So, here it is another chapter. In it I introduce two new characters, and some of you find them quite familiar...
Suspicion is the company of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.
~Thomas Pawne
October 18th, 2018 – Inquisitor Gazelle
THE INVISIBLE PAWS OF MAGES IN ZOOTOPIA
Zootopia has been a place that welcomed all manners of mammals, ever since its founding, and it became famous as a place where anyone can be anything. It surely seems to be a paradise.
However, who controls this paradise?
Is it the mayor and the political group that composes their base, or there is another set of paws in action? Perhaps, the paws of mages?
Wilde, Höhle and Bellwether. These are the names of three families of mammals within the great city of Zootopia. They are families of foxes, bunnies and sheep, respectively, and during many major events of the history of the city, they have been in here, for their presence can be trace all the way back to the very origin of the city.
Seemingly, they are the traditional rich family, on their own and not getting involved with the common public, except when it is convenient to them. However, these families are much more than that, for they are mage families. Old and influent mage families.
Three hundred years ago, these three families took part in the discovery of the territory that today forms Zootopia. In that land, these families saw a chance to find more than they did on their own homelands. Therefore, in here, the three families set their flags and announced it to be their land.
Time passed, and many mammals came to live in Zootopia. The clans remained, standing on the background, behind the curtain that separated the normal world from the world of mages, until that curtain was lift. Even back then, the clans still held power. A power of the kind that allowed them to decide which mages could or couldn't live on their land, and even to drive them out of it. By force if they want to.
This power, as it seems, comes from the fact that they hold the title of "second owners" of Zootopia. Not much is know, but it seems that the Council gave this title to them, seemingly due to pressure of the three families. The exact level of authority that this entails is not completely clear, but it seems to limit itself to only mages and the devises of the mages within the land.
However, those with power don't like to have their power restrained. As such, it isn't surprising that the families found way to interfere with the matters of non-mages.
"Bellwether was doing it all for her family." Says a source that wants to remain anonymous. "They were not happy with only having the power to kick mages out, so they wanted to have more authority over the place. That was why they used the little ewe and helped her in her plot to become mayor."
Ex-mayor of Zootopia Dawn Bellwether, known for a plot that involved infecting predators with a poison that drove them to a state of primal insanity, feeding fear of the prey population in relation to predators. Such plot brought to an end by the work of a cop and a civilian, a bunny and fox respectively, working as a team to expose the corrupt mayor and free the city from oppression.
However, what were the chances of it happening?
A cop working in tandem with a civilian to bring down a corrupt mayor? And they both alone being able to crack such a conspiracy that involved political and police corruption and bringing down someone who was related to a family that had enough power to get her out of the prison and place her back in the mayor's office if they wanted?
Who even were these two?
They were Officer Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde. Officer Hopps is the daughter of Bonnie Hopps, whose baptism name is Helga Höhle. Nicholas Wilde, who currently is a police officer himself, on his end, is the son of Sophie Wilde. Bonnie Hopps and Sophie Wilde both are ex-mages, who came from the Höhle and Wilde clans, what makes the two officers indirectly related to these powerful mage families.
"They are working for these families." Said our source, "I mean; they are their relatives, for crying out loud. They might even not be mages, but they surely do things for them now and then. I mean, how else would a fox and a bunny work together if it wasn't for having been ordered to do so? Besides, it seems that the two families get along, since the guys who give the orders are having an affair."
The source is referring to Verona Höhle and Noah Wilde. Two mages who are the heads of their families, something that has been confirm recently. It was also confirm that Noah Wilde is 274 years old, and that he and Verona apparently have a relationship of intimal, perhaps even romantic, nature.
The connection of the two cops with the families has also been confirm. It has also be raised the possibility that Hopps and Wilde could make use of their position within the ZPD to perform favors for their families.
"They did it by bringing down that ewe." The source once more said, "The foxes didn't liked being target of the conspiracy and the bunnies agreed with them, so they put these two to bring down the ewe. This time they actually did the city a favor. Let's hope it stays like that, and that the two don't start making other kinds of favors for their families, like setting a certain place on fire, or taking some of their cops friends to an area to trash someone's place as a message of the mages. I mean, I heard that they already took the enforcers to someplace to intimidate someone."
Could it actually be truth? Could it be that the mages that control the city of Zootopia have reached their fingers into the politic life and into the police force of the city as a way of sieging complete control?
Well, up until now we can only guess, once these mage families, like others, are beyond the reach of the common public, so they cannot be question on their actions and motives.
We tried to reach the ZPD to question them on the possibility of their two top officers using their position to favor their mage relatives, but they have not answered to our contacts. Up until now, we can only wonder if Zootopia's first bunny and fox cops could be actually abusing their authority to increase the power of the mages who they call their family.
We also have attempted to reach the enforcers; to get more information on the three families and on the title of Second Owner, but these also didn't answered.
"Ughh!" Judy grunted as she finished readying the thing that was write on that sensationalist thing along with Nick. Among the text, there was a picture depicting a photo of Nick's graduation, when he and Judy saluted each other. However, the photo had been photo shopped so now the bunny and fox had shadowy, cloaked figures behind themselves. In it, there were the words WHO DO THEY REALLY SERVE AND PROTECT?
"They actually did a good work in this picture." Nick said as he looked at the work, that was actually quite professional, unlike the text of the "reportage" that the famous sensationalist magazine had made and that had a serious mention of them.
Nick was surprised when Honey reached him the previous day, telling him that a friend of hers', who worked at the said magazine, and she was able to get her paws on a copy of the magazine right before they launched it. She gave it to Nick that same morning, all the time swearing that she had not babbled about what they told her.
"I just can't believe it!" Judy said, leaning against a big chair leg and looking back at Nick. "As if it was not bad enough having internal affairs thinking we might be corrupt, now there are magazines suggesting that it might be truth! And they have no proof against us to make such insinuations! This could very well count as moral damage and defamation!"
"Yeah, the guys from this kind of magazine usually don't worry very much about things like the image and career of others." Nick said, closing the magazine, as they had read all that they needed from the lengthy report that was on the Inquisitor Gazelle. Something that was actually on their cover, which depicted a picture of Zootopia with three shadowy giant figures on the background, a sheep, a fox and a bunny, all of them with their arms outstretched and their hooves and paws looking like they were ready to grab some building, in it the words: MAGES RULING OVER ZOOTOPIA
"And people will be readying these things." Judy said, looking down as she thought of that. "Some might actually believe in these things and think the worse of us."
Nick looked at her, not really saying anything for a few seconds, before he spoke:
"If it makes you feel better, this magazine publics more things for weirdos and wackos."
"Honey reads this." Judy said, looking at him, and Nick shrugged.
"My point still stands." Nick said, and Judy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, even Honey knows not to take seriously everything that it says in there, she reads it only for 'useful insights'. The rest of the guys who actually read this thing usually do so most out of curiosity or for laughs."
Judy looked at him for a while, but she didn't seemed that she was feeling any better with what the fox had said to her, as she looked down once more.
It was clear that the fact that people were still suggesting something like that about them was still troubling to her. Nick could not really blame her. He felt quite bothered by it as well.
It was no news that people would think that foxes are dirty and take whatever advantage they can for themselves. He lived with that for years on end of his life, and it was not as if no one had already suggested this of him ever since he joined the ZPD. However, having them question Judy's integrity was another matter.
That bunny was the most straightforward and correct mammal he knew, and she would never do anything that could be classify as misconduct or abuse of her authority. Of course, there were a few cases in which the perps she went after tried to claim police brutality, that that was only when she gotten on her "super carrot cop mode", and she would never abuse her position to favor some mages for their personal benefit.
That someone would suggest something like that was something that surely bothered Nick.
He walked to his bunny partner, and placed a paw on her shoulder, causing her to look up and see her eyes.
"Don't give attention to that okay?" He said, smiling at her, "After all, it is not like these guys even think of what they actually write, they are just a bunch of sensationalists that want to sell more magazines. You really should not worry too much about what these guys say or even write. They are really not worth it."
Judy looked back at him, and she was not smiling, and this was something that Nick noticed.
"Yeah, you are right, I guess." She said, looking down once more, "Besides, we have other things to worry about now."
Nick looked at her, as he knew exactly what she was talking about...
Just in that moment, as if on cue, the fox's ears picked up the sound of the door opening.
The two cops turned around to see a stag in a suit waiting for them.
"Hopps. Wilde." The stag said, with a professional stance and a neutral expression as they looked at them. "It is time."
Nick and Judy both looked at him, before sharing a look. Judy sighed and Nick clasped his paws, as both of them were now walking in direction to the door and the stag.
Their lives were greatly affect ever since the revealing of magecraft. Well, theirs and everyone, of course.
However, it was hard not to think of the changes on your immediate life when you think of things changing.
They saw themselves having to face a wave of fear that was not too different from the Night Howler scare. They then had to face a little problem regarding mages that nearly costed them their lives. They later watched as the fear started to dwindle in answer to the interview that Zillah Ferron gave. Fast forward a few months, and they now had another great event involving mages, followed by the discovery that some close to them are mages.
All of these were just some ways in which their lives were changing, as some of their previous certainties were shattered and they had to deal with this new kind of reality that they now lived. A reality that came with its own dangers and challenges, now it seemed that there were a lot more of troubles going around, now that the cone of silence fell, and they found out that there were wizards out there that could control minds, erase memories, shot fireballs from their fingertips and even kill you only by pointing at you with a hooved finger.
It was a new world where they and everyone else now should learn to navigate, and that was hard on itself.
And now, they even had to deal with this...
The fox and the bunny were guide through the hallways, and eventually arrived in a hallway with one door on each side, and each one of them was guide through a different door. They shared one final look among themselves, before the doors closed, cutting their sights to each other.
"Officer Wilde." Someone said, and Nick turned around to look at a wolf that was sitting in a table, a machine on the table in front of him. It was a polygraph, and Nick knew it pretty well.
"May we begin?" The wolf said, and Nick looked at him, nodding.
"Of course! After all, now that the clown has arrived the show can begin, right?" The fox said with humor, as he walked to the other chair and climbed into it. He stood in there as the wolf looked back at him, giving him instructions to raise the sleeve of his uniform so the wires of the machine could be attach to his arm.
Once the wires were all in place, the wolf turned on the machine and it started to read Nick's vitals, and the wolf made sure to pay attention to it as he turned on a recording device within the machine, which would record both the things they spoke and the fox's reactions to them.
"Today is October 18th, 2018. I'm agent James Wolfington, interviewing Officer Nicholas Wilde." The wolf said, and he started to read something from a digital list that he had been give, and that now showed him the questions that he should ask the fox.
"Is your name Nicholas Wilde?"
"Yup, that's me." Nick said, looking at him, "Nicholas Piberius Wilde. Be sure to write it right, okay?"
The wolf looked at him, and he asked the next question:
"Are you native to the city of Zootopia?"
"No." Judy said, as she looked with a serious expression at the female moose who looked back at her. The wires on her arm connected to the polygraph as it read and recorded his reactions, as well as the questions to which she reacted.
"You are native to BunnyBurrow?" The moose, Elizabeth Mooset, asked the bunny, to which the small long-eared mammal answered:
"Yes."
"You have moved to Zootopia back in the year of 2016?"
"Yes."
"To join the ZPD?"
"Yes."
The interview was direct and objective. Both the moose and the bunny asking only what was important to be ask in moments like that, with the moose asking direct questions while the bunny gave answers that were just as direct.
"Do you have a previous record for some crime?"
"What, asking me if I got booked for being a fox in a non-fox neighborhood? Because that happened to a friend of mine once." Nick said, and the wolf looked back at him.
"Please, answer yes or no."
"Yeah, I know, sorry." Nick said, recomposing himself, and he said:
"No, I don't have any record for any crime."
The wolf looked at him, and looked at the machine. Nick could swear that the wolf was squinting his eyes at him. For a moment, it looked as if the wolf wanted to ask something more on that same topic. Nick knew that things could get complicated if he did, however, the wolf instead continued to the questions:
"Have you ever been prosecuted for any crime?"
"No." Nick answered, being glad for being able to answer that honestly.
The wolf then looked at him, before he said:
"Did you had previous knowledge of the existence of the supernatural before the revealing of magecraft?"
Nick looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as now it seemed that he was getting to the important questions in there.
"You know, I was really caught by surprise by that." Nick said to him, "I mean, discovering that mages are truly out there? Wow! I kind of found it cool, did you found it cool?"
"Officer Wilde. Please, answer the questions. Answer only with yes or no, if possible." The wolf said, and it was clear that Nick was starting to annoy him. The wolf looked right at the smug vulpine before he asked again:
"Did you had previous knowledge of the existence of the supernatural before the revealing of magecraft?"
Nick looked at him, and opened his muzzle to speak.
"No." Judy said, and the moose looked at the machine once more, probably looking for any signals that the bunny could have just said a lie.
"Have you ever had any contact with the supernatural or with magecraft before it was revealed to the world?"
"No."
"Were you previously aware of your relation to a family of magecraft users?"
"No." Was Judy's simple answer, and the moose continued to look at her.
"Have you have any contact with any relatives from your mother's side of the family?" She asked, and Judy knew this question needed elaborating.
"Yes. My uncle Terry."
The moose nodded, and she looked at the bunny.
"Your uncle came to visit regularly?"
"Two or three times a year."
"Did he stayed for a long time?"
"Never more than three days."
"Did he ever mentioned anything about the rest of the Höhle clan?" She asked, looking at Judy for her reactions. "Or relayed any form of message between you and the rest of the clan?"
Judy looked at her in the eyes.
"No."
The moose looked back at her, before asking the next question:
"Do you have any contact with your relatives of the Wilde clan, other than your mother?" Wolfington asked, and Nick looked at him.
"Nope."
"Have any of your relatives of the Wilde clan ever tried to reach you?"
"If they did tried than they never succeeded, because I never had any contact with them."
"Have you ever visited the residence of the Wilde clan?"
"I could have if I knew where it is." Nick said, "Actually, I might have passed bear it without knowing. I mean, I have been in Zootopia all of my life and I've been nearly everywhere..."
"Please, yes or no." Wolfington said, and Nick looked back at the wolf.
"No. I never visited their house."
"Have no one ever contacted you in their name?"
"Nope."
"Has anyone ever acted as a mediator to trade messages between you and the Wilde clan?"
"Nu-uh."
The wolf looked back at him, and he asked:
"How did you first took knowledge of the Night Howler Conspiracy?"
"That would have been through Officer Hopps." Nick said to the wolf, who continued to look at both the machine and the fox. "She contacted me and... requested my assistance."
"Did she really went to a civilian?" The wolf asked, looking at the vulpine, "Why would it be?"
"While analyzing the evidence of the case after Chief Bogo gave it to me, I realized that Nicholas Wilde had been the last mammal to see Emmitt Otterton before he vanished." Judy said to Mooser. "This made of him an important witness, and so, I requested his help to find him."
"And you made him come along with you during your investigations?" Mooser asked, looking at her, "This is quite unusual."
"Wilde had knowledge of the city, which proved to be valuable for the investigation." Judy said, looking at her. "I've only managed to advance and gather the needed evidence with his support."
Mooser looked at her, and she nodded.
"So, you brought a civilian in the middle of your investigation and used of his help to uncover a great conspiracy within the city." Mooser said, "Is that correct?"
"His help was to investigate the disappearance of Emmitt Otterton, which turned out to be linked to all of the others."
"Were you unaware of this connection between the cases at the time?"
"Yes."
"And were you unaware of the connection of Dawn Bellwether to these cases?"
"Yes."
"How you took knowledge of it?"
"It was only after she found us in the place where we got the serum as evidence."
"Not before?"
"No."
"Then how come you were able to find the lab where the serum was being produced?"
"With Wilde's help." Judy said, looking at the female before her, "I requested his help after I realized that 'night howler' did not referred to the wolves that collected the savage victims, but to the flower that was being used to turn they savage."
"And, how did you came to this realization?"
"After a talk I had with someone, when he said that these specific flowers, that my parents cultivate to protect their produce from plagues, were commonly called 'night howlers'."
Mooser looked at her.
"And who was the one who gave you this information?" She asked, "Was it your uncle Terry?"
"No, it was Gideon Gray. He is a fox that makes business with my parents, and was visiting to give us some pie. He said it casually, but that was what I needed to piece it all together. Especially after my mother mentioned that one of these flowers once caused Uncle Terry to go savage."
"She just said it like that?" Mooser asked, looking at the bunny. "She just spoke it right after this Gideon Gray mentioned it?"
"She said it after my father mentioned how dangerous these flowers could be." Judy said, and the moose looked back at her, before she spoke:
"It seems quite a coincidence that all of these events happened in a way that gave you the correct insight on how to solve the case."
Judy looked at her for a few moments. She was not answering, for she knew that it was not a question. Instead, she only looked back at the moose.
"Your meeting with Officer Hopps was really coincidental?" Wolfington asked, and the vulpine shrugged.
"Yeah, it was."
"It wasn't something planned?" the wolf asked him, "Wasn't something that someone might have arranged?"
"I don't think so." Nick said. However, he sometimes wondered about that himself.
The way that he and Judy had met really was something that was of chance. Nick himself never believed in fate or anything of the like, but in their case, it really seemed that everything had conspired to make their meeting possible.
From the fact that he met the otter days before to the fact that Judy was passing in there in the right moment that he was passing. If he and Finnick had been five minutes later or sooner, Nick would probably never have gotten to know the rabbit that saved the city and changed his life for the better.
"So, it seems that this was all a coincidence." Wolfington said, looking at the fox that was before him, and Nick returned the look.
"Okay, let's resume."
"Why have you decided to come to Zootopia, since you lived in Bunny Burrow your entire life?" Mooser asked, and Judy asked without hesitation.
"To join the ZPD."
"Wasn't it because your uncle suggested it to you?" Mooser asked.
"No!" Judy said, a bit more roughly than she had initially intended, but she quickly recomposed herself and looked back at the moose before continuing:
"My uncle did not told me to come live in Zootopia. Actually, on the times we talked about this, I had the impression that he was trying to dissuade me of coming to the city."
Maybe he shared of Mom's opinions that it was too dangerous. Judy thought to herself right after saying this, but did not voiced this thought aloud.
"You came all the way to Zootopia to join the ZPD..." Mooser said, as if she was musing on the thought, Judy looked at her and said:
"I wanted to become a cop."
"But you needed to come all the way to this city to do it? Couldn't you become a cop back on your hometown?"
"There are no bunny cops in Bunny Burrow." Judy said, and the moose looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Our law enforcement is done by the bigger species, like pigs, boars, horses, as well as by wolves and big felines. I really am the first bunny cop."
Mooser looked at her for a few moments, as is she was trying to figure the bunny out, before she resumed.
"So, why you wanted to become a cop?"
"Because this way I could make the world a better place." Judy said, once more without hesitation.
"Was that truly the reason?"
"Yes."
"Wasn't it because the Höhle clan gave you instructions to do so?"
Judy gave her a really hard glare at that.
"Have Noah Wilde gave you instructions to join the ZPD?" Wolfington asked, now seemingly having decided to cut the crap and go more to the point. Nick was only glad to follow along with him.
"No."
"Has anyone of the Wilde clan gave you instructions to join the ZPD?"
"No. My mother was really proud of me, though."
"Has anyone with ties to the Wilde clan contacted you and transmitted instructions that told you to join the ZPD?"
"You really don't get that the answer here is 'no', right?" Nick said, "Does this often lands you in trouble?"
The wolf glared at the fox, and then he went to the more serious questions of the list:
"Ever since you joined the ZPD, have you performed any favors to the Wilde clan?"
"No, I haven't." Nick said, as he saw that they had already reached the crucial point on that entire interview.
"Has the Wilde clan, or anyone with ties to them, come to ask for you to perform favors?"
"Nope."
"Have you been offered any funds, or collected any funds, from the Wilde clan or anyone related to them in exchange for favors?"
"Definitely no." Nick said, "I know better than to have my partner giving me an ear chewing."
The wolf looked at the machine, and back at the fox, who still had that same sly smirk during all of the time of the interview. Nick had the distinctive impression that this wolf did not liked his smirk.
"Have you been truthful with all of your statements?" Mooser asked, looking at the bunny, who looked back at her and answered simply:
"Yes."
"And have you truly answered to all of them to the best of your capabilities?"
Judy looked at Mooser with a neutral expression, and answered:
"Yes."
For a long moment, the moose and the bunny only looked at each other, as if they were each trying to guess what the other one would say or do.
"Man! That was something." Nick said as he and Judy walked side by side. They have both been release from their respective interviews nearly at the same time, and now they were walking away from the rooms in order to go on with their own assignments of the day.
"How you did? I think I did okay." Nick asked his partner, as if they both had just came out of a test in high school. Judy was serious, and she turned to the fox and spoke:
"Well, I just answered the best I could." Judy said to him, "Let's hope that this will be enough to satisfy Internal Affairs and the City Hall."
"Well, let's hope." Nick said, "Because otherwise we will be passing of poster kits from the Mammal Inclusion Initiative to the new poster guys from Zootopia's ZPD witch-hunt."
Judy gave him a glare, wanting to tell him that saying such things was highly inappropriate, for many reasons. However, she didn't felt like having a discussion with him at the moment. It was bad enough that they started their day by being interview by Internal Affairs as if they were suspects of police corruption.
Judy was only grateful to Bogo that he handed out the assignments and let all of the other officers go on theirs before he called to Judy and Nick to tell them that the people of IA would be talking to them on that same morning.
It was bad enough that they had to go through this, the last thing they needed was for this to become a circus in front of their colleagues.
As they walked, they eventually passed by the front desk, and that was when they caught sight of Clawhauser, happily munching in a bowl of Lucky Chomps as he looked like he was just at home back at the donut office.
The cheetah looked at them as they passed, and he immediately waved at them both.
"Guys! Guys!" The feline said, prompting them to come over to talk to him.
"So... how was it?" Ben said, clearly referring to the interviews from which the two had just came out.
"Oh, same old." Nick said, "They put these wires on us and watched the polygraph as we answered their questions. Kind of felt like the time I had to do the interview before they gave me my badge."
Judy and Ben both nodded as they heard that. It was standard for the cops on the ZPD to make polygraphs before they were accept into the force, Precinct 1 in particular. It was standard, as well as having your past investigated for any possible irregularity, and sometimes even an interview with Bogo himself, but that only on some special cases, as it was with Nick when he entered the ZPD.
Precinct 1 was nearly an elite force among the ZPD, and Bogo was very careful with who he let in.
"Anyway, let's hope that this is enough to get these guys off our tails." Nick said, and Judy agreed with him, as she wanted nothing more than to get rid of these accusations and resume her normal life. Or as normal as her life could be now that everything was changing so fast.
"Yeah, I'll say..." Ben said, and he looked at the two. "I hope I do good as well. I mean, if they decide to interview me as well..."
"Why would they interview you?" Judy asked, looking at the cheetah, and Ben shrugged as he looked back at her.
"I don't know... Because I am a mage? Because I kept it a secret?" He said, and looked away.
"Oh, come on." Nick said, looking at him, "Don't be worried, buddy, you have done nothing wrong. So, you didn't told us that you used to be a mage. Big deal. They cannot want to accuse you of anything just based on that."
"Nick is right." Judy said, looking at the big cheetah. "There are no legal definitions for the cases of ex-mages, but I'm pretty sure that accusing you only based in that would constitute a bigoted behavior, which would be very improper for them."
"Maybe they could think that the money I get was some kind of bribery, if they heard about it." Ben said, and the two cops shared a look.
"But it is not." Judy said to him, "This money is because of the patents that you got. You said that yourself."
Ben said nothing in return, and he just kept looking away, as if that thing really worried him. The two cops now thought of what to say in a situation like that.
"I'm sure that the enforcers will back you up in this." Nick said, and Ben looked at him. "I mean, after treating you like suspect that way, this is the least they can do, right?"
Ben looked at him for a while, and so did Judy. The bunny even thought that the fox could have said the wrong thing without wanting, but the cheetah looked at him for a while.
"Y-you really think that they would be on my favor?" Ben asked, and he looked at both the fox and the bunny, "I-I mean, they seemed to think that I could have anything to do with the mall..."
"Only because these families put them to it." Judy said, looking back at the cheetah. "Mieczyslaw was absolutely sure of your innocence from the very beginning. That was why he didn't questioned you at first along with all the others. He knows that you never would do anything like that."
Ben was in silence as he looked at the bunny.
"No one truly believes that you could ever do anyone harm." Judy said to him, "Not the enforcers, not us, and not the Chief." She said to him, and the cheetah perked a little from hearing a mention to Chief Bogo. "We all know that you would never do anything to do bad to anyone."
"Which is why we are going to give heck to these guys of the internal affairs if they decide to mess with you." Nick said, to him, "Us, the Chief, the enforcers, and your two siblings. You can be sure that we all are going to have your back."
The cheetah looked back at the both of them, and this time, he was actually able to smile.
"Thanks, guys." He said, and he looked like he was really touch by the fact that they were truly on his side.
"Don't mention it." Nick said, looking at the corpulent feline. "But, speaking of your siblings, are they still in town?"
"Yeah." Ben said, looking back at the fox. "They said that they want to stay in Zootopia for a while, to see if they can help with anything, and also to take a look at the city. Honestly, I am kind of glad that they are both here, but I am a little worried about Marcy."
"Worried?" Judy asked, looking at him. "Why?"
"Well... because... you know. She is a hybrid and, well... here in Zootopia..." Ben said, and the bunny looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, not really understanding what the cheetah was getting at. Ben was quick to continue and drop the subject for another.
"So, do you guys know that these two helped me with my... well, my savings?" Ben said, dropping to a lower voice as he looked around, as if confiding a secret to them. Nick, Judy and Bogo were currently the only ones in Precinct 1 that knew about Ben's fortune in gold. They had not shared this with the other officers, mainly because it had nothing to do with any investigation, and because they thought that the cheetah deserved a little privacy.
"Really? Helped how?" Nick asked, and Ben was soon telling him:
"They helped me move it out of the apartment." Ben said to them, and they both looked back at him with interest as he explained that to them.
"Move out?" Judy said, as both she and Nick leaned forward and talked with the cheetah. "So, you are no longer hiding all that gold at your home?"
"Nah, you guys managed to convince me." Ben said, "Keeping all of that at home was really not safe. Also, the hole on the wall was starting to get too small to hide those gold bars inside."
"Well, that was a smart move." Nick said, "Keeping all your money at home is an easy way to lose everything. It is a good idea to keep it stacked somewhere for when you might need it. So, what have you done with that? You hid it in a safe somewhere? Buried under an 'x'? Placed it in secret places hidden all over the city? I did this last one with my own money before I joined the ZPD." Nick said, and immediately after, he thought:
And I still do with some of what is left.
"Actually, I traded all of it." Ben said, and his two friends looked at him. Ben shrugged.
"Well, it seemed the logical thing to do at that situation." Ben said, "I just traded all of the gold for money and placed it all on a bank."
"Trading all of that gold?" Nick said, looking at the cheetah, "It must not have been easy."
"Oh, it wasn't." Ben admitted, "I had to go to a few places trying to find out that would trade all of it and that would not try to scam me. I actually found none." He admitted, looking down, and the two shared a look.
"Luckily, Chandler helped me." He said, once more smiling, "He made a few calls and helped me find someone who would buy all that gold and who would not scam me. He showed up in my home in no time to see the gold..."
The cheetah thought about it for a while, and then he giggled a little.
"You two should have seen his face when I showed him all of the gold I had."
Nick and Judy could actually chuckle at it, as they imagined that it must have been something similar to the shocked and baffled expressions that they had on their own faces when they saw that pile of gold bars.
"He was surprised, and he said that he would have to make a few calls of his own. But he ended up buying all of the gold that I had." Ben said, "And... he asked surprisingly few questions..."
Judy and Nick shared a look at this, as they knew what Ben meant.
The gold he received came from the Mage's Association, and this gold has not been declare. At least, not through the means that are normally consider legal to non-mages.
The gold just came for him through the mail, for crying out loud.
The fact that Ben kept all of that gold at his home in secret was something serious, for it meant that he had a much greater income than he probably declared. This on itself constituted an instance of felony tax evasion. Something aggravated by the fact that Ben himself was a cop.
Something like that could seriously jeopardize his career as a cop, and even land him in troubles with the law.
"Yeah, you should get yourself some help to deal with... that." Judy said, looking at him.
"Yeah, I know." Ben said, "Chandler already has helped me contact a tax lawyer."
"A tax attorney, you mean." Judy said, and Ben blushed a bit.
"Oh, yeah... I always forget how they are call. Anyway, I think the guy will help me a lot." Ben said, looking at him, "After all, I need to return the taxes from all that undeclared gold. But, I'm still not sure of how this will work. I mean, I never really thought of this as a problem, since the Association just gave me all that gold. I mean, all mages do it like that." He said to them, and they both nodded at it.
This was something else that they learned along with the amount of gold that Ben had. Apparently, mages always did their business while avoiding taxes, as they made all of their trades with the use of gold and other precious materials. That was how the Association paid patents, and it was how mages traded money. And when they needed to pay their bills and make business with non-mages they just traded these things for actual money or credits.
This was an interesting piece of information, as it brought to attention that seemingly all mages committed a certain level of tax evasion. And that it was something normal for them.
This could maybe generate interesting legal developments in the future...
"So, is this guy good?" Nick asked him, "If he is not, then I can recommend one that I used back before I became a cop. He totally helped me solve my own problems with tax. Of course, I had to return my taxes and pay him in the end, but by the end I still had some serious dough left."
"Oh, he is good, alright." Ben said, looking at them. "Chandler found him the same way he found the guy who bought my gold. He is even paying from his own money for him to help me, but I'm trying to convince him not to. After all, I have a lot of money now that I sold my gold."
"Yeah, no kidding." Nick said, looking at the ample cheetah. "Over fifteen and a half million is no small thing."
"Sure it is not." Ben said, looking back at the fox. "And it is all in a bank account that Chandler helped me open on Furs National Bank. They even gave me a card." He said, and reached out for his wallet, pulling out a card from his pocket for them to look.
"Wow! It is a platinum card!" Judy said, as she looked at the beautiful card that Ben now had, with the symbol of the Furs National Bank in it.
"Yeah, they just gave it to me." Ben said, looking at the card. "They kept offering it right after I opened the account, and they also offered me a lot of special promotions and stuff. You know, it was actually a bit strange. They started being all cold and distant with me, but as soon as I told them how much I was putting in the account they started being nice, offering me coffee and biscuits, and offering me special advantages."
"Yeah, money sometimes does that with mammals." Nick said, "They pass from strangers to your best friends in seconds. They had a similar effect on your landlord."
Nick looked as if he was amused by that, however, Judy herself felt a bit disgusted. She couldn't accept the idea that mammals would make friends with others out of interest. Mammals like that always got on her nerves, especially the ones who were nice to others because of their money.
It was something really trouble to know that there were mammals like that, who only get close to someone when they want something in return. She met a few of these as she grew up in the Bunny Burrow, and some after she moved to Zootopia, and these had not been good experiences.
"Well, my friend. I hope that Manechester can give you a proper introduction to the world of the filthy rich." Nick said to him, "Because believe me, you are going to need it."
Ben scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, I don't think that I'll have that much problems with it. I mean, I've seen a lot of movies and series, and I heard what they say about the rich mammals. Honestly, it is not much different from how it was before I renounced magecraft." He said, and the two looked at them and they were about to ask something, when someone said:
"Hey, guys!"
They turned around to see Eliot Fanghanel walking in their direction. The wolf was smiling at the three, waving at them as he and three more mammals were coming.
The first one was wearing the same uniform as Fanghanel. That was because he was a cop as well. Officer Gerald Clawrence, a black panther that stood around 5.5 feet tall, with black fur all over his body and green eyes on his face. He was Fanghanel's partner at the force, and he was known for being serious and professional on the same measure that Eliot was funny and spontaneous. In fact, he was so professional and so into his job that sometimes it seemed that he lacked a proper personality. Sometimes others joked that he was a robot, because of the way that he always conducted everything according to the rules, and the fact that he rarely made jokes or even showed emotion among the other cops. He was a nice mammal to have around, though, as he was the kind of mammal that could hold an intelligence conversation about nearly any topic.
Coming with them were two mammals that definitely were not cops. The first one was a wolf, like Eliot. However, unlike the cop, who was a bit short for a wolf, that guy stood a bit tall for a wolf, a she stood on 5'6'' feet, really quite tall, even though he looked a bit skinny. The fur on his body also had a curious coloration, with it being of a bluish-gray color, with a cream coloration on his face and down his neck, and certainly down his chest and stomach. His eyes were also curious, as they were more angular, in opposition to the round eyes that most wolves had, and they were of a cloudy-grey coloration. He wore a common red shirt and a long pair of pants. He looked like he didn't truly wanted to be in there, as he looked down and avoided to look at others directly.
The one by his side was not as nervous as the wolf, as he walked proudly and looked all around the place. Well, as far as one could tell, since he was wearing shades over his eyes, as well as a surgical mask over his muzzle. The mammal in question was a gazelle, and he stood on proud 6.2 feet tall, if you counted his horns, and he was slender like the wolf. The fur of his body was of a soft-yellow coloration, with his horns being of a brown color. He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans pants, as well as a jacket over his body that was nearly a long coat, as it went all the way down to his thighs. He seemed a lot more confident than the wolf, even though the mask he was using and the sunglasses made it quite hard to read anything from his face. That mammal kind of looked ready to rob a bank.
"Oh, Eliot." Ben said, as the wolf came closer, holding the arm of the other wolf, and Officer Clawrence came holding the arm of the gazelle. Neither of them looked like they were resisting.
"Hey, White Fang! How you doing?" Nick asked, and Eliot smiled at them.
"Oh, just apprehending two perps with a really suspicious behavior." He said, sounding quite prideful for that. The wolf that he was holding looked away, his ears flat, and he looked like he was ashamed.
"Really?" Nick asked, and he looked at the gazelle. "And what kind suspicious behavior are we talking about?"
"We were doing patrol when Fanghanel said that these two were behaving suspiciously." Clawrence said, and the ones in there looked at him. "He insisted that we should see if they were up to something."
"I smelled something when we passed by them." Eliot said, and Clawrence nodded.
"Indeed." He said, and pulled out something form his pocket. It was a plastic bag with something green inside.
"And, what would that be?" Nick looked at the small plastic package, although he had a feeling that he knew the answer.
"Catnip." Clawrence said, "It was with the gazelle."
"I sniffed it out." Eliot said, a proud smile on his muzzle as he spoke it, "I feel really glad that I took that drug finding course."
"Oh come on, Officer." The gazelle said, his voice sounding high-pitched and a bit silly. "I told you that this is for medicinal purpose. I mean, look at me! Why would I want to carry catnip with me?"
"To sell it, perhaps." Clawrence said, looking at the gazelle, who only looked back at him.
"We weren't doing anything wrong." The wolf said, his voice was deep. He sounded really sincere as he spoke that. "We are sorry if we caused any trouble. If you could just let us go..."
"I am afraid that we cannot do that." Clawrence said, looking at both of them. "You both had been caught with a controlled substance, and now you are both in trouble."
The wolf whined a little bit, his ears flattening more against his skull. It was obvious that he already noticed that they were both in trouble. Judy looked in between the gazelle and the wolf, and she couldn't help but think that these two looked somehow familiar. She had the feeling that she had seen them both before somewhere. But she could not remember where...
Meanwhile, the gazelle was looking at the panther.
"Oh, come on, Officer." He said, looking at him, "I'm sure that there is no need for this. I mean, you could very well let us go with a warning, right?"
"Those caught with controlled substances must be held for inquiring." The panther said, looking back at him. "This is the standard procedure in situations like that."
"Well, maybe we could skip the procedure, right?" The gazelle said, placing a hoof on the panther's shoulder and massaging it slightly. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that we could come to some short of deal. I mean, you could keep the catnip for yourself, along with a little something for the trouble, right?"
"Melon, what are you doing?" The wolf whispered to the gazelle, looking at him, and so were the others.
This guy was really attempting to bribe an officer like that, in front of other officers?
"Come on, I've watched enough television to know that things can easily be solved." The gazelle said, "Come on, no one has to know." He said, and he turned to the others, "I'm pretty sure that we all can come to an agreement here, right?"
The mammals around looked at him, and Nick was the one who spoke.
"Okay... just an advice, if you want to try bribing someone, then you might want to do it in a more discreet way." He said to the gazelle. "I mean, like not in the front of other officers. This is the kind of thing that can land you in trouble."
"Well, if a fox is saying that is probably because he knows from experience right?"
"Melon!" The wolf said, looking back at him.
"What? I'm just making a commentary." The gazelle said, looking back at the wolf.
"Well, this kind of commentary is offensive, mister." Judy said, thumping her foot as she looked back at him. The gazelle looked at her through his shades.
"Oh, you bunnies are so cute when you thump your little feet like that." He said, in a bit of a baby voice. This made Judy's foot thump faster and harder, as she looked at the gazelle quite pissed off.
"Dude, you better not anger this bunny." Nick said to him, "Trust me, she is more dangerous than she looks."
"Melon, you should stop." The wolf whispered to him once more. The gazelle shrugged, and the wolf soon was speaking to the officers.
"I'm really sorry." He said, and he bowed his head to them. "I'm really sorry for all of this, and I assure you that it won't happen again. Please, just let us go."
He sounded sincere as he spoke that, and Judy looked back at him.
"Well, I'm sorry, but this is not how it works, mister..."
"Ogami." The wolf said, looking at her, "Legoshi Ogami."
"Mister... Oh-gami. Your friend was caught with controlled substance, and he must be brought in for questioning." Judy said, and Clawrence then said:
"And you claimed to be with him, so we had to bring you in for inquiring as well."
The wolf whined a little bit, and his ears pressed flat against his skull. The gazelle looked back at him, and placed a hoof on his shoulder, as if he was comforting him.
"Okay then." Eliot said, "Now it is time to take these two to the holding cells." He looked at them as he said that, and the gazelle looked at him as he said:
"We still get a phone call, right? Because I'd like to make one. Unless you guys prefer to take us somewhere to beat us."
He said that without any apprehension, but the wolf got on guard as he heard that.
"Wait, you are not going to beat us, are you?" He said, and this caused the ones around to look at him. He looked a bit alarmed at this prospect, but the officers assured him that this would not happen.
"Okay, let's go now." Clawrence said, and he and Eliot were now on their way to the holding cells, to keep the two in there to be take for questioning later on. As they moved away, the two mammals were whispering among themselves. It was low enough for those around not to hear. Or so they thought.
Neither of them counted on the acute hearing of a bunny.
"What do we do now, Melon?" The wolf whispered.
"We use our phone call." The gazelle said back, "And hope that the Manechester guys will help us out."
Judy picked up their conversation, while Nick talked to Ben, and this got her thinking.
The Manechester? Wait...
Then it was as if something clicked on her mind, as she suddenly connected the dots.
"So, you noticed that lately White Fang and Black Caw have been using some nice jewelry?" Nick asked the cheetah, referring to the curious necklaces that both Eliot and his partner were now using around their necks. Ben nodded at him.
"Yeah, Eliot said that Chloe had given them to him." Ben said, "Apparently they are something that will help on his protection."
"What, the amulets make who wears it immune to bullets?" Nick asked.
"Nah, I don't think so." Ben admitted, "If anything, I think these are special amulets that reject magical energy. They give a protection against weak magecraft, like curses and hypnosis. It is not unusual for mages to give these amulets for the non-mages that work for them. My family always give these to our servants."
"Really?" Nick asked, looking at the cheetah. "Any chance that you could get one of these for your friends at the ZPD?"
Ben opened his mouth, and he looked like he was about to answer, when Judy suddenly cut the conversation by saying:
"Ben, have you seen the enforcers?"
"What?" The cheetah said, looking at her.
"The enforcers. Have you seen them here today?" Judy asked, and she looked as if she was asking for something really important.
"Oh... Well, I actually haven't seen them in here today." Ben admitted, "Bogo said that they were 'taking care of business' somewhere."
"And do you know where we can find them?" Judy asked, and ben looked at her, before shaking his head.
"No, sorry. I don't really know where they went, and I don't even know their new address. Sorry."
Yes, indeed, the enforcers had moved out of that apartment after it was ransack, and now they were on a new address. One that they apparently had not shared with the ZPD, as to better keep it a secret. Once more, it showed how much they were into keeping secrets.
"Hey, what is this for wanting to talk with the enforcers now?" Nick asked, looking at his partner.
"Because they are responsible for subjects involving mages, and we might have two mages under custody." She said, and Nick only looked back at his partner with a raised eyebrow.
"The wolf and the gazelle." Judy said to him, "I just remembered where I saw him. It was on the video."
Nick continued to look at her in confusion.
"The video where they entered the mansion." Judy said, "The Manechester mansion."
"What, Chandler's house?" ben asked, looking at her, and Nick blinked at the little bunny. After a few seconds, he knew what she was talking about. The video that Honey had showed them of the mansion, with two mammals going in.
"Nick, I think these two are the mages that the Manechester family is hiring." Judy said to him.
"What?" Ben asked, looking at her. Nick then said:
"Carrots, are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" The bunny said, "They are both like the mammals that we saw entering the mansion on that video. The wolf has the same coloration of fur, and the gazelle has identical horns. It must be them!"
Nick looked at his partner, and he then looked back at the place to where Eliot and Clawrence had taken the two mammals. They were no longer in sight, but he still looked at the direction that they went. If Judy was correct...
Judy, herself, was pretty sure that she was right. These two were the mammals of the video. What meant that they could be mages hired by the family, if Honey's information was correct. Even if it wasn't, it still meant that they both lived in the mansion with the Manechester family.
This could be meaningful in one way or another.
Judy made sure to remember those two very well.
Legoshi Ogami and "Melon".
"Thank you for the phone call." Melon said, as he was lead inside of the cell once again. "It was really nice of you."
The cop didn't answered to this, and just closed the door as the gazelle walked inside. Legoshi was already in there, sitting on a bench. The gazelle looked back at him and sat by his side.
"So...?" The wolf asked, looking back at the gazelle, who took of his shades for the first time since they walked into the police station and looked back at the wolf.
"One of their butlers will be arriving in twenty minutes to bail us out." Melon said, "But, the guy did sounded a bit mad that we got ourselves in trouble with the police."
"Why did you had catnip, anyway?" The wolf asked, and the gazelle leaned back.
"You know very well why, Legoshi." He said as he looked to the side, seeing that there was no one around, and he removed his surgeon mask, taking a deep breath. "We would have avoided this problem completely if I had managed to hypnotize these two. How did they resisted?"
"Melon, you should not go around hypnotizing others." The wolf said to him, "It is against the rules."
"Not if it is to get us out of trouble."
"But only if we are being attacked." The wolf said to him, "We can't go around using it to avoid inconveniences."
"Yeah, whatever." The other mammal said, and there was a silence in the room, as the horned mammal looked up and the wolf looked down. It lasted for a while, until the wolf decided to break it.
"Melon." He said, causing the horned mammal to look at him, "M-maybe we should forget this plan." The wolf spoke, looking at the horned mammal. "I-I don't feel comfortable with this at all. Maybe we should just forget everything and go back home."
"After all the trouble we had to come here and get into that mansion?" Melon asked, looking at him, "Yeah, that's not happening. Besides, coming was your idea."
"Well, yes." Legoshi said, looking back at him, "But, I didn't planned to do what we are doing now. My plan was..."
"This plan is way better." Melon said to him, and Legoshi only looked back at him.
"No its not!" Legoshi said, "Look at this! We are in a cell!"
"We will be out of here in no time." Melon said, "And we then will be once more back into that big and comfortable mansion, getting more money from that family to do simple things."
Legoshi looked down.
"T-this feels wrong." The wolf said, and the horned mammal looked back at him.
"Yes, but we are doing it for a reason, don't you remember?"
The wolf didn't answered, and he continued to look down.
"We got into problem with the law." The wolf said quietly, and the horned mammal looked back at him.
"Yeah. The common law." Melon said to him, "These kinds of problems are rarely a big deal. We can deal with the common police easily. The problem is the enforcers and the clans."
Legoshi continued to look down, and the horned mammal continued.
"We both knew that there was a risk in coming here, and we both agreed that it was worth it." He said, as he looked at the wolf. "We just have to be more careful from now on. This time it was just the police, but next time it could be the enforcers or even someone from the clans. In that case, you can be sure that we would be in great problem. So, we must do our best to stay under their radar and continue with the plan." The horned mammal looked at the wolf, who continued to look down.
"And, Legoshi?" He said; placing a hooved hand on the wolf's muzzle and making him look at him, their eyes meeting.
"Remember, if we get caught, I am deaf and you don't speak English. Okay?"
Legoshi looked back at him, and after a few seconds, he looked down again as he said:
"Alright."
The horned mammal seemed to be satisfied with this, as he patted the wolf on the shoulder. The wolf, however, still looked like he didn't liked this whole situation...
This concludes this week's chapter.
Hope you enjoyed. Please, leave reviews, and no flamming.