Lifting his head, he stared at the bright orb of the moon overhead. "But you hate my howling!" he complained, lowering his head back down. "Let's go back inside..."
Before he can go, James held out an arm to stop him. "I hate your howling just as much as you hate mine," he agreed. "But were you able to howl last night when it was the first day of the full moon? Or do coyotes not do that sort of thing anymore?"
Trigger looked down guiltily. "I didn't…" he whispered, shame evident in his voice.
James grinned, kneeling down to be at the pilot's level, and patted him on the shoulder. "Well then? Now's your chance."
Trigger took a step back. "I can't do this with all of you here," he complained.
"You have the whole roof," James said with a jerk of his head. "Just stay where we can see you."
With a nod, Trigger walked slowly away from them, stopping more or less at the center of the roof. With a final, nervous glance at the others, he turned away from them, head sagged low.
Minutes passed without anything happening.
Count frowned at the sight. "The hell is this crap? I'm tired and it's dark out. Let's grab him and go back to bed!"
"Quiet!" James said with a growl of warning. "How would you feel if your family was murdered?"
Count shrugged. "He's the one with the murder charge, not me," he reminded them. "I just want to find out who was responsible for Bana and shove a live grenade down their throat. Preferably two."
"You're not the only one," Judy hissed sternly, "now keep it down!"
Nick, for his part, tapped on a folded muzzle still somehow secured on his toolbelt rather than stowed away in storage.
If Trigger heard their bickering or not, it didn't matter as he finally lifted his muzzle up into the air.
Watching, James silently urged him on.
Moments later, a mournful, high-pitched, howl pierced the air, starting rapidly, and stopping as abruptly as it had started.
But as short as the howl was, it was enough for the wolf officer to wince and lower his ears away from the noise. But despite his own opinion over what he heard, he ever so slightly motioned for Trigger to try again. Go on, pup!
Another howl escaped Trigger's muzzle, this time longer and more managed than the previous one.
Nick glanced over at James covering his ears next to them. "You okay there, Wolf?"
"Yeah." James frowned in Trigger's direction. "This sucks," he spoke quietly. "His howling? I can tell the meaning- The emotion's all there. But it's too high pitched and different, and for the lack of a better word? Wrong. It's like… It's like the best, most heartfelt parts of Sheepspeare, but read by a drunken pirate. Like? Like… 'Yar, what be in a name, me hearties?', you know? You can understand the words and meaning, but the way it's put together makes you grit your teeth and want to make it stop." He winced as Trigger let out another long howl. "And even worse? That just now? He... wants others to join in with him. Howling? It's a social thing. I mean, you howl for all sorts of reasons, even good ones. But when it's because you lost someone… You don't mourn on your own, you invite others to mourn with you. If he were a wolf, the whole block would be howling with him by now, that's why we need to fill out those howling permits in advance. To let others in the area know to prepare for the noise, especially if you're driving and might get distracted. But as a coyote?" James gestured in Trigger's direction. "Might have been common around these parts a hundred years ago, but these days? Might be the only one within earshot."
When Trigger let out another, more urgent howl of grief, James knew that he had to step in and help. Especially as the city rewarded the pilot's efforts with the usual background noise of traffic and machinery.
"All right, you might want to cover your ears for this," he warned the rest of the little group on the roof. Lifting his own muzzle up at the moon, he inspected it carefully. Channeling all of the mixed emotions he had felt these past several days, with the mess with Brian, to worries over Dahlia's state, to the feelings of regret over doing something wrong and yet being unable to figure out exactly what he did wrong… All of those feelings that he always tried to keep at bay, he allowed them to rise up from within him.
And the next time Trigger let out a howl, James took in a deep breath and joined in. And didn't dare to stop and listen to the world around them until his own second howl faded out, at which he listened to no less than several others in the surrounding buildings howling along. A slight smirk of victory formed on his muzzle as he recognized the meaning in the return howls. A meaning as old as time itself.
We hear you. Our hearts answer yours.
Trigger himself had stopped, staring back at him with wide, tear filled eyes. James motioned for him to howl again, pointing at the moon. Pointing his muzzle back at the sky, the coyote let out another howl, more confident now that it had an audience to call back to.
While Count, Nick, and Judy were there on the roof with them, at this moment, it was just the coyote and the wolf together, howling together in solidarity, inviting anyone who can hear to join in.
It didn't take long for others to do so.
Lowering his head a final time, James smirked at the dumbfound expression the others all sported. "What you think of that?" he teased, especially focusing on Nick. Count just grunted and rolled his eyes.
"I think it's wonderful!" Judy gasped, falling silent as Trigger let out his own final howl. As it faded, the silence of the night faded with it into the usual background noise of the sleepless city. "...Is he done?"
James nodded. "Should be. Wait here."
He walked over to Trigger, who stood in the middle of the roof, starting lost into the distance. "Hey? Feeling better?"
Trigger turned around at hearing his voice, nearly tripping in shock. Lower lip quivering, he nodded ever so slightly. A second later, he flung himself into James' midsection, grasping the officer in a tight embrace.
Smiling softly, James rubbed the back of Trigger's shirt. "I know. It's okay. You did great here! You… You almost sounded as good as us wolves just now!" To his immense relief, he even heard a choked half-sob, half chuckle escape the pilot. "Ready to head back down now?"
Separating himself from the embrace, Trigger took a step back. His eyes traveled up at the sky again for a movement, then down to the rooftops around them, and finally to James and behind him to the other officers and Count.
"I think… I'm done now," he spoke softly, voice hoarse. "...James? Thanks. For this. For letting me do this."
Guiding him back gently, James grinned down at the pilot. "Just doing my job, pup!"
