Hi again!
Thank you so much for following the story so far! We're just getting started and there will be many interesting things in the next chapters.
This chapter is mostly about Nick and Finnick, a lot of dialogue included. Plus an introduction of a new character.
Also a small music tweak - I often write inspired by music so I wanted to "include" a song to this chapter. It's Animal I have become by Three Days Grace and fits perfectly for the scene with the cage. Personally I imagined it to be a "soundtrack" for the part 3 of the text. It's an experiment of mine and I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this.
So here comes chapter five!
Enjoy!
The day went by at annoyingly slow pace, as Nick wanted it to be midnight right away. What happened yesterday at Carrots' apartment building only strengthened his resolve to control his savage outbursts. So far he was rather lucky, as nobody was hurt during his attacks. But how long would this luck last?
*Especially with Carrots around…* He thought gloomily.
It was a given that she will push him to enlist as a police officer. He didn't mind it much, as long as the bunny would be his partner. Nick couldn't picture himself in uniform next to someone he didn't know, let alone trust. Carrots was different. He knew that he could trust her with his life, that's the kind of mammal she is. Although her enthusiasm was annoying at times, in general it was almost contagious and even his sarcastic self felt like doing something positive for others. A feeling he thought was dead and buried since he was nine years old. A child like confidence that the world could be good or that you could become a hero to help it improve.
She earned his gratitude and for that he was willing to aid her in any way possible to achieve her goals. But that meant he had to fully control his savage side. And Nick didn't mind going through sweat, blood and tears to achieve it. Carrots was that much of a precious friend to him.
*Friend…* Nick repeated in his mind. For some reason he felt this word was somehow off regarding Carrots. He shook his head as a familiar van stopped next to him.
"Ya ready?" Finnick greeted him.
Nick jumped into the passenger seat. "For anything." He replied.
.
.
The two foxes decided on a routine for the rest of the week. They would do their regular pawpsicle job and meet at night at the junkyard for Nick's training.
This time he was practically urging the fennec to prepare the equipment.
"Wha's wrong with ya today? Yer all fired up." Finnick noted.
"I just want to have it under control as soon as possible." The red fox replied instantly.
His friend didn't look convinced. "O—kay… And why the new rush?"
Nick grabbed the steel bars. "Just play the CD, will you?" His voice had an annoyed tune to it.
Finnick raised his paw to the button, but hesitated and withdrew it.
"No."
Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What?"
The small fox crossed his arms. "First yer gonna' tell me wha's the problem here."
"There is NO problem!" Nick exclaimed.
Finnick was unfazed. "Yeah, right. So why yer yellin' at me?"
The red fox opened his mouth and stopped. He realized that his friend had a point. Nick covered his eyes with one paw and let out a heavy sigh.
"Just… give me a sec, okay?" He stabilized his breathing and calmed down after few moments. "I came across a rabbit yesterday. When the smell hit me… I thought I was going to rip it to shreds." Nick hoped that Finnick won't pry what specific rabbit he was talking about. Thankfully, he didn't.
"Okay, but wha's that got to do with yer haste?"
The red fox opened his mouth, closed it, opened again and couldn't voice out the answer. But he would have to say it sooner or later, so why not now?
"Carrots asked me… to join the ZPD." He stated flatly.
Finnick froze. To be precise, not a single muscle in his body moved, not a twitch of the eyes or trembling ears.
"Uh, Fin?"
Finally, the fennec's eyes regained their focus. "You? Join the cops?" Every words sounded like the little fox was chewing something disgusting.
Nick sat down, his back leaning on the cage's bars. "I know, Fin. I know. That's crazy, isn't it?"
"Ya bet it is! Are ya out of yer mind?! The cops?!"
"Hey, I never considered to be one before, ok?"
"But now ya do?" Finnick snorted.
"I owe her, all right?! She saved my life before!" The red fox raised his voice.
"And ya didn't bite her to death, you're even!"
"That's not the same!"
"Oh, really?" Finnick rolled his eyes.
Nick clenched his paws in a fit of anger.
*Wait, no. That's not the way. You knew he was going to be upset. No point in having a shouting contest.* He decided to change the course of their conversation.
"Fin…" He said with a softer voice. "Have you ever thought what you'll do after the pawpsicle thing?"
The fennec looked genuinely surprised with the question. "Wha? Wha's yer-"
"Did you?" Nick cut in.
Finnick went quiet for a moment. "No" He said eventually. "I didn't. Probably some other hustle. And another one after that."
"Yeah, me too… But…" Nick looked his friend directly in the eye. "What's the point?"
The fennec's jaw dropped. "Dude… yer gettin' philosophical here! It' just about the money!"
The red fox shrugged. "Yeah, we got the money. And what do we spend it on?"
Finnick was about to answer but Nick continued. "I've realized that I'm tired of going around in circles. Sell stuff, buy stuff, sell stuff…" He sighed. "Fin, I meant what I said before. I owe her for making me realize that there are other things to do out there and that they could make some sense."
The little fox shook his head. "Yer not makin' any…" He said, but with a much calmer voice.
Nick laughed. "Maybe I'm not. You can think of me as a madman, but it makes enough sense for me." He turned his head up, to look at the night sky through the cage. "I'm not going back to being a swindler, Fin. I just couldn't stand it anymore. It would be boring. It'll be much more fun balancing on that thin line between the law and street life. But for that I need to know that I can control myself."
With Finnick still looking unconvinced, Nick sighed and used a phrase that, for a loner like him, was more difficult than any other. "Help me, please."
Hearing that, the fennec slid a paw down his face in an irritated gesture. "Fine! I'll do it! Just stop with all tha fancy talk, alright?" He pointed a finger at Nick. "And you'll owe me big time for this."
The red fox's expression could warm up any friend's heart. "You can count on it, buddy."
.
.
Nick took this training even more seriously than before. No half measures, no holding back. Every time Finnick played the recording, he didn't just wait for the savagery to come, he embraced it. Diving deep into his own subconsciousness and letting the rage flood his mind and soul. And only then he started fighting it. Resisting the full force of the serum's effects was the only way to have it completely under control.
For the fennec it wasn't the prettiest view. The red fox thrashed around the cage, clawing at the steel or even trying to bite it. With bloodshot, wide open eyes and barred fangs he was a sight to be feared. A red, blurred streak of furry rage condensed into such small space. And they repeated this process over and over again. Every time the rage subsided and Nick was able to speak again, the first word that would come out of his mouth would be 'Again'. Submerging himself in the anger and resurfacing again. His savage growls echoed around the junkyard creating an eerie chorus. Even with the exhaustion and pain piling up in his body, Nick wouldn't let up. Despite the huge burden he stood up time and time again, ready for the next round. And even though Nick was gradually getting weaker, the fierceness of the savage attacks remained the same. This lasted for several hours. At some moments, Finnick thought that the cage would break from the impact with which the red fox slammed at the bars. Claws and fangs in a whirlwind of attacks directed at anything in their range. Any object thrown into the cage would born torn to shreds. Finnick didn't even want to imagine what would happen if some mammal would have ended trapped inside this primal hurricane. It was a truly frightening thought and gave the fennec some idea why his friend was so focused on controlling this. Because such vicious force without restraint would definitely end up in a bloodshed. And blood has just now been spilled when few scarlet droplets landed on the Finnick's surprised face. He touched his fur and saw the bloody traces on his paw. His eyes shot wide open as his head turned immediately to Nick. Some of the steel bars were smeared with red. The red fox's fury lasted for a few more minutes when he eventually collapsed to the ground.
Finnick ignored the danger and ran towards the cage. "Nick!" He yelled.
His friend blinked and gasped for air, like a diver resurfacing from under the water.
"Nick!"
"Fin… Again…" The red fox hauled himself up to his feet.
"No, ya don't! Yer bleedin'!" The fennec shouted at him.
"What?" Nick examined his body with a tired gaze. Indeed, his skin was cut in few places and his claws were painted red with blood. "Ah, right." He said in a sloppy manner as if he was drunk.
Finnick struggled with the lock. "Get yer butt outta there and I'll hava ya fix those wounds!"
"I need… to train…"
The fennec almost jumped into the cage and started dragging Nick from there. "Ya train when I tell ya to."
When they finally patched the red fox up, he more or less looked like a victim of a car accident.
"Woow, always wanted to dress up as a mummy." Nick stated sarcastically.
"Shut it! And be grateful it's nothin' serious."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Finnick slumped on the ground next to his friend. "Nick… This ain't workin'…"
The red fox's ears perked up hearing this. "Of course it's working! I can feel the progress."
"Oh yeah? Well, I ain't seein' any."
"Fin, I've got to do this…"
Finnick opened his mouth and paused for a moment. He crossed his paws. "Ya need help Nick."
Nick rested his muzzle on one paw. "You're helping me, Fin."
The fennec shook his head. "I mean professional help."
The red fox blinked and then narrowed his eyes. "You're not suggesting…"
"I am." Finnick stated firmly. "Go see a quack."
"Are you out of mind?" Nick almost growled.
"I'm very serious."
Finnick saw his friend lean down to him with a menacing expression. "And let them muzzle me as a savage mammal? Do I have to remind you what happened five years ago?"
The little fox shivered at the sudden memory that came to his mind. Five years ago he wanted to make a prank on Nick and while he was distracted, quickly put a muzzle on him. What happened afterwards was a panic attack and a history of several fractured bones, deep cuts and almost a gouged out eye. Finnick unconsciously rubbed his forepaw, where a long scar was hidden under the fur – a memento of a prank gone bad.
"Okay, wait. How 'bout this: I got a friend who's a doc… of sorts and she could try an' help ya, no questions asked, no hospital, no muzzles."
Nick calmed down a bit and raised a brow. "What doc?"
Unexpectedly, Finnick fidgeted a bit before answering." Well… she's a… shrink."
The red fox straightened up, his gaze focused somewhere far away. "I see."
"She's a pro Nick! And she won't go yappin' around that yer savage or anythin'!"
"You think I'm mental."
This time Finnick looked annoyed. "Normal mammals don't need to lock 'emselves in a cage, ya know?"
Nick sighed, looking defeated. "Alright, you have a point. But I don't like this."
"Yer not supposed to 'like it'. It's meant to help ya."
Nick raised his paws. "Fine, fine! I'll go see her, satisfied? But I won't stop this training, that's my condition."
Finnick spat on the ground. "Who said ya can make any?"
"You want me to visit her or not?"
The fennec frowned and averted his gaze. "Okay." He said eventually. "But not today. It's almost 4 and ya look like a wreck anyway."
Nick nodded without any other word, knowing when not to push an issue.
.
.
The next day they took a break from their usual routine so Nick could go to see Finnick's acquaintance. The fennec set him a visit at 1 PM. He got the address written down in his smartphone and found the place with no trouble. He knew the entire city like a back of his paw so he'd probably could get here blindfolded. Nick was a bit surprised when he got the location from Finnick, as this was one of the more expensive areas in Savannah Central. And it was a normal apartment building, only from the higher class.
A receptionist stopped him in the entrance hall. "Can I help you?" Asked the neatly trimmed raccoon in a suit.
"Well, yes. I'm here to see miss Shavala." Nick replied with his business smile.
"Of course. Second floor, apartment number 24." Said the raccoon without batting an eye.
*Weirdo.* Nick thought and headed for the stairs.
He found the right door in just few minutes. Putting his phone in the pocket, Nick took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
*Well, here goes nothing…*
When the door opened the red fox's jaw almost dropped to the floor. Only the years of training his facial expressions prevented it from happening. Before him stood the most stunning vixen he has ever seen in his life. From the well-groomed fur, very slight and natural make up, divine figure to elegant, simple shirt and skirt, she was the embodiment of perfection.
"Mr. Wilde, I presume." She said in a voice that vibrated softly in his ears like finest silk.
"In person." His mouth answered without any intervention of the brain.
She invited him inside with a gesture. "Please, come in." His legs nearly buckled, but he managed to walk into the apartment.
*Bloody hell, Fin… Friend my butt! You player.* He thought.
The therapist led him into another room and, following her, Nick had the avert his eyes to not look at how her hips swivelled as she walked. They ended up in a spacious office, decorated in a minimalistic but elegant manner. There was a large wooden desk and two big, comfortable armchairs. She gestured towards one of them and Nick sat down. The vixen did the same, in the armchair opposite to him. She took a notepad and a pen. Then he was offered a smile that almost made him melt. Her sapphire eyes studied his face in detail.
"Now then, Mr. Wilde. What brings you here?"