Klaus couldn't bring himself to go to sleep, his mind kept forging scenarios in his head about going after his brother, what if there was no opportunity to apprehend him like they did for Maxwell, what if it had to end in his death, just like Susanna. He laid with his side against the couch facing the cushions, he turned himself around slowly, trying not to make ruffled the cushions squeak, remembering Brax was just a few feet away from him down on the carpet, sleeping soundly with Ell right by his side.
He couldn't blame her, they hadn't seen each other in so long and Ell was concerned that he might have died, they looked happy together despite being in a deep sleep. Klaus peered out the window from where he was laying, judging by the darkness and how little orange glow there was over the horizon, he had a long wait until the house decided to get up. Quietly, he crept from his space on the couch and walk over to the kitchen area, passing the fridge as he eyed it, thinking maybe a drink would put him to sleep better and make him forget, but no, he knew that wouldn't help much. Looking at the backdoor that was in the kitchen, that lead outside.
Maybe a short walk around the property might help him in a way, Luckily for him he was able to sneak out without a sound, jumping out against the door in his usual fashion and twisting the knob, letting it slip open just a bit for him to slip through. Using his head to push the door closed again. He began to walk away from the house, he eyed the barn that was just a short distance away, inside he saw something. An orange glow from the top window of the barn, seemed quite odd to Klaus as he wanted to walk right by and think of it as something that was just the norm around the farm.
Despite that, I might be something dangerous, maybe a lantern that wasn't put out properly, nevertheless curiosity got the better of him, letting his original plan of just taking a walk take a backseat. Klaus paced up to the barn's front, seeing a sling creak in the large red wood doors. As he got closer, he couldn't hear voices, at a whispering volume. He knew it was a male and female, but struggling to make out by voice, he decided to peak in through the creak in the doors. Inside there was Dash and Dixie, Dash was lying on his side but his head was up, looking at Dixie in a blank stare.
It didn't seem like he was angry with her, it seemed like he was concentrating, like they were enjoying each other's company and conversation. "…happened when I was a little kitten, Dixon once got caught in the stair railing, He was wailing like a baby for an hour" Dixie could barely keep her voice down as she began to chuckle in between her words, remembering the time of her brother getting into scenarios.
Aside from Dixie, There was Dash who seemed to take pleasure in the story, he smiled and chuckled along with her, although not as much as Dixie, but he did find humour in the tale. "Eventually my mom slipped some butter on his neck and we got him out, Little kitten me thought he was going to die, but now that I look back at it I was just being stupid, I guess that's something that doesn't change about me" Dixie flicked her tail.
"Don't say that, you're not stupid. I'd go as far as to say you're the most quick-witted cat I've had the pleasure of meeting"
"I don't suppose you've met many cats in general" Dixie commented with a smile.
"Didn't always have to be like that"
"It never was, At least on the books anyway, I just don't get why this problem is even a thing, Dogs and Cat can get along, its not what we are, Its how we're taught"
"Its not as simple as that Dixie, Its been years of dogs enduring abuse and being pushed over, Some cats like you rush up to a dog for a hug, but all a dog sees is an attack, so we think we have to defend ourselves, because that's what we've been taught, because its not going to end"
"That's not true, like my dad always said 'The finish line is closer than you think when you don't realize it', You'll see" Dixie echoed her father's quote, not knowing it if struck a cord with the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
"I suppose, Thank you Dixie" He retorted.
"For what?"
"For listening and understanding, So many other cats would have just scratched and clawed and told me to get lost, but you were different. You're a sweet kitty" He said, his tail wagged.
"Awwww, that's so sweet from a dog that wanted nothing more than to kill me a few days ago. What about the others, are they 'Sweet Kitties' too?"
"Only you, and don't tell anyone I said that….Please, still getting used to that word" Dash grunted.
"Its okay, I like our after-midnight chatters, Its fun, and worth the early morning coffee to keep me up" Dixie replied. Klaus appreciated their conversation and insight on how a lot of dogs felt about the cultural clashes between their feline foes.
Klaus realizing this mystery of the orange light on the top floor of the barn was nothing to be concern about if Dash and Dixie were already in there, feeling as if there was nothing left to discover he began the motion to turn around and head the other way back to the house, however the way he was positioned close to the door made him loose his balance on one side of his body, falling right over onto the door and pushing it further open with his body.
Both Dixie and Dash jumped at the sudden movement, making Dash spring up in a combat stance in front of Dixie, slowly he realized who it was and lowered his guard, but not completely. "What are you doing here" Dash demanded.
"I….couldnt sleep, and I saw the lights were on in here" Klaus half explained, omitting the fact he was eavesdropping on their talk for a good portion of it. "Well, we're just talking about stuff, You're more than welcome to join" Dixie invited, Klaus looked past Dash to see the feline's welcoming smile and flick of her paws to come forward, however Dash's body language told him a different message, a message to keep his distance. "Can you both be quiet down there!" A voice shouted from above, all three looked up to see Lily, she was on the top floor of the barn looked down on them.
"I came in here to get some peace and quiet so I can sort out my stuff, not to hear constant yapping and growling" Lily peered down
"Sorry, We'll be quiet this time" Dixie insisted, Lily just rolled her eyes at the top looked down on the time, she muttered something under her breathe but Klaus couldn't tell what it was. "I'm gonna see what shes up to instead, Thanks anyways" Klaus made a speedy dash for a ladder that sprang upward to the second floor, waving his paw at the two as he climbed upward.
It was a tall barn, making it a tall climb for a ladder, The last thing Klaus wanted to do was stay still and look down, Didn't take long for him to reach the time and come face to face with what Lily was talking about, it was an entire evidence board. Complete with thumbtacks and string to tie it all together in the usual fashion. Different coloured strings wrapping around one thing to stretch to another, It was like something you'd see in a movie.
"Wow, How long did it take you to do all of this" Klaus asked, stepping forward and extending his paw out to touch the board and take a closer look, almost immediately receiving a hard smack on his paw by Lily's. "Don't touch, and It took me almost all night. This is the pinnacle of all of my work" She explained, looking much closer he saw the pictures of the different cats that needed to be taken down, Maxwell and Susanna were X'ed out with a marker for obvious reasons, and a big circle was drawn over Reno, signaling he was next.
Klaus eyed the photo of his brother, it was a professional photo that had his brother looking straight at the camera, a flag with the county's seal on it behind him, Him wearing his Green Campaign hat and his badge. "You worried?" Lily asked.
"A-About what?" Klaus asked defensively.
"Its not an easy thing to go up against the head of an entire police force, It'll take some some planning for sure, but Im pretty confident it'll turn out like the others" Lily stated, reach over to her evidence board to sort out more photos.
Klaus perked up at her comment, what exactly did she mean by 'like the others'. Well obviously, she meant Maxwell and Susanna, but both of those ended in two different scenarios. "An Arrest, Right?" Klaus asked.
"If that's possible, You sure you could stomach that?" She asked, a question out of nowhere, seemed like an odd thing to ask. "Ummm, I guess so, Why ask?"
"I guess Brothers look out for each other, no matter" Her words shocked Klaus to his core, how did Lily know he was Reno's brother. "H-How on earth did you-"
"The way you talk about him, your body language when he's mentioned, eye contact, Your similar looking fur patterns and noses. There a whole laundry list of ways to tell when you pay attention" She explained.
"How long have you known?" He asked.
"A few days ago, when the prison was destroyed, I tracked you down to a diner and saw you having a little sit down with him, overheard your conversation and such" She explained. Klaus recalled that day, meeting his brother in the diner that Susanna once was famous for, He remembered that things his brother offered him, a safe way out of the county without being noticed, an offer Klaus turned down for the sake of the dogs.
"Klaus, I know its hard and I know what you're asking, but the reality is some things are just left to chance, no one has control over the future or what you're brother does, unless you can willingly talk him into FBI Custody then well….you're going to have to expect the worse just in case" Lily place a paw on Klaus, trying to usher in some words that might calm his nerves about it all.
Klaus stared down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact, she could tell it was words he needed to hear, but it wasn't the words he wanted to hear. "Just go back to sleep Klaus, Time stands still for no one" was all Lily could say, getting back to her board.
Reno, like the lawcat he was, kept a steady pace down the road in his unmarked car. It was unusual for the Sheriff himself to be out on patrol, doing the things his deputies would normally do. However it was the early morning still, just a few hours after Reno had left the scene of where Susanna was found dead as well as her mass of corpses she was responsible for. Close to the afternoon, the sun was up and Reno eyed the car radio, he had it off for the time being, even though if he turned it on, he already know it was be the talk of the town.
He was glad he left when he did, knowing the news was probably already there gathering juicy statements and comments, especially wanting one from the Sheriff. Regardless, Reno breathed in and out, knowing he had to know eventually what they were going to say. He padded the button on the center, letting the radio flick to static words before it was easily understood. "A Terrible scene on East Wilkly Road, A building swarmed with police and numerous bodies of both dogs and cats being hauled out, one of them being Susanna. We can't get any further details about what happened, but detectives are not ruling out foul play. We could be expecting a comment from the Mayor or the Sheriff later today, but that remains up the air" The reporter stated, of course the media would call him out, wanting him to say something.
Reno slowed down his car as he pulled into a residential neighbourhood, he saw not many cats outside their homes, usually he would see some kittens playing in the front yard with other kittens, maybe a few old cats taking a walk along the sidewalk, or just a cat doing yard work, but there was nobody. They must all have seen the news, More dogs out of the loose after Susanna's death. They must be scared to death, that fear and hatred of dogs still alive in them. He slowled turned right onto a small driveway, a nice white picket fence and clean cut lawn, seemed like the most average American home.
"Sheriff, Is that you, Hello Sheriff!" Reno heard from his side, It was the neighbour from next door, he was on his porch and came walking up to where the white fence was. Reno didn't know who this was, but decided a hello was the default response. "Howdy" He replied.
"Hey Sheriff, You think everything is gonna be okay?" The feline asked, Reno knew exactly what he was referring to, and he honestly didn't have a good enough answer. "I…I…Im sure we'll all be fine, I'll talk about it more when Im with the media" He replied.
"Oh good, Because that's the last thing we need, More dogs roaming around and causing crimes. Im worried about my kittens , Everyone is" He stated, knowing his suspicion was confirmed since nobody was outside beside him, and even he looked on edge, as if a dog was ready to leap out of a bush and take his life.
"Mr. Sheriff"
"Just call me Reno"
"Alright, Reno, We'll I gotta say, Even before all of these things started happened with the prison and the protests-" He went on, that one word 'protests' catching Reno's attention. "Protests? What protests?" He asked.
"Don't you know, There have been a lot of protests against the Mayor, They say they don't like how the Mayor is acting toward dogs, thinking hes been unfair with them. I mean they're kinda right, but its for the sake of cats, right?" He asked, Reno wasn't entirely listening though, How could all of this slip under him and he didn't even know, how were there protests against the Mayor and nothing was said, he couldn't even remember a news segment about it being mentioned, It was alien to him.
"I mean, me personally I like the Mayor, but he kinda been….iffy with his views recently, like hes been on the decline recently, More anxious, More scared, You think he might lose the next election?" The feline asked.
"Uhhh..Y-Yeah sure, tell you what I'll talk to him about it in the future" Reno replied, well that was for sure, he was surely going to get some answers about these protests hes heard nothing about. "I forgot to mention, Why are you here, I've never seen you live around here" He stated.
"I don't, I just came here for a personal matter" Right as he said, Behind him came a frail voice. "Reno?" Reno turned around and saw Tyran, It was his house he had came to. Tyran was without his aviators, a rare sight to be honest, his voice sounded horse as he had been shouting all night, Reno could see he looked visibly upset and twisted with emotion.
"I'll uhhh…leave now, Wife is probably calling me, Thank you for your service Sheriff" He called after as he turned tail and paced back toward his own home, Reno flicked his tail goodbye to the car, turned back toward Tyran. Reno's heart felt like it was going to burst as he took off his campaign hat in respect. "Im sorry Tyran, I know how much she meant to you"
"She meant the world and beyond, I never thought I'd love in a reality where I would never see her again, I remember yesterday talking with her on the phone. She said she was chopping meat and we just talked for a short while" He stated.
"I know, Griffin is suffering as much as you are when it comes to this, he lost his sister and he's going have to expect us to pick up the weight"
"B-But, We can't, I can't, I'm just a singer and actor, I wasn't made to be doing this kind of stuff. I just decided to be a part of this to be closer with Susanna since here brother was the leader" Tyran poured out his emotion. Reno knew from the start Tyran wasn't the typical criminal enterprise type of cat, he was just a pretty face meant to smile and wave for the cameras.
"I know, but good luck explaining all of that to Griffin, you'd be lucky if some of your words made it through one ear. Griffin has lost faith in going unnoticed by the Federal Government, he's just trying to create as much plausible deniability as he can until the Government sends its goons to come and snag us"
"I don't think I can do this anymore, I need to go, leave and never come back, I've already plan a-"
"Tyran you cant, Even if you could leave the county unnoticed Griffin would just hire hitmen to take you out. Leaving is off the table"
"Then what do you think I can do"
"Tyran, that's why I came here, I need your help with something, and its different from the warrant thing. Cats around the county are going off the edge with everything that's been going on. I just need you to do what you do best, calm the people, They wont listen to the Sheriff and they wont listen to the Mayor, You're more in touch with people than the both of us" Reno explained.
"I-I guess so, but what can I do?" He asked.
"Figure it out, I cant spoon feed you, Im already tied enough as it is with Griffin. Just talking to you right now is putting me on edge. I know you plan on attending Susanna's wake, so maybe that would be an opportunity" Reno replied.
"M-Maybe" He replied.
"Maybe isn't good enough, Griffin is hanging on by a thread in terms of power, and if goes down, we go down too"
"Do you even think we're going to live through this?"
"Truth be told Tyran, I don't know"