"FOOLS! NINCOMPOOPS! RAPSCALLIANS! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO NOAH! WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE BOY?! SPEAKING BEFORE I SLIT YOUR THROATS!"
Fury was strangling Alex and Skips in his grasp shaking them about.
"THE ZPD HAS GOT HIM!" squawked Skips. "THAT'S ALL WE KNOW! THEY MISTOOK HIM FOR ALEX!"
Fury looked at Alex's attire and fire erupted in his eyes.
"CAZZO!" he screamed "CHE PALLE! PORCA MISERIA!"
He shook Alex mad who luckily escaped, Fury threatening him with his dagger.
"YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE, MASTER ALEXANDER COOP?!" he shrieked. "THINKING YOU WERE CLEVER!"
"I WAS HOPING I'D IMPRESS YOU!" panicked Alex defending himself with a candle stick. "GAVE MYSELF THE NAME OF THE SWAPPER! MAKING MYSELF LOOK INNOCENT!"
Fury roared and charged at Alex and Skips, the others foxes dodging the patterns. Some looking worried and others enjoying the scene.
Fury looked at Alex pointing the dagger at him as the former held the candle stick out for protection.
Thinking this had gone far enough, disarmed Fury's dagger and flung it to the door which was now opening.
Brent Stripes roared in panic as he ducked the dagger zooming passed him and piercing onto the wall outside.
"WHO ATTEMPTED TO POACH ME!" he roared. "WHICH ONE OF YOU PREDATORS?!"
Fury backed away.
"Target practice," Skips improvised. "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Brent glared, made for the dagger, dislodged it, returned into the room and placed it into sight of Skips.
"Make sure I'm sure I'm here next time. I'll make sure that you target the heart should your carer try to do anything for you."
He walked back out of the room and shouted from downstairs: "FINNICK! GET UP HERE WILL YOU?! SIMPLE JOB AND YOU CAN'T PULL YOUR WEIGHT!"
Finnick rushed in with a very heavy sack.
"I'm pulling this thing's weight logically," panted Finnick.
Brent turned to Fury who slowly emerged.
"Ill-treating the boys I suppose?" the tiger guessed. "Had I been a cub, I'd be taking this thing off you, slice you and drink your blood!"
"Banter," chuckled the old fox. "Always the best for that, Brent."
"Make sure I don't over do it," said Brent as he he picked up the heavy bag and brought in onto the table.
"That's no banter, Gramps," chortled Finnick, "and I know banter."
"Give us a Buckweiser then, Alex!" he demanded as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. "And Skips, what's this about? One of you going to Mr. Big or something?"
"The new fox," explained the rabbit as the tiger lit his cigarette. "Got nabbed by the ZPD today, his first day and all."
"The one who tried crossing me?" said Brent.
"The very one, my dear," said Fury as he emptied the back by taking out bit by bit.
"How did this come about?" asked Finnick.
"Alex tried to prove his new gimmick of the Swapper - in other words, framing another."
"I thought it would be an achievement!" Alex defended.
Brent walked up to him, picked him and and threw him to the wall with one claw.
In mid air, Alex was squirming and panicking at the sight of the angry tiger. He looked at his cigarette and pressed the butt into his right arm.
"AAAGGGH!"
He dropped the cub to the ground who clutched his arm.
"It's no achievement when the pipsqueak tells on us!"
"Brent!"
Patsy emerged from the entrance with Zoe and ran to Alex who clutched the burned spot on his arm.
"What's this about?" as he asked as she looked at the wound.
"His antics got that little pup in the showers!" he barked.
"Huh?" reacted Zoe.
"Noah? In jail?" gasped Patsy. How did this happen?
"Right now let's just plan to know how we can get proof that he snitched," said Fury optimistically. "If he does, then at least we'll be ready."
"Oh yeah," remembered Finnick. "There's fox who worked as an officer. It'll be a problem if the kid blabbed to him - he knows Mr. Big."
Fury nearly fell off his chair.
"We're going to be iced!" he shook. "We need to to get the child back here!"
"And how do you suppose we do that?" responded Alex as Patsy dabbed some cream into the cigarette burn on his arm. "Go the ZPD and say 'Whaddup, Offer! We've come back to collect our pickpocket.'"
"Don't be a smartass, Coop!" growled Brent. "Or the next thing to be burned is your throat."
"Hold up," said Finnick. "The police fox who knows Mr. Big? That's none other than Nick Wilde."
"THE Nick Wilde?" gasped the Prowler. "Awesome!"
The Hustler thunked the fool on the head.
"This is your fault, Alex!" said Skips. "You had to dress like him."
"How else would we bail ourselves?" said Alex. "I was prepared."
"Getting a five-year-old kid behind bars on account of a plan you told us nothing about? I knew there was something suspicious about you dressing the same as him."
"So to earn a name!" said Alex furiously. "You ought to be proud, Cutey!"
Skips lunged at Alex and the fox vice versa.
"Enough!" snapped Fury as he and Patsy intervened. "We must decide how we are going to get him back - even though he promised he would say nothing."
"And he wouldn't," said Skips. "Noah came here hoping to be a non-savage. We helped him and he would pay us back any way we could. And he singed your contract. He's pure."
Fury seemed to calm dow as he returned to his seat, deep in thought.
Skips spoke again:
I'll go to the ZPD and -"
"No!" said Fury seriously. "Someone might have seen you at the time of the arrest. What's say Zoe goes?"
"I'll be arrested before I go anywhere near Bogo."
"Then it shall be Patsy."
"Fat chance, Fury," said Patsy furiously. "I won't put myself at risk after what I went through at a young age."
"And I helped you out of it," said Brent with a vicious glare. "It's been two decades. You'll just be an animal out of sight and out of mind when this is over. She will go, Fury."
"No she won't, Fury."
Brent got up form his seat, walked up to her and roared "YES SHE WILL, FURY!" clawing her face, making everyone gasp.
"Remember what you owe me," growled Brent tapping his eye patch.
It was six in the evening when Patsy arrived at the ZPD. She put makeup over her new gases. She was wearing a green vest, blue jeans and carried a handbag with about the right money to bail little Noah out of his cold jail cell. It shook her to be present at the very place Brent was sent to when they were cubs but trying to make herself look as innocent as possible. She entreated the lobby where some police officer were either checking files or arresting culprits. She breathed heavily as she advanced towards fat cheetah on his iPhone and listening to Try Everything by Gazelle. He even had her own snow globe on his desk and his name read Benjamin Clawhauser on the front.
Patsy made herself look as worried as possible and got the cheetah's attention.
"Well," said Clawhauser looking at her with attractive interest. "What brings you here, doll?"
"I'm looking for a little fox cub," Patsy said. "I met him the other day. A very lovely baby fox. He has lovely manners and beautiful temper. So sweet I wish he were mine. I heard of the mess he got himself into today and I came to bail him out. It was a terrible misunderstanding, he was innocent."
"Oh he's already gone," said Clawhauser. "One of our new recruits - a cute rabbit - don't tell him I said that we cannot call bunnies cute - he learned his name. Then two of our other recruits, Officers, Hopps and Wilde took him home. They live down just by Greengrove Avenue."
"Greengrove Avenue," repeated Patsy. "Thank you very much, Officer Clawhauser!"
And she sprinted out of the station, Clawhauser staring dreamily after her.
While she avoided cops, there was something about that cheetah that made her heart thump.
"We're never meant to be," she said sadly. "The fact that he's a cop and I am a crosser of the law. Well, that's life."
The foxes were all sitting around quietly, playing phone games or darts, some playing with cards. Skips was sitting on Noah's bed while Alex sat by a window, his top off, as instructed by Patsy to let the air into the burn Stripes had inflicted.
"The cops have ways," said Fury sitting worriedly at the table with the tiger who was chugging on some Buckweiser.
"So what?" said Brent. "Why do you think Patsy's out there? She'll come home with the news, inform us what she learned and if the worst occurs, we can just pack up and head to the Rainforest District."
"What will you do to him of we get him back, Fury?"
"Ice him if we learn he told on us," said Fury. "Even of he says no he did not tell, I can read the truth in the eyes, my dear."
"He's true though," said Skips. "Please, Fury! He's only five! What about kid rights!"
Fury drew the dagger form his cape and pointed it up under Skips' chin.
"You dare argue with me, my dear?" said Fury. "You're also under contract after the good I did for you."
"Sorry, Fury!" gulped Skips.
"Stay sorry," smiled Fury manically. Then he released the rabbit.
The door opened and Patsy entered, everyone stopped what they were doing and were ready to listen.
"Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps have taken him to Greengrove. He fainted after he was exonerated and they took him there to help him find his family."
Brent looked pale. He recalled the rabbit who drew back his past when she insinuated the savagery of animals.
Fury also looked worried. He was told of the fox also knowing Mr. Big. If the child blabbed, he would ruin him.
"You're soooooo getting iced!" chuckled Finnick.
"Who are Hopps and Wilde?" asked the Manipulator.
"Remember the cops who cracked the Night Howler case?" said Alex. "It's them."
"No one asked you," said the Manipulator.
Alex threw a rude gesture at him which Fury caught.
"I'll slice your paws off if I ever see that again!" he threatened. He turned to Patsy and stood up smiling in relief. "There we will find him. You've done well, Patsy. Skips? Alex? There you two shall wander until you find him. When you do, tell me immediately."
"Why don't we just leave him?" said Skips leaning against the wall. "He hit luxury, the cops are gonna help find his parents, so why can't he just have a proper life? He's too good for this business."
Fury glared.
"Mr. Big will be happy to have you," said Fury as he picked up a nearby phone.
"But we can make a real member out of us!" said Skips in a panic.
"Better," growled Fury as he put the phone down.
"He wouldn't tell though," said Patsy. "He's only five. A little fox cub who had no idea what has gotten himself into - unlike me."
"We must have him back so we reinforce he keeps his promise."
"I could just find him myself, tell him how you feel and make sure he promises," said Patsy.
"Something tells me you are trying to escape from what you owe me," said Fury angrily. "I can tell very convincing stories that can result in your loss of life."
"You just try it then!" said Patsy in aggression. "Don't forget, I'm a cat! And I can kill you within a matter of seconds! And I don't care if I have to go to the ZPD for it!"
Patsy stormed out the room, Brent following after her.
She had just left the building when Brent grabbed her and slammed her up against the wall.
"I'm a cat too, lovely girl!" he told the frightened face looking at him. "If you ever do speak to the ZPD on account of the kid, I will kill you!"
"Noah Sly is faithful," gasped Patsy in the grasp. "You just need to see it."
"I will once he's returned," growled Brent. "Now I'm off for a pint! And when I'm home, you will also be home! If you're not, I will assume you have gone to the cops."
Patsy nodded obediently and he let go of her.
As he marched off, Zoe came out of the door and helped her friend up.
"This is getting ridiculous," she said. "You're talking all the scratches and ashes for nothing."
"I promised Daddy I would stick with him wherever I go," said Patsy. " He needs to find a way to release his anger."
"Hey!"
The two cats turned to see a fox, but the complete opposite of Fury; he was very nicely dressed, a black suit, a black tie and and white shirt. On his face, he wore a pair of sunglasses.
"Forgive me for intruding," he said, "but you with war wounds, not long you just mentioned Noah Sly."
"What's it to you?" asked Patsy suspiciously.
"No affair of yours," said the fox. "For now, I need to know how he came into your hands."
Next thing they knew, Patsy and Zoe led him to Fury. With all this going, Patsy hoped he was a relative of some sort for the child.