A/N -
Hello my dear readers. My muse has on occasion been described as being a cactus. The Dark Ends definitely support that claim.
Each, Dark End, is independent and not related to the others unless otherwise noted.
I do not own Zootopia, and can therefore make no claims to Zootopia or its characters. I only make claim to my own OC's included herein as needed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dark Ends - 2
The procession started at Precinct One. Former Chief and current commissioner Bogo with current Chief Wolford leading. Other officers by rank follow behind them. Half way down the line were mammals none would expect to find in the procession for an officer of the ZPD. Polar bears, carrying shrews almost invisible in their massive paws, followed by more bears hefting a platform containing a casket that could have been carried easily by one of them in a single paw.
Oddly, despite the number of officers in the procession, the criminal element in the city was subdued, even self policing. Seeming to refuse to interrupt the solemn event as is passed through the city towards the train station. The entire train schedule was disrupted, without complaint from a single mammal in the city and beyond, so that the train would be waiting for the procession to take it to Bunnyburrow.
Bringing up the rear of the procession, and either simply ignored or not even noticed by the mammals that watched it pass. Most went back about their business once the casket itself had moved past them. A single red fox, moving along stiffly, almost as if they were in a great deal of pain but choosing to push through it anyway. His uniform, black band over his badge, clearly marked him as part of the procession, but few noticed him. So fewer still noted the nature of his gate, or the matting of his fur from tears.
Once those that were going were aboard, the train thundered out of the station with only one stop on its schedule. The normal train operation of the city resumed once it exited the city limits. As the train would make no additional stops, it arrived in Bunnyburrow a mere hour later.
The same procession, joined by a small contingent of rabbits that awaited them at the station, exited the train and made their way towards the center of town and the cemetery. There awaited upon their arrival, a hole already dug deep into the ground by paw, per tradition. Burials were rare, given the population of the town, most were cremated. Yet for this specific mammal, a special plot had been prepared from which they may overlook the town from which they originated.
All the while, the lone fox followed. However, unlike in the city, he was noticed, and that notice was not the indifference of the city. Most looked upon him with pity, some with disdain, and a few with open hate. It was that last group that chose to act, and by the time he reached the cemetery, having fallen behind the procession, he was limping, bleeding, and his right eye was swollen shut from the rocks and other things thrown at him. His uniform was torn in several places where he had been physically assaulted, leaving it disheveled, and stained from various things thrown at him.
Yet through it all he didn't react. Didn't whine, complain, or even seem to notice the verbal jabs and hostile looks. When hit with the brick that caused the bleeding and swollen eye, he simply picked himself back up once he came back to his senses and continued on. In fact, the only reason he even made it was because the town sheriff began to follow him in their cruiser, while several other foxes walked to either side of him, protecting him from further physical abuse.
As he arrived at the back of the ceremony, none moved to let him pass. He simply stood off to one side, tears falling softly as it began to rain lightly. The rest of the procession, not protected under a tent erected due to the expected weather, opened umbrellas. The lone fox however, stood unmoving in the rain, letting it wash away his tears and soak him through. He could not see the ceremony, but could hear it.
He stood there, at his best parade rest, despite the pain it seemed to cause him. If one looked, they might notice several spots on his uniform that were darker than would be explained by the rain. As the ceremony continued, he remained still, and were one to not see him breathing, could be mistaken for a statue.
Once the ceremony was completed, the procession moved to a nearby building to enjoy a celebration of life. The lone fox however did not join them. He did however move and stood behind the simple grave marker, returning to his previous stance. There he stood, unmoving again for several hours before he was noticed. Sadly, it was those same mammals with the hateful glares and bricks.
When he ignored their jibes and jeers, they resorted to fists and kicks. After several minutes they left him there, bleeding badly enough to be seen staining the grass. Still, once they were gone, he managed, after a few tries, to pull himself into a sitting position. His leg broken, he was unable to stand as he leaned against the back of the grave marker.
"I'm sorry, Judy. I failed you. I couldn't protect you. I can't even protect you now, and I don't think I'll be here much longer anyway. At least I got to see you off. Maybe next time I'll be up to the task."
Looking around with the eye that was still working, he saw that the celebration of life was moving out of the building. Seeing this, he began to drag himself away from the grave towards the nearby large tree. He did not make it before he fell unconscious, another brick thrown by those that had beaten him, and waited to see what he would do, did him in. They then began to drag him away to finish the job.
Bogo and Wolford stood looking down at the grave of one Judith Laverne Hopps with sad, tired eyes. Wolford sniffed in confusion. "Adrian, there is blood here. Fox blood."
Bogo nodded. "Nick followed us, despite orders from you, me, and the doctors."
Wolford shook his head. "No, it's worse than that." Sniffing around he located the pool of blood along with several bloodied sticks behind the grave marker. Holding one of them up. "This was more than him bleeding a bit from his wounds."
Bogo frowned. "Find him!" Bogo then turned and made his way quickly to the building. Every officer that had been part of the procession suddenly fanned out across the cemetery.
Wolford, having a head start and following the scent of blood found what they hoped they would not. Beaten and broken, then dumped in a storm drain. A later autopsy would determine that the fox actually drowned, though not in the drain he was dumped in. No, his muzzle had been forced into rain softened earth, the hole allowed to fill with water, and then his muzzle stuffed back into the hole.
A few days later, a new hole was dug next to the first, and another casket was laid to rest next to the first one. A fox with no family, save one gray rabbit, now adopted into an entire clan and laid to rest in their plot next to his partner and their daughter. The marker read simply his name and the day he died, the same day he was laid to rest.
The ZPD response to the murder of the fox left most shocked by its ferocity. Many complained that it was just a fox that was killed, so what if he was a cop. He couldn't have been a real cop anyway, right? Just some kind of grift? Unluckily for those that committed the act, they were quite proud of themselves and bragged about it, mostly in private, others actually in public.
Still, justice was compromised in the sight of anyone that watched and cared that justice was actually done, regardless of species. It also surprised none, and those that cared, prepared. The judges, with the exception of one, the verdict of which was overruled on appeal, was that it was just a fox, ZPD officer or not. The most the perpetrators got was a few months in jail. The justice that awaited them after that could be questioned as to which was worse. Those that were located by the adopted rabbit clan, or the bears commanded by the small shrews they had carried. In both cases, one does not mess with family.
Some simply vanished. A few were found beaten and bloodied, and no matter the protective custody they were under, the moment they were healed, someone would look away and when they looked back, that mammal would be broken and bleeding again.
However, the worst instance. Believed by all to be the turning point of the justice system, was the judge who had happily, even joyfully let the perpetrators off due to their victim being a fox. No one knows who did it, or how, but the result was without question, horrific. There was no camera footage of how he got up there. No mammals seemed to see it happen. Yet, as dawn rose over Savannah Central and Watering Hole park, that judge was found, pinned and skinned, yet still alive, to the main rock of the watering hole.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
