Hey everyone,
Thank you for your patience, a new chapter is here. It is possible due to the great efforts of Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps and TheoreticallyEva in helping me edit this piece. Thank you. I really don't deserve such great friends.
For those curious, my life is slowly showing signs of improvement. I wouldn't use any fireworks here, as it's work in progress. In any case, I feel that 2020 could be a breaking point for me in many aspects.
I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and strong support. *bows* Thank you.
I won't bore you with any other drama. Let's get to it, shall we?
Chapter 43
Judy was starting to think that Nick wasn't entirely honest with her about the couriers. He presented them as some sort of lethal threat, yet she didn't have too much trouble leading two of them by the nose. The third one was actually aggressive. She had to resort to what police officers referred to as 'minimum force necessary' at one point. Considering how experienced and dirty fighter he was, the doe had some trouble subduing him. She only hoped that this encounter wouldn't leave too much of a bruise, and definitely that Nick wouldn't notice it.
The thought of the fox made her ears flop down a bit. It was sweet of him to worry about her, but the degree of his care seemed a bit of an overkill. Yes, their job wasn't the safest one, but still…
Why is he so worried about me?
That question just wouldn't leave her mind today. Surely, he was a kind fox, he always cared about mammals around him. She could see how invested he was in helping that fox family, how important Vivian was to him. So… How did she fit in?
They were friends. It's natural for friends to worry for one another. So he definitely was worried about her as a friend.
They were partners, right? Partners always have each other's backs. It comes with the job. A partner in the force was practically becoming a member of the family. Thing is… While she knew that Nick watches her back, even given the incident with the pigs, for which he apologized profusely, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Nick was also doing his best to watch her sides and front.
Judy's thoughts froze for a moment while her brain was busy replaying that last line to her.
Fro-
The doe's imagination didn't need anything else to paint her cheeks rosy red.
"... nt?!"
The distant voice snapped her out of her own world, making her blink.
"What?"
"I said, what do you want?! You deaf?" The hyena under her let out a growl. In the next moment it turned into a forced whine when Judy, almost unconsciously, put more pressure on the wrist lock. The predator was splayed on the ground, on his stomach, while Judy was twisting his arm behind his back, using the mammal's wrist as leverage. They ended up like this when Judy approached him not too long ago, and he almost immediately started being hostile to her. She used a simple tactic of running away, luring him into an abandoned alleyway, and letting him become disillusioned about a rabbit's capability in combat.
"Ah, sorry about that," she replied meekly. "Where were we? Ah, right! Anything you'd like to tell me regarding that order?"
"Screw you, bitch!"
The doe let out a sigh, twisting his wrist a little more. A painful grunt later, she continued. "You know… This has always puzzled me whenever apprehending the so called 'tough' guys. See, your personal comfort right now relies solely on my good mood, yet you are hell-bent on trying to upset me by calling me names. It's only logical to be nice to me."
The feisty predator strained his neck as much as possible and tried spitting on her.
"Fu-"
Twist. Whine.
"Wrong answer." She shook her head with a sigh.
.
.
"... That was definitely not the answer she wanted to hear." Nick muttered with his muzzle on the table.
"I know, right?" his companion mumbled slightly incoherently into his mug.
"You do everything she wants, and she's still not happy. I tell you, she once asked me to deliver a parcel, not telling me who it was addressed to." The fox kept complaining while laying flat on the bar table with his upper torso.
A badger across the table let out an alcoholized burp. "Bloody hyenas…" He gulped more of the beer that Nick got for him. It was his third mug. "D'you know what he wanted me to dooh?"
"Hm?" The fox hummed curiously.
"Jusht the name. The guy whanted me to delifer a *name*!"
"Whoa, dude…" Nick was very careful in hiding a smirk. "Where did you meet such a bozo?"
.
.
Judy rubbed her sore shoulder, wincing a bit from the pain. She definitely needed more training. But she did get some information from the couriers and immediately texted Nick about finishing her part of the list. They had agreed to not speak about any details in text messages or over the phone. It was better to be cautious. She tried calling him, but his phone was out of reach for some reason. Now she could only wait for his reply. But instead of simply waiting-
The screech of tires brought her attention to the road, and a green blur came to a halt right next to her. As the familiar door opened, an ever-friendly spotted smile greeted the doe officer.
"Hey!" Jackie chirped from behind the wheel. "What's a girl like you doing all alone here?"
"Waiting for a reckless driver to start throwing cheap pick-up lines," Judy retorted, hopping swiftly into the passenger's seat. "You mentioned that you got something?"
The feline officer raised a brow. "And here I thought that cheetahs are quick."
This remark made her friend's ears drop a bit. "Sorry… I simply don't know how much time I got before Nick gets in contact with me."
Her words earned her a light nudge, delivered with lightning speed. "I'm just messing with you!" Jackie chuckled and closed the door, bringing the car back into traffic. "Check the glove box."
Judy threw her friend a light smile and opened the compartment. Inside, she found a case file. The doe started to flip the pages while Jackie gave her a brief summary.
" Apparently, several months ago, a certain shady businessmammal had some dealings with a mob boss from Tundratown. And, puff, he disappeared, only to be found later in more than one piece."
Judy raised a brow at that description, but as she turned to one of the pages, her eyes caught sight of the photographic evidence from the scene, forcing her to turn her head away and cringe in disgust.
The feline nodded at her reaction. "Yeah. Anyway, this doesn't fit the usual MO of our Tundratown guy, so my guess is that some circumstances forced him to use outside services."
The doe pointed a finger at the cheetah. "Which would mean that he knows how to contact them."
Jackie grinned. "Yep. So all we need to do now is to convince Mr. Ice Cube to spill the beans."
Judy scanned the documents for the information about the mysterious Tundratown mob boss. And, suddenly, she smiled. "Oh, I think it won't be that difficult."
.
.
Nick was truly trying his best not to rip out the vocal cords of the mammal before him. He was currently held up by his throat, right against a wall, by a honey badger in a suit.
"What are you scheming, Wilde?!" he demanded in a low snarl.
"No scheming here, my old chum." Nick gurgled in the tight grasp. It was taking a lot of self-control to not let his inner beast take over. "I simply have an offer for you."
The grip tightened. "You're a cop now. Remember what I do with cops?"
Nick would nod if he could. How could he forget? It was one of the main reasons he did not let Judy meet him. But now he had to focus on defusing this guy. "You still don't know who tipped the cops about the docks, right?"
The fox felt the fingers on his throat loosening slightly. It was the crack of hesitation he needed.
"Almost got your tail busted, am I right? Shame you never figured out who slipped the info about your deal."
The honey badger scrunched his eyes at him. "You're a liar, always been."
Nick gifted him with his usual smirk. "Try me. If my information doesn't check out, hey, you still hold me by my throat, right?" The fox strategically omitted the fact that, with his current strength, he could probably easily snap the mammal's arm in two.
The honey badger measured him with his gaze for a while longer. "What's the offer?"
*Bingo!* Nick cheered internally. "Remember a certain strange courier request some time ago?"
.
.
Judy agreed to let Jackie to drive them to Mr. Big's mansion. Not like she had much of a choice, as they couldn't use a patrol car, though she started regretting her decision. She heard rumours before, but now she could experience firstpaw why the academy driving instructors nicknamed Jackie "That Crazy Bitch."
Fifteen minutes later, both females got out of Jackie's Lamborghini, and the cheetah eyed the mansion where they had arrived.
"No way. You're really this guy's granddaughter's godmother?!" she asked with her mouth agape. "Talk about surprises."
"Says a police officer driving her own Lambo," the doe swiftly shot back at her.
Jackie patted the car with affection. "Hey, it was a gift, and it's my precious baby, all right?"
"I can't imagine giving someone a car like this as a gift…" Judy shook her head at those words.
"Hey, it's not like I got stuff like this every Christmas, okay? It was a one-time thing." Surprisingly, Jackie's voice was now lower than usual and laced with seriousness.
Judy noticed that and considered asking more, but to hear such an unfamiliar tone coming from the usually cheerful cheetah, it must have been something important and personal. She decided not to pry. "All right, just don't boast about it in the precinct too much. Some folks might get green with envy."
"Gotcha! Anyway, how the hell did a valedictorian of ZPD's academy end up with ties to a mob family?"
Judy grinned smugly. "Oh, you know… Stuff happened during the missing mammals case. Hey, Koslov!" she called cheerfully to the huge polar bear that stood at the main entrance to greet them.
"Greetings, Miss Judy," he rumbled in a deep voice, his accent showing. "Mr. Big is awaiting you."
"Thanks!" She headed towards the door, Jackie trailing after her, but suddenly, the massive predator's arm blocked the feline's path. The cheetah looked up in surprise.
Koslov was giving her a hard glare. "Basic rules: Show respect, and do not make any sudden moves. If you disrespect, anger, or vex Mr. Big in any way... We will have problems."
Jackie simply smiled and folded her paws behind her back. "Well, I can be quite vexing, just forewarning you."
The bear did not look amused.
At that moment, Judy stepped behind the feline and gently but firmly pushed her forward, right past Koslov, giving him an apologetic expression. "Okay, okay, no need to create a disturbance, all right? She's fine, Koslov, don't worry."
Jackie spread out her paws. "Whaat? Just a little joke to break the ice." She smiled innocently.
Judy rolled her eyes and steered her friend to Mr. Big's office.
.
.
"How's it going?" Nick queried into the phone as he picked up his food from the burger stall at the street. Reading Judy's text gave him a mix of feelings. On one paw, he was happy that she was fine after meeting with the couriers, but he was also upset about how he lagged behind. Meeting the mammals from his list had time constraints, not to mention big distances between the locations. Still, he also couldn't stop his mind from blaming him for talking to Volkov and wasting time. Nevertheless...
*A soul mate, huh?* He never paid too much attention to things like that before.
"Sorry, buddy. Looks like this one was done by someone crafty." A female voice replied.
The fox sighed before grabbing a bite from his lunch. "Details, please, I literally don't have all day."
"... Nick, is there always someone after your life? Is that why you are constantly in such a hurry?"
He chewed the food, using it as an excuse to not reply, 'I might be after someone's life if I don't get a cure soon.'
Due to the silence from his side, the female voice went on. "Bah, never mind. Anyways, this mammal went manual, no digital trace. If the person had paid anyone, it had to be in cash. No vehicles were rented in that period of time or for several months before the transfer."
Nick gulped down a portion of his burger. "What about the missing videos?"
"Gone, vanished, untraceable."
"Like… What do you mean 'vanished'?"
"You want me to get technical?"
A ghastly expression made an appearance on Nick's face for a fraction of a second. Last time she got into technical details, he fell asleep after a torturous twenty minutes. And she wouldn't even let him edge in a single word. Ever since then, Nick avoided any of Honey's explanations like the plague.
"No, thanks…"
"Anyway, this is the work of a true wizard, maybe even a group of them. Whoever organized this party has some serious resources."
Nick sighed, crumpling the empty piece of paper after finishing his food. "I have a growing feeling that this whole thing will end up ugly…"
.
.
"Judy, my child, it is always a great pleasure to see the godmother of my beloved granddaughter. Alas, I cannot agree to your request."
The doe's ears tensed up. "May I know why?"
"You have become a precious friend of my daughter, whom I love very much, hence becoming a friend of our entire family. Yet, here you are," he indicated the police duo, "asking me to send you into certain death."
Jackie raised a paw. "We're just asking for contact information."
The arctic shrew raised one of his thick brows. "And what would you intend to do with such information?"
The cheetah shrugged. "Well, contact them, obviously?"
Mr. Big shook his tiny head. "That I cannot allow."
Judy stepped forward, ready to argue her case, but the crime lord turned to her. "My child, why throw your life away so carelessly? My daughter would be greatly saddened to hear of your untimely demise, and I couldn't bear to watch her grieve."
"Mr. Big, with all due respect, we know what we are doing."
"Do you? Have you considered just who exactly it is that you are about to anger?"
"Maybe not 'anger.' Only upset a bit?" Jackie supplied, but got elbowed by her friend.
Judy gave the shrew a determined gaze. "Sir, you know that I wouldn't be asking for such a favor if it weren't important."
Mr. Big let out a sigh.
.
.
Ten minutes later, the feline-lapine duo was walking towards the lambo outside.
"Ugh, why did he have to be so stubborn?" Jackie grumbled as they trotted to the car.
Judy's mood wasn't any better. "What worries me is that we have lost our only trail… I can somewhat understand his reluctance to help the police, but I was hoping-" She paused, realizing that she was walking just by herself. The doe turned her head to see that her companion stopped a few meters earlier with a clouded expression.
"Jackie?" The bunny came closer.
"Er… Well…" The cheetah mumbled, nervously scratching the back of her head. "This case… It's important, right?"
Judy gazed at her with puzzlement. "... Yes, it is." She replied carefully, unsure what was on her friend's mind.
Jackie licked her lips. "Like… very important?"
The doe cocked her head to the side. "What's wrong?"
The spotted female took a deep breath. "Look… Promise me first that you'll save my tail, should things go south, okay?"
.
.
"Spots…"
"Oh, come on, Marcus. We have no one left to turn to!" Jackie pleaded with the tiger, Judy standing right beside her.
"Spots…" the striped feline began again.
"It's not like I'm even asking you to do something!"
"Spots!" the tiger let out a growl, making both females flinch. He glared at them from his place on a blanket. "Regardless of the topic, why did you have to come here, of all places?! Are you serious?!" he pointed an accusatory finger at her.
Jackie raised a brow. "Stripes… That's a stuffed tiger…"
Indeed, Marcus was pointing at her using a paw that was holding a tiger-shaped toy that belonged to his son. It wasn't a very intimidating gesture.
The adult tiger was sitting with his son on a blanket that the feline had laid down on the grass. He also placed various toys around the crawling boy. They were in one of Savannah Central's parks, the massive feline enjoying his off-duty day with his son while Icy was running some errands and taking some time for herself. Marcus was wearing simple jeans and an AC/DC black t-shirt, while Felix was in a poplin blue bodysuit and red pants, happily crawling from one toy to another, pure joy painted on his face.
It was an amusing sight for those who knew the scarred tiger. While he was a strict and professional officer at work, he would always go totally soft in the presence of his son. Even before approaching the feline, both girls enjoyed the sight of their fierce fellow officer, who was capable of convincing some perps into surrendering just with a growl and a glare, being a big softie around the tiny tiger. While playing with the boy, he was making funny faces and grinning almost all the time, especially when he took the cub in his big paws and lifted him off the ground, both father and son chuckling.
And Jackie had a mischievous smirk on her face when she filmed this secretly a moment ago with her smartphone. One, it was cute. Two, it could serve as perfect blackmail material. The second reason could become useful much earlier than she had anticipated, as the feline wasn't in a mood for cooperation, it would seem.
"You're coming here, knowing that it's my free time and interrupting my family time," he grumbled, giving both of them a glare.
Jackie put her paws together in a begging gesture. "Stripes, buddy, we're really sorry for bugging you, but it's important. We need to find a way to contact the organization." Almost immediately after saying this, the cheetah saw that Marcus' mood wasn't getting any better.
"Why come to me?" he muttered, turning his attention towards Felix and waving one of the toys in front of him.
The slim feline let out a nervous giggle while rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, well… I might have told Judy about, you know… your earlier… profession?" She showed an apologetic smile.
Marcus' head snapped towards the females, his eyes burning with anger and dangerously narrowed. "Say WHAT?!" he snarled with a raised voice.
"Eep!" Jackie backed away a step with a short yelp, and Judy jumped between them to deescalate the situation, but everything stopped when Felix broke out with a cry. The effect was instantaneous. Marcus realized that his angry voice startled the boy, and he immediately softened when he reached for his son.
"Oh, Felix… I-I'm sorry…" He gently cradled the tiny crying tiger to his broad chest. "Shh, shh, it's okay. Daddy is not angry, I'm so sorry, shhh…" he whispered, trying to console the scared baby.
Meanwhile, Jackie stifled a squeal after receiving a sharp elbow to her leg from Judy.
The doe approached the two tigers and leaned a bit to the crying cub. "Hey, there," she said softly, trying to get the boy's attention. "Wanna see something?"
Her voice made the little feline turn his eyes to her. And he saw a grey bunny, her face hidden behind her big ears, which she held down with her paws. "Peek-a-boo!" She raised one of her ears, revealing one of her purple eyes to the baby, and hid it again after a moment. "Peek-a-boo!" Judy did the same with her other eye.
The boy almost instantly switched from a sad expression to a happy one. As the doe was hiding and revealing herself to the cub, the little feline started giggling merrily. Marcus breathed out with relief and then shot Jackie a murderous glare. The cheetah raised her paws together in an apologetic gesture and mouthed, "Sorry."
Felix was finally relaxed enough to play on the blanket again, busy with his toys.
Judy gave Marcus a warm smile. "I've learned that they usually just need a distraction to focus on something else."
The tiger raised a brow. "You… don't have kids of your own, do you?" he asked suspiciously, causing the doe to blush a little.
"N-no, this is something I picked up in my family. Growing up with over two hundred siblings will do that to you," she confessed, but the feline's question etched itself in her mind.
Children.
She was at the age when she could consider starting a family. It's not that she never wanted one; she was simply focused on her work and being a police officer. Still, as a rabbit, she couldn't escape her biology, and like all does, she possessed a very strong maternal instinct. She sometimes joked to herself that having Nick as a partner was already like looking after a kid. Judy thought about the possibility of having children at this point of her life and wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. Besides, having children meant…
She blushed a bit. Who would be the father, then? William? If she'd have to be perfectly honest, she wasn't yet 100% sure if Will was the one. Sure, he was a gentlemammal, not bad-looking, and generally a good mammal, but… but… Judy couldn't shake off the feeling that there was some piece missing in this puzzle. Like some hidden element that, once revealed, would make the whole thing complete. The problem was to find that one thing, though. She considered asking Nick about it, as he could usually give her an answer that would slightly annoy her or give her a laugh. Either way, she was always up for a surprise with her partner, and it was also nice to tease him a bit in return. Maybe if Will was a bit more like Nick…
Her eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head.
What on earth was she thinking?!
Besides this topic, the fox's behavior was getting more and more unstable recently, and no matter how many times she asked, he always deflected her questions. It bothered her. It bothered her greatly that her partner seemed to drift away from her. What was worse, she had no idea where he was drifting to or why… It grated on her that she couldn't get a straight answer about it, frustrating her to no end, which only made her anger and worry grow in equal volume. Which was why she was eagerly awaiting their conversation tomorrow, when her partner was supposed to reveal his cards.
"Something wrong?" the tiger's voice surprised her, and she tensed all over.
"Nothing! Just remembered something!" she assured nervously, and her mind switched to a professional attitude. "Anyway, please don't be angry at Jackie. I kind of pressured her to spill it. We really are desperate at the moment and in need of information."
Marcus raised a curious brow. "Uh-huh."
The doe put her paws together in a pleading gesture. "Marcus, I swear that I won't tell anyone. So please…"
He relaxed a bit and put one of the toys back on the blanket after Felix managed to roll it away in an enthusiastic attempt to move it. "So, where's the fire, and what does it have to do with me?"
Judy took out her phone and flipped open her photo gallery. She showed him the picture of Mr. Pink Plushie she took yesterday. "Do you know him?"
Suddenly, Marcus' face tensed, and he steeled his gaze at the bunny. "Where did you get this?" he asked in a low and serious tone. Internally, he remembered his conversation with Nick.
One-eyed wolf indeed, you poor bastard…
"I took it yesterday," she replied. "When he was drinking tea with Nick's mother."
The tiger's ears flinched at her words. He moved his gaze to the grass before him. "Do you know why?"
Judy shook her head. "I'm not sure. He said that he was just 'enjoying his time with a lady.' It looked as if he was flirting with her. I think that he is trying to get to Nick through her."
After she said that, Marcus shot another unfriendly look at the cheetah. "Nick? Blabbermouth!" he scorned her but didn't sharpen his voice to keep from scaring his son again.
"Hey, it's all between friends, all right? Besides, that Plushie guy told us himself, right, Hoppsy?" the cheetah crouched next to the blanket and also tried to get the boy's attention.
Hearing "Hoppsy," Marcus turned his gaze towards the doe, and Judy rolled her eyes, dismissing it with a wave of her paw.
"I'm surprised that you managed to meet him. In certain circles, it's considered a great honor." He nodded towards Judy. "And you should consider yourself extremely lucky for meeting him twice."
The doe folded her paws. "What? He's that unsociable?"
Marcus shook his head. "Usually, the mammals that meet him for the first time never get the chance to meet him again, catch my drift?"
Judy felt herself blanche under her fur but steeled her resolve with the new information. "Uh, okay, I get it… Anyway, you seem to know a lot about him."
The scarred feline shrugged. "Hardly. Only bits and pieces, some rumors…"
Meanwhile, Jackie noticed that Felix was staring at the tip of her tail. Wearing a smile, the cheetah kneeled on the ground to steer her tail towards the boy and let the tip dangle in front of him. Felix squealed merrily and started trying to catch it.
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, he approached me once several years ago and asked if I was interested in joining. I refused. I always worked alone and didn't want anyone forcing their rules on me. After that, he never appeared before me again." He noticed how Felix was playing with Jackie and softened a bit. "If this were any other situation, then I'd tell you to forget about the whole thing and get on with your life."
Judy was about to say something, but Marcus raised his paw and let out a sigh. "However, since Mrs. Wilde is now somehow involved, I can't just sit by."
The bunny's expression brightened. "Really? That's great!" She then realized one thing. "Wait, what does Vivian have to do with your decision?"
Marcus showed her a small smile and pointed at his boy with a paw. The little tiger was happily busy with Jackie's tail. "If not for her, I wouldn't be able to spend time with my son like this." Judy tilted her head a bit with a curious expression. "See, I have screwed up royally with my mate, and she practically disappeared from my life, along with Felix. And yet, Nick managed to find her in Zootopia, and Mrs. Wilde convinced her to hear me out. And she did. I received one more chance to do the right thing, and I'll be damned if I let it slip by me! All of it thanks to Nick and Mrs. Wilde. For this, I am forever in their debt."
"Wow…" Judy said in a weak voice. "I never knew that Nick was so… so…"
"Interested in a family?" Jackie giggled from her spot by the blanket.
The doe's ears drooped a bit, her previous thoughts of Nick and her knowledge of him coming back to the forefront of her mind. Did he want a family? Did the vixen he kept mentioning know that he did so much for others?
What else had he done for his friends, or others she didn't know about?
"I mean that it's very kind of him, considering…" She paused, not sure if she should say anything more than that. Seeing her hesitation, Marcus instantly understood that she referred to Nick's lack of a father in his life. He cleared his throat to get the attention of both females.
"Back to the main issue. What do you expect of me?"
Judy nodded, glad for the change of topic. "Do you know of any way to contact the organization?"
Marcus raised a brow. "If I did, what would you do with this information?"
The doe gave off a smug grin. "I want to hire them to kill me."
Silence followed her words.
Both females could see the tiger's features shift into disbelief, then amusement, and finally settle into resignation. He let out a heavy sigh. "Nick said you're a crazy one. But to think that it's to this extent…" The feline ran a paw down his face.
Judy was unfazed by his words. "I have a plan."
Marcus snorted. "Oh, great! And how's that going to help you face an assassin?"
"Who said that I'm going to face them directly?" She folded her arms and gave him a smirk.
The tiger's eyes widened a bit, and he cast a glance at Jackie, as if checking if her friend was still in the sanity zone. The cheetah sent him a wink.
Marcus let out another sigh. "Do you even have any idea who you are dealing with?"
"You tell us," the doe replied. Marcus looked down at her, at this little bunny who was smaller than him even when he was sitting on the ground, and saw her determination. Not just in her eyes, but in her very posture, her facial expression. Everything in her exuded confidence.
"Seriously…" he rubbed the back of his neck. "No wonder Nick thinks so highly of you."
This actually caused Judy's ears to twitch. "He… He does?" she asked in a timid voice as her nose joined the twitch.
Not that she wasn't aware of this. After all, he openly said how important she was to him as a friend and a partner. But to hear it from someone else… Maybe there was something else that he told his friends about her? Maybe I can learn something about his condition and why he's acting the way he has been?
Jackie's ears perked up. "Oh, yeah," she sniggered. "He was going on about you all the time at the academy." She gave the bunny a friendly nudge.
"Spots!" the tiger scolded her.
"Whaat?!" Jackie raised her paws innocently. "I'm just telling the-YEOWCH!" she yelped suddenly and quickly reached for her tail. Her friends followed her movement with their eyes to see Felix happily munching on the tip.
Marcus tried not to do it, but he failed miserably. He clutched his stomach and laughed wholeheartedly as the slim feline tried to wrestle her appendage from the jaws of the tiger's son. Judy rolled her eyes, but even she couldn't stop a quiet, amused snort.
Eventually, Jackie's tail was released, and Felix was disappointed for a moment before being offered a new toy.
"That's assaulting an officer!" the cheetah whined, examining the damage.
"Don't be such a wuss, Spots," Marcus chuckled, picking up Felix and gently rubbing his nose against his own. "That's my boy!" he complimented his son, who squealed with joy and tried grabbing Marcus' whiskers. Jackie groaned.
Once the little tiger became busy with his toys again, the adults resumed their conversation.
"So…" Judy prompted the tiger a bit.
"Look, all I can tell you is that I know a guy who knows a guy... So yes, I could arrange you being a target, but I'm against it. You have no idea who you're going to face. What if their boss decides to come at you personally? You got a plan for that?"
Judy just shrugged. "He's only one mammal."
"Are you an idiot?" This time, Marcus narrowed his eyes and snarled at her in a quiet voice.
This sudden change surprised the doe, and she blinked. Jackie's ears flickered.
"Hey, c'mon, Stripes. It can't be that bad." The cheetah tried to ease the tension in the air.
"Listen good, you fools," he lowered his voice and slightly leaned forward. "In my peak physical disposition, I wouldn't even dare thinking of going against that mammal, save for protecting my family. It would be suicide!" he stated firmly, surprising the two females with his words. Marcus turned his gaze to Judy. "What could you possibly do if he were to appear?"
Hearing this question, Judy felt her fur rising from irritation. "Are you implying I'm weak?!"
The tiger held his gaze on her. Then he reached out and took her wrist between two of his fingers. It looked tiny compared to his paw. The feline raised it to her eye level. "Do you know what this is?" he inquired, showing her own paw to her.
"My… paw?" she suggested, not sure what he was getting at.
"That's a tool trained for restraining. Now," he let go of her wrist and moved his paw to spread his clawed fingers right in front of her face. If he'd close them, he could grab her entire head with them. "What is this?"
"Tool for cleaning your teeth?" Jackie proposed.
Marcus ignored her and kept his steely gaze on Judy. "It's a murder weapon. Trained to kill," he stated openly, and the bunny's eyes widened. "You're by no means weak, Hopps. But you're not a killer. On the other paw, the organization is full of them, and that wolf is the most dangerous of them all. He is a true monster. From what I heard about him, if he wanted, I estimate that he could have me dead in seconds."
He lowered his paw and gave his son one of the toys that rolled away.
"Remember this: Underestimating your opponents here will only lead to your deaths. Got that?"
Judy clenched her fists and grit her teeth, glaring at the massive predator. "Are you… like Nick… trying to make me walk away?"
Marcus raised a brow at her words and cast a quick glance at Jackie. The cheetah let out a silent sigh and shrugged slightly.
The striped feline turned his head to the upset bunny and folded his arms. "You youngsters… when will you learn to listen properly?" he muttered with slight irritation, causing Judy to blink and relaxed her posture.
"What?"
"When did I say that I'm going to stop you?"
"But… But you just…"
He tilted his head a bit. "I only told you to not underestimate them, not to run away. Besides," he put his paws on his knees, "you'll need someone experienced to deal with this, right?"
Both girls flickered their ears.
"Then…" Jackie began.
"… You're going to help us?" Judy finished.
A small smile appeared on the scarred face of the ex-hitmammal. "Hey, if I were to turn you down, there would be one pissed-off fox after me."
Part of Judy deflated after hearing this. She couldn't silence that inner voice inside her mind that kept nagging her about keeping it a secret from Nick.
Still, she showed a weak smile. "Thank you."
"All right, what's your plan?" the tiger inquired.