The briefing was pretty much normal after the whole bombshell that the Enforcers had dropped. Assignments were given to the officers present. One investigation of robbery. Some smuggling here and there. Wilde and Hopps received a file reporting an investigation of a "magic bazar" that had formed in the suburbs of Sahara Square, in which there were many dubious activities, most of it including scamming and fraud.
Once all of the assignments have been distributed, all of the officers left the room, until there was no one in there but Bogo, the Enforcers and their assistant.
Bogo still had his glasses on his face, as he looked at the two foxes. The male seemed to be the more professional of the two, as he behaved with a lot of dignity and seriousness, as Bogo himself preferred. The vixen, however, was a bit less serious than him, as it was possible to see by her expression and posture. It was obvious that she should be on her early twenties, but her behavior was something that almost reminded Bogo of a teenager.
"So, there are details to be discussed, right?" Bogo asked the two, removing his glasses, and the tod nodded at him.
"Indeed." The tod said, straightening his tie. "Most of it just details that are important for you to know."
"But not my officers?" Bogo asked, looking at the fox, whom looked back at him.
"This is all in a 'need-to-know' basis." The fox said to him, "Is not that your officers are not worth of our trust, is just that we are used to do things our way."
"Should I be worried about that?" Bogo asked.
"Nah, it's just a mage thing." The vixen said, granting the cape buffalo to look at her. "We mistrust everyone around us, including other mages. Anyone who is not from the family is a strange, and we all are taught not to trust in strangers. It is nothing with you or with your boys and girls. It is only that this whole cooperating thing is really new."
She smiled as she spoke that, and Bogo had a raised eyebrow as he looked at that vixen.
"As you can see, my niece is somewhat talkative." The black tod said, "She has just recently joined the Enforcers "
"Just last month, to be more precise." She spoke, and her uncle continued:
"Actually, she is her very first mission. She kind of remind me of myself when I joined, around thirty years ago."
Bogo looked at the fox, and looked very intently at his face.
"thirty years, huh?" He asked, "You don't look so old."
"I'm in my middle fifties, Chief Bogo." The fox said to him, "I'm not a young fox anymore, but I'm definitely not old."
Bogo nodded at this, and he continued:
"So, they are sending an experienced Enforcer and newbie to deal with this case? And bot of them relatives?"
"They thought that it would be efficient this way." The fox said, "I have a good share of experience as an Enforcer, and I'm known for my discretion. Also, they thought that this mission would be something that would be nice for Emilia, as she would be able to gather experience and avoid direct violence. At least until she received more training."
"I can take care of anything!" The vixen said, and soon after, she put both of her fists in a pugilism stance, and made a few punches in the air. "I'm ready for anything that anyone can throw at me! After all, you trained me, Uncle Marcel." She spoke, and the black fox said nothing in return, but only sighed as he slowly shook his head, exasperated. Bogo could only look at the interactions of these two foxes, and wonder what they were thinking on sending these two as a team for this mission. Well, maybe the folks in the Mage's Association really did had their own ways of doing things.
"So, we will be discussing these details?" Bogo asked, wanting to move on with the business.
"Yes, indeed." Marceli Mieczyslaw confirmed. "In somewhere private, if possible."
"Sure, just follow me." The buffalo said, gesturing for the three to come with him.
"Wait." The vixen said, "Aren't you going to ask us some questions?"
Bogo stopped and turned to look at her. "Questions? About the mission?"
"Actually about us." The vixen said, "I mean, no one asked a single question about us when we came."
"What there was to ask?" Bogo asked, looking at her. "You presented yourselves as Enforcers, and presented a pretty solid case."
"Yeah, but the guys didn't asked a single thing about our skills as mages." The vixen said to him, "I mean; I was totally expecting them to ask us about what kind of magecraft we used, if we could become invisible or if we could shot fireballs from our paws."
Bogo looked at her. "You wanted these to be asked?" He asked, looking intently at the vixen, "Because I was sure that mages in general preferred secrecy."
"I just expected them to have a little more interest." The vixen said, "I mean, we walk in and say to be agents of the Association, and the only one who showed interest was that white wolf. The others barely asked us any questions about our skills. I mean, I probably wouldn't have answered, but still, it would be nice for others to be at a tad bit interested Aren't you interested?" She asked the buffalo, who looked at her.
"I am, a little bit I just don't care enough to actually ask." The Chief said, "Unless it is directly relevant to the case, I don't think that it is important, unless you decide to tell me." The buffalo looked at the two foxes, and Marceli was able to chuckle at this.
"You certainly are something, Chief Bogo." The fox said, and Bogo looked at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what that was supposed to mean. "So, let's get going?" The fox asked, and the buffalo simply gestured for them to follow as he went through the door, and the three canines followed the big mammal through the door and out of the now desert room.
As the foxes followed him, Bogo recalled what he had just said about not caring enough to ask. Well, he had lied in that aspect.
There was one thing that he actually wanted to ask. One thing that he actually cared about enough to want to ask the foxes about it. However, it was a personal thing, and it had nothing to do with the case that they had presented, or the situation as a whole. Still, it was something that Bogo had been wanting to ask them soon after they confirmed themselves to be Enforcers.
Not now. Bogo thought to himself. Maybe later, when this is all solved
**********************
Outside of the room, the officers were going their way after all of them had received their assignments. They were now on their way to deal with things, most of them going to their squad cars to drive away to their cases.
As a result, there were some of them who still among themselves.
"I still can't believe that!" One of them said, in a low voice, of course. "Who would have guessed that the crazy ewe was "
"You better what you are saying, this is suppose to be secret!" Someone whispered back.
This was pretty much how the hushed and whispered conversations were among the partners and other teams of cops that were forming. Most of them still impressed for knowing that the ewe who almost ruined many lives was a mage. Of course, this caused some to have certain opinions, but most of them were just processing the new information that was dropped on them. Some also talked about the Enforcers, and how they both didn't quite looked like mages or cops. The black fox did looked a bit like one of these government agents form movies and television series. This was something that was on their minds as they all walked to go on with the assignments.
This, of course included our favorite fox and bunny duo, who went to the garage, soon going in direction to their car.
"So, yeah." Nick said to her, once they both were inside their car, Judy was on the driver's side. "I guess that this morning proved to be quite interesting, right?"
He asked, and Judy didn't responded, she looked to be deep in thought, as she had not even turned the car on yet.
"Carrots?" Nick called her, "Caaaarroooots~." He said again, adding a bit of sing-song voice, and this seemed to make the bunny look at him.
"Huh? What?"
"Still trying to process the fact that our nemesis is a mage?" He asked, and the bunny looked at him, her expression said it all.
"It is just quite something."
"Yeah, I'll say " Nick agreed with her. "Kind of makes you worried." Nick admitted.
"I have been thinking." Judy said, after a few moments of silence. "If Bellwether is a mage maybe she could have a familiar "
Nick looked at her, as she spoke:
"Like maybe, I don't know a crow "
Nick now looked very intently at his partner.
"What, do you think that Bellwether is behind that crow who was spying on you?" He asked, and the bunny looked at him.
"It could be a possibility." She said to him. "I mean, as a mage, maybe she could have a familiar watching over me. She could have put it to follow me around soon after we got her in jail."
"Yeah, but wouldn't that classify as 'using her magecraft'?" Nick suggested to her. "The mages kind of forbade her from doing that, right?"
"Maybe this was a loophole." She offered to the fox. "Maybe she was doing it in secret and they haven't realized. Or maybe it could have been someone from her family, who wanted to keep an eye on me after I put her behind bars "
Nick looked at his partner, as she continued her reasoning.
"If that is true if Bellwether or someone from her family has been sending that crow after me What could be their reasons? Is it obsession? Do they want to try to learn more about me? Are they making sure I don't do anything else?" She said, and after a small pause, she said:
"Could they be waiting to get revenge?"
Now that was a thought that worried Nick a tad bit. The idea that Bellwether could have some minion around watching over Judy was one that had actually crossed his mind. This was something that actually made him worried, considering that the crow showed that it could be deadly if it tried. If Nick and Judy had not dodged in time, or if the crow had actually been aiming at them
Nick didn't liked to even think of that.
Nick thought for a bit, and he said:
"Well, if that is the case, then we just have to talk to the Enforcer guys." Judy looked at Nick as he spoke that. "I mean, they are the cops of mages, and I'm pretty sure that they would be interested in the crow that nearly turned us into Zwiss cheese with feathers. I'm pretty sure that they will listen to me if I ask, I mean, I might not be a mage, but we are all foxes, right?"
Judy looked at him, and she couldn't help but smile at Nick's attempts to make the situation lighter, however, there were other things that worried her.
"Bellwether is a mage "
"Yeah, she is "
"And the Enforcers are trying to keep it under wraps."
"Yeah, they certainly are." Nick said.
"I get why they are doing it." Judy said, and Nick looked at her. "I mean, if word got out that Bellwether is a mage, many would start mistrusting mages again. Some could even try to start more protests. Some could even try to make more attacks!" She said, and Nick could see her worry.
The fox even had to admit that knowing that Bellwether was a mage could set off a lot of people, starting by someone who he knew.
Honey would surely go nuts if she heard that. The fox thought to himself, but he was not going to voice his worries aloud to his partner, for he knew that she was worried enough already. Instead, he adopted his best smug smile.
"Well, guess we need to hope that the mages will be able to keep this under wraps, right?" He said, and Judy looked at him. Nick knew that this was not his best words, and the face of the bunny was sure to tell him that.
Still, the fox looked at her.
"Carrots, I know you are freaking out about this new info." Nick said to her. "Believe me, I am too. I just hide it better."
He looked at his partner, right before he continued:
"I know very well that this is another piece to the whole craziness that has been going on lately, and another thing that makes our lives a little bit different." He said to her, "But I do know that, no matter what happens, we can still count on each other." He spoke, and gently placed a paw in hers'. In that moment, but mammals felt a twinge of some kind of emotion that they couldn't identify precisely.
Nick just wanted the rabbit to feel a little better, and it seemed that it had worked, if the way she smiled was any indication. Nick smiled back, knowing that he succeeded in making his bunny a bit happier.
His bunny...?
Shaking off the thought, Nick resumed being his regular self, his mask not wavering even for a second.
"Well, I guess that we still have work to do." The fox said, adjusting his shades on his face. "So, gonna check on that new magic bazar that has opened?"
Judy looked at her partner, and now she had a familiar determined look in her face as she started their car.
"Let's do this." She said, and Nick already knew that she was all better now.
**********************
Many things have been happening in Zootopia ever since the revealing of the existence of magecraft. One thing that had changed after the interview was that the protests against mages that had been happening around had practically stopped, with the exception of the occasional overzealous group that was intent into starting another public movement. It seemed that things were truly calming down.
However, it was clear that things had changed, and that they would not be the way that they used to be. A proof of this was that now mammals were keener into believing into the supernatural (with discretion and good sense, of course). Also, there was the fact that some were still doing their best to try to make a buck out of it.
Yeah, mammals were keen on finding ways to make money to survive in the world. Some of them did it because they had no other choice, as they were mammals to whom people would not give honored jobs, and they learned to survive however they could, even if that meant that they would have to embrace dubious morals. Nick Wilde knew that well, of the had been one of these during years of his life. Others, however, were the kind who only cared about money, and they only wanted to get more money through the best possible means, and they had no qualms about tricking others to get by, as that meant more money for themselves by taking it from poor, unaware mammals.
Either way, scammers and con-artists were still trying to get their daily grind, and many of them were now going on the new wave generated by the mages and their craft.
Many of them were now selling things that would be related to magecraft. From some ingredients for rituals, supposed spellbooks from mages, and even magic charms. Many of them claimed that these things were either made by mages, part of some experiment that they dismissed or didn't wanted anymore, or even stolen from their homes when they were out.
It seemed that this kind of scam was getting more popular now that people knew that mages and the supernatural existed. Not only that, but the work of fake mediums and voodoo doctors was increasing, as mammals now would believe more in them since it was proved that mages existed, what created a fertile ground for charlatans and fakers. The fact that there were mammals who already believed in these things earlier did helped, as now more of them were becoming 'believers'.
Mammals like that had been appearing in great number in the past months. Slowly, but surely, these individuals were starting to gather, as if they were a type of club that one could go to talk. Scammers and their targets were starting to gather in somewhere far from the eyes of the public and of the authorities, and these places were starting to boom on their own personal way.
It was into a place like that where Nick and Judy were going. It was a bit hard to find, but Nick was able to talk to some guys and he surely was able to get some information. The place was hidden in a corner in the suburbs. It was mostly made by stands and barracks that were made to advertise the many things that were in there.
The place looked pretty much like a bazar, and the many mammals walking around collaborated to this atmosphere. Nick and Judy walked around, the place and, of course, as they walked, some stepped away or left the place, as some of them preferred to avoid the cops. Still, some just passed by them, as most of them acted as if they had nothing to hide, although the owners of some stands were quick to announce that they were closed as soon as they caught sight of their uniforms.
As they walked, they could catch sight of many "businesses" going on around that new makeshift bazar.
There was stand in the corner that was selling all varieties of magic charms and amulets, many of them supposedly stolen from the laboratories and homes of mages, and some of them possessing strange powers that even the ones who were selling them were unaware of. There was a tent in the middle of the bazar that was where was a wise scholar, who was able to perform healing in the ones who paid and who were deemed worth of his help. Right next to it, there was another stand that was selling magic potions and elixirs that were made by some mages who were great friends with the owner, and that were being sold by high (but not exorbitant) prices, as to pay the mages back for all they invested in making the potions.
Each one seemed to be more popular than the last.
"This place seems to be booming." Nick mentioned, and Judy looked around, trying to take account on all that was happening in there, and she had already counted two dozen cases of scamming, fraud and charlatanism. All of that was being wrote down on her notepad, as she looked at the mammals in the place and tried to write down all details that she could, for it would all be important in the next time they were send to a place like this, and they would be able to take down the charlatans.
" this one belonged to a very powerful mage." A female Rüppell's fox said, holding up what seemed to be a purple gemstone in her paw, showing it to a client. "It was among his possessions, but it was lost along with the rest of it when he died without having descendants. They just came and took what they could before the Association could claim everything. This was among the things. He enchanted it with a powerful magecraft that made it capable of controlling minds." She spoke, and the dromedary looked at it as he seemed to be almost mesmerized by the stone. "They say that, if you hold it in sight of someone, and chant the right mantra, it will cause the magic inside of the stone to work, and it will be able to sap the free will of others, allowing you to be able to make them believe in anything that you tell them. Quite a thing to have right? I heard that he made this so he would not have to go through work of spending his own energy every time that he needed to hypnotize someone."
Nick had been listened as they both passed by the booth. That is, right before the female fox notice their presence, her eyes widening as she saw their uniforms, and immediately she closed the booth and taking whatever she could carry. It was amazing how fast some could run when they saw a police uniform. Nick knew that well, for he was among the ones who would run when the cops came. Very curious that now he was the one who scammers ran from.
Nick could only chuckle at how some mammals could be gullible. Of course, the ferret had said on tv that mages could hypnotize others, but
Nick stopped for a moment, as he was now suddenly remembering something that had happened a while ago, and this made him think.
He thought back on the day that he made a visit to Boarwood. When the sheep looked into his eyes and started talking strange, and that was when Nick suddenly felt dizzy, but only for a second.
Nick had dismissed that as nothing. However, now he also remembered in the morning when the mages presented to them evidence that Bellwether was a mage. Also, there was the fact that 'mental interference' was listed among her skills.
Crap! She was trying to hypnotize me! Nick thought to himself. Now he fully realized that.
The crazy ewe had tried to take control over him to make him do what she wanted! She was probably wanting to alter his memory to make him forget the supernatural, and she could probably also have used this chance to try and make him work in her favor!
Holy crap!
Nick could remember perfectly what happened back then now. He also remembered that that was not the first occasion when he felt that. The first time had been with the coyote, Hudson Coyle, who waved his paws in front of Nick. The guy had also tried to hypnotize Nick, and like Bellwether he had failed. Also like Bellwether, the yote was very surprised when he saw that Nick had not fallen for that.
Yeah, they both seemed to be rather surprised that Nick hadn't fallen for their tricks.
But why hadn't he fallen for their tricks?
Could it be because he had a strong will? Many mammals said that hypnosis only worked in the weak-willed. Maybe they didn't expected Nick to have a strong enough will to resist their Jedi-mind-tricks
However, Nick remembered some things that Bellwether spoke to him back then:
" Are are your circuits open?"
Nick blinked as he thought on that, and as he did, suddenly it seemed that the meaning behind the words of the sheep were somehow changing. The way she spoke circuits, and also the things she said soon after.
" They wouldn't have allowed you to simply go If they knew Did she lied?"
Who lied? If who knew what? The words of that ewe suddenly went back to his head in that moment, and all of sudden, Nick felt that there was some kind of meaning behind all of then, when they were coupled with what he already knew and heard after that visitation
Nick was able to shake his mind out of this, as he knew that now was time to focus on his work. And he did it right on time, because otherwise he could have lost something interesting that was happening right across the bazar.
Nick blinked as he looked at the face of that spotted hyena who was smiling as he talked to someone else. Nick barely noticed the other mammal, who was in a stand, as he was focused into the hyena. He stood on around 5'2' feet tall, with a lightly muscled build, making him look a bit buff for a hyena. He had brown fur on his body, with spots of a darker shade here and there, and grayish fur around his paws and feet. He had mane of cream fur on his head, looking like a stylish Mohawk. His eyes were yellow like gold, and they looked at the mammal with whom he was talking. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans pants, and a black tore shirt, and had a silvery necklace hanging from his neck, something that Nick knew that he always had, for it was probably the only thing that he had that had something even close to emotional value. That necklace, the face, and the smile he had in his muzzle were unmistakable. That was Laughing Joe. The guy to whom Nick and Judy talked months ago in regarding to the illegal fighting rings. And who not only didn't helped, but made a nasty proposal to Judy. Nick tensed as he remembered that.
Now, what was Laughing Joe doing in there?
"Hey, Carrots." Nick whispered to Judy, making the bunny look up at him. "Take a look at who is there."
She blinked and looked over, and she blinked as she looked at the hyena, soon her face hardening a bit.
"Oh him." Judy said,
"So, you remember Laughing Joe?" Nick asked, and Judy nodded.
"How could I forget." Judy said, "He was so inappropriate when talking to me." She said, and it was obvious that she still resented him a bit. Nick could totally understand. They looked as he talked with someone who was in the stand, seeing that it was a female jackal. She said something, and hyena laughed as she spoke that. His laugh was guttural and primal, even to hyenas, and it was easy to recognize that. This was the reason why he was called "Laughing Joe".
The two mammals looked from a corner as he talked to the jackal, and it seemed that he was putting some charm to her. She smiled back, and said something to him, and it seemed that he deflated a bit.
"Guess she turned him down." Nick said, and they continued to look. The hyena smiled once more when she gave him something: an envelope.
"Who much you wanna bet that there are money in there?" Nick asked, and the two looked as he saluted the female, and she smiled at him. The hyena then was walking out, all under the gaze of the two cops, who he had completely failed to notice.
"Yeah, Laughing Joe still conducting his own business." Nick said, and Judy continued to look at the hyena who walked away.
"Let's follow him."
"What?"
"I have a feeling about this." Judy said to her fox partner. "Let's see what he is up to." Judy said, and she soon was going after the hyena before her partner could protest. Nick looked at her, blinking, and soon he sighed as he went after his diminutive partner, wanting to, at the very least, prevent her from getting into trouble.
Now they were following the hyena, and as they did, the mammal met up with another mammal on his way out, a big one. This one was a boar, but he was big for a boar. He should be taller than Laughing Joe, standing on 6'7'' feet tall, and with a prominent gut that could match Clawhauser's. However, while Clawhauser was mostly "huggable", this boar was also a muscle-gut, with thick arms that had both fat and muscle. The guy was big and he had chocolate-brown fur all over his body, with some nice tusks in his mouth and greenish fur on the top of his head, with the same coloration in a tuft on the tip of his short tail. His eyes were black. He wore a pair of long green military pants, and a black jacket of faux-leather in his body, and he was shirtless underneath it, exposing his gut and his pecs. He also wore a pair of black boots on his feet, something that most mammals didn't wore, unless they worked on specific jobs that demanded this kind of protection, or if they wanted to follow some kind of fashion trend.
Laughing Joe greeted the boar, who returned it, and they stopped to talk for a bit.
"Who is that?" Judy said, looking at the big porcine who was now talking with the hyena. It was Nick who answered:
"That guy is Slimy Tusks." The fox said to her, as both of them remained out of sight. "Better have your dart gun ready in case he notices us. His personality and his tusks can actually be nastier than his smell. Especially if he sees cops."
Judy looked at him, and looked back at the boar. Indeed, he was big. This could prove to be quite a problem if he truly didn't liked cops. Still, she was pretty confident that they could take on him if he proved to be a problem. They had training and they had dart guns. Not to mention that they were there for each other in the case of problem. She knew that she could count on her partner, just like he could count on her.
The porcine snorted a few times, and then, he said something to the hyena. Soon, they both were walking down the street.
"Let's go, Nick." Judy said, gesturing for Nick to follow, and the fox saw himself with no other option than to follow her. He knew that he was not going to convince her to stop or let it go. Not now, that she was in "super carrot cop mode".
They followed the two mammals, leaving behind the bazar (which was actually their assignment for the day), and delving into some parts of the suburbs of Sahara Square. It was hot and full of sand, as one would expect from a place build to accommodate mammals native to a desert ecosystem. The houses were build out of soft stone (sometimes sandstone), with ceilings made of plaster or even wood and straw, and they looked quite humble, as one would expect from a small town in the desert.
The streets had some mammals in then, walking back and forth, but Nick and Judy focused into following their targets.
However, that proved a challenge, as the two mammals they were following seemed to know the place well. Nick had been in there before, as he lived in Zootopia during his entire life, and he knew one or two shortcuts that helped them keep up with the two mammals that they were tailing.
But the hyena and boar proved to know these streets as well as the fox did, and they seemed to be getting ahead of them. Until there was a moment when these two cops looked around, and could find no clue of the two mammals that they were tailing. No prints in the soft sand covering the stone floor, no glimpse of them, and no one who had seen them pass by the street.
These two were gone.
"We lost them " Judy said, sounding defeated as she and Nick stood in the middle of the street.
**********************
"We lost them." Slimy Tusks said to the hyena, who looked at him.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely." The boar said, snorting as he sniffed into the air. "Their scent is weaker now. We definitely lost them now."
"Finally!" Laughing Joe said, finally being able to relax. "Man, these two don't know when to quit! I really thought that we were going to spend the rest of the day trying to escape from them!"
Indeed, it had been hard to lose the two cops. They have been trying ever since Slimy Tusks had caught their scent.
Boars were famous for having a good sense of smell, the kind that allowed them to find food back in the days of a distant past, when they had to look under the ground and inside of old dead logs to find their meals. It was still a tactical advantage, both when you were looking for something or keeping an eye (or nose) open for something that could happen.
The boar was an old acquaintance with Nick Wilde, before the fox turned tail and went blue. He wasn't friends with him, or anything, but he recognized the smell of the fox. He was able to sense the smell of that specific fox back then, along with the smell of an unknown bunny. He didn't needed to be a genius to realize that Wilde and his bunny partner were in there, and that they were on to them, something confirmed by the fact that the smell was still strong even as they continued to walk, proving that the two cops were following them.
Slimy Tusks was quick to let his hyena friend know what was going on, and they soon were trying to do their best to lose these two cops. It was hard, however, as these two proved to be quite insistent. Still, they had done their best to lose them, and eventually succeeded, as the boar finally sniffed the air and didn't felt their scent close to him and his pal.
"I wonder why they were following us." The hyena said, and the boar snorted.
"Like cops need reason to follow mammals like us." The porcine said, "All their need are excuses. They always are the kind that thinks that mammals like us are up to nothing good."
"Yeah, but in our case they are right." The hyena said, "We are up for nothing good. Aren't we going now to meet a guy who we will help sell stolen stuff?"
"That's not the point!" The boar said, they were continuing their path, and in the way, they were passing by some old street. In this, the boar caught sight of a big panther in a nice looking suit. He looked to be overly dressed for a mammal walking in that part of Sahara Square, and he was carrying a briefcase in one of his paws and dragging a wheeled suitcase with the other. He looked to be serious as he walked without looking to the sides. The boar sniffed, and he could swear that he had picked up some curious smell coming from him.
"Hey, wait." The boar said, placing a hoof in the shoulder of the hyena. "Check that out."
The hyena looked at the panther in a fancy clothing, and he smiled.
"Think he is lost?" he asked, and the boar snorted.
"Maybe we still have some time before finding the guy with the stuff. Wanna take a look on that dude?" He asked, and the hyena actually agreed.
Soon, they were both following the panther. They saw as he entered into a dark alley, and followed him. They finally were standing in silence in the shadows as the panther waited where he was, looking at his watch, as if he was waiting for something.
"The guy is here to meet someone." Laughing Joe said in a whisper, merely stating the obvious in there. "Think he is up to no good?"
"The guy walks dressed like in this part of the city carrying a briefcase and a luggage and now he is standing in an old and deserted street, waiting for someone to come meet him. Of course he is up to no good! Maybe even more than us." The boar said, looking at the feline, who continued to wait, "The cops keep their eyes on mammals like us all the time, and they don't realize that guys like that are way worse than us. How much you wanna bet that what he is doing is way more illegal than what we are doing?"
"One hundred bucks?" The hyena said to him, "I just got paid."
"Shh! There is someone coming." The boar said. Indeed, someone was just coming out of the darkness. This one was a big bear, and he approached the panther, who looked up to look at him.
The bear was big, and was pretty much what anyone would expect. He was dressing clothes that were more fitting for that desert climate, like a loose shirt and a pair of shorts, his bare paws touching the stone ground that had a thin layer of sand in it, brought about by the gusts of wind from around the area. He had a serious expression as he approached, and the two mammals in hiding could notice that he was carrying something in both paws. One of them was holding a box, while the other one was carrying something that was moving.
"Is that guy carrying a rat?" The hyena asked.
Indeed, the bear was carrying a rat in his other paw. This rat stood on nearly 10 inches tall, quite regular for a rat. The fur on his body was of a shade of brown, and his snout was pinkish in color, as well as his paws and feet, and as his long tail devoid of fur. His eyes, if one looked close enough, were of an orange coloration. He was wearing a pair of black pants, a red shirt, and a brown sleeveless jacket. He had a golden earring on his right ear, and used a band of the same coloration on his right wrist.
The panther looked at the bear, and then his gaze turned at the rat that he was carrying.
"There you are, Blackwall." He said, and checked on his watch once more. "And right on time too."
"I try to respect schedules." The rat said to him, "It helps me keep my customers satisfied."
"Is he new?" The panther said, looking at the bear.
"Oh, yeah! Just got him. Ain't he nice?" The rat asked, as if he was talking about a pet. "I still haven't got his name, guess I'll be calling him 'Pads' because his pads are so comfortable."
"Yeah, right." The panther said, "Do you have it? The package?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." The rat said, and the bear was the one who presented the "package" to the panther, showing the wooden box that he was carrying, which was decorate with many designs and patterns. "I had to go through a bit of trouble, but I was able to get it."
The panther tried to reach for the box, but the bear pulled it away.
"Ah, ah." The rat said to him, shaking his finger in the air. "Not so fast. No money, no honey. Show me the payment first." The rat said to him. The panther only looked at him for a few moments, before he moved the briefcase that he was carrying and holding it in sight. He released the locks, opened it, and let the rat and bear both to look at the content. Due to the angle that they were, Laughing Joe and Slimy Tusks could also get a glimpse of what was inside the briefcase, and they eyes widened comically when they did.
"A-are those gold bars!?" The hyena said as both he and the boar could clearly caught the glimpse of yellow ingots that had been methodically put in the briefcase. There was no way that they could mistake gold bars, even though both of them had rarely set their eyes in one in their entire lives.
"Just as promised." The panther said, while the two mammals duck behind the corner to whisper among themselves. "All yours in exchange for the package."
The rat looked at it, and he smiled. He gestured to the bear while the panther closed the briefcase once more. As the bear was offering the box
"Look at that!" the three mammals turned to look at the two mammals that had juts appeared. A hyena and a boar. "What a nice place for someone to make some deal, don't you think, my friend?" He said, turning to the boar, who looked back at him.
"I'll say!" He looked at them. "Especially if this business involves a lot of gold."
The rat had a raised eyebrow, the bear growled at them, and the panther merely looked at them, although with a frown.
"Who are you two?" The panther demanded, looking at the two mammals, who merely smiled.
"Oh, just some guys that were passing by and saw you guys trying to make a business." The boar said, "In fact, we were just watching as you were offering that briefcase full of gold to these two."
"Don't worry, we are not curious, and we don't want to know what the package is." The hyena said, with a smile on his muzzle. "And we also won't tell anyone what we saw, if you give us, let's say three gold bars?"
"Each." The boar added.
The panther shared a look with the rat, and he looked at the two.
"Come on, you got admit that it is reasonable." The hyena said, "Just six ingots out of the many that you have in this briefcase, it sounds like a good deal, right?"
The panther looked at them, and he said:
"Indeed, it does." He approached the wheeled suitcase as he spoke, "But, I have a better one." He said, tapping into the suitcase. Immediately, the thing opened on its own, and two big and heavy balls made of rock rolled out.
The balls stood in the ground for a few moments, prompting the hyena and boar to share looks with each other. That was, before the balls unrolled themselves and stood up
**********************
"You sure you can track them, Nick?" The bunny asked, as she looked at the fox, who was on all fours on the ground like a feral fox, sniffing into the ground while trying not to inhale sand from the ground.
"Well, it is worth a shot." Nick said, "My nose is not as good as a wolf's, but foxes still have a good sense of smell. Besides, I kind of followed Slimy Tusks smell before, although it usually made my eyes water."
Judy nodded, as she looked at her partner trying to pick up the scent that was from the mammals they had been following. She had the impression that he wanted to let go of it, but that he insisted on it because he saw how frustrated she was. Also, there was the fact that he wanted to find the criminals she made him follow, just so they wouldn't have to tell the Chief that they left their assignment for nothing
Nick sniffed the ground a bit more, before he flinched, coughing a little bit.
"What? Did you sniffed sand?"
"No " Nick said, coughing a bit more. "I just sniffed Slimy Tusks. As pungent as ever."
With this, they were able to pick up a trail. It was not fresh, and neither was it something very solid, but they were able to follow the trail of the scent of the boar, and they followed it to a part of the block that was quite shadowy. More precisely, they followed it to a dark alley. As soon as they walked in, Judy's ears captured a sound.
"Come, dude. You can let us go. We are sorry we got in your business " She perked as she heard that, and she warned Nick that there was something going on ahead. The fox got in attention, as both of them had their dart guns in paw, and they sneaked into the alley, until they were able to pick around the corner, and see a scene developing.
Laughing Joe and Slimy Tusks were against a wall. Both of them looked a bit beaten, as the hyena had a broken lip and a swollen face, and the boar had a blackened eye. They both looked at the mammals who were surrounding them, who were two armadillos. Past the armadillos, a panther walked back and forth in front of the hyena and boar, as if he was evaluating them. In a corner, a bear was carrying a rat and a box on his paws.
"What is going on?" Nick asked, and he took a look into the mammals in there, including the armadillos.
"These two look like they need help." Judy said, and she got her dart gun ready. "I get the panther, you get the two armadillos." The bunny said, but the fox stopped her.
"I don't think so, Carrots." The fox said, looking at the two armadillos. "Take a good look at these two." He said, and Judy looked.
Her first thought was that the armadillos were naked, prompting her to blush. However, as she looked better, she noticed something very strange about these armadillos. After a few seconds, she realized that they looked as if they were made of polished rock, as their bodies was smooth and didn't really looked alive, and their "eyes" were actually more like yellow lenses.
"Come on, dude!" The hyena said, "We said we were sorry! Just let us go."
"After you saw us?" The panther asked. "Not happening."
"Oh, it's easy to play though with these things to fight for you, ain't it, you stupid fancy cat?" The boar asked. The panther looked at him for a moment, and made a gesture, pointing a single finger at him. Immediately, one of the "armadillos" rolled into a ball and propelled itself into the boar, hitting him hard in the gut.
"ACK!" The boar called out as he doubled, getting on his knees as he held his stomach. The "armadillo" then rolled back and was once more standing.
"Now, I guess that this has gone long enough." The panther said, "Time to end both of you."
"E-end!?" The hyena said, now looking genuinely afraid. So did the two cops, and Judy was already on the radio, requesting backup.
"Oh, oh! Hold on!" The rat said, and this caused the panther to stop and look at him. "Dude, you can't go killing everyone who makes you mad. This is not how civilized mammals live in society."
"They are going to tell others what they saw." The panther shot back.
"No, we won't! We promise!" Said the scared hyena, looking at the panther, hoping that he would have mercy, while Slimy Tusks was still trying to get up.
"You know, I know that the MTC never cared much about rules or the Codex." The rat said, granting the panther to look at him. "But I don't think that killing everyone all the time is the way to go."
"What do you suggest?" The panther asked.
"Mental interference, of course." The rat said, "Making them forget what they saw and let them leave thinking that they got their bruises from a fight with some guy from around here. Sounds a lot more reasonable than leaving corpses behind. It would also call less attention, right?"
"Not if the corpses are never found." The panther shot back.
"Wouldn't that be too much work?" The rat retorted. "I mean, the main thing of the MTC is to keep out of sight, right? From everyone, including the Association. Of course, you could make these two disappear, but I'm pretty sure that it would be a whole lot of unnecessary problem." The rat said, "You can just let me take care of them. I'll alter their memories so they forget all that they saw, and you won't have to worry about that. I mean, this way you would not have to tell the other guys in the MTC that you let yourself be caught by surprise by some mundanes."
The panther kept looking at him, and it seemed that he was considering it. All the mammals around looked at the panther as he was making his decision. After a while, the panther simply said:
"Fine." With this, the stone armadillos seemed to stand down. This prompted a relieved sigh from Laughing Joe, while Slimy Tusks was just finished recovering his breath. Meanwhile, Nick and Judy were still watching it from hiding.
"Back up will be here in just a few minutes." Judy said to her partner, and Nick nodded, they continued to watch the scene unfold from their hiding spot.
"So, what about we finish this business then?" The rat said, "We give you the box and you hand us the gold?"
"Let me see it first." The panther said, "To be sure that it really is what you promised us."
"What, don't trust me?" The rat asked, sounding innocent.
"No one trusts freelancers." The panther said back, "Especially not the ones like you, Blackwall."
The rat looked back at him. "Yes, of course . Pads?"
With this, the bear placed the wooden box down with one paw, while the other one continued to support the rat. Once the box was down, the bear used a paw to open the lid of the box. The ones who were around, could see that there was something inside of the box that seemed to be glowing in a golden hue. In that moment, many mammals around felt a strange urge within themselves. An urge to go to that box and take whatever was inside to themselves.
The panther looked, and he nodded. "Yes it truly is the promised." The panther said, and the bear closed the box. As he did, the panther also placed the briefcase in the ground.
"It is a pleasure making business with the MTC" the rat said, as the bear picked the briefcase and the panther was now reaching for the box, when
"ZPD, don't move!" Judy said as both she and Nick jumped out of their hiding spot. The scene froze as everyone looked at the two small cops.
"Wilde?" The boar said, and Laughing Joe actually smiled.
"Nick! Dude! I was never so happy for seeing you!" The hyena said, and the two officers continued to point their dart guns forward. While the panther looked at the two or, more precisely, at the fox.
"Nick Wilde ?"
"We have already called back up." Judy announced. "They will be here any minute. So please, cooperate." She said to them, and the rat groaned.
"Seriously? Man, this is gonna be bad for my reputation " The rat said, seeming oblivious to the fact that he was now officially in problem with the law. Meanwhile, the panther was staring at Nick.
Now, Nick had received a lot of hateful eyes in his life, but the hate in the eyes of the panther was something else. If looks could kill, Nick would surely have been reduced to a smoldering corpse with the amount of hatred into the eyes of that feline.
"Don't move!" Judy said to the panther, but the mammal ignored her, and he made a gesture at Nick, nearly roaring:
"Kill that fox!"
In an instant, the two armadillos made of stone turned to the fox, and immediately rolled into balls. Soon, they were rolling in direction to the fox, who had to dodge out of the way not to be trampled.
"Wow!" Nick said, as his own tail barely escaped.
"Nick, look out!" Judy cried, and Nick once more rolled out of the way, as the rolling things came back and tried to flatten him again. Now Nick had to move constantly to avoid the rolling stones that were purposely trying to hit him.
"Oh boy." Blackwall said, "Guess that is our time to go, Pads!" The rat said, and the bear started to get up, when darts suddenly hit him square in the shoulder. The ursine barely had time to react before the tranquilizers kicked in and he fell faceplanted in the ground, dropping the briefcase full of gold and the rat.
"Hff!" The rat said as he went down. The darts had come from Judy, who was pointing her dart gun at them, and looked at she then turned to the panther.
"You! Make them stop attacking my partner!" She cried out, but the panther ignored her, and continued to look forward.
"Crush that fox like a grape!" He ordered, and the two rolling stones now seemed to be even more keen on hitting Nick, forcing the fox to move more to avoid them.
"Stop!" Judy said, and she immediately fired a dart. It flew through the air, and it hit the panther, only to fall to the ground broken, and the feline continued to look forward, as if he hadn't even felt the dart.
"What?" Judy said, looking at the panther surprised, and the feline continued to stare daggers at the fox who was dodging the attacks of the rolling rock armadillos.
"Crush him!" The feline roared, and Nick had just dodged one of them, but he failed to see another one rolling at his direction at full speed.
"Nick!" Judy cried out in horror, and the fox turned just in time to see the rock rolling towards him
Suddenly, a big foot hit the rolling ball, kicking it away. The thing flew through the air and hit a wall, shattering and breaking apart.
The panther roared, as Nick looked up to see the face of Rhinowitz.
"Hey, Wilde." The rhino said to him, and Nick nodded back. Immediately after, the rhino rose a big foot and slammed it into the other ball, which was rolling in direction to Nick. The thing was stopped in place as cracks appeared in it. Right after, the rhino gave another hard stomp in it, making it break like a toy, as pieces of what was once a stone armadillo flew everyone.
"Meddler!" The panther roared, and Delgato walked forward, pointing a dart gun forward.
"ZPD, freeze!" The panther roared in anger, and turned around, leaving that place. Delgato soon was in pursuit, trying to get the other running feline.
"You both okay?" The rhino asked Nick and Judy, and the both smaller mammals nodded.
"Yeah, you arrived just in time. A bit more and I'd be roadkill." Nick said, and the rhino then looked at the two things that he had just broke.
"Just what in the world happened here?" He asked, and Judy was the one who answered:
"I think that we just met a mage."
"If this is going to become a pattern, then I'm not amused." Nick said drily, and they looked around, at the mammals that were still in there, all of them now trying to sneak out in the middle of the mess that had ensued.
"Hey, you, stay where you are!" The rhino said, turning at the boar and hyena, who both rose their paws. Meanwhile, Nick looked at the rat, who seemed to be trying to drag the briefcase out of there.
"Hey, there, little guy." The fox said after walking to the rodent, who looked back up at him. "Keen on having the briefcase?"
"Hey, it is my payment for getting that thing." Said the rat, as he pointed at the wooden box that the panther had forgotten. "There is a lot of gold in it, and I'm not giving up on that."
"Yeah, I kind of get it." The fox said, sounding more honest than he actually intended. "Still, I think that it will be hard carrying around without your friend in there." Nick said, pointing at the unconscious bear.
"Yeah, Pads was nice." The rat said, looking over his shoulder at the fox. "But I already have someone to replace him."
The way the rat spoke that was something that Nick didn't liked, as well as the smile that there was on his face.
"Really? Who?"
The rat then turned completely to look at the fox.
"You." He spoke, and in that moment, his orange eyes changed color, becoming of a vivid purple coloration, as he looked at Nick right in the eyes.
In that moment, Nick had a strange feeling. It suddenly felt as if someone was trying to wrap fingers around his brain. All the while, the purple light of the rat's eyes seemed to be taking all of his vision.
Nick then blinked, and suddenly it was as if everything suddenly cleared. The fox took his paws to his head reflexively, as the feeling of the fingers inside his skull was replace with a feeling of hotness, all over his own head.
The fox opened his eyes to look at the rat, who was now looking at him with wide eyes.
"Y-you " The rat said, and Nick was able to soon shake it off, as the feeling of hotness disappeared, and he now was looking intently at the rat.
"Okay I appreciate if you don't do that again." He said to the rodent, who still looked at him with wide eyes, which now had returned to their regular color.
"I lost the panther!" Said Delgato, as the lion came back. "The sucker was pretty fast. I tried to dart him, but it was like he didn't even felt the darts."
As he came in, the rat turned to him, and said:
"Hey, kitty cat!"
This immediately prompted the lion to look at him, and the rat looked into his eyes, as they changed color once more, becoming purple. Soon, the eyes of the lion also changed their common coloration to purple, and he looked like he suddenly had a change of mood.
"Help me get out of here with my gold!" The rat commanded, and Nick looked at the rat, before his gaze turned to Delgato, just in time to see the big lion point a dart gun at him.
Nick had good reflexes, and they allowed him to jump out of the way as soon as the lion pulled the trigger.
"Hey!"
The cry of the fox made the rhino and bunny, who were now in the process to apprehend the hyena and boar, turned to look. They saw Delgato now pointing his dart gun at Nick, while he helped the rat, first by allowing him to climb up his arm, and then picking up the briefcase.
"What?"
"Jeremy! What are you doing?" The rhino asked, and the lion answered by pointing a dart gun at him and firing. The rhino had to dodge to avoid the darts, his thick skin helped him with the darts, as they had difficulty to pierce through his hide.
As soon as he jumped out of the way, the lion tried to make a dash for it. However, Judy was faster, and she jumped in front of him, swinging both of her legs and hitting him in the heel. This caused the lion to lose balance and fall forwards, both the rat and the briefcase going to the ground once more.
The lion was about the get up, when Judy climbed onto him and grabbed his arm, twisting it.
"Okay, Officer Delgato! Explain yourself!" She demanded, but the lion only roared as he struggled.
Meanwhile, the rat was getting up, and he rushed to the brief case. As soon as he reached it, two bigger pairs of hooves and paws landed in it. This prompted the rat to look up, seeing the face of Slimy Tusks and Laughing Joe looking back at him.
The three mammals looked at each other, before they looked back at the three officers that were trying to dominate Delgato without hurting him.
The rat looked back at the three. "Wanna share this?" He asked, and the two mammals shared a look.
In no time, they were running out of the alley, with Slimy Tusks carrying the briefcase with the gold while Laughing Joe carried the rat in his paws.
"Hey! You!" Judy said, looking at the mammals leaving, but she was distracted when she had to dodge the incoming foot of the much bigger lion, who was still trying to claw at the rhino that was trying to come at him.
"Jeremy! Jere! Stop it!" The rhino said, until he finally got fed up, and charged at the lion, picking him up and taking him to the ground, putting him in a lock to keep his body in place.
The rhino made his best to hold onto the lion, while Nick and Judy recovered.
"You okay?"
"I I guess " Judy said, looking around. She saw that the suspects had already eloped, and that now there were little chances of finding them again.
"They escaped." She said in defeat, and Nick nodded, placing a paw on her shoulder.
"Yeah but they forgot something." The fox said, gesturing to the wooden box, still laying on the ground
