THE NEXT MORNING

Lucius rolled out of bed at half six in the morning with slight protest as his ear started ringing again, this time he would take the medicine that Jasmin gave him and not repeat the mistake of yesterday. Getting washed and finally having a clean shave, Lucius stepped into the living area and sat himself down on the couch, he was wearing his more casual outfits today, his military fatigues were hanging up in the wardrobe. He sat quietly while scrolling through his phone, taking the time to read through any relevant news articles and also scrolling through his social media, finding that at some point last night, Judy and Nick both accepted his friend request, he also found that he was in receipt of a friend request himself, from no other than Jasmin. He opened an unread message from Nick, commenting on his profile picture 'What happened to smiling? XD' Lucius merely laughed and switched his phone off as he chilled out on the couch.

Not two minutes later he was fed up and jumped back to his feet, not able to just sit around and do nothing "I cant handle this doing bugger all of a morning. At least in my world there was a decent chance of getting some action" he mumbled to himself as he grew restless. He slowly paced from the kitchen to his bedroom door and back, thinking of what to do 'Wonder if they have any wars going on' he thought to himself aimlessly. He decided it would probably be best if he had some coffee and toast to at least keep his stomach from giving him some ache. Switching the kettle on and popping some bread in the toaster, Lucius continued to pace the kitchen until the water finished boiling and the bread finished toasting. A short while later, the ping of the kettle and the toast being launched out the toaster was his que. Lucius made his coffee and buttered his toast and sat at the island.

It was a sunny day today, and the light was brightly peering in through the window, lighting up the whole room and warming it up some. As he sat drinking and eating his breakfast, his phone suddenly rang, picking it up he saw that it was Nick and spent no time in answering it "Hello, Mr Wilde".

N: "Hey there buddy. I've got some good news for you

L: "Oh does one? Pray tell"

N: "Indeed I do. Remember when you asked me about your things yesterday? Well you got the green light from the big man himself. Except..."

L: "Except what?"

N: "Bogo wants to question you about the items in question. He seems to believe that they are still part of some investigation. So he wants you to clear some things up"

L: "I bet he does. Fine he can have his twenty questions who wants to be a millionaire. So when does he want me?"

N: "Yeah about that. Look out your window"

Lucius trotted over toward the window and looked out and down, and there at the bottom of the building parked up against the curb was the all familiar police cruiser. Lucius groaned and rubbed his temple with his free hand. He could see Nick standing outside of the car, waving up at Lucius.

N: "So, are you ready?"

L: "Give me five minutes"

Lucius hung up the phone and groaned in annoyance. At least he had something to do now. But first he would change into something more appropriate to meet the police chief. He went back into the bedroom and changed out of his casual clothes and put on his uniform, full with insignia and his rank proudly displaying on the shoulder boards.

A few minutes later and Lucius emerged from the front door, wearing his beret with his regimental badge shinning atop it. The police cruiser was parked right outside the front door, and Nick was still standing outside currently enjoying a hot coffee. "Woah there bud. Looking all spangling in your uniform. Trying to impress the chief eh?" Nick joked as he opened the door for Lucius. "Better than what I was wearing at any rate" Lucius remarked as he hopped in the cruiser, Nick closing the door behind him before getting in himself.

"Hey Lucius. You okay?" Judy asked from behind the wheel as she turned her head round to see Lucius getting in "Not too bad. Still getting used to not having to fight for my life everyday, but you know, it could be worse. Could be raining" Lucius replied which got both Judy and Nick chuckling a little. With that being done, Judy started the car and drove down the road and toward the ZPD HQ. As they pulled of, Lucius saw that Jasmin's car was missing from it's usual spot 'must of gone to work early today' he thought as he returned his attention back to what was in front of him.

The city was quiet at this time in the morning which surprised him, most if not all the cities that he visited were always busy in the mornings, but he didn't linger on the thought, he was just glad that it was quiet for the time being and so relished in it. The drive down to the ZPD thankfully didn't take long, and Judy had parked the cruiser in the appropriate place before they all got out and made their way up some steps and through the front door.

Behind the desk at the centre of the main entrance was none other than Officer Clawhouser, who by the looks of him was still in the process of waking up. Noticing the doors open and the two familiar faces of Judy and Nick walking in, Clawhouser smiled and waved his paw in greeting, his attention was soon put off course when he noticed the human in his military uniform walk behind them, the imposing figure of Lucius walking toward the front desk, a stern facial expression, and his almost soulless eyes made Clawhauser swallow nervously as he slowly lowered his paw back down. "Oh h-hey guys" The chubby cheetah managed to utter as he became increasingly nervous of the approaching human.

The three of them stopped at the desk and both Judy and Nick said their hello's to their friend "Hey Ben, can you let the chief now that we've brought Lucius in for him please?" Judy asked kindly and she stood waiting. "Su- sure" Clawhauser stuttered as he picked up the desk phone and rang the chief "Hey Chief, yeah officers Hopps and Wilde have brought in that human for questioning. Yeah... okay. He says to come up" "Thanks Ben" Judy thanked the cheetah as the trio made their way toward the stairs, Lucius giving Clawhauser a brief look as he walked past, eyeing up the receptionist as he did. They had reached the stairs and started ascending them, Lucius' boots echoing throughout the currently quiet building. Some nearby officers that were standing around looking toward the source of the noise and spotting Lucius, all of them becoming a little confused as to why the human was at the ZPD.

The three of them made it up the stairs and walked across the top floor to Chief Bogo's office, and as usual they stood outside and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for a reply from within. A second later the familiar gruff voice of Chief Bogo shouted from the other side to come in, Judy twisted the door handle and opened the door, stepping through with Nick and Lucius following close behind. The two officers stood just in front of Bogo's desk and snapped a quick salute. Lucius was standing just beside them and kept his hands by his side.

Bogo looked up from his paperwork and huffed a little "Sit down" he said as Judy and Nick, being smaller was able to sit on a single chair, allowing Lucius to take a seat for himself. "Mr Felix" Bogo started, removing his reading glasses and setting them down "I understand that you would like some certain items belonging to you returned, is that right?" Lucius removed his beret and set it on his lap before answering "That's right". Bogo looked down at a piece of paper containing a list of items "Very well. I do have some questions that I would like to ask you first, if you wouldn't mind" "Fire away". Bogo then took out a recording device from the desk drawer and set it on the table and pressed record.

"First off, can you please identify yourself" he held a pen ready to write down the answers to his questions. Both Judy and Nick sitting quietly on their seat.

"Felix, Lucius, Lieutenant, 36th infantry regiment" Lucius replied instantly. Bogo writing it down.

"Before coming to Zootopia, where was your place of residence?"

"United Kingdom, Monmouthshire" Bogo again wrote down what Lucius was saying, having trouble spelling out the word "Monmouthshire".

"Where were you at the time before you came to Zootopia?"

"Northern Estonia, near Keibu"

"What were you doing there prior to coming to Zootopia?"

Lucius paused for a moment, a brief memory flashing into his mind "Engaging enemy forces on the coast of Estonia as part of an invasion force set to liberate the Baltics" Bogo raised an eye for a moment before continuing to write his answer down.

"Can you give more details on why this was happening?" Both Judy and Nick were looking over to Lucius as he was about to give his answer, they were both studying the humans answers and getting a further insight into Lucius' world.

"We are at war with the Russian Federation, as well as China and some of their allies, in what's now known as the Third World War. I was with a task force tasked with the liberation of the Baltic states via a massive naval invasion of Northern Estonia, while forces further South would push Northward. A two front attack"

"How long has this war been going on for?"

"About five years now" Lucius nodded his head slightly, his thoughts drifting as he recalled the many memories of his time fighting.

"Have you been fighting this war since the start?"

"Yes. I commissioned just two months before it all kicked off"

Bogo took time to write down the answers, looking over the rest of the questions that he would ask along the way. His two junior officers still sat silently in their seat, he should send them back on duty but he would use them to escort Lucius to his possessions at the conclusion of this questioning.

"Can you tell me any more details about the war"

"Any particular detail? There's plenty to know but I'm not sure that it'll be of much use to you"

"Anything you want, any detail is fine" Bogo slowly moved the recorder closer to Lucius so as to make his answer more clearer to hear upon listening.

Lucius gave a long hard think about what he would say, 'What detail do they want?' he thought as his mind rushed through the memories of past battles. There was plenty to know about the war. He could describe to them how the world balanced on a knifes edge toward nuclear obliteration. He could tell them the countless dead that continued to grow everyday. He could even describe the horrors that he has seen and even the gruesome details of some of the vicious fighting that he has been apart of. He quietly exhaled as he sat silent, he could see from the corner of his eye the slow expression of concern grow on Judy's face as the eerie silence enveloped everyone.

"I think Chief Bogo, it would be best if I did not share the horrors of the things I've seen. Such things would make your blood run cold and question your own sanity. War is not something to relish, it is a cold and brutish hell where everyone suffers the price" he looked over toward Judy and Nick before his gaze fell between them and Bogo "You found me in a field of grass as a result of the war. You saw the results of such a war etched upon my body. These scars shall remain with me and remind me of such barbarity. You need not hear the words from me to understand this war. It is plain to see on my flesh..." He began to choke on his words slightly, the vision of his fallen comrades flashing in his mind. He looked to Bogo straight in the eye "I have done my duty, sir, and have paid the price"

Judy had reached out her paw subconsciously toward Lucius while he visibly choked on his words. Nick looked on solemnly. Bogo had finished writing down Lucius' words and then looked at the human, his gaze slightly softening. "Well Mr Felix. You seemed to have experienced something that no one in this room nor out it can ever hope to comprehend. I apologize for having to ask such questions, however it is protocol for the release of the items that you wish returned to you" Bogo said as he looked over the list of items that Lucius wanted "Before I release these from the evidence locker, I would like you to sign a release form". He handed over a piece of paper with the ZPD crest emblazoned on the top.

Lucius took hold and read over the paper before Bogo slid over a pen. "So I get my kit back? Even my weapons?" Lucius asked, looking over the paper toward Bogo

"Ah, as for the weapons they will be modified slightly, your rifle and handgun will be kept here and changes made, then you can come collect it, after being issued a special licence. As for your knifes you may have them" Bogo clarified.

Lucius nodded slightly as he listened before taking up the pen "Very well" he then signed his name at the bottom then handed the paper back to Bogo. The chief checked over the signature before stamping it with an official mark. He stood to his feet, which prompted everyone else to do the same "Right then, Hopps, Wilde, escort Mr Felix to the evidence locker and withdraw his things, take this letter to the duty officer and show him that both me and Lucius have signed" Bogo instructed as he handed the letter over to Judy "Yes sir" Judy said as she snapped a salute "Carry on". Judy and Nick then began to leave the room, Lucius placed his beret on and upon bringing his heels together snapped Bogo his style of salute before following after Judy and Nick.

The three of them made it down to the evidence locker and up to the duty officer sat behind his desk, the officer casually reading a newspaper as the three walked in.
"Hey Mike. Got some things to be released today" Judy spoke as she slid the signed piece of paper across the desk. "Oh hiya guys. Oh, so your the one they pulled from the field" Mike said, looking toward the human "I see you want your things back then, let's see" he read over the list of items that were detailed on the paper "One helmet, one webbing, one weather jacket, one water bottle, one belt, one identity tag, one necklace, one bible, one large bag, two knives, etc, etc etc" the officer read over the list of items "Ah yes your rifle and pistol, it says they're to remain here until they are modified to meet safety standards. Very well, please sign your name here please" the officer pulled out a release form from under his desk and slid it across the desk. The officer then signing the other piece of paper to authenticate the release of the items.

Lucius again signed and handed the paper back to Mike, who took it and stamped it before putting it away. He then pressed a button by his desk and then a loud buzzing alarm sounded then the familiar click of a door being unlocked behind them "Third row fifth shelf about halfway down" Mike said before returning to reading his newspaper. "Thanks Mike, pleasure as always" Nick said as the three of them walked inside the room.

Lucius walked just ahead of the other two and made his way to the right place where his things would be. Immediately he found all his things neatly packed in cardboard box, except for his guns which were secured in a gun locker next to the rest. The rest of the room was filled with all sorts of other things. With a few more weapons lockers and other items scattered around the shelves. But for Lucius, this was all that he would be needing. He picked up the box and set them down a nearby desk.

Judy and Nick stood by the table as they watched Lucius carefully pull things out of the box. The first thing he pulled out was his helmet which had a camouflage netting around it. He set his down on the table and carried of looking through. Nick, being the mischievous fox that he is quickly yet silently picked up the helmet and placed it on his own head, problem was it was bigger than his head and his head sank right inside the helmet with only his snout being visible "Nick, behave" Judy scolded her partner as she shook her head in disbelief at Nicks shenanigans.

Lucius then pulled out his large webbing his all its pockets and clips still attached. He gave it a quick inspection before setting it down. He then pulled out his weather jacket. It too having the same two bullet holes as his other lighter wearing jacket "Better get that fixed at some point" he said as he showed it to Nick and Judy before again setting it down on the table. A few more minutes passed of picking things out and giving them a quick look over before Lucius finally found the one important things that he was hopping to find. "I never thought I'd see this again" Lucius picked up the small and slightly tattered black leathered cover bible and golden necklace with a golden orthodox cross.

"What is it?" Nick asked as he finally took the helmet off. Lucius showed him and Judy his cross "I found this in an old bombed out church in Syria, and this bible. Since then I took them with me wherever I go" Lucius passed the necklace to Judy who gently took hold of it and both her and Nick carefully examined it "It's beautiful" she said, looking to Lucius who flipped through his small bible "I remember seeing this on you at the time we found you. I never really looked at it fully until now" Nick said as he handed it back to Lucius "It may be just some jewellery and some old book to some. But it's helped me massively during the war, and again it shall help me now. This is possibly the only things that connects me to my own world" Lucius remarked as he placed the necklace around his neck.

A couple of minutes passed before Lucius managed to collect all his things and delicately store them all, except his weather jacket into his bergen. His rifle and pistol would remain behind until such a time as they are modified to meet the law. Shortly after they all left the room and made their way to the front desk, where Clawhauser was still sitting and scoffing down donuts and watching Gazelle on his phone. As the three of them got to the front desk the atrium became a little more busy, with additional officers coming in, and some of them with criminals in cuffs being escorted to the cells, much to their displeasure. Judy and Nick were chatting with Clawhauser as Lucius was left standing to the side minding his own business.

Lucius had slung his bergen over his back and casually gazed about the place as he waited for Judy and Nick. He noted at how many officers were now making their way in and out of the building, some of them also escorting mammals to the cells. 'practically bloody paradise' he thought to himself. His attention was shifted back toward Judy and Nick as they called him over to the front desk.

"Benjamin, this is Lucius. Lucius, Benjamin" Nick introduced the two of them, Clawhauser still looking a touch nervous at the sight of Lucius. For his own part, Lucius offered out his hand to Clawhauser "Pleasure to meet you" Lucius said as he nodded his head. Clawhauser reached his own paw out and shook the human's hand, his feeling of nervousness now completely gone as he realised that the human wasn't all that bad. "Oh you can call me Ben" the chubby jaguar replied, smiling as he did.

Lucius nodded his head in acknowledgment before checking the time on his phone 09:50time for some coffee. "Say, would it be alright if I made my own way back? Or do I need to be taken back?" Lucius asked both Judy and Nick. "Oh we could drop you back to your place that's no problem" Judy replied. She and Nick quickly finished up their conversation with Ben before making their way back to the car. Lucius walked close behind, looking around as they made their way out the building.

"So what do you think of the place then Lucius? Thinking of joining up?" Nick asked as they got into the car, Lucius dumping his bag on the seat next to him "Still thinking about it" he replied simply, looking out the window "Can you drop me off outside the copper kettle café?" Lucius asked. "Yeah sure thing" Judy answered as she drove through town.

It took a few minutes to drive to the café where Lucius finally left Judy and Nick as they went back to their regular duties. Lucius walked through the door and the bell above the door jingled which announced his presence. Angel, the owner was behind the counter washing some mugs before she noticed the human walking in "Oh hey. You know your becoming quite the frequent customer" she said, smiling widely. "You keep making the coffee the way you do and you'll have yourself a permanent customer" Lucius replied as he took a seat near the window, placing his bag down next to him. "So I gather it'll be the usual then?" Angel asked as she already started making Lucius' favourite cappuccino "Just so".

Lucius sat relaxed in his chair as he patiently waited for his drink. He took out his small pocket bible and just held it in his hands for awhile, his thoughts slowly drifting away, that was until he was brought back to reality by the appearance of Angel with his drink. "There you go my dear" she placed the drink down on a table coaster and walked away. "Thanks Angel" Lucius smiled again as he took hold of the drink and took a little sip. Releasing a sigh of satisfaction, Lucius placed the cup down and began rummaging through his bag. He firstly and discreetly took out one of his knives that he used to carry on his hip. Taking it out of its sheath, he gave it a look over. It had a wooden polished handle and a small metal hand guard. The blade itself measured at six inches and had a small engraving into the blade which read "Oderint Dum Metuant". Lucius gently rubbed his thumb along the words written on his blade which he has used countless times in the past.

Placing the knife back in its sheath, Lucius tucked in into his waistband and placed his shirt over it to keep it hidden. He spent the next few moments sitting comfortably while drinking his cappuccino, occasionally observing a number of mammals coming in and out of the café. As the time ticked on, he would take out his phone and browse through the local news channels such as ZNN, reading over news articles and keeping himself abreast of any news regarding the mayoral elections. Lucius spent over an hour reading the many articles about the elections and about how Lionheart was running his campaign. There was even mention of himself in the article which piqued his interest as he read the article, titled "The Mayor, Zootopia and a New Species". He took the time to read over the article, taking in every detail about what the mayors campaign would entail, and noting any information about himself that could be valuable. But so far it was only vague and not very interesting comments about him which eased any concern that may have arisen.

The time passed by quickly and after another two cappuccinos, Lucius decided that it was time to head back to the flat and drop off his things. Getting to his feet and slinging his bag on his back, Lucius put the bill plus a tip on the table and waved farewell to Angel as he walked out the door and began walking along the street back to his place. It had gone twelve o'clock and the city was now beginning to get really busy. The roads were now filled with various types and sizes of cars and vans, the pavements were becoming thick with various mammals going about their day, some of them took the time to briefly pass a glance toward Lucius but soon went their ways.

As for Lucius it was difficult to be inconspicuous when your wearing military clothing. It would certainly work well in the green fields but certainly not in a dense city environment. Nevertheless he continued on his way back to his flat, making good time in the heavily crowded streets.

A few minutes later, Lucius made it to his building and quickly made his way up to his floor and into his flat. Walking through the door and dumping off his bag into his bedroom he walked over to the kitchen and sat down at the island and began thinking of what to do next. The day was still young and there was much to learn in this new world. He looked out a nearby window and let his thoughts loose. His fingers tapped away at the table as the time passed, and occasionally the ringing in his ears would come and go, but for the most part he stayed still in his seat, staring out of the window.

His thoughts would turn back to his world and to his comrades and home. The ringing in his ears grew louder and he finally lost himself in a memory, now currently reliving it again. He could hear voices of his friends speak in an almost hushed tone, distant gunshots and explosions echoed in the distance. He could feel the heat on his skin and beads of sweat drip down his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus, then opened them again and saw that he was in a trench in the desert of Syria.
He looked to his side and saw his comrades chatting idly as he was sat on the floor cleaning his rifle. It was night, and the only source of light was from either candle light or small torches, to distance flashes of light from far away explosions.

They had all been stuck in these trenches for the past month as the advance into Syria was slowed due to logistical issues, constant enemy harassment on supply lines had made getting supplies to the front near impossible, so the advance was halted until the issue was resolved. As for Lucius and his men and the many tens of thousands of soldiers at the front who were currently stuck in these quickly dug trenches, life was quiet, apart from the occasional rocket barrage that would hit them every so often. But this night would be different.

As Lucius cleaned his rifle, threading a piece of cloth with oil through the barrel to clear any debris that fouled it, he noticed a distant sound just beyond the trench. He looked to see if any of his comrades noticed, but they still continued to silently talk to each other, while there were others who were sleeping and some others eating. Setting down his rifle to the side, he slowly and carefully creeped up the edge of the trench and pocked his head over the top to get a look. It was too dark to see anything clearly, and the moon was covered over by cloud and smoke which covered the land in total darkness. But still he could hear some distant rustling, an animal perhaps he thought.

But as he continued to stare out over the darkness his eyes suddenly grew wide as all of a sudden he saw the rapid advance of enemy troops about to storm the trench. Lucius immediately dropped down from his elevated position and screamed "ALARM!" and at that moment a smattering of explosions rocked the trench, both inside and around it, killing scores of men within. As soon as the alarm was raised, everyone grabbed their weapons and before they could even shoot at the advancing enemy, they were in the trenches, and soon they were all involved in close quarter combat. Knives, rifle buts, pieces of wood were all employed to counter the enemy, and all around the raging screams of battle echoed the desert.

Lucius unable to use his rifle quickly drew out his knife before an enemy could lunge at him with his bayonet. Swatting it away with his one hand he lunged forward and drove his knife into his enemies chest, stabbing repeatedly before he fell to the ground dead. Lucius looked to his left and saw his friends engaging in similar fashion, he could even see many others laying on the ground in a pool of their own blood. But before he could rush to their aid, he was beset with more enemies, their rifles trying to train upward in order to shoot him, but thinking fast, Lucius grabbed a handful of sand at his feet and threw it in their eyes before rushing forward, knife in hand and a rage in his soul.

He cut down one after another, stabbing and slashing at all who came at him. There was a brief moment where Lucius could grab one of the enemies rifles and use it against them, gunning down all who stormed his trench. From dodging blades, gunfire and grenades, Lucius was now strewn in blood. His clothes drenched and blood dripping from his brow, he was rushing through the trench in defence of his comrades. That was until he came upon one last enemy soldier, his rifle raised toward Lucius' chest. They both stopped cold in front of one another. The soldier looked young, no more than twenty perhaps, his hands trembled and his face rocked with fear. Lucius stood a few feet away from his adversary, breathing heavily from all the fighting, and covered in head to tow in blood and dirt. He had a pistol to hand but it was pointed down as he was running through the trench, however his opponent's was not. It was aimed straight to his chest, and soon the young soldier aimed his rifle and "CLICK" the rifle was empty, it was Lucius' chance to fire his pistol, he quickly raised it and "CLICK" his to was empty.

The young soldier had his bayonet fixed to his rifle and began charging toward Lucius, who in turn dropped his pistol and drew out again his knife and charged forward. Lucius managed to knock away the rifle but his foe had the advantage of him and threw all his weight toward Lucius' waist and they both crashed to the ground, knocking Lucius' knife out of his hand, and they were then both engaged in fighting each other hand to hand . Punches were thrown and legs were kicked as both tried to best the other. Lucius had after a few attempts managed to throw his foe over his shoulder and attempt to strangle him to death. But he was feeling the affects of fatigue, his body was tiring even trough all the adrenaline pumping through him. But unexpectedly, the young soldier lunged his elbow in Lucius' ribs which broke the hold he held over him. Before he could respond, the soldier managed to connect his other elbow into Lucius' head which knocked him on his back and soon he was on top trying to strangle Lucius.

The grip of Lucius' throat was tight, not letting any air pass his lips. Lucius was trying frantically to get him off but to no avail as the strength in his body was fast fading, his vision became narrow and blurred but there was one thing that he could still do to save himself. With both hands he grabbed the soldiers face and pressed his thumbs hard into his eyes, causing some blood to emerge. This was just enough for the grip to loosen and Lucius took advantage and shifted his weight to the side thus managing to dislodge him from on top of him. Now on his back and clenching his face in pain, Lucius quickly rolled over to grab his knife that was knocked away and hurried back over to the soldier. He raised his knife high above him, but before striking the final blow, the boy moved his hands away from his eyes, showing to Lucius the pure terror in his pained eyes. He was too young to be fighting in this war, and it pained Lucius in his heart to do what he needed to do. His blade hung in the air for what felt like years as he looked into the poor boys eyes. Releasing a guttural cry he lunged down with all his strength and plunged the knife into the boys heart, killing almost immediately.

Blood oozed from his mouth and his eyes rolled back as his body finally became limp. All around became deathly silent as the night time attack was finally repulsed. As for Lucius he let go of the knife that was still firmly embedded into the chest of that young boy. Lucius slowly backed away from the body and leaned back against the trench wall, his hands shaking and his eyes wide from the shock of it all. He raised his hands in front of him and saw that they were completely covered in blood, his breath became ragged. He sat like this for while, the cold dead body of his foe laying just in front of him, it was all quiet now apart from the groans of wounded and cries for help in the distance, but then he could hear the ringing in his ears and he tightly shut his eyes and clenched his head, he then soon opened his eyes and...

He was back in his flat in Zootopia, the ringing easing away as he regained his senses. He was still sat in the kitchen, his breathing slightly ragged and his hands firmly clenched on his knife that he managed to draw during his episode. He let go of the knife and managed to calm his breathing. He looked out the window and then back into the kitchen before reaching out and grabbing his phone. Checking the time he noticed that it had gone three PM, and that he had three missed calls and three unread messages. Lucius opened up the messages and noticed an unknown number but discovered that it was from Jasmin, it read:

Message one
"Hey it's Jasmin, Nick gave me your number. I suppose I should have asked you for it yesterday but it completely went over my head. Anyway I rang just to check up on you. I don't suppose you've managed to change that dressing yet, so I'll pop round after work and change it for you. See you later, J"

Message two
Hey, its me again. I've just finished work and I'm on my way back. I've got what I need to change your dressing on your hand. There anything you need before I get back? J"

Message three
"Are you okay? You haven't answered any of the calls. I'm nearly at the flat, probably another ten minutes. Give me a call back when you read this. J"

Lucius read the final message and he slowly navigated his way to try and phone the number back, but before he could he heard knocking at his door which startled him, making him shoot around in his chair and look toward the door. He sat silent for a moment until another flurry of knocks sounded on his door. Lucius stood to his feet and walked to the door, unlocking it and slowly opening it to discover that Jasmin was on the other side. "Oh it's you" Lucius said as he opened the door further.

"Yes, hello. I tried ringing you" Jasmin replied as she stepped through the door. She was carrying her handbag and her first aid kit. Lucius closed the door behind her and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. "Uhm, yeah my phone must have been on silent. I met with Chief Bogo today so I kept it off" Lucius answered as they both entered the kitchen, Jasmin setting down her things on the worktop. She was wearing a casual fleece over her work uniform which still showed the blue shirt and her name tag underneath. "I admit I got a little worried when you didn't pick up. But by the looks of things you seem okay. How's the hand?" She asked which prompted Lucius to shrug his shoulders "Not to bad actually".

Lucius sat down at the table and rested his arms on the worktop. Jasmin stood next to him and gently started to unwrap the bandages from around his hand, thankfully there wasn't that much damage done to the hand. Eventually all of the bandage came off and Jasmin was able to examine the hand much further. There was some dried blood covering the wound so Jasmin got a wet cloth and carefully washed away the blood, but being careful not to break any clotting that had formed in the wound. Lucius for his part just sat still and let Jasmin do her work, which prompted him to ask her "So how was work? Anything interesting happening?". Jasmin looked up at Lucius, a small smile forming before she looked back to him hand "Oh just the usual, some sprains and bumped heads, a couple of black eyes and cut foreheads and all that. I was stuck in the clinic today which I don't normally mind but it was just one of those days where it never seemed to end" Jasmin replied. Lucius looked down at Jasmin as she worked on his hand "What time did you start?" He asked. "Four in the morning, just took over from the night shift" she answered.

"How does your hand feel?" she asked as she held his hand in her paw. Lucius slowly clenched his fist together, his knuckled cracking as he did which made Jasmin wince slightly "Are you sure that doesn't hurt?" Lucius chuckled a little at her reaction "Nah, my knuckles have always cracked like that, but only on that hand for some reason. Mind you my old man had arthritis, so maybe that's what this is" Lucius said as he kept flexing his hand, but over all it seemed to be in good condition, bar the scar over his knuckles.

Jasmin grabbed a fresh bandage from her first aid kit and began wrapping it around Lucius' hand "Well your lucky you didn't do anymore damage, but another few days and it'll be fine" she said, glancing toward Lucius "You worry too much. I've had worse" Jasmin looked sorrowly at Lucius before moving her attention back to his hand. She had seen the many scars on his body as proof to his statement, it was more surreal when she attended him the first time she met him in hospital, covered in blood and half dead.

A few minutes later and Jasmin had finished putting on the fresh bandage and packed her things away. Lucius examined his freshly wrapped hand "Thank you" he said softly as he stood to his feet "Would you like a coffee. It's the least I can do for you" He offered. Jasmin smiled thankfully "That would be nice, thank you". Lucius then hopped of his seat and started boiling the kettle and gathered the coffee and milk. Shortly after Lucius poured two cups of coffee and handed Jasmine hers.

Jasmin sat at the kitchen table as she enjoyed her coffee, Lucius was on the other side of the table also enjoying his cup. The two of them chatted for a while as they drank. Lucius catching up on what Jasmine's work day has been like, and Jasmine catching up on what Lucius has been up to. He mentioned how he collected his kit from the ZPD and that he was chilling in his flat until she came up.

Lucius finishes his drink, soon followed by Jasmine. She placed her cup down and quietly thought to herself. Lucius caught onto what Jasmine was doing and decided to speak up "Come on then, what you thinking?" Jasmine looked up to Lucius, her mind finally settling on a question "I was just thinking what your home was like. You know like when you were growing up, your family that sort of thing" she said, her paws clasped together. Lucius took in a deep breath and rested further back into his chair as he began to thing back on his youth. "I suppose it was like any childhood. I grew up in a middle class family in the country. My father was a farmer and my mother was a nurse" he paused as he reminisced on his past, he smiled before continuing "You would have liked her. She knew so much and the house, books everywhere about all types of medical texts. She took her work seriously but she loved doing it, even when she had to leave work due to illness she still wanted to do something" he looked at Jasmine as she took in all this information. "I learned a lot from her. I was nearly tempted to go into the medical field, but fate took me elsewhere" Lucius sighed deeply as he recounted his past.

"What was home like?" Jasmine asked, listening intently "Just like any home I suppose. I grew up in a small mining village, went to the local school and just... lived there. It was a good place to live, you knew most people and you just got on with it. I've been away from home for a long time now. I wish that I could have seen it one more time" Lucius' eyes drooped a little as he realised that he would never see his home again. Jasmine instinctively reached out her paw and grasped Lucius' hand, squeezing lightly, a smile gentle smile spread across her face as Lucius looked up at her. Lucius smiled back, also gently squeezing her paw in return.

Loosening her grip, Jasmine let go of his hand, the warmth of his bare hand quickly leaving her paw. "Well enough about me, tell me a bit about you" Lucius said as he leaned in, resting his elbows on the table. "Well I'm the eldest of five. I've got one sister and three brothers, so as you can imaging growing up with them was a nightmare" Jasmine chuckled "My father is an engineer, building and assembling all kinds of machinery that sort of thing, and my mother's a solicitor" She said proudly, her tail swishing back and forth.

Lucius smiled a little as he stood to his feet, he walked over to the sink with his cup and placed it in the bowl before turning around and leaning his back against the counter, Jasmine keeping her eyes on him as he did so. Lucius sighed lightly, his little episode from earlier still lingering on his mind "I suppose I should let you go now" he said "I imaging you'd like to get home and relax after the day you've had" Jasmine took a deep inhale and slowly got to her feet, she wearily smiled as the tiredness was now beginning to make itself known. "Yeah. I suppose I should take a quick nap" she chuckled lightly as she made her way to the door, Lucius quickly made his way over to open it for her "Thanks again for coming. Always handy to have a nurse next door" He smiled kindly as Jasmine left, smiling back to Lucius as she left.

As the front door closed, Lucius turned back around and headed back into the kitchen. He leaned up against the works counter and briefly closed his eyes as he let out a long sigh, before drawing in a deep breath and opening his eyes again. He moved his gaze toward the window and the city beyond it, seeing how busy and alive it all was, thinking just in comparison to some of the cities he had seen in his own world.

Although it had been some time now since Lucius awoke in this world, and having been treated so well thus far and having made some friends in the past days, it was still difficult to wrap his head around the fact that he was in this completely different world. It was so strange yet familiar. If it wasn't for the walking and talking mammals then it could easily be mistaken for any other city that Lucius had been in. As he stood looking out the window, his thoughts turned back to his discussion with Mayor Lionheart and the idea of him joining the ZPD. Lucius let out a chortle as he thought about it. A human soldier becoming a police officer in a mammal city, either that is the beginning of a bad joke or a very ill conceived plan. But the more he thought about it, the more reasons he was finding to justify joining the ZPD.

"Hmmmm" Lucius let out a long soft hum as he continued to think about it. Granted that he was a trained and experienced soldier, but could those skills be somehow altered to be used in a peacetime setting? Perhaps he could join a SWAT team, maybe even become an instructor. Although he had said to the mayor that he would wait a few months before giving any answer, the more time that Lucius spent just doing nothing made the idea more appealing. He is a man of action, and pure drive, and all the energy he has to give could very well be used in a more productive manner. 'Maybe I'll have a chat with Judy and Nick about it' he thought to himself.

In the meantime however, his stomach was now beginning to make itself known by making a loud rumble "Suppose I'd better make some food" Lucius uttered to himself as he stood up straight and marched straight to the fridge to see what utter carnage he could cook up for himself "Let's try not to burn the place down" he said as he knocked wood, gathering some ingredients and cooking utensils...

AUTHERS NOTES:

Apologies for the long wait, I've been very busy with working in my new job and having to fit in time with friends and family.

Hopefully now (fingers crossed) I should be able to start writing more regularly* now

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this new chapter that I totally haven't left hanging for more that a month or more