Hey guys!
Aand here we are with chapter 20!
Real quick: next chapter will be the last about the academy, we'll be visiting Bunny Burrow again, Nick is going to meet Judy's boyfriend and he'll have to make a choice between his life and lives of several bunnies.
Yeah, lots of good stuff ahead ;)
Chapter 20
After the morning training, during their lunch break, the trio sat down in the gym to discuss the latest events. But Nick suggested they should do it in a unique way – on paper. Since they have been recorded earlier, they should minimize the risk of that situation happening again.
The fox scribbled on the piece of paper on the floor.
We need to know how they were able to get such a recording.
Jackie took the pen.
I have no idea, but knowing my father everything is possible.
Marcus took his turn.
Could they have slipped you a bug or something like that?
The cheetah shrugged.
I don't know. Besides I would have to have it on me the whole time. And I don't wear any jewelry or an
She froze, her hand motionless over the paper. Then her eyes narrowed and an angry snarl rattled in her throat.
„That bastard!" She exclaimed, throwing the pen. Her friends gave her puzzled looks.
"What is it?"
Her paw shot up to her mouth and she started feeling around the teeth with her fingers. Eventually stopped, grabbed a particular tooth and pulled. She shut her eyes tightly and grunted in pain, but didn't stop pulling.
Marcus and Nick were shocked at her actions and weren't exactly sure what she was doing. And she pulled and pulled with great determination, even with the pain visible on her face. And she growled in disappointment. Then, to the fox's utter surprise she grabbed his paw and shoved it into her mouth and placed his fingers on the tooth she was pulling at.
"Wha-" He began.
"Pull!"
His eyes widened. "Bu-"
"Do it!" She barked.
He stopped arguing and grabbed the tooth between his thumb and index finger. Then he pulled. The girl groaned, but ushered him with a move of her paw to continue. Deciding that a quick solution would the best, Nick flexed muscles in his arm and pulled with great strength in an instant motion. Jackie squealed as the fox's paw jerked from her mouth, holding a bloodied tooth. She covered her cheek with a paw, clearly suffering, but her eyes betrayed satisfaction about the result.
Marcus was staring at what happened with a furrowed brow.
Before either of the males could say anything, Jackie snatched the tooth from Nick's paw, dropped it on the ground and smashed it with her fist. They heard a crunch.
"Ok, what was that about?" The fox dared to ask.
The cheetah pointed at the remains of her tooth. Both predators leaned down and examined the bits on the floor. And their eyes widened. Before them lay tiny electronic pieces of a micro device of some sort.
She touched the spot where the tooth was before and winced in pain, her finger returning tainted with blood. "Argh, blast it! Anyone got tissue paper? Few days before my leave to the academy I fell off a motorbike and broke a tooth. My father sent me to a dentist, of course 'the best in the city' and told him to fix me with a new one. I should've thought that something's fishy about it."
Nick looked up at her.
"Wait, you're saying that you own father made someone to implant you with a recording device in your tooth?"
She nodded as Marcus drew a sharp breath. "Okay, now I officially despise your old man."
Nick still couldn't exactly believe it. *What kind of a sicko you have to be to do this?!* He grit his teeth and made his decision. Whatever happens, he will protect Jackie from the psychopath that named himself her father. He slapped his knees. "All right, I'd like to call for a vote!" They turned their heads to him. "Paws up who is for the idea of declaring this a state of war between us and Jackie's maniac family member?" He raised his own arm.
The cheetah blinked. Marcus only grinned and raised a paw.
The girl shook her head with a small smile and opened her mouth to speak, but Nick didn't let her do it as he pointed a finger at her. "Outvoted! You got no say in this."
Jackie blinked again and after few moments her arms slightly trembled when she chuckled.
.
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The next thing on their agenda was filling in Rupert on the events of last night, but initially leaving out the part about fighting with Jackie's father bodyguards. They unanimously agreed that it wouldn't be fair to the big mammal to keep it a secret from him. So after dinner all four gathered in the room and explained the facts to the shy elephant one by one. Several times he made scared expressions but didn't react in any other way.
"Ehm, so to sum up… Jack is actually Jackie, Marcus is a killer for hire-"
"Was." The tiger interjected, emphasizing the word.
"Oh, right. Was. Um… and Nick is one of those savage animals?"
Jackie nodded. "Yup, that would be all."
Rupert glanced at the fox. "Well, I hope you'll get better."
Nick's jaw almost dropped down. He just told him that he sometimes changes into a ferocious savage and he got a response like he'd just admitted to having a cold.
Marcus cleared his throat. "And we'll have to deal with her crazy father." He pointed at the cheetah.
Rupert scratched the top of his head with his trunk. "Uh, crazy? His speaking has improved greatly since the first day and he stopped stuttering completely. He still was a shy guy of few words but no longer a total stranger to others around him. Many talks they shared in the evenings in their room played a huge part in it. Also the fact that the huge mammal was friendly to a fault. As they discussed in more detail the situation of each of the three predators, he would simply nod and sometimes make a surprised expression. And Nick could tell that it was all genuine feelings. The elephant just didn't even consider that they weren't keeping him out of the loop out of spite or because they didn't trust him. If they wanted to keep quiet, he just had to accept it as a fact.
"I have a question." He said with uncertainty. "May I?"
Jackie waved a paw to encourage him. "Knock yourself out."
"Why are you telling me this exactly now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we've been here for half a year already and you mentioned that you started your night training few months' back. You kept it a secret for so long, why tell me now? Is this connected with that 'crazy father' thing?"
Nick raised his brows in surprise. *I'll be damned… This guy may look slow on the outside, but sure knows how to put facts together. He'll make a good cop…* He winced when it hit him what he just thought. *Bloody hell, I've started thinking like Carrots.*
"Back to 'crazy' issue…" Marcus interrupted his thinking process. "We've dealt with the first confrontation, but new ones are certain to follow. And that could've affected you too. We decided that it would be only fair for you to know too. In case anything happens." He explained plainly.
The elephant processed the message. "Oh, okay." And that seemed to be it.
After this talk most of them agreed that it was time to study, crazy fathers or not. Most, but not Nick. He grabbed his training clothes and headed for the door.
Jackie raised her eyes from the book. "Hey! Not going to study?" She asked him.
The fox paused at the door frame. "Already did."
"This brick?" She said in disbelief, picking up the heavy book.
He smiled and tapped the side of his head with two fingers. "All in here."
She shook her head in something close to admiration, with a small mix of jealousy. "You must have a really good memory."
His smile widened in response as he waved his paw for goodbye and disappeared in the corridor.
.
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Later that evening his was in the middle of his punching bag routine when he noticed someone's presence in the gym. It wasn't as obvious as one would expect from a fellow cadet. *An outsider? One of Crazy Daddy's henchmen?* He didn't stop his exercise to not let the intruder know that he has been already discovered. Actually, it was her. Nick's nose informed him that the mysterious someone was definitely a female. It was then, when the fox recognized the smell. He had to give it to her, that she was very quiet. Even with his enhanced hearing, Nick could barely hear the pawsteps. But they became clearer as that person approached him slowly from behind.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" He said out loud.
The polar bear snorted in irritation. "You can try to dodge."
Nick's ears shot up and he jumped sideways. The instructor's fist punched the air. The fox spun around to face the opponent equipped with boxing gloves.
"Good reaction. Want to try dodging the second one?" She took a step forward.
Nick kept his distance. "I didn't know that the academy held surprise sparring matches." He replied.
"We don't." She threw a fast jab, clearly with enough power to knock out a fox. He dodged again, swiftly escaping to the side. She pressed on, her attacks quick, precise and heavy. It was obvious she wasn't slacking off as an instructor. But none of those strikes reached their target as the fox danced around her with ease.
"Not going to attack, little pest?" She mocked him, throwing another punch.
Nick sidestepped, letting the blow past right next to his head. "Oh please, my mother would be crestfallen if she'd learn I hit a woman."
"Excuses." She snarled. "Or maybe you're too scared to attack someone?"
"Not really."
"Then why I don't see your name on top of the list when it comes to sparring ring?"
Nick clicked his tongue at her words.
The ring.
He was very cautious when it came to official sparring matches. Using too much force could easily lead to dangerous questions. After all, how much strength a normal fox could have? Certainly not enough to knock out a mammal twice his size. So he always restrained himself.
With one exception.
One day he was again paired up against Savannski. And the zebra clearly had no intention of holding back. But he didn't have a chance to do anything as the fox instantly stepped in, closing the distance and hitting the zebra on the jaw from the side. The prey made a shocked face and collapsed on the ground. Instant knockout. Most of the cadets didn't have any deeper thoughts about it and just cheered the fox. But not the polar bear. And one or two instructors. But at least he never had any more trouble with the bullies anymore. Some kind of mammals would trample all over you if you give them a chance, but start fighting back and they'll disappear in the face of raw force.
And there was one more thing. Some of the instructors had a rather cold, to say at least, attitude towards the fox. They would give him harder exercises, less time to complete tasks or ask him more questions about the law than the others got. Again, all over being a fox issue. Funny thing, Hartmammal wasn't one of those instructors. He'd scream, yell and insult him, but just as he did with all the other cadets. He sure kept to his word, that he wasn't a speciest. That's why he secretly had a bit of respect for the loud wildebeest.
And apart from that one fight, Nick kept a low profile. Sometimes he'd win, sometimes he'd feign losing. That strategy seemed to be working, but apparently miss White Regulation Book didn't buy his story.
A particularly aggressive swing made him snap back to the present time. A quick step back saved his head from a really bad concussion.
"I won't tolerate this, Wilde!" She snarled, continuing her assault. "You better treat this academy seriously or face the consequences."
He raised a brow, now slightly curious. "What kind of consequences?"
"Expulsion."
He laughed and called her bluff. "Nice try, but there is no regulation that would allow expulsion for 'not trying hard enough'."
She narrowed her eyes in anger. "I know you're hiding something, fox. And know, that I won't rest until I find out what is it." She unleashed a serious of strikes, picking up even more speed, which normally wouldn't be expected from a mammal this size. Yet he skilfully avoided all of them, never allowing a single punch to connect.
"I can do this all day." He smirked at the polar bear.
"So can I!" And she kept pressuring him. What he didn't know was that the instructor had a plan. She was attacking him in patterns that forced him the back away in certain direction. And with another strike she reached her goal. Nick retreated again, but this time his back hit the punching bag, disrupting his timing.
A satisfying grin appeared on the bear's face as she launched her fist forward, straight at his muzzle.
Nick flashed a smug smile. *Fooled you.* He instantly grabbed the bag above his head with claws and heaved himself upwards, effectively sending his body in the air. When the polar predator's paw hit the bag, Nick twirled mid-air and landed on her outstretched arm like a circus acrobat. He presented her a grin of two rows of fangs. A mocking one. In return, she stared at him with mouth ajar.
"Wha…" She breathed out.
Nick jumped off and headed for the exit, putting his paws in the pockets of his trousers. "Don't worry, I'll fulfil Chief's conditions for graduating. That's what matters, right, Albina?" And he left, leaving the stupefied bear behind. And right now she had only one thought on her mind:
HOW THE HELL HE KNOWS HER HIGHSCHOOL NICKNAME?!
.
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When back to the dormitory, Nick was almost to the corridor leading to their room as he heard a voice. Someone was in the lobby, apparently having a heated conversation.
"…I really am!"
*That sounds like Marcus.* The fox headed to the source of the voice.
"Wait, please listen to me!" He pleaded. It was a tone of voice Nick never heard him using.
"Icy, I beg of you… a minute of your time. One minute!" This time it was desperate. The fox reached a corner and looked around it. The tiger was pacing back and forth the empty lobby with a phone in his paw.
"You know I love you." His voice became much softer. "And I also love Felix. And I don't want to lose either of you. Please, just give me a chance to prove myself. I've cut myself from my past, it's just you two for me now. One chance, that's all I ask. Just one chance… Icy? Hello?" It seemed that the other side of the conversation decided to cut him off. At that moment Nick half expected the tiger to explode with anger, shout or even throw the phone. But Marcus simply collapsed on a worn out couch and hid his face behind paws. The big, dangerous tiger, a former killer, transformed from a menacing predator into a tired kitten. The fox couldn't stand the sight of the crestfallen friend and decided to make his entrance.
„Hey.." He said softly as he approached.
The feline flinched and slowly lowered his paws. "Terrific…" He croaked. "Just what I needed." If sarcasm was a sport, he'd win a gold medal for it.
Nick made the last few steps that separated him from Marcus. He pointed at the empty part of the couch. "May I?"
The tiger sighed heavily and shrugged. "Not that it could get any worse with you here…"
Nick offered a small smile as he sat beside him. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They stayed silent for a while, the fox staring at the tiger and analyzing his behavior during the phone call. And he decided to slightly push the subject. "Soo… someone important?"
Marcus groaned, looking like a deflated version of himself. "Nick, this really isn't the best time-"
"When it'll be?" The fox quickly cut in. He knew that sometimes you hit a wall and shouldn't go any further, but with this he felt that it was a one-time opportunity. Only chance to use this small crack to open the clammed up tiger.
Marcus put on a face of someone weighing his options between hell and purgatory. Then, he slowly leaned back on the couch and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. "Remember the time I told you about my reason for coming?"
"Like it happened yesterday."
The tiger took his phone and showed Nick the background picture. It showed a white Bengal tigress with a small cub in her arms, it was no more than several months. "Her name is Elena and he is Felix..." His eyes became glossy for a moment. "My son…"
Nick raised a brow in curiosity. "Something happened to them?" He asked as soft as he could.
Marcus let out a sigh. "Yeah… me…" He rubbed his face with one paw. "When I heard that I was going to be a father, I was shocked. I didn't believe it at first. But when the idea sunk in… I realized that I want that kid, I want to give him a better chance at life that I had. Elena never knew what I did for a living and I wanted to keep it that way, but since I left the old profession and switched to something legal, the old contacts kept forcing me to return."
"Did they threaten them?"
Marcus flashed a nasty smile. "They never dared to."
Nick nodded, he couldn't imagine anyone in Zootopia crazy enough to mess with furious Twice.
The tiger continued. "But one day Elena heard me talking with one of them by the door of our apartment when I declined another offer for a job. She kept pressuring me and eventually I told her everything. It didn't end well. I lost my temper and yelled at her…" At this point his eyes started to lose focus and words were coming slower. "I don't even remember what I said, must have been some really nasty shit. But I perfectly remember her terrified expression when she grabbed a kitchen knife. It made me even more angry and I wanted to wrench the damn thing from her paw. But in her panic she was faster and swung at me…" Like in a trance, his finger was sliding up and down his long scar. "I ended up in a hospital and she moved somewhere else. They disappeared from my life… But I never intended to give up." He slapped his big paws on the knees. "I vowed to myself that I'll become an upstanding citizen with good reputation. One worthy of her trust… And I will graduate, even if I have to lick Hartmammals's backside."
Nick didn't reply at first, as he was stunned by the story. He never expected such an origin for the nasty scar on his friend's face or how far his determination reached. But it certainly appealed to his better side. He reached out and put a comforting paw on the tiger's shoulder. "I'll do my best to help and I'm sure she'll come around one day."
Marcus actually snorted. "Thanks for a portion of cheesiness, buddy."
"I mean it." The fox's voice was serious.
The tiger glanced at him. "You're a weird guy." With those words he stood up and headed for their corridor. "But thanks…" He muttered without turning around.
When the feline left, Nick sat alone in the empty lobby. He fell on the couch with his back and covered his face with a forearm. "Father, huh…" He said to the world in general. *For how many years I've despised that word?* He asked himself a rhetorical question. *That's right, ever since I have learnt its meaning.* But putting his personal distaste aside, he felt great respect for the tiger, as he was willing to do this much to become a worthy father. *Unlike a certain someone I never had a chance to meet…* Nick felt old anger rising from the depths of his heart, where he thought he buried it long ago. He shook his head to distract himself from following that train of thought. But he captured that feeling and held it tight as a reminder of what can happen to an unlucky kid when adults are being stupid and stubborn. So if he can do something to give Felix an opportunity of avoiding a fate similar to his own, he'll gladly help. With that in mind, Nick took the phone and dialed a number.
"Hey mom, got a minute? I need a favor…"
.
.
Judy Hopps was happy. She was on her way back from the fourth date in her life, accompanied by the buck that invited her. Her boyfriend. She was still getting used to that word, even though it's been three weeks since they started dating. And everything about this evening was his right. The movie in the cinema, the late supper at a restaurant and their walk in the warm night, back to her apartment. And as they stood at the front door of the building, Judy thought that everything was perfect for... But William didn't seem like he was about to take initiative. And the doe didn't really blame him for that. He was still very shy around her, as if afraid that he could jeopardize their relationship in some way. Therefore, using the excitement and joy from the nice date to muster the courage, Judy leaned towards him with closed eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. They felt soft and warm to her. It was short but sweet and Judy felt a tingling emotion in her chest as they separated. And her innocence combined with his shyness equaled two flustered bunnies frozen in place, red as tomatoes.
"Judy..." William mumbled his eyes wide from what just happened.
"Goodnight Will. I had a great time." With these words she turned around and headed for the door. And just before she reached them, Judy looked over her shoulder and showed him a warm smile. Williams ears were hanging down, he himself still red from what just happened, but he returned the smile and waved to her. She entered the building, leaving the flustered buck behind. Only when the door slammed behind the doe in the safety of her flat, she collapsed on the floor, holding both paws over her mouth. A storm of emotions surged through her mind as she kept replaying in her mind the scene of her first kiss.
.
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Somewhere on the outskirts of Tundra Town a red furred paw knocked on a door of an apartment in a rundown building. After several shuffling noises from inside they slowly opened, showing a concerned expression of a white Bengal tigress. A small, sleeping cub rested on her arm.
"Can I help you?" She asked cautiously, eyeing the mammal at the doormat with distrust.
"Hello, I am doctor Vivian Wilde. May I have a moment of your time?" The vixen smiled kindly.
.
.
A week has passed since the day Nick had a confrontation with the polar bear instructor. And even after those 168 hours Natasha's anger didn't drop down any lower. Every day she studied the fox's actions and observed each and every exercise or class he participated in. Waiting for a tiniest opportunity for him to drop his guard and let her catch him doing something unusual or against the campus regulations, so she could use it as leverage against the fox. But he was behaving perfectly natural, taking part in every activity and even doing the punishment laps issued by sergeant Hartmammal. It was all so normal that she was almost certain, that it was too good to be true. The bastard had to know that she was observing him. The female instructor even considered that he was doing some extra training during nights, as it was the last explanation she had come up with to Nick's abnormal condition. On several occasions, she waited until late night hours to check if he wasn't leaving the campus. That would be against the rules and a perfect bargain chip for her to use. One time she actually caught him leaving the room in the night. Natasha immediately leapt at the chance and intercepted him before he could leave the corridor.
"Good evening! Going somewhere?" She called out to him.
Nick didn't even bother with standing to attention or withholding a wide yawn. "Toilet, want to accompany me, ma'am?" He mumbled, rubbing a sleepy eye.
Her smug expression disappeared, replaced by a blank stare. She didn't even comment on that as she turned around and left, starting to feel like a stalker. But as she disappeared behind the corner and Nick couldn't register her presence anymore, he walked back to his door with a satisfied grin and tapped quietly on the wood. His friends slipped out of the room and the entire three headed for training.
.
.
This particular day there were no training sessions or classes. With only a month until the end of academy's training, the cadets were allowed to recharge their batteries before the last sprint.
The Family Visit day.
Everyone was ordered to scrub themselves clean to the best of their abilities and wear civilian clothing. Obviously, the campus had to be prepared for a flood of guests. And the staff was extra careful, ever since a particular rabbit has been visited by a horde of her relatives. So now guests were filling the courtyard of the ZPD's training complex, trying to find their loved ones.
But only half of the usually secluded quartet was awaiting their kin. Rupert was visited by his parents, three brothers and his grandmother. The entire family couldn't believe how well the big mammal was doing. Of course, they all supported him, but it was a pleasant surprise for them to see Rupert so high in the ranking and his voice ridden of the stuttering that was plaguing him.
"Soo... any family coming to see you?" Nick asked Marcus as they strolled across the lawn in the courtyard.
"No." Came a flat reply. "You?"
Nick shrugged. "Just my mother. Oh! Speak of the devil!" He said when he spotted the familiar face among the crowd. "Come on, Stripes. I must introduce you."
"Hey, wait…" Marcus tried to protest but the fox was already pulling him towards the elegant vixen.
"Mom!"
She turned her head and noticed them. A wide smile appeared on her face.
"Nicky!" She hurried over to his side and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I am so happy to see you!"
"I'm sure mom, I'm sure. But I'd like to breathe in the near future." He tapped her slightly on the arm. She laughed and stepped back, eyeing her son from top to bottom. "You look great! I'm glad that Judy talked you into this!"
"Mhm, of course you are…" He muttered at this sudden reference to the bunny. He wanted to immediately switch topics and the tiger provided the opportunity. "I'd like you to meet my roommate, Marcus Strigg."
She smiled at the big predator and held out her paw. "Vivian Wilde, it's always a pleasure to meet Nicky's friends."
Marcus accepted the paw with a gentle squeeze. "It's nice to meet you too, ma'am." He released his grip, but to his surprise she kept holding him.
"Don't you run away on me, because I've brought someone who'd like to talk to you." She showed him a smug grin. "And I'm sure you like to talk to her as well." She pointed over her shoulder with a thumb.
"Wha-" He started but then his gaze followed the direction she was pointing and his eyes shot wide open. Few steps behind them stood a tigress. A white one. With a cub in her paws. The little boy eyed him curiously.
The shock was so overwhelming for the tiger, that he barely registered that the vixen spoke again.
"Good luck, sweetie." Vivian said softly, letting go of his paw.
Marcus turned his head to Nick in disbelief. "You… How…"
But the fox just slapped him on the arm and started walking away. "Just don't screw it up, dad…." He said over his shoulder.
The tiger shook his head to get rid of the remaining shock and took a deep breath. With a hopeful expression on his face he walked towards what, he wished, was his future.
.
.
"It was really nice of you Nicholas to suggest this." Vivan said to her son, holding his arm in a tight embrace as they walked around the campus.
"Just a favor for a friend." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh you! Always so distanced!" She playfully punched him on the side, but immediately her paw jerked back and she winced with a grimace. "Ow! You really have been working out, huh? I swear, it felt like hitting a brick wall." She waved her paw to bring back some feeling to her fingers.
He gave her an apologetic look. "Uh, I guess… Sorry about the fingers." He knew how important they were for her work.
She laughed. "Don't be. Nothing's broken. I'm just proud to see you taking good care of yourself. Speaking of which, you've actually became bulkier since the last time I saw you." She eyed his frame again.
Nick sighed internally. It was something he also noticed. Constant training for the past few months had a visible effect on his body. The painful sparring sessions, as well as countless hours spent in the gym till his body was aching all over, exhausting punishment from Hartmammal in the form of never ending running, all of it played a part in shaping the present figure of the fox. His legs were packed with strong muscles, along with his trained arms and his chest. The stomach was no different, as his mother has just found out and all of this was wrapped in the fiery red fur and closed in a broader, but still slim version of the older Nick.
"Ladies will just love this look, trust me." She winked at him with the trademark-Wilde-family smirk.
He put a paw over his eyes. "Mom, really…"
"Oh, hey Nick." Said a very familiar, cheerful voice.
"Hey, Jack." Nick replied without looking. Only then he moved his arm down and looked at the friendly cheetah. He pointed at the feline with a paw. "Meet Jack Spotters, he's-"
"Oh. My. Goodness! You are another one of Nick's friends?" Vivian cut in with a wide eyed expression.
"Uh, yeah?" Jackie rubbed the back of her neck with a paw, a bit surprised by the vixen's reaction.
Vivian grabbed the cheetah's paw and shook it energetically. "I'm SO happy to know that Nick has made this many friends! Thank you so much!" She practically had tears in her eyes.
The fox was about to interrupt this embarrassing scene, but he caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd. "Excuse me." He said and quickly left the two females alone, with Jackie following him with a pleading look as he abandoned her to be a victim of Vivian's overflowing happiness.
What got Nick's attention was a middle aged cheetah in a grey suit that wandered through the crowd, casting small glances around, like he was searching for something.
"Sup' Greg!" Said a merry voice right in front of him. He stopped and looked down to see a smiling fox in a Hawaiian shirt. And in a blink of an eye, the vulpine was surrounded by three hefty lions in black suits. "Looking for someone?" Nick said jovially.
The feline gave him a cold calculating stare. "You must be Nicholas Piberius Wilde." He stated with a voice that indicated that he acknowledged his presence in the same manner as his acknowledged the existence of dust.
*Already checked me, eh? Most likely checked everyone.* Nick thought and smiled internally. While powerful and influential, this type of personality was very predictable, therefore easy to deal with for conmammals like him. "And you must be that jerk of a father Jack has told me about."
Gregory Spotters raised a brow, otherwise clearly unimpressed by the taunt.
"State your business, fox." He said in a cold manner.
"How about a bet?" Nick grinned like a devil.