What is Normal?

by fwelty

Nick's first day on the force , being partnered with Judy. They both proceed to stop the street racer , where something catches Nick's attention and the consequences seem to unravel the beginning of a bigger mystery, one that Judy and Nick may not be able to solve on their own. Will they be able to solve it before it is too late?

5. Return to form

Finnick placed his sidearm in his hip and instantly his anxiety skyrocketed. He collected some spare magazines to have some spare ammo for future instances, just in case. He was about to drive his van to a location he remembered from his 'heyday' . But before he did that he had to make a slight detour to Happytown. A person to meet and a word to keep. He didn't know if seeing her was a good idea , last time he spoke to her , there were complications and tensions between the two. Hopefully after a few years the tensions have eased especially given the current circumstances that he travelled specifically to discuss. He quietly started his van and drove to his destination without hesitation. He had to face her about this at some point why not now. The beige fox saw the sign showing that he was entering the town that was anything but happy. The van cruised across the miserable streets ,where poor mammals mainly predators roamed trying to do something with whatever depressing life they currently had.

During the entire ride, Finnick tried to build up the confidence to talk to her. 'She still hates me doesn't she. She blames me, and it probably is my fault but last yearish right place right time so that also is my fault , probably, kinda.' After another five minutes of driving and deliberating, he reached an apartment complex, a poorly kept building , which needs desperate repairs. He parked the rust orange van in front of the block and exited it with dread following him soon after. He walked through the building with a slight hunch in his back. Up the stairs , on the 4th floor , he walked to a door near the middle '429'. He gulped and knocked, it was time to face her again.

The door was opened a few seconds later by an older vixen, russet fur with a tinge of grey in the lighter spots on her head. "Hell- " her cheery demeanour almost instantly dissipated as she saw the cause of her child's downfall. "Oh , it's you. What do you want?" No aggression was in her voice but the tired tone that was present clearly demonstrated Finnick wasn't wanted.

"Charlotte-" he was almost instantly cut off.

"That's Mrs. Wilde to you." a sense of pain was felt when that statement was spat out like venom.

"Right, Mrs. Wilde, I wanted to talk , no tell you something important. Actually a few things."

Confusion and intrigue washed over the older vixen's face. "Okay , then tell me them and leave. I have better things to do."

"Like what? Sitting and I don't know , knitting?"

Charlotte laughed "You think I knit? Really , YOU think I fall under that stereotype?"

"That's not the point. The point is your son is in hospital. The reason why will go back some time but if you want to hear it out, I suggest not here."

"You suppose you want to come inside and speak."

"I more wanted to propose I drive you to the hospital and tell you the story on the way."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because … because you shouldn't but you should see him. He is in the Savannah Hospital."

"Is he conscious so that when I see him I can talk to him?"

"Yes and no. If you come with me , I'll explain everything I know and someone else can probably explain the situation better than me and you will see her at the place. Just trust me ,please. I didn't want him to be 'corrupted' as you put it, I just saw him on the streets and wanted to help him."

"Fine , take me there, but no funny business , or you will regret everything. I have tolerated this for so long but this could be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back."

"Isn't that offensive?" He mumbles under his breath only thinking that because of bunny cop.

"What was that? Did you say something?"

"I'll explain everything."

Mrs. Wilde locks her door , all 5 locks (You can never be too safe in this area), and followed the desert fox."You better."

"Don't worry you will enjoy the story, but know it's what he told me."

The two enter Finnick's van and Finnick starts driving over to the hospital at which the police duo are held. "So start talking."

"Okay , okay. Firstly, I don't want us to have bad blood between us." At a red light , he sticks out his paw to shake with Nick's mother.

Charlotte relents and shakes the paw. "Fine, no bad blood, clean slate."

"Hmm thanks, now the story, Nick's story, his redemption one could call it." Charlotte raised an eyebrow but Finnick didn't notice , as he was too busy driving the van to the target destination. "One day, we were doin' our thing, I was dressed as a fox kit in an elephant costume." Slight chuckles were heard from beside him but he continued. "And as we were buying our Jumbo pop as usual and turned away as usual, a rookie police officer came in and followed us, you know coz we're foxes and also because she was a bunny with suspicions. Anyways, she was about to question us but apparently gave in on that idea when she saw me and heard the sob story Nick made up. In the end , SHE paid for the jumbo pop and we used it to sell our pawpsicles. After our day of forming and selling , she waited behind my van and yelled at Nick. Somethin' about betrayin' trust or whatnot . "

"Yeah that's what you two did. "

"Lemme finish you'll like it from here."

"Really? How come?"

"Coz I ain't involved for the most part."

"You know me so well." The russet fox responded sardonically.

"Yeah, next day bunny cop wanted Nick to help with some investigation on some missing mammals. I think it was Otterton at the time. Anyways, she hustled him with counts of tax evasion and somethin' else I think, don't remember, I just remember I laughed at him and left."

"So he was helping the officer or arrested?"

"Well , he helped, he didn't wanna go jail and the tax evasion was quietly settled by me, had some spare change and we cleared our taxing oopsie. Besides , he went and helped at first barely giving half clues and messin' wit' her . I think they first went to the Mystic Oasis." Finnick chuckled but if not for the fur covering her skin you would be able to see the embarrassed mother pale as a ghost.

"He didn't!"

"Oh he sure did, there they actually found a lead so alls well that ends well. Until they went to the DMV."

"Isn't that filled with … oh no, why?"

"That's exactly why, I think, he made a few jokes there and they left at 10."

"In the morning right?"

"Nope, at night." Finnick guffawed after he said that.

"You're not helping your case here."

Finnick calmed down "Fine, then they went to a limo that belonged to Mr. Big and left unscathed. The finer details I don't know but he's fine, they're fine. After that they had another lead to talk to the driver, who you may have heard went savage. Or not as it was quickly covered up. Here was when Bunny cop was in the good books of Nick."

"How come , actually it isn't that difficult is it?"

"Ha HA HA , I get it , but she was a cop who did her job and saved him. So he probably felt indebted to her especially after how he treated her. Here her superior came as reinforcements and nearly fired her on the spot."

"But...?"

"But , your boy stood up for her and saved her job. Next they followed another idea that Nick had and found all don't remember how many missing mammals."

"15"

"They were all savage. First Bunny Cop made a mistake at her press conference after solving the case, which drove 'em apart. And she felt so bad that she just resigned. Nick just sat in his regular spot when trying to hide from everyone."

"He felt betrayed didn't he? I saw that press conference and thought she was horrible at that moment. Thought she was fired at first."

"Nah, but she came back after a few months with an important realisation but said she couldn't do it without him. So she came to me and I told her, they needed eachother more than they want to admit even now, well maybe not Nick but you'll see."

"Why did he never tell me this though?"

"He felt ashamed to see you , it's as simple as that. I understood and only helped him make a living , I ain't good at the whole life or relationship advice. Hell I'm mid-50s and yet here I am all alone." He paused for a few seconds reflecting over his actions. "Back to it, they found each other and found out that it was actually a whole conspiracy involving the deputy mayor."

"Bellwether." Charlotte mumbled under her breath

"Yeah her." Finnick responded , hearing her. "Turns out she was using a flower called 'Nighthowler' on the streets. Used mainly in agriculture but now needs permits and inspections every so often , even so far out as Bunnyburrow apparently. She bounced back and fixed her mistakes as best as she could and ,you'll love this part, managed to convince the fox be a police officer. He went through the entire academy and s now her partner."

"He has an actual job, MY SON has an actual job."

"Yeah, he's dressed in blue now. Bad news now, that 'Nighthowler', yeah he got hit by it, and he responded differently to it. Hyper-defensive of bunny cop."

"What is her name? I would like to thank her for helping my son when no-one else would."

"Now that stings. Her name is I think Judy Hopps. I don't know, just call her bunny cop."

"Judy Hopps, interesting."

"Just be careful with what only looks like your son." Finnick stated with genuine concern.

"So he is savage now?"

"Yes and no. He is under the influence of the flower but is once again hyper-defensive, he is willing to kill to protect her."

"Judy? Wow."

"Yeah , who'd've thought it, a conmammal and a cop."

The two sat there in silence, Finnick because he still felt a bit bad but Charlotte because she was in awe at the information she heard. She broke the silence. "I'm so happy to hear that , just know if you are lying , I will be more dangerous than what you claim my son is."

"O-of course, I-I wouldn't lie." The threat scared him even though he was speaking the truth.

"Good ,glad we came to an understanding. Now what have you been doing these days?"

"Me , nothin' much just trying to continue the 'business' but without him, it ain't as easy."He sighs 'I'll tell her for him. It's all for Nick.' "I might be working with them, still bending the law but there is danger coming , if you see me doin' somethin' bad. Let's just say the ends justify the means."

"Little information broker."

"Prefer the title, " his mind went blank "What was it ? Oh now I look stupid. Confidential Informant."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Join a group I left long ago and return to a past that now hurts me more than anything. I don't wanna talk about it . Don't tell bunny cop please, I'm helpin' her but don't."

"I understand. You scared?"

"Very, this could get me killed."

After another 10 minutes, they finally made the trip and Finnick parked in front of the entrance. "It was good to talk to you again, Mrs. Wilde, these were exactly the situation I think you wanted."

Charlotte smiled at the smaller fox. "Please call me Charlotte, clean slate remember?"

Finnick smiled "Yes I do. Thank you for giving this old fox another chance."

"Pulling the age card , are we?"

The two laughed and waved goodbye to each other. Finnick drove off and returned to finally go where he planned. He checked the time '13:22' plenty of time. He drove onto the main road and travelled to the rainforest. "So damp here, I never liked it." Water dripped, roads were slippery and trees covered everything. He drove to an abandoned factory or at least as far as he could before vines blocked him and broken unkept roads laid the path ahead. "Let's see if they'll take me back, I was mostly under the radar so it should be fine." He walked the path , no idea if he would even be taken back to the group he abandoned so long ago.

Finnick approached the decrepit structure that stood before him, the doors blocking him , giving one last chance for him to leave. If the cosmos was telling him to leave, he didn't care nor did he listen to it. He pushed the doors open and walked in. 'Time to reintroduce myself' . He walked down the dark corridor that acted as an entrance. He heard many voices echo around the room, he faintly recognised one of them. He continued walking until he reached an open room, he called out "Scorcher, that you?"

Silence filled the room as everyone stared at the small fox. "As I live and breathe, Zero is that you?" An unnaturally tall grey wolf asked with his interest piqued. Everyone sat there just confused and silent, no-one knew what to say to the fox or the wolf or even to eachother. The wolf stood up and pulled out his Zhippo lighter and flicked it open "Still smoke?"

"Do you still play with fire?" Finnick responded with a smirk , clearly seeing what the answer was.

The two old friends chuckled like the old days were back . The wolf crouched down and offered a cigar "Just like what you used to smoke, a gift for what seems like your return." He turns around and faces every young mammal in the room. "Now all of you may be wondering, who the hell is this tiny fox. I'll answer that for you. He is a legend and he is someone ,who if you meet ,you should cherish for the rest of your life if you are in this field of activity. You will know him as 'Zero' , and his name comes from how many targets he missed , how many contracts he failed and how much tolerance he has for the ones that think you are better than him. You will treat him with as much respect as you have shown me, or you may regret it." The last part was stated quieter with the wolf's teeth showing on display for effect. "Understood?"

The entire room agreed to what their leader said. "Good." He turns back to the fox, who seemed to be unphased by the sheer number of mammals there. He started to speak with a quieter voice so no-one heard them talk ,while the others conversed. "I assume you aren't fully one of us yet so what brings you here?"

"Exactly that, I want back in, honestly I missed this life and the money it brought along side it."

"I think I can get that sorted real quick. First assignment tomorrow if that's okay with you."

"The sooner the better , I say." Finnick fought his face to keep up his 'mask' and not show the fear that was lingering and festering inside. "Enough about me for now, how are you?"

"Me, I'm good . I carried on working here and now all these new-breeds work for me." Pride shone through all his words. "It was a bit hard at first when my boss left for 'a bit' but after getting over that it was really fun."

"That's good ta hear." Finnick responded sincerely and looked around to see the vast amount of mammals that littered the area.

"To be frank, I think the easiest way for you to return would be to work for me for a few weeks then try to climb up the ranks."

"I'm okay with that. It'll be good to work with ya again."

"Ya think ya still got it? I'll wanna test you first."

"Of course but know I still practice and sharpen my skills." Finnick stated with a sense of arrogance, he was already returning to his old ways and behaviours. His masks started to mold and weave into his simple behaviours as his memories returned. "It already feels good to be back" Finnick said with a smirk , hiding how much it hurts him to have to return to this life but it is as he said or at least wanted to say for the good of all.

"Good to have ya back ,boss"

"I'll be calling you boss so don't call me that."

"I expect your reputation to continue though."

"Of course, I would hate to disappoint." Finnick knew he had to play up how much he wanted to do this but every fibre of his being screamed to leave, to run , to flee and never return or even look back. But, it was too late at this point.

"I'll take ya to the boss to reinstate ya. I'll talk with ya to make sure you keep as much of your rank as possible." The wolf wanted his old friend to have what he deserved, he had a strong sense of honour and still believed in backing each other, a mindset which seemed extremely rare within this field of work.

"Thanks scorcher, I will need the help, heard the old guy bit the dust so whoever the new guy is , I don't know him too well."

"You'll be surprised." The wolf turned to all his subordinates "Hey all of ya behave as I deal with our newest member, Don't wanna string any of y'all up as an example."

A loud response of "YES SIR" was heard, fear emanated from their voices and it was clear to the two at the door. The fox looked at all the mammals there and just commented "Got'em on a tight leash, good . Wouldn't want someone to fall outta line at a bad time."

"That's what I thought when training them. Still got the bat."

"Yeah, no-one can take it, fully legal."

"Bring it, I'll be the exam before we go."

The two walk out of the abandoned factory and headed for the fox's van. "Still own this? Guess you can't let go of the good old stuff."

"Yeah she still does a great job."Finnick proudly responded while entering his van and grabbing his bat. In his van , he swung the bat a few times to feel the swing again efore entering his second fight of the day. If he remembered Scorcher's fighting style, then he had the advantage as most attacks if missed leave him wide open. However, he is quite durable ,luckily the bat would counter that. "I got it now. We can go."

"Very well, Finn." The wolf stopped and looked slightly concerned. "I know you are injured, I can see it so are you sure we can go?"

"Oh boo-hoo, I'm hurt and won't be able to fight at 100%. Do you really think that is true, Victor?"

"Heh, you still are a hotheaded stubborn son of a gun. That's what I like about you." Victor smiled presenting his teeth to intimidate.

"Not as hot as the flamethrower you own. Speaking of, do you still own the flaming sword?"

"'Course , I love it."

"Fire will end you one day."

"Better to go out in a blaze of glory than with no action."

"Fair mentality." The two started returning to the factory and entered , going to a side room big enough to fight and also completely empty. Only grey and a few vines was in the room. "Your fighting style is only good with fire you know that right?"

"Hah , you think I don't know that? Of course I know that, but I ain't trying to kill my right paw mammal."

"Woah, warn me next time you spoil common sense ideas." the two went to corners of the room. The giant wolf pulled a pipe from the side of the room.

"You have a bat, I think it is only fair."

"Of course, wouldn't want to beat you too easily."

"I can't tell if you are underestimating me or just taunting."

"Guess we will find out now." The two ran at each other. The wolf's speed was unexpected, but mainly because Finnick hasn't faced someone so big and fast at the same time. Still he was faster and he was small.

As Victor swung his pipe , Finnick slid and held his bat perpendicular to his arms to block a downward attack. As his slide was coming to an end, he reached the legs of the wolf and so swung his bat in a clockwise direction to build up momentum and strike at the shin of his leg with enough force to slow him down. As the bat connected , Victor leapt over the fox using the pipe as a pole vault . They both turned around and faced each other. "You're holding back, is it cos I'm already hurt? Well go all out."

Th wolf smiled and complied. He swung his pipe in 360 circles around his waist and hit the fennec multiple times. "Is that what ya wanted?"

"Yeah" Finnick responds wiping some blood of his muzzle "That's exactly what I want."

He knew this fight wasn't going to last long as it was a test as mentioned before so style and damage trumped survival. Finnick dashed at the Wolf then threw his bat , landing on the tip in between both of them, the pawle moving upwards and towards Victor. Finnick used it as a stepping stone and leapt off of it. Victor swung his lead pipe segment but missed not expecting such a manoeuvre. That miss allowed Finnick to strike at the face of the giant wolf. As he was about to hit he decided against hitting the nose and hit the cheek instead. "Wow, you still improve over all these years. I think you are ready."

"Already done? "

"Of course you shown you can pawle yourself in a fight and that you still better yourself. With that in mind, you may be better than before but your age is catching up."

"Don't remind me."

"Lets just go. It's a new place and we will return so don't worry you can leave your van here. They will take good care of it."

"As long as they don't touch it , I think it will be fine." Victor laughs at his friends comment realising how true that statement is. The two walk back outside and towards another vehicle. It was giant for the fox and the seatbelt crushed the fennec. "Oomph, this really isn't for me but I'll live."

"Yeah, its for bigger mammals but it will suffice for smaller ones." The two had a bit of small talk and made a few jokes then the bigger question came.

"How's the rest of what was our squad?"

The wolf sighed then looked at the fox for a second then looked back onto the road. "They have all been killed, too overconfident. Don't worry , I'm over it as it happened a few months after you left. Probably because you left. Their leadership was lost and their communication was always poor so that left them jumping into a contract head first and as the only one that was careful trying to fill the void you left , I survived. My return garnered me a slight promotion. That's how they all died basically and how I was 9-point."

"What are ya now?"

"Now I'm 11-point. Allows me to have my own pack within the group, I'm a sub-leader and enjoy it but lost the name scorcher. Haven't heard it in decades now. The call me by my surname which most refuse to believe it is but it's-"

"Fenrir, I didn't forget . If I remember what you told me right, the legend of the fenrir started because of your lineage."

"You are right. That is what happened but I do prefer the name 'Scorcher' reminds me of the good old days. I think you were the last person to refer to me as that. Our crew were just a bunch of idiots, no offence. "

"It's fine , you were my favourite." Finnick looked at the size of the wolf. "Against the odds that were naturally set."

"Who'd've thought that the tallest member would be best friends and partners with the shortest member." The two chuckled over those thoughts. "I trust you over everyone else in this place, hell I still think about leaving but I'll probably stay around until you leave again this time, by choice or..."

"By death. Yeah let's hope that won't happen, with enough planning , you can prevent it."

"I was never as good as you. But I try my best, do you still have a gun?"

"Yeah, never let it go. Why d'you ask?"

"Guns are rare in this area as they are difficult to licence and keep and illegal hiding is erm … less than easy."

"Well I still have my pistol and rifle. Rifle is split up though, would need to attach all the pieces together."

"Smart, Under your chair right, the one that seems like it can't be lifted ."

"How did you know? Actually don't answer, it's pretty obvious if you know what to look for. How known are you with the police?"

"They don't know me, during my time here no-one really looked at me, I'm discreet and polite. No-one outside our organisation knows about me."

"Same here, the most they know about me is a few cons which only garnered a warning and no proper criminal record. Police don't care about me. One more thing, what do you mean by you trust me over everyone?"

The car pulled over and stopped . The driver turned to look at his passenger then proceeded to speak. "In all honesty, all hate me because I act in a manner that I believe is right. This causes others to dislike how I lead my pack. Even though they all love and trust me , hell some said they would lay down their life for me, that truly touched me and I know we shouldn't discuss emotion but I was proud of myself. Others still try to knock me down , some literally , and always leave me out of conversations. I'm tempted to just break off with my pack and just be my own family. It even crossed my mind a few times to throw them under the bus and talk to the police. Don't worry , no-one can hear us here, so as long as you don't discuss this we will be fine."

"Nah, that's mostly the reason I left so your secret is safe with me, I fully understand your situation."

"Huh, I knew you wouldn't just leave without a good reason. There was so much pain when you left that I struggled to remain but persevered and while yes , I'm somewhat successful , I'm just looked down on downtrodden and just hated. I stay for my underlings, but I think most are more loyal to me than the entirety." Victor held the steering wheel tightly , slightly damaging it. His rage was visible but he could clearly control it. Finnick knew that look and pulled out his lighter. Starting the flame, he called the wolf. 'Scorcher' calmed down a bit and stared at the flame . The longer he looked the more his worries melted away. After a few seconds , Victor shook his head and turned back to the road and started the car again. "Thanks for that."

"We need to watch each other's back ,right?"

"Til the end."

There was silence in the vehicle as it continued to cruise down the road, now outside of Zootopia. After 15 minutes, the car parked in front of a small but eccentric mansion. "We're here. The regional leader needs to reinstate you and if you're lucky , he will remember you and let you keep your rank or at least trust me enough to let you keep your rank."

"Thanks for backin' me."

"Like I said: Til the end." Finnick nodded and both proceeded to enter the building alongside his gargantuan compatriot. Inside ,golden pawlebars lined the stairs. A royal blue covered the walls. A suited hare welcomed the two and led them to the boss that sat in the back.

The hare knocked on the large door clearly leading to a personal office that had no need of sitting in the mansion that laid in the middle of nowhere. "Come in please." Inside, laid the mammal who owned the voice that was used a few seconds ago. It was a slightly taller raccoon but looked extremely similar to the raccoon that was on the news.

"Master Raccson, this is an old employee of ours that excelled in the activities that we partake in."

"Really?" The raccoon looks over the short fox. "I highly doubt that fact but I am willing to take a risk on him as he does seem to fit the requirements I have."

"Sir , he was known as 'zero' due to his record. I would also ask to reinstate his old rank."

"I see and what rank was that?"

Victor was about to speak but Finnick pulled out his old badge and threw it across the desk , where it stopped just in front of the raccoon. "Interesting, so you are an old associate of ours and a 10-point at that. Very well, you will be allowed to return but I wish to ask how the two of you have met."

"Scor, I mean Fenrir was actually my right paw man when I was under your father's service."

"I see, and I assume he was a great influence to you and your leading methods."

"Yes sir. That he is. I wish for him to be a part of my pack if you would be willing to approve such a request."

"Very well, although I don't trust either of your skills. Yours" He points at Victor. "I don't trust as it is unorthodox and seems to be lacking although I cannot prove it and you are a loose glass cannon , you have potential but seem to be a detriment to yourself. And you" Raccson pointed at Finnick who was now scowling at the absurdity that he just heard. "I simply do not know so I cannot gauge your skill."

Finnick brought up his emotional wall almost instantly and replied "I understand sir, and thank you for letting me work with my old comrade."

"Of course, it would seem unfair to split up two old friends. Do with him as you deem appropriate but provide reports on his actions for as long as I say is necessary ,Fenrir. By the way, what is your name, fox?"

"Finnick."

"Surname?"

"No idea, sir don't even know my parents, lived on the streets practically from birth."

"Fine, you shall retain your old name and continue with it, Zero."

"Yes sir"

"Now both of you leave , I have more important matters to deal with. Harrison will lead you out."

The suited hare walked in upon hearing his name. "Please follow me."

The two proceed to do so and leave the building filled with what now shown to be nepotism.

The wolf unlocks his black car and opened the door then sighed. The fox knew that the wolf was struggling inside but was trying to hide it. Finnick checked his phone . '17:53'. 4 hours left before his meeting with big and the other crime lords. He got in the car and closed the door quite audibly to break his friend's trance like state. It works and the wolf turns to his old boss. "Sorry, I was just out of it."

"Don't worry, are you sure you want to continue with this?"

"I don't know, if you are about to tell me you may have a way out for me I would question why you do then consider it."

The wolf started his car and proceeded to drive back to the factory. "So , I decide what you are and I don't have a right paw mammal so..."

"So you want me to be it."

"Bingo, I believe you would be a good one."

"Sure thing boss."

"That is gonna be weird."

"You do have more experience."

"You have better judgment. And better emotional fortitude than me."

"You don't deserve what they do to you. I don't know what they did or do to you but I can see what has happened to you because of it. If you do need a way out , tell me and I will give you one."

"Thanks , I'll consider it , probably be able to tell you at the end of this ride."

"So what is happening tomorrow?"

"Not much but we do have to collect payment from some bear."

"A bear, is he a mechanic?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Yeah, good friend works on my bat , probably the only reason my bat's still intact. Also beat the shit outta him today."

"What happened?"

"We have simple bets but I may have went a bit overboard today."

"Overboard? What causes a fight?"

"The bet is who can win the fight."

"Hah , You can never let the fighting go."

"I guess I can't."

"Just come in the morning, all mammals on deck and I will introduce you to all. They will all accept you since we are extremely alike."

"Understood, sir"

"Please just call me what you would normally, Finn. We're more than just work partners."

"Vic, I get it but you are my superior. I say it to remind you, I can help as your right paw but it is ultimately your decision. Also do you still play with fire? I haven't seen anything like that so far."

"No, it was confiscated from me. I only kept my flaming sword coz they don't know about it but the flamethrower gone. They don't trust me with it so they took it. Can't say anything to the boss, he'll just have me killed."

Finnick stared at the road ahead of him. "That why you backed off from the lighter?"

"Yeah, don't wanna go back to it. It'll just hurt more."

After an hour of silence where the last sentence just sat there , destroying all possibilities of communications out of shame, they finally made it back. "Next time you bring your van drive here."

"Yessir." Finnick said mockingly.

"You are your own mammal alright, no-one can tell you what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Told ya not to call me that. Beesus , You are older than me." The two stared at each other , Finnick about to break into a laugh.

"Bro, I will never see you as my superior or inferior. I will always see you as my equal, from the beginning I saw that spark, that willingness, and that's why I took you in when no-one else would. I just need you to remember , you are my boss right now, you can't forget that."

"I'll try. But at least in priv-"

"I'll call you what I see fit for the situation."

As Finnick was about to leave the car, the wolf turned to him and asked "What's the way out?"

"Are you sure? I mean once it starts there is no going back."

"Yeah, I'll break off and tell them. Maybe not all but most will follow me, some are treated just like me."

"Downtown, Supermarket corner , you know which one. 21:30 today, if you don't come I will assume you changed your mind, and I won't blame you."

"See ya then and thanks."

"One more thing, would you be willing to stay here for a while longer with me to get some stuff done."

"Hah." Scorcher looked around then turned back to the fox and whispered "You don't like them ,do you? Whatever it is, this I am in."

"Thanks I need all the help I can get. Honestly thought you would hate me."

"Why would I , you are the only one that understands me."

The two returned to the factory, where everyone celebrated their return and the fennecs initiation. "we rarely get new members especially ones as skilled as you . I say we let them have their fun."

"I agree, boss." Although they partied along side their henchmen ,they avoided drinking too much for the same reason . It was loud ,chaotic and fun. A sparring tournament was started where those that didn't fight betted on those who did. Finnick was forced into it as he was 'the new guy' and everyone wanted to see how good he was.

Victor subtly , or as subtly as a giant mammal that was on average taller than most and was only beat by a few elephants could, betted on Finnick and just said to the money collector "Trust me you'll be surprised." turns out he was the only one that bet on Finnick, most likely because of the size and that one of the elephants also applied to fight. The rules were simple, no weapons and no leaving the ring and for the audience, no throwing random items into the ring. Some stayed on the bottom floor, others walked to the catwalks that laid above. Fenrir stayed at the bottom ,his height allowed him to.

First fight for the short fox was against a weasel. The two looked at each other and Finnick smiled. The weasel approached with extreme caution but the fox was all against that, he ran in without a care in the world. The weasel tried to throw a punch but the fox stopped and started speaking . "learn your timing in an actual fight you would've been left wide open and I could've killed you already and that wouldn't be nice for any of us." As he finished the sentence , Finn jumped back and charged into the weasel. The weasel was confused by this tactic but tried to time his hit this time. As the punch was thrown, the fennec threw his legs forward and dropped his body to the floor , allowing momentum to continue his travel. His motion was stopped when his foot hit the weasel's shin. "Better but you need improvement." The weasel fell and the fox jumped on top , standing on his back. "Yield and you will be fine." The weasel huffed but tapped out. Everyone who watched , apart from Victor , was surprised at how quickly the match ended, some were worried and wanted to change their bets but 'all bets were final' . Finnick left the ring or at least remained on one of the corners and observed the other fights.

Victor approached the winner of the fight that just happened. "Just so we're clear, if I understand these tournaments correctly, the winner and the ones that betted correctly earn all the money , minus the money the bet collectors take as 'commission' but no-one complains."

"So early pay check?"

"You need to beat him first but for you yeah, it is . Think of it as a signing on bonus."

"Cool" Other fights started to end. At the end 8 mammals stood victorious even though 24 signed on. Stalemates and serious injuries.

"Don't worry about them, our local medic got 'em covered." Finnick grunted in acknowledgement and turned to view his next opponent.

"Quarters already ,huh. Let's get this over with." Finnick declared cockily before a hyena responded. "I wouldn't be so sure." Then the hyena just laughed, not at Finnick or anyone else. He just laughed.

"I've beaten bigger."

"Compared to you everything is bigger." Something in Finnick snapped at that statement and then he just laughed as well but the laugh was lined with rage. He wasn't going to let that comment go.

"I meant compared to you." Finnick darted towards the hyena then as the hyena was about to punch, the fox stepped to the open right flank and threw his own punch after jumping up. The hyena flinched at the pain that the hit caused. Unfortunately for the hyena, the fox punched with an open palm which let him grab onto the fur and swing himself upwards. The upward swing took the hyena by surprise and was knocked out of the surprise when the fennec foot connected with the bottom of the hyenas muzzle, dropping the hyena on the floor. "Never hesitate in a fight. That will get you killed." The hyena lifted his head and nodded then just dropped back. Finnick stepped towards the hyena and crouched down. "You seem to be smaller than me now." The hyena just groaned and laid there on the mat.

From a distance , Finnick saw Victor smile at the result. He knew that Victor bet on him, it put a bit of pressure on him but he didn't mind. It brought back his competitive side that laid dormant within him over the decades. He slightly rested while standing and smiled back then looked at the other fights that were going on at the moment. As all the fights came to a close , 4 mammals were left standing, including Finnick. The wolf walked over to the currently untouched fox. "So you gonna take this to the end?"

"Of course, I ain't willing to let up." They both smiled as the wolf heard the words that just came out of the fox's mouth. Every fighter moved to the centre of the room and then was all sent to their rings alongside their respective opponent. Finnick had to fight a lowland paca.

The lowland paca walked with an aura of confidence around him. When stepping into the ring, he tried to intimidate Finnick. Finnick just scoffed at the paca, making the paca feel slightly annoyed at the fox. "Make this easy for me , fox. I'm still feeling a bit pissed."

Finnick stares the paca in the eyes and replies coldly "I could say the same to you."

Neither flinched nor backed down. They both held their heads high and stepped forward. The fennec smiled, knowing this fight will be a bit more fun, at least he thought there would be some connecting hits. They both ran at each other. The paca threw a punch that was completely mistimed. Normally, seemingly, this would confuse the enemy and make them hesitate. Finnick wasn't like others, he jumped up and pulled himself on the fur of the paca and hit the head.

"That was disappointing ." The paca dropped to the ground. "Don't assume things. Your overconfidence was your downfall. Humble yourself." Finnick was disappointed at how quick and easy that fight was. He looked at the other two fighting and saw the elephant dominating a poor fox.

And at that, the finals were about to commence, but first both had their prefight banter.

"I've heard that you haven't been hit yet. We'll see about that."

"I've heard you haven't been hurt yet. We'll see about that ." Spectators started to be worried for the small fox, an elephant 20-30 times the size of the fox was about to crush him and all they could do was watch. Victor was worried but instead of for the fox , he was worried for the elephant, yet no-one knew that except maybe the bet-collectors.

Finnick asked a simple question before the fight started. "Think you can beat a bear?"

"Depends on the skill."

"Moderately , able to hold off most here without a sweat."

"Well, I can defeat one easily."

"We'll see if you can beat him via me."

The two charged at each other as the bell rang just after that statement was formed. Finnick feinted an attack and hoped the elephant would swing. He did just that and Finnick rolled back , trying to time the attacks of the elephant. They were slow and sluggish but the shocks that were formed on the matt shown that they had a lot of force behind them, enough to kill the fox in one hit. If he hit. 'This won't be easy but it will be simple.' The fox ran in zigzags around the ring ,avoiding all downward swings until the fennec reached the edge where he waited for an attack then jumped onto the side rope and bounced off of it, inspired by Bunny cops story of knocking out a rhino. He put his own twist on it and instead of jumping horizontally , he leapt upwards and hit the head of the elephant downwards from the forehead to the trunk then slid down the trunk. The trunk was swung upwards as Finnick had planned. Finnick used the fling to clear himself from the elephant and create some distance. The elephant staggered after feeling the hit from the fox. "I guess you are hurt now." The elephant was annoyed but also impressed and just stared at the fox now. Finnick ran at the elephant , who started to wind up an attack. Finnick continued and just as he was about to be hit , he tuck and rolled ,letting him pick up speed and not be hit. He ended up just behind the elephant and decided to strike at the knee, if it ain't broke ,don't fix it. The elephant collapsed onto his left knee and this let Finnick attack uninterrupted. He struck at the arms and more specifically the elephants arm pits, disabling the arms temporarily. The elephant couldn't attack properly as his arms weren't working and he had to balance on his legs a bit more as his arms couldn't do that. His trunk was the only threat now. The trunk swung from side to side but each swing missed as Finnick jumped over or ducked under each swing. This was until Finnick climbed onto the trunk timing the swing and his jump. Finnick held on tight as the elephant tried to swing him off. The fox inched closer and closer to the elephants face menacingly. Eventually, he reached the end and jumped upwards knowing that he himself cannot hurt the elephant unless he played dirty. The fox was now in the air trying to be aerodynamic and speed up his descent until both his feet connected with the forehead of the elephant , concussing the elephant and forcing him to yield.

"So much for never hurt AND saying you will hit me."

Every spectator was shocked and the room was deadly silent except the giant wolf leader laughing quietly to himself.

Eventually after the shock wore off, the bet-collectors called out "WE HAVE A WINNER, ZERO."

They raised the fox up to show him off to everyone in the room and everyone cheered for their new comrade. After a few minutes questions started to surface , mainly "Who would win the alpha or zero?"

The two mammals in question looked at each other and laughed then said that the other would respectively. This shocked everyone , they were humble or respectful enough to believe that the other was better. Finnick did so as he wasn't part of this life for a long time. Victor did so because he truly believed that Finnick retained all his skills even after all those years . Someone from the crowd called out "Only one way to find out for sure." . The crowd erupted and the bet-collectors started already working through everyone.

The fox and the wolf grinned at each other. "Clearly your injuries don't hinder you."

"They are just light wounds. Also I need to learn to fight through pain."

"Hmm fair enough, that will be necessary no matter what you do here." Insinuating to the plan that Finnick has subtly declared in the car.

The two continued to stand and chat while the bet-collectors ran through everyone and collected everyone's bets. More mammals bet on the Alpha of the pack but there were a few bets on the underdog or underfox in this case. The bet-collectors then went to the sides of the ring , explained the rules of no weapons ,teeth or claws. Both agreed and smiled at each other , mainly because they couldn't reach eachother's paws comfortably. The two returned to their corners and prepared for the fight that laid ahead. Neither knew what to expect but both knew it will be fun, or at least their version of fun. The two stared at one another, analysing their stances and what the most likely next attack will be. Finnick knew he would need to pull out an ace from his sleeve, one that he learned a while ago but had no real reason to use. He charged at the wolf standing before him and stopped where he would usually either jump or slide. This worked as Victor tried to throw a punch but missed as he was just too short of the fennec. As the wolf reorganised himself, the fox used the opportunity to finish his dash , and struck at the knee. This didn't do much but Finnick knew it was about chipping away at Vic's body until it hurt to move or until he slowed down a bit. Fenrir responded to the hit by raising his knee, striking the fox in the stomach. Finnick slid across the ring on his back but quickly recovered from the light hit. This time it was the wolf's turn to put pressure on his opponent. He charged and then swept his leg when he was close enough. Finnick rolled towards the attacker, letting Vic punch downwards and hit the muzzle of the fox. Finnick fell to the ground but rolled to his side to get to relative safety and stood up. 'Good job, that was smart.' Finnick this time waited for the wolf to come to him. 'My turn to show you a skill that you will struggle with.' . Victor threw a punch but it was countered precisely by Finnick, who threw his own punches, one parallel to the wolf's punch and one perpendicular, causing the punch to slow down and miss its target. Finnick used the opportunity to leap forward and upwards , grabbing onto the stomach and throwing a frenzy of punches with his right paw until he was knocked down with a karate chop action from Vic. 'Tricky Vic, good you were learning after all these years.' Finnick rolled away to create some distance between the two and reconsidered his attack strategy.

At the same time , Vic was thinking how to counter the counter punch. All the noise made by the spectators didn't make this an easy task. The two ran at each other as they had little other possibility at the given moment. Finnick waited and prepared to counter and just then it hit Vic. The wolf threw a punch and just as it was about to hit, he opened his paw and grabbed Finnick's paw. Finnick's counter failed and now he was stuck in the paws of someone way larger than him. Although Finnick couldn't hit the wolf's body , he could hit the elbow. He quickly swung using his paw and hit the inside of the elbow, hurting the joint and making the wolf struggle to move it as openly. Unfortunately for him, Vic had his other paw and smacked the fox downwards and let go causing the fox to crash on the ring mat. Finnick groaned as he hit the ground. He then pushed himself off the floor and stood up. After this he ran to the back of the wolf and kicked into he other knee. Victor didn't and couldn't react to that as he didn't expect such quick recovery. As he fell to the ground and his body was leaning forward, the wolf committed and rolled forward, not allowing the fox to get any hits in.

The two stared at each other again, now huffing as their injuries were starting to take effect. Victor struggled to stand and Finnick struggled to breathe evenly and regularly, his chest paining every inhale. Victor's biggest issue was the small size of his target, he always had to aim downwards and half his ideas were useless against such a small opponent. He decided to finally use his raw strength and so rushed at the small fox. Now instead of aiming at Finn, he aimed at the ground around the fennec. Finnick fell for the trap as he jumped away. Victor swept his left arm towards the fox, knocking him down to the ground. Finnick started to get annoyed , he was unable to attack well due to the size difference and lack of any other difference. Victor stomps at where the fox is laying, but Finn rolls slightly out of the way then grabs onto the leg. He swings around the wolf's body then climbs up the back. Near the middle of the back, Finnick decides to thrust his knee into the flesh of his current enemy. Victor struggled to grab the small pest that was climbing on his back. In the end he just fell to the floor , almost crushing the fennec on his back. The two calmed down, knowing anger wasn't going to help in this fight.

Victor spat out some blood onto the mat and then stared intensely at his foe. Neither were willing to lose to the other, their respect was concealed by their pride. They had to win against the other.

Both reset their stance. Victor charged at Finnick in a last ditch effort to take him out. Finnick used the ropes as a slingshot and launched himself and held his fist in front of his head. Victor saw this and triend to uppercut the fox ,flying through the air. They both hit the other at the same time. Victor was struck in the cheek and Finnick was hit in the hip. Both collapsed after being hit. Everyone was looking in anticipation to see who would stand up first. This would declare the winner . Finnick groaned and punched the mat and tried to force his body up. He slowly raised his body and struggled to balance himself. Victor huffed and tried to stand up as well but Finnick was faster and sprinted to strike the wolf's arm. This caused the wolf to topple over and drop to the floor.

"Yield."

Victor flipped over on the floor and muttered "Yeah, ya got me. I ain't getting' up for a bit. … I'll just stay here and rest."

"That was fun, let's fight again soon."

Everyone cheered at the new reigning champion of the ring. Many rushed in and raised the small fox and cheered his 'name'. "Zero, Zero, Zero" echoed through the entire factory. Congratulations were given to him and the celebrations lasted about 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, everyone but the two fighters were drunk out of their minds. The two now sat at a desk and spoke ,surrounded by a lot of drunkards.

"Next time you won't be so lucky."

"I'll keep you to that, pal." After saying that , Finnick looked at his phone and saw it was "20:23". "I'm gonna head out now and get a few things done."

Vic grabbed his bottle of beer , taken a swig . "Yeah, I'll see you where we agreed."

"See ya." Finnick started walking off, he left the building and drove off.

Vic looked around and saw everyone either laughing or passed out. He smiled , knowing that some morale has returned to his pack. "Thanks Finn, ya brought back something that was lost for a long time."

A/N: As I said, the next part is here.

Next time, we will be seeing what the police duo is doing. I'll be honest , the slower part of recovering is quite a drag to go through but it does seem to be needed to explain some things and to just make sense , like they need to be in the hospital for a few days. But as you can guess , next time finnick is discussed , he will have his meeting with all the crime bosses. (Ugh time to make a lot of names up. Welp I'll try.)

Also I feel like I am riding the line between T and M so if I change it soon it's because I feel like it's too much now. Especially considering that Finnick's parts will contain more swearing just as a warning. Judy and Nick won't swear but the criminals may. So just a warning for future reference.

Reviews:

It was a guest review in spanish (I don't know spanish): so what is happening is well, Nick is infected by 'Nighthowler' but is affected differently and is quite protective of Judy. Meanwhile Finnick is worried about what the ones that are responsible for what happened to Nick will do so he decides to help them.

Next part may be sooner as I do have more free time this week so yeah see you all next time and good luck til then.