Skye pressed herself against the front of the car, trying to make herself as invisible as she could. She placed a paw in front of her mouth in a desperate attempt to quiet her heavy breathing. Her other paw grasped her tail tightly and hugged it close to her chest. Her eyes were wide with fright, and her heart pounded so rapidly it felt like a single vibration that made her whole body tingle with horror.
She had seen everything. It had all happened so fast, she did not have time to react—and when she finally could, all she could manage to do was hide. She had stood by and watched helplessly as her friends had been ambushed by a whole group of arctic foxes.
There was no mistaking it. They were members of White Jaws. And they were going to take Nick and Judy to Marble Jade.
A whimper threatened to rise in her throat, and she forced herself to swallow it. She closed her eyes tight and wished with all her willpower that this was just a bad dream, but she knew it wasn't. This was real—terribly, horrifically real. Her heartbeat pounding in her ears, the falling snow tickling her nose and eyelashes, and the voices of several foxes talking all at once close enough for her to hear their words overwhelmed her senses, and no matter how much she wished, she knew that there was no waking up from this nightmare.
Judy's cry was still echoing in her mind. Run. And she wanted to. More than anything, right now, she wanted to. They didn't know she was here. She still had Judy's phone. If she escaped, she could call the police and tell them everything she knew. They might be able to get to Marble Jade and save her friends before…
But she already knew it was useless. Even if anyone did believe her—which they almost certainly would not—by the time they got to Marble Jade, it would be too late. White Jaws was as ruthless as they were efficient, and they would have "taken care" of Nick and Judy long before any hope of rescue could arrive.
There would be no rescue. There was no hope of escape. Right now, despite merely being locked inside of a van, they were already as good as dead.
A set of footsteps walking nearby caused Skye to hold her breath. She tried to hug the car bumper a tiny bit more, hoping against hope that it would provide her with enough cover. To her relief, the footsteps stopped and a voice spoke up, clearly talking to somebody else. "Yeah, Boss, we got him. There was a bunny, too." The voice paused. "No, no one else."
The news should have been a massive comfort to Skye. It was the first confirmation she had that they were not here for her. They might have not even known she was alive at all. They had not seen her. They would likely leave in just a few minutes, and she could make her escape. It was the best possible outcome she could have hoped for.
But she was not thinking about escaping. She couldn't. Even though Judy had yelled at her to run, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Judy was in trouble. Nick was in trouble. They were her friends. They needed her. She was the only one who knew what was about to happen to them, and she was the only one in the whole world who had a chance to stop it.
She dared to peek over the hood of the car. Five foxes were standing beside the van. Two of them were talking with each other about something, one was working with a smart tablet, one was fairly close to her talking on a cell phone, and the last was touching up the paint on the logo plastered on the side of the van, which advertised an extermination service that she was sure did not really exist. They were all wearing pitch-black form-fitting clothes, including beanie hats that covered most of their heads. Their toned bodies were clearly visible underneath their shirts, an indicator of the amount of rigorous training they had undergone with White Jaws. The foxes she saw were fully capable of taking down animals the size of an elephant, and just one of them would be able to easily overpower her.
She ducked back down before any of them could spot her. She stared straight off into the distance, her thoughts racing through her mind. She knew what they would do to her if they found her. She knew what would happen to her if she was taken back to Marble Jade. She knew how hopeless it was to try and fight them. They were bigger than her, stronger than her, and had trained their whole lives for the sole purpose of capturing animals like her. She feared them. She feared what might happen to her. She feared for her life, and every fiber of her being begged for her to stay out of sight.
But beyond the fear, she felt something else—something she had never felt before. For the first time in her life, Skye felt something that she never thought she would, and it caught her off-guard when she realized what it was.
Courage.
It felt like a tiny island, surrounded by a whole sea of terror and cowardice, but it was there. A small, warm feeling settled in her heart, even as it continued to race uncontrollably. It felt foreign, since she had never experienced it before, but it also felt strangely familiar, and unmistakable. The longer it stayed with her, the more it overpowered the fear that petrified her.
Her friends needed her. She had to help them.
She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. She gripped her tail with both paws as she tried to focus on what her plan of attack should be. She would have to be quick, before they drove away, but still cautious enough to not be discovered prematurely. There was not enough time to come up with a proper plan; all she could do was get to Nick and Judy and figure out what to do from there.
The fox who had been talking on the phone finished his call. He raised his voice so the others could hear him. "Okay, let's clean the area and get out of here."
She knew what that meant: they would spend a few minutes cleaning Nick and Judy's car of any paw prints they might have left, sweeping away the tire tracks that their van left in the snow, and doing whatever else they felt necessary to remove any trace of what happened here. That meant, if she wanted to run away, this was her last possible chance.
She gave her tail one final squeeze, then let it go. She placed a paw on her chest, took a few controlled breaths, and did her best to relax herself in preparation for what was about to happen next.
A thought flashed through her mind for a moment. It was a sense of irony. She had spent her whole life trying to get away from White Jaws, and now here she was, about to throw herself into the proverbial lion's den just for a chance to save her friends. Maybe she would find it amusing later, but right now, she was scared.
Scared, but determined to try nonetheless.
The fox who seemed to be in charge started walking again. His footsteps grew louder as he walked up the car. Skye tried to reposition herself so that she could remain hidden as long as possible, while still ready to tackle him when the best opportunity presented itself. She thought back to her training as she crawled. Her feet were silent as she stepped through the light layer of snow. She breathed in rhythm with her heartbeat, deliberately slowing it down little by little. She angled her ears in the best direction to pick up every single sound, no matter how nuanced, from the fox. Within seconds, she was acting on instinct rather than thought, and she found herself crouching near the driver's side door, waiting patiently for the fox to come closer.
As if by providence, the fox came to a stop directly in front of the car. He let out a curious mumble. He had most likely spotted her paw prints on the hood. She still could not see him from her hiding spot, but he was close enough for her to hear him roll up his sleeve and begin wiping the hood free of the snow that had accumulated on top.
As he did, his tail came into view. Even better, it wagged as he worked, and slowly made its way closer to her. After a few seconds, it was close enough for her to reach out and grab if she wanted, but she had a better idea. It was a crazy idea, though, and even as she stretched out her neck and spread her jaws apart, the more sensible part of her brain screamed at her to think of something else.
This was the point of no return. There was still a small chance that she could escape unnoticed. All she needed to do was distract the fox and run the other way. This was her last chance of escape—her last chance of freedom.
She shut her eyes tight, prayed for the best, and clamped her jaws down as hard as she could.
The fox let out an ear-splitting howl of pain. He reflexively jerked away from Skye, who quickly let go of him and retreated further behind the side of the car. Immediately, the sound of a half-dozen foxes running over to the car filled her ears, as the other members of White Jaws rushed over to see what it was that had caused their comrade so much pain. They approached the car from the opposite side, and Skye chanced a peek through the windows to make sure they were all there. Then she glanced over at the van to make sure it was deserted. Nobody was there.
It was now or never.
As stealthily as she could, she sprinted over to the van, making sure to angle her ears behind her to pay attention to the ongoing conversation. She heard the fox scream about his tail, but the other foxes seemed to either be too shocked to make any comment on it, or too scared of suffering his wrath. That was fine by her; it meant she had more time before he demanded medical attention.
After just a few seconds, she made it to the van. The side door that they had thrown Judy and Nick through was facing Nick's car, and she did not dare to try and open it in full view of the foxes, so she quickly made her way to the opposite side. To her dismay, the only door on the other side was the driver's door. It would be close to impossible for her to get Nick and Judy from there.
But she could steal the truck and drive it to the ZPD.
She threw open the door before she could talk herself out of it. Unsurprisingly, the keys were nowhere to be seen, but she had expected that. She quickly pulled open the panel underneath the steering wheel and squinted to see the wiring in the dim light. Even with her highly sensitive fox eyes, it was still difficult to see what she needed, but with time of the essence, she decided to make an educated guess. She grabbed two wires, ripped them out of the panel, and pressed them against each other.
The van roared to life.
She allowed herself a small smile of victory, before sitting back up in her seat and releasing the parking brake. She gripped the steering wheel, stared straight ahead, put her paw on the gear shift, and—
Someone grabbed her.
Faster than she could react, a pair of strong paws pulled her out of her seat and threw her on the ground outside. The wind knocked out of her as she landed hard on the pavement. She struggled for a second to catch her breath, but she already knew it was useless. All she could do was look straight up helplessly as a fox as white as snow stood above her, cracking his knuckles underneath a curled fist as he glared down at her. A second later, another fox walked up to her and stared down at her, then another two, and then finally the last one, who was still holding his bleeding tail where she had bit him.
One of the others spoke first. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" She knelt down and gave Skye a sinister grin. She curled a claw underneath Skye's chin and gave it a single scratch. "I can't remember the last time we saw a fox like you way out here in Zootopia."
"Thought you could save Wilde and Hopps, did you?" One of the other foxes crossed his arms. "Big mistake, girl."
Skye recovered her breath enough to reply. "You're the ones making a big mistake."
"I'm sure." The vixen stood back up and snapped her fingers. Two of the other foxes responded immediately, grabbing Skye by her shoulders and dragging her up onto her feet. They faced her towards the vixen, who immediately walked up to Skye and started patting her down. Within a few seconds, she felt Judy's cell phone in one of Skye's pockets, which she pulled out and held up to properly examine. "Huh, looks like the latest model." She held the phone between both paws and pressed her thumbs in the middle. The phone snapped in half. "Shame." She shoved both halves in her own pockets before turning back to Skye. "Got anything else you're hiding from me?"
Skye's only response was a defiant glare.
"Fine, suit yourself." The vixen resumed patting down her clothes. She paused for a second when she felt the small wad of cash in Skye's coat pocket, but seemed content with leaving it where it was. A few seconds later, she finished her pat-down and took a step back. She crossed her arms and looked at Skye with curiosity. "So, what's your story, anyway?"
The fox with the injured tail stepped between them. He gripped Skye's face with his paw, forcing her to stare at him as he growled at her. "Who cares what her story is?" he snarled. He leaned forward, so close he almost touched her nose with his, and a small smile came across his face. "I want to make her suffer for what she did to me."
Skye's heart was once again racing in her chest, but she forced herself to stare back at the fox with contempt, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he scared her. She tried to pull away from his paw, but his grip doubled down, and she closed her eyes in disgust when she felt his wet tongue slide up the side of her cheek a moment later.
"Hey," the vixen snapped. "You heard the boss: no damaged goods."
The fox's grip loosened on her a little, but did not let go. "Oh, come on, do you see what she did to my tail?" She opened her eyes and found the fox in front of her giving the other vixen a pleading look. "I'll give you a turn after I'm done, if you want," he offered enticingly.
The vixen snorted. "Tempting, but no." She turned to the last fox, who was currently standing to the side with seemingly nothing to do. "We've got another guest. Get the chloroform."
Finally, the fox let go of her face, though he once again leaned forward so he was right up in front of her. His voice dropped to a low growl. "Fine. It looks like I'll have to take care of you later." He leaned further forward, pressed his nose into the fur on her cheek, and took a deep breath. He let out an elated sigh. "Oh yes," he whispered. "I'll take good care of you later."
Without even thinking, Skye whipped her head to the side and snapped her teeth. She encountered resistance, and the fox once again yelped in pain and backed away. His free paw flew up to his ear, and she could not help but chuckle at the sight of her aggressor reeling in pain from not one but two injuries she had managed to inflict on him. Even the fox holding her left arm let out an amused snort at the sight.
The vixen turned back around, stared at the fox for a few seconds as he cursed under his breath, and rolled her eyes. "The boss will not be pleased with this," she mumbled.
The other fox looked back up and growled at her. "It wouldn't be the first time," he grumbled.
The vixen walked back up to Skye and came to a stop in front of her, though at a safer distance this time. She smiled at Skye in admiration. "You've got spirit, kit. I like that." Her smile disappeared. "Too bad for you, spirit doesn't do much good where we're going."
The fifth fox jumped out of the van, a wet rag in his paw. Skye knew what was going to happen, and even though she knew it was useless, she turned back to the vixen and tried her luck at negotiation. "The ZPD will realize their best two cops are missing. They'll look all over for them."
"And they'll never find them." The vixen stepped aside as the fifth fox approached. "Nobody ever finds Marble Jade."
Skye narrowed her eyes. "You underestimate that fox and bunny. And their friends." She stood tall. "And me."
The vixen's face was unreadable for a moment, and for a second, Skye wondered if her words had actually made an impact. However, the moment passed, and the vixen simply shrugged. "Maybe." She nodded to the fifth fox. "Do it."
Skye knew that it would do no good resisting what came next. She let the fifth fox press the rag against her face, and though she was terrified of what awaited her when she woke up, she breathed the fumes in. Within seconds, she felt the world start to go black, and her muscles relaxed. The last thing she felt was the two strong foxes on either side of her begin to carry her limp body over to the van.
I'm sorry, Judy… I couldn't do it…
Skye woke up with a pounding head and an aching shoulder. It felt like only a few seconds had passed since she went under, but from the way her body felt, she was sure it was several hours at least. She let out a groan of pain as she tried shifting her body, and while she was able to at least take some weight off her shoulder, she found her movement restricted by some invisible force.
She slowly opened her eyes and tried to blink away the fog that covered her sight. After a moment, her vision adjusted enough for her to take a look around. She was in the back of the van, shoved up against some cardboard boxes near the rear. Judy and Nick were laying in front of her, both of them still unconscious. Their arms were positioned in a way that indicated to her that they were bound behind their backs; a quick tug at her own wrists informed her that she was tied up in a similar fashion. Two of the arctic foxes from White Jaws were sitting on a wooden bench near the front, and when she stirred, they fixed their attention on her immediately. Behind them was a tiny window that peered into the cabin up front, where she could see the tips of the ears of a fox sitting in the center seat. She couldn't make out any other details besides that, but the cabin did seem to be lit up, indicating that it was daytime outside.
That meant they had been driving all night. They were likely getting close to Marble Jade by now.
She found a tiny bit more strength and managed to sit up. The two arctic foxes stared at her the whole time, clearly ready to clobber her in case she made any sudden movements, but she had no intention of doing that. She knew the second she was dragged out of the driver's seat that her fate was sealed, and any chance of escape was gone.
She looked at her two friends, then back to the arctic foxes. "Have they woken up yet?" she inquired. They both shook their heads. She was not surprised; they had undoubtedly used a stronger chloroform on them instead of her, which meant it would last longer.
Not that it mattered when they woke up anyway. With what awaited them in Marble Jade, Skye almost wished all three of them were dead instead.
Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head and, to her surprise, she saw herself. A mirror was placed there, strapped in place against the wall opposite her. Even in the dim light, she was still able to see herself clearly. She did not appear to be injured, and even her clothes and fur seemed to be neatly kempt. If her paws were not tied behind her back, her appearance could have easily passed as nothing out of the ordinary.
But her expression told a different story. Skye was looking at the face of a fox who was scared. She had been scared for a long time—so long, she could hardly remember a time when she was not scared—but right now, it was different. Her past had caught up with her. White Jaws had found her. They were taking her back to Marble Jade, and they had caught Nick and Judy as well.
The one and only comfort to her right now, was that the arctic foxes who had kidnapped her did not yet seem to recognize her. They had no idea who she was. She did not know how long it would last, and she was not sure how valuable that particular piece of information was, but it was something to console her in this moment.
Not that it did much to soften her expression. Her eyes were still wide with fright. Her hairs were still standing up on end. Her face was pale underneath her creamy fur. She knew what was coming. She knew there was no avoiding it. All she could do was sit here and wait for it, and hope to God that there was some way she could at least find a way to spare Judy and Nick the same fate.
A groan next to her caught her attention. It was Judy. The bunny's face contorted in pain as she started to squirm on the floor.
Skye scooted closer to her, keenly aware of the two arctic foxes paying attention to her as she did so but otherwise leaving her alone. She stopped next to Judy's body and lay her tail over the bunny, providing her with a comforting blanket as she woke up. "Hey," she whispered. "You're okay. You're alive."
Judy let out another moan of pain and slowly opened her eyes. She turned her head from side to side, trying to gather her bearings, before finally focusing on Skye. She squinted at the vixen. "Skye?"
Skye gave her a small smile. "Yeah, it's me."
The bunny tried move her arms, but couldn't with the rope binding her wrists together. She looked behind her shoulder in confusion, stared at her bound paws for a moment, and then took a glance around the van. Her eyes widened in recognition as she finally understood where she was.
She looked back at Skye. Her ears drooped and she huffed in annoyance. "I thought I told you to run."
"You did." Skye's smile turned sheepish. "I couldn't exactly let them get away with kidnapping you, though, so I decided to be the hero and try and save the day."
Judy pulled at her restraints once again, before giving up and slumping back to the ground. "Yeah, so I see," she mumbled. Her eyes opened wide again. "Wait, where's Nick?"
Skye lifted her chin and pointed behind the bunny. "He's over there. Still unconscious, though." She looked at the two arctic foxes sitting on the bench. "And our captors are here as well," she added in a quieter voice.
Judy finally regained enough of her strength to twist her body and flip over to her other side. Her eyes rested on Nick, and though she hid it well, Skye could tell she was relieved to see he was okay. She could only imagine the conflict within Judy right now, wanting to rush over to him but also not wanting to let the two arctic foxes know that they were anything more than mere friends. Perhaps wisely, the bunny remained still and simply looked at Nick's still form as his chest slowly rose and fell.
She was silent for a long while, before craning her head back up to look at Skye again. "They were targeting him," she whispered. "Last night, they were looking for him—he was the fox they wanted. And tonight, they messed with our car so it couldn't start so they could capture him and…" She closed her eyes and let her head bump against the wooden floor. "I should have figured it out, but I didn't realize it in time," she lamented.
"It's not your fault," Skye assured her. "You could never have known."
Judy opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, she let out an involuntary sneeze. Her body began shivering, and she tucked her knees closer to her chest. Skye adjusted her tail slightly to better cover her. She had not noticed how cold the temperature had gotten; it was still comfortable enough for her, but Judy's winter attire could only do so much to protect her small, short-furred figure. Dread filled her thoughts as she wondered what might happen to her in Marble Jade. It was a cold town far north of Zootopia, inhabited almost exclusively by arctic foxes. It was no place for a bunny, and it was possible she would not last long in the unforgiving environment.
Skye's tail seemed to help warm Judy up. She stopped shivering and pressed herself further into the thick fur; Skye was sure that if Judy's paws were not bound, she would have hugged it like a giant blanket. The bunny looked back at Nick and let out a long sigh. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this one," she whispered.
We're not. Skye had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying it out loud. She did not want to discourage Judy, no matter how true it was. The less she knew about the torment that awaited them, the better. Skye had a whole lifetime full of unpleasant memories from Marble Jade, and she dared not ponder on them right now, or else she might have been tempted to curl up in a ball and die before they arrived.
But she had to stay alive. She had to fight. It was the only chance she had to save her friends—and it was enough to reignite the flame of courage in her heart.
The van made a sharp left turn. Skye quickly shifted her weight to maintain her balance. Beneath her, Judy slid a few inches to the side, her head disappearing underneath the vixen's tail, before she used one of her giant feet to stop herself. Nick, still unconscious in front of them, skidded straight into the wall, slamming into it face-first.
His eyes snapped open. He jerked his head up and gasped. The two arctic foxes on the bench tensed in unison, prepared to rush the red fox if necessary. His eyes landed on them right away, and after taking a few seconds to analyze his position, he slowly and carefully leaned his head back against the wall, resigned to his fate.
Judy's long ears popped up on either side of Skye's tail. A second later, she raised her head and looked in the direction of the noise. Her eyes widened with delight. "Nick!"
Nick whirled his head, and a look of relief rushed over his face when he saw her. "Oh! Matilda, you're all right!"
Skye raised an eyebrow. "Matilda?"
Judy rolled her eyes. "Yeah. He's fine."
"Why thank you, what a thoughtful compliment." Nick snickered. However, his smile quickly disappeared as he took a look around the van. "Scale of one to ten, Carrots, how bad is it?"
"Well…" Judy thought about it for a moment. "You remember that one movie we watched? The Silent Moose?"
"Say no more." Nick let out a sigh and rested his head against the wall again. "Well, I guess it could be worse. I spent my twenty-fifth birthday stuck in the septic tank underneath the Night Before Gentlemammal's Club in the Canals District."
The two arctic foxes both visibly recoiled at that. Skye winced at the thought, though she knew it was still tame compared with what White Jaws would do to them. Judy's reaction was more subtle; she simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"
"They caught me pretending to be a vixen so I could collect some tips." When all four mammals gawked at him in disbelief, he loudly cleared his throat and quickly added, "Allegedly." He closed his eyes and shivered at the unsavory memory. "I'm telling you guys, that was a real crappy situation—no pun intended. I was down there all night long before they let me out, and even then, only because their customers were complaining about the toilets backing up. It must have taken me two months to get that awful, putrid, repulsive smell out of my fur, and let's not get started on what it did to my—"
"For the love of God!" One of the arctic foxes practically screamed the exclamation and threw his paws up to his ears. "Make it stop! Please, make it stop!"
The other fox pounded on the small window behind him. "Hey!" he yelled. "Are we there yet? Wilde woke up and he's a Code Michael!"
Skye snorted at that. Code Michael meant that Nick's talking alone was enough to make him a threat to White Jaws' operation, and it was an impressive feat that she had only heard once or twice when she had lived in Marble Jade.
Her amusement left her when she remembered what usually happened to enemies of White Jaws who never learned to control their tongues.
The small window slid open, and the fox in the middle seat up front turned around to speak to him. "You're in luck," he answered. "We're just pulling in now."
The first fox took his paws off his ears and pointed at Nick. "If you know what's good for you, you will shut your mouth and not open it again!" He turned his attention to the two girls. "And that goes for you, too!"
Nick smiled. "You want me to shut up? Okay, I'll shut up. You won't hear another peep out of me! I wouldn't dream of going on and on and—"
"Shut up!" the fox screamed. Nick finally obeyed, loudly clamping his mouth shut and lowering his head in submission. The fox snarled with one last warning and leaned back in his seat. "That's better."
Skye took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare herself for what was about to happen next, but knowing she could never truly be ready. It was bad enough when she had to endure all the pain and punishment of Marble Jade when she was a member of White Jaws. But now she was their prisoner—and she would undoubtedly be punished for escaping, as well, once they found out who she was.
Courage, Skye… She closed her eyes and tried desperately to reassure herself. Courage. For your friends. You're their only hope.
The next minute or two was spent in complete silence as the van continued driving, before it slowly came to a stop. As soon as it did, the two arctic foxes stood up from the bench. One walked over to Nick, grabbed him by the collar of his coat with both paws, and lifted him to his feet effortlessly. The other walked over to Judy and Skye and, instead of grabbing them, simply stood over them.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He crossed his arms. "Your choice."
Judy seemed ready to put up a fight, but Skye gently nudged her with her knee. "Do as he says," she whispered. Reluctantly, the bunny readjusted herself and stumbled to her feet. Skye followed a moment later, and the fox placed a paw on either of their shoulders.
The van door opened from the outside. The vixen from before stood there with the fox whose tail and ear she had bitten; his injuries were still plainly visible, and he sneered as soon as she locked eyes with him. The snow was coming down much more heavily now, already coating the foxes in a layer of white powder, and making it impossible to see much from their current vantage point.
The vixen raised a finger and curled it. "Come this way," she ordered. "And if you try to run, you're dead. Understood?"
The foxes pushed the three of them forward before they could respond. Nick was practically thrown out of the van, only just managing to land on his feet outside. The fox escorting Judy and Skye was a bit more gentle, merely guiding them to the van door and letting them walk on their own. Judy hopped out of the van first, giving Skye a chance to poke her head out the door and look around to take in her surroundings.
The heavy snowfall made it difficult to make out too many details, but she was already familiar enough with the place to know exactly what she was looking at. They were parked on the side of a small street that went straight through a tiny town. The buildings were all fox-sized, and none of them were bigger than two or three stories tall. The only other vehicles in sight were matching vans with various fake logos painted on the sides. Somewhere far away, a train whistle echoed ominously, and a puff of black smoke marked the spot beyond the buildings where it was currently stationed.
Countless arctic foxes were walking all around, most of them dressed in the same black clothing her captors wore, and many of them carrying large cardboard boxes. The vast majority of the foxes had a certain look on their face that she had seen in her mirror countless times: hopelessness. The few who did not have such looks were busy barking orders and yelling derogatory insults at the rest of them. Some of them were even using their fists and teeth to get their point across, all while their unfortunate victims could only stand there and take it without resisting in the slightest.
Skye felt her heart drop at the sight. She was back. It finally sank in: after running away for so long, she was back in Marble Jade.
The fox behind her gave her a small nudge. She obediently dropped down to the ground, rejoining Judy and Nick. The fox with the injured tail now stood beside her, and he looked like he wanted nothing more in the world than to hurt her right now, but he held back while the vixen in charge walked to the front of the group and began to lead them away from the van.
With foxes surrounding them on all sides, the group had little choice but to follow. The vixen led them across the street and up to the building directly in front of them. It was the only building in town that was different from the others; whereas the other buildings were all utilitarian in design and function, this one was a proper residence. The front of the house sported a large awning that covered the double-door entrance—the only doors in town big enough to accommodate animals larger than a fox—and two more arctic foxes stood at attention on either side of the doorway. They opened the doors for the group as they approached, spreading them wide and standing aside so they could walk in.
A blast of hot air welcomed Skye as she walked past the threshold. It only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darker environment. They were in the main foyer of the residence. A massive staircase was in front of them, leading to a pair of balconies and several doors upstairs. On their current level, a series of passageways split off from the main room, each turning a sharp corner almost immediately and making it impossible to know what secrets lay beyond. The room was lit exclusively with candles, though there were dozens of them spread throughout, which provided heat as well as luminance. Just as outside, several arctic foxes were running around, all of them too busy with their work to notice the group that had just entered.
The doors closed behind Skye with a loud thud, and she tried to fight off the feeling that she might have just seen sunlight for the last time in her life. The lead vixen turned to the passageway on the far right and led them into it. As soon as they turned the corner, a hallway appeared in front of them, lined on both sides by numerous doors. Skye had been here too many times to count, so she already guessed where they were going, and a few seconds later, her worst fears were realized.
The vixen stopped in front of one of the doors on the left. She unceremoniously pushed it open and stepped aside so the group could enter. Nick was pushed through first by the fox that was handling him. The injured arctic fox followed them, and then Judy and Skye walked in together. Their bodyguard trailed them, and finally, the vixen.
It was a waiting room. The walls were painted a deep shade of green, and the carpet was an even darker shade with an interesting pattern. A wooden desk was in the center of the room, and beyond it, a fire was lit in the fireplace on the wall. A second door was inside the wall to the right, and a leather couch pressed against the wall to the left. Three large lights were spaced across the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft, warm glow.
Under different circumstances, the room might have felt welcoming. But right now, it felt like a prison, and there was no way out.
The fox behind Nick kicked the backs of his legs, forcing him down to his knees. The fox behind Judy and Skye pressed down on their shoulders, coaxing them to do likewise. They complied. The three of them were still bound, with their wrists tied behind their backs, and there was nothing they could do but obey.
The injured fox stepped in front of them and leaned against the desk. "Okay, listen up. I'm only going to say this once, so make sure you pay attention." He spread his arms wide. "You are now the prisoners of White Jaws. Do as we say and you will live another day. Otherwise…"
The vixen stepped up and continued. "If you try to run away, you will die. If you try to rebel against White Jaws, you will die. If you speak to fellow prisoners without permission, you will die. If you in any way try to contact the outside world, you will die." She looked at the three of them one by one as she spoke. "You will be given food for your work. You will be given a place to rest your head. If you treat White Jaws well, White Jaws will treat you well. If not, you will die."
The injured fox walked up to Nick. "And as for you…" He leaned down at the red fox and sneered. "You should consider yourself lucky. The boss wanted you specifically. Not often that happens." He glanced at the two girls. "Which means you two will probably get off easy…" His eyes narrowed at Skye. "Maybe not you."
Skye glared back at him. "You should be more worried about yourself than us."
The fox blinked in surprise. "What was that?" He paced over to her and stood in front of her, baring down on her with an intimidating leer. "You will learn your place, girl." He raised his paw and spread his claws wide, ready to bring them down on her.
The lead vixen cleared her throat, stopping him. "No damaged goods," she reminded him. She cocked her head to the side door. "Go and tell the boss we have Wilde." The injured fox growled under his breath, before lowering his paw and turning around to obey. The vixen turned her attention to her three prisoners. "I suggest you say your good-byes. The boss will want to speak to Wilde alone, and when he does…"
Skye knew what that meant. It meant that Nick was targeted by White Jaws for capture. He would be interrogated and tortured, and then be sent somewhere far away—somewhere even worse than Marble Jade—and be forced to spend the rest of his life in a labor camp. It was the ultimate punishment for the worst enemies of White Jaws.
She couldn't let that happen.
"I want to speak with him, too."
Her words caused the injured fox to freeze in his tracks. He let out a cough in surprise before he whirled around to stare at her in disbelief. "You're joking."
The vixen's eyes widened. "You're joking."
The three other arctic foxes dropped their jaws at her words. Nick and Judy turned and stared at her questioningly; they had no idea what the significance was of her words, but it was obvious they were still taken aback by her sudden outspokenness.
The vixen's lips curled upwards, and a small giggle sounded from her throat. "Oh, sweetie…" Her giggle turned into a chuckle, and then a laugh. The injured fox started laughing as well, and soon the other arctic foxes joined in. They laughed at her so hard that they started doubling over, some of them gripping their bellies to keep themselves from falling over.
"You fool!" The injured fox pounded his fist on his knee as he gasped for breath. "You want to talk to the boss? Just who do you think you are?"
Skye knew that this was her final opportunity to back away. All she needed to do was apologize for the outburst and submit to whatever happened next. They still did not know who she was, and they need not ever know. If she was smart about this, she might even be able to get herself into a position where she could escape from Marble Jade again.
But in her heart, she knew that wasn't an option. Not as long as she could save Nick and Judy. Not as long as even a tiny ember of courage burned in her heart—and right now, it felt more like a roaring fire.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sat up as tall as she could. She opened her eyes again and spoke with an air of authority that she had only rarely invoked in the past.
"I am Chance Faulkner, and I demand to speak to Alex."
The room went dead silent. The five arctic foxes stared at her with wide eyes, their faces slowly turning even whiter than usual underneath their fur.
After several long seconds, the vixen scoffed, finally breaking the silence. "Chance Faulkner is dead," she said dismissively.
The comment should have been a relief to Skye; it meant that she had fully succeeded at faking her death when she had escaped Marble Jade. But it was of little consequence now. She was alive, she was back, and she was determined to save Nick and Judy by any means necessary.
Skye turned to her and held her chin high. "From many, I rise, and they will follow."
It was her personal pledge—the pledge of Chance Faulkner of White Jaws. It was not something that a normal person would know, and those within White Jaws would not dare repeat it without being its rightful owner. And most importantly, it was undeniable proof that she was exactly who she said she was.
The vixen gasped as Skye recited her pledge. She struggled to find words for a second, then whirled to the injured fox and shouted at him, "Get Alex!"
The injured fox jumped at her voice, taken out of his trance, and ran to the door. He threw it open and ran into the dark room beyond, slamming the door behind him probably more intensely than he meant. The other foxes continued to stand still and stare at Skye in awe and disbelief, looking at her as if they were looking at a ghost.
She gave each of them a sneer before turning her attention to the two mammals beside her. Judy was staring at her with a look of bewilderment, not quite sure what she had just witnessed. Nick, however, had a shocked look on his face, but of a different kind than the arctic foxes that surrounded them.
She knew they only had a few seconds before Alex showed up. "Listen carefully," she quickly whispered. "Let me do the talking and I might be able to get you two back home. Don't say anything to him. Got it?"
Judy tentatively nodded her head in understanding, but Nick continued to stare at her with shock. "Alex… Faulkner…" His face shifted as he fell deep in thought. "Was the name of my dad's best friend."
Skye's heart dropped at the revelation. It could only mean one thing—one very bad, very horrible thing—and as much as she wanted to tell Nick what it meant, there was no time. He would be here any second, and she needed to spend as much of her mental energy planning what to say to him when he arrived.
Judy studied her face. "Skye? Are you…?"
She sighed. She had been running from this her whole life—not just Marble Jade and White Jaws, but the truth of who she was. It haunted her every night, and tormented her every day, and no matter how much she ran, she had never been able to escape it. No matter how much she tried to distance herself from the truth, she could not change it, and now it had finally caught up with her.
She closed her eyes and blinked back a tear. It was time to face the truth.
"Yes. He's my father. And he's the leader of White Jaws."