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Journalism's ultimate purpose is to inform the reader, to bring him each day a letter from home and never to permit the serving of special interests.

Arthur Ochs Sulzbarker

July 1st, 2018 – Zootopia Times

TECHNOCRACY: THEIR WONDERS AND SECRETS

Yesterday, on June 30, Pearl Paradigm Industry, the technology research and development group that was responsible for the creation and maintenance of the climate walls of Zootopia called in a press conference due to an announcement. In this announcement, the CEO revealed that the Pearl Paradigms group is relate to the organization known as "Technocracy".

The Technocracy has been mention during the course of the interview conducted by Victoria Vulpen. Zillah Ferron, the ferret mage, described the Technocracy as one of the organizations that were able to face the Mage's Association. Described as a group that uses a more scientific approach in everything they do, and that plans to have technology replace the supernatural, however, the CEO of Pearl Paradigms, who describes himself as a member of the Technocracy, therefore a 'technocrat', said:

"This is the typical thing that mages say. It cannot be helped, once they have their own view of how things work, and it just cannot be helped." He spoke. "Mages do deserve credit, for they act pretty much like us, researching and testing their methods until they have been perfected into working form. However, mages cannot be called true scientists, for they act based on methods that cannot be used freely, and they work only for themselves, while true scientists must dedicate themselves to learning the truth in order to improve the lives of others and to improve society as a whole. We, from the Technocracy, are true scientists, for in spite of developing methods that make use of our Quantic Circuits, we also work in finding ways that these methods can also be utilized and performed by those who don't have them. We try to achieve new ways of understanding the world and new methods to perform the most different tasks, and we work in putting these methods on the reach of the common mammals of this world. For unlike magecraft, which searches for ways to performing tasks, but can only be reproduce by those who are privileged, the true science is something that works in favor of all mammals as a whole. Our methods have been extensively tested and studied, and we now work into putting them on everyone's reach and improve the lives of mammals. That was what we did with the creation of the climate walls, and we still have many plans to use science to improve society and the lives of mammals."

The stocks have answered to the announcement made, as Pearl Paradigms, as well as other industries and groups also revealed to be relate to the Technocracy, suffered fluctuations in response for the revelation, as well as for the demonstrations that were carry on the same day. Such demonstrations included the exposition of feats and equipment that could only be describe as something out of sci-fi movies.

"These guys are actually no different from mages, you know?" Said Mason Deerbron, a stock market consultor, "They say that they work in improving society, but they actually have a lot of things that you can only do if you have those circuits of theirs." The Technocracy answered to it by saying once more that they work tirelessly in finding ways for their methods to be performed by those who don't have 'Quantic Circuits', and that as soon as these methods have been tested and perfected, they are released for the public.

July 9th, 2018 - The cape of the Mammals Magazine

It was a picture in black and white of a crowd, with many mammals in shades of gray. However, some of the mammals of that crowd were in color, as if they were different from the rest of the mammals that were in there.

THEY LIVE AMONG US

Mages are real and they are among us.

July 20th, 2018 – UZA Today

THE MAGE'S ASSOCIATION AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD

Back on late June, Queen Elizabeth II, of England, started to make public announcements requesting an audience with representatives of the Clock Tower. These announcements were made via groups traveling and repeating the announcements via the streets and roads of England. This was made, according to sources, because mages were said not to use technology to communicate, and as a result, it would be of little use making the announcement through television and it was not possible to send digital messages. There was also the fact that the precise location of the headquarters of the Association was unknown, except for the detail that it is somewhere in England, in a way that it would not be viable to send a group to the headquarters personally or send messages through the mail.

On the day July 13th, Queen Elizabeth and dozens of members of the parliament had gathered inside of the Buckingham Palace, waiting for the Association to answer. Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered outside of the palace, formed by reporters and by the common public. This crowd was able to capture the moment when a carriage pulled by heavily decorated ostriches stopped in front of the palace, and three mammals stepped outside and walked into the palace: a wolf, a bear, and an albino impala.

Later on, it was confirmed that these three mammals were mages, who had been send in answer to the request of the queen, and had the meeting with the mammals in the palace of Buckingham, as per request. According to sources, these mammals, upon entering, were announced as Lords Silverfang and Bearus, both lords and instructors of the Association, and as Milady Vanhorne, one of the thirteen members of the Council.

"At first we thought that the mages had decided not to answer, because it was taking far too long." Would have said one of the guards who was on duty inside of the palace. "But them these three came in announcing to be representatives, and the impala was claiming to be a member of their council. Of course, when they arrived some asked them for proof that they were mages, and the impala was the one who offered proof. She pulled out some kind of key from her clothes, and said some kind of spell in Latin, and next thing we know there was a swan made of ice flying around in the room, making it snow everywhere. Snow! Inside of the palace! In the middle of July! That was more than enough proof."

The mages remained inside of the palace in discussion for over two hours, and during this time a lot was discussed, including the positioning of the Association in the matters of public wealth and security, as well as how the Enforcers, their police force, would deal with dangerous mages in case they started to threaten the non-mage population. Afterward, the mages returned to their carriage and left, and the carriage seemed to have disappeared, as it did not appeared in any traffic cam and was not see by anyone in any of the roads of Liondon that would lead to the Buckingham Palace.

News say that, after this successful peaceful meeting with the Association, governments from around the world have started to follow suit and request meetings with the mages of their own countries. From public announcements to calls on tv, countries and governments around the world are asking for the mages in their jurisdictions to send representatives for meetings.

Such actions were further reinforced once news came out that the Chinese Government also has had a meeting with mages, as sources tell that the Chinese government had a meeting with no one else than nine members of the Chinese Mage Council, which is called Lóng Yìhuì (Dragon Council). These mammals were not identify publicly, for one of the conditions for the meeting was that their identities, including their species, would be kept in absolute secret to protect them from unwanted attention.

July 28th, 2018 – The Inquisitor Gazelle

THE TRUE MOTIVES OF MAGES

Mages are getting more and more space in our world, ever since their revealing to the public. Now, this makes us wonder, could it all be part of some kind of plan?

"I don't doubt that they are planning something." Said a source that chosen to remain anonymous. "These mages have kept hidden for a very long time. Why they were hidden? Because they probably have something to hide, like the fact that they still use mammals as test subjects for their spells and other things. I say that we should have them all locked down before they come for us. They are probably only wanting to gain public favor so they will be able to continue to do their stuff without worrying 'bout the army coming for them."

"Yeah, I don't think that mages are dangerous in nature." Said Honey Badger, specialist in military training and survival, "But, they could become dangerous depending on their other associations. For example, if they are members of a group dedicated to the supremacy of sheep and into turning the rest of the population into obedient little followers, then we would be in trouble."

All of this might actually lead us to wonder: are mages truly wishing only to live their lives and continue their researches? Or do they have a final goal that could mean trouble to non-mages?

August 2nd, 2018 – The Paw Street Journal

PUBLIC MAGES

With the advent of the revealing of mages, many mammals are questioning if the one next to them could be mages. Of course, there are no true way of knowing which ones could be mages, once mages keep to themselves and do not want attention. However, over the last months, some mages have been breaking this stream by announcing publicly to be mages.

This is said to be a result of the governments requesting the presence of mages as representatives for meetings to discuss laws and important matters. What is known is that mages from around the world are coming forth and announcing their nature as mages for who wants to hear, not much, but the few who do are often public figures. Among them, is the Leoway family, owners of the Leoway Enterprises, great conglomerate in the Oriental Roarope, and famous for their great deal of charity works, who have come forward and announced their nature as mages on middle June, soon after the Roaropean Union asked for mages of many countries to come forward as representatives of the Roaropean community. The Leoway clan made their presence known and admitted publicly for the population and the world, and they have received a great deal of positive response from the public, according to some, due to the many mammalitarian works attributed to them, and to the power of their enterprise.

Following suit, other important families came forward assuming their nature as mages. Among them, there is the Krila clan, a family of bats that is extremely influent on their native land on Aardlovak, who presented themselves as very skilled in summoning magecraft; and the Lupo clan, a family of wolves famous for the many great musicians that they produced, and who presented themselves as studious of 'music magecraft'. Both families received great public acceptance, both locally and internationally.

In Nippon, Kazuma Okitsuno, CEO of the Gyumao Conglomerate, came forward and announced his own nature as a mage, even going as far as to make a public demonstration of his magecraft. In Animerica, the figure who recognized publicly to be a mage was Jason Wolf-Powers, owner of the Blue Wolf Capital Brothers, announcing his nature as a mage in a public press collective in which he had appeared with his fur dyed blue, and was creating arcs of lightning from his paws over the heads of a baffled group of reporters. Also during this meeting, Jason Wolf-Powers declared himself affiliated not to the Mage's Association, but to a group called Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose. Details about such group were not given, although some speculate that it could be one of the smaller associations of mages that were spoke about during the interview of Zillah Ferron.

Each revealing came from an individual who was a public figure, and each one had a result in the market, as the values of the actions have fluctuated accordingly. However, it seems that the revealing had an overall positive effect in the value of the stocks, as the stocks of the Blue Wolf Capital Brothers increased in five points.

"It is kind of like in the time when interspecies and same gender marriages were legalized." Said a stock negotiator specialist. "Many choose to keep to themselves, but some choose to 'come out of the closet', so to say, and let the world know they are how they are. This has an effect in the stocks, of course. If it is good or bad, well, only time can tell."

August 16th, 2018 – The Zootopia Post

RELIGION AND FAITH IN A WORLD OF MAGES

Religion has always been part of the lives of mammals, as many consider it as a founding stone in the lives of many. With the revealing of the existence of mages and of their magecraft, there were reactions within the religious communities all over the world. Such reactions varied from overzealotry in regards to mages to a total loss of faith, once the happenings can be interpreted in many different ways.

During the interview given by Zillah Ferron, the young ferret talked about 'The Church', and how it is an organization that has clashed with the Mage's Association in the past, for considering their actions as 'sinful', but that has now reached a state of mutual non-aggression with mages. Such revelation caused reactions from the people, with a number of the believers and followers of the Orthodox Catholicism, especially the most conservative ones, have adopted the posture that magecraft is a sin, and that all of the ones who practice it are sinners. However, another reaction that has come from such revelation was an indignation by the followers, for it was revealed that the Church knew that the supernatural truly existed, and kept it a secret from their followers during a period of centuries.

"If they kept it hidden, then they probably must be keeping other secrets." Said Gabriel Rammón, a priest, "In a way, they are actually not that different from the mages."

Not only that, the revelation of the existence of magecraft also is now something that atheists are using to try to invalidate faith. They are now insisting that the so called 'miracles' could be mere tricks of magecraft, and that the Church itself could be using it to control and influence their followers by making them believe in what is convenient to them. In this point, it is being said that the Church is using magecraft to fool its followers with fake miracles, and that the same could be said by many other religions around the world.

However, not all reactions are negative, as many are now saying that the existence of magecraft gives weight to other believes. "If magecraft and mages exist, if they are real, this means that everything else can be. The supernatural, the soul, Heaven and Hell, God. All of this could be just as true as what the mages have proven that they can do. Honestly, this kind of thing fills me with hope." said Gunther Huntinton, a leader of a small church in the outskirts of Zootopia.

September 11th, 2018 – UZA Today

COOPERATION AGREEMENTS BETWEEN ENFORCERS AND POLICE

Keeping law, capturing criminals, and keeping the good mammals safe. This is what has always been the mission of the police forces around the world. It can also be said that this is the mission of the Enforcers, which are the equivalent of the Association to the police, hunting down and capturing dangerous criminal mages.

Ever since the revealing of magecraft, there have been meetings of the governments around the globe with representatives of mages. Meetings in which many subjects were on discussion, from the positioning of mages in relation to the political parties of the countries, to the way that they upheld their own internal policies locally. However, a subject that was very common was one that talked about how mages dealt with their criminals.

It was agreed that it was of mutual interest of the governments to help the Association and the Enforcers into the apprehension of criminal mages, once such individuals could easily put lives at risk. With this in mind, many governments around the world, like Zussia, Germanein, Nippon, China, England and, just this week, the UZA, firmed agreements with the Association.

With such agreements, the Association, more precisely, their Enforcers, now uphold the same level of influence over places held by the Interpaw and by similar international organizations, but only in what concern mages. This way, the Enforcers will have an authority to take over any case in which there is suspicion that supernatural events might be involved. On the same way, the governments will be given ways in which they will be able to contact the Association and request for their help, in which case the Association will evaluate the case and determine if it is or not worth of their interference.

"This is something that might help us in the long run." Said the defense minister. "For just like we can contact the countries that we have agreements with in case one of their criminals steps in our home turf, we now can contact the Association to deal with dangerous mages who are creating problems in our country. This is good for the Association, for they can better keep control over the mages that break their laws, and be able to better discipline them, and it is good for us, who will be able to call on to someone if we stumble into something that we truly do not understand. It can be said it is a win-win for all of us."

However, some criticize such agreements, for they claim that it will give the Association even more power of influence over the countries. Supposedly, they will have authority to assume over investigations of police departments and even of national and international agencies, and they could use this to help bury and cover up events related to the Association and their members. Still, many agree that these agreements will have a beneficial effect, for it will allow for the police departments and agencies to have the help of specialized mages of the Association to help solve matters that a non-mage would have problems to solve on their own.

September 20th, 2018 – The Morning Report

SOON WILL BE INAUGURATED ZOOTOPIA'S BIGGEST SHOPPING MALL

It has been announced that the mall New Den Plaza will be inaugurated this October.

The new shopping plaza has been in construction for a little over a year, and it is described by some as 'an ambitious project of engineering', and also as a 'tribute to shoppers and consumerism'. It is said to be the biggest shopping mall that was ever built in Zootopia, covering an entire block and with over five stores high.

"They truly went all the way to build that thing. They even used a technology similar to the one that is used in the climate of Zootopia so mammals of all species can come and enjoy the mall for as long as they want." Said the chief engineer, talking about the special inner areas of the mall, each one built in a way to mimic one of the specific districts of Zootopia, welcoming mammals of different biomes into the place by using a technology developed by Pearl Paradigms, very close to that used in the climate walls.

Chapter Text

The day started early for many mammals who lived in Zootopia. Be they a shopkeeper going to open their store in the first rays of the morning, or a mailmammal going on to deliver the first letter of the day of a few mammals.

Some mammals woke up before the sun did, so they could carry on with their many businesses around the great city of Zootopia, a place that, according to some, was one of these cities that never truly slept. A place where all mammals took their part into making this city active around the clock, either the sun rose or not.

Among these mammals, was the ZPD's Chief, Mansa Bogo, who was among the first officers to arrive, so early that he was there before even Benjamin, who worked in the front desk, and he often was the one who welcomed the ample cheetah, and then moved in to his office to take care of his business for the day.

That day, however, there was something different, as right after he entered his office, Bogo received a call.

It was from the City Hall.

Now, the mammals of the City Hall were not the kind who woke up early, as these mammals who had influence and money had the liberty of making their schedules and altering them to their whim. This was one reason, among some, why Bogo did not bode well with these super influent mammals. They tended to do as they pleased, and they tended to be lazy like that, when compared to his officers, who got up with the first morning rays.

However, there they were, giving Bogo a call through his private extension very early in the morning, to talk to him about something that was important.

"…So, these mammals are just going to come in here and they will ask for our cooperation?" Bogo asked as the one in the other line told him what to expect from today.

"Yeah, I understand that." Bogo said to the mammal on the other end. "Still, I would like to know what is this 'important business' that you are talking about."

Bogo kept the phone close to his ear as he paced back and forth in his office. The answer that he received did not make him very happy.

"So, I need to just stop all of the day's business and hold all of my officers just so they can be briefed into something that these 'important guys' want to ask their help with?" Bogo asked, and he received an answer on the other end that made his sigh.

"Yeah, Okay… I understand… Can you at least tell me who are these mammals who are so keen on interfering on our schedules?" Bogo asked, and he stood in place as he got the answer. "Oh, I'll know when they get here, huh? Can I at least know what is their 'important business' with the ZPD?"

Again, Bogo rolled his eyes at the answer he received.

"Right… I'll know when they get here… Okay, fine. I get it… Right, I'll have everyone ready… Yes, I'll keep that in mind… Good day…" Bogo said, and he hung up his phone, sighing as his massaged his temples with his hooves.

That was another thing that Bogo disliked about these big shots: the fact that they thought that they could interfere with his schedule and with his work and of his officers just like that. Especially so early in the morning.

"What a good way to start a day…" The buffalo groaned.

What a good way to start a day. Judy thought to herself as she saw the images of her parents looking back at her on their own phone as they talked on MuzzleTime.

Now, it was not like her parents were lazy. Quite the opposite. As mammals who were farmers, they were often waking up very early in the day. Something that Judy herself went after, as she was an early bunny and would often be up early even before her alarm did. This was something that did not changed ever since she came to live in the big city.

Still, it was not every day that her parents decided to call her this early in the morning just to talk.

"Well, you can't blame us for wanting to talk to our daughter, can you?" Stu said to the bunny on the other end, who was already all in her uniform and ready for a day's work.

"Sure can't." Judy said to them. "So, you guys still planning on visiting soon?"

"You bet!" Stu said to his daughter. "We are planning on going on the inauguration of that big mall!"

"Oh, yeah." Judy said to herself. It seemed that one of the subjects that were the most popular in the city in the recent times would be the soon-to-be inauguration of New Den Plaza, the biggest mall of Zootopia, located nowhere other than all the way Downtown. They said it would be over three hundred stores of all kinds in the place, and it was truly massive. Many mammals were talking about going in there, and her family was no different.

"Yeah, Harry said that he wants to go in there to check on the new bookstore that will be opening there. Some of your sisters want to check on the stores, and some are wanting to take a look into the new state of art movie theater that they will have." Bonnie said to her daughter through the screen of the phone. "Even Cotton wants to come, because she wants to buy some toys from the Pixar store that they say that will be opening in there."

Cotton. That was the name of Judy's favorite niece. Judy had many, as many of her brothers and sisters, especially the older ones, were already married and with children of their own. Cotton was that nice and adorable little thing that saw the good in everything and everyone. Judy looked forward to having her visit.

Along with the rest of her relatives, of course.

"We just need to fix up a few things in here, and hopefully we will be at Zootopia in the morning at the day of the opening." Stu said to his daughter "We all will make sure to pass to visit you when we come, right before we go."

"I'll be anxiously waiting. It will be nice to see you guys now, you know, since this year I could not go home for the festival." Judy said, remembering that during this summer, when the Carrot Days Festival happens, she was not able to go to see her family, in part due to the great amount of work that she had. That and the fact that she was not able to plan her vacation in advance due to all of the unpredicted things that happened in the course of the past months. She still felt a little bad for it, but she could not regret having choose to do her work over enjoying vacation.

"Yeah, we missed you back then, but it will be nice seeing you again." Bonnie said, a smile in her face as she stood next to her husband. "Well, I guess that this was enough talk for now. You still have work today, and can't keep your partner waiting, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Judy said, looking through the window, just in time to see Nick walking into the street and stopping right in front of her building. "Speaking of him, he just arrived. I gotta go now."

"Uhhh, Judy… about your fox partner…" Stu tried to say, but his wife was sure to cut him:

"Have a good day, sweetheart. Love you."

"Love you two, bye." Judy said, and soon the call was ended. She then turned to the wall, "I'm going now boys!"

"Okay Hopps, see you later!" One of the voices said, "Also, your parents sound really nice, I hope to get to meet them!"

"They probably would not like meeting some guy who yells all the time!"

"You yell too!" The other one shot back, "Maybe we can meet them when they come! We are planning on going on the mall during the opening too! Maybe we all could go together!"

"Going with people they have just met? Don't you think they will find a little creepy? Besides, you know that every time we met new people we end up in a screaming contest in front of them and when we look again they are gone!"

"Because you insist into starting a fight all the time!"

"Like you don't hold blame for going along!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

As they continued their squabble, Judy had already left her apartment and in no time she was going down. She soon met up with Nick, as the fox smiled back at her, and soon, after a brief greeting, they both were walking across the street.

Meanwhile, they were talking:

"So, the mall will be inaugurating in a few days, right?" Nick said to her, "Wish to go in there if you have the chance?"

"Maybe." Judy said to him, "If we won't have too much work, but mostly just to look at it. Although there are a few stores in there that I would like to see. Everybody is talking about the mall, you know?"

"Yeah, nearly as much as they are still talking about the mages." Nick mentioned to her. "It seems that mammals are starting to get used to the fact that there are mages around."

"Yeah, it seems." Judy said, "The protests have all but stopped."

"Save for one now and then by some religious fanatic." Nick said to her, "But, it is around the same in regarding marrying someone of a different species or of the same gender. These guys just want to keep making noise. They are just a bunch of whiners."

Judy smiled, as she found herself agreeing with Nick. She totally thought that the ones who were still protesting just wanted to express their hatred. Of course, she had experienced that mages could be dangerous in certain cases, but labelling all mages as dangerous was stupid and prejudiced, and it was actually no different from the anti-predator protests that had developed during the course of the Night Howler Conspiracy. Such actions were irresponsible and they would only divide society, and Judy knew that, as well as she knew that not all mages were "evil devil worshippers".

"And mages are still the main topic that everyone is talking about." Nick added, "I mean, it has been a few months already, and all everyone talks about are the mages."

"Well, you can't really blame them." Judy said, "We spend our entire lives believing that magic didn't existed, and now we know that mages are real and that they were kept hidden by a conspiracy. It is the kind of thing that you will be talking about for a while."

"Yeah, I'll say…" Nick added, "A friend of mine has been going ballistic over this…"

The two mammals continued with their casual talk until arriving at the station and taking the subway for their work. Once inside the train, the two sat together into a bench that was on the corner, and then, Nick went for a subject that was a bit touchier than the other ones.

"What about that crow?" He asked, "Have you really not seen it again?"

Judy looked at him, and she nodded. "Yeah, not since that night with the butterfly. I guess it has gave up on following me…"

"Yeah, after losing its talons, I think that the thing really got enough of following a bunny around." Nick added, "And we still found nothing in regard to the investigation."

When he said "investigation", he truly meant investigation. As in, a series of investigations and research that was done by the ZPD in regarding to the event, as an actual case. That was because, in the following morning that the event happened, a report was filled detailing the event, and soon it was being treated as something that had happened and was related to mages.

Nick and Judy had collected some evidence on their own, and they handed it to the other officers as soon as they arrived, and gave both detailed reports on what happened. Such reports were reinforced by the neighbors, the Oryx-Antlersons, who told them pretty much the same thing that had happened in regarding the crow and the way that it attacked. The fact that the walls and windows seemed to have been destroyed by black feathers gave some credit to their claims, and the fact that the supernatural was starting to become commonplace helped a lot.

Soon that event was something of an interesting thing in the ZPD, as everyone was hearing how Judy and Nick had been attacked by a magic crow. And there was also the fact that the crow fought a magic butterfly. Of course, questions were asked in regarding to the whole thing, and Nick and Judy soon told a lot of things.

Now everyone knew of the story that Nick and Judy had both been followed by a crow and a butterfly, which they assumed were familiars of mages. Of course, the cops also were detailing other things, with Judy even handling to them the records that she has been keeping on the crow ever since she noticed that it was following her. The story was a pretty interesting one for the ZPD, as it seemed that there were mages spying on the two of their top officers.

Of course, there were things that were purposely left off, like the fact that Nick had witnessed some fight with mages in regarding to the case of the illegal fights. Yeah, it would probably not have the risk of others thinking that he was crazy for saying that, but that would involve admitting officially that he lied on his report, and that could bring him problems, even if everyone agreed that lying was surely the way to go.

Still, now everyone knew that Nick was followed by a butterfly and that Judy was followed by a crow. This was certainly something that the ZPD could get to talk. And also make some jokes about…

Once the two arrived at the ZPD, the first face they saw was that of their dear cheetah friend.

"Hey, Spots!" Nick cried out, the Cheetah soon looked down to see the two smaller mammals, and he swallowed the mouthful of Lucky Chomps before he smiled at the two.

"Hey guys!"

"So, what's new?" Nick asked as he lowered his shades, and the cheetah looked at him.

"Oh, just planning on going for the opening of the mall!" Benjamin said, "They will have a lot of new versions of my favorite stores in there, including one that sells Gazelle's stuff! I already filled requests to have my day off when the mall inaugurates!"

"Smart guy." Nick told him, "You need to tell in advance for this, unless you want good old Buffalo Butt to be really mad at you."

"So, is everyone in the meeting room now?" Judy asked.

"Totally. Everyone gathering in the bullpen." The cheetah said, and gestured at the meeting room, and soon, Nick and Judy were both walking in direction to the place.

Once inside, they could tell that things were much like what they usually were. Some of the bigger mammals were talking among themselves, and Rhinowitz and Snarlov were both having an arm wrestling. Meanwhile, many of the smaller members of the force were together in a bundle in there. Many of them gave these two greetings as they came, and the two officers returned their greetings, before they walked to their chair. Judy hopped into it, right before she helped Nick climb up. It was pretty much their routine when they come to work, and Nick was pretty sure that by now he could probably climb on his own, however, he kind of liked having Judy help him.

Soon the things were developing juts as they always did, with the usual ritual of when the Chief came in, and soon, the buffalo silenced the rest of the officers as he arrived in the podium.

"Okay, okay!" Bogo said to them. "Well, under normal conditions, I would like to just give you guys your assignments so we could all move on with our day."

"Oh, so no foreplay before going down on business?" Nick asked, and this granted some laugh in the place, and Judy couldn't help but blush at the nature of Nick's joke. The Chief only looked at him with an unamused expression, but he didn't made any commentary on the fox.

"However, today I received a call from the City Hall, and it seems that there is a bit of a situation developing." He spoke, and soon the officers were realizing that this was something serious.

Bogo pulled a remote and pressed it, and soon, something was coming out from the ceiling. It looked like some projector.

"Oh, we are using the audiovisual today?" Eliot Fanghanel said, "The thing truly is serious!"

Many agreed with the wolf, and the buffalo looked at them.

"Now, I'd like to let you all know what is this serious business, but unfortunately, I don't really know it myself." Bogo said, and many officers looked confused at this. "All I know is that, just as I arrived for work, I received a call from the City Hall, telling me that there was an important situation, and that some mammals would be arriving here today to brief us all in this."

He spoke, and he looked at his watch. "Mammals that should actually be here already." He said very annoyed, as one thing that the chief disliked was lateness, as he did not liked being made to wait. Many of the officers in there knew that making the buffalo wait was not a good or a smart thing to do.

"The guys in the City Hall insisted that this was very important, so… let's give them five more minutes…" The Chief said.

Clawhauser was happily munching away in a box of donuts, as those were some of his favorite brand. They had a special recipe that made the dough so nice, crunchy on the outside and very fluffy in the inside, and they had the best flavors. The ample cheetah moaned in delight, as he could not believe how lucky he was for getting himself some of these.

"Excuse me?" A voice suddenly broke Clawhauser's delight for his donuts, and made him look. He saw a jackal on a suit. The canine stood on 5'10'' feet tall, and he was wearing an indigo-colored suit. He had golden and black fur, as it was possible to see on his face, and he wore half-moon glasses over his amber-colored eyes. He was rather slim, as it was possible to see by looking at him, and he was carrying a computer under his arm. He looked a bit nervous as he looked at the cheetah.

"Oh!" Clawhauser said, right after he swallowed, and he composed himself, dusting the sprinkles out of his fur. "Sorry. Welcome to the ZPD, how may I help you?" He said, being as nice and welcoming as he could, as it was the job of the mammal in the front desk.

The jackal looked back at him, and composed himself. "Y-yes. Huh, you see, we have meeting with the Chief and the other officers of Precinct 1." He spoke, "They are probably waiting for us in the briefing room."

"Oh, in the bullpen?" Clawhauser asked him. "Yeah, the Chief said that someone was going to come to see them! Wait, did you said 'we'?" Ben asked, and the answer came from a female voice.

"We are with him!" Said someone, as an arm shot up, a furry paw becoming visible over the desk.

Clawhauser blinked, and he once more felt bad for failing to notice the presence of a small mammal. Well, it was not really his fault if it seemed that the building was designed having medium-to-large-sized mammals. It was very easy to miss someone of a smaller size under the desk, as they often vanished out of sight once they were close.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Clawhauser said, quickly leaning forward over his table to see the mammals he missed. "I'm really sorry about this, welcome to the ZP-"

The cheetah had a smile on his face as he looked at the two short mammals, but his smile disappeared once he got sight of them, his eyes widening.

"Hello, Clawhauser." Said one of the two figures, one that had a deep male voice.

The officers inside of the bullpen were still waiting. Some of them were talking with each other, but very discreetly, as not to look like they were visibly bored. At the very least, they could look professional.

The bigger animals talked among themselves in a low voice, looking at the ones closer to their own chairs, or even leaning backwards or forwards to talk to who was in front or behind them. The smaller mammals, all gathered in a single chair, whispered to each other as they waited along with the others.

"This is taking long, ain't it?" Judy asked in a low voice to Nick, who was now almost leaning back on their chair as he stood in it, the same way that one would be leaning on a wall on the street.

"Yeah." Nick replied in a voice that was just as low. "These dudes are certainly taking their sweet time. Being late for their own party."

Many obviously agreed with Nick, as the officers were checking on their own watches, and talking to themselves, wondering why was it taking so long. Chief Bogo was included in this.

"Calling out just in the early morning." The buffalo grumbled as his hooved fingers tapped into the podium. "Telling me that there is an important thing and demanding me to stop everything with my officers to wait for some mammals who don't even have the good grace of showing up on time."

The buffalo snorted.

"This is why I hate dealing with politicians…"

Just as Bogo said that, there was a knocking in the door. Everyone's heads turned to the door, and soon, it was opening, and the face of a cheetah appeared.

"Uhhh, hey, Chief?"

"Clawhauser?" Bogo said, looking at his subordinate. "What is this? What do you want?"

"Oh, uh… I just that…" The cheetah said, and some could noticed that he seemed just a tad bit uncomfortable. However, he composed himself, and he said:

"Some mammals are out here. They say that they have a meeting with you."

Bogo perked.

"Well, about darn time! Send them in." The buffalo said, and the cheetah nodded, and opened the door. Soon three more mammals were walking forward into the briefing room. The first was a coyote nicely dressed, carrying a laptop under his arm. He was the first one to be noticed, however, two other figures were coming in front of him, both of them smaller.

The first figure was also dressed nicely, with a pair of long black pants, a white shirt, a black vest, and a black tie. He stood on 4'2'' feet tall, and he walked forward without any fear or hesitation. The fur on his body was of a jet-black coloration, and his eyes were yellow and serious as he walked into the bullpen. His tail was long and bushy, ending in a white tip, something very common for foxes, like himself.

Right behind him, came yet another fox, this one a female. She stood on 3'10'' feet tall, with a slender and attractive body. Her clothing was less formal than the coyote's and the other fox's, as she wore a pink sweater and a pair of long red pants. The fur of her body was of a russet coloration, with a pinkish-cream color around her muzzle, down her neck and on her paws and feet. Her eyes were of a deep-sea green color, and they looked smart as they evaluated the room and the mammals in there as she walked in with a confident smile.

The officers all looked at the three animals who had just walked in, while Clawhauser stood right where he was, holding the door open.

Then, the male fox stopped and turned around, looking at the cheetah.

"Thank you, Officer Clawhauser." He said, and the cheetah looked back at him for a moment, before he nodded. The fox gave a brief nod back, and the cheetah closed the door. With this, the fox turned his gaze back forward, and he started walking, the other two canines following close behind.

The two foxes and the jackal all walked forward, all under the looks of the mammals in the bullpen. All of them looked at them differently. Some looked with curious glances, others with raised eyebrows. Nick and Judy were among the ones who looked with interest at the two pairs of foxes who walked forward, the male looked serious and professional, while the female smiled and even waved at a few of the mammals who looked back at her.

They walked to the podium, where Bogo was standing, looking at them with a raised eyebrow. Once they were right in front of him, they stood in there, and the male fox said, with a deep voice:

"Chief Bogo, I presume."

"Yes." The ZPD's Chief said, looking at the three mammals standing in front of him. "And, you are the mammals that I was told were coming?"

"Indeed." The male fox said, and someone said:

"Yeah, right."

The eyes all turned around to look at McChill, who was sitting in the front, and who looked at the foxes.

"I'm sorry, do you have something to tell us, Officer…" The male fox said, looking at him, and the polar bear looked back at him.

"The name is McChill, fox." He said, looking at the vulpine, "And what kind of scam are you trying to do right now?"

"McChill." Bogo said as a warning, but the polar bear continued to look at the fox, looking to be expecting an answer out of him.

"What do you mean by 'scam', Officer McChill?" The fox asked, very patiently and very polite.

"I'm saying that this could very well be some kind of trick." The bear said, "As if the City Hall would send two foxes to the ZPD to do anything important."

Nick looked at the bear coldly, and Judy did had an angry look as she looked at the polar bear. However, McChill did not even noticed their glares, and continued to look at the foxes.

"Come on, just tell us what kind of trick you are playing, and maybe we won't throw you at the cells we have down there." He said to the foxes, and now he was sounding a little aggressive. Bogo was about to reprimand him, when suddenly, the female fox started to chuckle.

"What?" The polar bear asked, "Did I said something funny?"

"Oh, sorry." She said, still snickering. "It is just funny that a big and strong mammal like you feels so intimidated by us before we even spoke to you."

The polar bear perked as he heard that.

"I didn't knew that we were so scary to frighten a polar bear like that." The vixen said again, and some chuckled at this.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The bear said getting up and looking at the foxes, this time Bogo reacted.

"McChill! Sit down!" The buffalo said, and the bear obeyed, and he looked at the foxes, still not very satisfied.

"I bet it is good to walk in pairs so you can support each other." The bear said, ignoring the many glares that he was now receiving from his fellow officers. "So, how much you pelts make a week with your scams?" He asked, a smirk on his muzzle.

The male fox only looked back at him, and said:

"Well, we could tell… after you tell us how much you make a week by working for the Big family."

This immediately gathered a reaction.

"What did you said, fox?" McChill snarled, and the fox only looked at him with a cold glared.

"The Big family is known for having a great deal of polar bears as their employees." The fox said to him, "This is pretty much common knowledge. You are a polar bear, so it is only natural for me to assume that you work or worked for the Big family."

"Not all polar bears work for Mr. Big!" The ursine nearly roared at the fox, and the fox glared back at him.

"And not all foxes are scammers who trick others to get by." He said in a very formal tone as he looked at the bear. "So, Officer McChill, if you refrain from making assumptions about my species, I might refrain from making assumptions about yours."

McChill glared at the fox, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he refrained, and just sat there. He was still staring daggers at the male fox. Meanwhile, Nick couldn't help but smirk as the fact that a fox was able to make the big and bigoted polar bear stand down.

Bogo also glared at McChill, a glare that said "we talk on this later", before he turned to look at the three mammals, and asked again:

"So, are you the ones who I was told were coming?" He asked.

"As I already said before I was interrupted." The male fox said, "Yes, we are."

Bogo nodded.

"Right, and who exactly are you? If you don't mind me asking." He said, "The guys in the City Hall were pretty vague when they told me what this was about."

"Yeah, of course they would be, considering how we insisted for them to be discrete." The male fox said, as both he and the vixen reached out for something that was under their clothes.

"Hey, what do you got there!?" McChill said, getting up and a paw already on his dart gun. Everyone stared at him, and the foxes simply pulled out what they had in there, and held it for everyone to see.

It were two pairs of daggers, both of them with silver handles decorated with gemstones.

Some of the ones in there looked at it with raised eyebrows, wondering what these were about. McChill even wanted to ask them if they had stolen it from somewhere. Bogo, Nick and Judy, however, knew that these were, for they had seen one similar a while ago.

"For those who don't know." The male fox said, "These daggers work as badges in our case. They are the proof that we are among the rankings."

"Rankings of what?" someone asked, "What do these daggers prove?"

"That they are Enforcers." Bogo said, causing all mammals to look at him, "The police force of the Mage's Association."

The mammals in the room were very surprised at this. The fox looked back at Bogo, and he said:

"You seem to be well informed, Chief Bogo."

"I try to be." The buffalo said, not finding it worth mentioning because he had already seen a dagger like that before, in the paws of someone who was not really an Enforcer.

The fox turned back to the room. "So, we are Marceli and Emilia Mieczyslaw." The male fox said.

"I am Emilia!" The vixen said, and the fox continued:

"We are Enforcers in here representing the Mage's Association." He spoke, and then gestured at the Jackal. "This is Gary Jackalson, he is our assistant."

"He is the guy we pay to handle technology." The vixen added, and the jackal smiled as he waved at everyone. It seemed that he was a tad bit uncomfortable for being in the center of attention so suddenly.

Mieczyslaw… where have I heard that name before? Nick thought to himself, as everyone else absorbed the new information that was just dropped there.

"Wait, so you guys are mages?" Wolfard asked.

"Well, we are." Emilia said, gesturing to herself and the male fox, Marceli. "Gary is not."

"Yeah, I wish I was a mage." The jackal said, but lost his voice once more when all eyes were on him again. It seemed that he was a bit shy.

"So, you guys are like, the mage police?" Eliot Fanghanel asked, "Like, you do the same as us, byou chase criminal mages, right?"

"That is correct." Marceli Mieczyslaw confirmed.

"Oh, that is so cool!" The wolf then said, his tail wagging as he looked at the two. "You see, recently that has happening a few things with Nick and Judy. Oh, sorry! Officers Wilde and Hopps!" He said, correcting himself after this, meanwhile, many were looking at the wolf, including the two small officers that he had just mentioned.

"You see, they have been threatened by a mage horse a while ago, and in the same day they were attacked by a murderous crow!" The wolf continued, "Can you imagine that, the two darlings of the city of Zootopia being attacked like that? This is awful! So, could you guys investigate it a tiny bit? We still have the feathers that the crow shot in them in the evidence lab, if you want to take a look. Oh, by the way, the crow could shot feathers, which is why we are sure that it was magic."

Nick and Judy both groaned at Eliot and his antics. Meanwhile, the three newcomers just looked at him.

"Well, while it does sounds… somewhat worth of our attention… I think that we can give a look at this later on." The male fox said, "For now, we are in here in official business of the Association, and we will need the assistance of the ZPD."

"Oh, really?" McChill said again, "So the Association has sent two foxes to come ask for the ZPD's help? How interesting… They must have a lot of faith in you and your wife, Mr. Mieczyslaw."

"McChill, stop it, this is the last warning." Bogo said to the polar bear, who now was standing down. Meanwhile, some noticed the face that the vixen made when the ursine said "wife", while the tod of black fur remained serious.

"Emilia is my niece, Officer McChill." The fox said coldly. "But, if you want to know, the Association does have a certain trust in me, after all of my missions."

As he spoke, he looked at the many mammals gathered in there, and he started to talk as if he was explaining to them:

"Now, this is pretty new for all of us, as the revealing of magecraft and of the existence of mages had led to some changes in our ways of acting and in our laws. One of these meaningful changes were the cooperation agreements made between the Association and many of the governments of the world, including your own." He spoke, and the cops all whispered among themselves as they took in what the fox was telling them.

"Now, before all of this, the Association would try to deal with their business in particular, keeping out of the public eye and solving our matters with our own methods, often covering up such happenings. However, due to the changes in policies and the agreements, we are now taking a different kind of approach. Now, there is a subject that requires our specific attention, and due to the agreements of cooperation, we are requesting the help of the ZPD in dealing with it."

The fox looked around, looking at the many mammals in the room, many of which were all looking back at him.

"So, can we count with your help?" The fox asked, and a brief silence followed these words.

"Well." Nick said, standing on his chair and letting himself be on full view. "You can surely count on me." He said, the other fox looking at him.

"Me too." Judy said, and soon other officers were agreeing with them. Soon it was Bogo who spoke.

"Mieczyslaw, you can be sure that all of my officers are reliable."

"I'm sure that they are." The black fox said, "However, there is one more thing: you see, although we are making efforts to be more transparent, and changing our policies in secrecy, we still need to be subtle when conducting our business." The fox spoke, looking around, "So, as part of the agreements, all of you in there must agree to keep secret over what you are going to hear today, as not to bring too much attention over the Association, over us, or over what we are doing here."

"Why, are you doing something you shouldn't?" McChill asked.

"McChill!" Bogo said, slamming his hoof on his podium, what caused many mammals to jump back. "One more of these and you will be working in the archives for a month!" The buffalo said in warning, and this was enough to shut the bear up at last.

"This matter is a delicate one." Marceli Mieczyslaw said, "So, we must conduct it with discretion and with a lot of care."

"Mieczyslaw." Bogo said to him, "I can assure you that all of my officers are trustworthy, and that all of them know that they must not speak of cases openly with others."

As he said that, he failed to notice that Eliot Fanghanel looked to the side, seeming to be a bit nervous about something suddenly.

The fox looked at the buffalo, and at all of the officers present in there. He then nodded.

"Alright then. Jackalson, the audiovisual, please." The fox said, and the jackal immediately nodded, and soon, he was turning on his computer, and he was finding his way across the wires to connect his computer with the equipment. Meanwhile, the fox spoke to the room full of mammals.

"This is about Dawn Bellwether." He spoke, and this surprised the mammals present in that room.

The two enforcers noticed that, as well as the sour looks in the faces of many of the predators present in the room.

"Yeah, you guys surely are not fan of hers'." Emilia Mieczyslaw said to them, and the looks in their faces said it all.

"Yeah, many of us almost lost our jobs and homes because of that psychotic ewe and her night howler!" Someone said, and many of the predators present agreed totally with it.

"Yes, we are aware of the Night Howler Conspiracy." Marceli Mieczyslaw said, "This was something that really called our attention when she tried to do it."

"That is why you are interested in that hellspawn ewe?" McChill asked, "Because she called your attention?"

Right after the polar bear asked this, Jackalson said:

"Okay, everything ready."

Marceli Mieczyslaw nodded, and he said:

"You will see now. Could someone turn off the lights, please?"

Soon the lights were turn off, and the projector was working by projecting an image in the wall behind the podium. It showed the desktop screen of a computer. Jackalson was now operating the computer, and soon, he was clicking in an icon of a video, and opening a video file.

"What you will see now." The black fox said, "Is a recording made from a security camera in Boarwood Correction Center. More specifically, of the dining hall in there, during lunch a few days ago.

The image appeared in the screen, showing the hall of a dining area in a prison, with many mammals wearing prison jumpsuits. The image showed them going back and forth, carrying trails of food. Among the tables, it was possible to see a diminutive figure in the same jumpsuit looking down as she walked.

Yeah, it was hard missing the diminutive figure of Dawn Bellwether, and many predators in the room felt satisfaction in seeing the ewe wearing prison clothes.

Suddenly, one of the other inmates, a wolf, got up and walked behind Bellwether, who was carrying her own food trail, and this wolf slammed a foot in her back, sending her sprawling into the ground.

Many flinched at this.

"Ow… that gotta hurt." Nick said, as even he flinched at this, as it looked that the wolf had slammed that foot on her back hard.

Now Bellwether was on the ground. She looked like she was recovering, and while she did, the wolf was laughing at her. Meanwhile, other predators got up, and they were now throwing food at the ewe, getting her clothes and wool matted at the goopy thing that was the food in there. All the while, the predators were jeering and laughing as they pointed at her.

Some of the ones who were looking almost felt sorry for her. However, the predators as whole were not able to feel sympathy for that ewe after all that she had done.

They continued to look, and as they looked, it seemed that the guards in there were trying to break the thing, but the predators were still jeering at the ewe, especially that wolf. Slowly, the ewe got up, and she seemed like she was shaking. Suddenly, she turned to the predators and pointed a finger straight to the wolf.

Immediately after, the wolf started to choke and heave, or so it looked. In no time, the canine had fallen prone on the ground, heaving and shaking, while the other predators and the guards all backed away. All the while, the small ewe continued to point her finger at the canine that had laughed at her.

That was when the video ended, pausing in that moment.

All of the mammals looked at the video, trying to process what they had just seen.

"What the heck was that?" McChill asked.

"It is called Gandr." Marceli Miczyslaw said, "It causes the physical health of the target to decrease, often causing them to become weaker and they can even fall to the ground or lose consciousness if they are already weak. It is a simple curse."

All of the officers in there took in this information. Many of them were still trying to process it, even though the black fox spoke about it as if it was something very casual.

As they took in the new information, soon, they were coming to a conclusion. Some made this conclusion before others did, like Nick and Judy, and others took almost a full minute to make the association of ideas that would lead to this conclusion. However, all of them eventually came to the very same conclusion on the matter.

"So…" Bogo said, finally breaking the silence, as he said the conclusion that was on everyone's mind. "Bellwether is a mage."

The fox said nothing in return to the conclusion that the buffalo had, but it was obvious that this point had come across very well, and that it was time to move on. He looked at the jackal and nodded, and the canine took the cue and closed the window with the video.

"Now, I'm sure that you have your own file regarding Dawn Bellwether." Marceli Mieczyslaw said, "But just in case, we are sharing our own with you." And as he said that, the jackal was clicking in another file, and this one opened a personal file of information with the picture of a familiar ewe.

"Dawn Mary Bellwether. Of the Bellwether clan." The fox spoke, "A mage with certain… feats associated to herself."

The officers all looked at the file that was opened in there, and some could notice that certain parts of her file were blackened out, as if they had censured the document before sharing it with them. However, there was still some information in it that was possible to read, which included a part that said: Thaumaturgical Knowledge. This was a part that Nick paid attention, and read it aloud:

"Alchemy… mental interference… limited healing magecraft… witchcraft?"

"Her primary thaumaturgical foundation is alchemy." The black fox said to the officers. "What is no surprise, considering that she is a member of the Bellwether clan, who are famous as skilled alchemists."

"Alchemy, as in, turning metal into gold?" Someone asked, and it was obvious that many officers present had similar questions.

"Alchemy's base is the transmutation of matter, the turning of one thing into another." The fox said, "Actually, it would be better to describe it as the study and manipulation of the flow of matter, one that aims to understand and control matter for one's designs. Of course, turning a non-precious metal in a precious one could be considered a part of it, but it is only part of its true nature."

"And they would also create chemical things?" Wolfard asked, "Like, let's say, using flowers to create a serum that would drive predators insane?"

Now that was a question that many could get behind. They all wanted to hear the answer to this. The fox looked at their expecting gazes, before he said:

"Yes, the creation of potions and elixirs is considered something that is related to alchemy, in a certain way." The fox admitted to the many officers, "For someone who has mastered alchemy, and who is as smart as Dawn Bellwether is said to be, devising an elixir similar to the Night Howler Formula should be a fairly easy task."

"It would probably even be a matter of pride for these sheep." The vixen added, "After all, the Bellwether are the greatest alchemists of the world according to some, including themselves." It looked like the vixen had a bit of fun with this, however, the mammals present in the room found difficult to see anything fun into this, for knowing that the one who almost tore Zootopia apart was a mage, and that she could probably have used her skills in the supernatural to help on her plot.

"She also has other skills than alchemy." Marceli Mieczyslaw continued, "As we know that she is skilled in mental interference, and she has some basic knowledge in healing magecraft, both considered very basic teachings in all forms of magecraft." He said, looking to all of them. "Also, she is skilled in other styles of magecraft that she apparently studied by herself, including things like the Gandr, which is a curse of Sclawdinavian origin. Not only that, but we also know that she became quite skilled in a type of magecraft that is a combination of both oriental and occidental teachings, and one that is seem with a certain mistrust by the rest of the Association due to it representing negative magecraft, much of which was forbidden by the Codex: witchcraft."

"So she is a witch!" Someone said, and many actually agreed with this. The two foxes showed no reaction, as they let the officers think and say what they wanted, before they could continue with their briefing.

"Could someone turn on the lights, please?" The black fox asked, and soon, someone was doing it, and now the room was bright again.

"Now, Dawn Bellwether did called a certain attention, for she chose to enter politics." Marceli continued, now standing in front of all of the officers in the room, all eyes on him, "This is something very unusual for mages to do, as we prefer to keep to ourselves, as you all probably know."

Some nodded at this, and the fox continued:

"However, she was not infringing any of our laws, and she did not risked exposing us, so the Association has decided to let her be. They determined that she was not acting in a dangerous way." The fox explained. "That was, of course, before we took knowledge of the Night Howler Conspiracy, which was exposed by two of the mammals who are currently in this very room."

The fox said, and his eyes wandered to Nick and Judy. Nick could not help but feel somewhat proud of himself, as he smirked smugly. Judy, on her end, was still processing all of the information that was being dump on her and on the entire ZPD in that briefing. Learning that a criminal like Bellwether was a mage was kind of a big thing, and she was sure that many of her fellow officers agreed with her.

"Once we learned about this, we were quick to act." The fox said, "However, once we arrived in here, she was already under the custody of the non-mage authorities." He explained to them.

"Proving once more how hard is to keep track of our mages out there." The vixen said, and the male fox looked at her, she simply shrugged, "What? You know it is truth. I heard a lot of guys complaining about that already."

The fox looked at her, and he simply sighed, as he admitted that he had to agree with her.

"Anyways…" The fox said, turning back to the officers. "By the time we arrived to access the situation, Dawn Bellwether was already under the custody of your authorities, having been booked and prosecuted according to your laws. Not only that, but the fact that she was a public figure for non-mages, and the very nature of her crime, gave her an immense amount of publicity in regarding to the fact that she was arrested. Due to this, we could not act freely to apprehend her on our own terms."

"So, you just let a dangerous mage criminal under our premises?" Bogo asked, and many of the officers now looked at them as they wanted to know the answer for that, and the fox was soon giving.

"She was deep into your legal system." The fox said to her. "She had been judged and sentenced. Her own family refused to bail her out, saying that she had disgraced and ashamed the Bellwether clan."

"Bunch of hypocrites." The vixen said under her breath, something that very few had actually heard, Judy among them, with her very big ears. This made her look with a raised eyebrow at the vixen.

"With the amount of publicity that the event has received, it became very hard to approach and simply take Dawn Bellwether under our custody to deal with her." The fox continued, "If she simply disappeared, many would wonder where she went, and would probably come for her. We could not simply appear pretending to be agents of other law agency, for this would demand a great deal of work and it could raise many questions. Some even considered faking her death, but if she died suddenly it could cause some questions to be asked, and this would draw unwanted attention."

"There was also the fact that her clan did not wanted to cooperate with us, even though they supposedly were mad at her for dishonoring them." The vixen added.

"Bottom line was; acting in ways as to take her custody from you would bring problem." He spoke to the officers present in the room. "There was a discussion on what to do in the situation and, while some still defended that they should try to remove her from your custody and come up with some method to make it believable, the higher ups of the Association have decided for a more daring tactic."

"Leaving her in our hooves." Bogo concluded, the officers talked among themselves and looked at the fox, who still looked back at all of them.

"It was risky, and we all knew it, however, it could work, as long as certain precautions were taken." The fox said, "During her incarceration, Dawn Bellwether was visited by an agent of the Association, who informed her of the decision of our authorities, that she would remain in prison as a non-mage, and that she was to act as one, which included not using her magecraft against others. She committed crimes as a public non-mage figure, so it would only be reasonable for her to answer for her crimes as a non-mage."

"And, you guys expected her only to obey what you guys told her?" Nick asked, "Well, I guess you guys all had a certain faith in her, right?"

"She was warned that there would be consequences if she acted in a way of exposing us." The fox said, "It was made clear to her that if she used magecraft to harm others or to try and free herself this would be considered as a behavior that would expose the supernatural, and it would increase the amount of problem that she already was. I guess she preferred to live as a non-mage inmate than to face the anger of the Association."

"However, just in case, we had someone on the inside to keep an eye on her." The fox added, "Someone who would keep watch and let us know if she was behaving."

"You put a spy on Boarwood?" McChill asked, "Who is the guy?"

"His name is Krystin." Marceli said, "Krystin Mieczyslaw."

Nick blinked, as he suddenly remembered where the name was familiar from. The therapist fox! The one who was Bellwether's personal therapist!

"Mieczyslaw?" McChill asked, looking at the fox, "Is he related to you?"

"Krys is my cousin." The vixen said.

"And my nephew." Marceli said, "He was selected especially for the mission of watching over Dawn Bellwether."

"How many foxes are Enforcers?" The polar bear asked, and the black fox looked at the polar bear.

"Krystin is not an Enforcer, Officer McChill." The fox said to him, sounding very calm and polite, in despite of the unfriendly attitude of the bear. "However, he was selected for this mission due to his background. He is famous as being a skilled mage, not only that, but he also has a degree in psychology, something that he pursued on his own."

"He presented in Boarwood as a psychiatrist coming from Roarope." The vixen said to the officers that were present, "He just showed up in there, showed his degree, and said that he had come in there because of that ewe. He became her personal therapist, and they practically gave him full access to everything. Surprisingly few questions were asked." She finished with a smirk, as if she found the thing funny.

"So, this arrangement was made." The fox concluded, "Dawn Bellwether would be in prison as a non-mage, with Krystin watching over her and reporting back to the Association, reporting on all that was happening and making sure that she would still behave properly. It was a daring strategy, but it worked perfectly for the last two years."

"Until she cast a curse on someone else." Nick said, and the black fox sighed, before he continued:

"Krystin has reported back soon after this happened." He spoke, "He told us that she claimed to have faced a lot of stress and reacted. However, what is sure was that she acted in using magecraft against non-mages. And in doing that, she exposed herself to them as a mage. So, it was no longer viable for her to be under their care."

"Now, we would have acted as to cover up everything, however, some important mammals in your jurisdiction had already taken knowledge of these events as they saw the video." He spoke, "I'm talking about the authorities and directors of Boarwood, as well as their guards and the inmates, not to mention mammals of your City Hall."

"As you all probably know, recently cooperation agreements were firmed between the Association and your own government. This, of course, includes the city of Zootopia, and they were give means to contact the Association in case they wanted anything. As a result, by the time we had full consciousness of the event that had transpired, your City Hall was already calling us and asking for information on what the video showed."

The fox looked at all of them, as he continued:

"Now, some of us wanted to cover up everything, even from them. But our superiors decided that it was better to respect the agreements, and to be honest with them. As a result, my niece and I were both dispatched to this, along with Jackalson to be our assistant." He said, and the jackal waved back at all of them. "Upon arriving, we had a meeting with the mammals of the City Hall, including mayor Amur. We have told them pretty much all that was just told to you, putting them in pair of the situation. They were… quite surprised."

"One of them even asked us if we were pulling their tails." The vixen added, "I guess that they truly didn't expected this."

"Can't really blame them on this." Bogo said, looking at the Enforcers. "So, you told this to the mammals in the City Hall, and..?"

"They agreed to help keep this under wraps." The tod said, and before anyone could protest, "It was done to prevent a public reaction for knowing that a very well known criminal, actually categorized as a terrorist, was a mage. This could very well be something that would cause problems to the relations between mages and non-mages, at least in what it comes to the public opinions. I know that some would make a lot of noise in this."

The officers were forced to agree, as some of them could imagine the public reactions in regard to such an information. Many could probably make a lot of noise once they learned that the one who persecuted many innocent predators was a mage.

"That is why we need the ZPD's discretion." The fox said, "To keep this as under wraps as possible, and so we won't have to deal with the public outcry as we carry on our mission."

"And, this mission would be..?" Wolfard asked, and all of the cops now looked at the mage fox. All of them really wanted to know this information. The fox also knew that he needed to give them this information, for that was the whole point of this whole briefing and of all that he told them.

"Dawn Bellwether can no longer remain among the non-mage inmates, now that she revealed her own nature as a mage." The fox spoke, "We will be taking her out of your paws."

The officers in there murmured among themselves. Some were surprised, but some already had expected this, from all that the fox had explained already, they had a feeling that this was where this was all heading.

"So, they will just take her with them?"

"She will be judged as a mage?"

"How they are going to punish her? Sending her to Terrain Tartarus?"

"Maybe there is a sealing designation ready for her. I know she deserves it."

"Silence. Silence!" Bogo said, making them, all keep quiet, and he turned to the fox. "So, you want the ZPD's help into moving her out of Boarwood without causing public reaction?"

"Everything is pretty much prepared already." The fox said to him. "We have taken measures, and we have already decided that she will be transported and handed to us by some of your officers, who will take her from Boarwood to the combined place, and from there, she will officially leave your paws and be transferred to ours, so we can take her back to the headquarters of the Association. Once there, there are already some plans for her fate, it is not something you should concern yourselves about."

The way the fox spoke made it clear that the decision was already made, but it was not patronizing, and Bogo was quite glad for that. Another reason why he disliked dealing with politicians was because they gave their decisions to others in a very patronizing way, as they were used to have things their way, especially from the ones who they considered their subordinates. He was glad that the fox was not like that, maybe because he was a fellow upholder of the law.

"So, that was basically all that there was too it." The mage said, turning to the cape buffalo. "There are some details, but I can discuss them with you later on, Chief Bogo. Right now, I think there are some other things that you need to carry on, ain't I right?"

Bogo looked at the fox for a few moments, and he nodded. "Yes, indeed."

With this, the buffalo fished his glasses and placed them on his face, as he looked at the files that he had with himself when he first came into the room. With all of the mammals in the room now looking at him, the big bovine went forward with the business.

"Now, for the assignments…"

Chapter Text

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…

Chapter Text

The day surely had not developed like Nick and Judy both expected.

They had yet another meeting with mages, and this one had some interesting developments.

They had remained in there, waiting for some other cops to arrive, and left the place as soon as everything got solved. Of course, not before they saw the forensics teams coming to take a look at the aftermath of the whole thing. They photographed the remains of what once were armadillos made of stone, and even looked at the place for paw prints and for any trait of DNA that the animals could have left behind.

The bear was taken under custody, but he seemed very confuse about everything. Officer Jeremy Delgato also had been taken under custody, and he was acting very strange, threating the other officers with hostility, and demanding to be let go to go back to "his boss", as he put it. It even seemed that he became another person.

However, that only lasted for around two hours, as after this, the lion seemed to have come back to normal, and he seemed as confused as the bear.

Finally, there was the box left behind. The one that had the mysterious thing that the whole deal seemed to be about, according to what Nick and Judy both had understood.

Inside of it, something golden, glowing, and that caused a strange feeling of desire in who was near. It looked like a twisted piece of material that let out an intense golden light, and it was quite hard to identify what it could possibly be. Still, it was clear to who looked that the thing was probably supernatural, and that was why they were absolutely sure that it was an event that involved mages.

Both the box and the remnants of the stone armadillos were bring back and was present to Bogo once the two were back.

Now, the Chief was quite angry with the two for having eloped from the assignment they were give, however, he was less angry by seeing the amount of information that the two had brought. He had to admit that it was something that was worth the time, even though the two have left an assignment to pursue something that they had no real proof.

The thing was, neither Bogo, nor the two officers had any clue on what this could be.

"Yeah, I guess that maybe we should go ask the Enforcers." Nick suggested, "I mean, they are the ones who understand of this supernatural thing and all, since they are mages. They surely understand this way better than us poor mortals."

Bogo looked at the fox and, surprisingly, he agreed with Nick.

Bogo told the two officers to take the things they brought and take them to the Enforcers, giving them the address that the two foxes and their jackal secretary had left as a mean of contact. The two were to present the evidence to them and have their opinion on the matter.

The two officers agreed with this, and soon they were on their way to do it. Bogo looked as these two left, and he sighed, starting to massage his temples with his hooved fingers.

They were suppose to be taking notes on a gathering of scammers and fraudulent activities. This was suppose to be something calm and safe for both of them, however, they managed to turn it into a close call with mages that involved two civilians, two other officers getting into trouble along with them, and two runaway mages.

Of course, Bogo was glad that they made their job and stopped what could be an illegal deal among mages, but still…

Couldn't these two, at least once, just do what they are bloody told? Bogo thought to himself.

The mages were staying somewhere that did not called a lot of attention. It was an old building in the suburbs of Savannah Central. The building was not very worm down, and it looked like an old building that you expected to see in suburbs of a big city, including a metal fire escape in the windows of the side. It seemed like a regular building of bricks. It was obvious that the building was not a new one, but it was not as old as some of the older buildings of that area.

"Hey, this is actually not far from my home." Nick said as he looked.

"This is building 1994" Judy said, checking on the address that Bogo gave them, and on the number on the front of the big building. "Yeah, this is it. Let's go." She said, and soon she and Nick had parked, and were walking in direction to the building. The doormammal looked at them both as they walked in, but asked few questions to both of them. They asked for apartment 406 and they were informed that it was on the fourth floor. Now was only a matter of climbing the stairs up to the place where they told them that the mages were staying. It was not hard, but there was the fact that they both had to carry some luggage as they climbed…

"I really wish these two would only have given their number so we could call them." Nick said, as he carried the luggage containing the evidence up to the floor. It was a bit hard, "Or at least that they had stayed in some place that had working elevators."

Soon they arrived in the fourth floor, and they now only had to carry what they had to the Room 406.

"404… 405… 406! This is it." Judy said, as she and Nick now stood in front of the door, taking a breather from having to carry that wheeled suitcase that was a bit big for himself (which actually was the same that the panther also left behind at the scene). Once they stood in front of it, Judy reached out and knocked on the door, and they both waited.

As they did, a small peeking door that was just beneath the number of the door opened, and they could see a canine muzzle peering out.

"Hello?" The one said, and the two shared a look.

"Down here!" Judy said, and this caused the muzzle to move a little, but the mammal on the other side was unable to see them. Judy had to climb on Nick's shoulder to be able to be on eye-level with the door and be able to raise her badge high enough for the jackal to see it clearly.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde, from the ZPD." She spoke, as the jackal looked at her through the opening. "We need to talk to Mister and Miss Mieczyslaw."

"About what?" The jackal asked.

"Just about a thing that happened to us today." Nick said from beneath Judy, "So, can we come in, it is a bit troublesome to be out here.

It took a few moments, but Jackalson opened the door and allowed the two mammals to walk inside. Once they were in, with Nick once more dragging the big luggage inside, the jackal closed and locked the door behind them.

"You know, we told Bogo that we should only be contacted if the matter was an important one." The jackal said to the two small officers. "Enforcers cannot be bothered over trivial matters, especially if they are in mission for the Association."

"Yes, I know." Judy said, "But it was actually Bogo who told us to come here. We wouldn't have come here if it was not important. So, can we talk to them? Please?" She asked, and the jackal looked at her, before looking back at Nick.

"What is in the luggage?" He asked the fox.

"Something that the two enforcers will probably be interested into." He said, "So, can we see them?"

The jackal looked at both, as he seemed to be reflecting on the thing.

"Wait here." He said, and he walked past the entrance hall and into the room. As he did, Nick and Judy both could hear a talk, as if the jackal was discussing with the mage cops about the newcomers. Judy could hear pretty much all that they were saying:

"And they said it is important?" The deep voice of Marceli Mieczyslaw said.

"It seems to be." Jackalson confirmed, and they could then hear the voice of the vixen, Emilia Mieczyslaw:

"Well, we might as well see them. I kind of want to see what is inside of the luggage they brought."

A brief silence followed and the tod then said:

"Okay, send them in."

Jackalson soon was coming back, and he told the two that they would see them now.

Wow, he truly is a secretary for these two. Nick thought as he and Judy came forward. Luckily, Jackalson was kind enough to offer to carry the luggage for him, what Nick accepted, feeling kind of glad that he didn't had to carry that heavy thing, it was hard even with the wheels. Judy, however, still carried what she was carrying: the ornamented wooden box.

They arrived in a living room that seemed pretty much what one would expect from a place like this, with some humble furniture and walls with a tacky wallpaper. The two mammals were in there, and they were both looking to be busy.

Starting with Emilia Mieczyslaw, who was not standing in the room as she did something. She had a thing in her paw that looked to be some kind of pen, and the tip of it was glowing. However, the most impressive was not the glow, but the fact that she was using the thing to write in the air. She passed the pen into the air, leaving lines and dots of light as she used it to drawn symbols in the air, all while she looked to be somewhat focused in it, and she was even moving her mouth as if she was mumbling something.

Marceli Mieczyslaw was also in that room, he was sitting in the table, and he looked like he was working in something. It looked like an old typewriter, with a long roll of paper coming out of it as the fox typed. He seemed to be focus in the thing, and he hardly even seemed to notice the presence of the two, unlike Emilia who stopped what she was doing for a moment to wave at them.

Nick and Judy waved back, and both could not avoid staring at what she was doing. However, after all that they went through, that actually didn't seemed to strange as it would have seemed in the start of the year.

"So… hello?" Judy said, looking at the two. "We have come here to talk with both of you about some matter that has appeared today."

"Well, I assume that it must be something important." Marceli said, as he continued to type in the typewriter, and Nick and Judy approached him.

"So, you writing some novel in there?" Nick asked him, "Or some recipe for a potion?"

"Actually, I am reporting to the Association." Marceli said, "They want us to keep updating them on the situation as it develops. After all, this is a new type of case we are dealing with."

"It is the first time that we act in conjunction with local activities and they want to make sure that it doesn't end badly." Emilia said, as she continued to write the symbols on the air. She still looked focused, but she actually looked as if she was having some fun.

"Yeah, and you write your reports with a typewriter?" Nick asked, as the fox had finished typing, and now had stopped to look at both of them. "Man, they weren't lying when they said that mages are old-fashioned. So, what will you do when you finish it, you will mail it all the way to England? Because it might take a while to arrive…"

Marceli looked at him, and soon, the sound of the typewriter could be hear again, as the machine was now writing all by itself.

"What the?" Nick said, looking at the machine that had started working alone.

"What is going on?" Judy asked, Marceli looked at the words that the machine was writing, and he sighed.

"Just my supervisor in the Association saying that we must continue the work as planned." The black tod said, "And also telling both of us to continue to update them as much as possible."

"And… he does it through that machine?" Nick asked, "What? Is this some kind of mage messaging system?"

"Well, I'm not really sure how messaging works." Marceli said.

"It is actually pretty similar, from what I understood." Jackalson said, "His supervisor has a machine that is just like that with him back in the headquarters. Both machines have a roll of scroll inside that unfolds as they write. The machines are synchronized, so what one writes in one machine appears in the other, and this way, they can trade written messages almost in real time."

"Just like messaging on a cell phone." Nick said, and Marceli nodded.

"Yes, I assume it is quite similar." The fox said, and he looked at the machine. "It has two sets of ink, one red and one black. The ones I write from this machine appear in my scroll as black and centralized left, while the ones he writes are red and centralized right, so we can know who wrote what."

Both mammals shared a look, amazed at how similar that actually was to the messaging apps that they had in their cellphones, and from the messaging style used in websites like MuzzleBook. Leaning over, Judy could really see that there were two kinds of words: one black and centralized left, and the other red and centralized right, just like the fox had described.

"Do you usually peek in someone's communications, Officer Hopps?" Marceli said, looking at the bunny and surprising her. Judy was quick to apologize, saying that she didn't meant to pry. However, even if she meant to pry, she would hardly be able to make out what had been written in the machine, for it was written using some kind of language made out of strange letters that she did not understood.

"It's okay." The fox said, and he soon forgot the machine and turned to look at the two officers, "So, what would it be that both of you want to discuss with us?"

He looked intently at the two, even Emilia had stopped what she had been doing and was now looking at the two officers, as the symbols she drew in the air vanished.

"Well, you see… something happened to us today…" Judy said, and she explained to them about the meeting that they had with the mages. How they were threatening the hyena and boar, and how one of them escaped after doing something with Delgato that made him act very differently.

"So, the rat just took control of the lion like that?" Emilia asked. "That is certainly not nice to do."

"Yeah, we noticed that while he was trying to maul us." Nick said to them, "Controlling someone like that cannot be legal."

"It is not." Marceli said, "There are laws in regarding using magecraft to influence the minds of others. Memory manipulation is only authorized if it is to keep safety and secrecy of our craft… or at least it used to be like that." The fox added, looking at the two officers as he spoke that. "Using mental interference to control others like that is an even thornier issue, as one can only use that as means of defense, for instance, to make a possible aggressor give up on attacking you. Using it to influence someone for personal gain is a felony, aggravated if you use it to induce someone to commit aggression against another, as you will be seen as someone who has full control of the fact."

"So, that rat really should be arrested." Judy said, "The panther called him 'Blackwall'."

"Ridley Blackwall." Marceli said, surprising the two cops. "He is a known criminal. He is wanted by the Association due to multiple accusations of controlling innocents with magecraft for personal gain, sometimes even for some form of entertainment. He is not considered particularly dangerous, but he is the kind of individual who we must be careful with."

"So, he already did that before?" Judy asked.

"He certainly did." Emilia said, "They told me about the guy. His Mystic Eyes are really freaky."

"His what?" Nick asked.

"Mystic eyes, Officer Wilde." Marceli spoke to him. "They are a special kind of magecraft. A type of special power that mages acquire due to a mutation on the magic circuits around their eyes. They are considered uncommon, and they are both admired and feared among mages."

"Some say that Mystic Eyes are a proof of the power of a great mage. I don't know if this is truth, but what I know is that Mystic Eyes are something impressive on their own right." The black tod continued, "Now, as a mage, most of Blackwall's skills are second-ranked at best, but his Mystic Eyes are actually quite famous. They are referred to as Mystic Eyes of Domination. They allow him to cast a very powerful charm on those who look at his eyes, sapping them of their free will and turning them into his servants."

"So, he can actually make anyone who look in his eyes his slave? Just like that?" Judy asked, and she was finding the concept to be quite worrisome.

"There are limitations to their power." Marceli explained, "We don't know the precise limits of the control he has over his victims, but we do know that he can only control one mammal at a time. Once he dominates someone with his eyes, this victim becomes his minion, but if he uses them to dominate another mammal, the previous minion will be immediately released from his control."

"That is why he tried to get a new one as soon as the bear was out cold." Nick said to them, "The guy tried to make me into his mind-zonked hence-man, thank God he failed."

The two other foxes looked at him.

"You resisted Blackwall's Mystic Eyes?" Marceli asked.

"Yeah, I sure did." Nick said, "I was looking at him, and in the next seconds his eyes turned purple and I felt like someone was trying to grab my brain. It was super creepy."

Marceli looked at him, and he looked at Emilia, who looked back at him.

"What?" Nick asked. "Something wrong?"

"Just surprising, that is all." Marceli said to him, "Not many are able to resist Blackwall's control. We know because in more than one occasion he took control over one of our own. We have been after him for a while."

"I see…" Judy asked, "So, you will go after him?"

"First we will have to report to the Association." Marceli explained to them. "But, you said that other things happened, right? You spoke that there were two armadillos in the scene?"

"Yep." Nick said, "And they are right here." He said, tapping the suitcase that Jackalson was kind enough to drag in.

"What, you two did brought them inside of there?" Emilia asked with a smile, and Nick smiled back at her.

"Yeah… well, what is left of them."

Jackalson and Marceli both tensed a bit as they heard that, but they were tranquilized once the suitcase was open, and the contents became visible.

"These are statues." Jackalson said, "Broken statues, by that matter."

"They didn't looked like statues when they were whole and moving, believe me." Nick said to him, and Marceli looked closely at the broken pieces that the fox and bunny had brought to them.

"Indeed, these were not statues." Marceli said, picking up a broken stone-armadillo head, and looking very closely at it. "These were golems."

"Golems…" Judy repeated, looking at the black fox.

"They are a type of familiar." The black tod explained. "Unlike most familiars, that are actually living beings that gained a connection to a mage, golems are the type of familiar that needs to be fabricated from scratch." He said, and looked intently at the pieces that the two cops brought, picking up them to examine them closely. "They involve a much greater deal of work, and they require a specific knowledge to fabricate them. But they might pay off, once you can make them to fit your own specific needs."

He was evaluating a piece of stone that used to be the paw of the golem. "These ones are actually very well made." The fox said, and he casually tossed the thing back. "The one who did them certainly is really good at the craft."

Nick had been looking intently at the black fox as he spoke that. Nick was good in reading others, and he could notice something in the eyes of the fox as he had examined that thing. Nick could swear that it looked like recognition. It seemed that the fox had saw that before and knew what it was about…

The fox merely looked at the remnants of the broken golems, and looked back at the two officers. "Do you have any more clues? Anything that they might have said?"

"Yes, indeed." Judy said, pulling out her little notebook, and she read a part. "There is a thing that they said a few times while they were talking. Something called 'MTC'."

Both Enforcers perked as they heard that, and that was something that Nick noticed almost immediately.

They know what it is. Nick thought without a doubt. Nick had seen the reaction of the two, but Judy was still readying through her notes.

"Blackwall mentioned that the 'MTC' had a tendency to disrespect the Codex, and that their goal was to remain out of sight, including from the Association. He also mentioned at some point that 'it was good making business with the MTC', this might suggests or not that he may have conducted business with them in the past." The bunny concluded, and she looked up at the two Enforcers, who were now looking at her. "So, I think it is safe to assume that the MTC is some kind of group, right?"

The two foxes looked at her, and Marceli was the one who spoke:

"Well, you are not wrong." He said, and Emilia soon followed suit.

"I'll say! These guys are all-"

"Emilia." Marceli said, cutting her off, and this seemed to make her not want to talk anymore. Nick and Judy both had raised eyebrows as they looked at the black fox. Why he had stopped the vixen from talking?

"The MTC is a group that has been posing some problem for us for a while now." The black tod explained to them. "And I have to admit; knowing that they are here in Zootopia is a bit… worrisome."

The two officers looked at the two Enforcers, and Judy nodded, acknowledging that the Enforcers probably had their reasons to uphold information. Nick, however, was not the kind that trusted others just because they were "official guys", like the Enforcers clearly behaved. Nick had been questioning during most of his life and his years in the street taught him to be careful when trusting others, this was not different with these two foxes, who clearly looked like they were hiding something.

"Anything else on the matter?" The fox asked them. "Do you happen to know what was the 'business' Blackwall was making with the MTC?"

"Yes." Judy said, presenting the wooden box. "He was going to sell them this."

Marceli looked at the box as Judy presented it to him. The black tod casually opened the lid of the box, and looked at the glowing thing that was inside. There was a silence in the room, as the fox looked at the golden-glowing thing that was inside that box, before he closed the lid and stood there in silence.

"This is… interesting…" The fox said finally, and he turned to the two cops. "So, Blackwall was going to give it to the MTC?"

"Yeah, in exchange for a briefcase full of gold." Nick confirmed. "I mean, we didn't really saw the gold, but the rat said that it was into the briefcase."

The fox nodded. "This is really all the information that you can give us?"

"All that we remember." Judy confirmed.

"And what about the panther and Blackwall?"

"The panther ran away after Rhinowitz and Delgato arrived. The rat escaped with Slimy Tusks and Laughing Joe while we dominated Delgato. They took the gold with them, but they left this behind." Nick confirmed, and this made the two enforcers look at the thing that was brought. Marceli, who saw the contents, stood in silence, while Emilia looked over his shoulder, looking at the ornamented box.

"And, you said that the panther ordered the golems to attack you?" Emilia asked Nick, and the tod nodded.

"Yeah, he sure did. In the moment he saw me he was like 'roll that fox over' and stuff." The fox officer confirmed. "I guess he has some kind of problem with foxes."

"Or with you." Marceli said absent-mindedly, and this caused Nick to look at him with a raised eyebrow. However, the black tod soon was looking back at both officers.

"Well, this sure is something that is of our interest." The black tod said, "Thank you for bringing it to our attention."

"Well, you're welcome." Judy said, "So, you are going to help us in looking into it?" She asked, and the black tod looked back at her.

"First, I have to contact the Association, they will surely want to hear about this." Marceli said, "After that, we will decide what to do next."

"I'm sorry. Decide?" Judy said, "You mean that you need to decide to go after some dangerous criminals before actually doing it?"

"We have an assignment in here." The tod told to the bunny. "We were given a mission, and we are expected to fulfill it. We need to focus on the mission regarding Dawn Bellwether, but I assure you, we will investigate in it."

Judy looked back at him.

"Meanwhile, I'll have to ask you both to leave this box and the golem remains in our possession." The tod asked, causing both cops to look at him. "So we can properly investigate it."

"Oh, so you hope to take this to your lab and find more about who made them?" Nick asked the black fox, who looked back at him. "If you guys find out that the panther is allergic to peanuts through it, could you let me know?"

"It is a bit hard for us to do it." Emilia said to the fox. "We are from the Mieczyslaw clan, Officer Wilde. Goleomancy is not our main branch of research, we are specialized in runes."

"We have certain contacts that may help." The black tod spoke to them. "Also, we will be keeping this…" He said, placing both paws over the wooden box. "…as to better keep it safe."

"Oh, are you saying that we can't?" Nick asked; his arms crossed as he looked at the other fox.

"You don't have the same experience that we have." Marceli said back at him, "We will be dealing with this, and we will look at this case with the max of attention that we can. You have my word."

"Yeah, mine too." Emilia said, and she looked back at both the red fox and the bunny. "And you can always count on the Mieczyslaw clan to keep their word."

Judy and Nick looked at the two enforcers, and they shared a look. Judy spoke, as she looked at the two foxes:

"Sorry, but it seems to me that you are both taking control of the investigation." She spoke to them.

"We are just trying to do our job the best we can." Marceli said to them. "Believe me when I say that we want to cooperate with you and the ZPD the best of our abilities… but we are used of dealing with our own business on our own terms… It is nothing personal, really."

"Sorry, it weren't you that came to ask for our help with Bellwether?" Nick asked.

"That is another matter." Marceli shot back. "This is something that was needed for she was already on your jurisdiction. We needed to form a deal with you to be able to fulfill this mission, as it was something that required a different kind of approach, with the changing of the situation in regarding our secrecy."

"Right…" Nick said, "So, are you saying that we being attacked by mages in our city while we were doing our job it is not our jurisdiction?"

"Do not put words in my mouth, Wilde." The black fox said. "We are upholders of the law and order, just like you two. Believe me; I do know what is like when someone tries to take something out of your paws when you want to be part of it." He said, and he did sounded very sincere as he spoke these words. "But there are procedures to both our works, and I learned to follow them."

He looked at the two officers, and he continued:

"I'm just acting according to our procedures, the ones that had not changed yet. I have to assume this investigation and conduct it my way, as per the procedure of the enforcers, but believe me, I'll not try to take anything from both of you and neither will I keep you in the dark about what is going on after what you've been through." He spoke, and the two officers could notice sincerity in his voice. "You have my word that I'll keep both of you updated in this, and that I'll try to have you both included into this the most possible." He spoke, and the two looked at him.

"Well… you do sound sincere." Nick said to him, and Judy was forced to agree with him. The black fox really sounded sincere with his words.

"But… what do we do in the meantime?" Nick asked, and Marceli looked back on both of them.

"You can keep doing your job, and waiting for our updates in regarding Dawn Bellwether." The black tod said to them, "We still need to be sure that this develops as expected, after all."

The two mammals were forced to agree with this. That was a matter of importance, and they needed to focus on the rest of their work. Still, they didn't liked that feeling as if they were purposely being left off something that they both had taken part on.

The two cops had begrudgingly accepted to handle the evidence and the box to the enforcers and soon Jackalson was taking them both to the door. It was not like they had been tossed out of the room, but it was clear that the visit was over, and that they both should go on their way.

"Now, we have to figure out how to tell Buffalo Butt that the mage cops confiscated the evidence." Nick said, as both he and Judy walked down the stairs. The bunny remained silent during most of the time, and Nick soon was getting slightly worried with it.

"Carrots?" He asked, "You alright?"

She looked at him, and she sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Is just…"

"You expected to have a part in investigating this?" Nick completed the thought. He already knew Judy well enough to know what was about the situation that bothered her.

"We were the ones who faced the suspects and apprehended the evidence, and all that they say is that they will 'keep us informed'?" She said, and Nick already knew that a venting was on its way. "They just request to have the evidence like that, right after they take knowledge of what has happened, and they expect us to just go along with them because 'that is their procedure'? This is so… argh!"

Nick said the most intelligent thing that he could have possibly said: nothing. For he knew that Judy was still not done with her venting.

"And they were casual about all of this!" She spoke, "We explained to them how that mage sent his golems or whatever after you and they almost flattened you, and how that rat, Ridley Blackwall, controlled Delgato to make him attack us, and they only said that they needed to contact the Association about this!"

"That one is actually a bit reasonable." Nick said to her, now not resisting having a saying in this matter. "We too would need to call central and let the Chief know if we were following a new type of lead."

"And we told them about the MTC, which I'm pretty sure it is some kind of mage criminal organization, and they act natural, and Ridley Blackwall is a wanted criminal, and they acted so casual about all of that!"

"Did you wanted them to freak out?" Nick asked her, and she continued:

"I'd like them to behave as if it was a bigger deal!" Judy said aloud as they went down the stairs, finally arriving at the first floor. "The way that they acted was so casual! As if they almost didn't cared about what these mages tried to do to you!"

Nick actually stopped a bit, and he looked at the bunny girl that was by his side.

"You mean, with us, right?" He asked her, she stopped a bit, and looked at him.

"The panther sent the golems after you Nick." She spoke to him. "He was ordering them to attack you, and they were trying to run you over. And after that, Blackwall tried to control you, make you his minion." She said, and Nick could swear that she almost sounded hurt as she spoke that.

"The idea that these things could have hurt you, or that Blackwall could have turned you into his accomplice against your will…" She didn't finished the thought, but Nick had a pretty good idea as to why she was so nervous. "And these two act as if that is nothing…" She finished, and Nick had the impression that he could detect the slightest hint of resentment in Judy's voice.

Now, Nick had grew used in the past two years to having someone to care as much about him as Judy did, and also for having someone who cared about him enough to be outraged if he was ignored, insulted or otherwise mistreated. In the past, only his mother had cared so much about him, and after her, only a few of his closest friends. But definitely no friend did cared as much as Judy did.

It was something that warmed his heart, but at the same time, he didn't liked to see someone he cared about upset like that. He did cared about Judy, and he didn't liked the fact that she was upset because of him. Even if it was something that was not directly his fault.

He stood in front of her, and knelt.

"Carrots, look at me." He said, Judy hesitated, but did so, and Nick could see in her face that she was indeed upset.

"I'm really glad that you look out for me so much, and that you want others to pay attention when I have a problem, that is really nice." He said, and placed a paw in her shoulder. "But you can't go demanding everyone to stop what they are doing and make it top priority to focus on my problems."

"But they tried to-"

"Yes, they did, and they failed." Nick said to her. "Just look at me, I'm all whole and healthy as I have always been… I mean, after I stopped eating junk food every day." He said, Judy only continued to look at him, and he knew that he needed to say more.

"The guys are just doing their job." Nick spoke to her, and he looked in her eyes. "They are doing their job, and we do ours. We are both fine, and everything is fine right now. So, we gotta just keep doing our job and waiting for things to get better." He spoke, and he even went as far as to add:

"Besides, they assured us that they would be taking a look at this and letting us know what happens, right? Maybe they will even let us see when they take both the panther and the rat under custody. That will surely be interesting. I mean, seeing how the mage police apprehends suspects. I wonder if it is similar to how we do it…"

Nick was doing his best to make her feel better. Judy knew that very well. She grew used to having Nick trying to ease her worries and make her feel better after a stressful day. This was something that she truly admired about Nick, and it was nice to have her partner caring about her so much.

She leaned forward unexpectedly, and putting her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug.

Now, Nick was not an easy one to surprise, but the actions of the bunny surely caught him off-guard. Nick almost looked like a deer froze in the headlights (it did happened sometimes, according to the news), as the bunny had both her arms around him, and hugged him hard.

They stayed like this for a long minute, with Judy with her arms around his neck, and she was even nuzzling him slightly. This caused Nick to feel a sudden heating of his ears as the bunny was having this kind of contact with him.

Suddenly, Judy's eyes, which had been closed, widened, as if she suddenly took knowledge of what she was doing.

"Sorry!" Judy said, suddenly pulling away, and she and Nick only stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly Nick cleared his throat, and he got up.

"Well, nothing to apologize for." Nick said to her, "It was just a hug, after all, hugs are nice, and they are a common thing between friends." He said, and looked at her. "So, let's go?"

"Yes." Judy quickly agreed, and they both soon were walking past the doormammal, who had saw the way the bunny hugged the fox, and now had a raised eyebrow as he looked at the two mammals who walked out. Judy and Nick both ignored him as they walked outside of the building.

Judy was a bit hot in the ears, as she realized just how sudden her hug was. She realized that it was probably improper, but she could not hold herself back at the moment. She was so glad that Nick was okay, and that she was so happy for seeing that he cared about her like that. She just went for it, and she didn't even thought about that. She was feeling embarrassed now that she could think about that, and she wished to have thought that through. She was glad that Nick didn't minded the sudden hug that she gave him.

Meanwhile, Nick was still reflecting back on that hug. It had been sudden, but it wasn't unwelcome, by any means. After all, it was not like being hugged was something alien for him, it just had become something kind of rare. It is not every day that someone simply goes for a hug like Judy did, and Nick actually didn't minded at all. Actually, as Nick walked with his bunny partner back to their cruiser, the fox could not help but think that he had actually enjoyed that hug. Maybe a bit more than he should have…

"Hey, look, the cops are leaving." Said a sheep with glasses on his face, as he looked down on the bunny and fox that were leaving. He was now standing on the fire escape with his two friends, a hyena with a cream mane falling over his eyes, and a short pig. They both looked as the sheep spoke that, and they saw that the bunny and fox on police uniforms were indeed leaving.

"So, should we leave as well?" The hyena asked.

"Not until we found out what they were doing here." The pig said, "I mean; they brought a big luggage and a wood box with them when they came. Where is it now?" The pig asked. "I bet that the pieces of these stone armadillos were inside of that luggage, and you saw the same box in there this morning, right, Patrick?"

"Yeah, I could see form the ceiling of these houses back in Sahara when I was doing parkour." The hyena admitted. Patrick could still hardly believe that he was just doing some parkour to clear his mind, when he suddenly had his attention called by a surreal scene that was developing underneath. Neither the cops nor any other mammals in there noticed the presence of the teenage hyena up above as the scene developed, and as soon as it was over, Patrick was sure to get out of there before he could get into some kind of problem.

He had called Shawn right after, and told him what happened. Of course, he should have known that Shawn was going to call Sully right after, and tell him all that the hyena told him. And of course, Sully, being who he was, would soon call him and ask for details, and he would soon be convincing him that this was the kind of thing in which the Mage Chasers should try to have a look.

The interview given by Zillah Ferron a while ago made everyone less worried about mages. However, mages were still on top notch on the news and public interest. It was enough for Sully to believe that maybe they could still get famous by catching them on camera. Or at least make a couple hundred views.

Patrick regretted having told Shawn what he saw nearly immediately. Shawn also kind of regretted having told it to Sully.

Next thing they knew, the three of them had taken a ride in a cab to the ZPD, and they arrived just in time to see a police car that had the same bunny and fox inside, as they drove away from the ZPD. Of course, they immediately started to follow them, as Sully had a "strong intuition" that they would lead them to more stories and maybe more interesting things.

They followed them to the suburbs of Savannah Central, and they stopped into some old alley, in front of a brick building with seven or eight floors. They paid for the cab and get out, and they remained in a corner, watching the two cops from hiding.

They could see both of them come out and taking something out of the truck. Soon, the bunny was carrying a wooden box (which Patrick confirmed, albeit with some doubt, was the same of that alley in Sahara) and a big luggage that was being dragged into the building by the fox.

They watched as the two officers walked into the building carrying the things they brought, and they just watched. It took a few minutes before they realized the cops would probably be there for a while.

Patrick was in favor of leaving, but Sully was very insistent that there could be something in there they could use for their website.

"What if they came here to see some mage?" The pig said as he looked at the other two. "Mages have agreed to offer help to the normal police now than then. There is even a rumor going around that police forces are now getting mages to be their secret advisors."

"Is this another thing that you read in the websites of conspiracy theories?" Shawn asked him, with a raised eyebrow and a good deal of worry.

"I have an uncle in another city who told me that his department stumbled into a mage, and that he accepted to help them by advising about magecraft and supernatural things in exchange for money." The pig said, "I also heard that some are doing the same in a few towns, maybe the ZPD is doing that as well! They found some mage to look into supernatural things for them, and these two have come to talk to him. We need to get some more information for our website!"

Of course, both of them had tried to protest against this, as they both wanted to just forget the thing and come back home. However, Sully had always been good at convincing others, his two friends being no exception to it, and the small pig was soon able to convince both the sheep and the hyena that this was the way to go.

Now there they were. The three of them, climbing up the fire escape of that building, Patrick with a camera (not his dad's this time), and they were all keen on continuing on this, even though the two cops who they had followed had just left the place, and the sun was on its way to set.

"Sully, do we really have to do this?" Shawn asked, as the pig was still going forward and up into the fire escape. "Wouldn't it be better if we just forgot the whole thing?"

"No way!" The pig said back. "We need some solid video of mages. Now it is a matter of honor! We are in this ever since the mage craze first started, and we still haven't posted a single video about mages! There are mammals who have nothing to do with the mage craze that actually have posted mage videos! We are starting to become a laughing stock! We need some solid thing about mages as soon as we can! Finding out some secret mage consultant of the ZPD could do it for us!"

"It could also get us in trouble!" Shawn said, still protesting, but for some reason going after Sully, with Patrick coming soon behind.

"He is right. Last time we tried to go for some video of mages we nearly got some very close dagger-style shaving, and the ZPD called our parents and we all stayed grounded for three weeks. Dad forbade me of touching his camera. I had to get this one from a neighbor."

"We could get in another problem." The sheep said, "And this time there won't be someone to prevent a mage from shearing me!"

"Oh, will you two quit being wusses!" The pig said, "If we are careful it won't happen! Besides, last time the problem all started because you misstepped!"

"That ceiling was old and breaking down!" The sheep said in his defense. "Just like this fire escape! Seriously, have you seen how rusty this thing is? And I think it is shaking…"

"Just focus on all the fame we will have." The pig said to them. "Think of how many mammals will access our account when we have a genuine video of a mage of our own making." He spoke as he went on. "We just have to get the guy they came to see in video! We do this and we will surely become someone!"

"And how do we do this?" Patrick asked him. "Do we go from floor to floor asking the people if they are the mage that the ZPD came to see? We don't even know which apartment they went to!"

Sully was about to say something back, but he suddenly realized that the hyena was right.

Crap, it is true. We don't know to which apartment the cops went.

"Well… maybe we could go down and ask the doormammal to where the cops went. He must have talked to them when they came in."

"So we go down and just take the stairs inside?" Shawn said, "Then why did we climbed this fire escape, in first place?"

"I guess that this time you didn't think this through, Sully." Patrick said.

The pig was about to say something in return, when his eye caught something in a nearby window as he climbed into the stairs. The pig looked at the window, and he soon was approaching to investigate. Once he was close enough to see through the window, his eyes widened.

"Sully, did you hear me?" Shawn said, as he climbed to the same section that Sully was. "Maybe we can still go back. Let's just forget this and…"

"Shhh!" Sully said suddenly, and this surprised Shawn.

"He shushed me!" The sheep said to Patrick, as the hyena was coming right after him.

"Guys, be quiet, please!" The pig said to them, "And Patrick, get the camera on and come here!" He said, whispering to both of them. The two mammals shared a look.

"Why? What happened?"

"Just do it!" The pig whispered urgently, and the hyena soon was obeying. He turned the camera on and started recording, and soon, the hyena and the sheep both were approaching the window that Sully was in. The pig soon was gesturing for Patrick to start recording what was inside of the window, and the hyena was obeying.

The window was a bit dirty, but it was open, although the curtains were slightly drawn, but it was still possible to see the inside of the place.

Inside of the apartment, there was a bear dressing a long coat of dark coloration, and he had just finished lighting the last long and red candle in the circle made of long candles. In the ground, there were curious symbols that were paint in the ground with what seemed to be red paint.

"Oh, boy." Patrick whispered as he saw this, and Shawn was pretty much the same. They both looked at the scene unfolding inside of there, and Sully smiled.

"I bet that he is who the cops came to see!" He whispered to them, as he too looked through the window. "And we arrived just in time to see him performing a ritual! Be sure to record it all, Patrick."

The three now were watching the bear, who had finished with the candles, and looked around at his circle.

"All ready." The ursine said, and he then removed his hood, revealing that he was wearing… a form-fitting pair of jeans and a masculine cardigan shirt.

"Wha…" Sully said, as he looked at this. They continued to watch as the bear stepped out of the circle, careful to avoid the candles, soon later he was coming back, carrying a boombox in one arm… and an inflatable doll in the other.

"Okay, this is getting really weird…" Patrick said, as he continued to record, and they saw as the bear placed the box out of the circle, and then pressed a button to make it play.

The bear then was quick as he went to the center of the circle, and stood in there with the inflatable doll, holding her as if it was his dancing partner, and it was even dressed the part, with a dress that had a nice cleavage and a short skirt bar. Soon, the bear started to dance with the doll, as if it was really his partner.

The three mammals in the window watched as the bear danced with the doll, moving very close to "her" body as he danced, his feet moving in between the red markings that were on the ground.

"Two-three-four. Two-three-four." The bear repeated as he danced with his "partner", as he moved his feet across the markings inside the circle, following a routine. He was unaware of the three mammals that were looking at him as he danced.

"Yeah… I'm pretty sure that the cops did not came to see this guy, and that this is not what we should have in our ZooTube channel." Patrick deadpanned, still recording that. The three were on silence, but Sully was clearly frustrated. He tapped his paw in the window, and this caused the window to actually move slightly, making a loud noise.

This startled all the mammals, even making Shawn bleat. The bear immediately looked at the window, and saw that he was not alone.

"Hey! Who are you!? Is that a camera!?"

The teenagers panicked, and they immediately turned around and started to go down the fire escape, hearing some fumbling as the bear rushed to the window. The ursine put his head out of the window in time to see the three going down.

"You darn brats!" The ursine screamed in rage, as the three now had forgotten what they had come in there for, and they were now only thinking about getting out of there as fast as they could before the bear came after them or called the police.

In the floor directly above that one, Emilia suddenly perked her ear, stopping her writing in the air with the "magic pen", to turn to look at the window that was directly behind herself.

"Did you hear something?" She asked, looking at the window. The two mammals in there were focused on their own work, with Jackalson on a table somewhat far, checking something on his computer, while Marceli was busy typing in the special machine. With each key that he stroke, a runic symbol was print into the scroll. Black and centered left.

"Seriously, I think I heard something." Emilia said, "It sounded like someone screaming at someone…"

"Not uncommon in a neighborhood like that." The black tod said, and the vixen turned at him.

"Maybe we should check on it, just to be sure." The female fox said, "You know, after you are done typing in that."

"I'm reporting, Emilia." The black fox said, "I have to report all that we just take knowledge to the Association. It is all very important."

"Oh, yeah." The vixen said, looking at him as he typed. "Blackwall and the MTC. This really is kind of a big deal." She admitted. "I'm surprised that they are doing something in here."

"Not that big of a surprise, actually." The fox admitted to the vixen, "They have tentacles everywhere. Still, they have been getting bolder lately. Now they are acting in the middle of the city during the day. They don't usually do that, even if it is in the suburbs."

"Maybe they are more confident now that magecraft is no longer a secret." Emilia offered.

"Maybe…" Marceli said, and he finished typing; now all that was to do was to wait for the ones on the other side to read it and maybe give an answer.

"Still, they don't usually act in a place like Zootopia. Not with the clans always being on watch." Emilia said, "Do you really think that they came all the way here all because of that?" She asked, gesturing at the box that they had convinced the bunny and the fox to leave under their custody.

"It is a possibility." Marceli said to her, "They surely consider it important enough to risk coming here and calling the attention of the clans."

"If it is important to them, then it cannot be anything good right?" Emilia asked him, thinking on all of the stories that she heard about the MTC, even in her short time among the enforcers.

"I'll say…" Marceli said, "Especially if that is what I'm thinking…" He added that part in a low voice. Immediately after, the machine came to life and started typing on its own accord, reflecting what the pair of the machine back in the headquarters was typing.

Marceli leaned forward to read what was appearing on red runes on the machine. To many other mammals it would be something hard to decipher, but for that fox, who knew the runic alphabet like the back of his paw, it was as easy as reading from a pamphlet.

He read as the answer appeared. Rune by rune. Word by word. Line by line.

After a few minutes, Marceli nodded as he leaned back.

"So, what do central says?" Emilia said, a smile on her face as she approached to take a look, while Marceli answered.

"That the presence of the MTC is something to worry, and that we must try and learn more about Blackwall's whereabouts, in case he hadn't left the city yet." The black fox said, "They also advise us to be careful with both of them, and not to try to face the MTC directly. Also, of course, they told us to keep doing our mission, and not the get in trouble with the clans."

"Why would the clans have some problem with us?" She asked him, "I mean; it is not like we will suddenly start causing trouble in here. We just want to do what we came to do." Emilia asked, and Marceli looked back at her.

"The clans are the second owners." The black fox said to his niece. "It would have been very hard to work him if the clans had not agreed to give their full support."

"Still, it is not like we came to firm our workshops in here." Emilia said once more. "We just want to do what we came to do and then be on our way. Why would they have a problem with it?"

"The clans have had a rough relationship with the enforcers in the past years." The fox remembered her. "One of the clans is composed by mammals who got used to do whatever it was needed to survive in this cruel and unfair world. One of them is under a lot of suspicion for engaging in activities and behaviors that the Codex deemed forbidden. Not to mention that one of them, as you possibly recall, has a history of great grudge against our clan."

"Oh, yeah…" Emilia said, now taking all of these accounts on consideration. Indeed, it actually made some sense, and it definitely made her think. Especially considering…

"Think they might want to give us trouble?" Emilia said, sounding genuinely worried, but Marceli shook his head.

"The clans have already gave their consent to our work in here." He said, "It was already agreed with the Council, and we have full permission to stay, as long as we respect the clans and not cause problem in the lands they are responsible for. They won't give us problems, as long as we don't give them problems first. We just need to continuing being civil with them, and fulfill our mission."

"Yeah, our mission…" Emilia said, and she sighed. "Not exactly the idea I had for my first mission." She admitted. "I kind of expected something more thrilling. Transporting someone like Dawn Bellwether? That is so boring…"

"Sometimes boring is best." The black fox said somberly. "There are enforcers who would love that their first mission had been boring, Emilia."

The way he spoke was serious, and it almost seemed that the vixen had hit a nerve. She noticed that too, for she was soon recoiling and apologizing, her ears flat against her skull.

"No… it's okay…" The black fox said, recomposing himself. "Anyway, this mission might not be as 'thrilling' as others, but it is important. The proof of it was that they designed two enforcers to transporting her, instead of just one. Heck, for a job like that they could even have paid a freelancer. They surely are interested in her."

"Yeah, it seems like it." Emilia admitted, "I still don't really get why."

"That is a matter for the upper rankings." The tod said to her. "You must not worry with this."

"Oh, yeah. The rookie is left out of the important stuff." She said, crossing her arms. "I kind of expected that at least you would give me some more info."

"I can't, Emilia." The black tod told to the vixen. "This is strictly a need-to-know basis." He looked at her. "We will just transport her to the Association, and then we will be done. It is rather simple, as long as nothing unforeseen happens." He spoke, and his nice nodded.

Immediately after, they heard a gasp.

Both of them turned to look at the jackal in the room, who was looking at his computer, a hand over his muzzle while his eyes were almost comically wide.

"Jackalson." Marceli said, as both of them walked to him. "What happened?"

The jackal turned to them; his expression was one of shocked surprise.

"T-they found out…"

Chapter Text

October 11th, 2018 – Meow News

THE TRUTH ABOUT BELLWETHER

Dawn Bellwether. A name that has become know in Zootopia. A name that entered in history as the ewe who tried to tear apart the dazzling city of Zootopia with the use of a plot to raise suspicion and fear of the predator population. An ewe that was brought down by the combined efforts of a prey and a predator, putting an end to the reign of terror that the sheep tried to build with the use of hatred and fear. A name that many have learned to scorn at during the past two years.

However, there are things about this name that are still not in the scope of common knowledge. For example, the fact that Dawn Bellwether is a mage.

The nature of ex-mayor Bellwether as a mage was reveal by a source that chose to remain anonymous. Dawn Bellwether, of the Bellwether clan, a clan of sheep alchemists. Dawn Bellwether, unlike the other mages, has chosen to pursue a career in politics, getting involved in the affairs of non-mages, and this led her to become the vice-mayor of ex-mayor Leodore Lionheart, and later on to assume the position of mayor with the help of her plot.

According to the source, Dawn Bellwether is a specialist in alchemy, like the rest of her clan; however, her skills also include healing magecraft, the capacity to hypnotize, and knowledges in harmful magecraft known as witchcraft, which includes the knowledge to cast curses.

Due to her notoriety, and the fact that she was a public figure to the non-mage community, the Association would have found it too troublesome to come with a way to take her from under the custody of the non-mage authorities, and have opted for leaving Bellwether under the care of the non-mages. That after sending an agent to visit her and warm her that she was, therefore, forbidden from using her magecraft in any way, under the consequence of aggravating her charges within the authorities of the Association.

This daring arrangement was maintain in work for two years. During this time, Bellwether was keep under the watch of an agent of the Association, a red fox named Krystin Mieczyslaw, who came under the guise of being a therapist that would care for her. However, the arrangement finally failed during the beginning of this month, when Dawn Bellwether, apparently after being provoked by a wolf inmate, used her magecraft to cast a curse into the predator, causing the canine to need intense medical care.

After such event, the City Hall, under the new agreements of cooperation recently made with the Mage's Association, has contacted its headquarters, and asked for their help in such matter. As an answer, the Association has decided to take custody of Dawn Bellwether, to remove her from Boarwood Correctional Center so they could give to her a sentence befitting of a mage.

For such mission, they have dispatched two enforcers, the equivalent of the World of Magecraft to the police force. These two enforcers have been confirm to also be foxes, Marceli Mieczyslaw and his niece Emilia. These two foxes have been subsequently confirm as related to Krystin Mieczyslaw, being his uncle and cousin, respectively. These three foxes are all members of the Mieczyslaw clan, a family of mages native to Pawland who are specialized in the use of rune magecraft.

The two enforcers are present in the city for the transportation of Dawn Bellwether out of Boarwood and of the country, as they will be taking her back to the headquarters of the Association, apparently to have her properly sentenced and prosecuted according to their terms. For that, they have requested the support of the ZPD, who will be working in tandem with the mage agents in order to move the criminal sheep.

It is currently unclear if the City Hall or the ZPD had previous knowledge of the fact that Dawn Bellwether was a mage.

Bogo finished reading the last paragraph of that journal, which had that story as its headline, complete with a picture of Bellwether. He then placed the newspaper over the podium, and looked around, at all of the officers who were in there. All of them were serious and silent, as they both looked expectantly at the buffalo, who seemed to be waiting for something, before he removed his glasses from his face and sighed.

"Well…" He finally spoke, "the one who wrote it seems to have a way with words." He said, and started to walk from side to side, under the gaze of the other mammals that were in there. His officers all had their eyes on him, as they continued to wait for what they knew would come. Meanwhile, Marceli and Emilia Mieczyslaw both stood in the background, with the black tod with his arms crossed and a serious face, while the vixen was a bit more relaxed (actually, she was chewing some gum). Even Jackalson was there, and the jackal was typing on his computer, apparently focusing into something that he seemed to consider important.

"They certainly choose the nice words to speak about this story." Bogo said, and he stopped, "However… I still want to know… HOW THEY HEARD OF THIS STORY!" He suddenly shouted, making nearly everyone jump back, even the ones who were already expecting for this onslaught.

The buffalo stopped, and took a deep breath before he continued, although he was still very mad.

"This was supposed to be something that would be conducted in secrecy." The buffalo said, and most of the mammals in the room were still afraid of the tirade that was soon coming. "It was supposed to be something that would be done under the covers, and now there are some newspapers and news websites that are putting it into their headlines! The city hall is all the way up my tail because of that!" The buffalo said, turning to all of his officers who were in the room.

"They are asking me if any of my officers talked to the press about this." Bogo said, "Well, I can't really blame then, since this started yesterday, after the ZPD was informed of the situation."

No one said a thing, for they all knew Bogo wasn't done yet.

"Now, I want to believe that all of my officers are trustworthy and that they are smart enough to know when not to talk." The Chief said, as he looked across all of his officers, and he did noticed that Fanghanel was looking to the side. However, he continued:

"And I would hate to think that I was wrong about this, and that some of you might not know when to stop talking, or are callous enough to go to the press, either for some money or for whatever other reason it was."

It was truth. Everyone in there didn't wanted to believe that a good officer would have gone to the press and talked about something that was supposed to be a secret. They didn't liked to think that someone in there could have gone and talked to the press. However, some in there should have some kind of suspicion. McChill, for instance, had his eyes on Nick Wilde…

"But let me tell you… if this information was leaked by someone on the ZPD, this mammal can consider their sorry tail fired!" The Chief nearly roared, and this made even some of the biggest mammals in there flinch. It was are seeing their boss so angry, and they knew that it was something. Some of them were even hoping for something to calm the Chief down.

As if in an answer to their prayers:

"It weren't them."

It was Marceli Mieczyslaw who had speak, and this caused all eyes to turn to him, including Bogo's. The Chief, actually, had a raised eyebrow as he looked at the black fox, who looked up at him and he seemed serious, but very calm.

"You can relax, Bogo." The fox said again, "It was not any of your officers who leaked the information. I'm sure of that."

"You are?" Emilia asked him, as she clearly seemed a bit surprised. "I mean, it happened in the day we told them all." She spoke, not noticing the many glares that now were on her.

"Yes, that is truth." Marceli said, looking at his niece, but he was talking loud enough for everyone to hear. "However, with base on what I just heard from that newspaper, I can tell for sure that the information didn't came from the ZPD."

"Really?" Eliot Fanghanel asked, "Why?"

All eyes turned to him, but only for a brief moment, before the black tod was speaking once again:

"The news, according to Bogo's reading." The fox said, having once more all eyes on himself. "Spoke pretty much all that we told you. However, it also told that the Mieczyslaw clan is specialized in rune magecraft."

"And we are." Emilia said, and Marceli soon spoke.

"Yes… but we haven't told the ZPD that."

Emilia blinked, as she realized that he was right.

"When we arrived at the ZPD yesterday morning, we told them of Dawn Bellwether's skills and of our mission regarding her." He spoke, calmly walking from side to side under the gaze of the many cops, "But we have not told them about our own abilities. What means, they had no way of knowing that we were specialists in runes, and as such, the information could not have come from them."

There was a silence as everyone took this new information. However, soon Emilia was saying:

"Wait! We told two of them!" She spoke, and then pointed at Nick and Judy, "We told the bunny and fox that yesterday, when they came to show us the evidence of what happened to them."

Many eyes now had turned to both Nick and Judy, who stared at the vixen.

"Yes, we did." Marceli was quick to intervene. "But it was minutes before Jackalson found the first news about this online." He spoke, while the jackal he spoke of continued to work on his computer. "Also, according to Jackalson, the new was published around two hours before he found it. Before Officers Hopps and Wilde came to see us. Before you have told them that we were specialized in runes." The fox said, and concluded:

"So, they were not the responsible for the information leaking."

Judy sighed in relief. Nick was a bit calmer, but he too felt a bit relieved, although he had the feeling that he could still feel McChill's eyes over his head…

"This information was not leaked by anyone of the ZPD." The fox said, and this caused everyone to look at him, with many of the cops now felling glad for knowing that the information had not come from them. Both because it meant they could still trust their brothers in blue, and because it meant there was no danger of Chief Bogo starting to fire officers at random.

"Well, that is good to know." Bogo said, satisfied for knowing that none of his officers leaked the information to the press. "But, this also leaves the question: who leaked the information?"

"It is truth." Emilia said, "Of course, the clans knew of our mission, but I don't think any of them would have gone to the newspapers. The only other ones who knew were the City Hall and the ZPD."

"Yes, you are right." Marceli said once more, looking at his niece. "For we told the City Hall of the facts when we came to Zootopia a few days ago, during a meeting with many influent mammals. Also, you must remember that, in the same meeting, some of them asked questions, not only about the case or Bellwether, but also about ourselves."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that." The vixen said, smiling, "One of them even asked if we thought we could handle Bellwether. I told the guy that we sure could, because the Mieczyslaw clan are the world's greatest specialists in rune magecraft and…" She was saying, but she stopped suddenly.

"Ohhhhhhh…"

"Yeah… oh…" The black tod said.

"Are you saying that the information was leaked by someone of the City Hall?" Bogo asked, looking at the fox.

"Either by them or by someone who was also there. You'd be surprised on how many mammals are influent enough to be on a reunion of the City Hall." The fox said to him, "Actually, I even have a certain suspicion…"

"GOT IT!" Jackalson suddenly cried out, causing everyone to be a little startled and to look at him. The canine then, as if noticing how sudden his outburst was, had now the good grace of looking embarrassed.

The jackal cleared his throat, and he said:

"I-I think I've found something."

All eyes were on him, and it was once more obvious that it made the canine uncomfortable. Still, the canine was able to gather himself and start explaining:

"So… yesterday, I started to make some research after I found the news online, and I was able to confirm that it was indeed the first one to have been posted, before all the others did." He said, and he soon was tapping on his computer. "So, I was able to hack into the information of the news website, and I found out the name of the reporter that was responsible for that story. Once I did, I was able to hack into his email…"

"Hacking into the company?" Someone asked. "Hacking into the email? Do you even have a warrant for that?"

There was a silence in the room, before the jackal continued:

"Anyway, I was able to find that, among his email, there was one from someone who seemed not to be among his contacts." He said, tapping a few more buttons. "This email was filled with information regarding the mission and Bellwether, including a copy of her file and a copy of the security vide of Boarwood. It also included details that we have not really shared with the ZPD."

"But that we shared with the City Hall." Marceli said.

"Now, I was able to track the email, and I think I might have found out just from where it came."

"Well, this makes things easier, right?" Emilia asked, but Jackalson shook his head.

"It came from a computer in a Cyber Café. The kind of place where anyone can go and pay to use the computers. Not sure if we could get anything from that."

"We can go in there and ask who has used that specific computer." Marceli said, "I'm pretty sure that a place like that must have security cameras."

"That's a good idea." Judy said, "If we found out who used that specific computer on the specific day and time that the email was sent, then we can easily find out the responsible for the leak."

"Jackalson, where is this place?" Marceli asked, and the jackal looked at his computer.

"Savannah Central… Number 11990... Herd Street, between Cowlevard and Clawstone… The place's name is…"

"… Cyber Beans." Nick said as he looked at the place where Bogo had dispatched both of them to take a look. The place looked pretty much what you would expect from a Café, with big glass windows, and a big outdoor outside with the place's name, and with a cartoony design of a bunch of coffee beans that looked like they had been made with a cheap computer program and had cartoony faces of some mammals on them. Some would think it was funny, but Nick was among the ones who thought that the beans looked overly happy to something that would soon be toasted and crunched to become coffee…

"Let's go, Nick." Judy said, and soon she and Nick were entering the place.

The inside was actually pretty nice, with a counter showing off some snacks that could be bought in the place, both sweet and savory, and they even offered some beverages, including coffee. There was even a cake that both of the cops had to admit that looked quite appealing. There were elegant tables in the corner, and some mammals were actually there, eating and chatting, some of them even having breakfast, either by themselves or with some friends. The main subject of their attention, however, were the many of computers that were spread all over the room, all of them looking like they were ready to be used, and some of them actually being used by some mammals, who looked like they were checking their email or giving a look at their MuzzleBook accounts.

The first thing that Nick and Judy did was try to talk to the staff. They had the day and time when the email had been sent, and they were able to ask someone if they remember who was the one that had used that specific computer during that time.

However, that proved to be quite difficult.

"Look, I don't really remember the face of everyone who comes in here." The gazelle counter, whose nametag read "Larry", said to the two cops.

"Are you sure?" Judy asked, "This mammal must have come yesterday during somewhere between 10:00 and 10:30. He used the computer number three." She said, gesturing at the computers, which each one had a number on top of them.

"Do you know how much patrons we have a day?" The gazelle said, "How many guys come here every day to use the computers? To check their mails? To use MuzzleBook? To play Herd of Heroes? We don't really keep track of everyone."

"Okay, but don't you have a register? Don't they have to present their identities to use the computers?" Judy tried, and this time it was Nick who answered:

"This is not the kind of thing that requires you to show an identity, Carrots." He said to her, causing the bunny to look at him, "Anyone can come and use these things, as long as they pay."

The fox then looked at the gazelle, who looked like he was confirming it. This made the fox sign.

"Well, I guess we will have to do it the hard way… Let's close this place and investigate."

"What!?" The gazelle said suddenly.

"Yeah, we need to figure out how did it, and this will involve a lot of investigation." Nick said, and now both the gazelle and the bunny were looking at him. The later with a raised eyebrow, and the former with an expression that was almost of dread.

"So, during the meantime, we will have to close the place, to be sure that no one is going to interfere with our investigation. You can afford to be closed for a few days, can't you?"

The gazelle looked at the smug smile of the fox for a while, and he was stuttering.

"W-w-wait… Y-you said between ten and ten-thirty, right?" The gazelle said, "Now that I think of it… I think that there was a guy who came here yesterday and asked to use one of our computers for something."

Judy looked at him, and so did Nick.

"Well, you remembered that rather quickly, didn't you?" The fox asked.

"I-I didn't really thought about it before, but now it is coming back." The gazelle said, "He was a panther, he was wearing some nice suit, and he said that he needed to use one of our computers for an urgent job that his boss gave him."

"An urgent job, huh?" Judy said, "Think you could describe this panther?"

"I don't know, it was really fast, and I didn't took a good look at him, but he had black fur." The gazelle said, "Oh! And also…" He said, and turned to the counter. He looked to be fumbling among the things in there, before he turned back at the two cops, and presenting a card to them.

"He left this."

Judy was the one who took the card, which was rather big for her hands, but she was still able to hold it, although almost as if it was a letter. However, it was actually a business card, and both Judy and Nick could look in it.

KHAN INDUSTRIES

There was a number of important business industries that were based in Zootopia. Among them there were the Blue Wolf Capital Brothers, which had recently been revealed to have a mage as their CEO, and also some subsidiaries of the Pearl Paradigms, which had recently been revealed to be a branch of the organization known as Technocracy. Another one that was rather famous were the Khan Industries.

The Khan Industries were a multi-national corporation based on Zootopia, and said to be one of the greatest and most influent ones in the world. That business card was surely of the Khan Industries, as it was the kind that was usually given to others by the employees of the industry. The card, along with the footage that they were able to recover from the security cameras, helped them to identify the black panther that had used the computer in that specific time.

He looked rather scared as he was brought in, and he was soon brought for questioning. Nick and Judy both questioned the guy, but he insisted that he knew nothing about an email, and that he only used the computer to send an important file that his boss told him that was urgent. However, Judy and Nick were not buying any of that.

"You were using the computer from which the email came." The bunny said to him. "An email that contained not only detailed information and a copy of the dossier that the Mage's Association had of Dawn Bellwether, but also a video footage of the event that happened in Boarwood."

"I don't know any of that, okay?" He said to the bunny, "Besides, you can barely read anything in that dossier, the way it was censored."

"Oh, so you don't know any of that, but you know that the dossier is censored?" Nick asked to the panther, who suddenly realized that he had betrayed himself.

"We already know that you were involved in this, and you might as well just tell us everything." The bunny said. The panther looked very intently at her, his expression serious. He leaned forward, and he said:

"If I do that, my life is over."

The way he spoke made Judy look at him with a raised eyebrow, but before she or Nick could make any comment on the matter, suddenly the door opened. In came a very well-dressed zebra, in an expensive looking suit, and he soon was speaking to both of the cops in the room.

"My name is Kyle Zebran, and I'm here representing the interests of the Khan Industries." He said quickly, moving to the side of the panther. "And, as in this moment, I request you two to immediately stop asking my client any questions. This interrogation was not conducted without the presence of a lawyer."

Judy and Nick were a bit surprised, but Nick was able to hide it better, maybe that was why he was able to answer faster to the sudden appearance of the zebra lawyer.

"Well, he didn't requested one."

Judy also had recovered, and she was looking at the zebra.

"Mr. Zebran, your client is suspicious of having leaked sensitive information in regarding an ongoing business between representatives of the Mage's Association and the ZPD." She said, looking between the zebra and the panther.

"Do you have evidence of his supposed involvement in this?" The zebra asked, retaining a professional stance as he looked at the bunny, and Judy was quick to answer:

"It was discovered that an email containing detailed information was sent to a reporter from a news website, and that this email came from a specific computer in a the Cyber Café 'Cyber Beans', during a specific time of the day yesterday." Judy said, "We talked to the staff and watched the footages, and we confirmed the presence of your client in the place during the specific time, using the specific computer."

Judy said that rather proudly, as if she knew that it was something that could not be refuted. Nick, however, knew better, and he was already waiting for it to come…

"I see..." The zebra said, looking at the bunny, "And, how was the email recovered from the account of the said reporter?"

Judy blinked, and looked at the zebra.

"Yes, because emails have their privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment. They are covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and by the Patriotic Act. You said that the email was sent yesterday, right?" The zebra said, and it was soon clear that he was going to have the full control of the situation. "Well, according to the law, during the first 180 days after being received, emails are protected communication, and they cannot be accessed without the consent of the receiver or sender. Did you had any of these?"

Judy didn't answered, and she only continued to look at the zebra, who still continued:

"Well, since my client obviously didn't presented you the email that he sent, I must assume that the reporter who received the email must have come and presented it to you themselves. Otherwise, you would have no grounds to invade the privacy of the email, even less to track it." He said, and looked very intently at the bunny, and at the fox too, "Also, if he didn't presented himself to you, this makes me wonder how you knew that he was the ones who received the email, to begin with."

None of them said a thing. Judy wanted, but was stopped by Nick, who poked her with his leg. The two could do nothing but stared at the zebra, who knew that he had made a point, and was now continuing with his work.

The zebra looked at both of them, and he did had a smirk on his face that seemed triumphant, as he finally said:

"So, as the ZPD seems not to have legal evidence against my client, I'll have to ask you to liberate him right now."

Nick and Judy knew that they had no choice in the matter, and soon, the panther was walking away, with the zebra lawyer coming right after. But not before he gave one last look at the bunny and fox as he walked down the hallway, and out of their paws.

"I still can't believe this!" Judy said, as she and Nick stood into a chair inside of Bogo's office. The chief had asked them both to come, and now they were in there, along with the Chief himself, the enforcers, and Jackalson.

"We practically had everything on him, and that lawyer just came and invalidated all that we had!" The bunny said, exasperated.

"Well, that is kind of what lawyers do." Nick said casually, as he stood in the chair by her side. On the other chair were the enforcers, with Marceli focused on the same machine that he used to talk to the Association in the previous day, and Emilia was just standing by his side, chewing some gum. Jackalson was by their side, standing obediently.

"Well, not really a surprise there." Bogo said, "After all, there was violation of procedure when obtaining the evidence." He spoke, and he looked at the jackal, whose ears flattened against his skull, and the canine even let out a little whimper as he felt the gaze of the buffalo over himself.

"Well, we did what we could." Marceli said, looking at the machine that was laying in front of him, as he sat on the big chair with his legs crossed. Emilia was by his side, standing up. "Anyway, by now it is pretty clear who is the responsible for the leaking of the information."

"The panther?" Judy asked him, and the fox soon said:

"He was just following orders. The one who told him to leak the information was the one responsible for it."

"And, that would be..?" Bogo said, and the fox looked up.

"His boss." He said simply, "Shere Khan."

"Oh, yeah!" Emilia said, as if she was suddenly remembering something. "The guy was at the meeting of the City Hall! And he made a lot of questions about Bellwether and about how we intended to deal with her once he was under our custody."

"And, if you remember correctly, he was also quite upset for knowing that the ewe was going to leave jail to come with us." He spoke, and this caused others to look at him.

"What? Why?" Judy asked, and this caused the animals to look at her.

"You haven't very much followed the news during the time of the Night Howler Conspiracy, have you, Hopps?" The chief asked the bunny, who just looked confused at him, it was Nick who put himself to explain:

"Carrots, during the time of the Night Howler scare, ever since… the press conference." Nick said carefully, knowing that even now, two years later, Judy still felt terrible about having said all of these things on live television. "Well, during that time, until the time Bellwether was put behind bars, a lot of business that were owned by predators have suffered."

"And I'm not only talking about restaurants, washhouses and newspaper stands. I'm talking about important businesses that started to lose contracts and clients, all because mammals were starting to become afraid that the mammals who owned them could be ticking time bombs that would go savage at any moment."

Judy looked at Nick as he explained that. During this, the bunny was perfectly able to picture the amount of difficulty that some mammals must have gone through. All because of the stupid and thoughtless words that she spoke.

"Well, one of these businesses were the Khan Industries." Nick concluded the thought, not wanting Judy to dwell too much on a past that caused her to become depressed every time that she thought about it. "Famous for their many subsidiaries, for being the bosses in what it came to naval and aeronautical shipping and manufacturing, for their work in merchandising, and for the raw production of a wide myriad of products, which includes Fox Repellent and other products of the Fox-Away line."

"It was a hard time for any predator." Bogo said, "Even those who were wealthier were feeling the difficulties. I even hear that some, at the time, almost compared it to a type of crisis that was hitting the predators. Like the one that happened in the roaring twenties."

"Yeah, it was surely a hard time to be a predator in this city." Marceli Mieczyslaw concluded, and he was once more looking at the machine that he brought.

And all because of what I said… Judy said. Yes, it was easy for her to rationalize, and recognize that the situation had all been Bellwether's doing. However, she could never shake away the feeling that it were her words that acted as a trigger for all of her plot to start truly working. It were her words that caused the mammals to associate the fact that predators were turning savage to their biology. It were her words that served as an excuse to groups asking for segregation and for the hate groups that sprouted among prey. Her words were what caused Nick to be furious at her…

"Anyway, this was a moment that was surely hard for the Khan Industries." Nick continued, noticing how Judy was becoming, and wanting to keep her away from this. "And, of course, to their CEO, Shere Khan."

"The Khan Industries truly went through a hard time during the time of the Night Howler Conspiracy." Jackalson said. The canine had opened his computer and apparently he did a few researches while the other animals were talking.

"Two years ago, they had a great deal of other industries calling off their contracts and ending their business with them, apparently in response to the fear that Shere Khan could become the next predator to turn savage." The jackal said, as he read from online, "They said that, if such a thing happened, it could cause the values of their stocks to drop suddenly, as the industry would be left without a clear leadership. Also, it seemed that a few were afraid that such a thing could happen during a meeting, and eighty percent of the industries that make business with them are composed, directed and/or owned by prey species. I guess that they were really nervous with the possibility of the tiger going savage on them."

"They surely were." Emilia said, "That guy was being super nice and polite, and even then I thought that he was frightening. I don't want to imagine if he was on all fours, snarling and roaring and wanting to eat me alive."

Nick could actually nod at this.

It was truth that Shere Khan had a reputation as a ruthless tycoon. That, not to mention all of the rumors that went about him in the streets, speaking a lot of his "business" and how he conducted them. Many agreed that Shere Khan was one of the most vicious mammals of Zootopia, almost as much as Mr. Big, maybe even worse. Nick had always heard that he was the type of mammal that he should avoid.

"The business of Khan Industries has suffered a significant fall." Jackalson continued, "They lost a lot of opportunities and contracts, and this reflected on the value of their stocks. Some say that, if the Night Howler scare had not ended with the arrest of Dawn Bellwether, the problems of the company could have continued. Some even said that the whole company could have gone bankrupt."

"A company that has been evaluated on 3.7 billion zollars just the year before." Nick said, "That is no small thing."

"Khan could have lost everything." Marceli said, "He won't admit it, but there was a very real chance that he could have lost everything because of Dawn Bellwether and her plot."

"Bet he was happy for seeing her in jail." Emilia said, "And she was also lucky for being in jail, where the tiger could not put his claws on her."

"Khan seemed pretty dissatisfied that we intended to take her out of the prison in secret." Marceli said, "I remember that he said something about 'criminals like that not deserving privacy'." He spoke, looking around the mammals in the room, "That was, of course, before some of his colleagues remembering him that this was not only about Bellwether and her privacy. It was about the Mage's Association and the relations between mages and non-mages. This was enough to make him calm down and agree with the idea… Or so we thought."

"Guess he wants it to be a show." Emilia said, "He wants everyone to see the evil mage being taken away by the mage cops, so they will know that she will not escape from what she did."

"Sounds about right." Marceli agreed, "Not to mention that it could be something that would benefit him."

"Benefit him?" Bogo asked, becoming quite interested by what the black fox just said.

"Shere Khan is planning on running for mayor." Marceli said, "That according to some of the sources I talked with this morning." The mage said, "I guess that having a criminal mage being taken away from his city before he does might actually help him with it. He could try to turn it into some kind of good PR for himself."

"That is some theory you got." The cape buffalo said, "Of course, if you were to say that aloud in public you would face some problem. Shere Khan is a big name in Zootopia. His family has been here since the foundation of the city, and he is one of the richest mammals around, not to mention that he has a lot of political connections, including with the City Hall. He is also famous for donation for beneficent causes, and he also has an entire advocacy firm that works exclusively for him. If you were to make an accusation like that, you would need irrefutable evidence. Legal irrefutable evidence." Bogo said, and he looked at the fox, who looked back at him with a serious expression.

"Well, good thing I'm not making any accusation, right?" The fox said, "Although, the fact that you have not dismissed what I said tells me that you at least doesn't think of it as nonsense."

Bogo said nothing, but his expression made it clear that he at least partially agreed with the fox. Or at least didn't thought that he was wrong.

"But… if Shere Khan actually leaked the information to make a circus out of it, or to have some form of political gain, this is a felony!" Judy said to them, causing all of the mammals in there to turn their eyes at her. "This is reckless and irresponsible behavior that could have serious repercussions. He will have to answer for that if he really did it."

"Yeah, right." Emilia said, and this caused the eyes to turn to her. "Guys like that never pay for what they did, unless you can actually pin them with something that they truly can't deny."

"I have to agree with her, Carrots." Nick said, and Judy looked in between then.

"But… he cannot do something like this and simply walk away! It is against the law!" The bunny said, sounding really exasperated.

"You are still young, Officer Hopps." Marceli said, "You are still going to learn many things. One of them is that, when money and political influence get involved, sometimes loopholes tend to appear in the laws."

Judy looked at him, and she was about to say something, when she felt Nick putting a paw in his shoulder, causing her to look at him.

"Carrots, I gotta give Mieczyslaw some reason in this." The red fox said to her, "Guys like Khan often think that they are above the law. They think that their money and power can get them out of anything, and they are usually right."

"Yes… it is hard to prosecute individuals like Khan." Bogo admitted. "We had a few cases against him that seemed solid at first, but that ended up falling through."

"I know the feeling." Marceli said, and he continued to look at the machine, and Judy couldn't help but look at him.

Bogo and Mieczyslaw both sounded as if they truly knew what they were talking about. As if they had actually gone through the same thing.

Judy was inclined to believe that, once they both had far more experience in this kind of thing than she had. Also, Nick had a lot more of experience in living in the real world, and so, he certainly was to be listen in these cases. If all of them were saying that there was nothing to be done in this situation, then they were probably right.

Judy had matured since the time she first joined the ZPD, however, her was still as strong as ever. To think that some mammal could be above the law was something that didn't bode well with her beliefs, and that made her really frustrated.

Suddenly, a sound filled the room, as the machine that had, up until now, been forgotten on the chair, started to work on its own, as if it was typing all by itself.

Marceli soon was leaning forward, looking at the machine as it typed by itself, and the other mammals looked at him.

The machine was producing a message, and the fox was reading it as it came, with Emilia by his side, leaning over to see the message as well.

"So… what is the HQ saying now?" Nick asked, his tune was playful. The black fox continued to look at the message that was coming up, before he spoke:

"Well… they are quite upset that there was such a leaking of information, and that what was supposed to be a secret mission now has become public knowledge." The black tod informed, and the vixen by his side said:

"Yeah, they are not happy that it seems to be happening all the time now." The vixen said, as it seemed that she was readying the same thing that he uncle was.

The thing continued to type, and the black fox continued to read from it.

"They are also telling us to keep focus on the mission and try to proceed as planned." He said, as he looked at the red runes that appeared in the scroll. "The fact that the information leaked is a serious matter, but we must proceed with the plan as it was intended."

"In other words, we just suck it up and do it." Emilia concluded, looking around and smiling. The other mammals all looked at her, and Marceli sighed as he got up.

"Well, I guess this settles it." The black fox said, "We will proceed as it was planned."

"What about the whole lot of animals out there that now know that Bellwether is a mage and that you guys will be transporting her out of the city?"

"It is unfortunate, and it might even prove to be troublesome at some point." Marceli said, "But, this does not change the fact that we have a job, and that we must focus on it."

The cops all nodded. It made sense to think that they would have to focus on the job that they were given, and that the unpredicted factors were something that they would have to deal with. Police work also had unpredicted factors now and then, and one of the challenges in any line of job was to be able to deal with the unexpected.

"You will have the ZPD's full support on everything." The buffalo said, and the fox nodded back at him. Nick and Judy also spoke that they were ready to give their full support on whatever the two mages could need. The enforcers could do nothing more than to show their gratitude towards the ZPD for the help.

"Yeah, I guess that everything will go fine, even though the mission is no longer a secret." Emilia said, looking around the mammals in the room. "Who knows? Maybe this even makes this mission become a bit more interesting…"

Far from Precinct 1, and far from the center of the city, into a certain are of the city, a single building stood, and it looked fine. It was not a luxurious place to where someone rich would go and sign in for a little vacation time. However, it was far from being a decadent place, as it had its own type of charm. This was the kind of place where a tourist would like to stay, and where certain mammals were right now.

The mammals who were the main focus or our interest, however, were on the top floor of the building, which was surely the more luxurious one, with nice furniture and a lot of space, once the whole floor was basically the apartment. One could even compare it to a penthouse. It surely looked like it costed a lot of money, and it certainly was the type of place where a regular tenant would not stay.

It had been rented for a while, and the panther who rented it even payed an extra as not to have anyone entering the room without his consent. He was given both the keys to the room, to ensure that no one else would go inside during his stay, and he gladly accepted.

He had to take both keys and make sure others wouldn't go inside, for he didn't wanted to have any problem explaining to anyone what were the many things that now filled the big apartment. Among other things, there were what seemed pieces of limbs and other body parts made of stone in the corners, as well as many diagrams that had been glued to the walls. It almost seemed like some kind of workshop.

The responsible for this, the panther who rented the apartment, was now talking to someone else who had come without warning. The mammal now stood in front of the big panther, as he had arms crossed and an unamused expression.

"Well, this surely did not developed as expected." The mammal said, after hearing what the panther had just told him. "You just had to get the package in exchange for the payment and bring it back… how come you actually managed to lose it?"

"Want me to repeat myself?" The panther said, and the other mammal sighed.

"No, there is no need." The mammal said, looking at the panther, who was taller than himself by almost three feet. Many would be intimidated by this, however, this mammal was not the kind who got intimidate over someone's size. "You were very keen when explaining the story behind your complete failure in your mission."

"It was not my fault!" The panther said in defense, his teeth baring from behind his curled lips. The smaller mammal, however, remained completely unfazed, and he actually looked at the big feline with a certain disdain.

"Oh, really?" The mammal said to him, "So… being careless enough to be followed and nearly blackmailed by two mundanes was not your fault?" He asked, and the anther was quick to defend himself:

"I didn't saw them coming! Besides, I had it under control!" He said, but the animal ignored him, and he asked:

"Failing to notice the approach of two mundane police officers who saw everything and that could possible bring unwanted attention to us and to our business was not your fault?"

"They approached hidden! I was focused on the other two and-"

"And also!" The other mammal said, cutting the panther in the middle of his own defense. "Stopping all you were doing in the moment you saw Nicholas Wilde…" He spoke, and the face of the panther hardened at that name. "And focusing all of your attention into trying to end his life, giving his reinforcements enough time to arrive at the place and try to apprehend you, was not your fault?"

"I could not simply turn my back on that fox!" The panther said, "Not after-"

"Not only that!" The mammal cut him yet once more. "But you also have become careless enough to abandon the package, the package that we worked so hard into tracking and that we had to resort to a freelancer to bring to us, as soon as the situation became too difficult to you."

The two mammals shared a long look; each one seemed as if he was daring the other to look away, even for a second.

"Are you really saying that none of that, from being followed like an amateur, to running away with your tail between your legs like a coward, none of it was your fault?" The other mammal said, and the panther glared daggers at him.

"You mission was simple." The smaller mammal said as he looked at the panther, seemingly unfazed by all the hatred in the big feline's eyes. "To recover the package in return for the payment in gold. It was very straight forward, and very easy, so much that we trusted it to you."

The panther growled at him, but the smaller animal ignored it, and he simply continued:

"However, it all went up in smoke, with you not only losing two of your own golems, but also losing our precious package." He said, looking at the panther, "And all of that because you got distracted by Nicholas Wilde."

"Don't speak with this patronizing way, Tasman." The panther said, "Don't speak to me as if I had got distracted with something stupid."

"And didn't you?" Asked Tasman, as he looked up at the panther, as if challenging him to say something back.

The panther looked at him in silence for a few moments, before he spoke:

"That fox… ruined everything." He said and his voice was practically dripping with resentment. The other mammal rolled his eyes at this.

"Everything was alright. Everything was fine before he came, and then…"

"Then he came and everything went down the flush." Tasman finished, "I know, I heard this story already. All of us in the MTC heard the story of how Nicholas Wilde ruined your life. Give us a break, okay?"

The way that Tasman spoke made it seem that the panther had already repeated this story a few times already, what wasn't too far from the truth.

"Also, it is not like the fox planned to ruin your life." The mammal said to the panther. "After all, he was just a kit back then."

"So was I!" The panther screamed, and the rage was evident in his voice, as well as the resentment. The other mammal, however, was still completely unfazed by all of that anger.

"Look, I know that you have your reasons to hate that fox, but this does not justify letting your friends of the MTC down." Tasman spoke, looking intently at the panther, who said nothing in return.

"The package is extremely valuable to us, and we were counting on you to bring it. However, it seems that you have failed spectacularly." The mammal said, and the panther growled.

"It is not a big deal."

"There are enforcers here in Zootopia." The other mammal said, "In case you have not been following the news."

"They are here for Dawn Bellwether."

"Do you think that will prevent them from being interested into the package?" Tasman asked him, "Especially after they realize what it is and what we could do with it?"

No answer.

The panther seemed to know well what Tasman was talking about, and the smaller mammal sighed, slowly shaking his head. "I cannot say the amount of problem that this could pose. Not only because of the enforcers, but because they would surely report back to the Association. Not only that, but there is a possibility that they might inform to the clans that we are in their land. This would be very bad for all of us… for you in particular… Mr. Wilde."

The panther looked at him, saying nothing, but glaring at the smaller mammal. It was not as murderous as the previous glares, but it had just as much power, as it held a type of determination in it that would make many a little weak on their knees as they saw that a mammal was capable of being so serious over something.

"I'll recover it." The panther said it.

"Oh, that's what we expect." The smaller mammal said, walking to a nearby chair, picking up the hat that he had left in there when he walked in, and placed it on his head. "The package is really important to us, and so, you must recover it by any means necessary, do you hear it, Wilde?"

The panther looked back at him, and sighed.

"Yes, I do…" He spoke, and the smaller mammal, seemingly satisfied with it, nodded and turned in direction to the door, not bothering to wait for the bigger mammal, as he simply opened the door and walked outside. Before leaving for good, he looked over his shoulder, looking at the panther one last time, and he said:

"We put a lot of trust on you with this, Mr. Wilde. I hope you don't make us regret it…"

The panther looked at the smaller mammal, as he now walked out the door to leave. Meanwhile, the panther bared his fangs and walked to the door.

For a moment, it could seem that he was about to go after the smaller mammal named Tasman, but he simply reached for the door and slammed it hard.

Tasman surely heard it, but he continued to walk without giving it too much attention. Meanwhile, the panther growled on the other side of the door. The big feline punched the wall, leaving a hole in it, done by his fist.

"Dammit, Tasman…" The panther said, and he walked into his apartment.

"He is not wrong, you know?"

The sudden voice caused the panther to jump to attention, looking at all sides to find out the source of the unknown voice.

"Who is there!?" The panther said, looking around, "Show yourself!" He demanded, and the answer was a chuckle.

"So many years, and you still behave just like you did back on the day." The voice said, and it sounded as if he was really having fun on this. "Some things don't change, and I'd say that you are one of them, Pete."

The panther growled.

"No one calls me 'Pete'!" He nearly roared, as he looked around the apartment, his eyes scanning it in search for the intruder who was the owner of that voice.

"Show yourself to me! Now!" He said, raising his paws. As if on cue, the pieces of stone limbs and body parts started to move on their own, and some of them actually combined, forming mammals made of stone. Two of them looked like big felines, while three looked like small canines, somewhat similar to foxes.

The panther looked around, his golems ready to act on command, as the feline continued to scam the place.

"Show yourself to me or my golems will look for you! And you don't want to know what they will do in the moment they find you!" He said, and the voice soon was coming as an answer.

"No need to be so aggressive."

The panther now could find out the direction the voice was coming from, and he turned around to meet the one who was talking with him. He saw a fox. This fox stood on 3'11'' feet tall, with a very slender built. The fox had dark fur, with a deep shade of grey on most of himself, with black on the top of his head, on his ears, on the sides of his face, on the tip of his tail, and on the knuckles of his fingers, as well as on his feet. His eyes were yellow, and his eyes looked like the ones of a feral fox, with vertical pupils. The fox was dressed with elegant clothing, which one would expect in a social meeting, with dark pants and a dark coat with golden buttons. He also had a pair of round glasses of thin trimming on his face, and he looked very intently at the panther, as he had a smirk on his muzzle.

"Who the hell are…" The panther started, but he stopped as he was able to take a good look at that fox, and he recognized him.

"Y-you!?" He said, seeming shocked, while the fox continued to smile at him. "B-but how? You were…"

"Gone?" The fox said, sounding very calm as he spoke that. "This was what you heard, right?" he said. "Oh, Peter… you should already know that you should not believe all that you hear."

The panther looked at the fox in shock for a few more moments, before his expression morphed to an intense one, as he and his golems all went into fighting stance.

"How are you alive?" The panther asked him, "What are you doing here? Did the clan sent you?"

"Oh, come on now." The fox said to the panther. "You used to be a little bit happier when you met me."

"Answer the darn question!"

The fox looked at him, and chuckled. The old bastard chuckled! The panther bared his fangs at him a bit more.

"Okay… I'm alive due to a lot of factors that worked in my favor. For now, let's just say that now I work with a new group." He spoke, as the panther continued to look at him," And relax, the clan didn't sent me. I don't answer to them anymore."

The panther was still on guard, looking at that fox as if he was expecting him to attack at any moment.

"Why are you here?" The panther asked.

"What, an old tod like myself cannot visit his own nephew?" The fox asked, and the panther snarled at him.

"I'm not your nephew…" He spoke, looking at the dark fox with murder on his eyes. "I'm not a member of your clan anymore, I never truly were. All of you made it pretty clear to me."

The fox looked at him, and he sighed.

"Yeah, I can't blame you for thinking like that." The fox said, walking to him, causing the panther and his golems to tense up. All of them looked ready to pounce at the fox and tear him to shreds at the slightest hint of aggression. "After all, the family was really not nice with you."

"You haven't answered my question." The panther insisted. "If you are not in here in orders from the clan, then why are you here?"

The fox smiled as he looked at the panther. "I've came to offer you help."

The panther looked at him with mistrust.

"Help with what?"

"With recovering the 'package'." The fox said, "I mean, the MTC will be really mad at you if you don't get it back, right?" The fox said, and the panther snarled I need.

"I don't need your help!" He said, rather aggressively, and the fox looked at him with a smirk on his face.

"Really?" The fox asked, "Is that because you already have a plan?" He asked, "Or is it because you still hold a grudge against me?" He walked to the panther, who still snarled at him as he got closer. "Or is it ego? Is it your pride that prevents you from accepting the help from your uncle Cornelius?"

"You are not my uncle!" The panther roared at him, his claws unsheathing as he looked at the fox. The fox, however, in place of being scared, merely looked at him.

"Really?" The fox said, "So, you are no longer Peter Wilde?"

The panther said nothing in return, as he merely looked at the fox. His silence made the fox chuckle.

"Yeah, you were shunned away by the clan a long time ago, but you still kept the name of the family. The name that you received from the one who you one day called… 'mother'…"

The panther looked like he was ready to maul the fox, along with all of his golems.

"So, if you really don't want my help, you can do whatever you want to me now." The fox finally said, looking at him. "Let you be the one to truly end the life of Cornelius Wilde. And good luck coming up with a plan to recover your package before the enforcers take it away forever."

There was a big silence in the room, while Cornelius Wilde stood in there with his arms open, waiting for the decision of the panther.

Meanwhile, the panther looked at the fox, and he looked as if he was debating with himself.

Could he be debating on how to kill the fox?

After a long minute of thinking, the panther rose his paw at the golems, who all stood down, but only slightly. Then he walked to the fox, who still stood in place, as the panther walked to him.

The big feline walked to him, and he leaned over, to look the fox in his yellow eyes.

"What kind of help you would be offering me?" The panther asked, cautious.

"A plan." The fox said, "A plan that, if well executed, might help you get your package, and perhaps even more."

They just looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, before the panther asked:

"What kind of plan?"

The fox chuckled once more at this.

"I knew that you would be interested." The fox said, "After all, you are a Wilde. Well, you might not have the blood of the Wilde clan, but you certainly are a Wilde. At least, that was how you presented yourself to everyone during the last thirty years."

"What kind of plan, Uncle Cornelius?" The panther asked once more, leaving it clear that he was not in the mood for amenities, but he did referred to the fox as his uncle, just as he used to so many years ago. The fox merely nodded.

"It will demand some resources." The dark fox said to the panther. "And we will need some help that will not be cheap."

"I have resorts." The panther said to him, "I made sure to bring a lot with me when I came back to Zootopia."

"Of course you did." The fox said to him, "Also, I must warm you. The plan is… a bit radical. But, hey! The guy said, 'by any means necessary', didn't he?"

The panther looked at him, and he did not looked amused.

"Keep it in mind that might even help you to find Nicholas Wilde again." The fox said quickly, "And even have him right where you want him."

The panther seemed to be considering it, and after a while, he said:

"Tell me more."

The fox smiled back at the panther.

"You might want to sit back and start taking notes, boy." The dark fox said with a smirk, "Because this plan is a dozy."

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since the news that the Enforcers were taking Bellwether away came to light.

During these few days, there were all kinds of reactions from mammals of Zootopia.

Many of them wanted the Enforcers to take her away for good and give her the worst punishment that a mage could get. There were also some who, surprisingly, were on Bellwether's side, but these were a considerable minority, and they seemed to be a bunch of prey supremacists that wanted the mages to allow her free, as she only was doing "what it needed to be done". You can guess how much actually gave any attention to what these guys said.

Of course, these were some of the ones who already had a formed opinion on Dawn Bellwether before finding out she was a mage, as there were new opinions forming over the revealing of her "magic powers". Some of them were using it as a speech to talk on how mages were dangerous, as they could use their magecraft against common mammals for their own personal gain and designs. These ones, of course, used the fact that Bellwether was a mage to justify it, as they talked on how she used her knowledge in alchemy to devise the Night Howler Serum, and how she used her skills in hypnosis to turn innocent mammals into her unaware minions. All the while they spoke of how her ambition and assertiveness as a mage was what made her act like this, aiming to acquire more power and not caring on how many innocent suffered for her to get what she wanted.

These were actually a bit worrisome, as they seemed to be trying to use it to incite some protests going on.

Yes. There had been some protests around the city, but none of it was like the anti-mage protests that had plagued Zootopia months ago. It was mostly peaceful walks that asked for Bellwether not to escape justice. There were others, with a considerable minority of mammals, that actually asked for Bellwether to be let out, but these were only formed by the most radical and bigoted prey supremacists, who totally got behind of what Bellwether did. The later were far more inclined to bad behavior than the former, and they often ended up with someone leaving there in cuffs, as they were far louder and they were more likely to disrespect the police when they met it, especially if the cops were predators.

The past days had been a little more agitated, as it was surprising how fast the protests and rallies started. Actually the first one was in the afternoon of the October 12th, the day following the publication of the first news of Bellwether being a mage and of the Enforcers coming to take her away. They went through the most afternoon, and during all the day of the following day.

Judy and Nick had a hard time during these two days, as they would run into these kinds of groups and see the aftermath of their passing. While they enjoyed seeing that most of the mammals actually asked for Bellwether to be punished by being send to the mage prison or by being buried under the ground forever, some of them asked her to be pardoned for her faults so she could continue "paying mammals services". The formers were troublemakers, as they would often end up causing vandalism to try to make their point stand, and they were quite aggressive, especially when they saw Nick.

The previous day had been spent mostly checking on these protests, and they finished it tired and wanting to have a good night sleep.

Judy had gotten up early in the following day, as she usually did. It was October 14th, a day that Judy knew would be meaningful, but that she, sincerely, did not looked forward to.

As she took her bath, ate her breakfast, and got dressed for the day, she only hoped to have something that would ease the worry that was building up for the day that was ahead of her.

She didn't expected this to be right outside when she opened the door.

"Aunt Judy!" Said a small rabbit, who should be around seven years old. Her fur was matted of light-brown and cream coloration, and her eyes were big and green. She was wearing a pink skirt and a blue top with a pink star in the center. This was surely her favored clothing, which she often wore. She had a smile in her face as Judy got down to hug her.

"Hey, Cotton." Said Judy as she put her arms around the little bunny who hugged her back. "How is my favorite niece doing?"

""I'm doing great!" Cotton said back to her. "We are learning the names of the planets in school, and I learned how to sum and subtract." The small bunny said, and Judy smiled back at her. It was really nice to see Cotton, as she was always so happy and so positive about everything, she usually made Judy feel better when she was in a bad mood. She looked up to the other ones who had come with her.

There should be twenty or so bunnies in there, male and female alike. Most of them were of the same age as Judy, maybe a few years younger or older, with Cotton surely being the youngest of them. The oldest ones surely were Stu and Bonnie, who smiled at their daughter.

"I'm so glad that you guys made it." Judy said as she hugged them, and the two smiled as they hugged her back.

"Hey, we said we would come for the inauguration of that mall." Stu said to her, "And we brought a couple of your brothers and sisters, and we even brought Cotton. She is in vacation at her school while they are panting it." The bunny said, and Judy looked at the many bunnies that had come there with her parents and stopped by the see her.

Among them, she could see the familiar face of another one of her brothers. He was taller than Judy, as he stood on 3'2'' feet tall, if you counted his ears. He was rather thin and slender. The fur on his body was of a dark-grey coloration, with a grayish-white color on his muzzle, down his neck, on the inside of his ears and on his fingers and on the toes of his feet. He had a pair of glasses in front of his blue eyes as he looked at Judy with a smile in his muzzle. He was wearing a black shirt with a twenty-sided dice printed in it, a blue jacket, and a pair of long brown pants. He was also carrying a bag over his shoulder.

"Harry." Judy said, as she left Cotton and hugged her brother, who hugged her back.

"Hey, sis. How is the big city treating you?"

"Oh, just fine." Judy said to him, "I love being a cop in the big city. And you, how is your work on the library going?"

Judy regretted asking this, because the smile vanished from Harry's muzzle.

"I quit it yesterday."

"Oh…" Judy said, looking at her brother.

"Yeah, it just became really boring. I guess that was not really my calling."

"Okay." Judy said. "Well, maybe your next job will be what you are looking for."

"Yeah, if I get another job." Harry said to her.

"Of course you will get another." Judy said to him, "You are one of the smartest bunnies in BunnyBurrow, you can get any job you want."

That much was truth. Harry had always been smarter than most bunnies of their hometown. As a matter of fact, he had graduated in high-school when he was fourteen, and he even made a specialization or two here and there. He even attended to a local community college, and in there, they all talked volumes of his intelligence, and how easy it was for him to learn things and to be able to grasp what was taught. Of course, some said that Harry lacked in certain areas, but everyone agreed that Harry was a surprisingly fast learner, and that he was a bunny who had a brilliant future in whatever he chose to do.

He was currently an eighteen-year-old who has had a few jobs, as he was trying to "find his true calling". He had been assistant mechanic, plumber, assistant teacher, accountant, secretary, part-time musician, bartender, assistant at the office of the mayor, assistant of a local law firm, caterer, electrical technician, carpenter and, more recently, assistant at the local library. All of his bosses spoke volumes of Harry, as they were all impressed at how quickly he could learn the professions, and how well he could perform them, even though he was not the best at some cases. All of them gave great recommendations for Harry when he left the jobs, and some of them even insisted for him to stay, as they saw how skilled the young bunny was. Still, Harry never truly stayed at any job, even though he was really good at some of them, as he was still "trying to find the right one".

"Yeah, I guess…" Harry said, "Anyway, I was hoping to go at the new library that will be opening at New Den Plaza, I really hope I can get my paws in one of the new books of my favorite series.

Yes, another thing about Harry, he truly loved to read. This could be counted as either a product of his intelligence, or a reason for him being so smart. He had a particular passion for anything that was somehow related to the supernatural, as he loved these books that spoke about magic, about witches and sorcerers, and about all of that. He knew these universes like the back of his paw, including the one of the books of Harry Trotter, what would often grant the others to make jokes in it regarding the fact that he and the main character had the same first name.

Judy still wondered what Harry actually thought on the revealing of the existence of the supernatural.

Judy talked a bit with all of her relatives who had come, as many of them were happy for seeing her again. The Hopps family was very united, and they deeply cared about each other. It was something that they learned from their parents, who both were sure to teach them how family was important.

Judy was happy for seeing them as well as she would love to talk to them more. However, she still had work. She needed to show up on work on time, especially during that day.

"It is nice to see you all, but I have to go." Judy said, and she looked at the bunnies, some of them looking at her with a little apprehension.

"Oh, yeah… today is the day…" One of the female bunnies said, and everyone seemed to grow quieter at this, and Judy could see the concern in some of their faces, especially in the faces of her parents.

"Don't worry." Judy said, smiling at them. "I'm pretty sure that I'll be fine. I mean, I took her down once, I know that I call take her down again if I need to."

Everyone looked at her, and some of them agreed with her. Her parents, however, were still worried as they had always been.

"Well, we are all sure that you can, Judy." Stu said, and he fished inside of his pocket, "But, in any case." He said as he pulled out something big and pink and handed it to Judy. The female bunny looked at the thing, recognizing it nearly immediately, and her eyes widened.

"Wha? Dad! Seriously!?" She said, looking at the same Taser that his father wanted to convince her to bring with her when she first moved into Zootopia, along with all the other Fox-Away items.

"Dad! What the heck!?" Judy said, looking at the Fox Taser. This surprised her father, who seemed to be at lost for a few moments. That is, until Bonnie whispered in his ear, and his eyes widened as well.

"Oh! No, darling, it is not a Fox Taser!" Stu said, and showed it better for Judy. "Here, take a look."

And look Judy did. She could see that it seemed to have something different about it. In the place where once there was the image of a cartoony fox dressed like a burglar, now there was a sticker that had a drawing made with crayon. The drawing showed a sheep with red eyes and devil horns.

Judy blinked, and looked up at her parents.

"Some of the younger ones modified it to you." Bonnie said to her, and Harry was the one who spoke:

"Now it is a Crazy Sheep Taser."

Judy looked at it, and she didn't truly know what to think of it. However, it was Cotton who convinced her when she said:

"I did the drawing, Aunt Judy."

How could she resist to that innocent smile and the kindness in the eyes of the young bunny? Judy smiled, as she took the thing from Stu's hand.

"Thanks a lot, guys." She spoke, and she looked at her family.

"D'aawwwww" The two voices said, calling everyone's attention. This caused everyone to turn their heads to look at the mammals who owned them. It were the Oryx-Antlersons. They both were standing on the hall, right on the door of their house, and both of them were dressed as if they were ready to leave.

For a long moment, the bunnies and the two antelopes looked at each other, and many of the bunnies had raised eyebrows, one or two even had twitching noses. It was Judy who broke the silence.

"Ahem… Bucky, Pronk, I'd like you two to meet my parents and some of my relatives." She said, presenting the two to the twenty or so bunnies that were there. "Guys, these are the Oryx-Antlersons, my neighbors."

"Oh, right." Someone in there said, and then added in a whisper to someone. "These are the ones who she said are crazy and yelling all the time."

"Hey! I heard that!" Pronk said, rather aggressively, prompting Bucky to elbow him in the ribs.

"Hey, be nice!"

"But he just said that we are crazy and yell all the time!"

"Well, he is not wrong; after all, we both know that we are loud!"

"Yeah, but we are not crazy!"

"We might look when we yell at each other, especially in front of mammals we are meeting for the first time! Just like we are doing right now!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

The bunnies all stood in there as they watched that strange interchange happen. Many of them were unsure of what to do now, as they only continued to stare at the two antelopes, and Judy decided that she needed to break that.

"So, are you two going to the mall?" She asked, and this caused the two to stop yelling at each other to "shut up" and look at her.

"Oh, yeah!" Bucky said, "We are going to check on the new store to buy a few things we are missing at home. A new radio, and also some new clothes, some of ours are a bit old."

"I still see no problem with our clothes." Pronk said, his arms crossed. "They are still perfect to wear."

"Oh, come on. We need to renew our wardrobe! We cannot go around looking like hobos!"

"Our clothes are not that bad! Stop being dramatic!"

Their voices were raising as they discussed, and Judy decided not to let this escalate.

"Look, my parents are going to the mall too! Why don't you all go together?"

Everyone looked at Judy as she had suggested that. The bunnies and antelopes then looked at each other, as it seemed that they were considering this. The bunnies (some of them, at least) seemed to be quite unsure to go to the mall with these two, considering how much they seemed to fight with each other.

Bucky and Pronk shared a look, and turned away from the bunnies and started to whisper at each other. Although even their whispering is quite loud, as the bunnies, with their big and sensitive ears, were able to pick up precisely what they were saying.

"So, do we go with them?"

"Of course! It would be rude to refuse! It might make them think we don't want to be with them."

"Yeah, but every time we go out with someone they leave us alone when we start arguing."

"It won't happen if we don't argue."

"But we always end up arguing!"

"We will try harder not to argue! This is Hopps' family! We need to be nice to them!"

Meanwhile, the bunnies all looked at them as they had this mini argument.

"They know we can hear them, right?" Harry asked to another one of his siblings, and the other bunny seemed not to know what to say back.

"So… are they always…?" Stu whispered to his daughter, an actual whisper, not the loud whispering that the two antelopes were making.

"Unfortunately… yes…" Judy said, sighing. There was no point lying to her family about this, since they already saw enough to know that this was just the way that these two were. "But, they are actually quite nice once you've actually met them. They are caring and they are nice to be around."

Soon, the two antelopes had turned back to the bunnies, and Bucky said:

"We sure want to go to the mall with you guys." He said, a smiled on his face, while Pronk stood by his side with his arms crossed. "It will be really fun, and we are surely going to get very well along. Without any kind of fight." He said the last part looking at Pronk, who rolled his eyes.

"Great!" Judy said, and then, her phone ringed. She gave it a look, and her ears perked. "Oh! Nick is just down there waiting for me! I gotta go now! See you all later! Enjoy the mall!"

"Huh, Judy! T-that fox partner of yours…"Stu tried to say, but his wife cut him.

"Bye, honey! Stay safe!" Bonnie said to the departing bunny.

"Bye, Aunt Judy!" cotton said, waving at her aunt as the bunny walked away and vanished in direction to the stairs.

The gaggle of bunnies was left behind, and they looked at the two antelopes, who looked back at them.

"So…" Someone said, and there was an awkward silence in the hallway of Grand Pangolin Arms.

"So, you guys gonna buy new clothes at the mall?"

"Yeah, and a new radio, and maybe a new laptop." Bucky said, and Pronk looked at him.

"I already told that there is nothing wrong with your laptop!"

"It is not opening the website anymore!" Bucky said to him. "It is just not working, and now that they said that I was about to advance to the next stage!"

"Maybe it went offline! This happens to websites all the time! Your laptop is fine!"

The bunnies looked at them, and someone decided to break this by asking:

"I'm sorry, what website?"

"Oh, some meditation website that he has been visiting for the last six years." Pronk said, and he sounded annoyed. "He was all excited to having reached a 'new level' on that, and now that he can't access the website anymore, he is convinced that there is some kind of problem with his laptop, although it still works perfectly fine when he tries to look at anything else online."

"It could be a problem with the computer." Bucky shot back. "Maybe the memory cannot handle the amount of information of the next phase of the website."

"There is a next phase on a meditation website?" Harry asked, and Bucky looked at him.

"Well, it is not really meditation, it is more like a form of mental exercises based on old exoteric traditions." Bucky spoke, and Pronk moved his lips, as if he was repeating the justification that he seemed to have given multiple times already. "And yes, it does have a next phase. Just a few days ago, they gave me a message saying that I had completed the first level of the exercises and teachings, and that I was ready for the next level of learning!"

He spoke that with a certain pride. Pronk only rolled his eyes at this, clearly annoyed.

"They congratulated me for following the website so thoroughly and for learning all that they could teach me. He told me that I was ready to start the next stage of the teachings, but when I tried to go into the website a few days ago, it only said that the website could not be found."

"They probably put it down." Pronk said, "Sometimes people just do it."

"After six years?" Bucky said, "I have been following the website, learning and practicing their exercises six times a week for the past six years and all of sudden the website just goes offline when I'm about to go into the next stage of teaching?"

"Maybe it is some form of online scam." Pronk offered. "They gave you free lessons for a while, and now that they told you that you are advancing to their next level, they will put it out of your reach. How much you wanna bet that you will receive another e-mail in a few days saying that you need to send them money to have your next classes?"

"Who would waste six years of their lives sending free meditation classes to someone?" Bucky shot back and Pronk shrugged. This caused Bucky to let out an exasperated sound, and mumble something about him being incorrigible. The bunnies all were in silence, as they looked the interaction of these two. Some of them were already starting to have doubts about going to the mall with these two.

"Think we can still lose them?" Someone whispered to another bunny. In this moment, the antelopes both turned back to the bunnies.

"So, I guess we all should get going, right?" Bucky asked, trying to use his best sympathetic smile. This seemed to put the bunnies a little at ease, although some were still unsure if they should go anywhere with these two individuals.

"Nice!" Stu said to them, trying his best to sound positive with his daughter's neighbors, and he even said to them. "You know, maybe one of you could carry the luggage."

"What? Luggage?" Pronk looked at him, and he gestured at something that they had not noticed before. It was a big luggage that needed two sturdy of the Hopps' children to carry.

"Yeah, it is some luggage that Bonnie insisted to bring." Stu explained, and his wife looked away. "The boys had been taking turns on carrying it around, but it is hard because it is quite heavy. So, I was thinking, since you guys are coming with us, would you mind?"

"What, are we your butlers or something? Ouch!" Pronk said as he was elbowed in the ribs again by Bucky.

"What? They want us to carry their things around as if they were our bosses or something!"

"They are just asking for a favor!" Bucky shot back, "Can't you do anything nice for someone else?" He spoke, and soon, he was reaching for the luggage and carrying it. There was a significant size difference between himself and the bunnies, so carrying that luggage, that was big and heavy by bunny standards, was actually not much of a problem for him.

"Thanks, dude."

"You're welcome." Bucky said, and he felt the weight of the luggage. "This is kind of heavy. What there is in here, clothes?"

"Things that I needed to bring." Bonnie said, and the assertiveness in her voice caught Bucky off guard.

"Sorry about that, is just something that Bonnie insisted to bring but don't tell anyone what it is." Stu explained to the surprised antelopes. "She won't even tell me what is inside."

"Is that… is a personal thing." Bonnie said, still looking away.

"So, we are being made carry it and we aren't even told what it is." Pronk said, and this granted him another elbow on the ribs. "You are going to send me to the hospital like this!"

"So, let's get going!" Bucky said, wanting to go soon so they could avoid scaring them away with a bickering if there was the chance. Soon, the group formed by two antelopes and many bunnies was going down the stairs.

As they did, they could hear two voices coming from the first floor.

"So, you just came to deliver the package?" The armadillo landlady asked, and the other mammal, who was a cheetah in a mail-mammal uniform, said back:

"Yeah, it is for a guy who lives here." He spoke, and he looked at the address of the box that he was bringing. "Some… Bucky Oryx-Antlerson. He lives here, right?"

Some could call it coincidence, others fate, but the fact that Bucky was going down the stairs right on time to hear his own name being said was quite fortunate.

"Excuse me." The antelope spoke, as he reached the end of the stairs, along with Pronk and the group of bunnies. "I am Bucky Oryx-Antlerson"

The cheetah turned to him.

"Oh, good!" The cheetah said, "I have a package in here for you." He said, walking to the kudu and presenting the thing that he brought. It looked like a gift box, made with a cardboard of blue color and decorated with golden trimming, it looked to be quite fancy and Bucky looked at it as he received it in his free hand.

"What is it? Who sent it?"

"I don't know." The cheetah said, "There is no return address. Anyway, could you sign this?" He said, showing the document that needed to be signed, as confirmation that the package had been delivered, and offering a pen. Bucky put down the luggage that he was carrying to be able to sign it.

"Thank you. Have a nice day." The cheetah said, and soon he was on his way, leaving the mammals in there to look at the box that Bucky just received.

"Oh, it is a gift!" Cotton said, as she looked at the decorated box in the hooves of the much bigger mammal. "Is it your birthday?"

"No, it's not." Bucky said, looking over the box, seeing if there was anything in it, like a card or a dedicatory.

"It is not our anniversary either." Pronk said, also looking at the box that Bucky received, his eyebrow raised as he wondered just who sent it.

"Who sent it?" One of the bunnies asked.

"I don't know, there is no card." Bucky said.

"Maybe there is one inside." Pronk offered, and Bucky agreed with him. Soon, the kudu was opening the box, removing the lid and looking at what was inside of it. He stopped for a moment, as he looked at the contents of that box. Soon he reached out and picked up what was inside, removing it from the box for the others to see.

"Gloves?" Pronk asked as he looked at the pair of gloves that had come with the package. They obviously were made for someone with hooved hands, as they seemed like they would fit either his own or Bucky's hooves. "Who would send you gloves?"

"I don't know…" Bucky said, looking over the gloves as he felt them on his hoof. "I think they are made of some kind of leather. But they don't match." It was truth, the gloves seemed to be identical in what it came for the material and the style that they were made, but they greatly differed in color. One of the gloves was of a red and crimson coloration, while the other was of pale and icy-blue shades. The red one had a symbol of a triangle in it, while the blue one had an upside down triangle.

"It is just the gloves?" One of the bunnies asked, "There is no card inside?"

Bucky looked inside of the box again, and he saw no card inside of it, but there was something else.

"Well, there is no card, but there is this." Bucky said as he pulled out something else. It looked like some kind of cylinder with a dark brown central part and golden edges, which were decorate with curious designs in them, most of it looked like some fancy triangles.

"Wow… this actually looks expensive." Pronk said, looking at it. "Is that actual gold or something?"

"I don't know." Bucky said, "A pair of gloves that don't match and this… who would send it to me?"

"Why are you asking us?" Pronk asked him.

"I wasn't asking you guys in particular, I was just thinking aloud." Bucky said, and Pronk was about to say something in return, when Harry said:

"Well, I think that they look pretty cool." The bunny said, and the antelope looked down at him, before looking back at the gloves and the cylinder. He had to admit that they looked rather cool. They were both stylish, although they certainly looked a bit too fancy for his taste. Still, the fact that he doesn't know who was the one who sent it to him was something that troubled him a tad bit…

"So, I guess that we should be going, right?" Bonnie said, "As to arrive before there is a huge crowd. After all, everyone in Zootopia wants to go to the new mall, right?"

"She is right." Pronk said, "We look into this later on, now let's go." He said, and soon he was leaving. Bucky looked at the gloves and cylinder for a while more, and placed both of them on his pocket, before picking up the luggage he offered to carry and go on after the bunnies and his partner.

"No, Honey, I haven't received special anti-magecraft equipment from the Enforcers." Nick said on his phone, "And I don't think that the mages will want to give me any as a reward for capturing Bellwether."

Judy sat on his side on the bench as they rode the subway to their job. She had been in silence as she heard the fox talk to the one called "Honey" on the other end.

"And no, I don't know if Bellwether has ties to 'The Flock', the mages were not specific about any of that." Nick said, "Now, look, I'd love to talk more, but I'm at the subway on my way to work, and I'd hate to lose my stop, so I'll have to call you back lather. No, no, no, I will call you." Nick said, and he hang up his phone, letting out a sigh.

"Man, she is one of my best friends, but sometimes talking to her gets taxing." Nick said, and Judy looked at him, before she asked:

"So, this 'Honey' is one those friends of yours that you still have not introduced me to?"

Nick looked at her. "Yeah, she is one of my oldest friends. She is kind of cool, actually, when she is not in her paranoid mood."

"Is she a scammer, like you used to be?" Judy asked, and it was a genuine question, once most of the friends of Nick's past were either scammers or hustlers. But Nick shook his head.

"Nah, she is specialist in military training and gun safety. She works in a place that gives this kind of training to civilians near the suburb." The fox spoke, "But she is a fan of conspiracy theories, and she spends a whole lot of her time trying to pursue and prove any of these theories that is currently occupying her agitated mind. One of her favorite subjects are conspiracy theories involving sheep."

"Like Bellwether?" Judy asked, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, like Bellwether." Nick said, "She is actually convinced that there is a huge conspiracy involving sheep, and that Bellwether and her plot was actually the first wave of their 'plot to become the shepherds of this world', as she usually says."

"She sounds like some figure." Judy said to the fox, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, she has been adapting her theories during the past days, since the newspapers announced that Bellwether was a mage, and that she came from a mage family. Still, her main subject are still sheep." Nick said, and looked at the bunny, "But don't you think she is just another cuckoo. She can be quite resourceful and smart when she wants, and she is actually very good at getting information. I have been working my magic on her for a while, trying to convince her to become an unofficial informant for the ZPD, but it has been hard. She always mistrusted cops a little bit, and it got worse after it was confirm that Bellwether had goons on the ZPD. I'd introduce you to her, but she is really not found of strangers… and it takes most mammals a little preparation before they are ready to meet her, she can be quite intense."

Judy nodded at this. It really sounded that she would need preparation before meeting this "Honey".

Soon, they were arriving at their station, and they soon were on their way to the ZPD. Once arriving, the first thing that they noticed was that Clawhauser was not on the first desk, as he usually was. Instead, the y found his place taken by a big red deer stag named "Deermond". Nick and Judy had talked to him a few times already, but neither of them was actually very close to him.

"Looks like our dear Spots has already gone to his day off to visit the mall." Nick mentioned to Judy as they both walked past the front desk and walked into the bullpen.

The place was as usual, with cops sitting together, talking, making a few games here and there. Soon, the two cops were on their usual seat, and they waited, along with everyone else.

Once the common ritual carried on, Chief Bogo stood ln his podium, looking at everyone.

"Okay, okay. Everyone settle down." He spoke, as he placed the files that he was bringing with himself on the podium, right in fort of himself.

"Okay, before we go into business, I want to remind you that we are in October, and that soon it will be Halloween." He spoke, and all of the officers were silent as he said that. "Well, I don't want to tell you what to do with your free time, but I want to remind you that this is a workplace, and that we are all adults in here. So, I'd really appreciate if you kept any trick-or-threat jokes outside of this building."

"Oh, so no more pumpkin pie filling on your drawers like last year?" Nick asked, everyone laughed at this while Bogo only stared daggers at the fox.

"I know that was you, Wilde." The buffalo said, pointing a hooved finger at the fox. "I still was not able to find evidence, but if one day I do you will be on parking duty for the rest of your career."

"Well, good luck for you then, boss." Nick said with a salute, and this caused another wave of chuckles coming from everyone around him. Yeah, Nick was still a trickster at heart, and everyone knew it. Many actually appreciated the way that the fox made things brighter in there, as his jokes were never truly mean to anyone. However, some did not liked the fox playing the clown, like McChill, who would always make a frown whenever he heard of the fox's pranks and jokes. In part because he had, many times, been target to some of them, like the time when there was fur dye in his shampoo and it caused him to turn blue for a week.

Judy also looked at her partner, but it was not as aggressive as the glare that the polar bear usually gave the fox. Also, it was most due to the fact that she knew that if Nick got parking duty, than she, as his partner, would also get parking duty. Nick seemed to remember that most of the time, and yet, he insisted in doing these things. Judy could not bring herself to be truly mad at her fox for that, but she had to admit that it could get really annoying sometimes.

"Well, I'm kind of glad that Halloween is coming." Eliot Fanghanel said, positive and happy as usual. "I love all holidays. Actually, I already have a lot of ideas for this year's Halloween…"

"Which brings me to a second topic I'd like to address." Bogo said, drawing everyone's attention. "Now, I might not enjoy holidays like most other mammals, but I don't dislike them. I have nothing against a little decoration here and there, like a small pumpkin in someone's desk, maybe a little crow ornament here, maybe even something hanging from the walls. But I want it to have a limit, for this is a respectable workplace. I don't want to arrive in the morning of October 31st and find out that Precinct one turned into Halloweentown. Just like last December 24th, when I arrived in the morning for work and found myself in Santa's Village."

Everyone noticed that Bogo had his eyes straight on Eliot as he spoke that, and the wolf only remained in silence as he heard that, one of his ears cocked to the side.

"Oh… So, should I cancel the order on that giant pumpkin lantern?"

A round of laughter and chuckling followed this. Yeah, this was the Eliot Fanghanel that everyone loved. He was a goofy nutcase in the best possible sense, and he never failed to make the things lighter there in the ZPD. The same could be said about Wilde, although he and Fanghanel both did it in slightly different ways.

"Okay, okay!" Bogo said, causing the laughter to stop and mammals to focus their attention on him once more.

"Now, let's talk business." He said, "As many of you are probably aware, today is the grand opening of the New Den Plaza." He spoke, and it was clear that many truly knew it. After all, it was the biggest mall ever build in Zootopia, and it even had its own internal climate system. The thing was big news, and it housed some very important businesses in it, including some subsidiaries of important stores and franchises.

"Yeah, good." Bogo said, "Now, the ZPD was contacted by the ones responsible for the mall, and they requested some help as to give extra security to the place. Apparently, the whole place is so big and they think that it will be so packed with mammals that their own team will not be enough. So, they asked the help of a few officers to do added security, but only for today, as they find more mammals to add to their own security."

"Now, normally I would flat out refuse such a request." Bogo said, "But apparently the ones responsible for the mall have some friends within the City Hall, and I was forced to suck it up. So, some of you will today be designed to be at the new mall, where you will work in conjunction with the security team and keep watch over the crowd, to be sure that everything goes smoothly, and that no one starts to steal things or otherwise cause problems and ruin their inauguration."

Now, some officers did talked among themselves at this. Some of them, the oldest and most serious ones, hoped that they would not be given such an assignment. For some, the idea of working as security of a mall when they were actually police officers was a little demeaning, and they preferred some other activity that would be more befitting of their time.

Some, however, were hoping to be picked for such a job. They really wanted something like that, for they would have the chance to see the mall still in their work hours, although they would have no time to stop by to buy anything in there. Also, some of them hoped to get an assignment working in that nice place, for it could help them forget about the other thing that was also happening on the same day…

"Also." Bogo said, once more getting everyone's attention in direction to his podium. "I want to remind you all that today is the day when Dawn Bellwether will be moved out of Boarwood and given into the hooves of the enforcers."

Now, that definitely ended the good mood that had been sow by Wilde and Fanghanel, as all of the present police officers had a serious expression in their faces in face of that specific subject. It was possible to notice the sour look in the faces of many predators, as it was usual when the ewe was mentioned.

"Now, I want to make one thing clear to all of you." Bogo said, speaking to the predators in particular. "It doesn't matter how you feel towards Bellwether, or how your lives were affected by her actions over two years ago. You are to behave like you would with any other inmate plucked out of that prison and will do nothing that can be classified as police misconduct. No harm is to come to that sheep unless she literally has a knife to your throat."

"Or is about to cast a curse on you." Nick said rather loudly, mostly wanting to make a joke on the situation, despite the seriousness. However, many in the room actually seemed to agree with the fox, as they already knew that the ewe was capable of really cursing others if she tried.

"As part of the procedure, the enforcers put some special equipment on her." Bogo said to his officers, "It is a collar that will prevent her from activating her Magic Circuits and using magecraft, as long as she wears it."

"Well, that is good to know." McChill said; speaking for the first time since the meeting began. "Talking about the Enforcers, where are they? I haven't seen the foxes or their secretary around here."

Bogo looked at the polar bear, before he answered:

"Mieczyslaw and his niece are both getting ready to receive Bellwether." Bogo spoke. "They will be waiting in Zootopia's Superior Court, waiting for Wilde and myself to bring her to them."

This caused a wave of surprised expressions, as well as murmurs at this revelation.

"Yes, this is a change that happened in the last minute, as I was only told about this when I arrived in the morning, by my phone." Bogo said, looking at them. "Officer Wilde and I will be the ones who will transport Bellwether to the Superior Court and escort her through the gates to give her directly to the Enforcers, who will be waiting on the inside. Their agent, Krystin Mieczyslaw, will be coming with us along the way, as to add some extra security, in case Bellwether actually wants to try something."

Everyone looked at Bogo, and some whispered among themselves as they took in everything that was being said.

"Now, as some of you might know, a lot of mammals have been protesting over Bellwether case. Most are against her, but some are actually on her favor, but all of them want to make some noise about this." Bogo said to them, "And now, there is a lot of them that are starting to gather in front of the Superior Court to make their protest be heard, and they will surely want to do something when they see Bellwether walking to the gates. Hence, it is why we will need the support of you to be sure that they won't be able to reach her or us to do anything. Of course, I just wished that New Den Plaza was not just across street from the Superior Court…" Bogo added the last part in a mumble, but some heard, and they couldn't help but agree.

New Den Plaza was a place that had a privileged position for inaugurating, as it not only took an entire block, but also was located in a privileged place in Downtown, along with many of the important constructions. Constructions like the City Hall, Central Station (who actually was just one block away from the mall, so it would be one of the first thing that mammals would find once they came into the city), and Zootopia's Superior Court, which was just across street from the main entrance of the mall. Now, it meant that the place was very well positioned, but it worked against the ZPD in this case, for the opening of the mall was just across street from the place to where Bellwether would be taken to face her destiny as a criminal mage, and this meant that there would be a gigantic crowd in there, both from mammals that will want to be at the inauguration of the mall, and protesters who would be there for Bellwether.

Crowds were hard to deal with, as many officers had already knew from past experiences. Judy for instance, had been in crowd control during some of the rallies during the Night Howler Conspiracy, and she really hoped that the crowd in the Superior Court was not going to be as bad as that, for many different reasons.

"Now, since all of you already heard what I need to say, it is time for the assignments." Bogo said, and placed his glasses on his face, and he started to read the assignments."

"Officers Wolford, Fangmeyer, Trunkaby, Penniggton and Fanghanel. You will be offering added security to New Den Plaza…"

"Oh! Pumpkin went in there!" Fanghanel said, suddenly standing up on his seat. Some looked at the wolf and took a second to realize that he was probably referring to his wife. "How lucky me! Maybe I'll get the chance to see her while I'm patrolling the mall! Maybe help her choose the decoration for our living room!"

Many looked at the wolf, whose tail was wagging madly behind himself, and some couldn't help but wonder how he could be so positive nearly all the time.

"Fanghanel, you will be on duty." Bogo said, looking at him. "You are not to stop what you are doing to take a stroll with your wife, you will focus on keeping the place safe. Understood?"

"Of course! But maybe I'll still have a chance to see my beautiful Pumpkin! All of this will make going to the mall worth it!" He said, and many could not help but think that the wolf really was in love with his wife.

"Moving on." Bogo said, once more turning to his files. "Officers McChill, McHorn, Delgato, Higgings, Anderson, Rhinowitz, Meerkovitz, Jackson, Snarlov, Krumpanski, Trumpet and Hopps. You all will be offering crowd control for the Superior Court." He said, and all of the Officers stood up on their seats (quite literally, in Meerkovitz and Judy's case), and the buffalo looked up, removing his glasses.

"And, as I already spoke, me and Wilde will be the ones making the transportation of Bellwether." He concluded, and everyone stood there in silence. However, there was someone who wanted to say something.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nick said, raising a paw, and this caused Bogo to look at him. "I know that it is probably already decided, but I think I need to ask what is in everyone's minds right now. The police chief and a relatively new officer transporting a high-profile criminal? Taking her to a very public place in the center of the city to have her be changed jurisdiction? To take her through the front of the place instead of taking her by the back as it is common for criminals in these cases? I'm sorry, but I can't help but think on how uncommon all of that is." Nick concluded, and many looked at Bogo, as if they agreed with the fox and waited for an answer.

The buffalo sighed as he looked at the fox.

"You think I don't know that, Wilde?" The chief said to the vulpine, "The original plan was to have the Enforcers just go there and take her out of the prison while the ZPD surveilled and kept their mouths shut. Then, it changed to have her being transported by two experienced officers to somewhere far where she would be handed to the Enforcers and then take her away. And yesterday, somehow it changed to Bellwether being taken through the main entrance of Zootopia's most important justice court in what I can only describe as a great circus."

Bogo looked at his officers, as he knew that they all deserved explanations on this.

"Now, there are multiple explanations on why this would have been changed like that, but the simplest one is that the City Hall wants it to be a spectacle."

"But, this kind of behavior is not procedural." Judy said to the Chief. "It is not the kind of thing that should happen in a standard situation. They are basically doing the same thing that Shere Khan is suspect of having done days ago."

"I know that Hopps." Bogo said to the bunny, "Now, I won't just say that the tiger had anything to do with this, although I have certain suspicions." The chief said, "The truth is that Khan was not the only one who had it bad because of that ewe. There are over a dozen predators high up in the City Hall and in other influent positions who nearly lost everything because of Bellwether, and now they want her to be made an example off. They want everyone to see her being taken to her fate in the hands of her mage peers." Bogo spoke that to all of his officers, especially the next part:

"Our job, is to make it sure that it doesn't blows up right on their faces. Now, all of you get ready, because we have a long day ahead of us." Bogo said, and with this all of the officers got up from their seats (or jumped out of it, in the case of the smaller officers) and started going on with their days. Meanwhile, Nick and Judy both stood in their chair.

"Well, I guess that today we won't be working together." Nick said to his partner. "Boomer, I was thinking that today I could show you the new dart gun that they got me. They chose me to be one to test the new model."

Judy barely heard what Nick said, as she was too focused on all that was just said. She was reflecting on the fact that the tod would be going to face Bellwether, and she couldn't help but be worried on this. She for a moment even wondered if she should give the Taser her family gave her to him.

"What, not in the mood for jokes right now?" Nick asked, and Judy looked up at him, and he could see it clear in her eyes. "Worried about this whole thing, huh?" He asked, and Judy couldn't help but nod at him.

"Well, don't be." Nick said to the bunny, his usual smug smile on his face. "You helped me train to be a good officer, and that included learning how to handle myself." He spoke to her, "Besides, I'll be carrying my dart gun, and she will be wearing the thing that prevents her from casting curses at us. So, unless she grew up a pair of horns since I last saw her, and that would put her gender in serious doubt if she did, I don't have anything to worry."

Judy looked at him, in silence for a while, and she spoke:

"What if she has some kind of trick?" She offered him, "What if she can actually try something?"

Nick continued to smile as he looked at her.

"Then I'll put her down in a way that would make you really proud of me, coach." Nick said, remembering the many exercises that Judy did to help him, including teaching him how to wrestle. These memories always made his ears heat for some reason, as he remembered the closeness that they had on these days…

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Nick reassured her, Judy saw how confident her fox looked, and she somehow felt that it would be okay. Still…

"Just… remember not to hear anything that she says." Judy said to him, "Don't listen to a single word of what she says, because it is all wrong."

"Now that is something you don't even have to tell me, Fluff." Nick said, and Judy was actually able to smile back at him.

"Wilde." Bogo said, causing the fox and bunny both to turn to look at him. The buffalo was looking right at the fox, and his expression was serious. "We have to go."

Nick sighed, and straightened his tie and his uniform. "Well, wish me luck, Carrots." The fox said to his partner, picking up his shades and fixing them on his face. "I'm off to face our nemesis."

With this, Nick jumped out of the chair, and soon he was walking out with Bogo. All the while, Judy looked at the fox as he went, wondering how he managed to always sound so confident and so sure of himself, but without really being arrogant. Years on the streets? Personal experience? Strength of character? Anyway, Judy really admired how he could look so sure and so secure all the time. It was one of the things that she loved on him.

Loved…

"Hey, Hopps." Someone said, causing Judy to break out of her reflection and look, and she saw McChill looking at her. "You are coming? I mean, you are in crowd control as well."

The bear was not sympathetic to Judy, in part because he didn't quite appreciated her so much. It was not only because she as very good friends with Nick, as the big polar bear was one of the officers who still treated her more like someone to tolerate than a fellow officer.

Still, Judy knew that he had a point. So, she wordlessly got down from the chair and started to go her way, without even looking at the bear.

No time to delve on such things now. It was time to do her job.

Far from the ZPD, and the area of Zootopia where the Precinct 1 was based, stood Boarwood Correction Center. It was one of Zootopia's most famous prisons, for it had the fame of receiving violent and dangerous criminals that the other prisons didn't wanted or couldn't deal with.

The place was also famous for most, if not all, of the ones who worked in there being porcine, like pigs, board and warthogs. Some considered it strange, but there was some story going around that the porcine kind were more inclined to deal with the filth without being bothered, and this made them perfect to deal with the criminal scum of Zootopia.

Now, many considered this very speciest, almost to an outrageous extreme. However, what is known is that the fact that the place is run by porcine somehow worked. Also, most of the guards in this place, both for the masculine and feminine areas of the prison, were very satisfied to work in there.

The whole place worked like clockwork, and was a very clean prison, despite the occasional investigation regarding some rumors about mistreatment of the inmates and improper behavior of the guards.

In the feminine ward of the place, a lot of female inmates, predator and prey alike, stood in their cells, reflecting on their lives. Some of them were regretful of the actions that put them in there, and were planning on going straight once they were out. However, others were only counting the days until they were out of there so they could resume the very same activities that got them in prison, this time planning to be more careful, as not to be caught again.

Either way, all of them were rather agitated in there. Most of them were on their own cells, calm and collected, while others were more on the edge, as they shouted things and rattled the bars on the door of their own cells. That was because all of them knew perfectly what was going to happen there, and some of them had an opinion on it.

Among them, there was the one female mammal who was what this whole situation was all about.

Dawn Bellwether was on her cell, sitting in her bed as she looked at the window. There was a stream of sunlight coming through her window as she looked outside. She was still wearing her orange prison jumpsuit. He lime-green eyes were focused on the window as she sat in there obediently. Waiting.

She looked like she was in deep thought as she looked at the window. She was so distracted by whatever was on her mind that she looked like she was barely even moving. The most of the movement that she did in the past hour was a twitching of her ear, as she could hear footfalls approaching her cell.

However, she continued to look at the window, even when she heard the sound of the door to her cell being opened.

"Dawn?" Came a gentle voice, and this seemed to be what finally made Bellwether break out of her reverie and look at the newcomers. Two burly female pigs, both of them with shock batons at their hooves, looking like they were ready to use it in a moment's notice. Bellwether knew that they were afraid of her. Everyone in that prison seemed to be afraid of her after what she did to that wolf a few days ago.

Ever since they realized that she was a mage, they looked a lot edgier with her, as they now knew that she was able to do with them the same thing she did with the canine, who needed to be send urgently to the infirmary right after Bellwether was done. All of them were afraid that Bellwether could do the same to them, and this time actually kill someone, both the guards and the inmates, even though Krystin Mieczyslaw had assured them she would not do anything with any of them.

Speaking about the fox therapist, he was standing in there, between the two female swine. His expression was calm, and he wore a nice suit as he looked at Dawn. His face, unlike that of all other predators (and many of the prey), did not had the aggressive and hostile look, that made it seem that they wanted to maul her at the first chance they got.

Bellwether looked at him. Many would expect the look of the ewe to be carried with disdain and contempt, however, her gaze was soft. She didn't had any hostility as she looked at the fox. She looked to be tired and sad, and the fox only looked back at her.

"It's time." He said, and the ewe looked intently at him, seeing that he was carrying something on his paw.

She flinched when she saw that, but she looked in his eyes and nodded.

The fox walked to her, and he stood in front of her, who was sitting in her own bed. As he stood in front of her, the ewe rose her chin, and their eyes met. Still no hostility from any of them.

As she had her head raised, she felt something wrapping around her neck and being lock in place. She flinched again as she felt the cold embrace of the metal collar locked around her neck.

As the fox finished, he removed his paws and took a step back. The ewe immediately took a hoof to her own neck, and started to feel the contraption that was now locked on her neck. It was a collar alright, made of some cold metal that felt almost like some kind of stone. With her hooves, she could feel the symbols that had been carved all around the circumference of the collar. Symbols that, if someone looked closely, could swear that were glowing very softly.

The thing was heavy on her neck. It had just barely been put in place and she could swear that it was already itching over her skin. However, there was nothing that she could do about it now.

The ewe sighed, as her arm fell limply on her side.

She looked defeated.

The fox looked at her, and then he looked at the guards, nodding.

Soon the two porcine approached, one with the shock baton in hoof, while the other was bringing a pair of cuffs.

Bellwether did nothing, and just let them chain her up…

Chapter Text

The sun shone on Zootopia on that October 14th. It was a clear autumn day, with the cold breeze that was so common in autumn blowing across the streets of Zootopia. Savannah Central was a space that could be consider a "neutral" climate within the many biomes of the city of Zootopia. This meant that it was subject to the natural climate changes that came with the seasons. There were hot days in the summer, snow in the winter, and the cold breeze and the changing leaves in autumn.

The climate was really nice, and many animals who lived there were adapted to this kind of change. Among them, was a certain ample cheetah with brown eyes and a bubbly attitude, called Benjamin Clawhauser.

The said cheetah had changed out of his police uniform, and now he was wearing some common clothes, basically a white shirt with a pair of jeans (which were a bit thigh due to the cheetah's weight) and a jacket over his body, to protect him from the cold breeze. Yes, he was accustomed to neutral climate, but he was still a species that was adapted to a Savannah, and he was a bit sensitive to the cold, although not as much as the animals who lived in Sahara Square.

Of course, he was not feeling the breeze very much within the confines of the great crowd that the cheetah now saw himself in the middle of. A myriad of mammals were all gathered in there, taking great part of the street, as they were now waiting for the doors of the mall to open.

The doors were no small thing either, as they were thick glass, automatic sliding doors that decorated the entrance of the place. This place was big. It was so big that it seemed that it took an entire block only with its presence, and Ben thought that he would get winded easily if he tried to make a complete lap around the thing. That imposing structure of rock and metal stood proud, with windows of glass from the fifth store upwards. The whole thing was truly massive, and on the front, in giant letters, was written: NEW DEN PLAZA.

Today was the day of the big inauguration of the biggest mall ever built in Zootopia. It was a big deal, and it looked like the whole place was ready to open its doors at any moment now.

The mammals on the crowd were anxiously waiting for the doors to open so they could all rush inside and take a look of that placed that was said by some to be a state-of-art work, and to be a monument to consumerism.

Lots of mammals had gathered in front of it, from all species, and all of them were anxious to go inside and see the many promises that the new mall had. Which included many of their favorite stores and things. The place was said to have some of the best and most famous stores of Zootopia, from clothing articles to video games. The place was also equipped with many entertainment options, as it had inside a gigantic arcade and a state-of-art movie theater, and some even said it had an inside laser tag arena. The place was also said to have the greatest food court that Zootopia had ever seen, with many options of dinning, restaurants, fast food, ice cream shops, and many other food options to cater for all tastes and dietary needs.

The crowd that had formed to go to the place was truly enormous, as it was easily covering all the area of the front of the mall, and it was not a small area.

"...And it truly seems that everyone is really ready to go inside and see all that the new mall have to offer." Victoria Vulpen said to the camera. She was now wearing a set of clothes that were of a green coloration, and she looked at the camera, while Cameron made sure to point it right at her during their live transmission.

"It seems that the entirety of Zootopia has come to this event. This is truly one of these occasions where it seems that species and social status actually don't matter. The mall will be opening in just a few minutes, and we can already expect mammals to come flooding the place once it does. It will truly be something. Back to you, studio."

Soon the recording was cut, and Vicky sighed as she relaxed, all the while Cameron was telling her how amazing it was.

Meanwhile, Vicky looked at the other side of the street, where there was also a crowd forming, but this one with a very different purpose.

It was the Zootopia's Superior Court, and today, besides the inauguration of New Den Plaza, was also the day when it was marked for Dawn Bellwether to be passed into the paws of the enforcers. They were probably inside right now, only waiting for the ewe to be brought by the ZPD all the way from Boarwood to be delivered to them.

This, of course, caused all kinds of wackos to be draw to the place, as it now was riddle with protestors. Most of them were screaming curses at Dawn Bellwether, and saying that she should receive the harshest punishment a mage could get. However, there was a minority that seemed to be supporters of Bellwether, and asked for her to be let go free.

Vicky had been task to cover the opening of the mall, while the covering of the transference of Bellwether was give to someone else.

Now, some could think that the same reporter who conducted the interview with a mage to be put in charge of covering a mall inauguration to be somewhat of a step down. Vicky herself felt a little envious of the reporter who had been given the work of covering the event regarding Bellwether, once it was some hot news. However, a part of herself was glad that she was put on the covering of the mall instead, for she had to admit that it was far more enjoyable than having to deal with all of those crazy protestors and the mere existence of the sheep who had persecuted countless predators like herself.

Vicky could still remember how hard her life became during the months of the plot of that demoniac ewe.

Rot in Hell, Bellwether. Vicky thought bitterly to herself. Yeah, she was actually glad to be covering the mall instead of that huge mess that was forming just across the street.

She was not the only one, as many mammals who were within the crowd that waited for the mall to open were more than willing to keep distance from the group of protesters that actually seemed like they were starting to throw insults and trash at each other. Among them, was Benjamin Clawhauser, who was had the intention of being as far from the mess as he could, as the two groups worried him, for they surely seemed like they could become an explosive combination.

Luckily, it were only five more minutes before the mall opened its doors, and soon, the crowd was moving inside. Benjamin was among the ones who moved inside along with the flow, and even Vicky and Cameron went inside, as they were wanting to capture a few images from the inside of the mall.

Once everyone got inside, they were quite baffled by what they saw.

The place was truly huge as it looked. Actually, some of them could swear that the place was bigger inside, as the entrance that they went through opened to a very wide area that was already riddled with stores, like a place nearby that sold cellphones, and a small bakery that was right on the opposite side. The place opened to what seemed to be an internal street, and it was quite wide, and on each sides, stores lined up as if they were buildings on the side a street.

It was even possible to see some things that were on the inside in the distance. For example, there was an area that was possible to see in the distance, which had a jungle-like look, and it truly looked like someone has put a piece of the Rainforest District inside of the mall. There was another point in the distance that almost looked like a frozen plateau, and some could even see that it was snowing in there. There was even another point nearer to the ground that looked to be a miniature oasis surrounded by the desert, if you had a vision that was good enough to see that far.

The place was know to take an entire block with its size, but looking on the inside, someone could swear that it actually covered a lot more than that, as the paths of the mall seemed to cross and curve as if they were streets across a miniature version of Zootopia.

Many mammals stopped and stared with wide eyes at this, right before they sprinted off running inside of the mall. Some of them were actually going ballistic at this, as they were looking at the many internal forms of locomotion in there, like the escalators, the great glass elevators that doubled as cableways, and even some zip lines up above.

They had just entered, and it already seemed that the mall was all that was promised and even more.

Ben was among the ones who remained overwhelmed by the opulence of the place. Not only it was big, but all in there seemed like it was expertly built. It was so massive that Ben couldn't help but feel small in relation to all of that.

The cheetah soon found himself wondering where he should go next, and he looked to the side, and saw that there was what seemed a map of the place. The cheetah felt really glad as he rushed to it and looked at the map… which was pretty big on itself.

It really seemed that the place was bigger on the inside… much bigger. Ben even wondered how it was possible...

As Ben looked at the many places that were in there, he heard a voice by his side.

"It truly is huge in here, ain't it?" Someone said, and Ben turned to look at her. She as a thylacine. She stood around four feet tall, and she had a lit and nice body. The fur on her was of a yellow-cream coloration, with three black lines on her tail (and some more on her lower back, if Ben was not mistaken about her species). She was wearing a purple blouse and a pair of fitting jeans pants, and she was looking at the map with her aquamarine eyes.

Ben blinked at the thylacine, and he couldn't help but think that he had seen her somewhere before…

She then noticed that the cheetah was staring at her.

"Oh, sorry! I was just making a commentary." The female thylacine said, and Ben soon noticed that he had been staring at her, which was rude.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't meant to stare at you, miss…"

"Fanghanel." The thylacine said, "Misses Chloe Fanghanel."

Ben blinked, and suddenly he remembered where he saw her before.

"Oh, you are Chloe! Eliot's wife!"

"You know my husband?"

"Sure do!" Ben said, and reached out for his pocket, pulling his wallet. He kept his badge inside of it, and he showed it to the female thylacine. "I work with him in the ZPD. I'm Officer Benjamin Clawhauser."

"Hey, Eliot told me about you!" She said, looking at the ample cheetah. "You are the one in the front desk, right? Eliot considers you one of his best friends in the ZPD. Wow, you are just like he described." She said, looking up and down the cheetah, who couldn't help but feel a tiny bit as if he was being judged over his weight.

"Oh, sorry, that came out wrong." Mrs. Fanghanel said, apologizing. Ben was quick to dismiss her.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm just too sensitive about things sometimes." Ben said, and he smiled at her:

"Well, anyway, fancy meeting you here." The cheetah said, trying to make a conversation, and Chloe smiled back at him.

"Going for a walk in here." She said, and looked at the map. "I thought I should come to take a look at everything. There are some of my favorite stores in here. Hey, they even have my favorite sweet-shop!" She said as she pointed at one specific place in the map, one place that was dubbed: CHANDLER'S CONFECTIONARIES.

When Ben looked at it, his eyes widened. "Oh, my gosh! Chandler's got a store here? This is so cool!" Ben said, and Chloe looked at him.

"You know this franchise?"

"I know the owner." Ben said to her, "This must be the surprise that he said he had for me at the day of the inauguration! O. M. Goodness! I'm so happy for him!" Ben said, and the female thylacine continued to look at him.

"You know the Chandler Confectionary? For real?"

"Yeah, we are besties!" Ben said, "I gotta go take a look at that new store of his! Which floor it is in?"

Chloe looked, and she said:

"It is in the 12th floor, near the food court."

"Great! Let's get an elevator there then!" Ben said, but then he stopped.

"Wait… Twelfth floor? But this building only has seven floors!"

As they stood in there, on the entrance of Boarwood, Nick had used this time to check the vehicle for the seventh time over. He looked for the classical things, like hidden objects, anything that she could use as a weapon or to uncuff herself, plastic explosives and the like. He also looked for less usual things, that he wouldn't have even thought about looking for in the beginning of the year, like hidden magic circles in the car, small insects that she could crush to cast a spell, or anything that she could use as a magic wand. Yeah, Nick thought that that was not as magecraft worked, but he would rather not take his chances, since he did not wanted to end like that would from the video, squirming in the floor of the vehicle while Bellwether stood over him grinning and pointing her hooved finger at him.

As soon as Nick convinced himself that there was nothing in there that Bellwether would be able to use against them, he put himself to stand by Bogo's side. The buffalo chief was serious as always, although Nick had the distinct feeling that the big bovine was a bit more serious than usual. However, Nick had discovered very soon on his line of work that the chief buffalo-butt was harder to read than the average mammal.

They simply stood there and waited, and the minutes felt like they were ticking by slowly. Finally, the gates of the prison opened, and three figures came walking in their direction.

One of them was someone who Nick had already met, as he was the same fox doctor that he had meet when he first came to Boarwood. Dc. Krystin Meczyslaw had a serious and unfazed expression as he walked in direction to the car. On the other side, there was a female pig guard, whose nametag read "Swinton", and she was walking with a baton in her hoof, and she looked at the mammal that was right by her side, and she looked as if she was ready for anything, but at the same time, she looked quite uncomfortable to be there.

Between the two mammals, came a third one, shorter than both, and she wearing the same orange prison jumpsuit that Nick had saw when he came to see her months before. Dawn Bellwether had her eyes down as she was scouted by the two mammals in direction to the police van.

Okay, just keep it cool. She will surely want to tease and test you. You just can't let her get into your head. Nick said to himself as he saw the ewe getting closer and closer to himself and Bogo. Once she was just a few feet away, all the three mammals stopped, and the ewe finally looked up at Nick.

The tod tried to keep his gaze as neutral as it was possible, and he totally expected to have the ewe staring daggers back at him. However, he had a different feeling coming from her as she looked at him. Of course, it was only for a moment, because after two seconds, Bellwether looked back down.

Nick had a raised eyebrow, and he wondered if it was some kind of tactic that the ewe had now.

As nick thought about it, the female pig guard moved over to Bellwether, and started to search her body once more, as if to see if there was anything hidden with her that some of the other ones might have missed.

This was something that Nick had learned during his training, as they taught him to always assume that the prisoner that is being transporter had not been searched before. Nick thought that it seemed a tad bit paranoid, but he kind of preferred to be paranoid than to trust to much in a mammal like Bellwether.

"Swinton" soon had finished searching Bellwether, and she got up. In this, Doctor Mieczyslaw stepped forward, standing by Bellwether's side.

Nick blinked at what he saw next…

"Thank you, Swinton." The doctor said to the female pig, "You might return to your station now. I'll be assuming from here."

The pig hesitated a little, but she complied, and she soon was leaving, letting the buffalo, the ewe, and the two foxes in there to deal with the business in regarding the diminutive ewe. The doctor looked at the two officers, in particular to Nick, who was staring at him.

"So, shall we get going now?" The fox therapist said, and Bogo agreed with him, and Nick continued to look at the fox and ewe, and he then noticed that Bogo seemed not to notice the same thing he did. Or at least, the buffalo pretended not to. Of course, he could have notice it and not know the meaning of it, after all, it was a fox thing...

The door was opened, and Bellwether was helped by her fox therapist to climb the steps that allowed her to get in the back of the van. Nick followed right after these two, and as Bellwether and her therapist sat in one side, Nick sat on the opposite bench, now in front of both of them.

The cop fox looked at the ewe that now was directly in front of him, as he moved forward to attach the chains of her cuffs into the chain that linked it to the floor of the van. It was type of procedure to take with criminals inclined to violence, to prevent them from charging at the other officers and try to take their weapons, for instance.

As he did, the chains of her cuffs rattled, just like the chains of the fetters on her ankles. As he finished, Nick looked up at her briefly, and he could take notice of the iron collar that was locked around her neck. It looked like it was sculpted from raw iron into a solid collar with a single lock, and the tod could make out some symbols in the circumference of the collar, and he could swear that they were glowing.

With this, the fox sat back, and Bogo, who was in the driver's seat, was looking back at them through the window with a grade that separated the front from the back of the van.

The fox nodded at him, and the buffalo wordlessly nodded back, before turning and starting the car. In no time, they were driving away from Boarwood, and starting their travel through the streets in direction to the Superior Court, where she would finally leave their paws.

The first minutes of travel were very silent, with Nick only looking at Bellwether occasionally, and then looking out of the window. At some point, the voice of the sheep called his attention.

"Hmm, Officer Wilde?"

Nick blinked, and looked back at the sheep. She was looking at him.

"H-how is Judy going?"

Nick looked at her for a few moments, and he shrugged:

"Oh, she is doing just fine." He spoke to her, "Not much has changed since you asked me that question a few months ago. She is a bit worried and all, not that I it of your business." He looked at her coldly. "And you should stop acting like that as if you two were still friends."

Nick totally expected Bellwether to say something in return, like saying it was his fault for this, or that she was just trying to "make her understand her mission", or anything of the like. At the very least, he expected her to look back at him with anger and contempt.

However, there was none of that happening next.

Instead, the ewe visibly flinched, and she looked down, looking dejected. She almost looked like a child who had just been told off by their parent. Nick blinked at this reaction, and stared at the ewe as she stayed put in her seat, now without raising her eyes to look at him.

"Wait, for real?" Nick said, and this caused Mieczyslaw to look at him.

"No nasty retort? No speciest commentary? No hateful glare that says that you would skin me alive if you could?" The fox pressed, and this now caused even the buffalo, who was driving, to look back at them through his rearview mirror.

Nick looked at the ewe, who continued to look down at her own lap, as if she didn't had the courage to look at him. This caused the fox to look at her more, and he asked:

"What, are you trying to gain points now by behaving yourself? Is that what this is?" He asked, and the ewe said nothing, "You know, it might be a little late for trying to play the good ewe now, after all that you've done…"

"Officer Wilde." The voice of the other male fox suddenly distracted Nick, as he looked at the other fox, who was now the one who was glaring at him. Nick actually felt a bit scared with the cold glare that the other tod was giving him now.

"I do believe that part of doing this job is not taunting the inmates that are being transported." The tod said coldly as he looked at Nick. "Your attitude right now could easily be labelled as harassment, and that could grant you a note for improper behavior and misconduct with a prisoner."

"He is right, Wilde." Bogo said, and he kept his eyes on the road as he drove, but Nick was sure that he would be glaring at the fox if he had not to keep his attention on driving. "Stand down and stop provoking."

Nick flinches a little, as now he felt like he had been told off and ordered to behave, just like a kit. The fox sat back and only stood there, and he looked at the ewe.

Bellwether was still looking down, her ears droopy as she looked to be quite unhappy in there. As she did, the fox who was sitting by her side reached out and placed a paw on her shoulder, a silent comfort for the ewe.

Nick looked at this, and he could not help but wonder...

At the place where the car was heading, a crowd has already formed, one that rivalled with the one that was in front of the mall, so much that the two crowds almost overlapped, and Meerkovitz, the meerkat officer, had to stand in watch and help the cars get through by controlling the crowd and the car movement all at once. Good thing he was used to deal with traffic.

As he did, the rest of the cops made a good deal of effort to keep the two mobs in check. On one side, the mobs that were demanding for Bellwether to be punished for her crimes, and the other was demanding the ewe to be pardoned. Both of them seemed that they wanted to do something more than just protest and hold on signs.

However, it was not only them who were the problem. Reporters also were proving to be a problem, in particular the most passionate ones, who wanted to cover the maximum of the story at any cost. Also, there were the ones who were the most sensationalist, and tended to blow things out of proportion, as these were seeing in this a chance to have a story that could rival the Interview with a Mage, although many doubted it to be possible.

It was quite hard for the officers to hold all of these back and preventing things from escalating out of control. Still, they all did what they could in that situation. Meanwhile, inside the Superior Court, the things were a lot calmer than in the outside.

"Can you believe the luxury of this place?" Emilia said, as she looked around. "Man, they surely like to show power, almost as much as the Association does. I mean, not really a surprise, once these powerful guys always love to stroke their own ego."

Marceli said nothing to answer, as he simply stood in the center of that room with his arms crossed.

The room was truly big and opulent, and normally it would be in activity, as lawyers and prosecutors and judges would go back and forth to do their business within the day. However, the main hall of the place had been closed and emptied of mammals, and it was especially for the two foxes that now stood in the center of the room.

Of course, some of the mammals in there complained from being kept out of the hall of their own workplace, and for having to reschedule all of their appointments only because the two foxes wanted. However, it was a decision that was supported by the City Hall, and they actually could do little about it. Besides, all of them seemed a bit more inclined to listen and to cooperate when they were remembered that soon Dawn Bellwether, a mage who hated predators, would be brought to the Enforcers there, and that they would take her away forever.

Now, the two of them were only standing there, waiting for the ewe to be brought to them by the ZPD. Marceli stood almost like a soldier, with his arms crossed, his face stony, and not talking more than necessary. Emilia, on the other paw, was pacing back and forth, stretching her body, chewing some gum and talking at nearly anything that came on her mind.

"It was really nice of them to let us use the entire room for our business with Dawn Bellwether, right?" The vixen said, and the tod with black fur merely stood there saying nothing. She then continued:

"Well, I think it was nice" She spoke, very casually, "I had a lot of worries in this because we were going to have to cooperate with the non-mages. I was afraid that they would be scared and be nasty to us like in the movies and series, but they are actually all being surprisingly nice. Or at least they are being polite enough not to show that they don't want us around."

"Yeah… that is for sure." Marceli said finally, after being silent for almost half an hour. Emilia looked at him as he just stood there, in attention.

"So. This must be really different from what you are used to. I mean, needing the assistance of the non-mage authorities to do things." She spoke, and Marceli looked back at her. "I mean, back on your time you usually did what you had to do and kept moving on. This must surely be different, especially for the Black Shadow of the Association." She said, but regretted saying this, when she saw the look that the tod gave her.

"I always hated that name." The fox said, more to himself than to her, looking away. "Still… yeah, I admit that it does feels quite different." He said, this time to Emilia, and said nothing more. Emilia also decided that now it was time to change the subject. Instead, she put herself on talking about something that she saw on their way there, and on how the crowd out there was quite pumped up for all that was happening.

As she continued to talk, some mammals were hiding behind a huge pillar, and one of them had his eyes, and the lens of his camera, pointed at the two.

"The vixen surely likes to talk, doesn't she?" Patrick said, as she and the others remained hidden behind the pillar. He was the only one who was peeking from behind that thing, and he had his camera pointed at the two mammals who stood in the middle of the room.

"Keep filming, maybe something cool will happen." Sully whispered to him, as he and Shawn stayed put behind the pillar, the sheep looked nervous.

"I'm the only one who thinks that we should not be here?" The sheep asked the other two in a whisper. "I mean, the enforcers could get mad if they know that we are spying on them. We could already get in trouble for entering into the place with all of the warnings just outside that say that it is closed to the public."

"Come on, we need this for the website!" The pig said, "I mean, we can actually show how the mage police deals with criminal mages! Not only that, but we will get a video of Dawn Bellwether being given to the mage police! That will be great!" Sully spoke, and the two looked at him.

"Sully, why do you think that only because they are mages this is gonna be interesting?" Patrick asked, as he had his head ducked behind the pillar, but still held his camera in way that it was peering around the big structure and pointing at the two foxes.

"Because it will!" The pig whispered back. "Maybe there is a whole ritual behind the process of apprehending criminals. And even if it doesn't, this is Dawn Bellwether! The most hated mammal in all of Zootopia! And she is a mage! We will have exclusive images of her being given to the mages and taken away to whatever it is they are going to do with her! This will surely get us a lot of views."

"Yeah, but is it worth it?" The sheep whispered.

"Of course it is!" The pig said, "Especially after all of the problem that we went through the follow the Enforcers in here without them noticing and getting into the building without being seen."

Yeah, the three surely had a lot of problem to carry on with that plan. It started in the previous night, when Sully called them, remembering them that it was the night before the day when Dawn Bellwether was going to be give to the Enforcers. Sully managed to convince the two mammals into going with him, and convincing them to lie to their parents was just the first step.

Sully told his parents he would be staying at Shawn's. Shawn told them he would be staying at Patrick's. And Patrick told he would be staying at Sully's.

With this, the three teenagers were on their way to spend the night out. The two were deeply bothered by this, but Sully managed to convince them, as he always did. They had the description of the enforcers, as they were a vixen and a black tod. This was enough for them to go around, but it didn't made it easier to know where they would be staying.

It was when Sully remembered on how the bunny and fox cops went to that building during that day. It should be where the enforcers were!

With this, Sully guided his two friends to the same building, and they put themselves to wait. Of course, they could not sleep in the street, as it was not safe in a situation like that. Luckily, they were able to pay a few bucks to a guy who lived just across the street of the building, and they slept in the upper floor while they took turns watching the entrance of the building in front. It was a challenge, but very early in the morning, before the sun rose, Shawn woke the other two up, as he pointed out that the two foxes were just leaving the building.

From that point on, the three teenagers followed the two foxes, as they walked across the streets. The foxes seemed not interested in taking a cab, as they only moved on foot, all the way from that part to the inner of Downtown, and in there, they walked to the Superior Court.

There was already a group of curious mammals forming in there, and the foxes moved around and entered through the back of the building. All the while they were followed by the Mage Chasers, who now made justice to their name.

It was hard to get inside, for it seemed that the door had been lock as soon as the mages entered. At least that was what it seemed, once getting close to the door made the three feel so uneasy that they didn't even tried to force the door to open. Still, the three wanted to get inside (well, Sully wanted, and he talked the other two into it), and they soon found a way.

The vents that were on the building were hard to get into (it would be too lengthy to explain how the three managed to get into), but the three found a way to squeeze themselves into the ventilation and crawl their way inside. They managed to land right past some security that was patrolling the place.

Luckily for them, they were not close enough to hear them, and the hallways were mostly empty. So much that it was rather easy for them to sneak inside without being seen. Soon, they found their way to the main hall of the Superior Court. And there were the mages, standing about as they waited in there.

The three were quick to move and to hide behind pillars. They moved closer and closer to the mages, as they rushed from one pillar to another, trying their best to remain out of sight.

"We just need to be sure to record it when it happens, okay?" The pig said to his two friends as they looked back at him. "We just record everything and then get out before they notice we are here."

"You know, only because you say 'we just need', it doesn't make the thing we need to do become something easy." Patrick spoke, and they looked at the pig, before sighing, and turning back to peer over the pillar, and look at the mages…

"Where are they?" The hyena said, once he saw that the two enforcers were no longer on the center of room. The hyena looked around the room, looking for them both into his eyes and with his camera. This caused the two who were with him to get nervous.

"What? What happened?" Shawn asked, being easily the more nervous of the two.

"Ahem." Someone suddenly said from the other end of the pillar.

Sully squealed. Shawn bleated. Patrick yipped. All of them turning around to see the two enforcers now looking at them. The tod was serious and with his arms crossed, while the vixen simply stood there, chewing on her gum and looking at the three with what seemed, for the teenagers, an expression of mild amusement.

The three looked back at the two for a while.

"So, what are you boys doing here?" Emilia asked, and Shawn was the first one to speak:

"It was all Sully's idea!" The sheep bleated, pointing at the pig. "Patrick and I didn't wanted to come, but he convinced us! He made us follow you guys around because we have a ZooTube account and it would be nice for us to have a video of you! Please, don't shear me!"

The way the sheep spoke was so fast and sudden that all of the four other mammals just stood in there, looking at him, as the sheep let shaking, bleating pants. After a while, Marceli asked, looking at them and seeming to be perfectly calm and composed.

"So, you were following us just to have us on video?" He asked, "And I want the truth."

The three teenagers shared looks among themselves. The way that the tod spoke was serious, and it left it clear that this was not a mere request. Still, it sounded more like the authoritarian voice of one of their fathers than the order of an angry mage. It seemed to be what encouraged the three to confirm to them that this was the truth, and also tell a bit more.

"Mage Chasers, huh?" Emili said, and Sully nodded.

"Yeah, we first formed our group back during the mage scare." The pig said, "Now, well, everyone is not so scared anymore, but we still need to chase information to help tell people things."

"Or to help have more views on our account." The hyena added, and the pig could not say anything else, even though he seemed like he wanted to.

The two foxes looked at them, and then shared a look. Emilia then smiled.

"So, you guys want to interview us?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Baah?"

She was smiling at the three teenagers, who were looking at her as if they were asking if she was serious. She simply shrugged at them. "Well, don't mind talking about myself to others, as long as you don't ask anything too sensitive or that could cause problems with my family or the Association. They are all still full of secrets."

The three blinked, as they could barely believe that.

"W-would you really give us an interview?" Sully asked, his body shaking slightly from sheer emotion.

"You can bet she would." Marceli said, "She is a babbler mouth, and loves the sound of her own voice."

"What? I just like to chat and to talk! Nothing wrong with that." The vixen said, and turned to the two. "Sorry, my uncle is a bit of a buzz killer sometimes."

"I take my job seriously." The tod said, and the teenagers all looked at him. The tod looked back at them for a few moments, and he sighed. "Well, I guess that there would actually have no problem in talking to a few harmless teenagers." He spoke, and looked at his niece, "As long as we don't give them any information that could be sensitive."

"Don't worry. Despite how I act most of the time, I actually have some good sense." Emilia said, and she turned back at the three teenagers, who continued to stare back at her.

"So, you boys want to know more about us?"

Her tune was sincere, and the three teens shared looks, before Sully answered for all of them:

"It would be the best!"

Sully was practically giddy, as they had found a mage who would actually want to talk to them and answer their questions, like Zillah Ferron did for Victoria Vulpen.

This was so amazing!

That store was so amazing!

Ben looked at the many sweets and confectionaries of various intricate shapes and colors decorating all of the store. Some of them were on display, as they looked like badges or sculptures made with the ultimate care to make them into works of art that you could look at before eating. There were two towers of sweets in there, and they looked to be something out of a pastry-chefs dream. Not to mention the works with chocolate, which were everywhere, and they ranged from cakes to sculptures. There were even a huge sculpture in there that was made in the shape of a castle, which had a display by the side saying that it's name was "CHOCOLATE KING'S PALACE", and that it had won an award of the best chocolate sculpture.

And it all belonged to Chandler.

Of course, it would have been better if the equine was there for Benjamin to talk to him.

"There was a problem with one of the deliveries earlier, and Mr. Manechester had to go on to solve it himself." Said the impala attendant "He won't be back for a few hours, but he has left something." The attendant said and left, leaving Ben to continue to admire the store, which looked like a dream that he used to have back when he was a cub.

Chloe, who had come with him, was buying a box of brown and white chocolates. The brown ones were for her, once she, as a marsupial, could digest them quite easily. The white ones were for Eliot, once dark chocolate could be something terrible for canines like her husband. That was a thing that she learned, along with the danger of onions and garlic. It was an important thing so she would not send her husband to the hospital with food poisoning, as she did on the first time that she tried to cook him dinner.

Soon, the impala came back, he was carrying a fancy-looking box of donuts, and offered it to Ben.

"He left this as a gift for you, in case you came to his store today. He said that you should not worry about the price, and that he hopes that you enjoy it."

"Oh, thank you!" Ben said, taking the box, and soon, he was popping it open. He was delighted to see it was filled with donuts. The sweet smell of the sugar and other pastries reached his nose, making his mouth water.

There was a small note glued to the lid of the box, and ben could read it:

I would never have made it if it wasn't for you.

Oh, Chan… Ben thought, his heart warming, as well as his cheeks.

"These look good." Chloe said, coming to his side, as she now carried a bag on her paw with her purchase. "And expensive."

"Oh… yeah, they do." The cheetah said, the blush on his cheeks deepening a bit. "We are really good friends." He spoke, and as they walked outside.

"Hey! Look out!" Said a voice that made Ben stop and look down, seeing a white and brown bunny in whom he almost stepped.

"Oh! Sorry, sir!"

"Look where you are walking, you fat cat!" The bunny said, and this caused Ben to flinch. He was about to apologize when a female voice came.

"Jason! Don't be rude!"

"But he almost stepped on me!"

"This is no reason to go insulting others." The female rabbit said, looking at the bunny, her paws in her hips. Another bunny came by her side.

"Your mother is right, Jason." The male said, "I know it is not nice when someone near steps on you, but he already apologized, and he sounded sincere. There is no need to be so hostile."

The younger bunny scoffed, and the female gave a glare at him, which caused the bunny to visibly recoil and let out a "sorry".

The female than turning to the big feline and speaking to him:

"Sorry about my son, he still needs to learn a little bit more about etiquette." She said, and the other bunny, who seemed her husband, agreed.

"Yeah, Jason got my papa's personality, or so some say. Sorry for that, mister…"

"Clawhauser." Ben said, "Benjamin Clawhauser… Say, your voices sound familiar… Oh! You are Hopps' parents!" He said, as it suddenly clicked. It seemed that it also clicked for the two bunnies.

"Oh, you are the one who always takes our calls when we are calling the Precinct 1 to talk to our daughter!" Stu said, "Man, talk about coincidences!"

"Are you a cop too?" Came a smaller bunny, who looked up at the cheetah. "Do you kick tail like Aunt Judy?"

"Well, not really." Ben said, looking at the smaller bunny. "You see, I'm a dispatcher. I receive in calls for help and tell the other cops to go to places where they need to go."

"We are not buying these sweets! You know that sugar makes you hyperactive!" said an Oryx, granting everyone to turn to look at him.

"Only if I eat too much!" The said a kudu that was right by his side, "Besides, it is not every day that we meet such a nice store!"

"Yeah, a nice expensive store! I bet that only one of these candy boxes costs half of my salary!"

"Oh, come on! Can't we have a little fun once in a while?"

"We are not having one of these boxes, and that's final!"

"Then let's have something else! Maybe one of these chocolate bars!"

"Chocolate makes you unable to sleep!"

"What? Are we going to bed in two minutes from now?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Everyone around now was staring at the two antelopes as they continued their bickering.

"So… fancy meeting you guys in the mall." Benjamin said, trying to ignore the bicker of the two antlered mammals. "So, you came here for the stores?"

"You bet we came!" Stu said to the big cheetah. "I still can't believe how huge this place is! We need to consult the maps every time we see one, to make sure that we won't get lost! There are all of the stores that we wanted, and even more." He said, and gesturing to the other bunnies, and saw that the males of the group of a dozen bunnies were carrying shopping bags.

"I see you brought the entire family, right?" Chloe said, "I'm Chloe, by the way."

"Nah, just a couple of our sons and daughters." Bonnie said, "There are more, but they went with Harry to see the rest of the mall. We decided to come here to have some food, we left home so early in the morning that we barely had time to have breakfast."

"Oh! We can all have food together! My threat." Ben said, looking at the group of mammals.

"Free food?" Pronk said, looking at the cheetah who had made the offer, "I'm game!"

"Wait, he didn't invited us!"

"He said 'we' and 'all', didn't he?"

"I think he was only inviting the Hoppses! He didn't talk to us specifically!"

"Come on, its free food!"

"Yeah, for a cheapskate like you it surely sounds alluring!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"You know what, I'm inviting everyone!" Ben said, wanting to stop the bickering between the two. "Everyone in this group, food is all on me!"

The bunnies cheered at this, and so did Pronk, under the reproving gaze of his companion.

Soon, the group had moved into the food court, which was just as opulent as the rest of the mall. There were lines upon lines of places that offered all kinds of foods, and it was enough to drive some mammals insane, as all of their favorite food options were right there, for them to choose which one they wanted. So many options that most of the mammals didn't even knew what to choose.

It was the same for the group that Ben offered to pay for. As they picked their table, all of them were getting ready to have their meals. Meanwhile, Ben was conversing with some of them, and he was shocked to find out that Cotton didn't knew who Gazelle was. He was quick to wipe out his phone and let her hear a few of the popstars music.

"Awesome!" The little bunny said as she listened to the music, and soon, the food was coming to the table.

Ben was starting to have second thoughts about having offered to pay for their food, for he soon saw that the bunnies, despite their small size, could actually eat quite a lot. Not to mention the "Pronk" guy, who seemed to be using this chance to ask for some expensive food.

"You didn't needed to ask for so much food, you know?" Bucky said to him, "And there were a lot of cheaper options to choose."

"Hey, he said he would pay."

"No excuse to take advantage of him like that!"

"Oh, give me a break, I'm just enjoying it!"

Ben looked at the two as they bickered. Cotton looked up at him as she spoke:

"Mister Bucky and Mister Pronk bicker a lot." She then leaned over, and whispered. "They are a couple. You know, like kissing boys." She spoke it as if it was a secret, and Ben looked at the two, and they seemed to still be at their bickering. He imagined what it would be like to have a relationship with someone like that…

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Will both of you shut up?" The bunny named Jason said, causing the two to look at him. "I'm trying to hear to the television!"

There was a television nearby them, mounted on a thing on the ceiling. There were some of them across the food court. Some of them showed series or movies. Some of them showed music shows and video clips. Some of them, near some more infantile themes places, showed cartoons. Some, like the one that the group sat right in front of, showed news channels.

On the tv, a bison was standing, and on the corner, there was the logo MLN on the corner of the screen. Behind the bison, it showed the Superior Court and the group of mammals that had gathered in front of it.

"This is Mark Bisson and it is like the winter war out here!" The bison said, "We have two groups that had formed in front of Zootopia's Superior Court, where the convicted criminal Dawn Bellwether, who recently was revealed to be a mage is going to be given to the enforcers, the police of the mages, as it seems that the Association has finally decided to take responsibility for her. On one side, we have a bunch of prey supremacists and brainwashed mammals who are asking the mages to forgive the ewe and let her walk free. On the other we have the good mammals of Zootopia, all of them hoping that the enforcer will take the Hellspawn sheep to be taken and put away for good, preferably at their version of Azkaban."

Ben swallowed the donut that he was chewing, from the box that he received at the store, and turned to the small bunny. "Cotton, he meant 'frogspawn'."

"I know what that word means, Mr. Bubbles." The young bunny said to the big cheetah. "Pop-pop says 'Hellspawn' all the time."

"Cotton!" Her mother said, "We already told you not to use this language!"

"That guy should know better as well!" Stu said, looking at the camera, and Ben nodded.

"Mark Bisson works for the Meadowlands News. He is quite infamous back at the precinct because he tends blow things out of proportion."

"Well, he is not wrong, you know?" Jason said as he looked to the tv, and the bison in there continued to talk:

"Now, I can't help but wonder on why the mages took so long to take account for one of them doing such things? Were they hoping that the problem would just go away? Or were they covering their hides with the secret of who Dawn Bellwether is? Well, this makes it seem that they are not as reliable and trustworthy as they probably want us to think." The bison said, and Ben looked down, while Bonnie looked at the screen with anger.

"But that is for another time. Right now, on the other side of this street, the popstar singer Gazelle will be going into the new mall in hopes of getting away from the rabble and getting the latest designer footwear. This reporter will be going inside, as he has hopes of finding her and confronting her over the rumors that she pretends to retire from singing to become a full-time politician."

As that was said, there was some reactions from those who were hearing it. Among them, was Ben, who was taking a donut to his mouth, but his eyes immediately went up as he looked at the screen, as he had a very surprised look. That was right before his face changed, becoming crestfallen, as he took in what was just said.

"What...?"

"Yes, I want to ask her what is leading her to abandon all of her devoted fans. Would it be the desire to do something more with the way the world is changing? She now sees that there are other callings for her? Are fame and fortune no longer enough? Or this whole crisis involving mages and the supernatural has finally got under her exfoliated skin?"

As Ben looked, his expression immediately hardened, as he unconsciously crunched the donut that he had on his paw. How dared that slimy bovine talk like that about Gazelle!

"Wow, that guys doesn't really measures his words." Bucky said, "Kind of like someone I know." He added, looking at the one who was sitting by his side.

"Hey! Now you are comparing me with the jerk from the MLN?" Pronk said, now sounding like he was genuinely outraged by this. Bucky only looked at him.

"I'm just saying that sometimes you are rude, especially when you are mad!"

"Well, you don't seem to mind very much my rude side when we are in bed!"

This caused an automatic reaction, as all of the eyes of the table turned to look at them. Most of the bunnies looked surprised and scandalized, and Ben could feel a hot searing mortification coming on his stomach and burning on his cheeks. Chloe took a paw to her mouth, looking terribly flustered herself. Mr. and Mrs. Hopps also looked at them with wide eyes. Cotton merely looked, with a cocked ear and a confused expression.

"Hey! Don't talk about our intimacy like that! We are in public!"

"I'm just saying that you don't mind when I'm all bossy in the bed! Actually, you seem to like it very much!"

"But you don't need to yell it in front of others! This is a very personal thing!"

"Yeah, but my point stands!"

"These are totally different matters!"

"They seem related to me!"

"They are not! One is a social convention, while the other is something that is so personal that I cannot believe that you said it aloud in public! Now everyone will think we both are perverts!"

"They'll not!"

"Yes, they will!"

"Okay, let's ask the guys! Hey, do you think... Where are they?" Pronk said, and it was only then that Bucky and Pronk noticed that the mammals who were sitting with them were no longer on the table. All the seats were empty, and the only evidence of their presence was the money that was left on the table by one of them, probably Benjamin.

"Oh, great!" Bucky said, "Once more our bickering scared away more people who will probably never talk to us again!"

"Well, at least they left the money to pay for the food." Pronk said, picking up the money and counting it.

"Will you forget the money, you cheapskate! Don't you bother you that they got scared away by our bickering and by the inappropriate subject that you brought up?" Bucky said, and he reached out for the ground between the two.

"They even forgot their luggage!" He said, showing up the thing that they had been carrying for the Hopps up until now. "Now they probably think we are jerks that are incapable of behaving!"

"Well, you were the one who went along, like always!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, YOU, shut up!"

The two continued like that, slamming their fists in the table as a punctuation to each "shut up", seemingly unaware of the other mammals that were around them, who were staring and moving away from them...

"I still can't believe how big this place is!" Cameron said for what could be the fourth time. He and Vicky were now on the eight floor of the place, in the area that was the mall's equivalent to Rainforest District. The place was full of foliage, and it seemed that it was build over a bunch of trees that branched and tangled on each other while growing. It even had its own irrigation system to imitate the moistness and the heat of a real rainforest. The two had stopped in a nice café.

Vicky ordered a few muffins for herself, while Cameron now was stuffing his face full of peanut butter based products. She smiled as she saw the beagle feasting himself into the food that they ordered. It was nice seeing a good friend happy.

She looked around, and she couldn't help but once more take in just how huge the place actually was. It seemed that it surely was bigger on the inside than on the outside, and that was impossible! Although, considering all that was happening lately in the world, it was hard to really be sure of what could actually be impossible anymore, even when she remembered the things that Zillah told her in the interview a few months ago.

However, there was one thing that she was sure: the images they were getting of the place surely were amazing, and they would make for something nice for the news later on.

As the two took their food, three more mammals passed by them.

"Come on, girl!" Said the one who was leading, and this one was a possum. She stood on 2'4'' feet tall, and her body was lean. The fur on her was of a very soft shade of grey, with white on her mouth and down her neck. Her nose was pink, and there was black fur around her eyes, which were maroon. Her wears were black, with white patches on them, and they were somewhat torn, as if they had been chewed by someone. She was wearing some clothing that consisted into grey tattered shirt and skirt, a black and white stripped jacket, and a choker around her neck. "The Jungle Laser Tag is just this way! Come on!" She spoke to the two that came after her.

"What even is a Jungle Laser Tag?" One of them said. It was a tall kangaroo. She stood on 6'3'' feet tall, with a body that was slender but healthy, and her legs were strong and muscled, as one would expect from a kangaroo. The fur on her body was on shades of brown, with a darker brown around her body, with a shade closer to wood on her face and on the inside of her legs and arms, and with a shade that was much lighter (close to cream, actually) on her muzzle, down her neck and on her chest and belly. Her tail was long and strong. She also had a cream-colored crest of fur on her head, going form the back of her neck to the top of her head, almost looking like a mane. Her eyes were of the color of rubies. She was wearing long jeans pants, an indigo sleeveless shirt and a black sleeveless jacket. She was hoping right behind the possum, as she turned to her friend.

"Oh, it is like regular laser tag, but it is inside of a jungle. You can fight others while you walk on a fallen branch and swing on a vine. It makes it more thrilling! You have to try, you girls will love it!"

"Yeah, let's hope so." The kangaroo said, and the third member of the group was following soon after. This one was a ewe. She stood around four feet tall, being regular in size for a ewe. Her figure was slender and attractive, as it was possible to see by the provocative clothes that she wore: tight fitting jeans shorts, a small top, and a jacket of faux leather with metal spikes on it and with a flaming ram skull on the back. The wool on her body was of a white coloration, with a grey undercoat visible on her body. The fur on her hooves was black, as well as the one on her face and on her ears, which had metal piecing in them. The wool of the back of her head had been dye in a faded shade of purple. She had brown eyes, and these eyes showed a form of confidence that would make most males insecure to walk near her, at the same time that they would desire her even more.

She was walking close to her two friends, but she stopped when she heard something.

"… and the wolf is down there outing a show with his guitar right at the entrance."

"Is he some artist?"

"I don't know, he has his fur died blue and purple. He must be some rock aspirant. But they say that he plays the guitar like a pro, and everyone who hears his music loves it."

"We should go down there to take a look."

The ewe turned to the mammals, who were talking about something that they saw on their phone, and that sounded familiar to her.

"Butch?" The ewe said to herself. However, she had no time to think on it.

"Lana!" The kangaroo called. "Let's go!"

"Coming!" The ewe said, and she was rushing to keep up with her friends. However, she could not stop thinking on what she had just heard, as it worried her for some reason.

Butch… what are you up to now?

Chapter Text

The inauguration of the New Den Plaza surely attracted many mammals. Most of them were already inside, however, there were a couple of them that had remained outside. Among the, there was a group of frat mammals composed by hippos, rhinos and a bunch of elephants. They were gather in the front of the mall, along with a good-sized group of mammals. It seemed that they were listening to some kind of show happening, and it seemed that they were getting quite pumped up about that.

These mammals seemed like they failed to notice a limousine that stopped on the sidewalk near the entrance of the mall. From inside, some mammals were looking outside.

"Yeah, it looks like some guys are making a party in there." A tiger on a suit said, as he looked at the situation from the tinted windows of the luxurious car. "There are also a lot of reporters in here."

"Probably here for the inauguration." Said the very attractive female gazelle in an elegant social dress and high-hells. This was no other than Gazelle herself, she had come in there especially for the inauguration, and she had brought two of her tigers with herself, both as friends and as her bodyguards. The one looked through the window was the slightly taller of the two, and he was Tyrell. The other one was Tyson, the one that Gazelle honestly could say that was the one closest to her as a friend. Of course, they were not the only ones on the limo, as there was a blackbuck on the car, whom seemed to be much more nervous than the other three.

"I just want to know who was the one who leaked that she was in here!" The mammal spoke as he looked out. "She was supposed to arrive and come in without being bothered! And now there's an army of paparazzi and mammals outside just waiting for her!"

"Calm down, Simon." Gazelle said to her manager. "It will be okay." She spoke trying to sound convincing. However, the truth was that she was a bit insecure of walking out of the limousine with all of these mammals on the outside. The fact that there were so many reporters was worrisome for her, for she didn't wanted to deal with being swarmed by them as they tried to get shots of her and try to get her reactions on camera.

Malditos paparazzi.

Not to mention that the mammals that were gathering into the front were quite agitated, so much that it was like they almost seemed like they could get violent. Gazelle didn't felt like walking near that group.

"We need to have them removed!" The blackbuck said, "We need to call the police and have all of them out of the entrance of the mall!"

"Really?" Tyson asked, looking at the antelope. "You want Gazelle to call the police and make them remove a whole crowd of mammals and reporters from the entrance of a big mall just because she wants it? That will not bode well."

"He is right." Gazelle said, looking at her manager. "They are not doing anything illegal, and I cannot simply use my position to ask for the ZPD to remove them out of the mall only so I can walk in. You know I'm not like that." That much was truth, and everyone in that car knew it. "Well, I guess I'll have to leave to the mall another day…"

"Maybe not." Tyrell said, still looking outside. This caused the mammals on the car to look at him.

"Maybe we can go around and enter by one of the back entrances." The tiger offered. "I mean, we could talk to the security and ask them if it's okay to go through the back to avoid the crowd. I'm pretty sure they would agree. If you want to."

Gazelle looked at him, and it seemed that she was seriously considering it, but her manager seemed not to agree.

"Absolutely not!" The blackbuck said, "I'll not have the Jewel of Zootopia sneaking through a backdoor like a deadbeat weasel!" He exclaimed, and Gazelle couldn't help but feel some reprobation for the speciest comment that her manager just made, but he continued:

"If she goes inside the mall, then she will be going through the front, with all of the dignity that a mammal like herself deserves! She will walk through the front doors as soon as all of these media vultures and agitators have been removed from the premises!"

One phone call to the security of the mall, and a while of talk later, all was arrange for Gazelle to be allow inside through one of the service entrances, on the back.

They had to go around the mall with their limo, but there was already someone on the outside, waiting for them. He was a very kind cougar who helped them through the door and inside, and was their guide through the hallways on the inside of the back entrance.

Hallways that were big on themselves.

"I think we've been walking for nearly fifteen minutes, haven't we?" Gazelle asked, and the tigers saw themselves forced to agree. They had indeed been walking for quite a while. So much that she even thought that they had took some of the inner space of the mall for the service entrance.

However, as she walked inside, they were baffle by the sheer size of the mall on the inside, which almost looked like a separated city on its own.

"How?" was all that Gazelle could formulate, as she saw just how much bigger it was on the inside than on the outside.

"Maybe… a space of imaginary numbers?" Tyrell mumbled, but right after slapped a paw over his own mouth. Gazelle looked at him, and simply nodded, not asking any questions on what he just said.

Tyrell looked at her, and back at Tyson, who only smiled to his brother.

"You know, I still can't believe that you told her." Tyrell said to Tyson, "And neither how well she took it."

Tyson smiled at his brother. "Hey, she has known us for a very long time and is our friend, right?"

Tyrell could only nod at this, and soon, the three mammals were walking across the mall, trying to decide which store they were going first. And trying to figure out how to get to it in that immense place.

Judy was with her paws full, as she helped the many officers to keep the crowd in check. They were not only keeping their eyes and their ears open in the case of any of them getting violent, but also trying to prevent them from invading the space that had been delimited, as well as trying to prevent them from getting on each other's necks.

Judy was now trying to prevent a capybara protestor from getting physically violent with a bulldog one, both of them from different sides of the protest. The capybara was defending that Bellwether should be left free, and the bulldog didn't appreciated these commentaries, for apparently one of his great friends lost an eye while defending himself from one of the hate mobs that Bellwether and her plot had stirred. Couple of insults thrown back and forth, until the bulldog looked like he was ready to bite at the capybara.

The fact that the groups could be so violent is something that worried Judy, but not more than the fact that, after all that Bellwether did, she still had supporters. Mammals who agreed with her views so deeply that they supported what she had done. What made her feel better, however, was seeing that they were greatly outnumbered by the ones who wanted the ewe to pay for her crimes.

Among these, Judy saw two giraffes that were holding signs saying that Bellwether should be taken away and locked forever in a mage dungeon for what she had done. Judy recognized these two giraffes, for over two years ago, she had seen both of them in one of the protests that took place during the Night Howler scare, and they had been carrying anti-predator signs.

Now there they were, standing against the one who stirred all that hate and fear.

Change starts with all of us, indeed. Judy thought to herself, as she continued to do her job. As she did, she noticed that there were not only the usual protestors in there, but also some who took special attention to the fact that Bellwether was a mage.

Judy was able to sight some signs here and there that were anti-mage, saying things like "MAGES LEAVE OUR CITY" and things of the like. It seemed that the ones who still had a problem with mages were using Bellwether as an excuse to try to make their opinions known. These too were a minority, compared to the other protesters, who mostly wanted Bellwether to be take away and fittingly punished for what she did.

Still, the ones who were actually protesting on mages seemed to have quite a few things to say, among them, a certain wildebeest, who was speaking to a small group of mammals who had gathered around him.

"This is the proof that mages are dangerous!" The wildebeest said, "The proof that they want nothing more than to seize power and that they care nothing for the feelings or lives of mammals! Dawn Bellwether used of her evil art to try and make Zootopia tear itself apart! She is a fine example of how mages truly are! Their actions are sinful, as the Church itself recognizes their so called 'arts' as heresy of the highest level! They are sinners who sold their souls and have been marked by the Devil! Their Magic Circuits are nothing more than the mark of the beast upon their bodies! These sorcerers cannot be allowed to roam free and do as they please, like Bellwether was! They must be purged out of this world!"

Many of the small group cheered in agreement, some of them even clapping at the words of the wildebeest, while many who were around the group jeered at him and told him to give up and go home. Most, however, just wanted to keep distance from that group, which almost sounded like the beginning of some short of cult.

Judy couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted as more mammals were using this opportunity to try and sow hatred. This was something that she truly came to despise during the course of her life, especially after what she'd been through two years ago.

However, her attention was diverged from the wildebeest and his group as the crowd seemed to get agitated. Some murmurs were going around, and the mammals in there seemed to get even more agitated and it was almost as if they were all leaning to one certain direction as a single organism.

Judy knew what this meant:

The van that was bringing Bellwether had arrived.

Nick leaned over, looking through the tinted windows of the van, and at the many mammals outside. They were mostly making gestures to the van as it moved, mostly probably directed at the ewe, unless many of them had serious problems with the ZPD. Also, the signs that many of them were holding told a story of their own.

"Well, won't you look at that." Nick said, to no one in particular, but wanting a certain ewe on the van to hear it. "You see, Bellwether? It seems that our haters outnumber your supporters ten-to-one."

There was a lot of irony on his words, and Nick knew that was not proper behavior. Still, the irony of saying that was just too delicious to pass up. He looked at the ewe, who had a hardened face, although she still avoided his gaze. He thought that she was once more going to be quiet, but soon, she was saying something loud and clear:

"They are just a bunch of idiots who want to make some noise." She spoke with coldness, one that matched the cold look that she had in her face. "They only want to use this chance to cry out to the world their frustrations and let everyone know that they are not happy over something."

Nick looked at her, and he could now notice that she seemed more like the crazy and sociopathic ewe that he knew. Nick looked at her, and felt like he should say something back.

"Well, now that is quite harsh to say." Nick said as he looked at her, "All of that because the guys don't like that you tried to break the city apart with the Night Howlers?"

"I'm talking about all of them." Bellwether said, her tone becoming bitter, "Mammals in general can be quite detestable, be them prey or predator."

There was a heavy silence following these words, as Krys and Nick both looked at the ewe. Nick had a raised eyebrow.

"So, when you say 'all of them' you actually means your supporters? Or are they excused from this because they share of your vision?"

"They are the worse ones!" Bellwether said with a conviction that surprised Nick. "They are only supporting me because what I did serves as an excuse for their own bigotry! They say that this is pride as prey or that this is caring for the good mammals, but all of that is just an excuse for them to spit on others and use all of their speciest crap!"

Nick looked at the ewe, and he felt surprised by that sudden burst. He blinked, and soon he recovered his usual mask, looking at her.

"Wow… some might even think that you don't agree with them."

"Officer Wilde." The fox doctor said, causing Nick to look at him. "Stop. It. Now."

Nick put up his paws defensively, and there was a brief silence in the van. However, this silence was short lived.

"I wish Judy was here."

Nick looked at the ewe, as she continued to speak, seemingly to herself.

"I wish she was here so I could tell her… so I could explain." She was tensing as she spoke that. She then turned to the fox who was sitting by her side.

"Krys, maybe you can talk to your uncle. Convince him to let me see Judy so I can make her understand, before they take me."

The way she spoke was as if she was making an appeal. The fox looked at her, and it looked as if he was considering it. Nick, however, didn't quite liked the idea of that ewe being allowed near his partner.

"Hey, Smellwether." He said, catching the attention of both Bellwether and Mieczyslaw. "If you try to get close to Judy or try to do anything to her, do you know what I'll do?"

"Wilde!" The booming voice of the Chief caused Nick to turn to look. The buffalo was looking at him through the rearview mirror, and it was clear by his eyes that he was pissed. Even if it wasn't, the tone of voice that he used left no doubt.

"Stop provoking and stay down, this is the last warning."

Nick nodded wordlessly, and sat back. He looked at the two mammals, seeing that Mieczyslaw looked at him with anger, while Bellwether looked at him with what seemed fear.

"And Bellwether." The ewe perked, looking at the buffalo, who now had his eyes back on the road. "If you as much as look at Hopps the wrong way, don't think for a moment that I won't personally defluff you."

The ewe flinched visibly at this, almost as if she had received a physical blow. She then looked down and slumped over herself as she looked as if she wanted to just disappear from sight. Nick looked at her, and so did the other fox, who was sitting by the side of the ewe.

After a few moments, Mieczyslaw sighed, and he shifted on his seat, apparently to become more comfortable. However, as he shifted, his tail moved, and ended up landing right on Bellwether's lap.

The ewe blinked, looking at the fluffy tail, before she looked up at the fox to whom it belonged.

Mieczyslaw looked as if he was not even recognizing her presence, and he simply remained sitting with a professional stance.

Bellwether looked at him for a few moments, before her gaze shifted back to the tail that was now on her lap. Soon, she was reaching it, gently putting her hooves on the tail and bringing it to her chest, hugging it as if she wanted to snuggle with it.

Nick blinked, looking at the scene before him with raised eyebrows. The ewe was holding it to her chest the same way a child would cling to a stuffed toy, and the fox who was having his tail handled like that was acting as if he didn't even noticed.

Nick was now trying to process what he was seeing, and what it could mean...

It took a while of effort, but Gazelle and her two tigers were able to find their way across all of the stores that they wanted to go. Their first stop was a Preyda store, where Gazelle was received warmly by the attendants, and received some very nice discounts (due to her already having made merchandising for them in the past, and to having her own line of feminine footwear made by them). Followed by a stop to make a snack in one of the many cafés that were spread over the many floors of the building that looked almost like an entire district.

It was followed by a stop into a store of male articles, where Tyson and Tyrell both tried out some things for themselves. After all, it would not be fair if only Gazelle got things for herself in this little trip they were making. She insisted for them to get things for themselves, and even insisted on paying, although the Tyson protested a bit at it. Tyrell, on the other hoof, seemed not to mind being treat like this.

They walked out with a new blazer each and with a new Roarlex made of gold.

With each store they went, the number of bags that the two tigers were carrying increased. Everyone knew that females loved to shop and, although there were things for the two of them in the middle of these bags, most of it were of things for Gazelle herself. She was passing by a group of bunnies as they went to find even more stores to buy.

"Bonnie, there is no need to worry. We can get it back later."

"Oh, we shouldn't have left that with them, Stu."

"Well, we had to get out of there pretty fast, before they said something that Cotton was not supposed to hear."

"Mr. Bubbles! Look!" Said a child voice. All eyes turned to the owner, who was a small bunny who was sitting on a bench near an ample cheetah and a female thylacine. "It's her! It's the pretty lady with the beautiful voice!"

The cheetah who was sitting in the same bench suddenly perked his head. He was drinking on some milkshake, and as he rose his head, the straw remained glued on his mouth. Even as he turned around to look to where Cotton was pointing, the thing remained on his mouth, kind of looking like the tongue of a frog.

As Benjamin saw Gazelle, his idol, live and in the flesh, his eyes went comically wide, and one of them twitched as if he had had a small seizure. He looked like a giant frog, and the sight was quite comical.

Other mammals had also been drawn by the outburst of the little bunny, who had a surprisingly loud voice. Soon, everyone was noticing her presence and who she was.

"Hey! Ain't that..?"

"It's Gazelle!"

"The Angel with Horns in person!"

"Man, she is so hot!"

Mierda.

Gazelle was just about to turn back and leave, especially when she saw a vixen with a microphone and a beagle with a camera.

Vicky and Cameron were both on their way across the mall, capturing recordings of the place, when they heard the outburst coming from the little bunny and turned around to find no one other than Gazelle.

Vicky could barely believe her luck.

"Miss Gazelle?" The vixen said, "Victoria Vulpen, from the ZNN-"

She was cut before she could say anything else, as one of the tigers carrying the many bag entered her way, blocking their approach of the popstar.

"Gazelle is not taking any questions at the moment." The tiger said coldly, looking down at the two. Vicky, however, was not the kind who gave up easily.

"Just a single question and we will leave you alone." Vicky said, looking at the Angel with Horns. "Very soon Bellwether will pass to the jurisdiction of the Enforcers, and she will be taken to the Association to be judged as a mage. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Gazelle looked at the vixen for a few moments.

One question, one answer. She thought, and approached. She crouched to be more on level with the vixen, and spoke on her mic:

"Zootopia has suffered a lot due to Bellwether's actions." Gazelle said, "She sowed hatred and anger in our society. There are all kinds of mages out there, from the good to the bad, and Bellwether is one of the mages who chose to become a criminal, for one reason or another. I don't know what are the plans of the Association for her, but I honestly believe that they should not let her escape justice, and give her a fitting punishment that a mage can receive for having done what she did."

Vicky listened to what Gazelle said, and she nodded as she smiled, fully agreeing with what Gazelle had just said.

"Thank you." She said, and soon she and the beagle who held the camera were moving away. Gazelle sighed as she got back on her feet, only to sight even more mammals coming in her direction, all with mics and cameras.

Ay no.

Luckily, Tyson and Tyrell were there to hold the reporters back, but it did not prevented them from trying to reach her.

"Gazelle!" A pig said, as he approached followed by a donkey camera mammal. "Do you still feel safe around predators after the savage attacks two years ago?"

"Back off, dude." Tyson said, but the pig remained focused on Gazelle.

"Have you ever felt any fear that your tigers could become the next savage victims, maybe while you were having a show?"

Gazelle kept her face stony. She had already a whole deal of experience in dealing with paparazzi, and she knew that it was her reaction that they wanted, not Tyson's, and she already knew that she should not give it to them.

"No commentaries." She said as neutrally as she could, and the pig was a little disappointed, but he did not gave up.

"Is it true that you are considered the most attractive female of Zootopia?" The pig tried once more, now using a different tactic, "If so, then how come you are still single?"

"She said no commentaries! Now back off!" Tyson said, coming very close to bare his fangs at the pig.

"It is truth that you pretend to retire from singing to become a politician?" Said Mark Bisson, as he came to her followed close by a rhino cameramammal. "Is that because you wish to do more for society than you can as a singer? Or there is another reason why you are abandoning your fans?"

"Back off, dude!" Tyson said, now starting to lose his cool with these guys. "Gazelle came here to relax and enjoy the new mall, not to be swarmed by a bunch of vultures like you!"

"You can't prevent us from being here, tiger!" One of the reporters said, "Have you ever heard of press liberty?"

Tyson was about to growl at the reporter who said that. However, Tyrell was able to catch something on the corner of his eye, and his reaction was like the one of a lightning.

"Hey!" The tiger said, dashing surprisingly fast to the corpulent cheetah that had come out carrying something on his paw. "Thought you could get some cheap shot, huh? Well, think again, pal."

Tyrell was about to snatch the thing out of the cheetah's paw, and only then he saw that it was not a camera, but a wallet. At this moment, the wallet opened, revealing a ZPD badge inside.

Oh, crud. Tyrell thought, as he immediately let go of the cheetah. Benjamin walked past him, and he talked to the reporters that were swarming the popstar.

"Hey, you!" The cheetah said, gathering everyone's attention. "Officer Benjamin Clawhauser. I'm off duty, but I cannot let this escalate."

Clawhauser? Tyrell and Tyson both thought as they both stared at the cheetah. The officer continued to look at the reporters, who now had all of their attention on him.

"You are here harassing someone who is shopping, and I just cannot let that happen."

"Back off, copper!" One of the reporters, a beaver, said to the cheetah. "You have no right to tell us what to do!"

"Actually, he has." Said another voice, making everyone look over to see who had arrived now. It was a corpulent warthog in a security uniform, followed by two wolves and a tiger, the three wearing ZPD uniform.

"This mall has policies of its own." The warthog said, "One of them is that we are to disrupt any kind of disturbance that is being caused, and we also have authority to take outside someone who is causing ruckus, which includes harassing someone."

"We are doing our job!" Said one of the reporters, "We have press pass!"

"Your pass do not give you the right to harass a mammal who is shopping." Eliot Fanghanel said, "Now, you guys better stop now or you will- Pumpkin!" Eliot suddenly said as his gaze shifted. The reporters all looked at him confused, meanwhile, Chloe, whom the wolf just sighted, let out an exasperated sound as her husband caught sight of her, and she already know what was going to happen.

"Chloe! My Pumpkin!" Eliot said, waving his arms, as if he was trying to catch her attention. As if she had not seen him yet or if he was trying to stand out in the middle of a huge crowd. The others looked at him as he kept with his antics, it was Wolfard who stepped forward and talked to the reporters.

"You cannot harass someone for a story, as it clearly seems that you are doing." The wolf continued from where the other one had left. "Now, you either stop this right now or we'll arrest you and escort you out of this mall."

The reporters all looked at them, seeming like they wanted to protest, but they saw that there was no point in insisting, and they soon were leaving, though some of them still tried to get a shot at Gazelle and her tiger bodyguards, only for the cops and mall security to insist in them leaving.

Gazelle sighed in relief as they left, although her relief didn't lasted very long.

"Clawhauser, did I saw this tiger grabbing you by the wrist?" Wolfard asked, looking at the tiger, who was nervous all of sudden. However, he was relieved when the cheetah shook his head.

"It's okay, he didn't knew that I was a cop. I don't want to press charges."

Gazelle and the two tigers breathed in relief at this, feeling a wave of gratitude towards the cheetah. Still, the wolf turned to the tiger.

"Well, anyway, you should be more careful, Mr. …" The wolf said, but stopped. Wolfard actually now felt quite bad for having forgotten the name of the dancers who performed with Gazelle.

"Tigereye." Tyrell said to him. "I'm Tyrell Tigereye."

"Well, Mr. Tigereye." Wolfard said, looking at the tiger. "You need to be more careful when acting. I know that your job includes protecting Gazelle, but you could easily get a caution for aggression like that."

"I'll have that in mind, sorry." Tyrell said, and he looked at Clawhauser. For a moment, both big cats traded looks, and the tiger nodded at him, to which the plump cheetah nodded back. To someone who was looking, that nod could almost seem of the conspiracy kind…

"Well, guess we'll be going." Said Fangmeyer, and Wolfard nodded, turning to look at Fanghanel, who was still in there with his wife, talking to her as if he had forgotten about everything. Chloe was smiling as her husband held her paws, although she knew that he was supposed to be focusing on his job instead of talking to her.

"Oy, Fanghanel!" The wolf said, "We have to go now. You can talk to your Misses later."

"Rock n' roll!" Someone cried out, causing many to turn their heads to look at the one who did. The one in question was a sheep who was dressed in a suit and tie, but he was behaving not in a way that someone dressed like that would behave. He had both his hooves up making some kind of sign with them, and he was bobbing his head as if he was hearing a song that no one else heard. The sheep was also not alone, as a group of mammals was imitating his actions, all of them of different species and different kinds of clothes, although all of them acted the same way, putting their paws or hooves up and making rock n' roll signs and bobbing their heads at the rhythm of a music that only they listened.

"Rock n' Roll!"

"Rock n' Roll, baby!"

"What the?" Fangmeyer said, as she and everyone else soon was taking knowledge of the group. And it seemed that they wanted attention, for while they walked, they continued to shout things like "Rock 'n roll" and "Sick music". Not only that, but they were starting to cause a ruckus, as one of them kicked a trash can, and the other used his big foot to roll a bench over.

"Oh, great, a bunch of agitators…" The warthog said, and Fanghmeyer decided to do something about that.

"Hey, you!" She said, walking to the group, who almost didn't seemed to recognize her presence, as they continued with their antics. "Hey, I'm talking to you guys!"

One wolf who was coming forward turned to her, and made a sign of horns with his paws as he screamed. "Rock n' roll!" The wolf looked almost out of his mind, he even had his tongue out of his mouth as he panted and drooled, and his eyes were wide, and the female tiger could swear that his pupils were glaze. Was this guy high on something?

"Yeah, okay, 'rock and roll', I get it." She spoke to the wolf. "Look, I don't know what you are doing, but you gotta stop it because-" she said as she placed a paw on the shoulder of the wolf, but it proved to be a big mistake, for the wolf immediately reacted to this by twisting his head and biting her arm.

It was not just a playful bite, and neither it seemed just to scare, for the wolf bit as hard as he could, and immediately broke the skin, prompting the tigress to scream as he arm started to bleed.

"Jessica!" Wolfard cried out, and everyone gasped as they looked at it. The wolf was over the tigress, and some of his pals soon came to help. They didn't bite, but they held her down and one of them even stole her dart gun. After a while, she managed to free herself from them, without her dart gun and with her arm bleeding from the bite.

"ROCK N' ROOOOOOOOOOLLLLL." The wolf cried out, almost howling as he did, and this was what it took for hell to star breaking loose, as the others in the group started to charge at the other mammals in the mall, punching, clawing or even biting. Some of them, the strongest ones, put themselves to lift the benches from the ground and toss them on nearby stores, shattering the glass. Some of them pulled out knives, pipes, and other improvised weapons that they had and started to use them to attack others and to vandalize the mall.

Soon mammals all around were running for their lives. Some of them stood there, in shock, as it was the case of Gazelle, who could not believe that it was really happening.

"Maria!" Tyson's voice broken her out, as he slammed a coyote that was going towards her, sending him flying as he howled. The canine landed heavily on the ground, but soon he was getting up, and he put his paws up.

"Rock n' roll!"

Tyson was fast to try and take Gazelle out of there, and many mammals were also trying to flee. However, there was another threat coming.

Other mammals were starting to vandalize the mall and attack the ones who were trying to run. They were not behaving crazy like the first group, but the cold expressions on their faces were just as disturbing, as they knocked the mammals out and started to carry them away.

"W-what?" Gazelle said, as she and Tyson both stopped, and she was still trying to process what was happening-

"Rock n' roll!" The cry made her turn around, in time to see a crazy-looking rhino charging at them.

Nick looked at them for a few moments, but he managed to diverge his look as the other tod glared at his direction.

Okay, that is really happening. Nick thought to himself, as he knew what was going on just a on the other bench. He was deep in thought at what was happening, and he wondered if Bellwether had any knowledge of the meaning of what she was doing with that tail now.

It was a fox thing, of course, and so most mammals would not have a deep knowledge of this. Still, Nick was a fox, and he knew very well what that meant, and so did the other fox, unless things were different in Pawland.

Nick wondered what the enforcers would think if they saw that...

Nick sighed as he looked outside, trying to distract himself from what was happening. He looked at the outside, and he noticed that it was actually a very nice day.

The birds were flying on the morning sky. The trees were changing their color in answer to autumn, painting them on hues that went from red to yellow. There were three burly elephants on football jackets charging in the direction of the van on all fours...

Wait, what?

The next thing that Nick and all the others in there knew was that the vehicle jolted violently as something heavy made contact with it. On the outside, the three elephants now seized the vehicle, pushing it with their trunks and with their arms, as if they were trying to figure out how to open it.

Other mammals came after them, as if they were following the three elephants through their running. Some of them were very controlled, with stony expressions and carrying weapons that looked to be made of stone, like clubs or even primitive swords. Others were far more agitated, as they had glazed eyes and maniacal smiles, and were carrying bricks, pipes, small army Swiss knives, and other improvised weapons.

Nick was tossed back and forth as the elephants shook the vehicle, trying to make sense of what was happening at the moment.

"K-Krys! What's going on!?" Bellwether asked, as she tried to hold on to the fox doctor, who was holding her in return.

Bogo was trying to make sense of things as well, as he took was tossed and turned as the elephants shook the vehicle, seemingly trying to destroy it.

All of sudden, the whole world flipped for these four mammals, as the elephants, in a combined effort, flipped the van over on its side. Once they did, the three stood before the flipped vehicle, rose their arms, and cried out:

"Rock n' roll!"

At this, some of the mammals who had come after the elephants rose their paws and hooves in agreement, as if it was a celebration. However, the other mammals remained with their stony faces. Among them, a rhino and a cheetah who were walking to the flipped vehicle.

The ones inside were still recovering. Nick had his head pounding, and Bellwether was almost hanging as the chains on his cuffs were still bound to the chain that came from the ground, which was now turned to the side as the van had been flipped. Suddenly, the doors of the van were rip away from their hinges, as a rhino and a cheetah both peered inside.

Bellwether looked at them in fear, especially when the rhino came in her direction. However, the rhino simply ripped her chains from the ground, and started to pull the ewe out of the vehicle.

"H-hey! Who are you? What? Let me go!" The ewe cried, and Mieczyslaw was quick to recover.

"Dawn!" He cried out, and he seemed to be ready to do something, but the cheetah was faster. He advanced and smacked the fox on the face with the back of his hand, sending his with his head on the metal wall of the van. Soon the fox was slumping unconscious.

"Krys!" Bellwether cried out as she was carried by the rhino. Meanwhile, the cheetah reached out for the unconscious fox and pulled him by the leg without any care. Soon, the two mammals were being dragged out of the vehicle, leaving Nick behind.

"H-hey!" Nick said, now starting to recover, and instinctively reaching out for his gun and aiming up, but the two mammals were out of his vision now.

Suddenly, the vehicle started to move again. However, this movement was accompanied by booming and by the sound of glass breaking and metal bending, as the elephants who had flipped the van now looked like they wanted to smash it. Meanwhile, Bellwether and Mieczyslaw were both taken. The fox was not resisting due to being unconscious and with a line of blood leaking from a wound on his head, while the ewe was crying out, ordering the one carrying her to let her go despite the rhino clearly having no intention of obeying.

The crowd that had formed now had dispersed, as they wanted to avoid whatever was that that was happening. The mammals in there, both the ones who were acting crazy and the ones that looked like soldiers, were doing a very good job at intimidating the crowd, as it seemed that no one would dare to stand on their way.

However, Judy Hopps was not like most mammals.

She had been shocked to see the car being attacked by elephants, and even more when she saw these deranged mammals now trying to crush the car, with Nick and Chief Bogo still inside. However, the bunny didn't remained motionless for long, as she soon pulled out her dart gun and fired at one of the elephants, hitting his big behind.

"Rock n' roooooooll...~" The pachyderm said before slumping to the ground. The other two, however, seemed unfazed, and still determined to crush the car. Meanwhile, the other mammals seemed to have noticed where the shot came from, and had their attention turned to the bunny.

Judy had to run to avoid the bricks and stone swords that were throw her way. Luckily, help soon came, as the other officers were coming forth and given her back up as she came to them.

Meanwhile, the mammals who were inside of the building of the Superior Court were drawn outside by the sound of the ruckus that was going on. Sully was angry for having the interview that would make them famous interrupted, but that soon changed as he, along with the two enforcers and his two friends, saw what was going on outside.

"Oh, by Mieczyslaw..." Said Emilia as she looked at that, and she saw the car being stomped on. "Krys is in there!"

"And so is Bellwether." Marceli said, as they both looked at the scene.

"Man!" Sully said, "Patrick, are you recording this?"

"Looks like the interview will be for another time." Marceli said to the teenagers, "Emilia, we have work to do."

"Right!" The vixen said, and she pulled out something that she had hidden in her clothes, which looked like a short sword or another kind of similar weapon. Soon, both foxes were charging in direction to battle.

"Keep filming them!" Sully said to his hyena friend. "Patrick, keep filming them!"

Back on the place, the cops had formed a half-moon around the mammals, and they were trying to dart as much as they could. They successfully darted a few, but the others looked like they barely felt the darts on their bodies.

"We need to get them under control!" Judy said to her fellow officers. "And we need to get them away from the vehicle! Nick and the Chief are both there!"

"Okay, and how do we do it?" McHorn asked, as he took a break from firing to reload his dart gun. As he did, two blurs passed by them.

Emilia and Marceli both dashed in direction to the mammals, and they were able to dodge a few blows. It seemed that the foxes were skilled in close combat, as they were able to dodge the blows of the mammals and even deliver a few of their own. Emilia had just knocked out a rhino with a punch to his temple, while Marceli tripped a hippo with a swipe of his legs.

"Wow! These foxes can fight!" Said Delgato as he peered from the place he had been taking cover. McChill was by his side, and he was peering too, and he had to admit, even though begrudgingly, that these foxes had skills. As well as the other cops who were seeing them fight with the many mammals.

"Rock n' roll!"

"Rock n' roll!"

Some of the mammals continued to cry out as they were tried to hit the foxes, while the other half continued to attack in silence and with stony expressions.

"Hey, Uncle?" Emilia said, "The expression on their eyes…"

"Yeah, I noticed." Marceli said, as he and Emilia both got surrounded by the mammals.

Judy looked at them being surround, and a loud sound called her attention, making her look back at the two elephants who looked like they were still trying to platen out the police van and its occupants with it.

Oh, my gosh. Nick! She thought, and turned to the two foxes. "Nick and Bogo are still in that van!"

The foxes looked at her, and turned to the van in question. They share a look among themselves, with Emilia showing her blade to the tod. Marceli looked for a moment, and he nodded.

With this, the vixen reached out for something inside her clothes, and pulled out what seemed to be three pebbles. With swift movements, she placed the pebbles inside three holes that the blade had on its hilt. As soon as they were in place, she started to say something:

"Sowilo. Ansuz. Thurisaz. Mieczyslaw!"

With this, the blade of her weapon started to glow, and soon, it was involved in flames that glowed in the same light as the ones of the aurora. It was something quite spectacular, but not more than what she did next.

As the mammals around her tried to attack, she instantly swung the blade, and the flames jumped out of it and hit the mammals. Instantly, they were covered from head to toe on the glowing flames.

"By the Great Kings!" Delgato exclaimed on surprise.

"What the heck is that pelt doing!?" Said McChill as he, along with the other officers, saw as the mammals were engulfed in flames.

However, instead of starting to scream and beat their own bodies to put down the flames, the mammals were acting as if the flames didn't hurt them. However, they did started to slow down and, after around five seconds, the flames disappeared on their own, and the mammals feel to their knees. They looked around, panting and looking confused, but they were completely unharmed.

Emilia did not wasted her time, as she immediately dashed once more, charging through the mammals with surprising speed. Each time she moved, she swung her blade, sending forward tongues of the aurora fire into the mammals, and this fire quickly involved them, lingering on their bodies with flames of blue, green and purple colorations.

She soon covered all of the mammals who were attacking, and then, she turned to the van, which was now close of being truly smashed, and dashed to it. With a mighty jump, she made a mortal leap over the head of one of the elephants and landed on the van.

"Rock n' roll?" The elephant said, looking at the vixen. Emilia looked back at him with a smile and a wink, before she swung her blade once more, sending these flames into the two elephants' heads. The flames lingered on their heads, as the two stumbled backwards. They burned for solid seven seconds, before vanishing form their heads as if they had never existed and leaving behind no harm done to the pachyderms.

The two big mammals looked confused, as well as part of the mammals who had been hit by the flames. Some of the mammals had received no damage from the flames, and they had not been marked in any visible way, and not even their clothes had been damaged. All that happened to them was that they were left confused as to what had just happened.

However, the other half of the mammals who had been involved by the flames were not like that. For once the flames went off, they no longer looked the same, as their clothes had vanished, as well as their appearance as mammals. Now they looked like living statues made out of polished stone and with lenses in place of eyes.

"What the heck?" McChill asked, as he, like many others, didn't truly understood what had just happened.

What were these things?

Judy knew the answer, for she had seen something similar to it just days before.

"Golems…" The bunny said to herself as she looked at the mammal-like living statues.

These statues wasted no time, and they immediately tried to attack Marceli, only for the fox to dodge out of the way and place the pad of his paw into the chest of the thing.

"Hagalaz." The fox said, and immediately, his paw glowed on the point it touched the golem. As he removed his paw from there, now there was a runic symbol marked on the point he touched. With amazing agility and strength, the fox grabbed the golem by the arm and swung it hard, sending it crashing against another golem.

Many of the mammals cried out, and all of them scrambled away from the two things that were made of stone and looked like mammals. That was what Marceli expected.

Pointing his paw pad to the golem, Marceli said once more:

"Hagalaz."

With this, a symbol glowed on the paw of his pad and the symbol that had been printed on the golem (which was the exact same of his paw) glowed, right before it caused a combustion, resulting in an explosion that destroyed both golems, raising a wave of dust.

"What the!?" McChill said.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy exclaimed aloud as she witnessed that scene.

Many looked completely startled, and the mammals who had been attacking now were fleeing the scene. Meanwhile, Marceli just remained in place as he looked at the place where the two golems had just explode, his expression emotionless. Although it was possible to see his cheek twitching slightly...

"Uncle!" Emilia cried out as she saw one of the golems rushing to the black tod, its stone weapon on hand and ready to use it. The vixen wasted absolutely no time, as she flexed her legs and bounded forward. She covered a very good deal of ground on that. As the golem rose its weapon, Emilia gave two more bounds with her legs, and she was on the way on the moment that the weapon was going down on the tod.

The vixen managed to parry it with her own blade, and then, she managed to push back the golem. Right after, she clenched her fist, which glowed slightly, and she punched the golem on the chest.

This punch was enough to break the stone chest of the golem, which then crumbled to the ground. Its eye-lenses glowed a bit, before they went out.

Marceli looked back at her, and Emilia only smiled at him. However, this distraction was what it took for another golem to come at her, his weapon ready and striking. Luckily, Emilia was not hit, but the blow made her weapon fly out of her paw and fall away from her.

The vixen was surprised, but she recovered quickly. She looked at the golem who had attacked her, and immediately adopted a fighting stance. As she did, her fists both started to glow slightly, and she then charged at the golem. The stone creature immediately reacted, swinging its blade at the vixen, aiming for her neck. Emilia, however, used her closed fist to deflect the stone blade, and answered with a punch to the leg of the golem, completely shattering it and sending the stone being into the ground. As it was trying to get up Emilia, fast like a lightning, stepped over it and gave a punch to the head of the golem that completely shattered it.

More golems were coming, but Emilia was soon proving to be too much for them, as she dodged or deflected their weapons and answered with a flurry of punches and kicks that were able to shatter the stone that composed the bodies of the golems. All of that under the amazed eyes of the ZPD and of some of the mammals who had not ran away when the mess started. One or two of them were even filming the fight with their cellphones.

Emilia had already managed to break a few golems with this, and only four of them were left. Three of them were stepping back, apparently retreating from fighting the vixen, while another one, the biggest of the four, shaped like a rhino, was now advancing, and he was carrying a big stone sword that was almost as big as it was tall. It truly looked fearsome.

The golem swung the sword, and immediately, Emilia brought her two arms in front of her body, blocking the attack. However, the strength of the blow was still enough to send her flying back a few meters, landing painfully on the ground. Emilia grunted as she felt her arms sting in the place where the blade hit her.

The golem was charging for another attack, and the other mammals all looked in horror as it seemed that the vixen was going to meet her end.

However, Marceli was faster, as he rushed to the golem and jumped in a way that he came very close to the face of the golem. It seemed to startle it, as it stopped and stumbled backwards. Meanwhile, Marceli pulled out his own blade from his clothes, and immediately swung it. It didn't do a lot of damage, but it managed to leave a deep cut on the stone that was the body of the golem.

As the golem stumbled backwards, this was what Emilia needed to recover and to resume her attack, as she jumped over her uncle and deliver two successive punches on the chest of the golem, cracking the stone and forcing it to stumble backwards even more. Now both of the foxes took turns in attacking the golem, Emilia with her fists and Marceli with his dagger, and both of them successfully pushing the golem back.

At some point, the golem went down on one knee, and this was what Marceli needed. The black tod immediately thrust his paw into the chest of the golem, pressing his pad into it.

"Hagalaz!" The fox said, and his paw pad glowed, printing the runic symbol on the chest of the golem. The thing reacted quickly by trying to punch the fox. However, Marceli swiftly dodged the blow and pressed his paw on the arm of the thing, which once more glowed, and the rune was now printed on the arm of the golem. With one final movement, Marceli passed beneath the golem and pressed his paw on the leg, printing the rune a third time on the leg of the entity.

With this, Emilia clenched both of her fists and slammed them on the head of the golem as hard as she could. This caused cracks to appear on the head, but it did not shattered. However, it did made the golem stumble backwards and retreat, now grouping with the other three golems.

As the two foxes looked, they stood at a distance. Marceli simply raised his paw, the pad turned to the golem, and the rune tattooed on his pad glowed. Immediately, the three identical runes that had been printed on the body of the golem glowed, before they reacted violently, causing the three marks to explode at the same time.

The result was a big explosion that startled all of the mammals around. Many of them ducked out of the way or fell flat on their rumps from the scare. Pieces of broken stone and golem parts flew everywhere.

As soon as the dust settled, there was a small crater where once was the rhino-like golem, and broken pieces of it and the other golems laid around, like pieces of broken toys.

"Wow…" Someone standing near Judy said, as she, along with everyone, looked at the two foxes, baffled at what they had just witnessed. Judy continued to look at them as they turned around and ran in direction to the broken van.

Nick!

Judy soon bounded as she rushed to the broken van. The two foxes arrived there first, and they were already climbing on it to look inside.

"Krys? Krys!" Emilia said, as she looked through the open door, hoping to see her cousin inside, but she only saw Officer Wilde in there.

"Krys, are you there? Krys?" She said, and as she did, her uncle came by her side and looked inside. Right at this same moment, Judy hopped into the van and looked inside too.

"Nick!" She cried out as she saw her fox friend. "Nick, are you okay?"

Nick recovered a little bit, feeling his body.

"Do I look like a red pancake?"

"No."

"Then I'm fantastic!" The fox said, and Marceli had been looking around, and he saw no signs of the ewe or of his nephew.

"Where is Bellwether?"

"And where's Krys?"

"They took them." Nick said to them, "Before the elephants started to try and crush this like a soda can, a rhino and a cheetah came and took Bellwether and the doctor."

"Did they came to free her?" Judy asked, wondering if this was all a plan to help Bellwether escape.

"Well, she didn't wanted like she wanted to go with them, she was trashing." Nick explained. "The doctor tried to save her, but they knocked him out, and then they took both of them away."

"Took them where?" Marceli asked, to which nick answered.

"I don't know, what was when the elephants started to pound the van and I started to feel as if I was in a trash compactor."

Judy didn't truly liked this metaphor, as the image of Nick being crushed under the metal truly disturbed her.

"Oh, Nick..." Judy said to him, "I'm so glad you are okay."

"I'm okay too." Bogo's voice suddenly said, coming from the front seat. "Thank you very much for asking."

Judy suddenly remembered that the Chief was in the van too, and she felt ashamed of herself for forgetting.

"Oh, sorry Chief! Are you okay?"

"Got a bump on my forehead, and feel like I'm inside a sardine can, but other than that I'm fine." The buffalo said, "What is happening out there? I heard explosions."

"Just dealing with some problems." Marceli said to them, "But, are you sure you didn't saw where the mammals took Bellwether and Krystin?"

"Yeah, we were kind of distracted when the elephants decided to try and smash the van with us inside. I guess they only wanted these two." Nick said, he tried to move, but the van had been significantly damaged, and it was hard to move inside. "Could you guys give me a paw getting out of here?"

"We need to find Krystin and Bellwether." Marceli said, and Bogo agreed with him.

"He is right." The buffalo said, "We need to find these two before the ones who took them go too far. Set up a perimeter around the area and start searching."

Judy wanted to stay there with her partner, but she knew that Bogo was right, and even Nick agreed, as he told her to find the doctor and the ewe. Judy nodded, and soon, she and the two foxes were moving away from the van, while the other officers came to check on them.

"We need to move now." Judy said to Delgato and McChill.

"What about the Chief?" McChill said.

"He and Officer Wilde are okay, but they are stuck into the van." The bunny said, "But we need to find Bellwether and Dc. Mieczyslaw. During the attack they both were taken by the mammals. We need to set up a perimeter and start to search for them right now!"

With this, the cops were quickly mobilized, and they started to go around looking for the ewe and fox who were being carried by a rhino and a cheetah. They looked for a while stablishing a perimeter. As Judy looked, she suddenly saw Trunkaby coming nearby, he looked wounded and panting.

"Hey, hey!" McChill said to him, "Take deep breaths." The polar bear said, and he panted as he tried to say something, but he was too winded to actually talk.

"T-they were attacking everyone." The elephant said, "T-they were taking them inside and attacking who tried to leave. T-then these ones came from the outside carrying Bellwether and a fox."

Judy had been walking on their direction to talk to the elephant, and she heard what he just said.

"Wait! Did you saw Bellwether and Dc. Mieczyslaw?" She asked, looking at the elephant, who looked back at her.

"Y-yeah… They were being carried by a cheetah and a rhino, Bellwether looked like she wanted to escape and the fox was unconscious. I passed by them when I was getting out of the mall, before they blocked the door. T-they are in there now."

"So, they took Bellwether inside the mall?" Judy asked, "Are they holding them inside?"

"They are holding everyone inside." The elephant said, "There are a lot of mammals in there who area attacking everyone. Many crazy mammals screaming 'rock and roll' and stuff, breaking the stores and vandalizing the place. And also all of these mammals that don't show emotion and attack everyone and drag them away. They took the entire mall. I managed to get out before they blocked the front exit, but there is still a lot of mammals inside. It looks like they are taking the entire mall hostage!"

Judy looked at him for a few moments, as her eyes widened. She looked back at the mall, now seeing a lot of mammals gathered around the entrance, and the front doors really looked like they had been blocked with whatever was handy. She felt a sense of dread as she realized that Trunkaby was saying the truth.

By Frith! My family is in there! And so are Ben and the others!

The inside of the mall, bursting with activity and happy mammals just an hour ago, now was deserted and almost looking like a scene out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Broken windows on the stores. Trash everywhere, coming from turned and destroy trashcans. There were even some areas with vegetation around that had been set on fire.

The mammals who had not managed to flee the mall now had either been taken by these guys who took the place or hiding. As it was the case of a certain cheetah.

Benjamin Clawhauser peered over a corner, checking if there was no one on the way, or if there was anything in there that could mean problem. As soon as he saw that the coast was clear, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief and to continue to walk.

Benjamin was still asking himself how something like that could have happened. It was everything so perfect. Everyone was calm and happy. Benjamin himself was happy. Then all of sudden, it was a mad dash for survival and to try and get away from the mammals who were attacking everyone and breaking the mall.

Mammals were running, almost stepping over each other, as they tried to escape the madness as fast as they could. Many mammals seemed to have managed to find their way out, however, Ben was pretty sure that many, like himself, had ended up stranded in the place.

However, what was worse was that, in the middle of the running and the mess of mammals screaming and trying to escape, he had gotten lost from the mammals who were with him. The many bunnies and the thylacine had disappeared from his sight, as they were taken by the tide of running mammals, and now their fate was unknown.

Ben was worried about Chloe Fanghanel, for he already saw that these mammals had no qualms on attacking female and cubs. However, he also knew that she was with Eliot, and he saw how protective the wolf was of her, as he alone fend off two rhinos who tried to get to her, and Ben was pretty sure that Eliot was with her wherever she was.

His greater worry was the Hoppses. Now, he didn't considered them helpless just for being bunnies, but he was sure that they had not the same skills that Judy had. Not only that, but there was a really young and defenseless bunny with them. The thought that something could have happened to them after they got separated from Ben. The cheetah was not sure how he would be able to face Hopps if that happened.

Suddenly, a noise behind himself made the cheetah snap back into reality, letting out a surprised squeal as he instinctively turned around on fighting stance, only to find a very scared gazelle looking back at him.

However, Ben soon realized that this was not just any gazelle. But that it was Gazelle herself.

The popstar had a tear on her dress, and she was limping from one of her legs. She had a wound on her thigh, and while not seeming to be big, it was bleeding and looked like it was quite painful.

She was panting as she looked at him, and it was clear in her eyes that she was scared. Ben quickly recomposed himself, not wanting to make her more nervous than she already clearly was.

"H-hey." Ben said, trying to think of what to say now, but Gazelle beat him to it.

"I-I got lost from my friends." She said, and Ben knew that she was referring to the two tigers. "They were trying to take me to an exit, but we got ambushed. T-they came from all sides, and the two tried to fend them off, but they were many… T-they told me to run and… a-and I just…"

She was shaking and Ben knew what he needed to do. He walked to her and gently held her by the shoulders.

"I-its okay." Ben said to her. "Calm down. Take deep breaths. It will be okay, I'm here now."

Gazelle held back into him, and she looked into his eyes.

"C-could you help me?" She asked, her voice was shaken and, to Ben, it seemed that she was fighting back the urge to cry. "I-I don't know the place. I'm lost and I don't know where to go."

Truth was, Ben too didn't knew where to go, and he was pretty sure that he had gotten lost as well. However, there was no way that he could bring himself to say something like that to someone who was in need, especially when it came to his idol.

Of course, under any other circumstance, Ben would be giddy and bubbly for having the chance to be face to face with Gazelle and to talk to her. Goodness Gracious, he was actually touching her right now. However, this was a moment of danger and tension, and he knew that there was no space for fanboying right now.

She didn't needed a crazy fan at the moment, she needed someone who could actually help her.

And Ben was willing and ready to be that someone.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The appearance of the golem at the entrance was something that attracted a lot of attention, just as it did as the golem went back to the mall. That initial impression passed, the cops once more had retreat back to the tent, and once in there, they now were looking at the thing that the golem delivered to Marceli.

"Didn't knew that there were still some of these around." Nick said, as he looked at the apparatus. It was a cell phone. Not the modern day carrot phones that you could buy at the stores. The thing was massive, and it looked heavy. It looked pretty much like one of the earliest models of mobile phone that were release on the early 80s.

"Seriously, that thing should be at a museum."

The other animals were around the table, either standing on a chair (for the smaller ones) or just standing there (for the bigger ones), as some of them were trying to understand why the phone had been given. However, it seemed that the Enforcers really know.

"They will be calling through this." Marceli said, "It is pretty obvious."

"Well, they could at least have gotten a more up to date model? I mean, where did they even get that thing?" Nick asked, still amazed that there was a thing like that around, or that people would still use it. Part of him was not surprised, for he had heard how mages were with technology, but still, it was amazing that they would resort to something like that.

Suddenly, the thing came to life, playing an old tune to signal that it was calling.

There was a rush among the cops, as Marceli calmly reached out for it, pressing a button and taking it to his head.

"Hello?" He said, and the answer came from the phone.

"Yes, I can hear you." The fox said, and he listened a few more.

"My name is Marceli Mieczyslaw, of the Mieczyslaw clan."

He listened intently at what the one on the other end of the phone was saying. The fox frowned a little bit, and some could sworn that his lips curled a bit in a snarl.

"Please, don't call me that." The fox said patiently, and the one on the other end seemed to carry on. The fox nodded as he listened. He kept in silence at all the times, and he was good at keeping his expression neutral. However, to some, like Nick, it was easy to say that the fox was becoming tense with what he was hearing. After a while, the fox simply lowered the phone, placing it back in the table, before he sighed.

Everyone else stared at him as he simply stood there, his expression empty. That mammal looked like he was the king of poker face.

"So?" One of the officers around finally said. "What did they said?"

Marceli sighed, and he said:

"They have taken over the mall; there are groups of golems and mammals under the effect of hypnosis as their mammalpower. They have blocked the doors and reinforced them with spells, and they will know if we try to force them open. There are groups of hostages under watch on each floor, each one surrounded by a group under their control and if they realize we are trying to break in, the groups will be harmed. They also said that there are mages hired by them inside the mall to provide additional force, probably freelancers, though I can think about very few who would be willing to do something like this."

The fox explained to it all with a lot of professionalism, and his expression and voice didn't wavered even for a second. Everyone shared looks as they heard to what the fox said, and it was Judy who spoke:

"Did they mention anything about the hostages?" She asked, "They said their names or what kind of mammals they were?"

"Only that they had them in good number and that they were divided in groups spread over the floors." The fox said, "And that they would pay dearly if we tried to invade the mall by force."

Judy tensed a bit, once more worrying about the safety of her relatives, who could probably be among the groups of hostages. Nick placed a paw on her shoulder to comfort her, as he looked at the black tod, and asked:

"Did they demanded anything?"

Marceli looked at him, and for a moment, it seemed that he was debating if he should or not tell them. Eventually, he said:

"They want back what we took from them."

The mammals on the room shared looks among themselves.

"And, that would be...?" Nick asked again, and the black tod looked at him.

"The wooden box that you and Officer Hopps brought to us a few days ago, along with the golem remains."

Nick blinked, and so did Judy. The cops shared a look among themselves.

"They are taking the whole mall over that!?" Nick asked, and the fox looked back at him.

"So it seems." He sounded neutral as he spoke that, and the other mammals around shared looks.

"Well, then maybe you should give it to them." Someone suggested, making the eyes turn to the said mammal, including the eyes of the black tod.

"That is exactly what I don't plan to do." The black tod said, causing all of the other mammals in the room to look at him.

"Excuse me?" The polar bear said, looking at the fox. "You mean that there are mammals being threatened by a crazed mage, and you are saying that you will do nothing about it?"

His tone was aggressive as he spoke that, and some actually flinched. However, the black tod remained impassive.

"I didn't said that. I just said that I don't intent to give them what they want."

"And why would be that? If I may ask." The polar bear said; arms crossed as he looked at the fox.

"First of all, because we have no guarantee that they will actually release the hostages if we give it to them." The fox said to them, "Which is part of the reason why many police force departments have a policy of not attending to the demands of kidnappers and terrorists. Unless I'm mistaken." The tod said, and the polar bear saw himself forced to admit. There truly were no guarantees that the one responsible for this would actually release the hostages once the demand was meet.

"And second, because if they are willing to go this far to have that back, this means that it must be important enough for them to ignore the danger that comes from exposing themselves like that." The fox continued, "And if the MTC wants the box back this bad, then it might be a good idea to keep that out of their paws."

"MTC?" McChill asked, looking at the fox. "You know who is behind this?" The polar bear asked.

Nick and Judy shared a look. This was not the first time they heard about the MTC, as it had been told to them by the enforcers themselves what they were about.

"Sure do." The fox admitted, "They are a criminal organization composed by mages. One of their main forms of business is producing and selling golems like the ones that we saw back there." He explained, looking at the bear, "The style of the golems is hard to mistake, these golems were made by the MTC."

Everyone talked among themselves as they took in the information that the fox had just gave them.

"You said that they sell these things?" Another officer said, "So, it could maybe be someone else using golems they bought from them?"

"Not likely." The fox said, "Just a few days ago, Officers Wilde and Hopps have brought the box, saying that they apprehended it from an attempt of trade between a freelancer and a member of the MTC. Now the very same box is being demanded in exchange for hostages? To me it seems that the MTC wants their package back."

Everyone took in what the fox told them, and this was causing them to get increasingly worried. A group of criminal mages that now wanted something that they truly want back? Like the mobs that they were used to hear about and sometimes deal with? This could not end well...

"Well, they will not have that back." Emilia said, and Marceli nodded.

"Indeed, for all that we know of the MTC, giving it to them would only cause them to consider the hostages as disposable. Also, the fact that a criminal group is taking such an elevated interest in that box and its contents is surely motive to worry." The fox said, and everyone looked at them. Some of them agreed with the fox, but others were worried that denying the responsible what they wanted could bring grave consequences to the hostages.

"So, what do we do now?" Nick asked, and the black tod looked back at him.

"Now we wait." He said simply, and some of the cops looked at him.

"And...?" Judy said, and the fox looked at her.

"And that's it."

Everyone stared at the black fox, and it was McChill who said something:

"So, you plan of action is just sit around and do nothing?" The bear said, sounding a bit outraged, and Marceli looked at him. "Well, you enforcers are surely proving to be quite useless right now."

"McChill, please!" Judy said, trying to make the bear stand down. However, she too didn't really liked the idea of just sitting and doing nothing while her family was in danger. However, she already understood that they were in a difficult position.

"What else can we do?" The fox said, looking at the bear. "We can't give them what they want."

"Yes, but we can rescue the hostages!"

"Without knowing where they are?" The fox retorted, "It would most likely only bring us trouble, as we will be inside without being able to help them at all. Not to mention that they surely have placed bounded fields within the doors, so if we break in, they will surely know and order the hostages to be executed. We would basically risk ourselves by going inside only to find corpses."

Everyone flinched with the way that the fox was speaking. It was not because he was aggressive or anything, but because he spoke it with an absolute sureness, as if he knew that this was exactly what was going to happen.

"Still, this is no reason to only sit around and do nothing!"

"We cannot do anything in the state things are now!" The fox shot back, now raising his voice. "We cannot go inside to rescue them and put ourselves in danger without even knowing their precise location! So, as far as I can tell, we all have our paws tied! Unless you have another idea! Do you have another idea, Officer McChill? If you do, please share with us!"

"Why you filthy pelt." The polar bear said, his lips curling as he snarled at the fox. "You are just a coward little-"

"McChill!"

A booming voice suddenly broke what was developing, and everyone turned around to look at the newcomer.

At the entrance of the tent, stood Chief Bogo, still on his uniform. They finally had managed to open the car enough that the buffalo was able to get out of it. Like Nick, he had been lucky enough to get only some bruises from the whole episode. It seemed that Nick was not the only lucky animal on the force.

"Chief." Someone said, and the Cape buffalo only looked at the scene that was unfolding before him.

"I stay away for some minutes, and when I arrive I see mammals who were supposed to be working together ready to go at each other's necks." The buffalo said. McChill was quickly to try to justify himself.

"Chief, the enforcers know who is the responsible for this event! They have been withholding information from us!" The polar bear said as he pointed an accusing finger at the foxes. Both of them looked indifferent under the accusations of the bear. The buffalo looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"The ones behind this event are the MTC." The black tod said to the buffalo. "And truth is; we have had knowledge that they were in the city for a while now. Ever since your officers brought the box and the golem remains to us four days ago. We didn't had how to predict that something like that would happen, but we should have gave the threat more attention."

"Darn right you should, pelt!" McChill said, and Bogo was quick to react:

"Enough, McChill!"

The way that the buffalo spoke was to make it clear that he wanted it to stop. It was efficient, as it made everyone in the tent, even the ones who were not taking part or paying attention in the squabble between the polar bear and the foxes, to stop and look at the buffalo, who was now looking at the polar bear.

"But, Chief..."

"Don't come 'but, Chief' with me, you are not eleven and I'm not your father!" The buffalo said, cutting the polar bear. "Yeah, the enforcers could have shared an information with us but they didin't, and this came back to bite all of us, but throwing the blame at them will not solve our situation. We need to think of a way of solving it, and this means working together. So you better stop with this attitude right now!"

The polar bear surely flinched as he heard that from his boss. He looked like he still wanted to try to justify himself. However, the look that the buffalo was giving him was preventing him of actually saying anything. So, the ursine simply looked away. This was a clear sign that he had been defeated.

Bogo seemed satisfied with this, and he turned to the black fox.

"So, since I lost a little of what happened while they were getting my out of that van, could someone please tell me what I missed?"

The black tod was glad to give to him the information that he needed. He told him about the golems, about the phone call, and even gave him a quick briefing about the ones that they believed to be behind the event.

"We really should have given this more attention." The black tod said, "The MTC is a big problem, all of the enforcers know that."

"Yeah, they really seem to be." The buffalo agreed, as he mentally repassed all that the fox explained to him. "You are right, in the state things are in, we cannot simply go inside. It would put the hostage and ourselves at risk."

"So, what do we do?" Judy asked, looking up at her boss, and the buffalo looked down at her.

"We plan and try to find a way." The buffalo said.

"And meanwhile, we wait." The black tod said, and Bogo agreed with him. It seemed that it was finally enough for the cops, as they all agreed.

Some were still not quite satisfied with this. For example, McChill still could not accept to just stand down and wait for something to happen, mainly because it will mean that he would listen to two foxes. The other one was Judy, but that was because she still was dead worried about her family, but she recognized that she could not really do anything, at least not in the current state of things.

Soon the cops were on their way, as they continued to move back and forth to gather information and come up with a way to get into the mall and rescue the hostages.

"You sure that this is how we'll go, boss?" Asked McHorn, as the rhino accompanied the buffalo away from the table.

"Right now it is the best we can do." The buffalo said to him. "As soon as we have a plan we will be able to get things going. I just hope that we don't get killed trying to rescue the mammals inside."

"Well, if that fox goes with us then I won't be worried." The rhino said, "He can just touch the golems and make them explode."

This caused Bogo to stop, and he looked at the rhino.

"What did you said?"

"Yeah, the fox can make things explode after touching them." The rhino said to the buffalo, who had wide eyes. "He did it with the golems back there. It was freaky, to be honest. I don't want to know if he could do that with mammals."

With that, the rhino walked off, going to make his duty. Meanwhile, Bogo stood where he was, looking at the departing rhino, before he turned his look at the table, at the black fox that was discussing with his niece.

Making them explode after touching them...

This sounded awfully familiar to Bogo. The only difference was that of the species. Mieczyslaw was a fox, not a wolf...

A group of mammals was walking on the hallways of the mall, which seemed like the empty streets of an abandoned town. All the while, the mammals continued to make some noise as they went, kicking down anything that was still standing, and putting their paws and hooves up while they cried "rock n' roll!" and stuff.

They looked like a very troublesome bunch, the kind that others would want to avoid at any cost. Of course, it would be hard since the mall was currently under siege by these mammals, as well as by the golems that companied them. This particular group had two golems, which walked alongside the seven crazed mammals, following obediently and in silence.

The group passed by some more trashcans, and they kicked one of them, sending it to the ground, before they continued their way, calling out and making a fuss.

There were a few minutes of silence, before one of the fallen trashcans said:

"I think they are gone now."

With this, from the trashcan that was still standing, the lid was remove by someone on the inside, before a blue-eyed female thylacine peeked out, looking around. From the trashcan on the ground, a male wolf with white fur and wearing a ZPD uniform forced the lid out of the trashcan and crawled out of the fallen container.

Once he was out, Eliot Fanghanel soon was helping his wife out of her own trashcan.

He felt kind of bad for making her hide in there, but he had to think fast when he realized that there was another group coming their direction and they would not have time to make a run for it.

It was bad enough that they had been unlucky to not being able to get out of the place before the exits got blocked by the guys. The last thing they needed now was to be catch by these groups and truly become hostages, or worse...

"Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go." Eliot said, as he and his wife sneaked past the empty hallways. The wolf made it sure to keep the female thylacine as close to him as possible. She was almost too close, but for Eliot she was just close enough for him to be able to protect her in a moment's notice.

"Don't worry, we will find a way out." The wolf said to her. The past three paths that they tried to find that could lead to an exit were being covered by these living statues and by the crazed 'rock n' roll' guys. They were also watching the stairs, escalators and elevators, in a way that these options were not viable to move between a floor and another. There was also the fact that these groups were still walking across the hallways, apparently looking for more mammals to capture.

This forced the two mammals to sneak around to avoid capture by them, for they had already seen that they could be aggressive.

Eliot was holding his wife's paw as he guided her across the pathways, and he was determined to get his dear Pumpkin out of danger. She looked so troubled right now, that it just teared Eliot's heart.

"Eliot." She said, immediately granting him to look at her. "Maybe... Maybe I could help. Maybe I can help you take down some of these mammals."

"No way." Eliot said, quite more incisively than what he usually did. "No way am I letting you fight these wackos and those freakish walking statues! It is too dangerous." He looked at her, and stopped for a moment to take her paws into his own and look in her eyes.

"If worst comes to worst, I want you to run as fast as you can and hide."

"But, Eliot..." She said, but the wolf cut her off.

"I'll try to buy you as much time as I can, so you can escape." He said, looking at her lovingly in the eyes. "I'll not let them touch you."

"Eliot..."

"You can leave everything to me." He said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll get you covered."

"Oh, Eliot." Chloe said, looking in the devoted eyes of her husband. "Why are you always like that?"

"Hey, I promised when we married that I would always protect you, didn't I?" The wolf said with a shrug. "Seriously, I put it in my vows. It was between the eternal undying love and the promise to never ever keep secrets from you."

Chloe looked at him. He hoped this would ease her mind with his words. However, she seemed to have become even sadder at this. Could it be because she was truly worried about him?

She was about to say something...

"Rock n' roll!"

The two mammals stood in attention as they heard the familiar cries of more of these crazed mammals. Eliot wasted no time, as he soon was pulling his wife by the paw and urging her to run.

The calls of "rock n' roll" were coming after them. That group seemed to be going on the same direction that they were going. Eliot was about to turn a corner, but he stopped in the last moment, causing Chloe to also stop and lean against the wall as the wolf peered over the corner.

Two of the living statues were just around the corner, standing in there as if they were guarding something. They were there most likely for how it was an important path to move to the other side of that floor, so someone who was walking around and trying to escape would most likely pass by them and be capture.

However, this also meant that, if they could get past them, they would surely be in advantage. Eliot understood that almost immediately, and his mind already came up with a plan.

"There are two of the statue guys in there." He said to his wife. "I'll distract them and you use this chance to run."

"What about you?" She asked, and Eliot was quick to some up with an answer.

"I'll be fine. I just have to get past them and reach you. You just worry on running while they are distracted with me. We gotta do it now."

Indeed, the voices of the crazed mammals were getting closer, indicating that they would soon reach Eliot and his wife, spot them, and then it would really be problem. They needed to get away, and the only way now was past these stone guys.

It was now or never, and Eliot soon was able to convince his wife of that.

"Ready..." The wolf said, with his wife really close to him, as he got ready mentally for what he was about to do.

This gotta be one of my craziest ideas, and that's really saying a lot. The wolf thought to himself, right before:

"Now!"

Eliot immediately jumped across the corner, and waved his arms.

"Hey, stone dudes!" The wolf cried, causing both of the beings made of rock to look at him with their lenses/eyes. "Did you guys run out from some square or maybe the entrance of a hotel? I wonder if the pigeons knew that you guys are hiding here!"

The two beings soon were going in direction to the wolf, both of them with sure steps, and it looked like they had no hurry. Eliot took this chance to walk around, moving himself farther from the corner, to be sure the stone dudes would not have it in their sight, and Chloe would be able to sneak past them while he had them distracted.

"So, did you guys decided to take a break from just standing still all the time?" Eliot taunted, as the two statues had their "eyes" on him all the time. "Well, can't really blame you, I just feel like walking if I stay in a place for too long."

As they got closer to him, and the wolf continued to move, the two stone creatures were farther from the corner, until they almost had their backs turned to it.

"So, what is like to be a statue?" Eliot asked, having an eye at the two creatures, although he was also looking behind them, at his wife, who was already giving the first steps to sneak past them and get moving.

"Do you guys try to make competitions like, 'who stops to take more selfies near me', or 'how many pigeons leave love packages in me', or something...?" He did, and his wife was taking this chance to move. She stopped for a moment to look at him with a worried expression, before sprinting into running. As Eliot saw that, he knew that now was the time for him too to try to get away.

"See you around, pebble-heads!" The wolf said, as he suddenly dashed, aiming to go after his wife. However, he stopped and yipped as he felt stony fingers wrapping around his tail.

Hearing this, Chloe stopped and her tracks and turned around, seeing her husband being hold by one of the golems.

"Eliot!"

"Hey! Only my Pumpkin can grab my tail!" The wolf said, and turned around, immediately moving his leg into a kick to the groin of the stone creature.

It connected, and the scene froze for two seconds, as Eliot's face change from the angry determination to one of surprised pain. Soon, the Wolf was shrinking to the ground, whining and holding his ankle as he curled into a ball.

Meanwhile, the stone being was standing before him, raising its primitive sword made of chipped stone, ready to strike. Eliot looked up, and he saw that weapon ready to come down at him.

The wolf held his breath, as flashes of his life went through his eyes.

This is terrible... I'll never met me future pups. I'll never see Judy and Nick getting married. I'll never be able to renew my vows with Pumpkin on our 40th anniversary!

The wolf could only look and wait for the weapon to come down and end his life.

The weapon came down. However, it didn't connected with Eliot's body.

For, in the moment it came down, something flew across the air and stood in between the wolf and the weapon. The thing was translucent, but it was solid enough that the blade was stop by it. Right after, the thing projected back into the golem, pushing it back as it disappeared in thin air.

Eliot blinked, confused as to what had just transpired. As he did, his ears picked out some familiar voice speaking something that he didn't understood.

Looking back, he saw Chloe walking forward, determination on her face and her arms rose to her sides, as she kept chanting something. As she did, shapes were moving around her, seemingly coming out of her body. They were not very clear at first, but they got more solid as they moved out of her body. Not only that, but they changed from the invisible to the more visible, as if they were really materializing from an energy that came from her body.

Eliot watched with wide eyes as shapes materialized coming from his wife, taking the shape of ghosts. They had long and slender bodies, that made it look like they were wearing long coats over their bodies, and their heads were those of thylacines. They floated around Chloe as she finished the chanting, and now the ghosts stood around her.

"C-Chloe?" Eliot said, looking at his wife. She met his eyes, and her expression wavered for a second. However, she soon recovered her fierce expression, as she turned her eyes to the golems.

"Yau Yee!" The thylacine said, as she made a sweeping gesture. On cue, the entities that had formed around her now went ablaze in blue flames, turning into literal flaming ghosts. With another gesture, two of the flaming entities flew across the air, turning into fire comets, which connected with the golems, forcing them to stumble backwards.

Eliot looked over to see the golems stumbling back from the attacks of the flaming ghosts. They stumbled back as more ghosts flew to them, hitting them one after the other, forcing the creatures to stumble down, until they fell to the ground.

Next, Chloe said a few more words, and the remaining ghosts flew to the golems and wrapped around them. Soon after, Chloe made a single gesture and the ghosts all combusted, generating an explosion that was strong enough to destroy both of the golems.

The force of the blast caused Eliot to be force back, sending him with his back into the ground.

The wolf remained where he fell, his expression unmoving as his eyes still wide. He almost didn't reacted when Chloe came into his view.

"Eliot." She said, looking at him. "Eliot, honey, are you okay? Eliot? Eliot!"

The wolf blinked, as he took a few seconds to focus on his wife.

"Chloe?" He asked, and he seemed a bit lost. Soon, the female thylacine was helping him on his feet. Meanwhile, someone reached them.

"Rock n' roll!"

The two mammals looked, as they saw a group of mammals coming in their direction. A rhino, followed by two tigers. They had a vicious look on their faces, combined with crazed smiles that made them all seem like they were psychotic. One of the tigers was even foaming from the mouth, as if he was rabid.

Eliot was about to react, when his wife stepped forward and chanted a few words.

Soon, three more apparitions emanated from her body, floating by her side silently, and she swiftly made a gesture in direction to the advancing mammals.

"Bung!"

Immediately, the ghosts shot forward, flying in direction to the mammals. They met as the mammals continued to run in direction to the two. The three tried to attack the ghosts with their fists and claws, only for them to phase right through the entities. As they did, the entities wrapped around them, in a manner not too different from a snake wrapping around a victim.

The mammals looked like they didn't felt anything at first. However, soon they were becoming slower, and they looked like they were having problem to stand up.

"Rock n'… roll." Said the rhino, as he fell to his knees, before laying on the ground, where the two tigers already were. The three were now struggling on the ground, as if they were trying to get up but were unable to. The apparitions were still wrap around them, and it seemed that they were the responsible for keeping them on the ground like that, unable to get up.

Eliot blinked as he looked at that, but he was broken out of it as he felt his wife's paw grab his own.

"That will hold them for a while, but more may come." She said, causing him to look at her. "We gotta hurry."

"Huhhh. Yeah. Let's go." The wolf said, as now it was his wife that was guiding him away. As they went, Eliot couldn't help but look back, at the mammals that were still trying to get up, but were prevented by the entities on them that shifted from translucent to transparent and nearly invisible...

"What do you think that sound was?" Cameron asked, as he followed right behind Vicky. The vixen was going forward as she and the beagle both tried to find a way out of the mall. However, that was proving hard, once it seemed that there were these stone creatures blocking all of the exits.

"It sounded like an explosion." The beagle said, and Vicky said nothing in return. However, she knew very well that things were probably getting more and more complicated.

Vicky cursed the fact that she and Cameron had both been toss aside by the crowd as everyone was fleeing from there as fast as they could. By the time they recovered, they were force to run in a different direction to escape from all of the crazed mammals that were attacking everyone, as well as the stone creatures that now were patrolling the place along with them and capturing anyone who they could find.

"We need to get out of here." The vixen said to him, "Maybe we can find some place that is not being guarded by the moving statues."

"You mean the golems?" Cameron said, and Vicky looked at him.

"Golems?"

"Well, they look like that." The beagle said to her. "I used to play B&B when I was younger. Golems were one of the foes that you faced. They were create by wizards using stone or other materials. These guys pretty much look like it."

The vixen looked at him, and she had to admit that he had a point. She too felt that the term "golem" felt a bit familiar to her, as something that she would often hear young ones and geeks talking about, or hear about in some series or movies, but wouldn't give too much attention in real life. Well, it seems that this had changed, along with many other things. Apparently, golems were a real thing now.

She looked at her partner, and saw that he was still carrying the camera over his shoulder and pointing it at her. Vicky couldn't help but stare. The red light of the camera was still on, showing that it was recording.

"You know, maybe it would be easier to sneak around if you stopped filming and put that down."

"No way, I need to get images of this." The beagle said, "When we get out, they will want to know how we did it, and this video will be very important."

Vicky sighed, as she knew that there was no point in discussing with Cameron. That dog could be quite stubborn when he wanted to, especially when it came to doing his job. She just told him to be careful and that, if they really got into trouble, he should just drop the camera and run, to which the beagle agreed.

They both continued to move across the empty hallways. As they did, they noticed that some of the golems and of the crazed mammals were moving to a certain direction. Apparently, they were going into the direction from which came that distant noise that they heard a while before. A noise that somehow sounded like an explosion, according to Cameron.

This was bad because it meant they moved more across the hallways, increasing the chances of them bumping into the sneaking mammals. However, it was also good; for it meant that they would go into that direction and would not pay much attention to what was happening around them. This gave the two mammals a better chance to sneak around without being see and of maybe finding a way out of the mall.

However, that was proving to be hard for them. They had already walked a good deal, and they were now on the part of the mall that looked like a miniature version of Tundratown. The place was a bunch of frozen plateaus all over each other, with many stores on their inside, and a layer of frost covering the ground, as a cold artic wind blew softly, companied by a light snow that fell from somewhere more above.

The two barely minded the breeze and the snow inside of a building. First, because it was not weirder than the fact that the mall was so much bigger on the inside than on the outside. Second, because at the moment it was more important for them to focus on a way to get out of there in safety.

The two were just sneaking across the place, the sounds of the fresh snow crushing under their feet sounding deafening in the silence. They just crossed a corner when they almost bumped into two other mammals.

There was some brief noise as the two pairs of mammals startled each other. However, they soon calmed down when each duo saw that the other one was not a golem and was not acting like a crazed mammal. Cameron and Vicky actually felt even gladder when they saw that one of the other duo was wearing a ZPD uniform.

The wolf presented himself as "Officer Eliot Fanghanel", and the two quickly wanted him to help them. However, they were a bit crestfallen when they found out that the cop, along with them, was also trying to find a way out while running from the other mammals. He had used all of his darts to dart the crazed mammals, now he found himself armed only with his baton, and he was trying to find a way out of there along with the thylacine, who happened to be his wife.

"I think we attracted some attention." Chloe said, looking over her shoulder. "We should look for a place to hide." The others were quick to agree with the suggestion of the female. They put themselves to walk for a while, and soon, they found refuge in an "alleyway" that was set between two stores, opening space for the restrooms. No crazed mammals or golems in there, and so, the four mammals were now able to take a breather in there as they finally were able to gather their thoughts.

"So, what do we do now?" Cameron asked, "What does police training says about this situation?"

"Well, it usually says to find a safe place and proceed carefully." The wolf said, rubbing the back of his head. "It also says that you should call for backup, which I tried a while ago, but I think my radio died, I try to use it and I only get static. Does anyone has a cellphone?"

That was a no go. The cellphones didn't had signal, and even the Wi-Fi was gone, as they could not make calls or send messages. It seemed that all ways that they could use to contact the exterior world were gone from their reach. Even the camera, which was capable of transmitting live when needed, seemed that it could not transmit any images back, as it could only record.

They had to find another way.

"Maybe we can contact someone on the outside by other way."

"What other way? Smoke signals? We are not even close to a window."

"Yeah, it seems that we are on our own in here."

A silence followed these words, and Eliot was the one who spoke.

"In these occasions, they teach us to try and keep surveillance. It is important to have a way to keep watch over the place to deal with possible ambushes. But this won't be possible here." The wolf said, "Not only we cannot talk to anyone, but we also have no way of making surveillance of the place. We don't know where the hostiles are situated, and so walking around is very dangerous. We are all in for a pickle here."

These words caused everyone to get a bit crestfallen, as they all understood just how dire their situation is.

"So, I guess that our only option is to keep moving and hope we won't bump into any of them." Vicky said, looking around. That was when Chloe got up.

"Maybe not."

Everyone looked at her.

The female thylacine sighed as she closed her eyes, and she started to chant something in a language that they did not understand.

Cameron and Vicky looked at her with confused expressions, but soon, they turned into surprised ones as they saw that there was something happening to her: shapes were coming out of there body and taking the form of...thylacine ghosts!

These specters looked like thyalcines as they had the head of one, while their bodies were thin and looked like they were cover by a long mantle that didn't let anything else visible. They stood around her as they materialized, and looking over, Cameron and Vicky both could notice that they were not touching the ground, but were actually floating right above it, like actual ghosts.

Cameron almost let out a curse as he looked at this. They both looked at the things that materialized, and soon, Chloe looked around at them.

"Go and survey." She said to the specters, making a wide gesture, and the entities soon were moving away, floating away, gliding across the frozen ground as they shifted, going from translucent into transparent, before they disappeared completely.

There was a silence following this, before Chloe explained:

"They can vanish from the visible spectrum, but they will still exist." She said, causing the other mammals to look at her, "They will remain out of sight and they will survey the areas, and soon they will come back to inform. This way we will know the locations of possible enemies and a safe path for us to go."

"Oh..." Cameron said, as his was still processing what he just saw. "So, the ghosts are like... your minions?"

"More like my familiars, actually." The thylacine said, and Vicky looked at her.

"So, you are a mage, right?" The vixen asked.

This made the thylacine stop, look at her, before looking back at her husband who was looking back at her.

"Yes... Yes I am." She said, looking at her husband, who still looked at her, and he tilted his head slightly.

She looked at him, her expression worried.

"Eliot... We need to talk."

The specters would take a while to come back, so meanwhile, the Thylacine was now in front of the wolf. They were both gone inside of the restroom, to be away from the two reporters, who agreed to give the couple privacy for their talk.

Once inside the restroom, the two mammals looked at each other.

"So..." Eliot said.

"So..." Chloe said.

They continued to look at each other in silence for a while. At some point, Eliot broke the silence.

"So, this is an occasion in which I have to talk first or..." The wolf said, and Chloe looked at him, and realized that she better just have the guts to say. She should have been preparing for this talk for a while now.

"Eliot... You know that my family, the Dapperclaw, are a very rich family back in my hometown." She said to him. "You know that they are an old money family and that they have a lot of businesses."

"Yeah, I learned that soon after I first saw you." The wolf said, and he was referring about all of the research as he did what could practically be label as stalking of the female thylacine with whom he fell in love at first sight.

"Yeah, what you didn't learned, I'm sure, is that they are mages." She said, and Eliot looked at her with perked ears.

"The thylacine clan is a descendant of a tradition of thylacines from our homeland that were all 'gifted by the mystery', as they said back on the time. These thylacines were very influent on their land, but they were forced to leave due to a great deal of battles with other tribes, and they took refuge on the representatives of the Association that were taking part on the colonizing the land of Austroala."

She looked at her husband as she said that. The wolf looked at her with intent ears, but she could see no hostility or resentment on his eyes. She took it as a good sign, and she continued.

"These thylacines were taken in by them, but they soon saw that they would have no real place among the rankings of the proud mages of the Association, so they cut ties with them and moved to Animerica. In there, they gave origin to the Dapperclaw clan, who were in charge of continuing their legacy and of raising above the arrogant mages of the Association."

"So... You've always been a mage?" Eliot asked, and she looked at him, before she nodded.

"I was born as one." She said to him. "As a member of the Dapperclaw clan, I was a mage from birth, and while I was not the heir, I was still someone who had compromises with the clan. One of these compromises was to marry a mage from another clan of thylacines, to bring advantages to my family. Actually, the arrangement was made when I was just eight years old."

Eliot nodded. Yeah, he remembered well that, by the time he met Chloe, she already had a fiancé, as part of an arrangement that her family made with another, as a way of bringing more money and prestige to the family.

"That is how the traditional mage families do things, and my family is very traditional." Chloe admitted to him. "I was expected to study and become a good mage, so one day I could make a good wife for my fiancé, and help my own clan to grow and achieve more. Everything went perfectly according to plan for a while..." She said, and looked at her husband. "Until you came along."

Eliot remained silent, as he let his wife talk.

"I admit, when I first saw you following me everywhere, I was scared. I almost resorted to using magecraft to make you leave me alone. But... when we actually talked, and after... that night." She said, blushing as she did so, "There was just no way that I could simply go on with my life and forget about you."

"I guess you know well how my parents were about that." She said, and the wolf nodded, as he remembered well how her family was about him. "That was not only because I was planning on breaking my engagement, or for you not being rich or a thylacine. It was also because you were not a mage. They couldn't accept that I was giving up their entire plan for having falling in love with a non-mage wolf."

Eliot remained in silence, but his expression got a bit heavier. Chloe noticed this, and it caused her to flinch a little bit. She continued:

"But, I was truly in love with you." She said, looking at him. "I knew that I would not be able to bring you into the world of magecraft, for you were not a mage. So, my only option, if I wanted to marry you, was to abandon this world and give up being a mage."

"My parents didn't took it nicely, but I had made up my mind." She said to him. "So, as we left my hometown, we were also leaving behind the moonlit world. No more researches. No more political dances and arrangements. No more magecraft..."

She stopped for a moment, and Eliot was still looking at her, she then continued:

"I didn't told you about any of that because I just wanted to leave all of that behind." She said to him, "Because this world is dangerous and cruel, and I wanted to keep you out of this, as much as possible."

"Well... this proves you love me, right?" The wolf said, and the thylacine flinched again, even though her husband was smiling at her. For a moment, Eliot even thought that he had done something wrong.

"There is... another reason why I didn't told you." She admitted, and Eliot looked at her.

"All my life, I grew up hearing from my parents just how stupid and cruel the non-mages were with anything that did not conform to their beliefs." She said to him, and she sounded almost ashamed of this but also... fearful?

"They told me that as soon as they found out about my magecraft, they would treat me as a monster. That they would hate me and fear me for what I am." She said to him, avoiding his gaze. "They told me that this was just how mammals are, that they are stupid and reject what they don't understand, and that non-mages are like that."

"They told me that you were also like that." She said; sounding a bit hurt for saying it. "That you could love me as you said, but that as soon as you found out that I was a mage..."

She stopped talking, she could not conclude the thought.

"Eliot. I love you so much... The idea that you could hate me after finding out about me being a mage was just-"

She didn't finished, for she felt paws landing on her shoulders. She looked up, and she saw that Eliot was looking at her with a very serious expression.

She held her breath.

Suddenly, the wolf leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips on her own.

Her eyes widened at this, as she felt that sudden kiss on her mouth.

After a few moments, Eliot pulled back, and he said:

"I'm sorry."

Chloe blinked, she looked at her husband in a slight confusion.

"I'm sorry I didn't showed you how much I love you." He said to her, and he sounded genuinely sad. "I'm sorry that I didn't showed you that I loved you so much that I'll never stop loving you for anything. I don't care if you are a mage, an alien, or a mutant slime in disguise."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he said the last one.

"Chloe, I love you, you are my life." He said, and the thylacine could tell on his eyes that he was being sincere.

"I'm sorry if I made you think I didn't loved you enough..."

She looked at him, and she saw that he was feeling guilty, and then it was her turn to feel guilty.

"No, Eliot!" She said, looking at her husband. "I am sorry! I'm sorry for doubting on how much you love me! It was just... I kept remembering all that my parents told me during years of my life. I couldn't take on the thought of you abandoning me after finding out. I should have known that you would not leave me for that. I should have gave you a vote of trust. I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!" They both said at the same time, and for a while, they just looked at each other.

Chloe then leaned forward, resting her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Eliot, I love you so much."

"I love you too, my Pumpkin." Eliot said to her. "I'll love for all of my life, no matter what happens or what comes our way. I also said that on my vows, remember?"

There was a brief silence, and Chloe also said:

"I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you."

"Yeah, I guess you were not ready to tell me." He said to her, "Besides, I never really asked you if you had magic powers or not, so not really your fault here."

"Oh, Eliot." Chloe said, and she once more took in just how much of a sweet Eliot actually was. How could she ever think that this wolf could hate her after finding out that she was a mage? She felt very bad for letting her parents' words get into her head like that.

"Guys!"

A voice suddenly came to the restroom, breaking the two out of their moment and making them look. They saw Vicky in there, and she looked at the two of them.

"Your ghosts just came back."

Chloe took the hint, and soon, she and Eliot were both walking outside of the restroom, and they soon saw Cameron on the inside, his camera turned at the ghosts that floated in there.

"They are just standing there." Vicky said, and Chloe clarified:

"They are waiting for my commands."

Vicky looked at her, "What, do ghosts do what you want when they are summoned?"

"This is my family's magecraft." The thylacine said, walking forward as she looked at the thylacine specters.

"In the old times, there was the belief that it was possible to summon the spirits of our ancestors and ask for their support in important matters, from clarifying about the future to helping face challenges that appeared in our way." The female explained, and looked at the ghosts, while the other mammals looked at her.

"The Dapperclaw clan is a family that found out ways to maintain this tradition. We worked in summoning magecraft to be able to summon the spiritual projections of the ancestors of our clan to serve as our strength in moments of need. We reach out for the ones who came before us, and bring them into the present to help us in our moments of need." She looked at the specters as she said that, "We refer to them as Migaloo Mob, or Spirits of the Kin."

There was a silence as she finished explaining it.

"So, these guys are the spirits of your ancestors?" Cameron asked, once more looking at the ghosts, who just stood in there, floating silently.

"Well, at their basic nature that is what they represent. You see, they are actually apparitions that..."

"Wait, you mean these guys are your ancestors?" Eliot asked, cutting Chloe in her explanation, and making the thylacine look at him.

"Well, they represent my ancestors, but-" Chloe tried to explain, but Eliot didn't gave her a chance.

"This is so cool!" The wolf said, immediately rushing forward and standing in front of the specters. "Hey guys! My name is Eliot, and I'm Chloe's husband! It is so nice to meet some of her relatives!"

Chloe blinked, as well as the other two mammals who were looking at that scene developing.

"I already meet her parents and her little brother. Her mother and father didn't liked me, but her little brother is really nice." The wolf said, talking to the entities, which just stood there, floating silently as they looked at the wolf with their hollow eyes. "I am kinda upset that her parents never approved of me for being a wolf and not being rich. Well, I guess they also didn't liked the fact that I am not a mage, I just learned that."

"Huhh, Eliot..." Chloe said, as she wanted to explain better to Eliot, but the wolf was still too focus on the entities.

"I bet you all have lots of stories to tell about Pumpkin!" The wolf said, but then he realized something. "Oh, wait, you guys are her distant ancestors right? You all must have died before she was born. Hey, maybe I can tell you guys some things about her! I bet you all want to know how she lives nowadays. Oh, I have so many things to tell you guys, by my ancestors' fangs!"

Then the eyes of the wolf widened.

"Uh! Do you guys know my ancestors!? Have you guys met on the other side? Or thylacines and wolves go to different places? Oh, I hope not, I really want to spend the eternity with my Pumpkin!"

The three mammals only watched the wolf have that "interaction" with the specters, whom only continued to stare at him silently.

"Huhh, is he always...?" Cameron asked, and Chloe answered:

"Most of the time."

She then walked forward; Eliot was still distracted talking with her "relatives", as his tail wagged behind himself.

"Eliot." She called him, "Eliot!"

The wolf finally stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at his wife. She was looking back at him, and she said:

"Eliot, we are in the middle of a situation here, remember?"

The wolf blinked, and suddenly it was as if he remembered that they were in trouble. He was quick to apologize to his wife, and to the ghosts, saying that they could "talk later".

Chloe could only roll her eyes at this, as even in a situation like that Eliot didn't stopped being Eliot. Well, that was one of the reasons that she loved him so dearly, and to be honest, she still found it rather endearing, even if the timing was definitely not appropriate.

Once her husband had stepped down on his antics, Chloe was able to step forward, standing in front of the specters, and she asked:

"So, what have you seen?"

The specters soon moved forward, and they floated around her. The other animals were looking as one of the specters came close to her ear, and they could hear a faint sound of whispering.

The words could not be clearly heard by any of them, and neither they could do lip-synch, for the thing didn't really had visible lips. However, it seemed that Chloe could understand what was being whisper by the specter, as she listened very intently, and she nodded at it.

As soon as that specter was done it moved back, and another specter took place in whispering in her ear. The thylacine once more nodded as the specter whispered to her, and soon it stepped down only for another to take its place. This process was repeat until all of the specters had whispered in her ear, and the female nodded, and turned to the others.

"They say that there are groups blocking the paths at north and west, but there is an open path that is unwatched in that direction." She said, point at Northeast. "They also said that there is a group of five golems coming in this direction from there." She said, pointing at another direction, "And that they will probably arrive here in seven minutes, if they keep at the speed they are, so we all better move now."

The other mammals all nodded at this, and they all felt inclined to believe in the thylacine, especially Eliot, who trust in her with every fiber of his being.

"Good, but what if there are more of these teams on the way?" Cameron said, "We could end up bumping into them after walking for a while."

"Not if we use them." She said, gesturing to the specters. "They can serve as scouts, and go forward while invisible to scout and come back to tell us what path is safe. This way, we will be able to go around without the risk of getting caught."

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind." Vicky said, and the others agreed with her.

"So, everyone agrees with the plan?" Chloe asked, looking at the other animals, who all looked back at her.

"I am." Vicky said simply.

"Yeah, it seems to be our best choice now." Cameron said, looking at the thylacine. "Anything that can get us out of problem."

"I am by your side in everything." Eliot said, wholeheartedly, as he looked at his wife. "Wherever you go, I follow."

Chloe took a moment to look at her husband, once more admired on how devoted he was to her. It really warmed her heart that Eliot would be on her side for everything. It made her feel glad that she married him.

"Then let's go." She said, and soon, the group of four was moving, guided by the mage thylacine and by her specters.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sneaking into the mall was something that seemed to be becoming normal.

Of course, big groups had more difficulty to sneak around, but they managed. Also, the fact that the group had some form of protection did helped them feel more confident ON their sneaking around.

This was the case of a group formed by many mammals; among them were Dawn Bellwether, Krystin Mieczyslaw, and Benjamin Clawhauser. This group was trying their best to sneak around and avoid being seen and, despite their big size, still, the group felt a bit safer, for they had mages among their midst.

Mages like Benjamin, who had his two-headed big white snake slithering by his side. Mages like Krystin, who showed that he could shot fireballs from his paw. Mages like Lana Bellwether, older sister of Dawn Bellwether, who showed that she could blow a golem away. Mages like the kangaroo, who showed that she could put up a good fight if the situation would ask for it. Mages like Tyson Tigereye, who showed that he too could fight and that he could heal their wounds, if the situation asked for it.

Tyson had warmly reunited with Gazelle, who was so happy for seeing him that she slipped back into her mother tongue as they talked. She even asked him about Tyrell, who was with them, only to be crestfallen when she heard that the two brothers had got separate, and that Tyson was unaware of what had happened to him.

Tyler himself was glad for seeing that the popstar was okay, and he reassured her that Tyrell was strong and that he could take care of himself. Soon, he was convincing her that they should keep moving, and she agreed.

Of course, she had not been very happy for seeing Dawn Bellwether, like most of the group, however she was convinced that she would not try anything. Still, the popstar would later discreetly whisper for Tyrell and the others to keep their eyes open in the case the ewe tried anything.

It was possible that she, along with the others, thought that the ewe somehow had something to do with the whole situation. Truth was that some of them thought it was an interesting coincidence her older sister being there...

As the group continued to move, Benjamin and his snake were on the lead, as Ben said that 'Slizz and Zass' sharp senses would help them detect danger, if there was any ahead. The snakes gladly confirmed that they were "far more perceptive than any of you mammals", to which some took it as a kind of offense.

As Ben went ahead, the snake was right ahead, and at a moment, the snake stopped, both of its heads perking.

"Sss-something is-sss ahead." One of the heads said, and Ben stood on attention, and gestured for the rest of the group to stop. They stopped, and the mages on the group were already getting ready.

"What? What is it?" Ben asked, and the snakes remained in place. They hissed as they put their tongues out, tasting the air. Soon, another head was speaking.

"Sss-shaped like mammal... but not a mammal..."

"A golem?" Ben asked.

"No..." The other head said, "It sss-serves-sss a mage, like a golem. But it is not physical..." It stuck its tongue out again, tasting the air. "Immaterial... Sss-spiritual..." One last taste of the air with a flick of a forked tongue.

"An apparition..." The head said, and Ben was getting increasingly more nervous. Some could hear what the snake was saying, and while it meant nearly nothing to the non-mages, to mages, it could mean many things.

"Right there!" The snake said, both heads pointing forward. The group looked over, but they saw nothing.

"There is nothing there." Someone who was coming right behind said.

"Mammals-sss are truly foli-sss-sh." The snake said, granting stared from the mammals who were coming behind. "You don't acknowledge sss-something if you can't sss-see it." The slithering reptile said, and soon, the other head opened its mouth.

Soon, they were letting out some kind of bluish-white smoke from the mouth, which moved forward as if it was some kind of mist, sliding through the ground and spreading forward.

As it did, the smoke soon stopped at a point, as if it had hit an obstacle. Then, the smoke moved upwards, as if it were vines wrapping around something. Soon, a shape started to become more visible, and may mammals gasped and took a step back as they looked at what just materialized in front of them.

Many immediately though that it was a ghost. The entity that had all the manner of a specter, which had a canine-like head and a long and slender body that looked to be cover by a mantle. It stood in place as the smoke that made it visible slowly vanished, leaving the specter oscillating between visible and invisible, as it just stood there, hoovering in place.

"Yep, definitely an apparition." Tyson said, "I haven't seen one in a while." The tiger said, as Gazelle clung to him, and the rest of the group stared at it.

"What is that!? Is it a ghost!?"

"An apparition, actually." The possum said, as she stood next to the kangaroo and to Lana, who was standing close to her sister and the fox. "They are made of the leftover thoughts and emotions that mammals leave behind after they die."

"Great! The mall is haunted!"

"Not really." The snake said, "This-sss apparition is-sss sss-serving a mage."

As everyone looked, the specter suddenly turned around and glided away at a great speed. This startled some, as the kangaroo had taken off her blades.

"Oh, no you won't!" She said as she jumped forward, and started to chase after the fleeing specter.

"Jade, wait!" Lana said, calling the kangaroo by her name. Soon, the group was going after, mostly because some were going after and the rest of the group was following along like a great mass.

Apparently, some of them were afraid of not being near enough the mages to enjoy of their protection.

"There you are!" They could all hear Jade's voice, as well as other voices.

"What is this!? Who are you!?"

That was a voice that Ben recognized, and he rushed forward, to meet that Jade was now face to face with a familiar would in ZPD uniform, who was making some kind of Karate Kit pose, as if ready to fight the strange armed female.

"Eliot!" Ben cried out, causing the wolf to stop and look at him. The wolf immediately dropped the fighting pose as he saw Benjamin.

"Ben! Dude!" He said happily, as he looked at him. "Dude, I'm so glad for seeing..."

The wolf was saying, but he stopped on his tracks as his smile vanished and his eyes widened. Ben blinked as he looked at him, quite confused as to why the wolf suddenly got like that.

"Ben..." Eliot said, "Do not move. There is a huge snake right behind you. And it has two heads."

Benjamin blinked, and soon he understood.

"Oh, it's okay, don't mind them." Ben said, gesturing to the snake. "They are mostly harmless."

"Mo-sss-stly harmless-sssss?" One of the heads said, sounding a bit offended by this. "We are an sss-spiritual entity of great power in the body of a two-headed creature that eats-sss mammals-sss!"

"Don't you call us-sss 'harmless-sssss'." The other head said.

"Ah! It talks!" A beagle that was holding a camera said, and soon the rest of Ben's group was arriving.

The two groups soon met each other. The ones of the bigger group were surprised for seeing a ZPD officer, the famous Victory Vulpen and her camerammal, and a thylacine in there. The thylacine, in particular, was surround by specters like the one that they had just saw.

The smaller group, on their turn, was quite surprised by the giant snake and by the presence of Both Gazelle and of Dawn Bellwether on the group. Also, for the fact that there were so many mages present on the group.

"So... you are a mage?" Ben asked to the female thylacine, and she nodded.

"Yeah, so are you." The thylacine said to him, "Mr. Clawhauser."

Ben flinched a bit, as if she had said something sensitive. Some noticed, and they found it a bit strange. However, they didn't had any time to dwell in it, for immediately after, a specter came floating fast and approached Chloe. The entity whispered in her ear, and the eyes of the thylacine widened at this.

"What? Zombies?" She said, and some who were near heard that. The specter continued to whisper in her ear, and she took it, as she was silent.

"There is another group coming that way." She said, gesturing to one side. "They are not companied by golems, and they don't seem to be any short of influence, but there are three zombies with them."

"Did she said zombies?"

"There is a huge bunch of bunnies among the mammals." The thylacine said, "I think it is the Hoppses."

"Oh my." Benjamin said, and Eliot was the one who took the lead.

"Then let's go save them!" He said, and he immediately rushed, prompting the rest of the group to rush after him. Chloe and Ben mostly wanted to stop him from doing anything stupid.

They meet the other group soon, who was walking in silence, with Bonnie being the one in the lead, carrying the same shotgun that she used to bring down the golems, with the zombies following obediently. Many of them had been uncomfortable with the presence of the undead, but none of them dared to say anything.

Even Pronk and Bucky were unusually quiet as they followed the group, both of them couldn't help but give looks to the zombies once in a while. Apparently, they were afraid that they could try going for their brains if they lost them from sight for too long.

However, the group let out several exclamations of surprise when they saw a wolf emerge from a corner, crying out for the zombies to move away for he saw lots of horror movies and knew how to beat them. Some even thought that the wolf was one of the crazed mammals, until they saw the rest of the mammals come along.

It was a moment of tension as the groups faced Benjamin's snake, Chloe's specters, and Bonnie's zombies. However, once they realized that they were all on the same side, they relaxed, although some of them were still disturbed.

"First these wackos and the living statues. Then a giant talking snake. Now ghosts and zombies. What else is going to happen?" Someone on the group said, but there was no answer.

"The-sss-se are sss-some nice zombies-sss that you have, bunny." One of the heads of the white snake said, as both of them looked at them up close. The group kept distance from the snake and the undead. "Big and sss-strong." The snake flicked its forked tongues, as if tasting the air right in front of the zombies.

"Full of anger and re-sss-ssentment for their deaths-sss." The other head said, "That sss-surely helped making them sss-stronger, although they now mu-sss-st be hard to control."

"A little bit." The bunny said to them. "But I can have them under control."

"So... you are a necromancer?" Ben asked, looking at the bunny, and suddenly, it was as if something clicked in his head, and he looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Wait. Mrs. Hopps, you are-?"

"We are going to a security station that is in that direction." Bonnie said, suddenly cutting the cheetah before he could finish the question. "There is a security guard with us who said that there is a room in there where maybe we could be safe, if we can get there." She spoke, and security guard in question, a boar named Fred, confirmed that the room was there and that it was a safe place.

"It is a place where we can keep watch of the entire mall." The boar said to the others of the now large group. "The room is reinforced in case of an invasion, and it can hold a big group. Although I think we will have to cram ourselves there if we all go."

"How do you know if it is truly safe?" Someone else from the group asked. "Shouldn't we be trying to find a way out?"

"Not an option." Chloe said, "It seems that they have blocked all of the accesses between the floors, both the stairs and the elevators."

"Told you we shouldn't use the elevators." Bucky said, and Pronk rolled his eyes.

"The room has a lot of monitors that allow us to see the security cameras from all around the mall." The boar said, looking around. "There is also a phone in there. Maybe we can call for help, in case it is still working."

"Sounds like a reasonable course of action." Benjamin said, "We can take cover in there, watch the mall through the cameras and call for help."

"Guess we can do that." Kristyn said. "Let's go then."

Some opposed the idea, while others were on favor. Of course, all of them ended up following, for one reason or another.

The three groups had turned into a single group, which turned it increasingly hard to circulate around the place while sneaking. For that, the group kept walking in line, a very knit one, and being careful as not to step on the smaller ones.

"I'm still unsure about that snake." Jason confessed to harry, as the two bunnies walked along with their siblings. "What if it decides to have us for a snack?"

"You don't know, okay?" Harry said, as they continued to walk. "I'm freaking out about the snake too, but I'm also freaking out about the zombies." Harry confessed, "But all of them are on our side, so it seems that we can count on them to keep us safe. After all, you saw what the zombies did to these two golems back them, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Jason said, remembering of how the three undead had practically tore apart the two beings made of stone with nothing more than their bare paws. They had attacked with a ferocity that Jason only heard that predators had and they didn't even felt any of the blows that the golems gave in return. "That is why they actually scare me."

As the group continued, they were able to avoid capture, as it seemed they chose a route with the minimal amount of enemies. They only meet up with two teams on their way, one of them was formed by three golems, and the other was formed by two. The beings of stone were easily overwhelm by the work of the mages in there, who showed that the golems were no match for their skills.

As the group passed, they left behind broken pieces of golems on their wake, which would surely be found later on by other passing groups. However, the important was that they were able to avoid capture and to remain hidden enough to be able to sneak to the said room where they would be safe.

However...

As the group waited, one of Chloe's specters came to her, and whispered something in her ear.

The thylacine soon was turning to the group and telling them that the entrance of the security room was also being guard by a group, this one a bit bigger and composed by four rhinos and two golems, all of them looking ready to fight.

"What now?" Jason asked, looking around, and the answer came from the kangaroo.

"Leave it to us." Jade said, as she looked around. "I can take care of these golems, and Fannie can bring down the rhinos."

"I'm sorry, Fannie?"

"That would be me." Said the possum, and everyone looked at her.

"A tiny possum bringing down four rhinos? Yeah, as if!" Someone of the group said, as it seemed that they clearly not believed that to be possible. However, the possum simply smiled at him.

"Well, we'll see about that." The possum said as she reached out for something inside of her clothes.

As the possum and kangaroo both went ahead, they soon had the said group in sight. Four rhinos, with torn clothes and crazed looks in their eyes, screaming "rock and roll" and stuff, and two golems armed with big swords of chipped stone.

With a look between themselves, the kangaroo and possum nodded, before they both sprint into action.

"Hey, idiots!" Fannie said, as she waved to the group, which then had her in their full attention.

"Rock n' roll!" One of the rhinos said, as all of them charged in her direction. Immediately, the kangaroo was in action, as she gave a powerful jump and passed over the heads of the rhinos, as she landed behind them, and had her full attention on the golems, who were considerably slower.

As she fought the golems with her daggers, the rhinos immediately tried to reach out for her. As they did, the possum brought forth the small jug container that she had and emptied some of its contents in her paw. It was a thin black powder.

As the first of the golems came to her, crouching to reach her out, the possum was quick to react, as she brought her fist, closed, but not tightly, in front of her muzzle and blew into it. It caused the powder that was on her paw to puff outward, right into the face of the rhino.

The big mammal let out a choking noise that only lasted for a second, before he fell to the ground, unmoving.

Another rhino tried to reach for her, but the possum was quick to dive out of his reach and to get another pawful of powder, which she blew right into the other rhino's face.

The rhino twitched violently as he fell to the ground, before going completely still.

Another one of the rhinos tried to punch her, but she jumped out of the way with amazing agility, and she landed on the shoulder of the rhino, before she once more blew the powder right on his face, causing him to twitch violently and fall to the ground. As he did, Fannie made a mortal jump over the body of the rhino, and landed right on the head of the last rhino that was still standing.

"Rock n' roll!?"

"Hello there." Fannie said sweetly, before she blew the powder on the face of the rhino. This one cried out as he flailed wildly, and the possum jumped out of his head as he fell to the ground.

The rhino twitched violently as he was on the ground, foaming from the mouth. However, soon, like all the others, he went completely still, not moving at all.

Fannie looked satisfied with herself as she saw all of the fallen rhinos, not one of them moving an inch.

Meanwhile, Jade had finished with the golems, whom now laid in pieces on the ground. The kangaroo, just like the possum, had not a single scratch on her body. They looked at each other, nodding in a silent compliment for the job well done.

Soon, they were able to go to the group and to tell them that the coast was clear for them to go. Some of them didn't believed, but they changed their minds as soon as they saw the four rhinos on the ground and the broken golems.

Some of them asked the kangaroo if she took them all by herself, but Jade confirmed that she only took care of the golems. Fannie took care of the rhinos.

Some still didn't quite believed that a possum would have been able to bring down four rhinos all by herself. However, it seemed that it was truth, as the four mammals laid on the ground completely still.

Too still...

"They are dead!" Said someone after kneeling by a rhino and checking his pulse, and finding none.

"They are all dead!"

The group looked in horror, as they looked at the rhinos on the ground, which didn't moved, had their eyes opened, and didn't seemed to be even breathing.

"Well, I had to bring them down, right?" Fannie said casually, as the rest of the group looked at her in horror. "These guys didn't seemed that they would have qualms about crushing me."

"That is no reason to kill them, you sick possum!"

"Will you stop complaining?" Fannie said, sounding a bit annoyed at how that mammal was acting. "They are fine."

"They are not moving! And none of them have pulse!"

"They will be moving again by tomorrow, stop worrying." Fannie said, and the mammals looked at her.

"Just what have you done to them?" Kristyn asked, as he walked close to look at one of the fallen rhinos. The rhino was not even twitching, and it truly seemed that he wasn't even breathing. It really seemed that he was dead.

"Just used some of this." Fannie said, showing the small jug, and everyone looked at that.

"And what is in there?" Someone on the group asked, the same mammal who checked on the rhinos. "Is it some kind of poison that kills instantly?"

"It is coup de poudre." The possum explained. "It is used as works as part of the zombification process."

"Z-zombification!?"

Immediately, all eyes (save for Cotton's, which were still covered with a blindfold) turned to the zombies in there. Now some of them were wondering if these four rhinos would rise up as undead at any moment.

"It is not the same." Fannie said, "The bunny's necromancy is not like what I do. It is not how voodoo works."

"Voodoo?"

"It is the type of magecraft that she uses." Lana Bellwether said, "Fannie is from a clan of voodoo users."

"Look, instead of discussing this, why don't we all go inside?" Dawn Bellwether said, and some begrudgingly agreed with her, as they knew that their chances were probably better at the security room.

Once inside, they saw that the place seemed to have been thoroughly wreck, apparently by the mammals and golems that now laid outside. The whole place was broken, with many of the monitors broken, apparently beyond repair. On a corner, there was the body of a tiger in a security uniform, someone who the boar recognized as Gill, one of the mammals who were in the security room to watch the cameras. Apparently, he tried to fight back and paid the price.

"Don't take your blindfold off, Cotton." Bonnie said to her granddaughter, as the group got into the room and looked around, trying to figure out what to do next.

The zombies that were with the group now were left on the outside, serving as guards.

Someone had been kind enough to remove a jacket and use it to cover the corpse of the tiger.

"Couldn't Mom animate that guy as well?" Jason asked to his siblings. However, he made the mistake of doing that within Bonnie's earshot. The female turned her head to look at him with a glare that made him shrink away.

Meanwhile, the mammals in there tried to figure out what to do next, and how to proceed in a moment like that.

"They broke all of the monitors." Fred said as he looked around, seeing the damage that they have done to the place. "Only two of them are still intact, and still, I doubt that they would work."

"So much for the plan of keeping watch over the place through the cameras." Benjamin said, as he looked at the many broken monitors. The idea of keeping watch through them was very good, but it seemed that now this idea had fallen flat and was no longer an option.

"Maybe we still can." Dawn Bellwether suddenly said, causing everyone to look at her.

"The cameras still work, even with the monitors broken, right?"

"Yes, but we cannot see through them if there are no monitors." Fred confirmed to the ewe.

"Yes, we can." The ewe said, and she looked at him. "I need you to remove some wiring from this console and bring it outside, I have a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"Just do what I asked." The ewe insisted.

"And why reason would anyone do what you ask?" Someone among the mammals said, and Dawn recoiled visibly at this. In truth, may of the present mammals thought that there was no reason to listen to anything that Bellwether had to say, much less to do something that she was asking.

However, some were on her side.

"I do believe that she has some kind of idea." Krystin said, "She is known for being quite resourceful."

"Yeah, like when she tried to ruin the lives of all predators in this city." Said a bear of the group. "I bet that her 'plan' involves something that will help her escape."

"No it does not!" Bellwether said; sounding high-pitched as she voiced her mind, and she did looked quite distraught. "I just want to help!"

"Help who, you crazy ewe!?" The bear roared, and Dawn recoiled next to Krystin, who instinctively pulled her closer to himself. Meanwhile, Lana had stepped forward, and she was now standing between the fox and the smaller ewe, and the huge bear. She looked at him in the eyes, as if she was challenging him to try anything. The bear actually flinched under the glare that the ewe was giving her.

It were some tense few moments, before Dawn's voice came once more, this time sounding a bit meek.

"I just want to help... Please."

The way she spoke made she seem like a far cry from the infamous cruel sheep that had almost tore the city apart. However, may remembered that one reason that her plan to tear Zootopia apart nearly worked was because she was really good at playing the innocent, for she was a true sociopath.

However, the way that she was asking, along with the support from Krys, somehow managed to convince a few mammals to do as she was asking.

Soon, the great console that were the controls of the cameras and monitors was open, and Fred was fumbling on the wires inside. Luckily, they forced him to learn how that thing worked when they hired him, so he would be able to fix small problems if they ever arose.

Meanwhile, Dawn Bellwether had pulled one of the chalks that her older sister gave to her. She was now using it to draw on the ground, forming a circle that had shapes inside of it. She was putting a lot of effort into making that magic circle on the ground, and it looked to be quite good.

Fred was able to pick up a few wires from the inside, recognizing the ones that were connected to the cameras. Meanwhile, Dawn was making lines that connected the big magic circle to smaller ones on the ground, all of them made with just as much perfectionism.

Once the set of circles was ready, the boar had finished identifying the wires that connected to the cameras, and was holding them on his hooves.

"Bring these wires here and place them into the circle." The ewe said, and the boar did as he was told. He placed the tips of the wires inside of the biggest circle, and the ewe also placed something inside: two chalks, one purple and one red.

She held them both on her hooves before placing them on the circle, and she even blew on them.

As they were on the circle, she told others to "stand back", and everyone obeyed. Soon, the ewe was starting to chant some kind of spell. As she did, the circles that she had drawn on the ground started to glow, and so did the two chalks that she placed inside of the main circle.

As she reached the climax of her spell, the two chalks ignited, bursting in flames that started as orange, but that then turned a blue coloration.

Everyone gave a step back; some of them even thought that she was going to try to start a fire. However, the fire remained in the center of the circle, where the two chalks had been place. Soon, the fire was producing a clear and blue smoke, which actually almost looked like some kind of mist.

As she did it, something started to happen to the security cameras all around the mall.

The lights that blipped on them were red; however, at that moment, the lights changed coloration, and started to glow in a blue color.

Back in the security room, the mist formed by the fire started to condense, then, something else started to happen to the mass of mist, as it seemed that colors were changing inside of the cloud and forming shapes.

It was blurry at first, but in time, it started to get clearer, until it was clear as day.

"That... that is the entrance!" Fred said. "This is the image of one of the security cameras!"

Everyone looked at the image, which showed an aerial shot of the entrance area, taken by the security camera that was right on the place. It was possible to see the main entrance of the mall, which had been block by branches and by other things pilled in there to act as a barricade. It was also being watch by two golems, both as big as elephants.

"They completely blocked the entrance." Dawn said; as he reached out for one of the minor circles that were connect to the main one by lines drawn in the same chalk. She moved her hooved fingers over the circle, and this caused a reaction from the main circle, as the image that was being show by the mist changed.

Now it was showing another area of the mall, but this one also seemed to be an entrance, maybe a lateral one. It was equally blocked and guarded.

She flicked her hoof over the circle again, and this caused the image to shift again, showing another entrance, which was equally as blocked.

Another flick and it shifted once more, and this time it showed the lower levels of the mall.

"They even blocked the entrances on the parking lots." The ewe said, as she looked at the effort that was put into blocking these entrances, and that there were golems watching these areas as well.

With another flick of her hoof, she shifted the image once more. She now was going between many images, as the movements of her hoof over the smaller circle allowed her to shift from one camera into another.

"They are guarding all elevators and stairs." She said as she looked, "They really are not taking any chances."

As she continued to shift between the cameras, the others looked at what she was doing, and some of them seemed impressed.

"How are you doing this?" Jade asked, as she looked to the images that were being project.

"Just creating an interface between the cameras and this." The ewe said, as she continued to shift between the feeds of the many cameras. "Basically I'm just replacing a monitor with a medium created by thaumaturgy."

"That is rather cool." Fannie said, "And you managed to do this in a matter of seconds..."

"Yeah, I... kind of already did something like that before." The ewe admitted, sounding a little bashful at this. However, she continued to focus on the images. "Wait, what is that?"

As she did this, she went back a few images, and she was able to pick something in the cameras.

It was an image of an aerial shot taken by a camera. There was something moving on the corner of the image.

The ewe reached out for another smaller circle, and flicked her hooved fingers over it. This caused the image to change, as it seemed that the camera was zooming in. They were able to pick up the movement on the corner of the image, and they could see that it was a small group, composed by a zebra, a hippo, a wolf and a tiger. The wolf and tiger were both wearing ZPD uniforms.

"These are Fangmeyer and Wolfard!" Benjamin said, "They are both alive!"

"Yeah, but the tigress-sss looks-sss like sss-she is-sss not very well." The snake said, as everyone looked and agreed that it seemed that the tigress had hurt her arm, which was bandage in an improvised way. The group looked like they were moving to avoid capture.

"Where is this?" Someone asked.

"Right beneath us, on the ninth floor... Section 34." The ewe said, as it looked like she was somehow gaining information from this through yet another small circle, which was projecting some kind of image on itself, which actually looked like a bunch of numbers and symbols floating.

"They must have got there before they blocked the access between the floors." Lana said as she looked.

"There are other groups around?" Fred asked, and soon the ewe was flicking her hooves over the other circle, causing it to shift between the cameras.

They found three more small groups that were sneaking around on the third, fourth and seventh floors. However, another thing that they found were groups of hostages. Masses of mammals that were compressed together by crazed mammals and golems, which looked at them as if they were keeping an eye for the case that they would try anything.

There were two or three of these groups on each floor, and all of them seemed like they were in danger. It was also possible to see one or another corpse as they shifted from the cameras.

However, what called the most attention was on the main square of the mall, where a great number of mammals had been take and were not being keep.

"These guys are everywhere!" Bucky said as he looked at the images (the image was big enough so everyone of the room could see it, pretty much like a big screen television). Many agreed with him, as it was troubling to know that these guys were everywhere in the mall.

"Think that we can fight our way out?" Jade said.

"Not likely." Krys said, as he looked at the images. "There are too many of them and it would be very hard to fight, especially if more started coming for us."

"We could even make it out, but many of us-sss would become ca-sss-sualties-sss." The snake said, and the other head agreed with it. Many were still staring at the giant, two-headed talking snake, as they still retained a considerable distance from it. Save for Ben, who stood right by the side of the snake.

"What about all of the hostages?" Ben asked, as he remembered all of the groups that were lost in the mall. "We cannot leave them alone!"

"Why not?" The snake asked, looking at him. "I mean, it was-sss not our fault that they were sss-stupid enough to get lo-sss-st and captured."

"We cannot abandon them!" Ben said to the snake. "It is not right!"

"Benjamin is right." Krystin said, "We cannot abandon the hostages to their own luck. But, at the current situation, there is really not much that we can do for them."

"Then, what do we do?" Eliot asked, and the fox looked back at him.

"We call for backup." The vulpine said, looking at the boar. "There is a working telephone in here, right?"

Marceli Miczyslaw hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh. All eyes were on the black fox as he let them know what the call was about, which the fox soon said:

It was a call from the responsible for the raid to let them know that there had been casualties of the hostages. Apparently, some of them tried to escape and to fight back, and they ended up being kill by the golems.

This caused many of the presents to tense considerably, as they were once more remind of how dire the situation was. There were hostages, and they could be kill at a moment's notice, just like that.

It was worse for some, like for Judy, who still remembered that she had family and friends inside of the place. The thought that any moment she could find out that they were among the casualties was something that deeply troubled her.

This only made her want to get into that building even more and save everyone, but they were still unable to do that, for there was still the problem of them not knowing the location of the hostages inside of the mall, neither how many groups there were, and neither the location and number of hostiles.

It would be walking in the middle of a great mess only for it to get even messier.

As the cops continued to go around and discuss plans with each other:

"Excuse me, Chief?"

All eyes turned to the entrance, to see Delgato in there, and the lion looked like he wanted to say something.

"What is it?" The buffalo asked.

"Is that, the secretary of the enforcers is here, and he says that he got the blueprints." The lion said. This caused Bogo to look at the two foxes. Marceli was the one who nodded at him, and the buffalo sighed.

"Bring him in."

With this, soon the lion was walking inside, followed close by the jackal, who was carrying something with himself.

"Jackalson." Marceli said, and the jackal nodded at him.

"Sir. Ma'am." The jackal said, as he approached with a load of folded paper sheets on his arms. "I'm sorry that I took so long. I had to go through a lot with these mammals from the City Hall and they didn't wanted to liberate the blueprints. But here they are now."

The jackal said as he placed the load of rolled paper in the table.

"Blueprints of New Den Plaza."

Yes, in an occasion like that, it was imperative to have blueprints of the place in question, to help in tactics and planning. Jackalson had been task with getting the blueprints and bringing them, and the jackal proved that he could be trusted with something like that.

Now that they had them, it should be a little better to understand the place.

However, they only needed to look at the blueprints to know that even that could pose a challenge.

"There is no way that the mall is that big." McChill said as he just looked at yet another sheet of paper that detailed the internal architecture of another sector of the mall. Only trying to understand these blueprints was almost making his head spin.

As he got sight of what was on the corner of the sheet.

"You got the wrong blueprints!" The polar bear said, looking at the jackal, who shrunk upon the aggressive tone used by the bear.

"N-no I didn't!" The jackal said in his defense. "These are the right blueprints!"

"Look at this one!" The polar bear said, gesturing to what he saw in the bottom of the sheet. "It says that it is from sector 44, on the eleventh floor!" The bear was saying that in a tone that almost made it seems like a threat. It seemed he wanted to make it perfectly clear to the canine just who mad he was.

The bear threw that sheet in the table and walked to the entrance of the tent, pulling it to open and gesture to the mall.

"Just take a look! The mall only has seven floors!" The bear was nearly roaring, catching the attention of some of the ones who were passing. "There is no eleventh floor!"

"The building has twelve floors on the inside."

The voice who spoke that was one unknown, and made everyone stand on their seats and look around, before they were able to pinpoint the location of the voice. McChill himself had missed this mammal until he looked down in time to see him walking inside. He should stand on 3'2'' feet tall, if you counted his big ears. The fur on his head was of a dirty-white coloration, with a darker shade on his snout and on the tips of his ears. His nose was black in color, and he had long whispers on his face. His eyes were of a pale-yellow coloration, and they were behind a pair of glasses with circular lenses. By his face, he seemed to be somewhere on his late thirties. He was wearing a nice looking suit, with a black blazer, black pants, and a red tie. He wore thick gloves on his paws and he wore what seemed to be iron shoes on his feet, which made a repetitive clanking sound as he walked and they touched the ground.

Everyone looked at the newcomer.

"Hey, hey!" McChill said, "No civils in here, bunny!"

The bunny ignored him, and simply continued to walk inside.

"I want to know who is in charge."

The tone that the bunny used was serious and professional, and it had a type of authority to it that would make a general proud. Maybe that was why someone even dignified to answer.

"Well, that would be me." Chief Bogo said, and then he corrected himself:

"Actually, it is an occasion of shared jurisdiction." The buffalo said, looking at the fox who was sitting next to him. "I'm the Chief Mansa Bogo, of the ZPD Precinct One. This is the enforcer Marceli Mieczyslaw, we are both in charge here." The buffalo said. "And, who are you?"

The bunny approached, and he effortlessly jumped to the table, his metal shoes clanking as he landed in it. He reached out for his clothes and pullet out what seemed to be a small flat thing of grey coloration with blue glowing trimming.

As he held it, it suddenly flashed, producing an image in the air that looked like an ID. It showed a photo of the face of the bunny and a curious-looking badge.

"Agent Andrew Lapinsky, of the twelfth division of the Technocratic Union." The bunny announced. "I'm here in answer to a disturbance that was detected."

Many looked at the bunny who just showed a holographic version of a government credential. The enforcers, however, had only raised eyebrows.

"An Agent, huh?" Marceli asked, as he looked at the newcomer. "So the Technocracy is also involved in this?"

"That is correct." The bunny said as he deactivated his holographic credentials and placed it back on his pocket. Meanwhile, the mammals around were a bit confused.

"Sorry, we are not familiar with all of the things that develop between mages and so." Nick said, getting some attention. "So, someone could please fill us in?"

"He is an Agent." Emilia said, looking at the other tod. "They are to the Technocracy what the enforcers are to the Mage's Association. And if they sent one in here, this means that they are concerned about what is going on."

"Indeed." The bunny confirmed, as he looked around. "Now, I must inform you that the Technocratic Union has an interest in what is happening in New Den Plaza, as the industries that helped the building of the mage are subsidiaries of it."

"In other words, the Technocracy built New Den Plaza." Marceli concluded.

"How did you get the clans to give you permission for that?" Emilia asked, sounding genuinely curious with it.

"The same way we got their permission to build the climate walls over forty years ago." The bunny answered, "However, this is not relevant. What is relevant is that the Technocracy does hold a great interest in the developments regarding New Den Plaza, and the current hostage situation. It is of their interest to solve the situation as swiftly and efficiently as possible, and that is the reason why I'm here. I'll offer my entire cooperation in all that there could be needed."

"Great, yet another mage in this mess." McChill said, and the bunny shot him a glare that made the bear recoil, almost as if he had received a physical blow.

"I'm not a mage, officer." The bunny said coldly. "I'm a user of Enlightened Science. Please, know the difference."

Bogo was about to say something to them, but he was cut off when his phone all of suddenly buzzed to life.

Oh, great. Who could it be now?

Bogo reached out for his phone and looked at who it could be, and his eyes widened as he saw that is was from an unknown number.

Great, just who could be at a moment like this? Bogo said as he took the phone to his ear, and is eyes widened.

"It's Clawhauser!" The buffalo suddenly said, causing everyone to turn to look at him.

"Chief! Oh, I'm so glad to hear your voice!"

"Clawhauser, hold on, I'll put you on speaker!" The buffalo said, and he soon was doing what he said, so everyone around could hear the cheetah.

"Guys? Are you all there? Can all of you hear me?" The voice of the cheetah came through the phone, and everyone could hear it. Including Judy, who jumped for the phone and snatched it from the Chief's hoof, shocking the bovine slightly.

"BEN!" The bunny cried out, holding the phone, which was much bigger than a phone would be for her, as she cried out on the phone. "Ben, is my family with you!? Are they okay!?"

"Hopps! Give me back my phone!"

"Ben! I need to know if my family is safe!" Judy said, ignoring her boss and focusing on the phone.

"Yes, they are all here!" Ben said in the phone, and soon, more voices were coming from the phone, which apparently was also in speaker.

"Judy! Is that you?" Came Bonnie's voice.

"Jude! Girl you won't believe what has happened in the past thirty minutes!" Harry's voice came from the other side, followed by Stu's voice.

"Judy! Your mother has been keeping secrets from us!"

"Stewart!"

They were fine! They were all alive and fine! Oh, she was so happy for that that she barely noticed the talk about her mother having kept secrets.

"Aunt Judy!" Came the familiar tiny voice of Cotton. "Aunt Judy, we are in a police station inside of the mall!"

"Police station... what?"

"HOPPS! If you don't give me my phone back right now I'm demoting you to a meter maid!" Bogo said, and this threat seemed to be enough to make the bunny handle the device back to the buffalo, who held it and let everyone hear the conversation.

"Clawhauser, what is going on? What talk is that about a 'police station on the mall'?"

"She meant a security station." The cheetah's voice came from the other end of the phone. "We managed to get in here while we were running. The door is locked and it is very sturdy, so I think we will be safe."

"Attention, Officer Clawhauser." Said agent Lapinsky, as he looked at the phone, approaching but not snatching it from Bogo's hoof as Judy did. "I'm agent Lapinsky, of the Technocratic Union; I need you to tell us exactly what has happened."

"Well, we were able to fight our way through the golems and the controlled mammals." The cheetah said. "Originally we were three groups, but we met in the middle of the way and we were able to organize ourselves to find a way. There was a security guard with us, and he told us of the security room and that it was a safe place, so we were able to come to it and find refuge."

The bunny heard as the cheetah said that, and he nodded, as if he was making a mental note of what the feline on the other side of the phone was saying to him. Meanwhile, the others around continued to listen, and they too were getting interesting in what the feline was saying.

"Clawhauser, there are others with you besides Hopps' family?" Bogo asked.

"Yes, there are others. Many others." Ben confirmed, "There are the Oryx-Antlersons. There is Officer Fanghanel and his wife. There is Gazelle, yes, that Gazelle."

"Clawhauser, focus, we need a list of names." Bogo said, and the cheetah soon was giving him a full list of names.

It was a lengthy list, if you considered the size of the group. It included Victoria Vulpen, Gazelle, Eliot and Chloe Fanghanel, the Hoppses, Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, Tyson Tigereye (identified as one of Gazelle's dancers), arriving in Dawn Bellwether.

At this moment, Bogo got particularly interested.

"Bellwether's with you?" The buffalo asked, as he suddenly got somewhat worried more attentive.

"Yeah, she is along with Krystin Miczyslaw and Lana Bellwether, her older sister."

"Older sister?" Nick said, "For real?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Came a female voice from the other end, and Nick could only assume that it was the said sister.

"Clawhauser, keep your eyes open." McChill said, "That sheep can be sneakier than a fox." He said, and this granted him some looks from the presents, the foxes in particular.

"She is actually helping." Benjamin said, "Krystin Mieczyslaw removed her collar so she could use magecraft, and she is helping is now."

"He took off her collar?" Emilia asked, sounding quite surprised.

"Yeah, I thought that she would be able to help us better if she was without it." The voice of the tod came through the phone. "And it turns out that she really is. She found out a way to tap into the security cameras even though the monitors are destroyed, and now we have visual of the entire mall."

"Krys!" Emilia said to him, "Dude, it is so good to hear your voice!"

"You can see the mall?" Marceli asked, as this had caught his attention. "Think you could share with us what you are all seeing?"

"Sure can." Came another voice, this one female, and one that many mammals found familiar. It was the voice of Dawn Bellwether. "I have just taken a look in most of the floors, and I really think I can tell you guys what to expect once you get inside."

"Okay, and we would take your word because...?" Delgato asked as he looked at the phone, and there was a silence, before the voice of Krystin spoke once more.

"She is only trying to help. You better accept it."

The tone he used was strange, and some of the ones who were around noticed, however, they were still knowing that this could probably be their best shot on rescuing hostages.

"Okay." Bogo said, "Start by telling us where you are."

"We are in security room 07." Benjamin said through the phone. "On west wing, sector 22, 10th floor."

As he spoke, Jackalson was fumbling through the many sheets that made the blueprints. It took almost a full minute, but he was able to find the exact location of what Benjamin had just said, and he was able to mark it. Now they knew exactly in which part of the mall they were.

With this part done, they started to ask more questions, starting with the location of groups of hostages, to which the mammals on the other end showed to be pretty efficient and useful. Bellwether was telling them what she could see through the cameras and pointing to them the location of the hostages, with Fred, the security, confirming to them the locations, so they could mark them on the blueprints to be able to orientate themselves.

They had counted groups of hostages on all of the floors, much like what the responsible for the taking had firs said to Marceli through the old phone, and what seemed to be a big group at the center of the first floor, on what seemed to be a huge square.

Once the groups were detected, they were informed of the other things that they should know, like the groups that were guardian all of the accesses between the floors, the stairs and the elevators. They also were told of the groups that were patrolling the hallways of the mall, leaving it clear to them that an access was not going to be easy.

"That is pretty much all of it." Bellwethers voice came from the other end, and the mammals nodded as they heard it. Some of them were still not sure if they could trust the word of that ewe, however, the fact that her words were being confirm by Krystin and by Fred, as well as by Benjamin, seemed to be enough for them to take them with a deal of security.

Even though some of them still thought, with certain reason, that the ewe somehow could give them wrong information on purpose to put them in problem.

"Yeah, it sees that it is not going to be easy." Marceli said, as he looked at all of them points that have been marked on the blueprints, signaling for them the location of the hostages and of the areas that were being covered by groups of hostiles, which they already knew that were on big numbers.

"Well, guess we will have to try our best." Nick said, looking around. "You guys just hang in there; we will be arriving to get you all out as fast as we can."

"You all stay safe." Judy said, talking mostly to her own family as she spoke that.

"We will try." Said Jason's voice, one of Judy's siblings. "But, considering that we have some mages with us and that mom got her zombies watching the door, I think that we will be fine."

"Her what now?" Judy said, and some of the other presents shared looks at what the bunny on the other line said.

"We'll all be waiting." Bonnie said, "Please, be careful!"

"But if you don't, try not to die. It would be inconvenient to all of us-sss." Said yet another voice, and this one has caused Bogo to raise an eyebrow, as it sounded really strange.

"Who is this?"

"We'll all be waiting! Please, be quick!" Said Benjamin, right before he hung it up, leaving the line mute.

A silence followed this, as everyone looked at the phone processing what just happened.

"That was a bit suspicious." Emilia said.

"How did they even managed to call us from the inside?" McChill said, "I thought all the communications between in and out of the mall had somehow been cut."

"The security rooms have individual communication systems." Lapinsky said, causing everyone to look at him. "It is a special system that resists interference in the case there is a problem, like what is happening right now."

"Quite convenient, ain't it?" Nick said, causing the bunny in a suit and metal shoes to look at him in silence.

"Well, it seems that now we have a better idea of what is expecting us inside of the mall." Marceli said, breaking the tension that was threatening to building between the two mammals in there. "It seems that now we have better conditions to start acting."

Everyone looked at each other, before their eyes all focused on Chief Bogo. In particular, the eyes of the bunny and the fox officers were on him, as they were expecting for his decision.

The buffalo sighed, as he looked at the two and said:

"Wilde. Hopps. Don't screw this up."

Chapter Text

Five minutes.

That was what it took for Judy and Nick to gather their best available officers around the table, with the blueprints of the mall laid before them as they all planned their next move.

"So, each one of these markings shows a place where they are. The circles are the hostages, and the 'x's are the enemy groups." Bogo explained to these who had just came in, "As you can see, there are a number of hostage groups on each floor, and they are surrounded by hostiles. That not to mention the unknown amount of hostiles that are circulating across the malls in small groups."

"It is not going to be easy." Marceli said, as he leaned over the table to look. "They are all over the place and if they catch up what we are doing this could mean problem for both the hostages and ourselves. We will have to approach very carefully."

"Yeah, we already know that." McChill said, "Now, how do we get in?"

"Can't go through the doors." The black tod said, "I checked then earlier, and as I expected, there are barriers around them. They make it harder to force the entrances open, and I also suspect that they will let the responsible know if we try to force them open."

"So, we go through the windows?" Delgato asked, and the fox shook his head again.

"It would call too much attention, not to mention how hard it would be to get up there."

"He's got a point." Agent Lapinsky said, as the bunny stood around the table too. Well, actually he was standing on the table, as he looked at the blueprints.

"So, we basically still can't get in?" McHorn asked, as he looked around, and the fox soon was answering him.

"Yes, we can." The fox said to him, "If we go through the roof."

"Well thought." Lapinsky said to him as he looked to where the fox pointed. "There is a staff access through the roof that is very likely not under watch. We can use it to enter the mall and have inner access."

"Where does that access leads?"

"To a side room that leads straight to the movie theater, right above the twelfth floor." The bunny answered, and many of them looked among themselves as they reflected upon the plan.

"I still don't get how the building can have more than ten floors." McHorn said as he looked at the blueprints. "I mean, looking at the building it looks way smaller than that."

"That is because the New Den Plaza was build using special technology of the Technocracy." The bunny explained, looking at the rhino. "The building was built with a special system of dimensional distortion, allowing it to connect to a compact dimension where the internal area of the building was actually constructed."

There were blank stares from most mammals around the table.

"He is talking about a space of imaginary numbers." Marceli spoke, catching everyone's attention. The fox then put himself to explain:

"The actual mall is divided in two parts: the outside and the inside. The outside of the mall exists here, in the physical world, where we can see a building that only had seven floors." The black tod said, as everyone looked at him, "The inside, however, exists in a pocket that is in another world, another plane of existence, if you prefer. This other plane, which we call a 'space of imaginary numbers', exists completely separated from the main physical plane. However, they managed to connect the two dimensions in a way that was able to build the two parts of the mall in them. So, while the outside of the mall only has seven floors, the inside of the mall exists in a separate space and, because of this, it could be built as something much bigger than the actual building."

The fox explained to all of them, and then he looked at the blueprints, which made it clear just how big the mall truly was on the inside.

"The actual New Den Plaza exists inside the space of imaginary numbers." The fox concluded, "The building is just a vessel that connects it to this world."

"Ohhhhh." Some of the ones around the table said, as it now started to make sense to them... kinda.

"That is... quite fancy, but it is correct in the base." Lapinsky confirmed, and he and the mage locked eyes, but only for a moment, before the bunny took his turn to talk:

"The actual space of the mall is indeed much bigger than the outside. While the outside of the mall takes up to one block of physical space, the inside stretches for an equivalent to ten blocks." The bunny said, and this caused a lot of surprised, even shocked, expressions from the other mammals. "Also, while the building only has seven floors, the inside of the mall houses twelve floors. Thirteen if you count the movie theater, and not counting the underground parking lots."

"The thing is practically another district!" Delgato said as he looked at the bunny.

"Indeed, it is something quite admirable." Lapinsky said, looking around. "However, it was something that was quite hard to do. You see, creating these pocket dimensions is quite hard, and it involves many processes that are still not available to the common public, which do not have Quantic Circuits or the methods related to them. There is also the fact that it was never done before, not on the scale of a whole building. We were only able to achieve such thing thanks to the convenient environmental factors."

"Environmental... factors?" Someone around asked, and it was Marceli who answered.

"He is talking about the fact that they built the outside of the mall right above a ley line."

Someone around was about to ask what was a ley line, however, Chief Bogo called the attention back to subject:

"We are divagating here!"

With this, the attention was once more back on the plan to save the hostages from danger. It was soon decide that going in through the roof was maybe their best bet, once the other entrances were a no-go.

"Do we have to climb all the way up there?" Emilia asked, "I'm not very good at climbing."

Some mammals looked at her and shared looked among themselves.

"Actually, we were thinking on using the helicopters." Judy said, the vixen looked at her, and then she looked a bit bashful for what she had said.

"Mages..." Lapinsky said in a low voice, and Judy was one of the few who caught what he said, but she choose not to bring attention to it.

Now was just not the time.

"So, it seems that it is decided, huh?" Nick asked, and Bogo nodded.

"The guys from Precinct 5 are already sending some helicopters in here, and we already have special equipment in here." The buffalo said, "We will be using special assault equipment to enter."

"There are a lot of hostiles from the twelfth floor down." Marceli said, "Not to mention the many groups of hostages that need to be saved. So, since we will be going in by the entrance on the roof, I think that the best plan would be to star up and go clearing the mall floor by floor."

Everyone agreed with that, as they all agreed that it was possibly the best course of action that they could have at the moment. This way they ensured the security of each floor before they moved on to the next. This way, they were sure to keep the hostages and themselves at a minimum risk, as they would be able to take care of one floor at a time.

It was way better than being in another place and risking being cornered between two different floors full of hostiles.

"It seems that we will be able to carry on with this plan with a good chance of success." The bunny agent said to them.

"Yeah, not to mention that it will help us keep the hostages safe while they evacuate through the helicopters." Nick added, "I mean, there seems to be a lot of them, and it will take a while for the helicopters to get them in and out of the place in safety, if they make a few trips."

"Wilde is right." McHorn agreed. "It is not common to have so many hostages in a situation like that, and we can't take them by the lower floors if they are still filled with hostiles. The best bet would be to let them out through the helicopters on the roof once the upper floors have already been clear."

"Sounds like the safest way." McChill admitted, as he was actually showing that he could support this plan.

"Yeah, but, aren't we forgetting something?" Emilia said, as she looked at the other guys, who now looked back at her. "It is not only the mammals who are being kept hostage. It is also the mammals who are clearly being controlled to act as minions."

Everyone looked among themselves as they took in what the vixen just said.

She was right. There was a number of mammals behaving very strangely on the mall, and they were helping the golems to keep the hostages.

The enforcers themselves already confirmed that these mammals were under the effect of some kind of "mental interference" that made them behave like that. They were not truly responsible for their own actions, but rather more victims of the whole situation.

"Luckily we will be using darts." Nick said, and some nodded at him.

"Yeah, while others might prefer to use lethal weapons or to turn the mammals into bombs." McChill said, as he looked at the two enforcers, who merely glared back at him.

"Excuse me; didn't you forgot how we stopped all of these mammals without truly harming them?" The vixen said, as she pulled out her dagger. "I can easily do that again to the mammals inside the mall. Just a swipe and the mental interference will be completely nullified without a single scratch to their bodies."

"In truth, Emilia is capable of easily rescuing these mammals." Marceli confirmed, and everyone looked at him. "And only because I can use the Hagalaz rune to make anything explode, even living beings, I have no intention of doing that to innocents. I'm not this kind of mammal."

There was a very intense expression on his face as he spoke that. This was enough for everyone to realize how serious the fox was. Some of them even recoiled under his gaze.

"As for the golems, don't worry." The vixen said, "I can use reinforcement to make my body strong enough to break them, and Uncle Marcel can also send them to space with his skills."

Everyone looked at the vixen, who looked like she was awfully confident and happy in a situation like that. Marceli himself only sighed and shook his head slowly.

Why are the recruits always like that? She reminds me so much of myself during my first mission... Dammit.

"Yes, I'm sure that your skills will be precious for the team." Lapinsky said, looking at the two enforcers. "Just as my own skills."

Everyone looked at him.

"This is a subject that is of a direct interest of the Technocratic Union." The bunny said to them, "I have to be sure to accompany the situation to the best of my skills. This also means going on the mall with you."

He looked around at all of the mammals present, and he smiled. "You didn't expect me to just sit out and let you guys do all the fun stuff, right?" He said in an impish tone, which surprised some of the ones present on the table, as they looked at the small bunny who showed to have some guts on him.

"Are we really going to take this bunny?" McChill asked, Judy was among the ones who looked at him, and she didn't had a very friendly look at this comment.

"I'm going." The bunny on suit said, looking at the bear dead in the eye. "And that's not up for discussion."

The way he spoke and the look on his eyes were almost as if he was daring McChill to try and say otherwise. It was so intense that the big polar bear was actually force to look down.

This surprised some of the presents, once they knew that someone like McChill would not look away easily. There were few that could make him do that, among them Chief Bogo and Hopps. It seemed that now they could include agent Lapinsky on that list.

"Well, it seems like the suited guy is going." Nick said, and everyone was agreeing with him, including Bogo.

"As long as he does not causes problem." The buffalo said, now really not in the mood for any discussion."

"I won't." The bunny assured. "I can fend for myself, and you will see that I can also be helpful to anything you might face."

"Yeah, whatever." Bogo said to him. "So, the enforcers and the 'agent' are both coming. The rest of the group will be form by our officers. We will have special assault equipment for this mission and special tranquilizer rifles. Hopps and Wilde will be using special guns with darts in them. They will be mostly in charge of recognizance and on approaching without being seen."

"Good to know we can use our size and natural skills in service of law and order, sir." Nick said as he saluted the chief. Judy was by his side on the chair, and she looked determined.

Meerkovits, the meerkat, was also in there. He had arrived as someone who had been call for this mission, apparently, because of how well he did with the mission of the bursting of the illegal fighting rings. He was a bit nervous for being part of this mission, but it seemed that Nick had once more succeeded in making him feel more confident.

"Meerkovitz, you will be using a sniper rifle with darts, like on your last mission. You will be in charge of surveillance." Bogo said, and the meerkat nodded at him, already knowing that this was going to be like the mission before, and that his job would be to cover the others.

Okay, it will be just like back then, just as with the warehouse. You did well there! You can do it! Man, I still prefer working as transit guard...

"The rest of the group will be armed with standard dart guns, safe for McHorn, Delgato, Jackson and Myself, who will be handling the rifles.

"Big guys with big guns. Go figures." Nick said with a smile, but them, he remembered just what the Chief had just said.

"Wait, what?"

It was not up for discussion. Bogo had been in charge of Bellwether, just like Nick, and she escaped under his watch. He was going in there to help retrieve her.

As the group got ready, they all reassured each other and themselves, telling that everything was going to go fine.

At least, that was what most of them actually wanted to believe.

Now, while the enforcers merely put on some hoods, and the agent seemed that he was merely getting ready to go in the way he was now, the cops were putting on some heavy combat equipment.

A heavy bulletproof vest. Some armor on the arms and legs, and a helmet on the head. They were also carrying guns that were heavier and more potent than the ones that they usually carried on their everyday jobs.

Some of them complained about the equipment, like Nick, who said that the thing was heavy and hot, and that the helmet pressed his ears against his skull. It was his first time using the equipment ever since he joined the ZPD.

Judy had similar feelings of discomfort, but she did not voice them, instead just diligently putting the equipment and getting ready for the mission. It was not much different from the equipment that she used on the night of the bursting of the illegal fights, before the whole process that led to the revealing of magecraft to the world.

It was only a few months ago, but looking back it seemed that it was so long...

As the groups finished getting themselves prepared, it was right on time, for the helicopters had just arrived, and they were making a lot of noise and wind.

"Wow... So this is a helicopter." Emilia said, as she looked in wonder at the big aircrafts. "I've only seen them on television. They are even bigger than I thought!" She said in amazement as she looked at the big vehicles. Marceli was soon by her side, remembering her that they needed to focus on her mission.

With this, the mammals entered on the helicopters and were taken to the mall through the air.

The travel was relatively short, but in this time, the ones inside of the mall had time to reflect on what they were doing.

It was a time that they used to reflect on the whole situation and to convince themselves that this was what they needed to do, that if they wanted to rescue everyone who was on the mall. Some of them still had doubts, and they persistent even with all of the planning that they just did, and they did their best to quench these insecurities.

Of course, some of them were showing a lot more calm then the rest of them, some were actually looking like they were having fun. It was the case of Emilia, who looked outside, actually liking what she was experiencing, as she had never rode a helicopter before. She seemed almost like a kit doing something really cool for the very first time, in the opinion of some.

Among them, was Marceli, who looked at his niece, before he sighed and looked away, repassing the plan on his head one more time. Immediately after, Emilia's ears both got up, as she saw something on the side of the helicopter.

"Uncle Marcel!" Emilia was soon screaming, as she tried to get over the sound of the blades of the helicopter. "Uncle Marcel! Look!"

The black tod soon was looking, and his ears too shot up.

"Hey, friends!" The black fox said to the others who were on the room with them. Nick, Judy, Bogo, McChill and agent Lapinsky all looked at the fox, who was gesturing to the side of the helicopter.

Soon, they all approached the side, and they could look at what they were seeing.

"What the!?"

Flying by the side of the helicopter, was a big bird, the kind that some would mistake by a predatory bid, the kind that was forbidden in Zootopia, due to the danger of it feeding on mammals. This creature flew by the side of the helicopter, and it seemed that it was going to the same direction.

Now, the bird alone would have been interesting on its own, if it was not the added fact that it had a mammal ridding on its back.

The ferret was holding tight to the back of the bird, holding on to the feathers of the creature, which continued to fly. The ferret was even venturing to look at the helicopter, allowing the ones who were in there to look back at her.

Most of them recognized her almost immediately.

Zillah Ferron waved at the mammals at the helicopter, before he bird flapped its wings, taking her ahead of them as they moved in direction to the roof of the mall.

Cory was the first one to arrive, as the big bird landed on the roof gently, and Zillah was soon getting down from his back.

The helicopters started to arrive soon after, and they were still with their blades spinning rapidly as the mammals on them jumped down. As they did, they were already gathering. However, they were soon becoming aware of the presence of another mammal in there.

"What are you doing here?" Bogo was the first one to ask, and the ferret had to scream to get over the sound of the spinning blades.

"I'm here to help!"

"Help how, exactly?" McChill asked, as he also approached, and soon, others were approaching her, and they all looked interested on what the ferret had to say.

"I know some of what you might face on the way!" The ferret said to all of them, looking up at the cops. "I can help you guys navigate inside and not be caught."

"This is an official mission!" Bogo said back to her, "You are not really authorized to be here!"

"I just want to help, okay!?" The ferret practically yelled back at him. "I'll be out of your way, and if you ask me, at any moment, I'll turn back and leave. But I'm pretty sure I can help you guys! Let me come! Please!"

Bogo looked at her for a few moments, before turning his gaze to the enforcers.

Both of them looked back at him, and Marceli only shrugged.

Bogo groaned.

"We don't have time for this!" He said, and he looked at the ferret. "If you get on our way, you will be coming back to the roof and staying here until we are done!"

"That is more than fair!" Zillah agreed, and soon, she was entering the mall, along with the rest of the group.

Getting inside was rather easy, as the door of the roof led them directly to what seemed to be a "staff room" that led them to the movie theater through a side door.

The movie theater was no small thing, as it proved to be as much of a thing as the mall itself. It seemed that the space of an entire block only for a place where they would be able to see movies, and there were many rooms with many seats on them.

The place really looked to be a state of art Movie Theater, just as it had been promise.

However, no one of the group had really time to pay attention to the fact, for they had to focus their attention on the fact that there were mammals on the mall that needed rescuing. So, their first priority was to find a way of getting down.

Luckily, there were no hostiles there. No crazed mammals or armed golems.

It was quiet.

Too quiet, in the opinion of some.

However, they soon found out some problem as they finally found the stairs that would lead them down.

There were two golems in there; apparently, they were on guard in case anyone tried to go to the upper floor of the movies. Consequently, they were paying attention to the area where they were, but not up, as they seemed not to expect someone to come from up on their direction.

"Two golems, down ahead." Nick said in a low voice to the mammals that were coming near him, and all of them stopped and looked.

All of them were standing on the escalators, which were not working, so they were able to approach silently and stop to look at the two golems. They looked like big cats in appearance and they were carrying with big clubs made of rock.

"Now, how we deal with this?" Someone on the behind asked, and the one who answered was Lapinsky.

The bunny said nothing, but reached inside of his suit, and pulled out what seemed to be two weapons.

These were not dart guns, that much was clear. However, they were also not regular firearms. They had a silvery coloration and a blue glowing trimming on them, making them look like something that had come out of some sci-fi show.

The bunny now was holding the guns, aiming them on the two golems at the bottom of the stairs.

As he pulled the triggers, the two guns glowed and produced a low humming. Then, each gun fired a blast of bluish-white plasma, which flew through the air with a sound worthy of a sci-fi movie, and hit the heads of the golem.

The heads exploded, and pieces of them flew everywhere. The headless bodies remained in place for a few moments, before they fell limply to the ground, unmoving and defeated. The automaton entities didn't even knew what hit them.

"So, let's get going?" Lapinsky asked as he now held both of his plasma guns, all under the wide eyes of the others that were around him. The bunny simply ignored them and kept walking. He was surprisingly silent, considering the metal shoes that he was wearing.

"Okay... we need to get some of these." Nick whispered to Judy, as they continued to look at the walking bunny in a suit, before the group proceeded to move.

They were able to move across the mall, as they proved to be able to move well across it, with the help of the directions that they memorized before going inside. Of course, the fact that Lapinsky had the blueprints on holographic images on his wrist device really helped, as the bunny was able to give them directions.

The group remained as close as they could to each other, for extra safety, and they were able to communicate via radio, thanks to Lapinsky, who had done something with their radios before they went inside.

"I cannot grant communication between outside and inside, for it seems to be too much interference." The bunny said to them, as he seemed to be making something with their equipment. "But, I can make sure that our radios will allow us to talk to each other as long as we are inside of the mall."

"If there is so much interference, then how come they called us from the inside?" McChill asked, looking at the bunny with suspicion.

"Because the security rooms have special secure lines that are able to resist interference." The bunny said, "With the amount of interference that is in this place, you need a very special line to be able to communicate with the outside. Whoever created this interference, knew exactly what they were doing."

This proved to be useful, as it allowed the group to keep on touch through radio, allowing them to move at a certain distance from each other and to keep on touch. It was particularly good for the case of Meerkovitz, who was coming through a strategically placed path so he would be able to watch and warm them of any problem. Of course, the fact that he was with a rifle with telescopic visor did helped a lot.

"Guys, look out!" The voice of the meerkat came from the radio, causing the group to stand where they were. "There are a few golems going on your direction. Five of them."

"Five golems coming our way." Delgato said to the group. In particular, he was saying it to the two enforcers, who were not using the same radio as they were.

The two foxes shared a look among themselves, and Marceli said:

"Wait here." He spoke, and he was soon walking forward, pulling his cloak over his head. Everyone looked as the fox started to walk forward and, as he did, something started to happen to him.

It was as if the fox was getting out of focus. Not only that, but it also seemed that his shape was darkening, becoming less focused and more immaterial.

Everyone blinked as it seemed that the fox had turned into a shadow that was just vaguely shape like a mammal, and that moved very fast over the ground, running across the place before it went into an area covered by darkness. As this shadow moved into the spot, it became completely still, and it blended so well that it was as if it had completely disappeared.

"Did you guys see that?" Delgato asked, as everyone looked at what the fox had just done. Emilia was also looking, and she had a confident smile on her face.

"Yeah, that is why he is known as The Black Shadow of the Association." The vixen said to them, but immediately, she looked at all of them and added:

"But don't call him that. He hates this nickname."

They remained where they were, looking as the group that Meerkovitz warned them about: five golems, all of them looking tough and all of them carrying weapons of stone.

The entities passed by the spot that Marceli was hiding, and they barely noticed him. The ones who had a good enough vision to be able to look at the place would be able to see the yellowish eyes of the tod as he looked at the golems.

The fox then, as fast and swift as a shadow, moved out of the place where he was hiding, and dashed indirection to the golems. He started with the one that was the closest to reach.

With a movement of his dagger, he sliced through the back of the golem's leg, causing it to fall into one knee. With a single fluid movement, the fox moved his dagger and pierced into the chest of the golem. Going all the way up to the hilt.

With this, the golem fell to the ground, and the fox continued to move after the golems, repeating the process with the next golem in, line. And the next.

However, as he moved to the fourth golem, it seemed that the two left catch up that there was something happening.

The golems turned around, however, at the same moment, Marceli made a sudden change in movement, and he was now rushing to another direction, out of the sight of the two golems.

As the stone entities stood there, looking at the remains of the fallen ones, the fox swiftly moved around them, silent as a ghost.

As they looked on the other side, Marceli jumped on the back of a golem, swinging himself with great skill. Soon, he was piercing the head of the golem on the temple with his blade. The golem did not made a sound as it fell to the ground.

Immediately, Marceli made a leap from the golem, and landed on the back of the last one. With his leap, and a swift movement, he buried his dagger all the way down on the back of the golems head. The golem twitched a little bit, as it let go of its weapon.

Soon, the golem landed face first on the ground, with Marceli still on its back.

After the golems have all fallen, the image of the fox becomes more material and less dark, as he once more can be freely identify as a fox. He pulls his hood from over his head and looks at the group of mammals, all who are looking at him with surprise.

Marceli simply sighs and turns to walk, and soon, the group is walking behind him.

"Man... that was quite scary." Someone on the group whispers, and the mammals continue to move about the mall.

"Okay, it seems that we are close to the first group of hostages." Lapinsky says to the group, his voice was somehow getting into the radio, even though he does not have a radio himself. "Everyone stay sharp."

"Are we sure that the hostages are this way?" McChill asked.

"That according to what the ones inside told us." Bogo said.

"Don't you mean, according to what Bellwether told us?" McChill said, "I still think that the ewe might have lied about a thing or two to lead us to a trap."

Truth was, some of them actually could agree with the polar bear, but they knew that the directions that they received from the ewe was the best they had now. So, they continued to follow these directions.

"Wait!" Zillah suddenly said, as she rushed to in front of the group. She is looking forward, and everyone is looking at her. Some notice that she had removed her glasses, and was now looking ahead with neon-green eyes.

"There is a trap ahead." The ferret said, and everyone looked at her.

"What?"

"What is she talking about?"

"There are two controlled mammals hidden in a place out of the sight of the cameras." The ferret said, as she continued to look straight ahead. "As soon as we try to pass, they will alert the ones watching the hostages, and then they will start being kill."

"How do you know that?" Emilia asked, and the vixen looked back at her with her neon-green eyes.

"I just know."

Of course, some of the group were not sure if they believed the ferret, however, Marceli decided to go forward and check, just to be sure. So, he once more turned into a shadow and moved silently forward.

"That is a neat trick that your uncle do." Nick whispered to Emilia, who answered:

"Yeah, it is something he learned on his own. But he doesn't like being famous only because of it. He says that it feeds the stereotypes about foxes..."

It took two minutes, but Marceli soon was approaching, removing his hood.

"Ferron was right." The tod said, "There were two mammals hidden in a corner, and they looked like they were waiting for something. They are no longer a problem, I took care of them."

"'Took care', you say?" McChill asked, "Like you took care of the golems back there?"

Everyone now looked at the fox, who looked coldly at the polar bear.

"They are unconscious, Officer McChill." The fox said to him, and it seemed to make most of the other mammals on the group relax.

Soon the group was moving once again, and they passed by the spot where Marceli found the mammals. They were two wolves, and they didn't had any significant wound on their bodies. They looked only to just have been knock out.

"They would have howled as soon as we passed." Zillah said to the group as they passed by the unconscious canines. "This would have alerted the group around the corner, and they would have started attacking the hostages."

"And how do you know that?" McChill asked to the ferret, with a raised eyebrow.

"The same way that I know that the hostiles that are keeping the hostages ahead are all mammals under mental interference, and that we will need to capture them without killing." The ferret said, and the mammals on the ground looked at her, as she placed her glasses back on her face.

Had her eyes changed color?

The group approached carefully, and soon, they had visual on the group of hostages and on the mammals that were watching them.

As Zillah had told them, the group was being guard by many mammals that had crazed looks on their eyes. They were carrying improvised weapons, but that looked like they could make some serious damage, especially if coupled with their sizes. Not to mention that some of them had claws and fangs, what would allow them to make some serious damage even without any of their improvised weapons.

The group planned a little bit on how to proceed, and soon, they were ready to approach the hostages.

Marceli was the one who moved ahead, and he managed to approach as a shadow.

As the blackened fox approached, he gently tapped on the back of their legs with the handle of his dagger, enough to call their attention.

"Rock n' roll?"

One by one, the mammals turned to look; trying to see what it was that had tapped on their legs. They saw nothing, as Marceli proved to be too fast for them to follow, especially now that he had his image shadowed like that.

As the mammals saw the ones keeping the hostages getting distracted, they were now seeing their chance to act, starting with the cops, who fired darts from their guns, hitting the hostiles.

One by one, the mammals dropped to the ground. As they did, Emilia also acted, as she rushed forward, passing by the mammals as they fell, and she was now on the other side of the group, among the mammals that were out of the range of the cops.

As she did, the blade of her dagger started to glow, and it formed flames with the coloration of the aurora on it. With wide movements, the flames jumped out of the blade and into the mammals that were on her reach.

Each mammal that got involved by the flames fell to the ground, but they did not screamed or expressed any pain, as the flames licked through their bodies but did not caused any form of damage.

As the flames cleared, the mammals were completely unharmed, and they looked around, seeming to be confused.

The whole thing lasted for around three minutes, with half of the mammals keeping the hostages now lying unconscious on the ground, while the other half looked as if they had suddenly become aware of where they were and what they had been doing.

Soon, the cops were approaching, checking on the ones that were still conscious.

The hostages were soon treat with the best of their capacities, as they were check on to see if they received wounds of any kind. Meanwhile, the ones who had been keeping them under siege were approach with care; especially by McChill, who still thought that they could attack, even though Emilia assured him that the mental interference on them had been nullify.

Soon, the group received instructions to come back by the same path that the cops had made, with two of their officers going there to ensure their safety.

As they went back, the group continued to move forwards, their weapons and skills ready for any more dangers that could come their way...

That security room was quite small for a group that big, still, they were able to move around it with certain comfort.

Well, they didn't really had a choice, for it was probably the only place where they would truly be safe until the rescue came to take them outside.

Meanwhile, the mammals were arranging themselves the best that they could. Bellwether was still in front of the image that she created, which allowed her to see through the cameras of the mall. She seemed to be focusing a lot of her attention on the image that she was creating, as it seemed that she was still trying to find a way out. Krys and Lana were by her sides, and they were discussing something with her as they all looked at the images. All that under the eyes of a part of the group. Of course, many of them just wanted to keep an eye on the images, as to see if there would be any changes, but a number of them were shooting dirty glares at the ewe, as if they were deeply bother by her presence. Some of them even thought that all that was happening at the mall was somehow her fault, but they refrained from saying anything.

Vicky and Cameron were among the crowd of mammals, and while Vicky only wanted to stay on her place and wait for everything to be solve the best way possible, Cameron was still keen on recording all that he could with his camera. He was particularly interested on what Bellwether was doing, as it "looked so cool". The beagle still recorded all that was going on, while Vicky stood next to him, shaking her head as she knew that it would be hopeless to try and convince him to stop.

Officer Fanghanel was in a corner, talking to his wife about something. It was quite hard for anyone who would be listening to follow what he was saying, but it seemed that the wolf thought that it was important. However, who heard it would see that the subject seemed to make sense only for the wolf. Still, his wife seemed to do her best to pay attention to it and listen to her wolf.

It was possible to have talks between two mammals, even in a crowded space like that, if you two stood on a corner and were careful with the volume of their voices. Just like the Fanghanels were doing. And like another couple in there was also doing.

Bunnies had a very good hearing, and still, Bonnie and Stu were pretty sure that their children and their granddaughter would not really be able to catch up on them if they kept their volume on check.

"I can't believe that you hid it from me all of this time!" Stu said to his wife, while the female looked at her husband. "We have been married for almost thirty years!"

"Stu, is this really the moment for us to discuss something like that?" Bonnie said, looking at her husband, and still surprised that he wanted to discuss the fact that she didn't told him that she was a mage in the moment where they still needed to be rescued.

"I mean, it is a very important detail!" Stu said, looking at his wife. "It is the kind of thing that you tell the mammal that you plan to spend the rest of your life with! You know, stuff like, 'I enjoy sunsets', or 'I'm allergic to peanuts', or maybe 'I have magical powers'!"

Bonnie sighed as he massaged the bridge of her nose with her fingers. Of course, Stu would be reacting like this. After all, he was Stu. He could be quite dramatic over certain subjects, especially the ones that truly caught him by surprise.

Finding out that his wife was a mage was surely something that caught the bunny by surprise.

Bonnie knew that this would come; she had just expected them to be out of immediate danger before Stu wanted to discuss it.

Well, it seems that she had once more underestimated her husband's ability to freak out.

"Stu, is this really the moment to discuss something like that?" Bonnie asked him once more, exasperated. "We are inside of a mall full of golems and mammals that want to kill us!"

"Well, it is something really important!" The male bunny said back, "I mean; it is kind of an important thing that I should've know!"

"Well, you do now! So can we leave it at it and talk about it more when we are not in the middle of danger?" Bonnie said, and then, their ears picked up someone calling for them. It was Cotton.

"Later." Bonnie said, as she rushed in the meeting of her granddaughter, and Stu was hot on her heels.

Cotton was with her uncles and aunts, and she was still with the blindfold over her eyes. The bunny girl was missing her grandma and grandpa, so she called out for them. In no time, Bonnie was with her, and she was comforting the young bunny, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

Stu was also there, and he too wanted to comfort their granddaughter. However, his mind was still hooked on the fact that his wife was a mage and that he never knew anything.

"Did you ever used magecraft to do things at home?" Stu asked her, and Bonnie now was really feeling like smacking him in the upside of the head.

"Stu. Let. It. Go." Bonnie said to him.

"Well, sorry, I can't! I'm still trying to process the fact that you never told me you were a mage!

"Because I wanted to leave it all behind!" Bonnie said to him, looking him in the eye. "I gave up on magecraft years ago! Right after I left this city!"

"Yeah, but still... Wait, this city?" Stu asked, looking at the bunny. "You... you lived in this city?"

Bonnie looked at him, and she sighed, cursing herself for letting something like that to slip.

"Yes... during most of my life." The bunny confessed to her husband. "As a matter of fact, I was born here in Zootopia."

"Wha..." Stu said.

"Wait, I thought that you were born on Podunk, back on Deerbroke." Jason asked, as Bonnie turned to him and saw many eyes on her. She had forgotten that now they were close to their relatives, and she cursed herself once more for this.

"I... I lied about that." Bonnie admitted to her family. "I needed a new life after I gave up being a mage! Of course I didn't wanted to tell people where I really was from!"

"You... you lied to me?" Stu asked, looking at her.

"Man, now that is something." One of her children said, and Bonnie groaned, as she thought of how bad things were developing at the moment.

She knew that coming back to the city was a bad idea.

"Well, I'm sure learning a lot of new things about you today, Bonnie." Stu said, "I mean, if that is even your name."

"Of course it is!" Bonnie said to him. She looked at him for a few moments, before she added:

"Well, it is now."

"What do you mean by 'it is now'?" Stu asked, looking at her. The bunny sighed.

"When I left the city I wanted to leave all of my past behind." Bonnie explained to him. "So, when I moved to BunnyBurrow, I changed my name."

Everyone looked at her in shock, as they were all finding out a side of Bonnie that none of them never even dreamed that could exist. It was hard to believe that this mammal who they knew for so long could have a past that none of them even dreamed about.

"W-what was your name when you lived here?" Harry asked, as he looked at his mother with as much surprise as everyone else.

Bonnie looked at him, and at everyone who now had their eyes on here. Even Cotton, who was with a blindfold, was hearing what was happening, and it was obvious that she too was getting interested. However, Bonnie did not answered, as she only looked down.

However, someone else was willing to answer in her name.

"She was called Helga." Dawn Bellwether said. The bunnies were in the front line to see what the ewe was doing, and she was hearing what they were saying.

All eyes turned to the ewe, who looked over her shoulder to look at them.

"Her baptism name is Helga Höhle. Of the Höhle clan." The ewe said to them, "A famous clan of necromancers."

Bonnie gave a glare to the ewe, who had decided to talk about her family without her consent. The rest of her family took turns between looking at the ewe and at their matriarch. Meanwhile, what the ewe had said surely caught the attention of the group of mammal that was around and hearing everything.

"Of 'decro manners'?'" Someone of the group, for someone else to answer.

"Pretty sure she said 'necromancers'."

"What even is a 'necromancer'?"

"My cousin plays B&B, and necromancers are guys who raise zombies."

"Necromancers are guys who practice the thaumaturgical branch known as necromancy." Said Lana Bellwether, who was also hearing, and who heard enough to know that some wanted to have answers, and she was happy for giving it to them.

"Necromancy is a type of magecraft that revolves around controlling the remains of the dead. Corpses, if you prefer to be blunt." The older ewe concluded, and everyone looked at her, and many of them were still talking among themselves.

"Is that even legal?" Someone asked, and some of them could back up this question, including the Hoppses, who now were worried that their mother could have done something tht was against the mage laws.

"Yeah, necromancy is not illegal." Krys said to everyone. "It was well spread enough and used by enough important clans that it was not deemed to be illegal, but it is looked with mistrust by a lot of the modern mages."

"And, the guys spend their time raising the dead as their minions?" Someone else asked. "That is so freaky!"

"Sure, these zombies outside freak me out! Just like the giant snake!" Someone else said, and the two heads of the snake turned to look at the mammal, who recoiled immediately.

"Yeah, raising undead is the first thing everyone thinks when talking about necromancy." Dawn Bellwether said; she had now turned around to look at the group of bunnies. "But necromancy deals with more than that. For example, a part of it is taking corpses apart and then sewing them together to create abominations that look just like Foxenstein's monster." She spoke, and everyone looked at Bonnie as she spoke that.

"Also, necromancers scavenge corpses for their parts." The ewe said, looking at Bonnie. "They use pieces of corpses to create special objects and weapons of power that they can use. As you can see in the nice looking skull that our dear Helga has on her shotgun."

"Grandma..." Cotton said, and Bonnie pulled the young bunny even closer to herself as she stared daggers at the ewe, who looked back at her with ferocity.

"Yeah, I wonder who was that poor unfortunate mammal whose skull you used..." The ewe said, "I heard about your predilection for using bones to fabricate your weapons. The bullets you use, they are made of mammal fingers, aren't they?"

Bonnie said nothing, but she could notice that the mammals around her were getting increasingly uncomfortable, including her own family. She really wished that ewe would just stop talking.

"You know, I wonder how you get the material to make your mystic codes, now that the clan no longer supplies it to you, Helga."

"Don't call me that." Bonnie said to her, there was fire in her eyes as she looked at that ewe. "This is no longer my name. I renounced that name on the same day I renounced magecraft."

"Oh, really?" Dawn asked, looking at the bunny. "Well, for someone who renounced it, you still have a lot of skill in that. Either that or it is pretty common for bunnies to raise zombies as their minions."

Bonnie glared daggers at the ewe, and the two females almost looked like they could start a fight at any given moment, with the way things were escalating between the two of them. Everyone around could feel the tension that was building up in there, and many of them hoped that something would break it.

"So, I wonder what happens now." Dawn said to the bunny. "After this, will you go back to your home at BunnyBurrow and lock everything away? Pretend that this part of your life never existed? Or will you once more start acting like a proper mage?"

"I'm not a mage anymore."

"Well, common bunnies do not carry magic guns with them and neither raise the dead, do they?" Dawn taunted, and Bonnie continued to stare at the ewe.

"Just answer me one thing." The ewe said, and looking at the bunny dead in the eye. "Have you thought of continuing the tradition of using your dead children as raw material?"

Bonnie's eyes widened at that, right before they morphed into absolute fury.

"I mean, it is known that the Höhle clan often makes uses of the corpses of their own members as material to produce mystic codes." The ewe said, all under the wide eyes of the group of mammals who was hearing this. "You might have abandoned your clan, but you grew up as one of them, so it is only natural to assume that you do as they taught you. So, how many of your dead relatives have you already turned into magic objects?"

That was all that Bonnie could take, she immediately moved forward, nearly roaring at the ewe:

"Watch your mouth, you brat!"

"Or what!?" Dawn Bellwether shot back at her, looking at her eyes with the same ferocity of the bunny. "What will you do, necromancer!?"

There was a long and very tense moment, as the two females were staring daggers at each other. Everyone in the room seemed like they were holding their breath, just waiting to see what would unfold, and if they were really going to start a battle then and there.

The tension was so great that they could cut it with a knife.

Finally, Bonnie spoke:

"I'm no longer a necromancer." She was sure as she spoke that, and she looked dead at the eyes of the ewe. "I'm no longer a mage. I gave up on this for decades now."

The tone she used was low and sure, and it wanted to make it perfectly clear for the ewe that she really meant what she was saying.

The ewe, however, looked back at her with some hint of challenge still in her eyes.

"Yeah, for someone who is no longer a mage, you still show that you can do it like any mage can." The ewe said, looking at the bunny. "Giving up doesn't make you stop being a mage. It only makes you become a quitter."

"Dawn!" Krys said to her and everyone else traded looks. Bonnie glared at the ewe, but she said nothing. Instead, she only lowered her gaze, and the ewe took this as a sign that she had made her point.

"There is no such thing as an ex-mage." Dawn said, looking at the bunny, and then, she even gave a look at the cheetah that was standing by the side of his snake. Benjamin flinched with that look, and looked away.

"There are quitters." The ewe continued, all under everyone else's eyes. "Mages who got so overwhelmed by the pressure that they throw in the towels and decided to abandon all that they and their ancestors worked so hard for."

Bonnie glared at the ewe as she said that, and Ben looked at the ground, looking dejected.

"They choose to give up and abandon everything, but deep down, they will always be mages." The ewe said, sounding as if she was ready to conclude. "The proof of it is that their skills never truly disappear."

Ben was looking really dejected as he looked at the ground, and his snake was right by his side.

"Can we eat her?" One of the heads whispered at the cheetah. "Plea-sss-se sss-say we can eat her."

"We never had ewe before. Sss-she looks-sss tas-sss-ty." The other head said, and it looked like they both were glaring at the ewe. However, it was not only hunger, but there was also a hint of anger in their eyes, if you were able to notice something like that.

Benjamin was like that, and he noticed that the snake was ready to attack Bellwether, and it only needed a permission to do so. Actually, the way they were looking, they could probably do so without permission.

Ben stopped then by gently touching their body with his paw, granting them to look at him. He shook his head "no", and the snakes got the message. Of course, they still glared daggers at the ewe, just like Bonnie was still doing so.

The ewe would truly be very dead if looks could kill.

However, Dawn didn't even noticed their gazes, as she only looked down. She had just made quite a harsh speech; however, who looked at her would have the impression that she didn't seemed happy about this speech, as she merely looked at the ground. Almost... sad.

They were so focus on her that they had nearly forgot of the images that were still showing on the magic mist.

At least, until Bucky said:

"Hey, there is someone on the camera!"

This caused everyone to immediately remember and look over to the mist, and this allowed them to see that there was, indeed, someone appearing on the mist.

Dawn Bellwether was quick to return to in front of the circles, and to move on them. In answer, it caused the camera to move and to zoom, focusing on the mammals that were appearing on the image.

Two of them were foxes, and they were wearing cloaks. They were immediately identify by most of the present mages as enforcers. Krys, in particular, identified them as his cousin and his uncle.

Of course these two would come. I never had a doubt. Krys thought, as he saw Marceli moving on the lead with a serious expression, while Emilia was coming right behind him with her dagger on her hand and looking at all sides, as if she was ready for anything that could come at her.

Next came more mammals that were wearing heavy tactical armor, and that were identify as the ZPD by nearly everyone. Among the mammals in there, right on the lead, it was possible to see a bunny and a fox, which were immediately recognize as Judy and Nick. It was obvious that they too wouldn't stay out of the action, especially when mammals they cared about where in trouble.

Among them, that was another one who was quickly recognize:

"Is that the Chief?" Eliot asked, as he looked at the image that was showing a buffalo on tactical armor, seemingly giving directions to the rest of the group.

Yes, it is! Benjamin immediately thought that as he saw the image of the familiar Cape buffalo on specialized tactical armor. The big helmet did not hide his impressive set of horns, and the heavy bulletproof vest and armor did not diminished the size of his muscles and the amount of power that he passed. If anything, these things only heightened the powerful impression that the bull let on.

Vicky was also looking, and she couldn't hide her surprise as she saw a familiar face among the mammals. Zillah Ferron was walking with them, wearing a simple top and a long coat with herself, and she looked as if she was ready for anything, along with the rest of the mammals.

"Wait, ain't that..." Cameron said.

"Yes, it is." Vicky said, as both fox and beagle looked at the image, the beagle still recording it on his camera.

There was even an unknown male bunny among the group, wearing a suit and wearing some strange-looking shoes on his feet. He looked to be as professional as the rest of them, and was carrying two weapons with himself.

"Why is that bunny carrying toy guns?" Someone who was looking asked as they saw the image.

"These are not toys." Lana said, as she looked at the image. "That guy definitely is a Technocrat... maybe an agent."

"What is an agent doing here?" Jade asked, as the kangaroo came close, and she looked at the image along with everyone else.

"Where is it?" Lana asked, and Dawn was checking on the circle that was giving her the information on the cameras, and she was soon saying:

"Twentieth floor, sector 62, West wing." The ewe said, as she got the precise information of the location of that camera.

"Two floors above us." Krys said, as she also looked at the image. "How many golems and controlled mammals there are between them and us?"

Immediately, Dawn put herself on shifting between the many cameras. She passed by many images of golems and mammals, both surrounding groups of hostages and patrolling the hallways.

"Many." Was all that the ewe said.

"They will have a hard time getting here." Jade said, "Even more if they plan to go all the way down."

"They can pull it off." Krys said to her. "Uncle Marcel and Emilia both can take care of this. If they do it right."

"And they have the ZPD with them!" Eliot said, "Combined these guys surely can take care of all of these wackos! We all will be safe in no time!"

Eliot was always an optimist, and those who knew him, like Chloe and Ben both, could tell that. However, they had to admit that the groups would face some difficulty.

The amount of golems and mammals under the influence of some mage was great, and the groups could very well fall into traps or unexpected encounters.

They were in for a lot of trouble to be able to rescue all of the hostages.

That was something that Ben truly knew, and that was why the cheetah was silently asking them all to be careful as they walked over the mall, and for all of them to arrive soon, and to arrive safe.

Chapter Text

This mission was never going to be an easy one.

All of the ones who walked into the mall knew it from the start. That was why they were sure to be prepare.

Rescuing groups of mammals that were being keep as hostages on a mall, which was full with a large number of hostiles, was not an easy task. Both by mage and non-mage standards. Everyone in there knew that. The cops knew that. The enforcers knew that. Agent Lapinsky knew that. Even Zillah Ferron knew that, and yet she insisted in coming.

Clearing the first floor actually was surprisingly fast, having taken between twenty and thirty minutes. They were able to destroy all of the golems and subdue all of the hostile mammals. All the hostages were rescue and securely moved to the roof, to be remove via the ceiling.

They were very thankful for Meerkovitz, whom was on his strategic position, keeping an eye for everything that could happen; he was a very good sentry. They were also thankful for Lapinsky, who had the blueprints on his holographic device and helped them with the radios so communication would be possible. However, one thing they were the more thankful for was Zillah Ferron, once it almost seemed that the ferret was able to see the future, for she was able to tell them about anything up ahead that they were not previously aware of.

Some even started to wonder if the ferret actually could see the future.

Once they were all sure that the first floor had been clear, they moved to the next one. They were carrying on with the plan of clearing the mall floor by floor. Now they were on the eleventh floor, and clearing it was just as hard as it was to clear the previous one, and they knew that there were still other ten floors after this one.

They probably took between fifteen and twenty minutes to clear this floor, and it was a bit harder, once there were more groups of golems and controlled mammals. The mammals that were being control were either darted or somehow made to break out of their controlled state. For that, they counted with Emilia, who was able to coat them on her magic flames to make their controlled state vanish, causing them to act as if they just woke up from a dream.

"I could probably do that as well." Lapinsky said, "Unfortunately, I didn't specialized on psychodynamics, I would not be able to undermine the mental influence that is being used on them. It seems to be something quite strong to make them act in such a way."

Everyone understood this well enough to know that this meant that they were could not count with his help to free the mammals from their state. They could rely only on Emilia to do that job and help these poor victims to regain their sanity.

Of course, there was also the problem of the golems, which was one that all of the ones on the group could help with.

Lapinsky could destroy some with his plasma guns. Marceli was able to approach them like a shadow and pierce their chests and heads with his dagger. Emilia was able to just run to them and break them apart with nothing more than her fists and feet, making her look like one of these super strong individuals of the martial arts movies who could shatter boulders with kung fu moves. Even Zillah was able to help, as she could use a lighter to produce flames and generate sparks that flew through the air and hit the golems. They were able to cause some damage, but they mostly just distracted the golems so the others could finish them off.

Going like this, they were able to rescue the groups of mammals kept as hostages. Among them, the last group contained some mammals that had cameras and other equipment with them. It was clear that they were reporters.

Most of these guys just wanted to leave, however, some of them, quite surprisingly, wanted to stay with the group.

Among them, was Mark Bisson.

"This is a story that needs to be covered!" The seven foot tall, slender, grey furred, black horned, yellow eyed and nicely dressed bison said. "When this is all over, the mammals will want to know how it was done! You have to let us come with you!"

None of the members of the group had any patient for that. Bogo was sure to make it clear to the bison that they were not taking anyone with them, and that they were supposed to go back and enter the helicopter to get down as soon as they could. He also told him that, if he truly wanted it, he could cover it from the entrance and maybe share his experiences, but that he should not hope for any of them to give him an interview when this was all over.

Soon, the last group of hostages was moving away, while the rescue group moved to the nearest stairs, aiming to go to the next floor.

However, as they moved, they failed to notice that Bisson, his camera mammal, and some other reporters of the group, managed to stay behind, and were now starting to follow them from behind.

These guys really were willing to do anything for a story, that much was for sure.

As they moved, everyone was getting ready for what they would face on the next floor. Among them, was Nick, who was reloading his own gun with more darts and silently talking to himself, wondering just why he was at that place, risking his life to get that stupid ewe back...

The sheep was definitely a cruel and manipulative individual, actually fitting near perfectly in many of the things that he had ever heard his friend Honey say about sheep in general. She attempted to turn him into a savage and use him to murder Judy.

The thought of what could have happened if they had not switched the pellet by the blueberry, or if Bellwether had somehow figured out what they did and switched it back by a pellet of Night Howler still scared Nick down to his very core.

He would not say it aloud, but it was the truth. He held no care at all for that ewe, and he would not be risking his tail to save her if he knew that these guys planned to end her. He could not say it aloud for his work as a cop and for his partner, but he would gladly let these golems and the crazed mammals maul the ewe if they asked him.

This, of course, made Nick wonder why he was risking going in there to rescue the ewe.

Of course, he only needed to think for a second to come to the answer.

It was not for her.

It was for all of the other mammals stranded on that mall, who were only shopping or doing their thing before being catch up in all of this mess.

It was for Benjamin, who was so positive all of the time and was someone who immediately accepted Nick as soon as meeting him, something that the fox found to be rare in his life.

It was for Eliot, who was a kind wolf, although his antics could be somehow annoying at some points, and in others they could just be plain stalking. It was also for his wife, who was along with him in there, and who he was surely doing his best to defend in any way he could.

It was for the Hoppses, who were all in the middle of this mess, along with everyone else. These bunnies had nothing to do with this whole thing and Nick couldn't simply leave them to their own luck.

However, more than anything else, it was for Judy. For that bunny with an amazing sense of justice that Nick had come to admire and that inspired him to turn his life around and be more than just a street hustler. For that bunny that was able to see past his stereotypes and to see a part of him that he only showed to those who were the closest to him. The bunny who saved him from a meaningless life and gave him a new purpose and direction in his existence.

It was for her.

As for everyone else, of course.

"Something on your mind, Officer Wilde?"

Marceli's voice made Nick snap out of his thoughts, as he looked at the black tod. The two foxes were walking forward, with the rest of the group coming behind them. They both were doing their best to pay attention to all that was happening, so they would be able to warn the rest of the group of it came to it.

Nick had gotten distracted for a moment, but now he was on his full attention again. It was good that he was able to think on things and then swift to full attention on what was around him. Another one of the skills that he developed for his survival within the streets of Zootopia.

"Oh, just thinking on how we are risking our lives to save Bellwether, among many other mammals." Nick said to the fox, keeping his eyes around as they both walked side by side. Nick was tactical in this, keeping his weapon ready as he looked around. Marceli was much more relaxed, as he paying any less attention to what was going on around him than Nick.

"It is a bit strange that one of the mammals that we are trying to rescue is one that would throw both of us under a bus if she could." Nick said to her, "Some might even think if it would be worth it, or if we could save everyone else and only leave her behind."

"We can't." Marceli said firmly to him. "Bellwether is part of our work. As a matter of fact, she was our original mission. We need to recover her and carry on with the job."

Nick looked at him, and he said, sounding quite admired:

"Wow, you truly are a good soldier, aren't you?"

"I follow orders." The mage said to the other tod. "I am a loyal Enforcer, and as such, I must fulfill the roles given to me."

"Kind of like in the police, huh?" Nick asked him, "We are all taught to do our job and to be professional all the time. Of course, not all of us actually do it. I bet that not everyone on the enforcer-squad is quite a goody-two-shoes about things like you are, right?"

"That... Is actually correct." Marceli said, reflecting on all that the fox was saying, and on how correct he was. Nick was actually able to sympathize with the black tod, and he couldn't help but think on how similar his behavior was to Judy's, who was such a goody-two-shoes herself. The only difference is that the tod was far more serious about his duties, while Judy was more outgoing.

"Yeah... Still, it doesn't changes the fact that the ewe would probably laugh if she saw us being taken and mauled." Nick said, and Marceli looked back at him.

"I'm not so sure of that." The black tod said, causing the other tod to look at him.

"A part of Krystin's job is to send us reports on all that happens, including his personal observations on Dawn Bellwether and her behavior." The black tod said to Nick, as they both continued to walk. "Now, I cannot give you details, but recently, on his reports, he said that the ewe was... changing her behavior. That she was being far more receptive and friendly towards him."

Nick looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Really?" Nick asked, "Well, maybe she managed to convince him..."

"Excuse me?" Marceli asked him, and Nick knew that he had to choose his words more carefully, for he was talking about a relative to the enforcer, someone in whom he probably trusted a lot.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing." The fox said, and he continued:

"Is just... I think that Krystin and the ewe have become a bit closer, haven't they?"

Marceli looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, that was the impression that I had back on the car." Nick said, wanting to avoid any misunderstanding that could come. "He did seemed to be quite protective of her, and she seemed to be a bit attached to him."

Marceli looked at the red tod very intently, as if he was trying to see through him.

"Are you saying that Krystin's judgement might have become biased?" The tone that the black fox used was careful, and he looked intently at the fox, as if he was telling him to be careful with his next words. Nick took this at heart, and he simply shrugged.

"I'm just saying that it seems that he really cares about that ewe." Nick said, "If his tail is of any indication."

Marceli looked at him once more, and he would have questioned him on what he meant. However, Nick was distract by a voice coming from his radio.

"Wilde! Eyes up! Something is going your way!" Meerkovitz's voice came through the earpiece that he had on his helmet, and the fox immediately was on guard, pointing his gun forward.

"Where is it?" Nick asked, activating his own radio to be able to transmit his words.

"Right up a head." The meerkat's voice came once more through the radio. "Around fifty meters and approaching fast."

"Is it a golem? Or is it another mammal?" Nick asked, as he continued to point his gun forward. Marceli was by his side, and he also was getting ready, his dagger was hold on his paw, while his cloak was already starting to get out of focus, as if getting ready to allow him to turn into a shadow again.

"Well, it's definitely not a golem... I guess is one of them... wait a minute." The voice was coming, but it suddenly stopped.

"What the... by the Great Sentinel!"

"What? What is it?" Nick asked, not having like the tone of what Meerkovitz had just said, as it did sounded a lot like trouble.

"W-Wilde." The meerkat said, "There is... There is a ghost going towards you!"

A WHAT now? Nick thought, as he was pretty sure that he had heard it wrong. However, he still kept on guard, especially when he saw something coming his way, as he now had visual on what Meerkovitz had warned him about.

And he now was sure that he had not misunderstood what the meerkat said.

Nick was really not sure of what that thing was, but it indeed looked like a ghost. The translucent figure had a canine head with hollow eyes that looked at him, and a body that looked as if it was cover by a long mantle. It looked to be a whitish, grayish coloration, and its body shifted as it floated above the ground, looking translucent, then material, and then going nearly invisible as it moved.

The figure was gliding across the air very slowly as he looked like it was floating in their direction, as if it had no weight at all. Its hollow eyes focused on the two foxes as it approached.

"Nick, you..." A voice came from behind, as Judy had caught up with them, and she too was now seeing the same thing as the two foxes. "Sweet cheese and crackers!" The bunny whispered. "What is that thing!?"

"Oh, you see it too?" Nick whispered back at her, as the ghost continued to approach them. "Good, I thought that I was losing it."

"It is an apparition." Marceli said to the both of them, as more mammals of their group were coming right behind them. "Keep your eyes open."

The figure approached them, floating in a terrifyingly way that did remembered them a lot of a horror movie, when the ghost is approaching the victims before jumping at them. Marceli's dagger had a glow to it, as the black tod send magic energy through the blade.

However, the "apparition", as Marceli called it, seemed not to want to attack them, as it approached very carefully, as if not to frighten them. As it came closer, they could hear a sound in the air. It was low, but it was there, as if it was a whisper.

The whisper was coming from the ghost, the mammals hearing it could tell that much. It was hard to understand, but as the entity became closer to them, it became clearer, and they could understand better what it was saying.

"Danger..." The whispering said, talking to all of them. "Danger ahead... Look out... keep watch..."

They all looked at the ghost, which whispered to them even though it seemingly didn't had a mouth on its canine muzzle.

"Danger?" Marceli said, looking intently at the ghost, and he rose his paw, as if he was trying to touch at the entity.

"I GOT IT!" A voice suddenly came from behind, startling all of the mammals, as a red and pink blur passed by them.

It was Emilia, with her dagger already ready and covered in flames of the color of the aurora. The vixen didn't waited for a single second as she moved her blade in a swift motion, slicing through the ghost and causing the same flames that were on her blade to spread to the ghost.

"Emilia! Wait!" Marceli said, but it was too late, for the vixen made another movement with her dagger, now slicing through the torso of the apparition.

Now it burned in aurora flames, not letting out a single sound as it burned in the air, completely vanishing in a matter of seconds.

"And that's how it's done!" Emilia said proudly, as the apparition burned away completely, leaving nothing behind. "That was a close one, wasn't it?" She asked with a smile, but she only saw the surprised faces of the cops and the slightly annoyed face of her uncle.

"What?" She asked, and Marceli was the one who spoke to her:

"Emilia, remember that talk we had about using our heads and thinking before charging?" The black tod said to her, and she looked back at him.

"Well, yeah, but there isn't always time for that." She said to her uncle, as if she was defending herself. "I mean, that apparition looked like it was almost over you guys, and you were doing nothing."

"It was trying to communicate with us!" Marceli said, sounding a bit impatient with his niece, and this surprised the vixen, who looked back at them.

"Yeah, it seemed like it was trying to say something." Nick confirmed, and so did Judy. "It was speaking kind of like these ghosts do in horror stories. Sayings things like 'dander ahead' and 'look out'."

"Really?" Emilia said, "Did it said anything else?"

"Well, it didn't had time, because them you set it on fire." Nick said; Marceli also looked at his niece.

"Yes. You dispelled the apparition before I had the chance of getting more information about it."

Now Emilia did smiled a bit sheepishly, as she looked as if she realized that she just made something not very smart. However, little could be done to remediate the situation now.

Marceli sighed.

"It seemed that it was trying to give us some kind of warning." Judy said, and Marceli nodded.

"Yes, I had the exact same impression." The black tod said, looking at the place where the entity had been. "Just what was an apparition doing in here? And what was it trying to warn us about?"

"I don't know, maybe it was left by someone who died in here?" Emilia offered, and this caused the cops to look at her in surprise. Meanwhile, Marceli only shook his head.

"An apparition like that would not appear in such a way." He said, "It was refined, capable of communication. I think it was a familiar for a mage."

"Well, in that case, could it be from the guys who took the place?"

"Why would they send something to give us a warning?" Judy inquired, her mind still trying to take a grip on all that was being said, but still being able to work objectively in the middle of a mission. "It was telling us to keep watch, as if it wanted us not to fall in some short of trap."

"Maybe the guys want to confuse us?" The vixen offered, "I mean; it makes no sense that the guys would want to help us move through the mall without getting into trouble."

"Unless it didn't belonged to these mages." Marceli said, and this caused everyone to look at him.

"Hey there." Someone said; they turned to look at one of the approaching members of their party. It was McChill, and he looked at all of them with impatience as he saw that they were not moving.

"Did you guys stopped to have a conversation? We are in the middle of a pretty big rescue mission in here!"

He really sounded annoyed as he spoke that, and he was being hostile and rude as usual. However, it was possible to notice that most of his annoyance was direct towards the foxes, and these only looked back at him. Judy too was giving him a glare, as she was able to notice that he was almost purposely aiming his hostility towards the foxes.

However, they soon were realizing that they really were holding back the group, as they had stopped to discuss what was happening, and the rest of the group was coming behind them.

"Something wrong?" Bogo asked, approaching next to McChill. "Did something happened?"

The two cops and two enforcers shared looks among themselves, and Marceli was the one who said:

"Maybe. Tell everyone to stay sharp and to keep their eyes open for anything." The black tod said, right before he turned around and continued to walk.

Bogo shared a look with McChill. While the buffalo was more willing to follow the direction that the black tod had given, McChill still didn't quite liked having a fox bossing him around.

The group received warnings to double their attention, and to be careful while approaching. Even Meerkovitz, who was surveying the area ahead of them from his strategically placed point, received instructions to pay even more attention and to warn then of anything that could be on their way or coming their way.

The group continued to move ahead, as all of them were now ready for pretty much anything that could come their way.

The ones who had heard the specter talking to them couldn't help but feel as if the entity was trying to truly warn them about danger ahead.

This thought remained with them as they cautiously continued to move ahead.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Eliot asked to his wife, sounding very worried as he checked on her. "You sure you are not hurt or anything?"

"Yes, Eliot, I'm fine." Chloe reassured him.

"But... back then, you looked in so much pain."

"It was the backlash from having a familiar destroyed." Chloe reassured him, "It is a result of the connection between mage and familiar, sometimes we feel a burst of pain as the familiar is eliminated. But it is nothing serious, I'm okay."

As her husband checked on her, the rest of the room was paying attention to the image being projected on the mist. They all looked at the group that was still moving forward, after the vixen had destroyed the specter that Chloe had sent to them to help.

"Emilia..." Krys said, as he once more witnessed just how impulsive his cousin was.

"Wow, she surely goes for break, doesn't she?" Jason mentioned, as he and his family all watched what had just unfolded. Along with everyone else.

"She attacked without thinking twice." Said someone on the group, a donkey. "Well, guess you can expect that from a pred."

Most of the ones present on the room looked at him, and he shrugged.

"What, you all know that it is truth. Chompers really are aggressive by nature; it is in their DNA. That is why it is so hard for them to live in society."

Now, this caused some glares and angry replies from the presents. However, the donkey remained indifferent to all of their hostility.

"I'm just saying the truth." The donkey said, "Predators are impulsive and aggressive by nature. They might even be able to live among society, but of course, it is only a matter of time before they hurt someone. Ain't that right, Dawn?" He said with a smile, referring to Bellwether by name.

Of course, he was one of her supporters. This surely explained his talk and his attitude. The donkey looked like he was fully on her side in what come to speciest opinions.

The ewe turned her head from the image to look at the donkey. Some were expecting her to agree with him, or at least thank him for supporting her.

However, her gaze was hard and hostile towards him.

"Shut up." She said coldly, and this surprised the donkey and some of the ones who were around.

The ewe merely ignored them and focused her attention on the image that was being show.

"The specter was destroyed before it could give them a proper warning." Dawn said.

"Yes." Krys confirmed. "But at least, it was able to give part of the warning, so now they are more careful.

"Yeah, but still..." Dawn said, and she moved her hoof over the circle, causing the image to shift as it shifted between cameras. They passed by a few, before landing in one that they had landed into some minutes before.

It was another group of hostages; this one with golems and controlled mammals gathered around the group of hostages. However, there were two mammals in there that neither looked like hostages nor like they were controlled, as they were also watching over the group of hostages.

One was a horse with a black mane and brown fur wearing long jeans pants and a black jacket with red suits of cards printed in it. The other one was a tall tiger with shorts, a shirt, and he was carrying a big hammer with a head that looked like it was a rectangular block of concrete.

These two were identify as mages by some of the presents. Some of them recognized the horse from previous videos online, while some of the mages present confirmed that the tiger was a mage. In particular, Lana Bellwether was sure when confirming that the tiger was a mage, and that he was rather dangerous, especially when he was mad.

Tyson too looked very intently at that image, especially when he saw another tiger that was being keep as a hostage in there.

"Dios mio! That's Tyrell!" Gazelle said as the image was zoomed and they could give a good look at the tiger that they were keeping. He was bound, but not by ropes, but instead it looked like they had somehow cuffed him with loops of solid rock. There was also something on his mouth; it seemed pure raw rock, which somehow was mold to fit into his jaw, effectively acting as a muzzle.

Tyson flinched for seeing his brother as a prisoner, and with this kind of bounds, he knew that Tyrell would probably not be able to fight or free himself. Especially if the other tiger was threatening him and the other hostages if Tyrell tried anything. That was surely something that was not above him...

Now, fighting golems and controlled mammals was one thing. However, fighting other mages was another matter entirely, especially if these mages were powerful, Lana confirmed these two to be.

If they were to clash with these guys, the group was bound to have some difficulty, and the mages present in the room knew that. If they walked on them without being ready, they could see themselves overwhelmed, especially if these mages turned on the hostages and used them as an advantage.

According to Lana, these two could actually do it.

They could not contact the group to warn them of the problem, they could run into the group of mages at some point on their path for the security station where they were, and they would be unprepared.

That was when Chloe offered to use one of her specters to go and give them a warning.

The idea was that he specter would warn them that they were mages up ahead. Not only that, but the entity could also act as they scout and guide, allowing them to approach and to know when the group of mages was near, so they would be able to approach the best way they could.

However, they didn't expected that one of them would just downright destroy the specter before it could even warn them properly of what was ahead.

"If they go into these two unprepared they will be in trouble." Dawn said as she looked at the image.

Suddenly, the horse pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like an old model of cellphone, and the horse looked like he was answering to it.

After a few moments, the horse hung up, and turned to the tiger.

They were speaking over something, and Dawn approached the image. Some even tried to do lip reading, but it was hard, and the image itself had no sound.

However, soon after, the tiger turned to the group, and he seemed like he was barking orders to the golems and the controlled mammals, this somehow reinforced the idea that these two were in control.

"What are they doing now?" Someone on the group asked, and soon, the hostages were force to stand up and to move. The group was moving.

"Are they going somewhere?" Someone asked, and all of them continued to look.

The group of mammals moved out of the sight of that camera, forcing Dawn to switch to another one. That was, until they moved out of the range of that camera too, and she had to switch again.

She had to switch the cameras to see where they were moving the hostages to...

"Where are they taking them?" Bonnie asked, Krys looked at where they were going, and suddenly, something occurred to him.

"Dawn, where is the rescue group now?" He asked, and the ewe soon was switching up the images to be able to find the rescue group.

Soon they were on sight of the camera, and their location confirmed by the ewe.

She blinked, and suddenly, she realized what Krys was probably thinking.

Switching between the group with the hostages, and the rescue group, she was soon able to confirm what the fox seemed to fear that was going to happen.

"They are going to the other group." The fox concluded, and this caused everybody to get apprehensive on the implications of that.

"Seriously?"

"Are they going to intercept the rescue group?"

"Sweet cheese and crackers! Judy is among them!" Stu said, somehow confirming something obvious, while his wife looked very apprehensive as she looked at the image, and at the mages that were going to meet her daughter.

"They don't know that the mages are coming their way!" Harry suddenly said.

"Yeah, but they are on their guard!" Benjamin said, "I mean, they are all ready!"

"Not for these two." Jade said, as the female kangaroo looked at the image that was developing. "When these guys truly want to start something... things will get really ugly really fast."

"Some of them might end up dead." Lana said somberly, not really measuring her words as she caused only more worry to the group.

Well, to most of the group.

"Well, let's hope that they surely start with the foxes, right?" The donkey said, still being a first class ass.

"Didn't I just told you to shut up?" Dawn Bellwether said once more, and this time her tone was definitely more aggressive, what caught the donkey off guard.

Why was she being so hostile? He was on her side!

However, the attention was all focus on the images that were showing, and the knowledge that the two groups would be meeting in minutes was something that kept everyone on their toes, as they dreaded what was going to happen once they did.

"Chloe, maybe you can send another specter! Maybe more than one!" Clawhauser said, but the female thylacine only shook her head.

"It would have worked before if they could approach without being noticed, but it seems that now they know that they are aware of the location of the rescue party." The thylacine said, looking at the image. "And I cannot use them to fight if they are too far from me, I'd have to go in there to help."

"No way, it is too dangerous!" Eliot said, still being very protective about his mate.

"Well, someone has to go!" Bonnie said, and soon everyone was agreeing with her. Someone needed to go, not to warn the group of danger, but to give them support.

"I'll be going." Tyson said, but Gazelle was soon trying to talk him out of going, but the tiger was adamant.

"I have to go." The tiger said to her, calming her down as she was getting nervous. "I have to."

"I'll go with you." Lana said, getting some looks form the other mammals of the room.

"What? I have to help somehow." The ewe said, smiling around, and some shared looks among themselves.

"I'll go as well." Benjamin said, "I mean, I'm a cop, it is my job."

The cheetah was about to walk to them, but he was stopped when something landed on his shoulder. The cheetah looked over to see the two pairs of red eyes looking back at him.

"You are out of practice." One of the heads of the talking snake said, as it was using the tip of his tail to hold on Ben's shoulder. "The-sss-se guys-sss would give you trouble."

"I have to go!" Benjamin said, "They need me!"

"Sss-so do the ones-sss in this-sss room." The other head said, and Benjamin took a minute to reflect on it.

He looked around at the room full of mammals, most of them were looking at him (or at his snake), and among them, were the bunnies that were Judy's relatives.

Ben wanted to help, but he still felt like he needed to be there for them. Also, he knew that Zass and Slizz were right. He was out of practice, and if he went into battle with skilled mages he would probably only get himself killed. Ben was force to agree with them.

"We will go on your place." The other head said, and this caused Ben to look at them surprised.

"Come on, don't be sss-so sss-surprised." The other head spoke. "After all, we are your familiar, it is-sss our job to do your biding."

Ben looked at them for a few moments, and he saw that they were serious. After a few moments, he said:

"Thanks, guys."

"Don't mention it." One head said, and the other one immediately said:

"Sss-serious-sss-ly, don't mention it. We are only doing that sss-so you will not be bawling on our earholes becau-sss-se your little cop friends-sss all died."

Some shared looks as they witnessed the strange talk that was happening between the cheetah and the giant two-headed snake. Some of them were still trying to take a grip that this was really happening.

"Okay, it is-sss decided." The snake said, slithering forward and looking at the tiger and ewe, "We'll be going with you."

The tiger and ewe shared a look among themselves.

"I'll go as well." Krystin said, causing all eyes to turn to him.

"What?" Dawn asked, looking at him. He looked back at her.

"I might not be an enforcer, but I am an experienced mage." The fox said, and he turned to the group that was forming. "Besides, it is my family who is in there. So, I'm going as well."

"But Krys!" Bellwether said, rushing to his side and grabbing him by the wrist. "You can't go! It's dangerous!"

The fox stopped and looked back at her. So did many of the mammals who were present on that room. Many of them had raised eyebrows at the ewe.

Was she really worried about a predator?

"Dawn, I have to." He said, and the ewe continued to insist for him not to go, saying that it was "too dangerous".

However, the fox was not giving up on his idea, and he was willing to go to the end. He gently freed his wrist from her hooves, gently holding one of them with his paw.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to die here." He said to her, very gently. "I'll be back once I've saved everyone, I promise."

There was a long moment when the ewe and the fox locked eyes, before the ewe looked down. She looked as if she had just resigned to what the fox was saying, and the tod let go of her hooves and was now standing up.

Only on that moment, he was aware of the many eyes that were on them both.

Clearing his throat, the tod turned to the group of two mammals and a two-headed snake, which were all also looking at them. "Okay, with this settled, I think that we should be going, shouldn't we, my friends?"

It seemed that some of them wanted to make commentaries, however, they refrained from doing so, and neither of them discussed the tod coming with them. Soon, the door was being unlock, and the zombies that were standing guard in the front of the door would open passage, so the four (or five) individuals were able to pass.

"Be careful!" Dawn said as the group left, before the door closed, once more leaving the group alone in the room.

Bellwether still looked a bit upset that the fox was going, and this granted many to look strange at her. However, the ewe was soon recovering and turning her attention back to the circles and the image, and now she was looking into the cameras to keep watch on the group that just left, as well as into the other two groups.

"Is it just me, or she looked to be pretty worried about that fox?" Bucky whispered, and Pronk soon was answering.

"Maybe she made really good friends with him?"

"Maybe... but I don't know."

"What, you don't think that... Come on, she is the ewe who wanted to kill all predators."

"I'm just saying that she seemed very worried about him."

"Well, maybe she was also worried about her sister. You don't know. Besides, I would be worried too if you had decided to go with them as well! Good thing that you are a coward."

"Excuse me!? I just stayed behind because I wanted to be sure to protect you!"

"Yeah, whatever you need to say."

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Some looked at the two antelopes, who were whispering at each other. However, they were whispering loud enough for the ones around to be able to hear their current bickering. This, of course, caused some to move away from them discreetly.

"So, you and Dawn, huh?" Lana asked, as she and the tod walked side by side. The fox was going ahead of them, hissing as they whipped their forked tongues in the air, picking up the smells. The tiger was on the end of the group, and he was looking serious as they all moved ahead.

"Excuse me?" The tod said, as he looked at the ewe, and she gave him an annoyed look.

"Oh, don't give me that. I have eyes, and I'm not stupid." Lana said to him, and she continued, "You don't have to worry though; I'm not like most Bellwethers. But you should really look out for them." She said, and the fox looked at her, before looking away.

Lana saw this, and she chuckled. They actually look cute. She thought, and the tod soon was moving a bit forward, as if he wanted to avoid more conversation.

Lana saw him move, and now she was left behind with the tiger, who was looking ahead as he walked right by her side, and he actually looked pretty serious about something.

"Something on your mind, kitty?" Lana said teasingly, and the tiger seemed like he had snapped out of something to look at her. It looked as if he had forgotten that she was in there and suddenly remembered.

They both locked eyes for a bit, and the tiger looked forward.

"It's... It's nothing." The tiger said, but he was not very convincing.

"Well, you surely looked to be bothered by this 'nothing'." The ewe said, "Would you like to maybe talk about it? I don't mind talking about 'nothing'."

There was a silence, as the tiger looked at her, and then, he sighed.

"The tiger." He said, "The one who was leading the group that was with the hostages. I know him."

Lana looked up at him, and the tiger continued:

"His name is Zane Tigereye, and he is-"

"You cousin." The ewe said, completing the thought before the tiger could. This, of course, surprised Tyson, who looked back at her with wide eyes.

"I kind of figured it out. Zane was always speaking of you and of your brothers." Lana explained to him. "He made it clear to us how hard it was to have you guys as his relatives. He wasn't exactly very keen on you guys. Besides, the way you reacted when you saw him in the image made it clear that you knew him."

Tyson looked at her for a few moments, processing what he just heard from that ewe.

"You know Zane?" of course, the ewe had spoken about how dangerous he was, but he imagined that she had only heard about him, or that she met him in one occasion or another. He didn't actually expected her to know him.

"I did." The ewe said, and she looked back at him. "That tiger and I have a history. I knew him from the time that he was just another orphan, not too long ago. But of course, that was before he changed and turned into a dangerous and treacherous viper." She spoke, and said nothing more.

Tyson continued to look at her, his eyebrow raised, as he was trying to make sense of what the ewe had just said.

The group continued to move forward, finding themselves facing more situations up ahead.

It seemed that the mammals that were under some form of control surpassed the golems in number, and they were quite numerous.

Indeed, they were starting to think that they were so numerous that they could pose a serious problem for the cops, who had brought limited amount of ammunition, and they would end up running out of darts.

Luckily, Emilia Mieczyslaw was in there, and she was ready to do her part with little hesitation.

She would cover her dagger with flames at the color of the aurora, and swung it, sending these flames into the controlled mammals, who would soon be falling to the ground and squirm, before the flames cleared, revealing that they were confused and acting as if they just woke up from a dream.

"Are you sure you cannot give us any more information?" Bogo asked one of the mammals that had been free from the control, as the rest of the group saw if there was no one else approaching the group. "Anything at all? Try to focus."

"I'm trying!" The hippo said, looking at him and shaking his head. "B-but... it is all so... A-all I remember clearly is that wolf playing the guitar. He was so good at it. His music was so catchy. I couldn't have enough of it. I just went along and... and I... I... dear God, I actually did these things?"

It was no use, Bogo was soon convincing himself from that, as all of the mammals that had been free from control were behaving the same way. It was if someone had hacked into their brains and erased all evidence on their way out.

Sighing, Bogo turned to his officers, and ordered them to accompany these mammals to the nearest escalators and to help them up. There was no need to go with them all the way up to the roof, once the floors above had already been cleared, and they only needed to take them safely to a place they could move upwards themselves, and give them directions on how to get to the roof. The helicopters would be there, and they would have only to wait their turn to leave.

As three officers went with the group, the mammals stopped to wait for them to come back and to breathe a little, as they needed this time to gather themselves and to get ready to keep moving forward.

"This mission is surely proving to be quite a challenge." Bogo said as he sat down, looking over at his officers, and he heard someone saying:

"Missions can be like that sometimes."

The Cape buffalo looked, and he saw agent Lapinsky standing there next to him. The bunny looked up at the much bigger mammal, but it was as if he was looking at a mammal around the same size as himself. At least that was what Bogo could tell, from the way that the rabbit looked at him without showing any signs of being intimidated. That was something he was use to have from Hopps, who never showed any fear of him. It seemed that this bunny was about the same.

Now, if that was a good thing or a bad thing, it was still too soon to say.

As Bogo and Lapinsky had their reflections, Nick was standing next to the Enforcers, who were both recovering. Someone was looking at them.

Of course he would want to be near the other foxes. These pelts do love to form groups when it is convenient. McChill thought to himself as he saw Wilde going to talk with Mr. and Ms. Mieczyslaw. The polar bear grunted and focused his mind on something else, as he checked on his equipment, counting how many darts he still had left.

"Well, this mission is proving to be quite hard." The fox said to the other two, who looked back at the cop. "Even with you guys and 'agent Steel Boots' making most of the job, it is still a bit taxing."

"Really, you think?" Emilia said, looking at him. "I found it to be quite easy. I mean, it is not like we have to fight other mages."

"My niece has the custom of underestimating situations." Marceli said, looking at Nick. "She also is the kind who think that calm and peaceful situations are rather boring, and that danger and trouble are synonyms of fun and excitement." He was looking at her as he said that, and she shrugged as her uncle looked at her like that.

"Well, she surely does makes it seem easy with her magic flames." Nick said, and he looked at her dagger. "How do you even do that, by the way? Is it something that you do yourself, or is it something in the dagger?"

The two foxes looked at him, and Emilia looked at her uncle, almost as if she was asking for permission for something. The back tod sighed.

"Yeah, another thing about my niece is that she loves to talk. Sometimes about things that she really shouldn't." He said, and after a few moments, he made a gesture with his paw. It seemed that this was all the permission that the vixen needed.

"Well, it is a little bit of both, actually." The vixen said, as she brought her dagger up for the tod to look. As she did, she was putting her paw in the handle, and Nick realized that it was hollow. Better saying, it had small holes in the hilt, where small pebbles were place. The vixen removed each one of these pebbles, and Nick looked at them, realizing that there were symbols carved in them.

"Do you see the symbols here?" The vixen asked to him. "These are runes. You know what runes are, right?"

"Yeah, Carrots and I have done some research on it after you guys told us you were specialized in that." Nick said to the vixen. "We got that runes are like symbols that are both letters and words on their own, depending on the situation. We also read that in the old time the shamans used them to predict the future."

"Yeah, that is the most basic." The vixen said to him. "You see, runes are words of the old world, and as such, they have power on their own right. In the legends, the original runes are said to have been discovered by Odin himself, the king of the Norse gods. Each one of these letters are a representative of a fundamental aspect and force of the world, and such, these symbols hold an amazing power on their own. Now, the original runes have long been lost, but the runes still hold a power of their own."

As showed the pebbles with runes carved to the fox, showing how each rune is different from the other.

"Each rune has a different meaning, what means that it controls a different set of aspects in the world. Different runes produce different effects, and the runes can also be combined for new effects, with different combinations generating a myriad of different effects." The vixen said to him, and Nick looked as she pointed at the different runes on the three pebbles.

"This one is the thurisaz rune, it is attached to giants, and one of the forces that it represents is the power of the storm, the destructive power of natural forces. This one is the sowilo, the rune of the sun, which represents the power of the sun; it is a rune of fire." She explained. "And this last one is the ansuz; it represents the oneness and greatness of god, the pure force of order."

"Now, what I do with my dagger is achieved through the combination of these three runes. sowilo creates the flames, thurisaz infuses it with the power of nature, and ansuz gives it the property to break down incantation." The vixen explained. "The ansuz is actually the more important of the runes, for it is the rune that brings order to chaos, and it has the power to dispel evil and the supernatural. It is this rune that takes away the deadly properties of the fire and makes it capable of dispelling magecraft, allowing it to end the mental interference on the mammals."

Nick listened very carefully, and he nodded, not wanting to interrupt the vixen.

"I use the dagger as a form of combining runes, by placing the pebbles with the runes in the hilt." She explained, and let Nick once more see the dagger with holes on the hilt. It looked to be something quite interesting. "I mean, I could do it without the dagger and the runic pebbles, but this way is way faster, much better to use in combat."

"Yeah, it surely seems like that." The tod said, looking at the runes and finding it to be interesting. "Hard to believe that you can do so much with letters."

"Words have power." The vixen said to him. "It was that way in the old days, and some of it has survived the passage of time. Now, the runes are not as powerful as they used to be in the time of the original runes, but they still hold power if you know how to use them. The same goes for other kinds of words."

"What, you mean, like 'bless you' and 'halleluiah'?" The tod asked, finding the concept to be an interesting one.

"More like the certain types of magecraft that are still around, like the Kabbalah that you guys use." She said, and Marceli looked at her as she spoke that, and so did Nick, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry... 'you guys'?" The red tod asked, and the vixen nodded.

"Yeah, you can ask your mother, after all, she used to be-" The vixen was about to say, but she was suddenly cut when her uncle said:

"I think this is enough for now." He spoke, and now was nudging his niece, as if to make her move. "We need to get ready for when the group starts moving again. We still have a mission, after all." The black tod said, and Nick looked at him, as he knew very well that he had just stopped her from saying something.

Something about Nick's mother.

However, the tod had not much time to think about it, for a few moments after, the mammals came back, and they were one more ready to move.

The group was once more moving across the mall, keeping very close to each other as they were all with their eyes and ears open for anything that could come.

Once more, some of them came to think that it was somehow too quiet.

They had not met as many roaming groups as in the previous two floors, and they soon were seeing that the place seemed to be a bit less under protection.

They passed by some broken pieces of golems on their way, and they even passed by an unconscious mammal on the ground, with two mammals who seemed to be controlled walking in a circle and chanting "rock n' roll" on some short of dance.

They were finding it to be somehow too easy as they moved.

"Is it just me or their security seems a bit lacking in this floor?" Nick said, as Judy and him were walking side by side, and the bunny had to agree with him, as it seemed that the floor didn't had the same level of protection as the rest of the floor.

They even went as far as to voice their worries to the other through radio, and while most of them didn't took it seriously, the enforcers agreed that it was somehow too easy. Bogo too felt that it was being far too easy in comparison with the previous two floors, and he ordered everyone to stay sharp.

They continued to move about, as carefully as they could, and keeping their eyes open for anything that could be coming their way. They met two groups of mammals and golems, and were able to take care of it easily.

They continued to move on the direction to the security room, when suddenly, Meerkovitz voice came through the radio:

"Guys! Heads up, there is a big group coming your way! Around forty individuals, most of it mammals but some golems among them." The meerkat said, sounding urgent as he spoke that.

The group then was starting to get ready to be able to approach.

"They are moving your way!" The meerkat said through the radio. "Crap! They are moving straight to you!"

"They know that we are here." Marceli said, once he was communicate of what Meerkovitz said on the radio. Some of the group agreed with him, and so, the group got really ready, with both enforcers having their daggers ready (just like Ferron, who had removed her glasses and was looking ahead), Lapinsky was getting his plasma guns ready, and the whole rest of the group was with their guns and rifles ready.

"There are hostages among them." The ferret said to the group, causing them to look at her. "They are guiding hostages to here. And there are two mages leading the group."

"Great." Marceli said as he heard that, and the group soon was moving again.

As they moved, they approached a bridge between two parts of the mall. There were some of them inside of the mall, serving as connection to the parts separated by great gaps. On the other side of the bridge, they could see a group approaching.

It should really have around forty individuals, just like the meerkat said to them. As the group approached, they noticed that there was a circle forming around the group on the inside, which consisted mostly of mammals that looked scared, while there were golems and crazed-looking mammals around them.

On the lead of the group were coming three mammals.

On the middle of them was a tiger, one that looked like he too was a hostage. That is, if you took in consideration that he was tied and muzzled with what seemed to be solid rock. He was walking as if he was being dragged; although neither of the other two had their paws on him.

Of course, it would be 'hooves', on the case of the horse that was walking by his side. One that could be recognize by some as Percy Colter, who had already had three meetings with the two cops that were on the lead, along with the enforcers and the agent.

However, he was not the only mammal in there that they recognized, as there was another tiger walking by the other side of the bound tiger. He was tall, muscled, and he was carrying a big hammer with himself. However, the most threatening thing about him was the fact that he was familiar to both Nick and Judy, whom had met him before and already knew that this mammal could be pretty aggressive when he wanted to.

"You gotta be kidding me." Nick said as the group approached. The mammals on the lead stopped, prompting the whole group to stop behind them, as they looked at the group that now was in front of them.

The tiger, in particular, was looking straight at the fox, whom he could still recognize despite the heavy equipment that he was using.

"Hello, Russet." Zane said to the fox, whom pointed a dart gun at him.

Chapter Text

For a long moment, the two groups looked at each other, almost looking like a standoff worthy of the old Wild West movies.

On one side, there was the rescue group formed by many cops on special tactical equipment, two enforcers, and an "agent". On the lead of the group, where the two enforcers, Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, and agent Lapinsky. The two cops had their gun ready, and so did the agent, as he pointed his two plasma guns forward, aiming carefully. The enforcers were also with them, and they both had their daggers in paw, Emilia's dagger already had flames forming around it. Behind them, the other officers all had their weapons ready, and they were all pointing their rifles and other dart guns forward, as they took position and aimed at the enemy.

On the other side of the bridge, only a couple meters away, was the other group. This group was form by golems and maddened mammals forming a circle around an inner group. The inner group was a source of worry, for it was form by innocent mammals, hostages that were surround and probably fearing for their lives. On the lead of the group, three mammals stood, being two mages who were clearly their enemies, and another hostage, that was being hold in place by bounds made of solid rock. The tiger in the middle stood where he was, and he clearly looked like he was trying to free himself, but was failing. The horse and other tiger that stood by his sides were looking at the group of rescue, and they looked to be pretty calm, maybe even bored, as they looked at the mammals who were their enemies.

"So, officers." The horse said, directing himself to the bunny and fox on equipment. "Really fancy meeting you guys here."

"Percy Colter!" Judy Hopps said, "You are currently keeping mammals as hostages! This is qualified as kidnapping! You have to cease your actions now and surrender!"

"Yeah, cannot do that." The horse said very casually. He was acting as if this whole situation was an everyday thing to him. He seemed awfully calm to someone who was in the middle of a process of kidnapping many innocent mammals.

This greatly bothered the officers.

"So, it is safe to assume that you two are behind this?" Nick asked, pointing his gun at the tiger, who still looked at him with a lot of interest. The guy truly gave Nick the creeps, and he was doubly careful with that guy.

"Not really." The horse said, granting everyone to look at him. "I mean, yeah, we are giving orders to the golems, and the guys under hypnosis are Butch's doing." The horse explained, gesturing behind himself, at the golems and controlled mammals that surrounded the hostages. "And we are the ones that are technically keeping the mammals as hostages, but we are not the masterminds behind all of this. We are only following orders."

"Following orders?" McChill asked, looking ahead as he pointed his dart gun at the horse, aiming right on his forehead and ready to fire if the horse as much as put a hoof behind his back to reach for something. "Orders from who?"

"Some guy who is giving us money." The horse said to them. "We don't really know very much, he is just offering us a lot to do this."

"You are doing this for money?" Emilia asked to horse, looking at him. "For reals? All of this just for a couple bucks?"

"Oh, it's more than just a couple bucks." The horse said to her, "Seriously, for what the guy is paying I would set this building on fire with everyone inside of it."

This caused everyone to get really worried. The horse really seemed that he would have no problem doing so, by the way that he was talking. This showed how dangerous he truly was. The enforcers, in particular, gave him a look of despise.

"Oh, don't give me that look." The horse said to both of them. "It is just business. We don't have our clans to cover us, neither the Association to have our backs, so we have to survive the best ways that we can. If that means getting a lot of mammals hostage to get some payment, than that is what we are going to do." The horse said, as if he was explaining something very simple to a child.

"Besides." The horse added, under the look of all of the rescue party and of the hostages. "The Boss has already accepted his money, and she made it clear that we were to do what he paid us for."

"Even if this means breaking the laws of the Codex?" Marceli asked, walking forward and looking at the horse. His eyes gleaming. "Even if it means having to deal with the consequences of your actions?"

"You mean, fighting you?" The horse asked, looking back at the fox, and simply shrugging. "Yeah, sure. I prefer it than having to tell the Boss I chickened out. I'm more afraid of her than of you."

They looked at each other for a long moment, and Marceli's dagger start to glow, as the enforcer gave one more step forward.

However, as soon as he did, Percy raised his hoof high, and this caused the golems who were surrounding the hostages to take position, as they pointed their spears made of stone to the defenseless mammals. They shrunk in fear, as the weapons were point at them.

At the same time, Zane reached out for the other tiger, and pulled him forward, shoving him to the ground roughly. Zane now had the tiger pinned by a foot planted on his back, while he held firmly his hammer on his paws. The message was clear: "I can smash his head like a grape if you give me reason to".

Marceli stopped on his tracks, and so did the rest of the group.

"Crap!" McChill said, and the rest of the group shared of the opinion.

"Hold your fire!" Bogo said at the radio, making sure that the message would get heard by everyone who had a radio. This included the meerkat who was watching from a strategical point.

Meerkovitz was looking it all develop from his spot, and he was as nervous as everyone else was for what was developing before his eyes.

This ain't good. The meerkat thought, as he saw the two groups now stuck in a standoff, but the advantage was clearly on the side of the group that had hostages. He even felt inclined to dart one of them, but that would get the ones surrounding the hostages to start killing, and that would do them no good. Even because some of them were golems, to whom the darts meant nothing. This definitely ain't good.

The officer meerkat was not the only one who thought this way.

"This cannot be good." The camera mammal said, as he continued to record what was happening.

Following a group without being notice was a challenge on itself, even more if you were carrying recording equipment with you. Luckily, some of them had experience in handling cameras, so they were able to sneak around behind the group and record them while remaining out of sight.

Right now, they were hiding in a position that allowed them to be able to watch the developing situation from a good perspective. They could zoom in to be able to catch details that escaped from a distance. That for those who had the cameras, of course, as two of them were recording while other was taking pictures.

Meanwhile, the reporters that were with them were following.

"Man, this does not looks good." One of them said as he saw the golems pointing the spears at the hostages. Indeed, it did not looked good.

"We can do nothing to help." Simply said Bisson to his camera mammal. "Just keep filming." He concluded, and the mammal did as he was told.

"You know, I really don't like doing this short of stuff." The horse said, as the golems and crazed mammals behind himself threatened the hostages. "I really, really don't like doing this."

"Oh, really?" Nick asked, looking at him, "Then why don't you let the hostages go?"

The horse shook his head.

"I wish I could, but the instructions were very clear." The horse spoke, looking at the mammals that looked back at him. "Use the hostages as an advantage if the situation asked for it. The guy was very thorough."

"This is very dishonored for a mage." Marceli said, and he looked at the horse. "This is the kind of behavior that the Codex condemns deeply."

"Oh, the Codex." Zane said, rolling his eyes as he said that. "The noble set of rules and regulations that were created so mages would not lose their dignity and their mammaldon to the pressures and temptations that came into the world."

The mockery was clear as day in his voice. He then grunted, looking at the fox.

"These are nothing more than a set of rules that limits everything that mages do!" He said, clearly with despise. "Nothing more but restraints to our works and advancements!"

"They prevent us from acting as monsters!" The enforcer shot back. "From becoming monsters!"

"They hold us back!" The tiger shot back, while everyone else waited and listened to the exchange.

"Three hundred years ago there were new breakthroughs nearly every day! Now there are what!? Five or six every year, that if it was a good year!" The tiger said, and it was obvious that there was a lot of passion on what he was talking about. "And you know why? Because the Codex didn't existed! Because we didn't had to worry with a bunch of written rules to guide our behavior every single day! Because we knew that to advance we needed to do whatever it took!"

He fumed as he looked at the enforcer, who looked back at him with a cold, but intense, glare of his own.

"The mages of five hundred years ago would weep if they saw us now." He said to the fox. Neither of them was showing any sings of looking away or wavering. "They would weep if they saw how much we decayed and how much we limited ourselves. All because the noble Mieczyslaw clan decided that such behavior was 'wrong'!"

The tiger sounded very dismissive as he said that, and many continued to hear as they looked at the tiger. Many of them were more worried with what the tiger could do if he got really angry, as they thought that he could maybe order the golems and controlled mammals to start killing everyone.

Some, however, were able to register what the tiger had just said, and they were actually able to make a connection from it to what the tiger had said to something that was heard months ago during the interview with a mage. Among the ones who made this connection, were Judy, Nick, McChill, and Bogo himself.

The Mieczyslaw clan wrote the Codex?

"I never agreed with any of this!" The tiger said, looking at the fox. "I never accepted to have all of my actions and works restrained by these laws!"

"All of your relatives accepted the Codex." The fox said to him. "All of them followed the laws, and they still do, Zane Tigereye!" The fox said to him, and the fox looked at him with even more hatred.

"You bring shame to your clan."

"My clan brings shame to me!" The tiger nearly roared back. "They bring shame to me by abiding to these stupid laws in detriment of their studies and of their progress! All of that so they would please the Council!"

The tiger was practically fuming.

"Hypocrites, they don't even follow the same laws that they defend..." The tiger said, looking at the fox, who looked back at him. "I soon saw that my vision would not fit in the Association. That's why I left." He said, "And now, I am associated to a group that is much more open to my ideas." He said rather proudly.

"And we are proud to have you among our ranks." Percy said to him, many of the ones who were hearing that traded looks among themselves. Some of them were quite unsure of what to do of all that was happening, however, they knew that they needed to do something if they wanted to help the hostages.

"There will be an opening soon." Someone whispered to Nick, Judy and Emilia. Zillah Ferron was standing next to them, and she had a low voice as she spoke to the three of them.

"Wilde and Hopps, you both will have to aim for the controlled mammals. Don't try to aim for the horse and the tiger, it will go wrong." She said to the two cops, who looked back at her, before she spoke to Emilia:

"As soon as you see the opening, you rush forward and start trashing the golems. This will create a chance to rescue the hostages. Don't lose this chance, because I don't think we will have another."

They all looked at her.

"What are you gonna do?" Emilia asked her, and the ferret simply said:

"I'm not going to do anything. Be ready."

They didn't quite understood, but they had no time to think about it, for soon they were hearing someone say:

"Look at you, big and strong tiger." It was McChill; he looked at the big feline with a lot of disdain. "You talk as if you are such an important guy, as if you are full of crap, but you are just a coward."

The big feline looked at him with anger. "I'm no coward."

"Really?" McChill said once again, "Well, you certainly are acting like one right now. Using hostages for your advantage, keeping us from getting to you all so you can have the advantage on your side. Using civilians as a shield is something that only cowards do."

"I'm no coward!" The tiger said to him, and he was flashing his teeth as he growled it at the polar bear, who had a dart rifle pointed at him. "I'm a mammal who uses all the cards at his disposal. Like I'm doing right now!"

"They are innocent mammals!" McChill snarled at him, and the tiger laughed.

"For you they are innocent mammals!" He spoke, as if the whole thing was somehow amusing to him. "For me, they are a card that I can use to have the advantage! I don't really care about any of them! I don't care if they die or if they live! I wouldn't hesitate to kill everyone in here to get what I want! I listen to my ambition above any of that stupid moralist crap that the Codex represents! I am a proper mage!"

The hostages shrank even more in fear upon the tiger's words, and the cops all tensed even more. Judy was thumping her foot in nervousness as she was starting to point her dart gun at the tiger. However, Zillah put her hand on the weapon and directed it to another place.

"Dart the controlled mammals." She whispered to the bunny. "Save the hostages, the chance will come soon."

"Maybe that is one of the reasons why I have the better in here." The tiger said, looking at all of them. "Look at you, all of these big and fancy weapons of yours and you can do nothing against us." He said, looking at the cops. "Unable to do anything to stop us, because if you tried, we would have you all killed in minutes."

The cops flinched at this, and he then looked at the enforcers. "And you, who follow the rules of the Codex, are not putting in risk the lives of some stupid mundanes that you don't even know, limiting your own actions only because it is 'the right thing to do'." The mockery was obvious on his voice. "Now that is a typical Mieczyslaw behavior! Even though it would be expected from your 'cousins'!"

"Why you..." Emilia growled as she was about to go for him, but Zillah stopped her with a paw on her shoulder.

"Focus on the golems." She said, "If you go for them it will be trouble, focus on the golems."

The vixen looked like she wanted to protest, but a single glare from the ferret was able to cause her to stop and rein herself in.

"I surely am the one who has the advantage here." The tiger said, "I play my cards and I can have all of you unable to act. I have the advantage over you!" He said, and passed his eyes on the mammals of the rescue party. "Over every single one of you." He added, as his gaze stopped on Nick, who was still looking at him.

Fox and tiger locked eyes for a moment, and after a few moments, he started to say:

"Still, sometimes even the best of us have to admit that they were wrong at a point." The tiger said, as he looked at the fox cop. Nick looked at him carefully, ready to start firing if the tiger tried anything.

"I have to say, I misjudged you, Officer Wilde." He said, looking straight at Nick, and the fox looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you?"

"Yeah, I spend all that time thinking that you were just a cheap freelancer using their name, that you were just a poser." The tiger said, "But it turns out, you are actually the son of Sophie Wilde."

Once more, someone mentioned Nick's mother.

That seemed to be a trend lately. One that Nick was not very keen into...

The tiger looked at him once more.

"Now, this raises the question: did she remained true to what she said decades ago? Or did she actually taught you anything?"

Nick looked at him, unsure of what that meant, but not letting any emotion get through. The tiger, however, seemed like he knew the answer, and just asked it as a rhetorical question. The big feline scoffed as he turned his head from the fox.

"Of course she didn't taught you anything." The tiger said, looking at Nick. "If she had taught you anything you would not be so stupid. I guess she really did abandoned everything."

Abandoned everything...

"I guess it should not be surprise that her child turned out to be weak." The tiger said. "Just like her."

Okay, now the guy was pressing his luck.

"Well, this just proves that weak parents produce weak offspring." The tiger said, ignoring the angry glare that the fox was giving him. "That is why I plan to be as strong as I can be."

"That is good for you." A new voice said, causing everyone to turn their heads to look at the source of the new voice.

They saw another tiger standing on the rails of the edge of the bridge. He had a hard expression on his face as he looked at Zane.

Zane's eyes widened as he looked at Tyson, while Tyrell tried to say something, surprised for seeing his brother in there. Everyone else as just as surprised, as they looked at the newcomer, who had all of his attention on Zane.

Zane, on the other hand, soon calmed down, and he just looked at Tyson with an indifferent expression.

"Tyson. What a surprise." He said, but he didn't seemed surprised at all. Nor amused. "Although, I already half-expected this, once I know that all of you never wondered too far from each other for long." He said, looking down at Tyrell, who did his best to look over his shoulder and glare at him.

"Yeah, you are right about that." Tyson said to him. "We always were united as a family. We tried to pass this to you, you know. You also used to enjoy being around us, and you were a lot friendlier."

Zane looked at him with despise, before saying:

"Well, it is always good to see family, I suppose." He looked at both of them. "Even though they are a disgrace to the Tigereye clan and to mages everywhere."

Tyson curled his lips, growling at him. Meanwhile, everyone was still looking at the scene developing, some of them quite tense, others a bit calmer.

"Great, we just walked into a troubled clan." Emilia said, and Zillah nodded, agreeing with her.

"I heard about the family troubles among the Tigereye clan." The ferret said, agreeing with the others. "But I had no idea that it was so serious."

"Talk about a messed up family." Nick said, looking at the scene developing before him, and he whispered to the ferret:

"Now, is that opening that you spoke about?"

"Soon." The ferret said, and they continued to look at the scene developing.

"Free my brother, and everyone else." Tyson said to him. "Do it now."

"And why would I do that?" Zane said, "I'm not the kind who is willing to give up an advantage when I have it."

"You really haven't changed." Tyson said to him, "And we thinking that you actually could."

"Become weak like all of you? No, thank you." Zane said, "Now, if you came only to ask that, I suggest you to be smart and leave while you still can, unless you want to join them."

Tyson looked at him, and didn't moved. However, the water on the bottle tied to his waist started to move and to gather on his paws. The water shifted in shape and started to form something. Some noticed what was going on, among them, Zane.

"You are not honestly thinking you can win, do you?" Zane asked, looking at the other tiger, while the one under him still struggled in an attempt to free himself.

"I can fight well in a battle." Tyson said to him, "Uncle Lars trained us all, remember? I already fought you before, in case you forgot."

"Oh, I remember." Zane said, and he looked at the other tiger. "But this time things are a bit different."

"Yeah, this time you are hiding behind a bunch of golems, controlled mammals, and hostages." Tyson provoked. "It seems that there was a thing that changed: you became a coward. You weren't afraid of going into battle a few years ago."

Zane growled at him, and he flexed his finger, unsheathing his claws as he squeezed the handle of his hammer.

"Okay then..." Zane said as he looked at the other tiger. "Percy, I want you to stay out of this, do you hear me?" He said to the horse, who simply shrugged. It seemed to be enough answer for the tiger, who got his foot out of Tyrell's back, causing the prone tiger to groan as he tried to get to his knees.

"You want a battle, Tyson?" Zane asked to the tiger. "Alright, I'll give you one. An honorable fight between two mages, if you are still have enough honor as mage for that." The tiger said, "Let's see if you can fight me being alone."

"I'll fight you as a mage." Tyson said, "But I'm not alone in here."

Immediately there were the sounds of explosions, startling everyone and making them cry out.

"What the!?" Zane cried out, but at this moment, Tyson jumped on his direction, mantis-like scythes on his paws as he roared.

"Now!" The ferret said, and the three mammals that were near her took this chance to move. Nick, Judy and Emilia rushed forward, passing by Percy, who had been momentarily distracted, but noticed them passing by him.

"Wait a minute." The horse said, as he saw the mammals passing by him. He was about to do something, but he was distracted by something that suddenly flew in front of him. It looked like a strange-looking piranha, with insect legs underneath it and dragonfly wings on its back. It clicked its teeth as it looked as if it wanted to bite him.

Percy looked at it for a few moments.

"Lana." The horse said, sounding a bit bored as he looked.

Soon, more identical creatures appeared, and they clicked their teeth threateningly at the horse, who looked mostly unimpressed.

Percy simply materialized a card of kaleidoscopic rainbow flame on his hoof and, with a swift motion, sliced through two of them at once, making them dead entities fall to the ground, in pieces and smoking.

This caused the other flying bug-piranhas to attack, as they clicked their jaws and advanced, only for Percy to cut them off and make them fall.

However, more of them appeared as they buzzed around the horse, until he was surround by an entire swarm of these things. However, the horse simply looked around as he materialized another card on his other hoof.

"Still with the same tricks, Lana." Percy said, as the swarm all came to him.

Meanwhile, Lana was with the others on the back of the bridge. She knew that her familiars were surely giving a lot of trouble to the horse, although only for a few moments, knowing Percy.

The other two were attacking, as the two-headed snake spat sprays of strange liquid substance at the golems, causing then to hiss and erode away as the acid ate through them; and Krys used the sowilo rune to produce flame, which he shot at the golems, causing explosions as well. It was particularly effective when it hit the acid on the golems, causing it to combust and explode. They already took down three of them by doing this.

Meanwhile, the cops and enforcer were taking the chance, as Nick and Judy used their dart guns to dart the controlled mammals, causing them to fall to the ground. Meanwhile, Emilia advanced to the golems, breaking them with her bare paws.

In the midst of this, an opening allowed the hostages to have the chance to escape. They made a run for it, as they were able to pass by the opening that the cops and the enforcer created, and passed by the two busy mages. Zane was busy fighting Tyson, while Percy was busy slicing through the swarm of flying piranhas that surrounded him.

As they ran, the hostages found refuge on the cops and on Agent Lapinsky, who all welcomed them on safety, as they moved them away from the battle that was developing; many of them looked on the developing scene.

The hostages were safe, but the battle was not over yet, as Judy and Nick still darted as many controlled mammals as they could, knocking them unconscious. One of them approached them from behind, looking like he was ready to attack, but being intercepted a dart fired from Meerkovitz sniper rifle, as the meerkat continued where he was, watching the entire scene that was developing.

Emilia was still busy with the golems, which seemed like they were focusing on her now. She was able to damage them with her bare fists, and she was showing that she was good at this, as they were able to approach her and attack her with their spears, which she barely managed to dodge.

As they did, the others started to approach from the other end of the bridge, with Krys being on the lead. He saw that a golem was going on her direction, and he removed the fingerless glove from his other hand, showing that there was a very complex rune tattooed on his pad. He pointed it at the golem, and said:

"Chodź do mnie!"

Immediately, the golem that was ready to strike her down was pull backwards, flying back in direction to the fox, and landed on its back in front of the tod.

As it did, something crawled out of Lana's clothes and into her arms. It were two geckos, both green and both with gems embedded on their backs. "Make me strong!" The ewe said as both of the geckos wrapped around her wrists by biting on their own tail, and the gems on their backs started to glow.

In this, the ewe jumped forward, raising her fists high and bringing them down on the head of the golem, completely shattering and even producing a small crater on the ground of the bridge.

Emilia blinked as she looked over, and saw a familiar tod looking back at her.

"Hey, Krys!" She said, waving at him, she barely noticed another golem coming her way, but Krys did, and his eyes widened.

"Emilia! Za tobą!" The tod cried out, and the vixen blinked and looked behind herself. She saw the golem right as it rose its spear to strike her. She would have reacted, but at this same moment, a spray of acid spit flew through the air and hit the golem right on the head, causing it to erode away, causing the golem to fall to the ground, unmoving.

The vixen blinked, and she looked back at them, just in time to see a giant two-headed white snake slithering next to her brother.

"And we sss-still have to sss-save you mammals-sss." One of the heads hissed, as they looked in annoyance. The other head looked to be amused actually, as it let out a hissing chuckle.

Judy and Nick were being force to move back, as the golems were coming for them. The others on the group were trying to help by firing, but the darts did nothing to stop them. They also tried to dart the enemy mages, but it was hard to have a clear shot by the way they were moving. Some even managed to get a few shots at the horse, but it seemed that he had eyes on the back of his head, for he would swing his flaming cards into the darts, which would fall to the ground uselessly.

Nick and Judy were soon being force to retreat, once they realized there was nothing that they could do at that moment. Meanwhile, Krys, Lana, and the snake were all coming forward, and they looked like they were ready to fight.

Percy had just finished with the piranhas, and he looked at the newcomers, taking special attention to the great white snake that was with them, as he looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey there, Percy." Lana said to him, "It makes a while, doesn't it?"

He looked at the ewe, and he was actually able to smile.

"Hey, Lana. Sorry for the fish." He said, gesturing to the many dead flying piranhas that laid on the ground around him. "So, is the snake new? I'm pretty sure I never saw you use it before."

"It's not mine." The ewe said, rather casually. Meanwhile, the snake took forward and looked at the horse as it hissed:

"We are not u-sss-sed by anyone." One head spoke, and the other confirmed:

"We only do things-sss when we want to."

"Oh, it speaks." Percy said, looking at the snake. "Now that is an interesting creature. Too bad I'll have to destroy it." He said, raising a hoof that held a flaming kaleidoscope hooffull of cards on it. The two heads hissed at the horse.

"Try, mammal!" The head said, as both of them looked back at the horse, and they were about to try something, when something landed on them from behind, making them fall forwards.

Tyson had just been toss in their direction. It was Zane who tossed him, and he had a few cuts and bruises, but he looked to be pretty satisfied.

"Hah! Take this, Tyson!" He said, as if bragging, as he watched the tiger trying to get up, while the snake under him forced him out of its back. "Thought you could defeat me, well, I just showed you!"

"Hey! Who is-sss throwing cats-sss at us-sss!?" The snake said as it got Tyson from under its back. The tiger was still dazed, but the snake now turned both its heads to Zane. "Do you have thing for throwing things-sss at others-sss?"

"Oh, shut up, you enlarged leather belt!" The tiger said to the snake. "Familiars are supposed to do obey mages' orders, not to talk!"

They blinked at him.

"Enlarged... leather belt?" One head said, as both of them looked at the tiger, their hood flaring out as they hissed at him.

Before Zane could react, one of the heads sprayed a squirt of acid that flew right past his ear and landed on the other side. As he heard the sound of fizzling, he looked over, to see that there was dent forming where the spit fell, as it ate away through the solid rock.

The tiger turned around in time to see the snake getting ready to spit again, and this time, he was fast enough to react. By slamming his hammer on the ground, he caused a sizable chunk of it to just pop out of the ground, and serve to intercept the next squirt spat on his direction.

It connected with the chunk of rock and fizzled loudly, as the acid ate through the rock, which fell back to the ground. The acid produce foul fumes as it ate through the stone, which temporarily cut of the sight, but as it cleared, they all saw Zane looking back at them, and he looked pretty angry.

"You scaly worm!" The tiger said, as he once more slammed the ground with the hammer, causing the ground in front of himself to shatter in multiple pieces. With another movement of his hammer, he caused all of the broken pieces of the ground to fly forward, as a wave of shrapnel.

Everyone had to jump out of the way to avoid the damage, but some of them only barely avoided it. Krys and Emilia managed to dodge just in time, but one hit Emilia, as it sliced through her leg, but the damage was minor. Lana avoided them completely by lying flat on the ground, along with Tyson, who only got some minor scratches on his back form the flying shrapnel. The snake, on the other hand (so to speak), was hit by a number of them, as they pierced through its scales and produced wounds, causing the snake to hiss as it slithered out of the way, but none of the wounds looked to be fatal.

As for Percy, he made a mortal jump as soon as he realized what Zane was doing. He made a backflip over the shrapnel as he moved on the air, and landed right by Zane's side. If he had not done so, he would have been a casualty as well.

"You know, since we are on the same side, you could at least give me a warning when you are going to do something like that." The horse said to him, not sounding angry or even annoyed as he looked at the tiger, who completely ignored him. He was still too focus on the ones who he recognized as his enemies.

However, he didn't failed to notice Tyrell, still on his stone bounds, getting on his feet and looking at him with anger, before lunging at him. Zane didn't even turned to look at him, merely turning his paw on his direction and making a downward sweeping gesture, causing the other tiger to slam into the ground, unable to move.

"The guy who hired us said that we would have problem." The tiger said as he looked at the recovering mammals. "But I wish he could have been more specific on the amount of trouble that we were going to find."

As they got up, some were getting ready to attack, but Zane was faster, and he slammed his hammer on the ground. Almost at the same time, the ground underneath their feet just burst, throwing them around. Tyson himself almost fell out of the bridge as he collided with the handrail.

"Hey, you! Stop it!" Judy said, as she and Nick both pointed their guns at the tiger, and so did others around, including Lapinsky. Zane barely minded them, as he was too focused on the mammals in front of himself.

In fact, he was so focus on them that he totally failed to notice the shadow moving behind himself. He barely even saw when Marceli jumped on him, his dagger ready to strike at the tiger from behind.

However, someone else saw, and Percy was quick to react. He quickly moved and got on the way, swinging his leg at the fox violently.

Marceli, by his skill, was able to use his arms to block the kick, which stung both of his arm heavily as he was propel to the side, to the group of rescue that was looking. Poor agent Lapinsky didn't even had the time to react as the fox flew on his direction and landed on him, sending both mammals to the ground.

This caused an immediate reaction from the group, as many pulled the triggers and started to fire darts at the horse and the tiger, only for the horse to swiftly intercept all darts in the air with flaming cards, causing the darts to fall to the ground ruined and smothering.

Zane looked as if he was ignoring all of that, but as soon as Percy was done, he rose his hammer and slammed it hard on the ground, creating a small crater. Instantaneously, cracks came out of the crater and moved in direction of the rescue party, and once they arrived, they erupted, causing pieces of broken stone and of dust to fly upwards, surprising and blinding the cops.

"Nice one." Percy said to his tiger friend, but Zane was still focus on the mages and familiar that he was fighting.

"Mundanes should know their place." The tiger said, all of his attention "They should know not to meddle in the business of mages."

He walked in their direction as they recovered, and the mages were already getting up. The snake, on its turn, was still on the ground, squirming a bit due to the pain, but it was far from being defeated now. Among the ones getting up was Krys, who was already pointing his paw with the sowilo rune in it, and it was already producing a flame on it as he got ready to fire.

However, Zane caught on it, and he was quick to react. With another blow from his hammer, he caused the ground to erupt on a line in front of himself, prompting them to dive out of the way quickly, including Tyson, who had to move out of the path of the eruption as not to be blast out of the bridge.

Krys, on his end, barely avoided the attack, and he fell to the ground, groaning as he tried to recover from the blow. Meanwhile, Zane was walking to him, growling in anger as he looked at the fox as if he was ready to maul him.

All of that under the gaze of a camera, that was blinking as it focused on the developing scene.

"Oh, no!" Dawn said as she looked at the image. "Krys!"

Everyone was looking at the developing scene as they companied it through the camera, and they were all on the edge of their seats, so to speak, as they saw the mages and the rescue team have trouble.

Ben looked very distressed as he saw his snake getting hit, and everyone was nervous as they saw that the enemy was having advantage. Dawn, in particular, looked very distressed when she saw Krystin getting hit by the attacks.

"Man, I guess that fox is toasted." The donkey said. Someone could notice that he actually had some short of satisfaction on his voice as he watched this. However, Dawn did not shared of this satisfaction, as she was watching it all with genuine concern, and she was quick to act.

Moving away from the image, she turned to someone and said:

"Open the door, now!" She spoke that with such authority that the person who heard didn't even hesitated into doing what she told. Meanwhile, the ewe reached out for two more pieces of chalk, and started to drawn another circle on the ground, and this one looked very different from the other ones that she had drawn before.

The circle was ready in about a few seconds, and some were amazed at how fast that ewe could draw. The ewe then held both the purple and the red chalk in her hooves, and chanted a few lines in a language that no one else understood.

Then, she tossed both of them on the inside of the circle, only for them to burst into a purple flame, startling who was around. But the ewe was not done yet.

"Fumus et cinis voluntatem parere. Tenebris fingunt te et ministra mihi." She said, as she looked at the flames, before she blew over the fire snuffing it out as it produced black smoke and purple ashes.

This smoke and ashes moved across the air, forming a shape that soon became solid. It looked like three big, quadruped creatures, with big mouths and sturdy bodies, with long claws and spikes coming out of their backs. The creatures had elongated heads that looked like a mix of a reptile with a canine of some kind, and it had a mouth full of sharp teeth, but devoid of eyes. The creatures were pitch black in color, but they had purple light coming from inside of them, as if there was a fire burning inside of them.

Everyone took steps back as they looked at the creatures that just materialized in front of them, as not only they made them very scared for their appearance, but also something about them was just terrifying. Among the ones giving several steps back, were the Hoppses, who looked at the entities, their noses twitching madly, including Bonnie, although she, unlike the rest of her family, was able to recognize these creatures, and so did Chloe, as her husband pulled her close to his body protectively...

"Hellhounds?"

Dawn looked at the entities, which looked back at her, before she said:

"Go fetch!"

The entities growled and turned around, as their bodies partially dissolved in smoke and purple ash, making them look like clouds in the form of the monsters, and these clouds immediately flew forward, passing by the open door, which was promptly close shut as soon as they left.

Everyone on the room was silent as they tried to process what had just happened, while the ewe remained right where she was, eyes closed. As she opened them, she had a fierce expression on her face, and her eyes both were pitch-black like the starless night sky.

Zane had just tried to deliver another blow at Krystin with his hammer, with the fox just barely dodging another blow that was able to open a small crater on the ground. He was having troubles to fight him, along with the rest of the group, as Zane was proving to be a challenge to them.

Meanwhile, Percy was keeping the rest of the rescue crew at a distance with his flames, as they were unable to get close enough of him to attack, and the horse intercepted all of the darts that were aim either at him or at the tiger.

"Someone else thinking that this isn't being easy?" Nick said as they were still unable to get through due to the wall of kaleidoscopic fire that the horse had erected that prevented them from going forward. Even Lapinsky and Marceli were unable to actually do anything. However, it was unknown if the situation would actually be a true challenge to the agent bunny, once the impact of Marceli falling on him had knocked him unconscious, and he was now groaning as others checked on him, to see if he was okay. He was unharmed, but he would remain unconscious for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, Zillah Ferron had something in her paws, and she was looking at the wall of fire ahead of herself.

"Everyone stay back!" She shouted, and showed that she was carrying... a thermos?

Removing the lid of the apparatus, she pointed the opening of the thing at the wall of flame, as the magic circuits on her arm lighted up and she passed magical energy into the object. The reaction was instantaneous, as the apparatus started to suck out the rainbow flames.

Many looked amazed at this, however, the horse countered it by feeding more flames to the wall, keeping it in place while the ferret tried to suck the flames to inside of her thermos.

"Just a little longer..." Zillah said, "They will be here anytime now."

Meanwhile, Krys had just fallen prone to the ground, dazed by the last blow that he had barely avoided.

"Now I got you, fox!" The tiger said, raising the hammer high, all under the horrified gazes of the rest of the group.

However, he was interrupt as a sound was hear through the mall.

It was long and terrifying.

It sounded like a howl.

"Is there someone howling?" Judy asked, as everyone had stopped when they heard the sound, and now they were looking around, as if they were trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"It doesn't sound like a wolf." One of the wolves on the group said, as they surprisingly were not howling along.

The sound continued for a few more moments, and it was getting closer, what sent chills up and down everyone's spines.

Soon another sound was being hear. The sound of some kind of feral growling and snarling, and it was getting closer fast.

Zane turned his head just in time to see them come.

Black and purple clouds in the shape of monstrous beasts, snarling and growling as they flew in direction to the tiger.

Zane reacted immediately, as he hit the ground and caused pieces of it to fly in direction to the creatures, only for them to pass right through the clouds without any damage to them whatsoever.

"Hellhounds?" Percy said as she looked at it, and he had gotten distracted, which was what Zillah needed to continue her work and actually start to reduce the fire from the wall.

The creatures approached Zane, as they now became less of cloud and more of tangible entities.

The tiger reacted immediately, by trying to hit one on the head with his hammer, only for the creature to turn into a cloud and the head of his hammer to pass right through it.

Immediately after, the head of the creature once more became tangible, and it advanced to the tiger, and bite on his arm hard.

The tiger roared as he stumbled back, and the creature let go of his arm. The place that was bite now had a marking that was half a bite scar and half a burn.

Two more creatures were now surrounding the tiger, and now they all took turns attacking him and biting him, leaving behind charred bite marks.

Zane even tried to return by hitting the creatures, but they were nothing more than smoke and ash. The hammer passed right through them. He was clearly at disadvantage there.

"P-Percy!" The tiger said, turning to the horse, who had been out of that until now. "Percy, help me!"

The horse looked at him for a few moments, before sighing and jumping into action.

He quickly produced blasts of rainbow flame in the shapes of suits of cards. These blows were not physical, but made of heat and flame, and so, they were actually able to affect the entities, as they were able to chip away pieces of the smoke and ash that formed them.

Meanwhile, the groups were recovering.

Tyson took this opportunity to go to his brother, and to start working on his bounds. They were too strong for him to break, but he had help, as Lana came to his side and used well place blows to shatter the rock, allowing the tiger to be freed.

Meanwhile, Zillah was still sucking out flames from the wall, but she had to stop at some point. According to her, "it is at its limit", as the thermos on her paws was vibrating slightly, as if it was about to burst. But she had already opened a hole in the wall, one that was big enough so the group was able to cross to the other side, and that they did.

Percy still fought the hellhounds, and he had actually managed to destroy one of them. However, he soon stopped as he looked behind himself.

"Oh, dear..." The horse said as he looked over, and so did Zane. They were now looking at a crowd of mammals staring daggers at them. Tyson and Tyrell standing side by side. The enforcers and cops all gathered and ready to fight. The other mages by their sides. The two-headed snake looking at them with a murder shine in its two pairs of red eyes. Even the two remaining hellhounds moved forward and now joined the crowd that was opposing the two.

"Oh, come on!" Zane said exasperated, and Percy looked at them for a few moments, before he made a sudden movement, producing a big heart of flames on his hoof, which glowed in a threatening red coloration.

"My voice is thunder and hurricane." Tyrell said as he walked forward, standing in the front of the group, and he took a deep breath.

Right as the horse fired the flaming heart at them, Tyrell roared.

However, this was no ordinary roar.

This roar was so powerful that it generate waves in the air, and projected towards as if it was a physical attack. The sound was so loud that many of the ones who were close had to cover their ears. The power of the roar was so great that it affected the flaming heart, snuffing it out into nothing more than sparks.

However, more than just undoing the heart, the roar continued forward and impacted into the two enemy mammals. Now, it was not strong enough to knock them prone or to send them flying, but it was strong enough to thrown them of balance, and force them to reel back by a couple feet.

They had been push back around ten feet before Tyrell stopped roaring, and now was staring daggers at the two, his teeth bared at them.

The ones behind were quite impressed by what they just saw.

"What the heck..." McChill said.

"Now that is what I call a roar." Nick said to Judy, as both of them still had their ears rigging from what had just happened.

"Well, I guess that is it." Percy said, his ears also ringing, as he looked at Zane, and the tiger looked back at him.

Zane looked pretty angry at something, still, there was a resigned look on his face. He knew as well as Percy that they could not win something like that. With so many enemies who were so skilled, it would be hard even for them to get the better in such a situation. So, that left them only one option:

To run.

Turning around, the horse and the tiger both sprint into running.

This, of course, prompted some to run after them. Among them, Emilia and Judy.

"Where are you two going?" Emilia said as she rushed, ignoring her uncle calling her name.

"Stop in name of the law!" Judy cried out as she dashed by Emilia's side, ignoring Nick's cries at her.

The two passed by the mammals that they had been controlling and that were unconscious at the ground. Judy and Emilia were still hot on their heels, along with Lana and the two-headed snake.

The two realized that they were being follow, and they were not willing to take that now.

With a roar, once they were out of the bridge, Zane turned around and rose his hammer high. He cried something in another language, and brought the hammer down on the edge of the bridge.

The result was instantaneous.

Cracks appeared all along the bridge, as the ground that formed it cracked and almost exploded.

The one in pursuit barely had time to hold themselves back and to avoid falling into the gap that was being create. They had to recover quickly so they could move back into the bridge, once it was still falling.

By the time the bridge stopped falling apart, a good portion of it had already come down, and there was a sizable gap between them and the two mages, who looked at it for a few instant, before they turned around and ran to the inside of the floor, disappearing from sight.

"You cowards-sss!" The left head of the snake hissed at them threateningly, as they had moved out of sight and out of reach for them to attack, even from a distance. "We sss-should have sss-spat acid at them when we had the chance!"

The other head agreed, and meanwhile, the group was recovering, with the ones that almost fell still recovering, and others coming to check on them.

As the group recovered, they paid attention to some very weird things that were in there. Namely: the two-headed giant snake, and the pair of dogs made of smoke.

"Hellhounds", was how the enforcers called them.

"Dawn." Krys said as he looked at both of these creatures, which looked back at them for a few moments (although they had no eyes to be able to look) before they vanished in the air, in smoke and purple-colored sparks.

As the tension of the battle was finally fading, the group was able to recover and relax, but not by much.

They were able to check on themselves for the wounded. To check on the hostages, which were still shake. They were able to check on the darted mammals (the bridge stopped falling apart before reaching them). They were even able to check on Lapinsky, whom was still lying unconscious after Marceli collided with him.

All the while, Meerkovitz kept his eyes open through the scope of his rifle, to be sure that no other foe would be coming their way while they recovered. The meerkat was making sure to keep his eyes peeled for anything that could... Wait, these guys had cameras?

"Come on, dude!" Sully said as he looked at the burly cops that were preventing him and his friends from going inside. "We need to get this! The Enforcers said that we could have our story!"

They were trying to get into the mall to be able to "get their story". However, they kept being barred by the cops in front, who were not letting any civilian to get inside, especially not teenagers.

Sully was still insisting, saying that the enforcers had given him permission to come with them so they could have the story. That it was an agreement that he had with them.

Of course, that was a big fat lie, and the two mammals who were with him knew it. The Enforcers only agreed to give them an interview; they didn't said anything about them following around, neither before and much less after the event of the mall. The cops too didn't believed that, and they continued to deny entry.

"Sully, let's go, we are getting nowhere." Patrick said, as he and Shawn did their best to push their pig friend away from the cops. After a while, the pig begrudgingly accepted that he was not going to convince the cops, and that trying to go inside was not an option.

Soon, they were leaving, and the two mammals actually felt relieved.

"Why do you even wanna go inside, anyway?" Shawn asked the pig. "This kind of thing is dangerous!"

"It could be all that we need!" The pig said to both of his friends, "Don't you guys see that this could make us into legends?"

"It could also get us killed!" Shawn said to him. The memories of their first encounter with mages were still on his mind as if they had been burn with hot iron in his brain. He could not forget the flash of the teeth of that wolf as he looked at him with a sadistic gleam on his eyes. What would have he actually done to Shawn and to the other two if the cops and the ferret had not interfered?

"Well, they already didn't let us go inside, so I guess that we will have to forget it." Patrick said, but Sully looked back at him.

"That's where you are wrong." The pig said, and he had a smirk on his face. This was a smirk that both the hyena and the sheep knew well, and it made them very uneasy. "We just have to use another mean."

"They are all around the place, and all of the doors are blocked." Patrick said to the pig. "How do you think we could get past them and get inside?"

Sully looked back at him, with a smile, and he said:

"The same way that you got inside a few times when they were still building it."

Patrick blinked behind the fur that flopped over his eyes, and he had to hold back a groan, as he knew exactly what the pig was talking about...

Many months ago, Patrick had found a way to get inside the building, and he used it a few times to go inside while they were still building. It was not allow, but it was a chance to see the place before it inaugurated, not to mention it was a good place for his parkour. Of course, he didn't told anyone about that, save for Sully and Shawn, who were his best friends.

Now he wished that he had only told Shawn.

"We use that same passage that you found and get inside of the building." Sully said, already explaining his plan to the two. "Once we are inside-"

"We will get captured and mauled by crazed mammals and by these golems." Patrick said to him.

"We can be careful." Sully reasoned, but his friends were having none of it.

"We will be in deep trouble as soon as we go inside." Shawn said to him, looking back at the pig. "We are a small pig, a scrawny hyena and a geek sheep. They will be all over us and get is before we can react! We would not be able to defend ourselves and would be easy targets as soon as they came our way! We would be sitting ducks!"

Sully looked at him, and he was getting ready to give an answer. However, he was unable to, for he knew that Shawn was right.

They would really have no way of defending themselves once they were inside. They were a horde of mammals and of "stone golems" (as Shawn described them, something that he took from his B&B games), and they were only three teenagers, and they would be easy targets to them.

"We would not last five minutes inside, Sully." Patrick said to him, "Not unless we found mages to go inside with us. Just let it go, dude."

He didn't wanted to, but he now saw himself with little choice on the matter.

He really had to admit that it would be suicide to go inside without the help of a mage to defend them. And where would they find a mage now?

Sully sighed, and soon he was walking along with his two friends. They still tried to comfort him, saying to him that this was not a total loss, for they had managed to get some interview with the enforcers before the events. Still, the pig looked grumpy for not getting the amazing thing that he truly wanted.

As they walked, they passed by three mammals who were apparently having a discussion. A mature vixen and two adult tigers.

They barely paid mind to them as they passed by them and turned the corner, until one of the tigers said:

"We really can't do anything!? For crying out loud, we are all mages!"

It took only a few seconds before Sully's head popped from around the corner, as he now looked at the three mammals.

"We should be able to do at least something in this situation!" The tiger said to the other big feline and to the vixen. "Especially you, who once were-" The tiger said to the vixen, but she cut him off.

"But I'm not anymore."

"But you still haven't lost your touch, right?" The tiger asked her, and the vixen looked down, as if she was unable to answer.

"I say we go inside like mages would!" The tiger said to them, "We go back to the guys who denied our entrance, and we make them let us inside. It is not like we will be using mental interference for personal gain, we would be using it to help others the ones we care about!"

"We would still have trouble to get inside." The other tiger said to him. "The doors are blocked, and I don't doubt that they put bounded fields around the doors."

"We can get our way around them!"

"They would probably notice, and we would only be in trouble." The tiger said to him. "We also cannot go inside without calling attention, have you seen how many eyes and how many cameras are all around?"

"Why is that a problem now!?" The tiger demanded to his companion. "Dammit, Tyson, Tyrell and Maria are in there! They might be in serious danger! Even these two would have trouble in a situation like that! Are you not worried with them at all, Tyrone!?"

"Of course I am, Tyler!" The other tiger, Tyrone, said to the first tiger, who was Tyler. "But I'm trying to be reasonable around here! We can't simply rush inside without a plan! This way we will only put ourselves in danger and we won't be able to help them at all! We need to think before we act!"

"There might be no time!" Tyler said back at him. "They might be dying at this moment! We need to get there now!"

"How!?" The other tiger said. "If the ones inside even suspect we are going inside we could be putting everyone else inside in danger, including our brothers and our best friend! We would not be helping them at all! How do we go inside without letting them know what we are going!?"

The two tigers looked at each other, as none of them knew what to say about that.

"I might know how." Sully said, all of sudden making the three mages all turn their heads to the pig, who looked back at him.

"Sully, what are you doing!?" Shawn whispered to him, as he and Patrick both stood by the sides of the pig, looking at the three mammals who looked back at him.

"We can get you guys inside." The pig said to them. "We know a way around security and to get inside without being seen. We could show you guys." He said, and the mages all shared looks among themselves.

"If." The pig added, causing them all to look at him more intently. "You guys let us come with you and record what you do for our page on ZooTube." He said, gesturing to Patrick, who still had the camera. The hyena shied away a little bit. "And protect us while we are inside, of course."

The mages looked at them for a few moments. Tyler had a raised eyebrow, while Tyrone seemed like he was seriously considering the idea. However, the vixen beat them both to it.

"Deal." She said, surprising everyone on how blunt she was. They all looked at her.

"My son is in there, and I know he is in danger in there." She said, looking at all of them. "If you can take me inside, then I'll go along, as long as you stay out of my way."

The way she spoke was serious, and everyone knew that she was not joking. This caused the Mage Chasers to feel a bit nervous. However, the tigers considered what she said, and soon, they both are deciding to go along with her idea.

The three mages accepted to go with the teenagers, and Sully was very happy for it, while Shawn and Patrick are nervous, as they were already dreading what could happen to them in there.

The tigers both noticed that the teenagers were acting strange, with the hyena and sheep being somewhat worried, while the pig seemed to be a bit... aloof. They were a bit worried about bringing them along.

Sophie Wilde, however, barely cared about that.

She only wanted to go inside and help her son...

Chapter Text

Surprises were not stopping for the rescue group until the moment.

First the coming of Zillah Ferron saying that she would join them, and that she was not taking "no" for answer. Then there was their meeting with a group formed by two mages, both of which seemed to be quite violent, if their way of acting and talking was of any indication. Then there was the coming of the group that came to help them, formed by one of Gazelle's tiger dancers (someone identified him as such later, along with the tiger they rescued), Krystin Mieczyslaw, Dawn Bellwether's older sister, and a giant two-headed white snake that could talk. Also, in the middle of the battle, things that the mages identified as "hellhounds" appeared and helped them against the enemy.

As if these all were enough, there was the fact that Meerkovitz informed them by the radio that there were mammals near them that had cameras.

It were the reporters of the previous floor. It seemed that they had ignored their instructions to go to the roof and wait for their turn to get down through the helicopter.

Bogo was furious with them, naturally, and the buffalo could be quite scary when he was angry.

However, the other ones managed to calm him down, and they managed to do something that was quite impressive: convince the buffalo not to mind them following the group.

"Honestly, I don't like having them following us around either." Marceli said to him, "But right now, I'd rather have we remain together in cause there is more problem. They might be annoying, but as long as they don't get in our way, I guess that there is no problem in them tagging along. Making them return on their own could be dangerous, and they would probably come back unless we had someone scouting them to the roof and keeping an eye on them. Right now, we have to stay together in the case of any problem."

This was actually a pretty reasonable argument, and Bogo had to admit it. It was pretty obvious that they would still try to follow them if they were not watched by someone of the group. They could send someone to go with them, but after what had just transpired, Bogo had to admit that it would be better if they remained together. It was bad enough to be sending the needed officers to scout the rest of the rescued hostages to the roof, they could not afford to send extra ones just to be sure that the reporters would actually go with them this time.

This meant they would have to keep up with the reporters hoovering around and over them like a flock of vultures.

"You better not get on our way." Was the only warning that the buffalo give them, and the reporters actually seemed satisfied with this.

A bit too much for the Buffalo's taste.

Bisson was among the ones who was taking this opportunity, as he was looking at the camera as they walked, and he was acting as if he was giving a reportage. He talked a lot about the events that were happening, and at the bravery of the cops in the effort to control the situation that was caused by deranged mages.

He still threw one or another personal opinion here and there, most of it directed to somehow criticize mages and their antics. This, of course, did not went unnoticed by the present mages, including the Enforcers.

Now, some of them were able to control themselves, and ignore the bison completely. Others did not liked at all the comments that he was making. Tyrell and Tyson were both throwing dirty glares at the bison at every chance they got.

However, they didn't had to deal with this for long, for they were soon being guided to somewhere else inside the mall. The place that they were already aiming to go from the beginning.

It turns out the group that came to help them came straight from inside of the security room, and they were soon guiding them all the way into it.

Upon arriving, there was a little of tension, as everyone kind of freaked out when they saw the zombies on the outside, which all looked back at them with empty eyes. They got even more nervous when they saw the mammals that were on the ground, pale and unmoving, looking like corpses. Someone even confirmed that these were corpses, as they detected no pulse in them and this only made everyone even more nervous.

"They are okay." A voice made everyone jump, as they looked up and saw the open door of the security room. They looked at the possum that was standing in there, who looked calmly at them. "They are just under the effects of the coupe de poudre. They will be fine by tomorrow."

The group was a bit nervous, however, they were soon walking inside of the room. Well, some of the officers were, as some of them remained outside, to keep watch along with the zombies (something that made them truly nervous), for added security.

Once inside, they could meet again many familiar mammals.

"Mom! Dad!" Judy said, as she forgot all about everything else and reached for her family. She was warmly welcome by her parents, by her siblings, and by her niece, who still had a blindfold over her eyes. They were all fine and none of them looked harmed in any way. This was a source for immense relieve for Judy, who was very happy as she hugged her family, all under the look of her fox partner.

Okay, now that is wholesome. Nick thought to himself as he saw that scene.

Of course, it was not the only happy reunion, as Gazelle also reunited with the two tigers. She was particularly happy for seeing Tyrell, once she was worried about him ever since they got lost, and even more when she saw him as a hostage. She was so happy that she once more slipped in her mother tongue as she hugged him, and the tiger only hugged her back.

"Excuse me, you." Lapinsky said, as he walked the boar who was with the security. He looked at him and asked him to come with him, as they both went to a corner. The bunny was then proceeding to ask the boar some very important questions.

However, the most of the focus was turning to another mage that was on that room. A small ewe with glasses.

"Ms. Bellwether." Marceli said, walking to her and looking at the ewe. She shrunk a bit under his gaze, but Krys was soon coming by her side, and so was Lana.

"She is not harmed in any way." The fox said to her. "None of us are." He said, but immediately after, he groaned as he took a paw to his shoulder.

"Krys!" Dawn was soon over the fox, asking him if he was okay. It was obvious that his shoulder had gotten hurt. She soon was making him remove his jacket and his shirt, so she could look at it. It was clear that it had a bruise, even underneath the fur.

"Oh, Krys..." Dawn said, and she soon was placing her paws on the area, as she was working on healing his shoulders, as the glow coming from her hooves was of any indication.

Some were still surprised for seeing a ewe who was famous for trying to get rid of all predators being actually so nice to a fox, of all mammals.

Marceli, on his end, had a raised eyebrow as he looked at that interaction.

Emilia, on the other paw, was a bit more worried about other subjects.

"Was she really the one responsible for the hellhounds?" The vixen asked, as she looked at the ewe. "Can she actually summon hellhounds? Her file didn't said that she could summon hellhounds."

Dawn was still focus on healing Krys' shoulder, but she looked over her shoulder, as she looked at the vixen:

"There are a lot of things that my file doesn't says." The ewe said coldly, and this caused Emilia to flinch a little bit.

Okay, no that seemed the crazy ewe that everyone heard about on the news.

"Are the zombies outside your doing also?" Judy asked. She was still freaked out about seeing zombies, like the ones that you would expect to see in series. Of course, they were not attacking anyone and trying to eat them, neither spreading a zombie infection around, but their presence was still troubling for Judy, as well as for some other mammals around.

"Uhhh, actually." Harry said, causing Judy to look at him. "Those are actually Mom's." The bunny said, and this caused Judy to look at him with surprise.

"What?" Judy asked, not fully grasping what Harry just said, but the bunny by his side, with chocolate-brown fur and yellow eyes, confirmed what he just spoke.

"Yeah, that's right." Jason said, looking at his sister. "It was mom who made these zombies. We saw it. It turns out that mom is a necromancer." He said, pointing at their mother, who looked at him with a certain glare.

"M-mom?" Judy said, looking at her. Bonnie looked back at her daughter, and she sighed.

"I'm an ex-necromancer." Bonnie said, still under the surprised look of Judy.

Judy felt like her world suddenly shook.

Her own mother was a mage!?

This was a surprise for her, as well as for who was around.

"Hopps' mother is a mage?" McChill asked, looking at the older bunny. "A mage who creates zombies?"

"I'm an ex-mage." Bonnie said, looking at the polar bear.

"Yeah, right." Dawn said, still tending to the fox, and this granted her an angry glare from Bonnie.

"Okay, so, the zombies are Mrs. Hopps', the smoke things are Bellwether's." Nick said, and he looked around. "What about that huge two-headed snake? Whose it is from?"

"Him." Someone on the room said, pointing at a fat cheetah that was now on the process of healing the snake, his paws glowing and on the area where there was blood coming from, while he talked to the snake.

"You really need to be more careful." Ben said to the creature, "I know that you guys are not really in here, but you still can get hurt, so you should be more careful abouuuuu..." Ben stopped in the middle of what he was saying, as soon as he noticed that there were eyes on him.

"Ben?" Judy asked.

"Spots?" Nick asked.

"Clawhauser?" Bogo asked.

They all looked at Ben, who was now removing his hands from that area of the snake, which now seemed completely healed. His hands now went dim, but not before everyone had the chance to see the magic circuits glowing on his hands.

"Uhhh, hey guys." Ben said with a smile, waving to the guys. They all looked back at him, many of them with surprise. The cheetah felt a bit nervous by all of the attention that he was getting at the moment.

"Soooo... guess you guys already met Slizz and Zass, right?" He said, gesturing to the snake that he just healed, which was now stretching it body and slightly coiling itself, as someone would do when they stretch themselves on the morning. "They are my familiar."

"Only becau-sss-se we want to." One of the heads said, and they looked at the mammals, who all still looked surprise.

"Ben..." Judy said, looking at the cheetah with the same surprise as everyone. "You... you are a mage too?"

The cheetah looked very uneasy, and he scratched the back of his head as he avoided their gaze.

"W-well, I'm an ex-mage, actually."

"Or so he insists in claiming." Dawn Bellwether said, as she finished with Krystin's shoulder, and she was finishing checking on him to make sure he was okay, before she once more turned her attention to the images she created.

"Now, that is pretty interesting." Lapinsky said as he walked near Dawn, looking at the projected images on the mist. They showed the feeds of the security cameras. "Interesting indeed." The bunny said, as he looked at the many images. Dawn looked at him, and the bunny looked back at her.

"You actually managed to hijack the feed of the cameras and redirect them to... this?" He asked, looking at the mist. Dawn looked at him for a few moments.

"Yeah, I actually did." She said, passing a hoof over a circle, causing it to make the images shift between one camera and the other. "It was pretty simple, actually. I just used the wiring of this room to have access to the feed of the cameras. They are basically still doing what they normally do, which is filming and sending the images to a source that can relay them. I just got the signal and replaced a monitor with a different source."

The bunny nodded as he looked at it, and he said:

"Yeah, it is truly simple." He said, and some of the ones who were looking had a look that was like "it is?" as they looked at the two mammals talking.

"It is quite impressive that you actually managed to have results. I mean, using such a primitive solution." The bunny said, and this caused Dawn to look back at him. Lana and Krys also looked back at the bunny, and they looked like they wanted to say something.

"Well, I have to say that would be expected from a mage, actually." He said, looking back at Dawn. "No offense, of course."

"Of course." Said the ewe, and she focused her attention back into the mist. She didn't said anything else, but someone else seemed to have something to say.

"Yeah, that is mages for you." Lana spoke, causing the rabbit to look at her. "We are not like technocrats, with your fancy gadgets and your super advanced 'technology' and all." She spoke, and looked at him.

"You know, I meet a few technocrats, and it was always interesting seeing how they do their stuff." She said, "I would have loved to see you do your stuff as well back them, so bad that you got knocked out. You were truly not prepared for an actual physical combat right? Well, that would be expected from a technocrat." She said, and looked at him and added, in a very sweet tone "No offense."

The bunny only looked back at her for a long moment, before saying:

"Of course."

This seemed to end the interactions between the mages and the technocrat, who now remained silent. This was something the others were thankful for, as they were getting somewhat nervous as they saw the developing trade of words.

As it ended, however, they were able to focus on the other matters. Some of them checked on the rest of the hostages, making sure everyone was alright. Others were focusing on another matter that was on their mind.

"So, why did you planned telling us you were a mage?" McChill asked Benjamin, as the cheetah became nervous with the question. Even more with the look that the polar bear was giving him.

"W-well, i-it was not really relevant. I-I mean, I gave up being a mage a long time ago." He said, and the polar bear continued to look at the cheetah, as if he was still wanting a justification from the feline.

"McChill, leave him alone." Bogo said, pinning the polar bear with a gaze. "We have far more important things to worry about, like recovering and getting everyone out of here safely."

This was enough to make the polar bear leave Ben alone, something that the cheetah was really thankful for. He and the Chief traded looks, and a single nod was enough for them to understand each other. Bogo turned his attention to somewhere else, as he was still planning on how to get everyone out.

However, deep down, the buffalo was still surprised for finding out that Clawhauser was mage. An ex-mage, but still. The cheetah worked under him for nearly five years and he never even suspected.

He was not the only one who was surprised for knowing that someone who was close to him was a mage, as some of the officers shared this surprise for finding out that the cheetah was a mage. And Hopps...

"How come I never even suspected!?" Judy asked in a whisper to her family. Bonnie was among them, and she looked more serious than Judy ever remembered of having seen her before.

"That is because I vowed to left all my past in the past." Bonnie said, looking at all of them. She then looked away.

"Of course, I also vowed never to set foot in this city again..."

"Huh?"

"That's right." Jason said, causing Judy to look at him. "It turns out that mom not only used to be a mage, but she also didn't came from Podunk like she told us! She was born here! In Zootopia!"

Wha...?" Judy said, looking back at her mother.

"Yeah, and she has a Ghost Rider-style shotgun with a skull on it! She used it to take down the golems!" The brown bunny concluded, and this caused Judy to look at her mother.

She... used a shotgun? A real shotgun? With bullets?

"So... did mom saved everyone all by herself?" Judy asked, still processing everyone.

"No, she actually had help." Harry said to her. "From one of your neighbors, actually." He said, pointing at the two who were now close. Judy blinked as she looked at them.

"Yeah, it turns out your mother was not the only hidden mage around here." Pronk said, pointing at Bucky. "It seems mages are really good in keeping secrets from their close ones."

"I didn't even knew I was a mage before today! Give me a break, okay?" Bucky said in his own defense.

"Well, you seemed pretty experienced for someone who just found out to be a mage!"

"I went by instinct, okay?"

"Well, your instincts must be far better than those of the others! Unless that is a mage thing! What else I have to discover about you!?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No YOU shut up!"

As the two continued to tell each other to "shut up", Judy was now relying from the discovery that not only her mother, but also her neighbor were both mages, and that she had never even suspected a thing.

"They all look pretty surprised, don't they?" Emilia asked her uncle, as they both took notice of the developments around them.

"They are still learning how to deal with things." Marceli said, "I must say, in general, the non-mages are dealing with this all far better than they always told me they would."

"Yeah, there are no mobs going around screaming 'die witches' and the like." Emilia said, "Kind of a letdown."

Marceli sighed.

"Honestly, Emilia. Sometimes your definitions of 'let down' and 'cool' really worry me."

"What, I like when things are interesting!" She said, and the smile on her muzzle was sincere. That only served for Marceli to get even more worried about his niece and her definition of "interesting".

He would have voiced it, but then something happened that called his attention.

There was something vibrating inside of his pocket. The black tod blinked and looked, before he reached over and reached for his pocket.

He pulled out a stone that had a complex rune carved on it, and it was vibrating madly as the rune glowed ever so slightly.

Marceli and Emilia both looked at it, both of them with their eyes widen, as they shared a look among themselves.

They both knew what that was, and they both knew what that meant...

Back on their apartment, the door had been nearly ripped off the ridges, as the lock was destroyed and the door itself was not in a nice state. Near the door, a small complex rune, the same one of the stone that Marceli had, was glowing very discreetly. This rune was not noticed by the ones who broke in, as they were far more interested in another thing.

"Keep looking!" The panther said as he stood in the middle of the room. "Break this place apart if you have to! We are not leaving without it!"

He was talking to the two that were currently trashing the place. One of them was a big bull, while the other was a small weasel. They both were tossing things and breaking the place apart as they were trying to find something hid in there. The two, along with the panther, were wearing a clothing that made it seem that they were plumbers.

This disguise was all that they needed to be able to get past the entrance, as a little suggestion, combined with the clothes, was enough to let the landlord let them in without asking any questions.

Once they climbed into the stairs and reached the apartment, it was only a question of placing a special spell so no one of the neighbors would be able to hear the door being force open. The same spell was what prevented the neighbors from hearing the apartment being trash, as the ones inside now were turning the place upside down in search for their goal.

"Where is it?" The panther said to himself, as he looked around the place, trashing it along with his two minions. He came across a few things in there, like a few runic stones, and also a pen. But he simply threw them aside, as he was not interested in any of these trinkets. "Where have they hid it?"

"Impatient as always." Said a familiar voice, and the panther didn't even dignified himself to look, for two reasons: one, he always knew who it was; two, he was too focused on the task at paw to let go of it now.

Meanwhile, Cornelius Wilde stood behind him, looking quite smug as he smiled to himself. He looked over to see the two other ones that were trashing the place, and they also seemed to completely ignore the fox, as they continued their work.

"Only two golems?" The fox asked, "I thought you had more."

"I have plenty more." The panther said, not even looking at the fox as he continued to remove the drawers one by one and toss them aside after turning them upside down. "Of course, these two are the ones that I currently have left, due to all the others being focused on your little plan."

"A plan that is working." The fox said to him. "You have broken on the base of the enforcers, and they are unable to come to get you. You're welcome, by the way."

The panther growled. He was force to admit that it was truth, but still.

When the fox told him of this plan, days ago, his first reaction was to want to grab him by the shoulders, shake him violently, and scream "are you out of your mind!?". However, after the tod explained to him the exact details of the plan, he actually felt a bit more inclined to feel like it could be a good plan. Even thought it was more than obvious that it was a desperate one.

He could already picture Tasman and all of the others giving him a very hard time once this was over and they learned what he was force to do. He knew that they would be demanding him to justify his actions, and he would only be able to appease them if he got the package back.

Hence why he was so focus on finding it.

"It still amazes me how you can make your golems look normal like that." The fox said, looking at the two creatures in the room, which looked like perfectly normal mammals. "You can't even tell that they are made of stone..."

"Is just a simple illusion." The panther explained, as he now started to tear down an entire sofa, to see if they had hidden it in there. "The same one that allowed the golems to approach the mall by looking like normal mammals."

"Yeah, it is still impressive." The fox said, before shrugging.

"But, not that surprising actually, considering that you have for years used it to-"

"There is a reason why you are here?" The panther cut him off, now finally turning around to look at the tod, who looked calmly back at him. "Do you have a purpose in here, or you came just because you wanted to annoy me?"

The tod looked back at him. "Peter, you really used to like our talks."

"I also used to be welcome on that house and feel like actually belonged." The panther said back to him. They looked at each other for a long moment, and the tod sighed.

"I just wanted to check if you were alright." He said, "To check if there was anything wrong on your end, if you were having trouble. If maybe you needed a little bit of my help." The tod said to him.

"I already accepted your help with that crazy plan that you came up with." The panther said to him, turning around and once more resume looking. The "bull" had just started to break down another piece of furniture, while the "weasel" looked on small spaces, looking for anything hidden.

"How did you even thought of such a plan, to begin with?"

"What, is it surprising that I came to think of a plan like that?" The tod asked, and the panther actually stopped for a moment to think of it.

"No, not really." He said, looking over his shoulder at the fox. "Everyone always said you were crazy."

"Maybe I am." The tod said, "After all, some of the best ideas are laced with a hint of madness."

The panther rolled his eyes, and he resumed looking. He was starting to get tense for not finding the thing he was there to find, and this was causing him to become more aggressive. Could it be that they hid it on the floor. Maybe on the space between that floor and the lower floor's ceiling?

"Anyway, you gotta admit the plan is working perfectly up until now." The fox said to the panther, and he still had that continuous smile on his face. "The enforcers are far away and too busy with the business in there to prevent you from getting your little trinket back. Not only that, but Nick Wilde is also inside of that mall, where all of your golems ca get to him easily with a little luck. Just as I promised you."

"You also promised me that I would have the package back." The panther said, getting up and looking at the fox. "Up until now I haven't been able to get it."

For a long moment, they looked at each other. The fox still had that enigmatic smile on his face as he looked at the panther.

The big feline looked at the fox, and then was now facing him directly.

"You know where it is hidden, don't you?"

"Yes." The fox said calmly. "I was just waiting for you to ask."

The panther looked at the vulpine very intently.

"And, for how long did you stood in there watching me look for it like some fool?" He said, his voice threateningly low.

"You know, you used to have a better humor." The tod said as he turned around, walking to a wall. "Well, guess I can't blame you for having become bitter, after all that we have put you through."

The panther had his eyes on the fox, as he walked to the walk and removed a single picture from the wall.

It was a big one, which depicted some mammals on a paddling boat. Behind it, it was possible to see that the wall was broken and rundown, leaving a huge dent on the wall, probably the reason why the picture was there, in first place. The place surely was not as nice as the one that Peter had got for himself. However, that was the last thing on the feline's mind, as he looked at what was inside the hole in the wall that the fox had just revealed to him.

A familiar ornamented wooden box.

"Didn't thought for checking behind the pictures, did you?" The fox said to him. "Don't blame you, most mammals don't."

The panther ignored the fox completely, as he had his eyes on the prize that he came there for. He walked to the hole, and reached out, grasping the wooden box and picking it up effortlessly.

He had a wild grin on his face, as he was able to recover the thing that he and his group desired so much.

Oh, how much he wanted to rub that on Tasman's face.

"Well, it seems that you got what you wanted, after all." The fox said, casually walking to the window and taking a look of the view outside. "You got your little box back, and Nicholas is still inside of that mall surrounded by your golems."

The panther had to admit that the fox was right.

He truly now had the package back, and he got Nicholas Wilde right where he wanted him. Just like Cornelius had promised.

"Guess that is your little chance to have your little revenge on the fox for all of the envy he made you feel right?" Cornelius said, and this caused the panther to look at him.

"No!" He said firmly, looking at the fox, whom turned back to look at him. "Not envy! Indignation!"

They looked at each other for a long moment.

"It is not because of envy. Is because that fox ruined everything for me." The panther said, "It is because he caused all of my misfortunes on the day he-"

The panther looked like he was ready to go into some lengthy explanation. However, suddenly, he flinched a bit and went stiff, his gaze suddenly becoming lost.

The fox looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, looking at the panther, who looked like he had suddenly become distracted with something else. This caught the fox's interest.

"Yo, Peter?" The fox said, now trying effectively to catch the attention of the panther. "Peter? Earth calling Peter, do you listen?"

The panther blinked after a few moments, and he said:

"There is something happening..."

There was a brief silence, as the panther still looked distracted. He then closed his eyes and it looked as if he was trying to focus on something. After a few more moments, an expression of surprise spread over his features, as his eyes widened. A few seconds later, his face relaxed, and now it had an expression that was hard to read.

"I see..." The panther said, "So, you really came to defend him, didn't you?"

The fox looked at the talking panther. For a moment, he even thought that he was talking to him. However, the panther was not looking on his direction. Actually, it even seemed that the panther had suddenly forgot that he was present.

If course, it only took a few moments for the fox to understand exactly what was happening.

"Well, that is no surprise actually." The panther said, now apparently talking to someone other than the fox on the room.

"After all, we all know how much you value his life. It should be no surprise that you would find your way here to rescue his sorry tail." He said, and there was a great hint of resentment on his voice.

"Ever since the first day you showed how much you cared about him. He was always the most important thing in your life..."

"...wasn't him?" The golem said, with the same voice of the panther, right before something blasted on its head, breaking it into thousands of pieces.

Standing a few feet away from the fallen golem was Sophie Wilde, with her paw outstretched in direction to the fallen creature, as if she had just threw something in its direction. Her expression was hardened and unforgiving. Still, someone could be able to notice something in the bottom of her eyes, if they looked very closely and intently.

Around her, it was very clear that there had just been a fight in there, with multiple golems broken apart and spread over the place like broken statues. Tyler and Tyrone were both in there, and they looked around as they had finished clearing the golems of the place.

"We barely went inside and we already went head-on with some golems." Tyrone said as he looked at the destroyed familiars around himself. "They truly are all over the place."

"It makes no difference." Tyler said, as he walked over the pieces of some golem that looked like it had exploded. "We will break anything that stand on our way until we reach our friends and get them out of here."

Sophie said nothing, as she only looked around at the golems that they had broken on their way in.

Getting in was not very easy, as the teenagers showed them a way around security that involved going through the sewers.

There was a sewer system that was connected to the mall, and a passage allowed them to access the mall through an opening on the ground. It was not a pleasant one, once the smell was terrible; after all, it was the sewer.

"I'll take a week to get this smell out of my fur." Tyler said as he pinched his nose as they walked into the big ducts, having to crouch as he and his brother were pretty big for these small tunnels, while the smaller mammals had no problem.

Once arriving at the place, they just needed to climb a stair for a passage that allowed them to go inside the mall.

It was actually surprisingly easy, if you completely ignored the smell.

Of course, it was only easy up until the moment they actually started to walk into the mall, as they immediately met up with a group of burly golems that looked like they could pose a serious problem for them.

However, they were no match for the skills of the three mages, as were most golems.

The battle should have lasted no more than three minutes before the mages emerged victorious and without a single scratch.

As they fought, the Mage Chasers stood on the background, as they witnessed the entire battle, as well as recorded it in their camera (Sully had been pretty insistent for Patrick not to lose anything).

As soon as the battle was over, the three were coming out of their hiding spot, and they looked at the mages that had just gave a show of skill as they fought these golems and broken them to pieces.

"Wow..." Shawn said.

"That was... awesome!" Sully said, giving a small outburst that worried the ones around him. "Did you got it? Patrick, tell me you got all of that on video!"

The pig was grasping the hyena by his shirt and shaking him rather hard as he said that, what disoriented Patrick a little bit.

"Y-yeah!" The hyena said amidst the shaking that the pig was giving him. "Yeah, I got it all on camera!"

"This is so cool!" Sully said, now letting go of the hyena. "With a few more scenes like that we will have the most views on the history of ZooTube! We will surely receive a prize!"

"So, we are still going with them?" Shawn asked, looking quite nervous. "I-I kind of hoped that the images we just got would be enough and that we would be going back and leaving them to do their thing." He admitted, and Sully looked back at him as if he was crazy.

"You kidding?" Sully asked him, "Of course we will continue on! This is too good to let pass! If we see something like that right at the beginning, imagine what else we will see if we continue on! We gotta go to the end now!"

"We gotta keep moving." Sophie Wilde said, and she turned to the teenagers. "You go back."

"No way!" Sully said. "We gotta go along with you and record everything! That was the deal!"

Sophie Wilde looked at them, and it looked like she wanted to say something, but she only sighed.

"There is no time for this." She said in a low voice to herself, and then she turned to the teenagers once more. "Just be sure to stay out of our way, for your own safety."

That was all that she said before turning around and walking.

The two tigers shared a look, before they too followed behind the vixen. Tyler didn't liked having to bring the teenagers alone, but he knew that it was no use arguing now, for they had to save their brothers and friend. Tyrone was of the same opinion, but he was a bit more receptive, as he knew that the teenagers could even come to be useful on the way, as the hyena said that he had walked around the place before, making him somewhat qualified to be their guide.

Sully and his two friends (who were both quite hesitant) were following them closely, as they wanted to be close in the case problem arose, so they could be protected.

As the group left, they left behind the remains of the destroyed golems, which probably was a preview of what the group formed by three mages and three wanna-be teen ZooTube stars were going to be leaving on their wake as they went through the mall.

"There is someone invading our apartment!" Emilia whispered to her uncle urgently, and the tod only continued to look at the rune that was giving to them an alarm, telling them that the perimeter of their apartment had been violate.

"Yes, I know." The tod said, and he looked back at the vixen, who was looking back at him.

"What do we do?"

"What can we do?" Marceli asked her, with his usual calm expression. "We are in the middle of a rescue mission, and we cannot simply leave everything to go rushing back to our apartment."

"Yeah, but there is a lot of important things in there!" Emilia said, "Including..."

"I know." The fox said to her. "But we have a mission in here, and we need to focus on it right now. We will focus on this as soon as we are done saving everyone." The tod said, and the vixen had no option but to agree with him, for she knew that he had the reason.

"I can't believe it." Emilia said as she and Marceli made their resolution to continue their work in there. "What are the chances of our apartment being invaded right on the moment that we are out in a mission like that?"

Marceli stopped for a moment to think of it.

"Low." He said after he pondered over it for a while. "Very low." He said again, and Emilia looked at him, as she was wondering just what the tod was thinking now, but it was obvious that it was something important...

"Your cousin?" Gazelle asked the two as they explained the thing to her.

"Yeah, he is our uncle's son." Tyson explained. "He abandoned the family a long time ago for he said that we were 'not acting as proper mages'."

"After that his name started to come up as someone who was willingly breaking the laws of the Codex." Tyrell said to her, "He is wanted for unethical thaumaturgic experiments, kidnapping, even for murder."

"Dios mio..." Gazelle said as she heard the explanations that the two were saying.

Meanwhile, some of them were around, and they were eavesdropping on what the popstar was talking with the two tigers. The tigers who they all knew as her dancers/bodyguards, and that now they knew to be mages.

"Do you think she knew that her bodyguards were mages?"

"Well, she doesn't' seem surprised."

"Think she was hiding it for them?"

"Maybe they forced her into it."

"Where are all of these mages coming from now? They are popping up everywhere!"

"Just to show that they are all over society."

"Wait, are you saying that you know the one responsible for causing these mammals to act like this?" Judy asked Lana Bellwether, as she and Nick both looked at the ewe that looked back at them.

"Yeah, you can say I know him." Lana said, looking at the two cops. "His name is Bartholomeus Lupo. But he insists for everyone to call him 'Butch'." The ewe said, and the two cops put themselves to think, as the name sounded familiar.

"Wait!" Judy said suddenly, looking at the ewe. "Would he be a big wolf with his claws and his fur dyed in purple and blue?"

"Yeah, that's him." Lana confirmed, and Nick, who got lost for a moment, suddenly had a spark of memory at this.

It was the wolf that he and Judy had seen months ago with Percy and the other dog! And that they saw again a while later in the warehouse performing that ritual!

"Yeah, Butch is a figure." Lana said to the two. "The guys out there, acting like rock n' roll maniacs, that is definitely his doing." The ewe said to the two of them. "He used to do stuff like that while he was still with us, and apparently he hadn't stopped even after changing affiliations."

Nick and Judy both looked at the ewe, and they looked like they were about to ask her what she meant by that. However, their attention was diverged when something started to happen.

"Hey!" It was Dawn Bellwether, and soon, everyone was turning their heads to look at the reason she was saying that.

It was the mist. Where before it showed a high-resolution image of a camera, now the image was becoming vague and out of focus, until it completely vanished.

"What is?" The small ewe said, as she fumbled on the magic circle, as if trying to get information of it. However, it seemed that she was getting nowhere, for she was getting visibly frustrated.

After a while, the ewe shifted to another camera. However, right after the image started to become out of focus just like the last one. This too went out of air, and the ewe shifted to another image.

The next one was already out of focus, and it took only a few seconds before the image vanished.

The ewe now was shifting between images of the cameras, but she only got the same answer from all of them. Nothing more than static that showed itself in the mist created by her improvised ritual.

"What is this?" The ewe said, as she shifted between cameras, and checked on the circle that as giving her information, but that now was giving away nothing.

"What is going on!?"

Everyone soon had their attention turned to the ewe, and they soon realizing what was happening.

They had lost the video from the other floors.

"What is going on?"

"Where are the images?"

"Did something happened?"

"We can't see what is going on around the mall anymore!"

"Why is this happening?"

"Did the ewe messed up the spell or something?"

"Dawn, what is going on?" Lana asked, coming near to her sister, and the smaller ewe looked between the circles and the mist, as she seemed that she was trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I don't know. I-I lost the feed." She said, looking at the video, while other approached.

"Did something happened to your circles?" Marceli asked, as he looked at what was going on.

"No, they are perfect!" The ewe said, and she looked around. "T-there must be something with the cameras."

"Indeed." Lapinsky said, as she approached and looked. The others looked at him.

"I don't know much of your magecraft, but I can tell that Ms. Bellwether did made a good job in accessing the feeds of the cameras, even though she did it with rather primitive means." He said, and the others looked at him. "There seems to be nothing wrong with her methods though. The way this just happened, it is definitely a problem with the cameras."

"With all of them?" Bogo asked, as he looked at the image that they now lost. "What, is it a problem I the system or something?"

"Someone hacked into the security." The bunny said as he continued to look. "Someone managed to hack into the system and cut the feed of the cameras, to be able to leave us without video. Something like that could not be done by common means. Whoever did this is good at enlightened electronic."

"You mean, a technocrat like you?" Emilia asked, and the bunny looked back at her.

"Definitely it is a user of enlightened science."

"Evan..." Lana said, as she looked at the mist.

Lapinsky blinked, and he turned to look at the ewe.

"Did you just said 'Evan'?" He asked her, and she looked back at him. "Evan Canis?"

"The very same." Lana said, to him, before she said in a low voice to herself:

"So, the vipers really are fully involved in this mess. This is not good..."

"We can't see what is going on anymore!" McChill said as he looked at the mist, which now showed nothing. "We have no way of knowing what is going on around the mall anymore!"

"I believe that this is the intention." Marceli said, as he looked back at the Cape buffalo, as well as the other mammals in there. "They have cut off our sight from here so we would not be able to know what awaits us in the next floors."

"But we already do." Benjamin said, looking around the room. "We took a look on all of the floors, and we already know where the hostages and enemies are."

"That was before we met two of the mammals who are in control just some minutes ago." Marceli said, and Lapinsky also spoke.

"Mr. Mieczyslaw is right." The bunny said, gathering some looks. "After they realized that we were gaining terrain, and that we could be a threat, they surely have decided to alter their original plans. They probably decided to change their distribution over the floors and the way they were doing this. Hence is why they decided to cut the feed of the cameras, so we could not know what kind of change in strategy they are doing now."

"So, they could be killing the other hostages, taking them somewhere else, or preparing a trap for us in the next floor, and we have no way of knowing any of what could be happening." McChill said, before he grunted:

"That is just great."

"We need another way of getting information." Marceli said, and then, someone on the group of mammals came forward.

"I can help." Chloe Fanghanel said, and everyone looked at her.

"I can use my familiars to scout out the floors and bring back information on what is happening."

"Your... familiars?" Bogo asked, looking at the thylacine who was Officer Fanghanel's wife. She nodded, and then she closed her eyes and focused. Soon, there were specters forming around her and floating near her body.

This, of course, startled some of the ones who were close, but they relaxed as soon as the thylacine started to explain that they were harmless and that they could be useful.

"They can change out of the visible spectrum and scout the place without being seen." The thylacine explained. "They will be able to gather information and to tell us exactly what they are doing down there, and we will be able to plan accordingly. They won't get us unprepared, that much I can assure."

Everyone looked on surprise at the scene developing, and some of them were more surprised than others.

Fanghanel's wife is a mage too!? McChill thought, as he looked at the scene developing before him. Where are all of these mages coming from!?

Meanwhile, others looked at the specters that the thylacine just created, and they were able to connect the dots on what was going on.

"Well, guess this does explain where that apparition came from." Marceli said, while Emilia was still processing what she was just learning at that same moment.

"Wait a minute." The vixen said, looking at the thylacine. "You mean... that specter I vaporized was yours?"

"Yeah, it was." Chloe said, looking at the vixen. She didn't seemed angry, though. "I materialized it to warm you guys of the mages on your way, when we saw them on the cameras. He was on the way to telling you when you destroyed it."

She looked at the vixen. "That kind of hurt, you know?"

Now Emilia looked a little bashful, like a kit who had broken the vase and now had to explain it to her mother. Marceli only sighed and shook his head, and so did Krys, as he too was familiar with his cousin's impulsiveness.

Eliot was even saying something about how attacking the specter had an effect on "his Pumpkin", and that he didn't liked seeing his beloved wife in pain. This of course, was Eliot being Eliot, and Chloe knew that very well, as well as some of his coworkers.

After a while of deliberation, they all agreed that this was a good tactic, and that this was the way that they should go. As such, Chloe was already on her way to give instructions to her specters, when something started to happen that caught everyone's attention.

It was as if the building suddenly started to hum. There was a very subtle but constant sound going around, follow by a feeling as if the building was vibrating very lightly.

It lasted only around thirty seconds, and it caused everyone to stop what they were doing and pay attention to it.

However, as soon as it ended, it was over, and they didn't heard or felt anything of the like.

"What was that?" Nick asked, and no one really knew how to answer.

Lapinsky, however, turned around and moved into a corner, and he was accessing the device that he had on his wrist.

"Well whatever it was, it is over now." Bogo said, "Now, what about we move on with that plan of using the ghosts or whatever as a mean of keeping surveillance? Meerkovitz will also be doing that, he is in a place where he can hide effectively, he will be helping."

Chloe looked at the buffalo, nodding at this. Soon, she finished instructing her specters, and they were on their way.

The door didn't even needed to be opened, as the specters simply passed through the walls and through the floor, showing that they truly were ghosts.

"That freaks me out." Harry said a little bit, and Jason, who was by his side, said:

"As of right now, there are a lot of things that freak us all out."

Some of the group agreed with them, as they were still taking in everything that was happening to them all around. There were golems and controlled mammals taking the halls, there were giant talking snakes, zombies and specters on their side, not to mention all of the other things that were going on with mages on both sides.

This was a lot for most mammals to take in, and some of these things made the others who were around a lot uneasy.

"So, you sure we can rely on your ghosts, lady?" McChill asked the thylacine, and she looked back at him.

"I'm pretty sure. They follow instructions very well, and as I explained, they can go around without being detected." She said, and the polar bear looked at her for a few moments, and then turned his attention elsewhere, as if he didn't wanted to say anything else on the matter.

A few minutes passed, as everyone waited for the specters to return to give them information, when the thing that had happened now returning. A sound like a humming followed by the feeling as if the place was vibrating very slightly.

"It is back!"

"What is that?"

It lasted longer this time, but eventually, it stopped.

"Well, it is gone now." Bogo said.

"Why does it keep-" McChill started to say, but was interrupted suddenly as there was a sudden shaking.

It was as feeling similar when a car suddenly hits a bump in the middle of the road, causing it to jump.

It really felt as if the whole building had suddenly jolted.

Many of the mammals were caught off-guard by this. Many of them cried out in surprise, some of them lost their balance and fell, while others managed to keep on their feet, but just barely.

"What is this!?"

"What is going on!?"

"Is someone trying to bring the building down!?"

These and more questions resounded around, as everyone recovered and tried to make heads and tails of what had just happened.

This event, whatever it was, seemed that it had just ended. However, it did gave everyone a scare, and now even Bogo could not dismiss it as not being important.

"What is going on around here!?" the Cape buffalo demanded as he looked around. "Someone talk to me and tell me what is going on!"

"It were them." Lapinsky said, granting everyone to look at him, all of them demanding answers.

"The ones who are behind this event." The bunny said to them. "They are the responsible for that."

"What? Are they trying to demolish the building?" Bogo asked, now considering if these mages would be crazy enough to actually being the building down with all of the mammals that were inside of it.

"Not exactly." The bunny said, looking at the many animals that were around.

"I just contacted the headquarters of the Technocratic Union." Lapinsky said, "They are monitoring the status of this building, and they have confirmed my suspicious." He looked all around, as all of the other mammals that now were looking at him.

"It seems that whoever is behind this event is using special means to affect the integrity of the building." The bunny explained to everyone. "It seems that they are using means to interfere with the dimensional integrity of the building, as they are trying to erode away the dimensional synchronism, what could cause the complete shutdown of the pocket dimension and the irremediable mislaying of all that is currently inside of the extra-dimensional space.

Everyone stared at the bunny, and most of them had blank stares, as what he just said made little to no sense to them.

However, some among them were able to get the gist of what was being said.

"Wait." Dawn Bellwether said, and she looked at the bunny, while the others looked at her. "Do you mean, that they are trying to shut down this space of imaginary numbers?"

"Yeah, I suppose that is what it means. In mage terms." The bunny said.

Most of the mammals of that room still didn't understood what that meant. The mages, however, seemed to do, for they were reacting to this.

"Oh crap..." Jade said, as the kangaroo seemed to be becoming distraught, "Oh crap."

"So, any chance we can leave this place before they make it disappear for good?" The possum asked, as everyone looked at her. Some of them still not quite understanding what this meant.

"We have to leave." Tyson said, "We have to leave now!"

"Think we can get to the ceiling?" Tyrell asked. Meanwhile, Gazelle was as lost as the other ones, as she looked confused at her tigers.

"Wait, they wouldn't do that, would they?" Krys asked, looking at his uncle. "Not if they are still inside of the building, it would be madness."

"Maybe they have a way to get out before doing it." The black tod answered. "Or maybe they are simply that mad."

"Hey, hey!" Bogo said, and he looked at the mages, as all of them seemed to know what that meant while the rest of the mammals in the room didn't. This was something that bothered the buffalo, as he now wanted to know it as well.

"Would any of you mind explaining what is going on?"

"We will all disappear forever if we don't either stop them or get out of this building. That is what's going on." Lana said to the buffalo. This had an immediate reaction on everyone who was listening, as they were growing nervous. However, some of them still didn't understood what that meant.

"Would someone please elaborate?" Nick said, looking around, and it was Marceli who stepped forward and put himself to explain to those who did not got all of the magecraft lingo.

"Do you remember how we said that this mall was divided in two parts?" He said, looking at the cops. "That the outside existed in the material world, while the other one existed in a space of imaginary numbers. A pocket dimension, so to say?"

"Yeah, I guess we all remember that." Nick said, and some of the cops nodded.

"I don't remember that." Eliot said, "Oh wait, I was not there."

"Well, the two spaces are able to interact with each other because there is a connection between them." The tod continued to explain to everyone. "A connection that allows the outside to connect with the inside, so things can come in and out of them. Think of is as a bridge that connects an island to the main land through the ocean."

"Yeah, we get it, so?" McChill asked, as he was still not getting. However, some of the smartest among them seemed to be getting it.

"They are trying to bring the bridge down." Judy said, as she was someone who truly got the gist, and everyone looked at her, before they started to grasp what the situation truly was about.

And how dire that actually could be for them.

"Yes." Marceli said, confirming what the female bunny cop had just said. "They are trying to shut off the space of imaginary numbers, cutting the connection it has with the outside."

"Wait, like, separating the two parts?" Eliot said, now getting into the grip of things in there. "What will happen if they do it?"

"Then the outside and the inside will no longer be connected." Benjamin said, and he looked positively worried, as did most of the present mages. "On the outside, the building will become just an empty structure, without nothing inside it. And the inside... Oh, gods..."

Everyone looked at the cheetah, before they turned their heads back to the fox, their gazes asking him to explain. Which the fox did.

"The inside of the building, with no longer a bridge to connect it to our world, will get lost in the inside of the dimension of imaginary numbers." The fox said to all of them. "In other words, this space is going to disappear from the face of the earth, along with everything that is inside of it. The stores, the golems..."

A-and also..." Dawn Bellwether said, all eyes turning to her. She stopped for a moment, and swallowed a lump on her through, before concluding:

"...us."

"There as a cataclysmic silence following these words, as everyone was able to take in the true meaning of what was just said to them.

As they all grasped what was going on, and just what it meant to every single one of them.

And the more they grasped the situation, the more it made them realize just how much trouble that meant for them.

"Great..." Bogo said, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Chapter Text

"We need to get out of here!" Someone on the crowd said, and many of them agreed. "We need to get out of here before what the bunny said would happen happens!"

"How do we get out?" Someone else asked.

"We take the route that the cops used to come in! We just go up and reach the roof! We will be outside before this place comes down!"

"What about the other hostages?" Harry Hopps said, as he looked at the bigger mammals around himself. "What will happen to them?"

"Who cares!? As long as we can get out of here it doesn't matter!"

"How can you say that!?"

"You are heartless!"

"I'm looking after myself, okay!?" The donkey said, looking around. "Any of you would do the same in my position!"

"I doubt it." Harry said in a whisper. However, it seemed that his brother, Jason, did not exactly disagreed with the donkey. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was still talking among themselves, many of them asking, demanding, actually, to be let out of the place before it collapsed and they got lost in the "dimension of imaginary numbers" or whatever it was.

"WILL ALL OF YOU BE QUIET!?" Bogo's loud bellow was able to silence everyone, as they all looked at the buffalo, who had removed his helmet and was now looking at all of them with an angry expression, while his other hoof held on the phone of the security room.

"What was that?" Someone on the phone said, "Chief, are you there? Chief?"

"Yes, Higgins, I'm here." The buffalo said, as he took the phone back to his ear and continued to talk. He was using it to speak with the outside since it seemed that this communication was not jammed, unlike their radios and all of the cellphone calls to the outside.

"So, basically they are trying to make all that is inside of the building to disappear from the face of the Earth, including you guys?" The hippo said, repassing what Bogo had just told him.

"That is correct, according to Mieczyslaw."

"And they can do it at any moment?"

"According to the ones present, doing what they are doing is a process that involves a ritual." Bogo said, "They are probably using magic circles around the floors to cause interference with what sustain this place. They will be able to activate them from a distance when they want and make all of it disappear. So, any sign that they are trying to get out of the place through the entrances?"

"Negative. There is no sign that they are trying to get out through any of the blocked exits, we have all of them under watch and they seem as blocked as they were before." The hippo said, "Maybe they know another way out? Well, I know that they will not want to do that if they are still inside, right?"

"Mieczyslaw is not so sure they would hesitate." Bogo said, as he looked at the black fox, who stood next to him. "It wouldn't be surprising that they are crazy enough to actually pull something like that with themselves still in here. If anything, they might actually use it as a last resort if we get them cornered."

"Well, in that case, you guys should probably try to get out through the helicopters." Higgins said, to which Bogo quickly responded:

"There are still dozens of hostages around the mall. Not to mention that since they caught up that we are here they have been changing their plan." The buffalo said, "It is possible that they have sent someone to the upper floors as a trap."

"Then what will you do?"

"We will try to do our best." Bogo said to him. "First of all, we need to have some information on what they are doing in the lower and upper floors, as well as in the rest of this floor."

"How will you do that? Didn't you said that Bellwether lost the visual on the cameras?"

"Yes, but luckily we still have Officer Fanghanel's wife." Bogo said, looking over his shoulder at the female thylacine, who was still with her husband among the rest of the mammals of the room. "She is using a couple of invisible ghosts to survey the place and help us understand what is going on."

There was a silence after these words.

"…Okay?"

"Well figure out what to do." Bogo said, talking to the rhino on the other end. "Meanwhile, I want you to work on some way to clear the entrances. Is Jackalson still doing what Mieczyslaw told him to do?"

"Yeah, he is still on the east side of the building working on the lateral entrance with the amulet that they gave him." The hippo said on the other end of the line. "I'm not sure how he knows it works, but he says that it does."

Bogo nodded, but he took the phone of his ear and looked at the enforcer that was by his side.

"You sure that thing you gave Jackalson will actually help?"

"Absolutely." The fox said to him.

Before they went inside, Marceli gave a runic amulet to Jackalson, and gave him instructions on how to use it. Apparently, the thing that they gave him was something that "bent and unraveled lines of magical energy", like the ones that formed the "bounded fields" as they called it. The jackal had started working on them right before they went inside, as it was confirmed by radio, and it would allow him to undo the magic protection around the doors and other entrances.

However, it would take a long time to actually unravel just a single bounded field, so they devised a plan to this.

They would clean the building from top to bottom; meanwhile, Jackalson would use the thing to remove the magical protection so the ones on the outside would be able to physically unblock the door and start doing their thing down there.

"And you are sure that the guys out there won't realize that the door is being unblocked?"

"The amulet will unravel the bounded field without breaking the physical space that it delimits." The fox confirmed to the buffalo. "They won't receive any warning and the bounded field will produce no effect while it is dismantled. It will be fine."

Bogo nodded. He was still a bit unsure of what to think about the plan that the fox devised, but it did seemed a good option. However, considering the change in situation, it could be up to debate if it was still the case...

"How long until you have the door unblocked and can come inside with reinforcements?" Bogo asked on the phone to Higgins, to which the hippo on the other end of the phone answered:

"Jackalson says that he will still take around forty minutes to finish what he is doing, and after that we will still have to unblock the door. I say that it will take around one hour for us to get it open so we can go inside the mall."

"One hour..." Bogo said, "Maybe we don't have all that time." He was speaking it more to himself, but some of the mammals who were near could hear him.

"Sorry, Chief. This is the best we can do for now." The hippo said, apologetically. Bogo sighed, and he said:

"It's okay. As soon as you can you need to have everything ready for when you go inside. There will surely be hostiles, so you need to be ready." He said to him. "The hostiles are a mix of mammals under mind control and golems, so you gotta be ready for all of them. Not to mention that it is confirmed that there is at least two mages leading the hostiles, so you gotta be ready. These mages are very dangerous, so do not try to engage with them if you meet them while going in, got it?"

"What? Chi...? did you just said enga...?"

Higgins sounded as if he was trying to say something, but his voice was coming broken and starting to get seriously distorted.

"Higgins?" Bogo said, "Higgins? Do you hear me?"

"Chi... canno... the ca… can't hear..."

That was all that Bogo was able to hear before the phone that he had to his ear went completely mute. Not a single sound. Not Higgins voice, not even the sound of static.

"Higgins? Higgins!" Bogo said, and this caused many of the mammals to look at the ZPD's Chief, as the Cape buffalo grunted.

"Great! The phone just died!"

"For real?" Emilia asked. "Maybe it just lost signal, doesn't this happens sometimes with phones?"

"Not with this one." The boar of the security said, "They told us that the phones of the security were guarantee never to fail, and that they would always be working, even in the case of a massive blackout."

"It is them." Lapinsky said, granting some of the eyes in the room to turn to the bunny in suit. "More precisely, it is Evan Canis. He is interfering with the phones."

"He can do that?" McChill asked, and Lapinsky looked at him.

"Evan Canis is considered a prodigy in Enlightened Electronics. The cameras and the phones have their own special encrypted safe systems, but someone who is skilled enough will be able to decrypt them and to hack into the system. Someone like Mr. Canis."

"Great, now not only we are without video, but we also have lost our only source of communication with the outside." Bogo said, "Great. This is just brilliant."

"What do we do now?" Someone on the group asked, and someone answered:

"We get the Hell out of here, of course!"

"What about the other hostages?"

"They are as good as dead!"

"How can you be so insensitive?"

"I'm just saying the truth! We don't know what they could have done with these guys, the phone is dead, and if we don't leave right now, we will be dead as well!"

"Will all of you just shut up!?" The loud voice of Bogo once more silenced everyone. They all looked at the buffalo.

"Will all of you please be quiet so we will be able to come up with some idea?" This seemed to be enough to cause those around him to be quiet, and some of them, like the enforcers and the rest of the rescue group, looked like they were actually thinking and trying to come up with ideas.

However, their thoughts were interrupted when someone let out a surprised exclamation. Eyes turned to see ghosts phasing through the doors, through the floor and through the ceiling, shifting in and out of the visible spectrum.

It were Chloe's specters, they had just came back of the reconnaissance mission that the thylacine had give to them.

Chloe soon was rushing to her specters, and once she was in front of them, she asked them what they had saw.

As an answer, the specters floated near her, and whispered in her ears.

The whispers were rather loud, and it was possible for those who were near to hear them. However, they were not really able to truly pick up anything from them, once it seemed that the whispers were meant only for Chloe.

"I'm still creeped out by these ghosts." Someone on the group of mammals said.

"I'm creeped out about pretty much everything right now." Someone replied, and they just looked as the thylacine got information from the specters that whispered to her.

After a while, all of the specters had already whispered to her.

She nodded, and she turned to the group.

"They have left this floor and the two floors beneath." The thylacine said to them. "But there are still small groups of golems and controlled mammals patrolling the hallways of the floors, and they even put some groups patrolling the two floors above. There are even some of them on the connections between this floor and the floors above. They are armed and ready to fight."

"In other words, they gave set traps for us in the upper floors; going back through the roof is not a good option." Bogo said, reflecting on what the thylacine had just said.

"What about the groups of hostages?" McChill asked, to which the thylacine soon answered:

"No groups of hostages in the floors below, they must have moved them into another floor." She said, "But there are still a few groups patrolling the lower floors, and they look like they are trouble. They also saw a group of mammals that don't look like they are controlled neither hostages sneaking around the floor."

"Fangmeyer, Wolfard and the other guys!" Eliot confirmed, "They haven't be caught, thank my ancestors!"

Some could agree with this, however, they had a lot of things to worry about at the moment.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Nick asked them. Causing everyone to look at him. "We cannot go back if they reinforced the security on the upper floors."

"Not to mention that they still have the hostages in their power." Marceli said, and some agreed with them.

"Help will take around one hour to arrive." Bogo said to them, and Lapinsky said:

"Time that the hostages maybe don't have."

Everyone was saying what came to their minds, as they tried to come up with a plan to be able to formulate what could be their next course of action.

"We could continue to use these guys to patrol the building." McChill said, pointing at the specters. "I mean, it worked till now."

"Yes, but it would take a very long time." Chloe said to him, "They cannot move that fast, and they can only relay information at a limited rate. It would take hours for them to survey the entire building."

"Can't you see through their eyes while they patrol the place?" Emilia said, "I mean, you can do that with familiars sometimes."

Chloe shook her head.

"I never learned how to do that. Besides, I don't think it would make us a lot of good." The female thylacine explained, "They would still have to physically search the building, and that would cost us a lot of time."

"So, it is a no go." Benjamin said, and everyone thought of what to do now.

"Besides, there is still the fact that they have that ritual ready." Marceli said, looking around. "Even if we managed to know their location inside of the mall, they would still be able to activate that ritual and cause all of us to disappear on the dimension of imaginary numbers."

"Any way we could stop them?" Judy asked, "I mean, there must be a way."

"The only way would be to destroy the magic circles." The black fox explained, "This would mean that we would have to look all around the mall until we found the circles one of the circles and destroyed enough of them to prevent the ritual from completing. You can imagine how long it would take to look on every corner of the mall."

A silence followed this, as everyone took in what they just heard and considered all of it.

"If at least we had a way of looking at the entire mall at once..." Eliot said, and the others agreed with him, but they all knew that it was not possible...

That was when someone in the room said:

"We can."

Everyone looked at the source of the voice, while Zillah Ferron stood where she was.

She had gone to near Vicky and Cameron, and talked with them very briefly. As soon as the discussion on decisions had started, she took off her glasses and just stood there, looking at everyone, but not really focusing on any of them. Vicky and Cameron both thought that this behavior was strange, and were about to ask what she was doing, when she suddenly made that affirmation.

Yes, because the way she talked really was an affirmation.

She was looking ahead as she said that, and placed her glasses back on her face.

"There is a way we can know their location on the building and the location of all of the magic circles of their ritual all at once." Zillah said, and this caused everyone to look at her. They were all expecting to hear the conclusion of her reasoning.

"He can do it." She said finally, pointing at Marceli, and this caused everyone to look at him.

"Huh?"

"Say what?"

"What does she mean?"

Marceli looked back at the ferret, with a raised eyebrow, and she merely looked back at him.

"You can use the rune tattooed on your other paw to be able to read objects and even mammals, right?" She said, and the fox flexed his paw as she spoke that.

"By using it, you can learn the secrets of mammals and objects by looking into their immediate past, right?"

"How do you know that?" The fox asked her, looking at her with mistrust all of sudden. However, his attention was broke out of her by the voices of the mammals around him.

"Wait, is it true?" Judy asked, causing the fox to look at her. "You can really do that?"

Marceli looked at her, and he then looked at his right paw, and looked at the rune that he had tattooed on it.

"You mean, you can both explode things and see the past with that paw?" McChill asked, and the fox looked at him.

"No." He said drily, and showed him his left paw. "THIS is the Hagalaz rune, which allows me to cause objects to explode." He then showed his right paw, which had another symbol tattooed on it. "This is the Mammaz rune, which represents mammals and the conscious mind."

Everyone looked at him as he explained that.

"By combining the Mammaz rune with my Origin, I'm able to access the memories stored in objects. This way I can see the past of an object. Combining it with other runes, I can go even further, as I can see what is happening in real time. This way, by touching a wall, or the floor, I can see what is happening on another floor of a building or into another room of a house. It is a process actually very similar to psychometry."

Everyone took in what the fox said, some of them were amazed.

Others...

"Are you saying that you could have used it to know what was happening in the building at any time you wanted?" McChill asked him, and he sounded a bit angry. "And you let us walk around like idiots, not knowing what we would face?"

"It has a limited usage." The fox said, "Doing this, like doing any other form of mystery, consumes magical energy. Seeing what is happening on another floor of a building or in another room would be simple, for it would be at a relatively short distance from the point I'm touching, and still, doing so consumes a great amount of magical energy. If I try to see something at a further distance, the prana consumption will increase exponentially."

He then turned to Zillah Ferron.

"That is why I cannot do what you just suggested, Ms. Ferron."

"Yes, you can!" She said incisively, surprising the fox and everyone around her. "You can use your magecraft to scan the entire building at once!"

"It is twelve floors!" The fox said to her. "And each floor has the area of ten blocks! This is much more than I would ever be capable of! If I try to read the entire mall at once, I could seriously damage my magic circuits due to the stress! That if I even survived!"

"You can do it." Zillah said to him. "I know you can."

"No, I can't." The fox insisted, looking the ferret dead in the eye. "I don't have enough magical energy."

They looked at each other for a few moments, and the ferret reached for something in her pocket, and pulled out something.

"You can use this." She said as she showed to him what it was.

It was a small pyramid-shaped crystal with an intense red coloration.

Marceli looked at it with interest, along with the rest of the mammals in that room.

Wait a minute... thought Judy, Nick and Bogo, as the crystal suddenly sparked something in their memory.

Marceli took the crystal from the ferret's paws, and examined it. After a while, his expression become serious, and he looked back at Zillah.

"Where did you got this?" He asked, and the ferret only looked back at him.

"You will be able to do it if you use this crystal." The ferret said to him. "It has enough magical energy stored in it to make it possible. I know it does."

For a long moment, they both looked at each other, and Marceli looked as if he was trying to see through that ferret.

After a while, the fox looked back at the crystal, as if he was evaluating what the ferret just said.

"Maybe..." The fox finally said, and he looked back at her. "It could actually work."

This was all that was needed (along with a little of talk) to convince the fox to try it.

Soon, Marceli Mieczyslaw was standing in the room, with the animals of the room all around him, looking as he got himself ready.

He was closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, as if he was getting mentally ready for what he was about to do.

He had removed his hood and, as he got himself ready, the others could see the magic circuits lightning up on his arms and on his head, as he charged them up with enough energy to make them glow. The same was happening to the rune inscribed on his right paw, and to the crystal that he was holding on his left one.

He looked at the circle that he had draw with the chalk that he borrowed from Dawn, looking like a circle with a triangle inside of it, with three runes, each one written in one end of the triangle.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his right paw right inside of the triangle, and he chanted:

"Ihwaz. Kenaz. Perthro. Mammaz. Mieczislaw." He said, as the circle also started to glow. The fox them opened his eyes.

"Let me see!" He said, and immediately, his body reacted as the circle worked. The crystal pyramid in his left paw glowed so bright that it was almost possible to see the glow through his paw!

The fox clenched his teeth as his magecraft worked, and allowed him to see.

It was as if his consciousness was expanding to encompass a wide area while his physical body remained right where he was. He could see every corner of the mall. He could hear every whisper that was said. He could feel and touch every stone and every object that was in there. He was everywhere and nowhere.

His body was in a single place, but his mind, his consciousness, his being, was spreading all over the mall at once.

This was an overwhelming experience, and it took its toll on him.

His claws and unconsciously unsheathed, and they were penetrating on his skin. He was clutching the crystal so hard that it was a miracle that it didn't shattered. His jaw was clenching so hard that there was a real danger of him causing a crack in some of his own teeth.

Everyone looked as he continued at this, some of them unsure of what was going to happen. Some got really worried when they saw just how tense the fox was becoming at that very moment.

However, Marceli pressed on, and he continued to see, to hear, to know.

After nearly thirty seconds, he gasped as he removed his paw from the circle, stumbling back as he tried to keep his balance. He was taking gasping breaths, and who looked at his face would see that there was blood coming from his eyes like tears.

"Mieczyslaw!"

"Uncle Marcel!"

They rushed to his side, soon they were holding the fox by the arms, as if they were trying to prevent him from falling.

However, Marceli showed that he didn't had trouble to stay up, as he soon was saying that he was okay. He wiped away the blood that leaked from his eyes, and looked around. His vision landed at Zillah Ferron.

The ferret and tod locked eyes for a moment, before they traded a single nod.

Soon, Marceli was completely recovered, and he was explaining to the others:

"They have taken all of the hostages to the bottom floor." He said, as he pointed at the holographic tridimensional blueprint that Lapinsky was now projecting. "They have gathered all of them on the central square, with half of all the remaining golems and controlled mammals around them. The mages responsible for this are there as well."

"You mean the horse and the tiger?" McChill asked.

"Along with a dog who I assume is Evan Canis, a wolf that seems to be the responsible for controlling the mammals, and also a coyote, but he seems like he doesn't really want to be here, from what I could see."

"All of them are Vipers..." Lana said, but she was seemingly ignored, as the rest of the mammals in there paid attention to the fox.

"The other half of the golems is patrolling the floors, but only the upper ones. I think they are most to hold us back so they will have more time to prepare." Marceli said, "Also, I located the magic circles that they are using."

"Well, that's good, right?"

"They are located on here on the ninth floor. On the fifth floor near the bookstore. On the third floor, near a food stand. On the seventh floor under a trashcan in front of a fashion store. And on the second floor, right in front of an elevator." As he explained, the fox pointed at specific points of the holographic blueprints, which Lapinsky was sure to mark digitally, so they could be easily track.

"So, we have to go in there and destroy all of them?" Judy asked, to which Marceli answered:

"Not all. Only three of them." He said, looking around as he explained everything to them. "Destroying three of the magic circles will be enough to interrupt the energy influx and ruin their ritual. It will completely eliminate the changes of them going forward and cutting our connection with the physical world."

"So they will not be able to send everything into oblivion." Nick concluded, and Marceli nodded.

"What about the ones who were not captured?" Ben inquired. "The small groups that managed to avoid being catch?"

"I'm not sure about them." The fox admitted, to which everyone looked at him.

"You found out where all of the circles are, but you are not sure about the poor civilians and cops that are still roaming around praying not to be captured?" McChill inquired, and his gaze to the fox was as hostile as ever.

"I just received a giant influx of information as I read the immediate past of an area superior to a hundred blocks." The tod said, looking at him, "I count myself lucky that I didn't fainted. Excuse me if I can only process part of the information that I received. However, I know that all of the five groups are still roaming on the mall, suggesting that they truly have not been captured yet."

"Wait, five?" Someone on the group asked. "When we checked on the cameras they were four."

"Well, there are five groups." The fox said to him, "Unless the amount of information I received made me confuse."

He would not say it aloud, but he was suspicious that the amount of information truly did made him confused.

One of these groups that he had just spoke about... he could've sworn that the Mage Chasers were among them...

"So, it seems that we have a pretty good idea of what awaits for us on the mall." McChill said, "What now?"

"Now we fight our way out, of course." Emilia said, and everyone looked at her. "What, that is what we are going to do, right?"

"She has a point." Bogo said, causing everyone to look at him, as he continued:

"They have put watch on the upper floors, and they now are patrolling all of the floors between us and the exits." The buffalo continued, looking around, as all of the other mammals had their eyes on him. "Right now it is our best option to fight to get out."

Everyone traded looks, as they knew that the buffalo was right.

"So, we go up and fight all of the golems on the upper floor so we can get to the helicopters, or we go down and destroy these circles so they can't make us all vanish?" Nick asked, and some had diverging opinions on this.

Some of them wanted to cut way through the two floors and reach the roof, so later they could go down and get all of the mammals that were still hostages. Others thought it could be better to do down clearing the floors and destroying the circles in the process, so maybe they would be able to reach the bottom floor in time for them to have unblocked that passage so they would be able to get out through it while the reinforcements arrived.

After a few minutes of discussion, it was decided that they would be going down.

They eventually decided that destroying the circles and taking away the biggest threat that these mages had was probably the most urgent matter, for it meant taking away the biggest threat to themselves and all of the hostages at once.

"So that is decided." Bogo said, "Some of us will stay here keeping what over the place, while others will go down and clear the floors and destroy these circles."

"Leave it to me." Emilia said, "I'm really good at destroying things." She cracked her knuckles as she said that, and Marceli only sighed.

"This is an occasion in which I have to agree." The black tod said, "My niece is really good at causing havoc and destruction."

The vixen puffed her chest at this, as if it was truly someone that she had to right to feel proud about. Some of the mammals on the room traded looks among themselves.

"We will be going as well." Judy said, "We might not be very useful for fighting the golems, but we will be able to dart the controlled mammals."

"Absolutely not!" Said Stu, surprising those who were near. Including Judy.

"No way you are going out there with all of these things outside!" Stu said, going to his daughter.

"Dad..."

"Jude, I'm sorry, but this..." The bunny said, "This is too much!"

"I agree with your father." Bonnie said, stepping forward. "Judy, this is much too dangerous for you. You should leave the mages to take care of this."

"I'm a cop!" Judy said suddenly. "It is my job to help however I can."

"Not in cases like this!" Bonnie said, "This is way above what a cop would normally do! Why do you even want to do something like that!?"

"To get all of you out of here safely!"

This last outburst was followed by a silence, as mother and daughter looked at each other's eyes. Then a meek voice broke it.

"Grandma..."

They turned around to look at Cotton. She still had the blindfold over her eyes, but it was possible to see that she was crying.

"I wanna go home..."

That was heart wrecking.

Anyone in that room could agree.

Bonnie looked at her granddaughter for a few moments, before her gaze turned back to her daughter. She saw that same determined look that she had many times saw in her eyes. The look of someone who truly didn't know when to quit.

She knew instantly that she would not be able to change Judy's mind. Now more than ever.

Sighing, she looked at her daughter.

"Take the zombies with you."

The was that she said that caught Judy off guard. The bunny blinked as she looked at her mother.

"What?"

"I surely cannot convince you not to go." Bonnie said, letting go of her daughter and walking to the same suitcase in which her shotgun was. She kneeled over it and opened it, fumbling inside.

"But, at the very least, I want you to take these zombies with you, so they can defend you." Bonnie said as she fumbled into the luggage. Some of the ones who were near were trying to peek on what was inside. However, Bonnie closed the luggage and walked back to Judy.

Once she was right in front of her daughter, she showed her what she had taken from the luggage: an amulet that had the shape of a small skull.

"What is..." Judy said, as she reached out and touched the thing with her fingers, only to recoil with a look of horror on her face.

It was a skull!

An actual mouse's skull turned into a necklace!

"This will allow you to control the zombies." The older bunny said to her daughter. She took Judy's paw and placed the amulet right into it. "Just hold it and give an order, they will obey."

Judy looked at the mouse skull that her mother just placed on her paw. She felt a sense of dread on having that grim thing with her, but the way that her mother was looking at her made her unable to question it.

Stu was on pretty much the same state, as he was a bit shocked.

Eventually, Judy just said that she would take them, and Bonnie finally relaxed. As much as a mother was able to relax knowing that their child was going to be doing something dangerous.

"Slizz and Zass can help as well." Ben said, and everyone looked at him, before they turned their heads to the two-headed snake, which was still on the room.

"You can help, right guys?" Ben asked, looking at the creature with two heads. They looked back at him.

"Of cour-sss-se we can." One of the heads said, "But..."

There was a silence, as Ben looked at the snake.

"We have been here for a while, and u-sss-sed a pretty good deal of our energy." The other head spoke. "Not to mention that we got hurt a while ago. This-sss kind of thing drain us-sss."

"You're not going to help. Is that what you are saying?" Marceli said, looking at the two snakes.

"Oh we will." The snake was quick to say. "But... we might need a little boos-sss-t."

The two heads then turned to Ben, and the cheetah looked back at them.

"You know how this-sss goes-sss, Ben." One of the heads said, before the other one spoke:

"We will need more energy to help."

Ben looked at them, and his face was one of fear, but also one of resignation.

"Oh, man..." He said, as he reached out for the bottom of his shirt, and started to remove it.

"Hey, hey! What's going on?" Eliot asked, as he saw Ben remove his shirt, standing there topless. Meanwhile, the snake was now approaching him, hissing in a strange way.

"I-it's okay." Benjamin said looking around. "We have done it before. It is no big deal."

Ben said that, but by the tone on his voice, it was clear that "it" was not something pleasing. Also, the expression that he had on his face.

"J-just... don't freak out, okay?" He said, and looked at the snake that now stood in front of him.

Looking at them, Ben closed his eyes and stretched his arms to his sides.

Before anyone had the chance to react, the snake opened both of its mouths, lunged forward, and sank its two pairs of fangs on Clawhauser's shoulders.

"BEN!" Bogo exclaimed with a booming voice in shock, as he instinctively pointed his gun at the snake that now was biting on the cheetah.

He was not the only one who reacted to it, as everyone in the room immediately gasped, stepped back, called by the cheetah's name, or even shrieked in terror.

"IT'S OKAY!" Ben let out a squeal, as everyone around him went silent on these words.

"I-It's okay!" Ben squealed once more, while everyone else looked in terror. "I-I'm fine!"

"You are being bitten by a giant snake!" Eliot said, he was one of the ones that was freaking out the most. "I woudn't be calling that okay!"

"It's okay!" Ben insisted, as his voice was going in a high pitch. "T-they are just... f-feeding..."

"Feeding!?" Bogo said in a near bellow, his gun still ready and pointed at the snake, his finger on the trigger and ready to pull at the smallest thing. How he still didn't fired was beyond his own understanding.

"So, it is one of these familiars, huh?" Marceli said. He too was surprised, along with everyone else, but he was able to keep control much better.

"W-what?" Judy said, "What kind? What are you talking about? That snake is biting Benjamin! Oh, by Frith! He could die from the poison!"

"The snake is not poisoning him." Marceli said, and looked around, at everyone who was looking at the scene. "It is feeding on his life."

"Say what now?" Nick said, he too was freaking out, and he was not as good as hiding it as Marceli. Soon, the black tod was explaining:

"Familiars are not like most of the living creatures." He says, looking at the bunny. "They are intrinsically tied to the will and the spirit of a mage. In some cases, this connection can allow for a mage to see and hear through the familiar, as a form of surveillance, but not everybody does it."

"In nearly all of the cases, it means that the familiar will no longer be a living being in the traditional sense." Zillah said, walking forward, and catching some attention as she explained. "Due to their connection, a familiar will be able to survive on the life force that the mage supplies it with."

She looked at the scene that developed in that very room, along with everyone else. Benjamin now was holding the creature with both arms, but it didn't looked like he was trying to get it to let him go. His squeals of pain now have turned into a sound that was closer to a mewl of a kitten.

"Of course, familiars can obtain energy from feeding, like most creatures do." Zillah continued to explain, "But they mostly obtain energy from their mage master. This is particularly truth on the case of summoned familiars, like that snake. In return for their presence in the physical world, they feed on the life force of the mage who summoned them."

Ben mewled loudly, as the snake wrapped around his waist with its slender body and squeezed, as if it was trying to squeeze more life out of him.

Everyone in there looked in shock, as Ben did nothing to try to fight and just let the snake have its fill.

One of the heads let go, and left behind the bite marks made by the fangs, which leaked lines of blood. Looking at it, the head licked the wounds softly with its forked tongue. The wounds let out steam as they closed.

"Benjamin..." The head said, nuzzling at Ben's cheek, while the other head continued to suck. "You are sss-so good to us-sss... sss-so sss-sweet."

Ben said nothing in return, but let out another, tired mewl.

After a few more seconds, the other head let go, and the snake unwrapped itself from Ben's body.

The cheetah stumbled backwards.

Immediately, some mammals went on his help, holding him as if to keep him from falling. The cheetah was panting as if he had just ran a marathon, and he was worryingly pale.

The snake, however, barely minded it, or the many looks that the mammals in the room were giving it. Instead, it simply turned to the mammals that it knew that were going on that little mission, whom they were supposed to go with.

"Sss-so, lets-sss go?" The snake asked, both of its heads looking at the small group.

In no time, the group was moving, after making sure that Ben was okay, and after the last warnings of Bonnie about how to control the zombies, how they would answer to simple orders like "attack" and "stop", and that they could "become hard to control" at times.

Judy was very squeamish about the entire zombie thing.

She barely was able to command the things on her first try, and only on the third attempt, the zombies actually obeyed her order to "follow".

Now there they were, two small cops, a vixen, a giant two-headed snake and three zombies.

There were other officers coming after them, of course, like McHorn, armed with his big rifle.

Meerkovitz was still out there, and he had his rifle ready to use as he surveilled the path that the group was taking. He was still a bit freaked about the presence of the strange creatures within the group, though.

The others had remained in the room, to guard it against possible attacks. They agreed to keep contact through the radio.

So, the group was moving forward, with the three smaller mammals on the lead, with the snake and the zombies following close behind.

They passed by the hallways of the mall, which they found to be empty until now. With Nick, Judy and Emilia on the front acting as scouts, they did not found a single enemy on their path.

"Maybe they think we claimed this floor as our territory?" Nick suggested, and they continued to move forward. Soon, they arrived in an escalator, and they used it to reach the next floor.

It was easy, for it seemed that they have given up keeping watch over the stairs. This made them wonder if they had also given up watching the other means of access.

"It seems that they have." Meerkovitz confirmed to the group. "They are no longer in front of the elevators or of the other stairs and the zip lines and the rest. I guess they have truly abandoned the other floors, save for the patrolling groups. By the way, there is one going in your direction right now."

The said group was formed by seven controlled mammals and one golem. They were taken care of rather easily, with Emilia doing practically all of the work. She broke the golem with her fists and with her feet, showing that she was incredibly powerful in close combat. The other mammals couldn't help but feel admired with the skill that she showed.

The controlled mammals also were absolutely no problem, for with her dagger and her rune-induced flames, she was able to break the spell that kept them acting like that, making them be free from influence and acting as if they just woke up from a dream.

Of course, the two cops also helped, as they were able to dart a few of them that the vixen had missed. However, it seemed that the vixen was doing most of the job for the two, while Nick and Judy only followed.

"This actually makes me feel kind of useless." Nick would say to Judy as they saw the vixen doing all of the work.

As the mammals were freed from control or darted, they would gesture to the ones coming right behind them to follow. The bigger mammals would then gather the mammals and carry the unconscious ones, as they got ready to lead them to another floor, to join the rest of the ones who were on the security room. Or at least leave them in a floor where they could be better protected, once it truly seemed that the tenth floor, where they were, had been completely abandoned.

"You guys sure you will do okay?" Delgato would ask to the two smaller cops, and Nick would, of course, be the one to answer.

"Relax, dude." The fox would say, "We have a pugilist mage, a two-headed snake and a trio of undead. We will be fine."

This seemed to be enough for the lion, as he and the others did the job of guiding the mammals back.

Truth to be told, some of them were actually glad to open some distance from the giant snake and from the zombies, once they were still quite freaked out about that.

The snake and the zombies continued to follow obediently, and they would occasionally help. As the snake was able to let out sprays of acid and an explosive cloud to destroy the golems. The zombies also were no small game, as they were strong enough to tear apart golems on command, as they had demonstrated a few times since they arrived on that floor.

"Kind of makes you glad that they are on our side, huh?" Nick would say to Judy, and the rabbit would say nothing on return.

Nick was sure glad for having the things on their side, for they were able to save him from some close calls. They meet a few groups patrolling that floor, and in them, a few golems seemed to specifically target Nick. Some of them came very close of actually managing to cause some serious damage to the fox if the others had not saved his tail.

It is like these guys actually have a problem with me... Nick would think to himself, and wonder if this was actually farfetched...

The goal was to reach the point where the magic circle was and destroy it, it was straightforward, that much was for sure. However, it didn't changed the fact that unpredicted things would happen on their way to get there. Like finding one of the groups that was sneaking around the floor.

Wolfard was on the lead of the group, and he was greet by the sight of Emilia going on the lead of the group. Soon after came Nick and Judy, and the wolf was glad to see them, although he almost lost it when he saw the giant snake and the zombies, but he was calmed down.

The rest of the small group was also a bit freaked by the sight of the entities that were following the group. However, they relaxed as soon as they heard the entire story (or most of it) and now knew that they were there to rescue everyone on the mall.

However, the other ones were still guiding the mammals of the previous group, who had been freed from the mental interference, to the upper floor. They would have to wait for them to come back, and this could take too long, and they just didn't had time.

"You will have to take them up there." Judy said to the snake, who looked back at them. "You have to take them to the upper floor safely." She said, and the snake looked back at her with it's two pairs of eyes.

"You are not our boss-sssssss" The snake said to her, and Judy looked like she was ready to have a discussion with the huge animal that could probably swallow her whole if it actually wanted.

However, she simply looked at him, and she said.

"Take them to safety, please." She asked, and the snake looked back at her for a few moments, before its two heads traded a look among themselves.

They ended up accepting to attend to the request of the bunny, and they were guiding the group to the upper floor by the closest access. The mammals agreed to go with the snake, despite some of them still being a bit edgy for being close to a predator that could feed on mammals, as well as being venomous.

"Ju-sss-st don't get your-sss-self killed." One of the heads said before they departed with the group. "Ben wouldn't stop whining if you died."

They watched as the group departed, and Nick said:

"What a charming mutant snake, isn't it?"

With this, the group now formed by three mammals and three zombies continued their way, with Emilia still on the lead, and ready for anything.

"We are passing by a Catsco store." Judy said on the radio, "Near one of the bridges."

"Good, you are close." The voice came through the radio. "Keep going for another fifteen hundred feet and then turn right, you will find it on a corner, printed on the wall of one of the pillars."

"Roger." Judy said, as she and Nick continued their way, with the zombies right behind them.

Suddenly, the group stopped as Emilia gestured for them to stop, and they looked over to see what she had just saw.

Three golems stood around thirty feet ahead of them. They were truly difficult to miss, for they were bulky, shaped like rhinos, and they were as big as elephants.

"Okay, now these ones are big." Nick said, and he was actually a bit worried by how big and strong these ones looked. Emilia, however, was not impressed in the slightest, as she only smiled at them and cracked her knuckles.

"The bigger they are, the louder they cry for their mamas." The vixen said, "Just leave it to me."

The vixen then charged forward, leaving the cops and the zombies behind as she went head on to the golems.

"Hej, lisice!" The vixen cried out as she ran on their direction, and the golems turned to look in time to see the vixen running in their direction. The fox then jumped over, her fist ready as she brought it directly in the horn of the closest golem.

The impact had been substantial, and it managed to produce a crack in the horn of the huge golem. However, it did not broke the thing off as Emilia had expected when she threw that punch.

The vixen was quick to react, as she swung her leg and hit the side of the head of the golem. This kick caused the golem to turn its head, and produced some cracks along the jaw, but it once more failed to have the damage that Emilia had hoped for it.

They are not only bigger than the other golems! Emilia thought, as she saw just how little damage she had actually made. They are also thougher!

As she looked at the golem she had just attacked, she almost failed to notice the other two golems that were coming on her way, and one of them swung a huge fist in her direction, to which the vixen had to twist her body to avoid a direct hit. Still, the fist impacted the side of her body, sending her down spiraling into the ground.

"Oh, carp!" Nick said as he and Judy both saw the vixen being hit and sent to the ground. She was, however, soon getting up.

Okay... that hurt. The vixen thought as she got up, and she was just in time to see another golem now trying to step on her. She was quick to dive out of the way, and she clenched her fists as she passed magical energy into them, using both them and the runes to make them even harder, and intent into bringing these golems down.

She would dodge the blows that came from their big limbs, and she would answer with her own punches and kicks. They managed to do some damage, but only limiting to producing cracks on the entities. They didn't made the damage that she wanted. Not only that, but punching such a hard thing was starting to cause her fists to hurt, even though they were hardened!

Emilia was starting to pant from the effort, and this time she failed to register the leg coming in her direction on a kick. She realized it just in time to place both arms, hardened by rune and magical energy, to defend herself.

This was probably what saved her life, but it didn't stopped her from being tossed back against a pillar by the force of the blow, colliding violently with it and falling to the ground.

Nick and Judy panicked, as for a moment, they thought that the vixen had actually died. However, they saw her stir and move a bit, but it looked that the impact had succeeded in knocking her out.

"Oh, my gods!" Judy said, looking as the golems walked to her. "Nick, we have to do something!"

However, Nick knew that there was not much that they could do.

The golems showed that they were strong enough to handle the vixen, who was far stronger than they were, and they almost made it look easy. That meant that the two cops would not stand a chance.

But the fox also knew that they needed to do something. They just needed a plan.

Okay, they had three golems that were under Judy's control, there had to be a way that they could use it to their advantage.

Nick looked around, looking what there was around them and what they could possibly use for their advantage.

Then, a plan formed on his head, and he wasted no time in communicating it to his partner.

Meanwhile, one of the golems poked the fallen vixen with a huge stony finger, before it picked her up and holstered as if she was a doll. It rose another hand, and it looked to be about to do something to the vixen, when:

"Hey!" A voice suddenly came, and the golems slowly turned their heads to look. Their lenses-eyes caught sight of a fox at a distance from them, looking back at them and waving his arms wildly, as if he was purposely trying to catch their attention.

"Hey! Heeeeeeey! Here! Right here, boulder-heads!" The fox screamed at the stone creatures.

This succeeded in calling their attention, as the golems, one of them still holding the unconscious Emilia by the leg, started to walk in the direction of the fox. And they were rather fast.

Nick wasted no time in turning around and sprinting, and this caused the golems now to actually run in his direction.

That's it. All of you follow the fox. Nick thought as he went forward, the golems hot on his heels, as they were surprisingly fast for creatures that big.

Nick passed by a few stores, and turned on his right, in direction to one of the bridges that connected the sidewalks. As they went in, Judy was watching from a corner, in a part that the passing golems didn't looked as they turned and walked into the bridge after the fox. The bunny had an intense look on her face as she held the mouse-skull amulet in her paw, any queasy feeling of holding the piece of a dead mammal forgotten, as she focused on the plan.

Once on the bridge, Nick turned around and looked at the golems, which now were closing in at him.

"So, dudes." He said, looking at all of them. "Any chances that you guys have a particular thing against foxes?"

One of the golems, the one that had Emilia on it's stony hand, walked over to Nick, raising its other hand and getting ready to crush the fox. However, it didn't had the chance, for at that same moment, three zombies jumped on it from behind.

A wolf and a tiger clung to its arms, while a trunk of an undead elephant grabbed it by the neck from behind.

This caused the golem to lose its balance, and to immediately drop the vixen that it was holding.

Nick wasted no time, as he dashed forward and picked the falling vixen on his arms, like a hero from a movie, while she as still unconscious and as she was on his arms.

Man, always wanted to be on a situation like this. Another item to cross from my bucket list.

The next thing Nick did was to run, as he managed to get past one of the golems by running between their legs and in direction to Judy, who was waiting in the entrance of the bridge, holding the amulet that she used to command the zombies to attack.

Meanwhile the zombies had somehow managed to overwhelm the big golem, as they combined strength was enough to rip out the arm of the creature, making it come lose like an arm breaking off from a doll or a mannequin. Next, they charged at the golem once more, and this time they managed to, with a little of effort, rip out the head.

The lenses of the golem glowed and flickered before they went off, the body going completely limp.

However, this was not a victory in the traditional sense, once there were still two golems to go, and they were quick to attack.

They punched the zombies hard, making their bones break under the powerful impact and propelling them back, as they feel to the ground.

However, these creatures were already dead. So broken bones and internal damage meant little to them. They simply got up and continued following the order to attack. The tiger roared and the elephant trumpeted as they charged at to golems once more.

However, it seemed that this wouldn't be so easy.

The golems were much more resilient than the zombies. They had managed to take down one, but only because the three overwhelmed it as they caught it on surprise, and now they were facing two in a direct combat.

The elephant zombie was now trading punched with one golem. His own punched seemed to do little, while the punches of the golem produced some damage, as skin and bone broke with disturbing sounds, which the zombie seemed to completely ignore.

Meanwhile, the wolf and tiger undead were now facing another one. They were each one trying to attack the golem by grabbing and biting at it and pulling at the limbs, as if they were trying to rip them off. However, the golem was a lot stronger than they were, and it was able to overwhelm them as it tossed the wolf aside like a doll and managed to throw the tiger on the ground, right before it rose a stone foot right over the head of the zombie.

Judy saw this, and she instinctively looked away. However, he sensitive ears still were able to pick up the sound of the head being crunch and squashed by the stone foot. The sound alone was enough to make her feel very queasy. The bunny knew, if any of the zombie stories had any truth, that the zombie would not be getting up again.

As the golem had taken down the tiger, the wolf had advanced to it, and it managed to grab on the arm of the golem and climb to the head, where it climbed at the golem's face.

The stone entity, suddenly having something blocking its vision, started to shake its head, and soon, it was charging blindly as it shook its head.

"Nick! Look out!" Judy said, as she saw the stone creature charging at their direction blindly. That was when the golem tripped and rolled in their direction.

Nick heard the noise and turned his head to see the big mass of stone coming in his direction, like the giant stone ball from Indiana Bones. Nick immediately ducked as he held the vixen close to himself, and he heard a sickening sound.

As he was recovering, he looked at the place where Judy was, and saw that the golem had rolled right over that point.

The purest horror spread over his chest as he looked.

"JUDY!" He cried out, dropping the vixen and running on the spot that his partner had once been.

The wolf zombie was there, grunting as it tried to move, but both of its legs had been broken as the golem fell over it. However, there was no sign of Judy in there.

"NICK!"

Judy's voice made him look up, and what he saw nearly made him have a heart failure.

She was fine and in one piece, but she had somehow got stuck in the rhino's horn!

She was holding with all of her four limbs, while the golem, now on all fours, shook its head like a savage mammal, as if he was trying to shake the bunny off its horn.

Crap! Crap, crap, crap! What do I do!? What do I do!?

That was one of these rare moments in which Nick lost his composure, and he looked around, looking for some way to help Judy. That was when he saw the amulet that controlled the zombies on the ground. The bunny probably dropped when the golem passed by her and she saw herself forced to hold on its horn.

Nick was barely even thinking, he just went for the amulet and grabbed it in his paw.

He looked at the wolf. The thing could hardly even stand with these broken legs.

He turned his looked at the elephant, who had managed to make one of the golems fall, and was now trying to break it, but with no success.

"Hey, you!" Nick said, shaking the amulet. "Stop that and come here!"

The elephant completely ignored him, as it continued to attack the golem.

Nick cursed under his breath and looked back at the golem to which Judy was holding. It was shaking its head violently, and at any moment the bunny could not be able to holds and be tossed like a ragdoll. Worse, the golem could start charging at things and literally squash her between the rock and a hard place. Worse yet, the golem could actually stand and use its hands to remove her and squish her.

With these thoughts, Nick turned to the elephant zombie, held the amulet high, and order:

"Stop!"

Immediately, the elephant stopped, turning and looking in direction to the fox.

"Come here!" The fox commanded again, and the golem was now coming in his direction.

How did I do that!? Nick thought as the zombie came obediently by his side, like a trained iguana. It stood by his side, and Nick was about to order it to tackle the golem. However, he detained himself as soon as he realized that doing that would put the bunny in even more danger, as she would be between two wrestling big bodies, what would only increase her chances of getting squashed.

The fox desperately put himself to think. That was when he looked at the two zombies that were still left, and had a really stupid idea.

"Judy!" Nick said, crying at the bunny.

"What!?" The bunny cried out, as the golem was still shaking its head to shake her off.

"I'll try something!" The fox said, and he said:

"If... When we get out of here, we will mark another movie night! This time I'll really let you pick the movie!"

"What!?"

"You will get to pick the movie!" Nick said to her. "And whatever it is, I'll watch it with you! No matter if it is a police mystery or a cheesy romantic comedy! Okay!?"

"Nick!"

"Okay!?"

"Okay!" The bunny finally said, still holding with all of her strength to the golem. "Deal! No turning back on your word this time!"

"Right!" Nick said, and he walked over the dead wolf, grabbing on its shirt thigh, and turning to the elephant.

"Grab!" The fox ordered, and the elephant's trunk touched and flailed around, until it managed to wrap around the wolf.

Judy was looking, and she noticed that the golem was getting up. Probably getting ready to remove her. She then looked in direction to Nick, to see an undead elephant raising an undead wolf, and Nick was clung on it.

For a moment, she wondered what she was doing, when an idea came in her head.

No. He wouldn't do anything so stupid...

However, Nick confirmed that he would do it, once he gave another order at the elephant.

"Toss!"

"NICK!" Judy cried in horror, as she saw the elephant get ready to toss both the zombie wolf and the fox that was willingly clinging to it.

"YOU DUMB FOX!"

Just as the golem was reaching out with its hand to grab the bunny, the elephant zombie flung the other zombie and the fox in its direction.

The wolf collided with the side of its head, throwing the golem slightly off balance.

Nick used this chance to reach for Judy, yanking her out of the horn and jumping with her out of the golem. They rolled on the ground for a few feet, while the golem was stumbling around, trying to get the wolf off, but the undead canine was holding on with claws and teeth.

Looking at them, Nick then looked at the elephant, and rose his hand with the amulet.

"Chaaaaarge!" Nick commanded, to which the elephant soon obeyed, as it turned to the struggling golem, and trumpeted as it charged in its direction.

The collision was so strong that it caused both smaller mammals to flinch, as the elephant managed to ram the golem so hard that they both flew off the bridge.

As the golem and the two zombies fell of the bridge, the two mammals were panting heavily.

Even when they heard the sound of the three hitting the ground far below, none of them said a word. Maybe they were both too shocked that the plan of the fox had actually worked.

They looked at each other for a few moments, and it looked like they were trying to find the right words to say.

However, a booming sound broke them out and make them look to realize one thing:

They had forgotten that there were three golems!

And the third one was now coming at their direction!

The fox and bunny had to immediately part to avoid being crush by the giant stone entity, however, they both were left dazed by what just happened.

Nick was the more dazed of the two, as he tried to get up, only for something to grab on him and press him against the ground, making so much pressure that a little more and his ribs could break.

Judy looked in horror as the last golem was now pinning Nick to the ground. The worst part was knowing that she probably could do nothing about it, considering that they ran out of zombies and that none of her weapons would be good enough to bring that big thing down.

"Finally..." The golem said, with a voice that somehow felt familiar to both bunny and fox. "After so long, I finally have you where I want you. This is for all that you did to me, you little ball of fur." The golem said, and it was raising its hand, ready to slam it down on the fox.

"NICK!" Judy cried out on horror, while Nick turned his head and close his eyes shut, waiting for the end to come.

However, the end didn't came.

At that moment, two birds made of fire fly through the air and hit the golem, causing it to stumble back and let go of Nick.

The fox and bunny both blink in surprise, and they look over, to see the source of the attack.

They both are surprised. Especially Nick.

"Mom?!" The tod cried, as he saw his mother walking forward with an intense gaze in her eyes. By her sides were coming two dancers in suits, both of them looking as serious as she was. In her paw, she was holding what seemed to be a flashcard stack.

Opening the stack and flipping through the flashcards in there, she stopped at one and took it to her mouth. She bit on it and ripped it out of the stack, holding it in her mouth, before she blew it out.

The paper flashcard floated on the air and then it dove down, disappearing in the ground and producing a rippling effect on it, like a pebble falling on water. Immediately after, the ground rose and moved forward, like a wave.

Such wave collided with the golem, which was still recovering, producing a loud booming sound as the wave shrunk back into the ground and the golem stumbled back from the hit.

Immediately, one of the tigers by her side put his paws together, and focused his energy between them.

"Combust." He said, and then he put both of his paws forward. The energy that accumulate between them projected forward like a directed beam of pure heat. Not really visible, but causing a distortion of the air as it flew through the air in direction to the golem. It hit right in the shoulder of the stone creature, and the super-heating of the area in a single instant caused a combustion, resulting in the shoulder exploding, causing the arm of the golem to fall to the ground as pieces of the shoulder flew everywhere.

Meanwhile, the other tiger was already rushing forward, and as he rushed, something happened to the air around him, as it seemed that dust was gathering around his body and compacting together to form something. By the time he arrived at the golem, he was covered in plates of rock that looked like an armor.

He collided with the golem hard enough to push it back. Then them, before the golem had time to react, he grabbed the remaining arm of the golem and applied a judo-like movement, tossing the golem so hard that he broke the handrail on the bridge and fell.

The sound of the golem hitting the ground below was heard, a group that was coming behind the three mages walked forward.

"Got that, Patrick?" Sully asked to the hyena, who simply nodded. He was still wondering why the pig was so keen on catching everything, they pretty much got a lot of images in their travel from the first floor to there...

Meanwhile, the others were still in silence, as Tyrone checked on the unconscious Emilia, who was slowly coming to herself. Tyler looked at the two cops, while Sophie Wilde walked forward, and her gaze was on her son.

Nick was on shock as he looked at his own mother, who looked at him with the worried gaze that was so common for mothers to have.

"Nicky... we need to talk."

Chapter Text

"So, here we stand now, waiting for a way out of here." Mark Bisson said to the camera, while his camera mammal pointed it at him. It was recording him as he spoke. "We can only ask ourselves if we will be able to get out of here. We know that Zootopia's finest will be doing their best to save the lives of the poor mammals all trapped into this death trap created by mages and by their sci-fi counterparts."

"Now, we may ask ourselves which one of them holds the greater blame. The mages, who devised a ritual to be able to shut off an area like that, causing all innocent mammals on it to disappear? Or would it be the Technocrats, who were the ones who created something like that when they had knowledge that this could be turned into a death trap? Well, that is seriously up for discussion. Maybe the blame can be put on both of them, for misusing the gifts that they have been bestowed and not being enough responsible in dealing with them."

"Hey!" Lana said, looking over at the bison, who was not really bothering on being discreet on what he was saying to his camera. "Do you really have to do this?"

"And even though some try to silence the media from letting others know the truth." The bison said, ignoring the ewe who just spoke, but clearly speaking towards her as he said these words. "We still do our best to give information to everyone who wants to hear it. We still dare to ask the questions that need to be ask in situations like that. For instance, did something like this could be prevent with more responsibility from the Technocracy? Do mages do such things out of anger and spite for mammals in general? And, of course, could some mammal who is directly responsible for this event be present right here, in this same room? Maybe a mammal who was supposed to be taken to face mage justice today?"

As he spoke that, Dawn Bellwether flinched. Krystin and Lana were by her sides, and the other ewe, in particular, was pulling her younger sister closer to herself, while many of the mammals around shot angry looks at the ewe. It seemed that some of them agreed with what Bisson had just said, or at least disliked the ewe enough to give her angry glares.

Dawn shied away from these glares; scooting herself even closer to Lana, and Krys was with his paw on her shoulder. He was silently comforting her, while Lana looked around, returning the glares that the other mammals were giving, as if she was silently saying "just say something about my sister if you have the guts, I dare you".

Her glares were something strong enough to force other mammals to look away. However, it seemed that some of them still had their opinion firm on the ewe. Dawn still could feel their glares at her, and she scooted even closer to her sister as she felt all of these glares on herself.

"These are questions that need to be asked, and that need to be answered." Bisson continued, focusing only on his camera and nothing more. "Even though mages insist in keeping secrets and not giving any kind of answer. This might even lead us to question if they actually want anything answered at all, or if they still prefer to leave us all in the dark, as they had been doing in the past centuries while they controlled all of the secrets of the world."

"Do you actually have to do this?" This time Vicky was the one who spoke. She was near the bison as he continued to look at his camera. "Ain't the situation difficult enough as it is? Don't you see that we all are in a lot of trouble now, and what you are doing doesn't help at all?"

The bison groaned and made a gesture to his camera mammal, as if telling him that they would be stopping. With this, he turned to the vixen, and said:

"Excuse me for being a dedicated reporter. As everyone thought that you were." He said to Vicky, and she only glared back at him.

"This is clearly a story, and it needs to be covered." Bisson said, gesturing at the room full of mammals.

"It is also a delicate situation, with a lot of mammals on their toes." Vicky said to him. "It is not the time to try to create some kind of sensational story."

"Well, what is happening is rather sensational by itself, don't you think?" Bisson asked the vixen, and his tone was clearly condescending. "It is the job of a reporter to go after stories and let others know, no matter the difficulty that we face. A good reporter does not stands down only because of feeling pressured by the situation."

"This is not about feeling pressured." Vicky shot back, "It is about having good sense to be able to tell when it is not a good time. It is having respect for the situation and for the ones involved in it, and not going over it like a thirsty bird going for water. Besides, I'm not like you, who blow everything out of proportion and makes personal commentaries and raises questions that no one would ask all so you can have more ratings."

"Yeah, whatever you say." The bison said, as he turned around. "As long as you can make a good excuse, you can justify nearly anything. I guess that in the end, Victoria Vulpen might not be as much of a good reporter as everyone thought."

"Oh yeah!?" Cameron said; he had been listening in silence up until now. "So juts you watch this!" He said, getting his own camera ready, and pointing it at the vixen, who now looked back at him.

"Okay, Vicky, look at the camera and show this guy how it's done!" The dog said to the vixen.

Vicky looked at her beagle camera mammal for a few moments, before she sighed.

"Cameron, please, give it a rest." She said; placing a paw in the camera and making the beagle put it down.

She was not in the mood for that.

She didn't cared what Bisson or any other said. She didn't care if they all were "chasing a story" while she just stood in there and did nothing. She didn't care if they thought less of her because she was not "acting like a good reporter" or anything.

Vicky knew when it was not the moment to go chasing a story at any cost.

She was a very skilled and dedicated reporter, but she also was a mammal of standards. She was not someone who would try to have some gain by going for a tragedy and turning it into a sensational crap without any regard for the feelings of the other mammals. She was not one to trample others on her path only for the shake of having more mammals watching her reportages. She was not one to put a good story above everything else, including the lives of others.

Victoria Vulpen was not a vulture.

And she had no intention of becoming one.

Bisson turned back to his camera, and he was about to resume his reportage that he planned to show once he was out, to show how he survived. However, he was prevent from doing so by the voice of Bogo, who spoke to him:

"Bisson, I swear that if you continue with this monologue I'll make you swallow that camera."

"Excuse me, Chief Bogo." The bison said, turning to him. "Now is it the ZPD that is trying to prevent the media of covering the stories?"

Bisson was a determined reporter, and he was not the kind who got intimidated easily, especially when he was covering a story. However, even he was made to shy away by the glare that Bogo had gave him.

Many of the officers of Precinct 1 already knew that glare, and they knew that when you received one of these you knew instantly that it was a better idea not to provoke.

Many mammals knew that Cape buffalos were not the type of mammals you should mess with, once they could be better know as "The Black Death".

Bogo was not the type that would foolishly look this way at someone who was not his subordinate. However, as of right now he was definitely not in the mood for crap from anyone, including some cheap reporter like Bisson.

They were all stuck into a building that could be made to disappear, surrounded by hostiles, with many more mammals on the mall being kept as hostages. They were doing their best to work on a way to get out of there, risking their own lives in the process. Two of his top officers were out there putting themselves on the line.

The last thing he wanted or needed right now was to hear the voice of Mark Bisson, who was more of an agitator than an actual reporter.

"Hopps, Wilde. Can you two report?" Bogo tried once more, hoping that he would be able to hear a possible answer from them through his radio, now that the bison had finally shut his mouth.

However, there was no answer. Only silence.

"Hopps, Wilde, do you copy?" He asked once more.

These two were taking way too long to answer, and Bogo, although he would not admit it, was starting to get worried.

"Yes, Chief. We copy." Hopps' voice came from the radio, and Bogo almost didn't realized that he had been holding his breath waiting for the answer.

"Took you a while to answer." The buffalo said, now on his normal impatient tone. "You two too busy sight-seeing?"

"Sorry, sir. Is that we had some setbacks on the way. Some unexpected things happened. We found a dangerous group of hostiles. They managed to knock Emilia out, and Nick and I had to deal with them." Hopps said on the other end, to which the buffalo heard.

"Are you all okay?" He said. After all, they were his officers; he too could actually be a bit worried about them, right?

"Yes, sir. We are fine." Hopps' voice once more came as an answer. "We were not harmed. But, we did lost the zombies."

Bogo nodded. Well, at least there was no living loses.

"Is the Mieczyslaw girl okay?" Bogo asked, and this caused Marceli to look up at him.

"She is fine. They knocked her out but she is okay now."

"She is fine." Bogo said at the fox, who sighed in relief. Still, Marceli was surely going to give her an earful later on.

"So, you two actually dealt with the hostiles all by yourself?" Bogo asked.

"Actually, we used the zombies." Hopps admitted. "Also, we had some help."

"From Clawhauser's snake?"

"Not really." She said, "We found Fangmeyer and Wolfard's group and we needed to send the snake to scout them up. We were actually saved by someone else who came into the mall... actually; five of them are probably going your way right now."

Bogo had a raised eyebrow as he heard that, and he was about to inquire more about the matter, however, he was interrupted when the door of the security room opened. One of the officers that was keeping guard outside spoke to the chief, saying that there were some in there who were demanding to go inside.

It were two tigers, which were familiar to some.

"Tyler!?" Tyson said as he looked at his brothers. "Tyrone!?"

"Dudes!" one of the newcomer tigers said, and soon the two were rushing, and they were reunite with their brothers and with Gazelle. The popstar was surprised for seeing the two inside of the building, but she was glad for seeing more familiar faces. They too were happy for seeing her and their brothers.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tyrell asked to his two brothers.

"What else? We came to save you guys!" Tyler said, looking at everyone.

"We are so glad to see you three are okay!" Tyrone said, and he was truly honest as he spoke that. He truly was glad to see all of them okay, although Gazelle looked a bit shaken after all that has happened.

"How did you got inside?" McChill soon was asking, looking at the two newcomer tigers. "The doors are still blocked, and you can't have come through the roof or the windows."

"We arrived through the sewer." Tyler said, looking at him, and this granted some looks from the nearby mammals.

"Well, that explains the smell." Eliot said to his wife.

"The hyena boy knew a passage through the sewers." Tyler added, gesturing to behind himself, where a group of teenagers was already coming in. The hyena, who was holding a camera, waved a bit as the polar bear looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Some of the ones in the room recognized the boys quickly. They were the Mage Chasers.

"Hey, ain't it these boys who got in all kinds of trouble trying to find mages?"

"Yeah, it's them! My nephew showed me a video of them on ZooTube. Darn, the problems they get into are hilarious."

Many were saying how funny it was the problems the teenagers get into, and some of them were actually laughing.

"It's not funny!" Sully said, but they only continued to laugh to themselves, while only made the pig a bit angrier.

"Well, at least we already have some type of fame, right?" Shawn said, and Sully soon was turning to him.

"The wrong type of fame!" Sully said to him. "That is why it is so important that we get this video! Man, we should have stayed with the other ones! There is an enforcer with them."

"There is one here as well." Someone in the room said, pointing at Marceli. The black fox only looked back at the teenagers with a raised eyebrow, and he too wanted to ask what they were doing in there. However, the answer was so obvious that the black tod knew that it was not even worth asking.

"Yeah, but this place is all peaceful and quiet. You all are basically just hiding while the other group solves everything." Sully said, looking around. "The other guys are actually going straight into action. You guys are all in here like a bunch of wusses."

Many of the mammals in there were now looking at Sully, some of them even shared looks among themselves, while others had looks that were clearly hostile. This didn't went unnoticed by the other two teenagers.

"Sorry, he has problems." Patrick said, putting a paw on Sully's shoulder, while Shawn was now hiding behind them, as if he was afraid of the rest of the mammals in that room. The mages in particular.

"So, it were you who helped Hopps and Wilde?" Bogo asked, looking at the newcomers.

"Yeah, we sure were." Tyler said, and soon, Tyrone was talking.

"Your officers and the enforcer looked fine, so we asked them where we could find Gazelle and our brothers. They were kind enough to give us directions." The tiger said, as he looked at the mammals whom he mentioned. "We didn't wanted to leave them alone, so one of us stayed with them to help, while we brought the teenagers here, to keep them safe."

"We don't need to be safe!" Sully immediately said in answer. "We need to keep eye on the action!"

The other two didn't really agreed with him.

"What do you mean 'we don't need to be safe'?" Shawn asked, and Patrick also had something to say:

"Sully, are you even listening what you say right now, or there is a buzzing going on your ears?"

The teenagers were showing that they surely were some figures; however, there were far more pressing matters than that on the current situation.

"So, think they won't have any more problems?" Bogo asked, and Tyrone looked at him as he answered.

"Like the one that they just had, I don't think so. Even if they did, they now have a top-notch mage to give them support."

"A top-notch ex-mage, you mean." Tyler said, and Tyrone nodded, agreeing with him.

Well, that was reassuring. It seemed that now the three would still have support to finish their mission, and a good one, if this guy was as good as the two tigers were saying.

"And this guy is a tiger, like you guys?" McChill asked, and Tyrone looked back at him.

"Actually, she is a vixen." Tyrone said, and that caught McChill by surprise.

Meanwhile, Emilia was standing in front of one of the pillars of the lower floor. She was looking at it. More precisely, she was looking at the complex magic circle that had been draw on it, seemingly with blood, and that was emitting a soft crimson glow.

Cracking her knuckles, she adopted a pugilist stance, and immediately went into action.

The circle had been draw by a taller mammal, so it was a few feet above her height. However, it was no problem for the vixen, who made a powerful jump as she pulled her fist back. Then, she threw her punch forward, hardened by runes and strengthened by sheer magical energy. The fist collided with the pillar, not being able to break it, but being able to cause cracks into the area where the magic circle had been draw, some pieces of it even being chirp off.

This was enough to destroy the magic circle, which now stopped glowing.

Emilia looked at her handiwork, and she was pretty satisfied with herself for having managed to do it.

"One less, four more to go." She said, turning to the other mammals, "Or, is it two more to go, since we only need to destroy three?"

They gave her line of thought little attention, as they decided that it was better to just keep moving and proceed to the next area.

So, all of the four mammals continued to move. One bunny and three foxes.

Among these foxes was no other than Nick's own mother.

Sophie Wilde was demonstrating a great deal of professionalism as she moved along with them. Nick himself remembered seeing her this serious only a few times in the past, which included one time when she marched into a police station and demanded to know why they were keeping her son under custody when there was no evidence against him. Nick was sixteen at the time and, of course, there were no charges pressed on him.

It had actually been one of the closest times that Nick had come of actually being booked during his unruly years before he met Judy. Now, even that paled in comparison to the situation that was developing at the current moment.

Nick was still in shock for finding out that his mother was a mage.

As they walked together, sneaking into the mall, the fox was still trying to make a sense out of the whole thing, while he still kept his better poker face.

The information that his mother was a mage was one that put him to think, as all of sudden a lot of things that he heard from the mouths of mages started to make some kind of sense. Some of these things he had heard months ago, and others he had hear just hours before on that same building.

Nick was now starting to make a lot of connections on his head, as the new information connected with the others to try and make a sense of what they all meant.

Of course, some of them still seemed mysterious, but now he had a bit more of base to be able to understand these claims.

The way that Percy and Zane both seemed to take in consideration the fact that his mother was Sophie Wilde, well, now Nick knew that it was because they both knew that she used to be a mage. Of course, by the way that they had spoke about that, it seemed that his mother had actually been a famous mage, or so it seemed.

Still, there were a lot more questions were still unanswered, and there were even more questions now. Many of them that his mother herself could probably answer, if he asked her. However, that was for another time, for right now they were in a life-or-death situation.

Still, something that truly bothered him was that the discovery that his mother was a mage was not as shocking as he thought it should be. It was as if the idea had somehow been plant on his head a while ago, and that he had somehow grew used to during the meantime. Of course, he was still surprised, shocked even, but he felt less shocked than he should probably be on a situation like that.

Maybe it were all the things he heard and saw in the past months. They rose a few suspicions on his head. Maybe deep inside he truly suspected it, but he had not consciously acknowledge it until the given moment.

Way to rationalize it all, Nick. The tod thought to himself as he continued to walk with the other three. With this skill, maybe you should have tried your paw on psychanalysis.

"Guys, heads up!" Came Meerkovtiz's voice through the radio on the helmets. Nick and Judy immediately gestured at the other two to stop, as they listened to Meerkovitz. "A group of seven crazed mammals are moving on your direction."

Nick and Judy nodded, and they both were getting ready. Right after they communicated it to the others, Emilia too was getting ready. She pulled her dagger and was half-way in placing the runic pebbles on the handle, when Sophie said:

"They are only mammals?" Mrs. Wilde asked, looking at them. "There are no golems among them?"

The others looked at her for a few moments, and soon, Nick and Judy were confirming that this was what Meerkovitz had just told them. Seven mammals who were under the effect of mental interference.

"Then you can leave it to me." Sophie said, showing her flashcard stack. The others didn't even had time to ask her what she meant as she simply walked past them, and they could only walk after her, some of them wondering if she meant that she was going to fight.

Nick himself was ready to hold her back if she actually planned to do that.

However, it didn't seemed that she actually planned to fight, as she walked forward sneaking. Soon the voices of the mammals could be heard, and they all screamed things like "Rock-n'-roll" and stuff. Pretty much as all of the other mammals that were under some form of control on that mall.

Stopping at a corner, and looking over, she was able to see the approaching group of hostiles, formed by three pigs, two lions and two rhinos. All of them looked to be quite strong, and to be the kind who will cause some problem in a direct combat. Luckily, Sophie knew how to deal with them.

As the others reached her, they saw her pull out her little stack and flip through it, until stopping in a specific flashcard. She then bit on it and plucked it out of the stack with her mouth, and held it in her mouth for a few seconds.

"Oh, windy." Sophie whispered through her clenched teeth that held the flashcard to her mouth, before she blew it out, and the piece of paper floated into the air, the words written in it glowing very softly as it tumbled into the air.

Then, the piece of paper suddenly shot into the air, as if carried by a sudden gust of wind, turning the corner and floating away.

It floated to the group of mammals that was coming in that direction. None of them noticed the floating strip of paper, until it floated right among the many of them and burst.

It was not an explosion like that of dynamite, it was more like a small firecracker, producing a few blue sparks and liberating a sonic wave that encompassed all of the mammals within its reach.

Immediately, the mammals shook their heads as their visions started to get blurry.

"R-rock... rock n' roooooooooooo-" one of them said, as they all rolled their eyes and dropped to the ground, completely unconscious.

The group came across the corner, and they saw what Sophie had done.

"Nice trick." Emilia said to the older vixen.

Sophie, however, said nothing in return, but only said:

"We gotta keep moving."

With this, the group was moving, with Sophie following them close from behind. Luckily, they didn't found any more patrolling groups on their way, as it seemed that they had been taken care off in that floor.

However, they were still worried that they would find more problem in the lower floors as they went on. Sophie comforted them a bit in that area, though:

"We met a few of these patrolling groups while we were going up from the first floor." The older vixen said to the rest of the group. "We managed to take care of a good number of them as we went up. We destroyed the golems and knocked off the mammals. They are probably all where we left them in the lower floors, in case you all want to know. We also found some groups on the lower floors, but we could not take them with us, so we left them somewhere they could hide and be safe, I even placed some bounded fields around their hiding spots so they would not be bothered."

Yeah, it was interesting to know, mostly because they would be able to track the knocked mammals and the mammals who were hiding and find them, so they would have everyone rescued. They knew that these mammals were not doing that because they wanted, but because they were being control by magecraft. Unfortunately, they still had a job to do, and this included continue to go down on the floors and to destroy the circles.

They were able to deal with the little problem that they found on the way, as they didn't found any more golems that were so dangerous and destructive as those of the ninth floor, and they were quickly dispatched by Emilia, who seemed like she wanted to redeem herself for being knocked out. Or at least get back at these golems for having knocked her out like that.

They passed by the obstacles on their way as they went down. They eventually found another one of the magic circles. It was hidden beneath a trashcan on the seventh floor. Emilia wasted no time into punching the ground hard enough to crack it. The cracks went along the lines of the complex circle, breaking them and ruining that circle.

They had a bit more trouble on the following floors, but nothing that could not be solve. Sophie demonstrated that she was not helpless, as she removed a few flashcards from the stack and blowing them in the air, where they turned into flaming balls that shot like meteors on the golems, hitting them hard enough to actually case severe damage to them, causing them to fall to the ground unmoving.

"You just need to know the right place to hit." Sophie explained to them. "Golems are much like living beings, once the purpose of goleomancy is to imitate mammals. They have lethal spots, and if you hit them the right way in the right place, they will just fall down and they won't get up anymore."

Emilia seemed to already know that (or she at least acted as if she did), and Nick and Judy both absorbed the information that the vixen was giving them. Nick, on his end, actually wanted to ask his mother how she knew that much, for he was not sure that it was an important piece of knowledge for a mage to know.

They arrived at the fifth floor, where they come cross one of the groups that Sophie and the other ones defeated on their way up. Broken golems were scatter around, as well as unconscious mammals all over, some of them still groaning in their unconscious state.

They also found one of the groups that Sophie told them about. They wouldn't even have noticed that the group was there if one of them had not come to them as soon as they saw Sophie. For the cops, it was as if someone had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"They are hiding in that store." Sophie explained to them, "I place a bounded field around the place to cause anyone who passed near to ignore their presence. It is like a form of social invisibility, to keep them from being found. They won't notice their presence unless they physically cross the line of the bounded field."

They were still on a mission, so they had to leave the group behind, although two of them insisted in letting them come. Sophie reassured them that they were okay, and that they would be safe inside of the bounded field. Many of them took on the vixen's words, but at least one of them seemed not to be willing to trust the word of a vixen.

With this, they continued their way to the mall, and they eventually found the third magic circle of the ritual. It was on a wall on an alleyway right by the side of a bookstore. This was as easy to destroy as the other ones. Just a well place punch from Emilia and chunks of the wall fell off, and the circle with it.

Their mission was conclude successfully, and the magic circles were destroy.

"Great. Good work, you all." Bogo said to them through the radio, as they informed him that they had successfully destroyed three of the five magic circles that Marceli told them about. This meant that the ritual was ruined and that the mammals responsible could no longer make the mall disappear.

"It is one less thing for us all to worry about." Bogo said to them, which was something that the two cops were glad to hear.

"So, this means that now we can worry about getting all of the hostages out of here, right?" Nick asked, to which the buffalo on the other end of the radio was soon answering:

"Yeah, that we can." Bogo admitted. "But it will not be very easy. Fanghanel's wife had been using her ghosts, and it turns out that the superior floors are better guarded than we thought. It seems that they guys caught up that we came through the roof and want to make sure that we will not be able to get out through there. The place is packed with hostiles, and trying to go through there with so much mammals would be a bore."

"So, it seems that we will continue with the plan of clearing the floors and escaping through the entrance they are opening down there." Judy said, and Bogo confirmed with her.

"Yeah, that is the plan." Bogo said through the radio on their helmets. "We actually can talk to the outside again. Lapinsky did something that fixed the radio and the cellphones, and now we can actually coordinate our efforts with the outside once more. Still, it is better if the lower floors are all cleared before we can come down."

"Roger that." Judy said, and this caused the others to look at her.

"What did he said?" Emilia asked.

"Well, basically that now that there is no danger of the mall vanishing, we should clear all of the floors so they can safely come down." Nick said to her.

"Great, it means more action!" Emilia said, and she seemed like she was ready to take on fighting with golems again. However, she was stopped by Sophie.

"We already cleared part of the groups that were patrolling." She said to them. "Maybe they can already come down."

"Not if there are still a few hostiles around." Judy said to her. "They could have casualties on their way down if they meet with hostiles. Especially if they are as strong as these golems that we fought on the ninth floor." Judy said, and she knew that the vixen agreed with her when she saw the expression on her face.

"Maybe they could avoid the hostile groups." Sophie said, and Judy looked at her. "If they had someone to scout their way for hostiles."

What, you mean, like Mrs. Fanghanel's ghosts?" Judy asked, and she actually considered this idea. It could actually work. According to some of the ones present in the room, it seemed that she already used that tactic before.

Just as she was thinking about it, she heard something in the radio again.

It was Bogo, saying to her that they were going to try and move forward down the floors that were with less crowded, and they would be using the ghosts as their scouts.

"It was actually Bellwether's idea." Bogo said to them. Of course it would be the chess master that would come up with the simple and efficient plan. The buffalo thought to himself, but did not voiced this on the radio. "We'll be going along with it and we will meet you when we get down. Hold your position."

Nick and Judy "rogered" that, right after they passed to them the locations of the hideouts of the other groups of hostages that Sophie and the tigers had found on their way up. With this, there was a silence in the radio.

"So, we just clear the floors from this point down?" Emilia asked, and she did sounded hopeful.

"No need." Sophie said, "We can just use surveillance to see a secure path on the lower floors."

"Aww." Emilia said, not hiding her own discontentment with the situation. "This way is no fun."

"Okay, and... how do we survey the lower floors?" Nick asked his mother. "Do you have a crystal ball there with you or something?"

Sophie looked at him. And it was in a strange way.

For a moment, Nick even wondered if he had actually said the wrong thing.

After a few moments, she sighed, and took her small flashcard stack up. She flipped through it, and stopped in a certain flashcard in particular.

She hesitated a bit, as if she was having second thoughts. However, she soon took it to her mouth, bit on it, ripped it out of the stack, and blew it in the air.

The strip of paper floated for a few moments, almost looking like it was fluttering in the air. All the while it was glowing in a soft blue coloration.

After a few seconds, the paper started to unfurl itself, as if it was growing, and then it was folding itself again.

It took a few seconds, but soon the paper was taking a particular shape, as it looked less like a piece of paper and more with the thing that it was actually turning into:

A blue glowing butterfly.

Everyone looked at it, and Judy gasped softly. Nick looked at his bunny partner, wondering why she got shocked. But only for a second, before it hit him.

He turned his head sharply, looking at the thing that his mother just materialized from a piece of paper of her small stack.

The butterfly fluttered in place, and then it replicated itself. One, two, three times, and now there was a small group of butterflies fluttering in place.

"Go." Sophie said, and the butterflies obeyed, and they started to flutter away, all under the watching eyes of the four mammals.

There was a silence as the butterflies floated away, which Emilia broke.

"These are pretty."

Then, Nick turned his head to look at his mother. There was pure surprise on his expression as he looked at her.

"The butterfly... is yours?" He asked, and it almost seemed that he was asking that question on autopilot, as if he was not aware that he was asking the question consciously. Sophie looked at her son, and she sighed.

"Yes, Nick." She said, looking at her son. "The spiritual butterflies are my familiars. I used to use them for surveillance and scouting. They can avoid detection and I can see and hear through them from a distance. They will help find a safe route to out of this mall."

There was another silence following these words, and Nick said:

"A butterfly like that has been following around..." He said that absent-mindedly, as if he was slowly voicing the connection that his brain had already soon after he saw that butterfly materializing.

"You've been spying on me." Nick said. There was no anger on his voice. It was not accusing also. However, it made Sophie flinch a little bit. She looked away, while Nick stared at her, and the other two remained in silence as they looked at them, as if both were waiting to see just what was going to happen.

Nick blinked as he looked at his mother, and she finally rose her eyes to look at him.

"You've been spying on me?" Nick asked. He knew the answer, of course, and he was not sure on why he was asking that to the vixen that was before him. Maybe it was because he wanted to hear a confirmation coming straight from her mouth?

Sophie looked at him for a few moments, and she sighed.

"Ever since the Darkest Hour, I was worried." She said to Nick, and she seemed that she was justifying herself. "I abandoned the world of magecraft a long time ago for my own personal reasons. Still, I spent enough time as a mage to know that what happened could have repercussions, and I had the strong feeling that these repercussions could somehow reach you."

Nick looked at his mother, and it seemed that he had somehow recovered from the surprise.

"So... your solution was to place your glowing minions to follow me around?" Nick asked her. His tone was a bit rude, and he regretted having used it as he saw the hurt that spread over his mother's face. However, she soon was speaking.

"I have always been worried about you, Nick." His mother admitted it. "I have been living with you in this city for our entire lives, and I have always been worried about you because of it."

She rose her eyes to look at the tod. She then reached to grab his own paw on hers'.

"Nicky, I worry so much about you." She said to him, "I wanted to be sure that you were safe and that you would not become the victim of anything coming from the Moonlit World. So... I used my spiritual butterflies to follow you and to keep watch over you. To be sure that you were not in danger."

Nick looked in her eyes, and it was possible to say that she truly did that because she was truly worried about his safety. All she wanted was for her kit to be safe.

Still...

"Well, its okay, I guess..." Nick said, looking at his mother. "But, that does not really changes the fact that my mother has been spying on me using magic butterflies."

There was a silence following these words, and no one really said anything on the matter, as mother and son both parted their paws, and no one really knew what to say on a situation like that.

Either because she noticed that the situation was tense and needed to be diverged, or because she only wanted to say something, Emilia was the one who broke the silence.

"So, these are the famous shorthands of Sophie Wilde, huh?" She asked, looking at the older vixen, who looked back at her. "Not kind of what I expected."

"I'm sorry." Judy said, looking at the younger vixen. "'Shorthands'?"

"My flashcards." Sophie said to her, showing the stack that she still had in her other paw. "Each one of these is a 'shorthand'." Sophie explained, flipping through the cards so Judy could have a look at them. "They are a combination of symbols and writing on a card to produce a pre-determined effect, following the teachings of Notarikon, Gematria and Temurah."

"The teachings of who, who and who?" Nick asked, and Sophie sighed.

"They are all branches of magecraft." Sophie said to him, and to Judy as well, "Which actually originated from the same mother branch: Kabbalah. It is my family's main thaumaturgycal foundation."

"Basically, she combines pieces of different phrases and words to create new phrases and words that activate thaumaturgical effects." Emilia said, as if she wanted to let them know that she too knew about things. She then looked at Nick.

"Words have power." She said to him, repeating something that she had told him earlier on the same day.

"This is a form of magecraft that I learned how to use." Sophie said to them, "Before I quit being a mage."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Emilia said, looking at Sophie. It is truth that they made you quit because you almost-"

"I quit." Sophie said, cutting off the younger vixen. "For personal reasons, which are no important at this moment. At least, not as much as finding an efficient way out of this place."

With this, she turned away from them, and said that she was going to focus to perceive the world through the senses of her butterflies, and that they should be quiet for her to concentrate.

They did as she asked them and kept silence. However, Nick once more had the distinct feeling that her mother had, just like Marceli earlier on that same day, cut Emilia before she had the chance to say what she wanted to say.

With this, they remained in silence near Sophie as she focused. She was receiving information from her butterflies, which were fluttering and flying over the floors. They were easily able to flutter around and stay out of sight and, with the amount of hostiles that had been already take down, they had no problem in navigating, although it took some time for Sophie to be able to gather enough information to allow her to figure out a truly safe path.

By the time she managed to, the group that was coming from the tenth floor now coming. The cops and mages had formed a protective ring around the civilians, and now were helping scout all of them out. Krys was really close to Bellwether, as if he wanted to protect her from anything that could come. Meanwhile, some specters were shifting in and out of the visible spectrum, as they had used the plan of using the ghosts as scouts for their walk around the mall, to prevent themselves from falling into traps and from getting on unnecessary battles on their way out.

Some of them were rather surprised for finding out that the one who was with the other group was Nick's own mother.

"Wilde, what is your mother doing here?" Would Bogo ask to his subordinate, before the situation was explained to him and to the others, and the vixen reminded him that they still needed to get these civilians to safety before they could proceed with anything.

Bogo saw himself made to agree with the vixen, and soon, he was following along with the rest of the group.

Now, they had Mrs. Wilde as their official guide through the path that she had figured out, and Mrs. Fanghanel was helping by using her specters as scouts to catch anything that the vixen might have missed.

They proceeded through the next floors, and meanwhile, they saw Emilia moving away from the group a few times.

"We have to destroy the other circles, to be sure that the ritual is nullified." She said, as if justifying herself.

She was very insistent on it; even though her uncle was insistent in saying to her that there was no need to it for the destruction of three of the circles was already enough to completely nullify the ritual.

"Come on! Let me have a little fun, will yah?" Was Emilia's answer, and this caused her uncle to sigh and slowly shake his head, as he knew that Emilia was just like that.

They passed by the next three floors easily, and by arriving at the second one, they stopped.

"Okay, so you said that there was a great group of hostages down in the central square?" Bogo said, looking at Marceli, and the black tod nodded to him.

"Yes, all of the hostages were gathered on the same place. They have golems and controlled mammals with them helping keep watch over the hostages."

"They are five mages." Sophie said to them, catching their attention. "My spiritual butterflies saw them as they flew. The ones in charge seem to be a horse, a wolf, a dog, a coyote and a tiger."

"Sounds like the Vipers." Jade said.

"Does the dog, by any chance, has blue fur and might have one of his eyes glowing blue?" Lana asked, and Sophie was soon confirming that indeed this looked like the dog that she saw in the central square. She also said that it looked as if he was typing on an invisible keyboard.

"Yup, definitely Evan."

"Evan Canis is not too dangerous on his own." Lapinsky said, "However, if he actually is involved with these mammals, then we should approach carefully."

"They are setting a trap." Zillah Ferron said suddenly, causing everyone to look at her. She looked up, as she placed her glasses back on her face, and her eyes were changing from neon-green back to their normal coloration.

"The hostages have all been affected by mental interference." She said to them, "In the moment that you try to get to them, they will turn on you and it will be a mess."

"Okay, what is she talking about?" McChill asked, as he did not really like what the ferret was saying. However, he was mostly ignore, as some now focused on the ferret, Marceli in particular.

"Are you sure about that, Ms. Ferron?"

"Absolutely." The ferret said, and the fox looked at her for a few moments.

"Well, this surely makes things more complicated." Marceli said, looking at the others. "We may need a little of planning if we are going there."

"Wait a minute." McChill suddenly said, causing some to look at his direction. "Are you saying that you will simply believe on her word like that?"

"Yes." Was Marceli's answer, being so blunt and direct that it actually caught McChill off-guard, and left him unable to say something in return. Nick was actually able to smile himself as he saw the polar bear suddenly at loss of words.

"Excuse me." Someone in the group said, and it was the bigoted donkey. "We understands that you need to rescue the other hostages and all of that, but any chance that you can do that after you have taken us to a safe place?"

Yeah, there was the fact that they still needed to get the civilians to safety.

However, there was the fact that they still needed to go forth and rescue the other ones.

It was very quick that they have decided that they would divide in two groups. One group would be taking the civilians to safety, as they would take them to the entrance that was being unblock, and that should be nearly unblock by now. Meanwhile, the other group would be going in direction to the central square, so they could rescue all of the other hostages.

Among the ones on the group leading the civilians away were Lana, Krys, McHorn, Fanghanel and his wife, and Dawn Bellwether herself.

On the group that was going to rescue the other hostages on the central square, were included Bogo himself, some of his bigger officers like McChill, the two enforcers, and Nick and Judy.

"Judy! What the heck!?" Was Stu's answer as soon as he heard that his daughter would be going to the place were crazed mammals, golems and mages were. Soon he was in a discussion with his daughter, telling her that it was too dangerous for her to go in there, to which Judy immediately answered that there were mammals in there that needed help, and that she could not turn her back on them.

While the doe and her father talked, Bonnie looked at it, and Sophie Wilde was standing right by her side.

The two older females looked at it, and looked at their own children. Then, they looked at each other and, almost in a form of silent agreement, started to walk into a nearby store.

"This is way too dangerous!" Stu said to his daughter. "You should leave it to the bigger guys and to the ones who have magic!"

"Dad, I am a cop!" Judy said to him, "I cannot simply turn my back on those who need my help now! I made an oath!"

"This is too much..." Stu said, seemingly to himself more than to Judy. "This is just too much."

He looked down for a few moments, before he looked up at his daughter again.

"Judy, you need to stay with your family now." He said to her, as if he was trying to find arguments to convince her. "You need to stay with us now. Didn't you said that you were doing this to help us?"

"I'm doing this to help everyone." Judy said, and she continued to explain how she had a duty to help the mammals of Zootopia. That it was her job as a cop. Stu continued trying to convince her to give up and come with them to the exit, he even went as far as to ask his other children and even Cotton to try and convince her.

However, it was no use. Judy had already made her mind, and once she made her mind there was no one that could convince her otherwise.

That was a losing battle, and Stu soon realized it.

However, he was still willing to attempt one last try:

"Bonnie, can you tell Judy that... Bonnie?"

Only then, Stu noticed that his wife was no longer there, and he was looking around to see where she could be. That was when he saw her again.

She and Sophie were now coming out of the sports store where they had entered, and they had changed their clothing. Now they were wearing something that they had taken out of the store, as each one was wearing a feminine sportswear as they walked out. Bonnie wore a purple set of sport shorts and shirt, while Sophie wore a light-green one. Also, each one of them was wearing what seemed to be a sports utility belt around their waists, most likely also from the store.

Everyone blinked as they looked at them.

"So... you two decided to go shopping?" Nick asked, as he looked at both females.

"These clothes are best for the situation." Sophie said, "They will give us more mobility and will be best for what we are going to do."

"What you're... going to do?" Stu said, confused, and that was when Bonnie said:

"We are going with you to the central square."

This immediately got a reaction from the ones near. Now both of their families were trying to convince the two older females that it was too dangerous for them. Even the other cops were trying to convince them that this was not something that civilians should get involved. They were being quite insistent in it, when:

"BE QUIET!" Bonnie suddenly said with a lot of power in her voice, causing everyone to go quiet and to look at her. She took a breath as she recomposed herself after that little outburst.

"Judy." She said, talking to her daughter. "I know that I cannot convince you not to go. Now, I know that you can take care of yourself and that you will have everyone with you, but I'll really feel a bit more calmer if I actually go with you." She said, as she walked to the luggage that she brought, which was still being carry around by some of her children. She opened it, and pulled out a few things from inside.

"So would I." Sophie Wilde said, and this time she was looking at her son. "After all, I know that I'll also not convince you not to go, right, Nicky?"

Truth, Nick was really willing to go in there. Especially since he knew that Judy would be going there as well. No way that he would leave her face it alone.

"A mother's duty is to care and protect her children." Sophie said, as she looked at Bonnie, whom was pulling the skull-decorated shotgun from the luggage, as well as a few bullets made of finger bones. "So, it is only to be expected that we would go along with our children to be sure that they are safe."

"Absolutely." Bonnie said, as she pulled something else from the luggage. It looked like a small bone that she could hold in her paw. She then proceeded to strap it to the belt that she had, so she could reach for it later. "No way that we are going to let our children face it all alone."

"B-b-b-but Bonnie..." Stu said; it was obvious that he planned to protest, however, he was quickly silenced by a single look from his wife.

"Stu, stay with the rest of our children, and make sure that all of them get out of here safely." She said, and she was speaking it casually, but in a way that made it clear that there was no space for discussion in there. Against that look and that tone, there was absolutely no discussion.

"B-but ain't it too dangerous?" Harry said, causing both females to look at him now. "I mean... will you two be fine?"

"We will." Sophie said, and she gestured to her belt, which had now had three flashcard stacks, filled with her "shorthands" in it. "We are taking our arsenals with us."

As she spoke that, Bonnie once more reached out for the luggage, and something else came out of it. Better saying, something also slithered out of it. It was the skeleton of a serpent, which moved as if it was still a living serpent. It did not hissed like a real serpent, but the sound of its bones cackling on each other was somehow just as disturbing. The skeleton snake slithered out and wrapped itself around Bonnie's body.

What's with mages and snakes? Bogo thought as he looked at this, and he, like some of the ones around, still felt a bit freaked out by that. However, he had no time to dwell on this, for that was when he heard:

"I'm going as well." Benjamin said, and this caused others to look at him. Some of them looked a bit surprised.

"Benji, you sure?" Eliot Fanghanel asked. "I mean, you still look a bit pale from when that snake sucked your blood."

"I'm fine, really." Ben said, and he looked around. "I'm a cop too, and I also have a duty in here." He said as he looked around. "I might be rusty as a mage, but I still think that I can help if the situation asks for it. I'll be going."

"Ssss-so are we." The two-headed snake said, slithering around. "After all, it is-sss our duty as-sss a familiar to help our mage in what he needs-sss."

Bogo looked at Clawhauser, who still looked a bit pale, and at the two elderly women. He truly wanted to tell them all to forget about this and to go with the group. However, he was pretty sure that they had already made their mind, and they would lose far too much time to convince them not to go.

He just didn't had the patience for that now.

He agreed to let them tag along, as long as they truly proved to be useful, and did not became a problem. All of them said that it was not going to be a problem, and that they could help.

Their friends and families were still a bit unsure about that, but they knew that it would be no use trying to convince them otherwise. So, with this, the two groups now parted ways, as one group went to the central square while the other was guiding the civilians to outside.

Meanwhile, the Hopps family was still worried about Judy and about Bonnie, however, someone was near to help ease their worries a bit:

"Don't get too worried." Lana said to them, as they walked, and she had a smile on her lips. "Your mother is Helga Höhle and she is with Sophie Wilde in there. The two are both pretty infamous on the moonlit world, and also known for their skills."

She looked back, and as the bunnies looked at her, she actually chuckled a bit.

"Actually, with these two on the group, I would actually be worried for Vipers."

Chapter Text

Silence filled the halls of the mall. A silence that the group that was now moving around them tried on their best not to break.

As the cops and the mages who were with them moved forward, they did their best to do so as silently as possible, as they didn't wanted to let their presence be known by the ones who were on the place where they were going.

They were silent as they moved across the halted escalators, and made their best to not make sounds with their footfalls as they moved across the hallways.

At some point, they divided into a few teams, with Nick, Judy and Marceli going to a side; Bogo, Benjamin, his snake and McChill going to one, Agent Lapinsky with them; and with Emilia, Bonnie and Sophie going into another side. The two females didn't wanted to be separated from their children, but they knew that this was something important, and they were ready to take action when the situation asked for it.

They approached, and they looked at the scene that was developing as they approached the central square.

The central square actually looked like a small square. It was a great artificial area that looked like a place for a watering hole. There was fake grass on the ground, living trees on the corners, complete with benches and trashcans around. Finally, at the very center, an artificial lake truly looked like a real watering hole. All of that gave a very nice look to the place, as it made it look quite welcoming and peaceful.

However, it didn't looked so peaceful if one was to look attentively.

"They are up ahead." Sophie said; her eyes were close as she said that, and everyone else looked at her as she spoke that. "They are in the central square, and all of the hostages are in there with them. They seem to be ready."

Truth, they were in there. A group of over sixty mammals of all species had been gather in the center of the circle that was form by more mammals and by over thirty golems. They were standing on attention around the mammals on the center, as if they were ready to move if anyone appeared before their eyes.

On the outside of the circle, some mammals were spread out. Percy looked like he was practicing his break dancing, making backflips and hoof-stands. Evan was on a corner, one of his eyes glowing blue as he continued to type on an invisible keyboard, producing an effect in the air as if he was really typing on something. Not too far from him, was the wolf known as Butch, and he was playing his guitar as if it was for a show that only he knew that existed, however, some of the mammals nearby were moving their heads up and down, as if enjoying the music. On another corner, Zane and Coyle were side by side, with the tiger looking like he was polishing his hammer, while the coyote stood by his side, and he did looked a bit nervous.

It was worthy noticing that the five mammals were dispose in a way that they were covering each side of the circle, as if they were truly reinforcing security in there, as they seemed like they were waiting for something. They truly looked like they were ready for anything that could happen and come their way.

However, none of them was covering the upper part of the circle. So, all of them completely failed to notice the presence of the butterflies that were hovering above the place. Blue butterflies that looked like they were made of some short of special crystal.

"They are all there." Sophie confirmed, and the ones who were near looked at her. The vixen was very thorough on describing to them all that she was able to perceive through her butterflies. She told them about the disposition of the hostages and about the locations of the mages on the group. She even added a few personal commentaries.

"Zillah Ferron was right." Sophie said, and she was not only speaking to the ones who were near her, but also to the rest of the group, as they were all communicating through radio. "I can't say for sure, but I can tell that the mammals on the center of the circle are acting on the same way as the ones around."

She was speaking it because, through her butterflies, she was able to see the mammals who were on the center as hostages were behaving on the same way as the mammals that were around them, with the golems. They bobbed their heads as one on the rhythm of the music that the wolf was playing on his guitar.

They looked far too synchronized for it to be coincidence, and Sophie transmitted her worry to the others via radio.

McChill took it with a grain of salt, however, the others, including Marceli, took her words with seriousness.

"That vixen knows what she is talking about." The fox would say to the polar bear. "Before she abandoned the moonlit world, she was quite an experienced mage, with a lot of knowledges."

This seemed to settle it, and now they knew that the ones they were supposed to rescue had been turn into crazed maniacs as well. This did made things significantly more complicated for them, as they now knew that rescue would be harder.

However, they were able to come up with a plan. A plan that Sophie pretty much designed on her own, and with an amazing speed. Lapinsky also gave his own word to the plan, and he admitted that it could actually work, if they were able to get close enough.

This was all it took for the others to agree with the plan, and to go along with it.

The time for talking was over, now was time for rescue.

On each corner of the mall around the central square, the mammals started to act. Marceli pulled his hood over his head and became a shadow, now dashing silently in front. Lapinsky, on his end, did something that surprised the ones around him, as the bottom of his metal boots lighted up in a blue coloration, causing the bunny to float, and to fly above their heads. Meanwhile, Emilia plucked a single shorthand from her stack, and held it in her teeth as it glowed, soon, she was holding Bonnies and Emilia's hands, as the three of them sank into the ground, making it ripple like water as they dive through it was if it was a liquid. All the while, the cops around continued to approach, their weapons ready for anything.

The mages, and the technocrat, were the first to arrive on the central square, with the cops right behind them. Marceli was quick to jump from one shadow to the other, not making a sound and avoiding the sight of the wolf, who seemed busy with his personal show. Lapinsky was now above the mass of mammals, floating silently above their heads as he got both of his plasma guns ready, getting prepared to use them at a moment's notice. Finally, the three females were emerging from the ground right among the hostages, coming out of the ground as if they were emerging from water and now standing on the ground, the shorthand on Sophie's mouth glowed and then it undid itself into fine dust.

The mages, the technocrat, and the cops all were ready, and they knew that they needed to do it right if they wanted to rescue the hostages before things went south too fast. That was why they knew that the plan needed to be perfect.

Inside of the circle of hostages, the three females did the best not to call attention to themselves (despite Bonnie having a shotgun with a skull on her paw) as Emilia pulled out her dagger and silently fixed the runic pebbles in it. Meanwhile, Sophie pulled another shorthand from her stack with her teeth, and held it in her mouth as she exhaled, causing the words written in the paper to glow.

"Ready... Now!" Sophie whispered, and they immediately started to act.

Emilia chanted the names of the runes in her dagger, causing aurora flames to emerge from it.

"Rock 'n roll!?" Some of the hostages said, now looking at them.

Then, Sophie blew out the paper; it started to move around the air with a lot of speed, and started to fly in circles around Emilia's dagger as she held it high. The paper undid itself, but the wind continued to move around the dagger, causing the flames to grow, until, with a sudden explosion of wind, the fire spread out forward in all directions.

It was not an explosion, but more a gust of wind carrying the flames with the colors of the aurora in all directions. Making them cover all of the mammals in the center of the circle, and even extending outside, into the golems and mammals that were around the mammals on the center.

This, of course, wasn't unnoticed by the mages around the circle.

"Huh?" Percy said as he looked back.

"What?" Zane said in surprise, as he and Hudson both looked back, seeing the blue, purple and green flames, both with shocked expressions.

"What the- My fans!" Butch said, looking back at the fire, and turning his back to the place where Marceli was hiding. This was all that the fox needed, as he dashed forward, and now he was right behind the wolf, literally hiding on the canine's shadow.

The flames lasted for around ten seconds, and by the time that they had cleared completely the mammals who were once under control were free. All of them were panting, looking around with confuse expressions; some of them looked as if they had just woke up from some kind of crazy dream.

The golems were unaffected by the flames in any way, and they were just turning to the many mammals, as if they were ready to do something. However, they were quickly take care off.

Blasts of pure plasma came from above, and hit two of the golems straight in the heads, causing them to explode. The mammals nearby cried out in shock and fear as they jumped back, and the headless golems fell to the ground, unmoving.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Lapinsky's voice came booming, and it sounded that it was coming from everywhere at once. "PLEASE, RETREAT NOW!"

He was talking to the newly freed mammals, and that much was obvious, the mammals started to look around and to look for a way out. However, they stopped when they saw that the mages were still around them, all of them looking like they were ready to fight if the situation actually asked for it.

"You are not going anywhere!" Butch said, looking at the mammals. "The show is not over yet!"

He looked about to do something, when suddenly a loud sound made him jump. He looked over his guitar, to see that the strings had been cut clean off!

"My guitar!" The wolf said, holding into it as if it was a living being. Meanwhile, Marceli was still behind him, and he wasted no time into using the hilt of his dagger to hit the wolf on the knee. This was enough to send Butch to the ground, and another blow on the back of the head was enough for the wolf to be knock out.

"Move!" Marceli said, turning to the many mammals. "Run, now!"

"Go there!" Sophie said to them, gesturing to the area that now had an open space for them to run, now that the golems were destroyed and the mage on that direction was unconscious. "It's you chance! Run now and don't look back! Run now! Run!"

The mammals didn't needed much more encouragement than that, as they all started to run as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Wait a minute!" Zane said, as he tried to give a step forward. However, he was halt in place as soon as a plasma blast hit the ground in front of his feet. Hudson yelped as he jumped back, while the tiger stayed in place as he looked at the small charred crater that had just been made, and then up.

Lapinsky was up there in the air, with a plasma gun pointed at the tiger and a fierce expression on his eyes. I was as if he was saying: the next one will be aimed at you.

Zane snarled at the bunny up there in the air as he returned the glare with his own ferocious glare.

Lapinsky had his eyes on him, but he also was attentive to what was going on around himself, as his other gun was point at the direction of the other mages around, namely, Percy and Evan. The bunny was being sure to keep them at the aim of his plasma weapons while the hostages made their escape.

The hostages were in a rush to escape, by the way, once they almost trampled the three mages who were among them, and almost tripped on Marceli and the unconscious wolf. They went past them, and where quickly received by a small team of cops, which were quick to give them directions to move out of the square and remain in there while they took care of everything.

The hostages were more than glad to get away from there, as they only wanted to get away from the crazy mages and from the golems as fast as possible.

Once the hostages were gone, all that there were left were the mages, the cops, and the golems.

Sophie, Emilia and Bonnie were on the middle of a circle of golems, and all of them were ready.

Marceli was standing over butch's unconscious form, as he had his dagger ready, and a fierce expression on his eyes.

The cops were on all sides, slowly forming a perimeter around the ones who they knew were the responsible for this mess.

The four remaining mages were around the circle of golems, and all of them looked around the ones closing in them. Hudson looked scared. Zane looked with a glare of angry annoyance. Percy looked around curiously. Meanwhile, Evan had an expression of curious indifference as he looked around on the cops encompassing them, but his expression got a bit more serious as he looked up.

Lapinsky was still up there. His metal boots allowing him to float above the mammals and golems bellow, his plasma guns were still ready, and he looked with a serious professionalism at the situation bellow. Slowly, he moved one of his paws, taking his aim off the mammals and golems bellow (although his other gun was aimed at them and his eyes attentive to the smallest sign of danger) as he took his wrist, and the mechanism in it, to near his mouth.

"ATTENTION." Lapinsky said, his voice coming booming from all around. Evan knew instantly that he had accessed the speakers of the mall, more specifically, the ones that were situated all around the central square. "I AM AGENT ANDREW CORNELIUS LAPINSKY, FROM THE TECHNOCRATIC UNION. I AM HERE IN ANSWER TO THE DANGER THAT HAD ARISED IN THE DEPENDENCIES OF THE NEW DEN PLAZA."

The bunny looked down on the scene bellow, as he continued:

"ZANE TIGEREYE, HUDSON COYLE, PERCY COLTER, AND EVAN CANIS. YOU ALL ARE CURRENTLY UNDER THE ACCUSATION OF INVADING AND TAKING OVER THIS BUILDING, KIDNAPPING A GREAT NUMBER OF MAMMALS INSIDE, AND ACTING IN WAYS THAT CAN BE CATEGORIZED AS TERRORISM."

He looked at them, his gaze shifted in between the mammals that he knew were responsible, and he stopped on the dog.

"EVAN CANIS. YOUR ACCUSATIONS HAVE THE AGGRAVATION OF YOU HAVING USED YOUR KNOWLEDGES IN ENLIGHTENED ELECTRONICS AND OTHER KNOWLEDGES OF ENLIGHTENED SCIENCE TO PERFORM CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES AND KNOWINGLY ENDANGERING CIVILIANS. THE OTHER ONES, AS MAGES, ARE UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE MAGE'S ASSOCIATION. YOU, HOWEVER, AS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE TECHNOCRACY AND A USER OF OUR SCIENCE, IS UNDER OUR JURISDICTION."

Evan looked up at the bunny. Someone who looked at him would think that he was completely indifferent at the bunny and at what he was saying. However, if they looked at his tail and at his body language, they would see that there were signs of anger in there.

"YOUR ACTIONS ARE VIOLATING SEVERAL LAWS, FROM POLICE AUTHORITY, THE MAGES ASSOCIATION'S CODEX, AND THE TECHNOCRACY'S CONTROL REGULATIONS. YOU NEED TO STOP YOUR ACTIONS NOW AND SURRENDER WILLINGLY; OTHERWISE, WE WILL HAVE TO USE OF FORCE TO APREHEND YOU. I MUST WARN YOU, I RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE CONTROL TO USE LETHAL FORCE IF I DEEMED NECESSARY."

The bunny continued to look down, looking at the reactions of the mammals down there. His eyes stopped on the horse, who had lighted a violet flame on his hoof, which now had the shape of a heart.

"I REPEAT; I'VE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO USE LETHAL FORCE. PLEASE, SURRENDER."

Percy looked up at the bunny, and with a snap of his fingers, the heart on his hoof changed from a soft violet to an intense red. The horse wasted no time into moving his hoof and throwing the heart in direction to the bunny.

The flaming heart flew across the air like a red comet, going in direction to the bunny.

Lapinsky, instead of moving out of the way, simply stood floating where he was. The heart flew in his direction. The next thing everyone on the ground could notice was a great explosion of flames in the air.

Bogo let out a curse, as he got his weapon ready, and everyone reacted.

The females started to fight the golems, while the cops all approached as one big mass.

Percy continued to look up, and as the flames cleared, he got clear sight of the bunny.

The bunny was still floating right in place, with a paw outstretched in front of himself. The air in front of him was different, as if there was a lens in front of him, distorting the air.

Lapinsky had been quick when he saw that attack coming his way, and he was able to create a screen of condensed plasma in front of himself, held in place by a strong electromagnetic field, which served to block the fire attack from that mage.

Now that the attack was over, the bunny lowered his paw, and he looking intently at the horse.

The bunny then rose his plasma guns, as he was ready to use them to fight.

The clash had begun.

"Okay, cost clear, keep going." Meerkovitz said through his radio, as he had just finished darting the crazed mammals that were on the way of the group. This allowed the group of mammals to go forward, and they passed by the unconscious mammals that Meerkovitz had darted.

"The little guy does have a really good aim." Someone on the group said, as they continued to move forward.

Indeed, he had a good aim. Hence why many of the mammals in there were starting to feel glad that Bogo had tasked him with overseeing the group and making sure that they had gotten out of the mall safely.

They were on their way outside, and they had no problems up until now. However, they still had their eyes open, especially the mages, who were starting to think that this might be a bit too easy.

"Guys, heads up!" Meerkovitz said. "Someone coming your way! Someone big! Oh, carp! It's some golems!" The meerkat said, sounding alarmed. "Dang it! These ones are as big as- what the heck!?"

This caused some to get worried.

"Meerkovitz?" McHorn asked, "Meerkovtiz, what's going on? Are you okay?"

There was a silence for a few moments, then there was a strange sound coming from the other end, and it was possible to hear the meerkat's voice. However, there were at least three other voices, all of them saying the same thing:

"Rock n' roll!"

"Dang it!" McHorn said, and he told the rest of the group to stay together and to be ready.

Around ten seconds later, they saw some big golems coming their direction.

These golems were big as elephants, like the ones that they had faced on the ninth floor. However, where those were shape like rhinos, these ones were shape like bears. They were even complete with sharp claws made not of stone but of metal, looking like long scythes. Not only that, but their maws were also filled with sharp teeth made of metal.

"Brilliant." Tyler said, as he and his brothers placed themselves in front of Gazelle to defend her. Meanwhile, everyone was on their toes, as they looked at the three massive and threatening-looking golems, which started to walk in their direction.

"Okay, if you mages have a plan, I hope you guys can use it now." McHorn said, and the golems now were walking in their direction faster. This, of course, prompted some mages to act.

"Combust!" Tyler said, placing both of his paws together and generating a mass of heat between them, right before he sent this mass of heat forward into the golem that was on the center. The contact of the heat caused an explosion, forcing the golem back, almost causing it to stumble on the two that were coming behind it.

Just in that same moment, Tyrone rushed forward, dust condensing around his body until it turned into an armor of stone. The golem was still standing, although with a crack on its chest. Tyrone collided head on with the golem, causing the crack to grow, and immediately, he knocked the golems over.

"Run!" The tiger said, as all of the golems were down. "Run now! All of you!"

The group didn't needed anymore encouragement than that. They rushed forward, and many of them had the chance to pass, however, some of them stayed behind as the golems got back up, and they managed to push back the tiger, who had to be very fast to avoid the attack from the golem's metal claws.

The ones left behind looked like they were in a pickle. That was, until Lana Bellwether and Jade stepped forward. Lana used a powerful windblast to throw a golem out of balance, while Jade used her daggers to attack the golem on the head, and caused it to fall back, bumping into the others.

That was when Tyrell stepped forward. He, Tyson and Gazelle had been among the ones to stay behind, and when he saw the golems stumbling and bumping into each other, he ran into action. Standing in front of the golems, he let out a powerful roar that moved forward like a shockwave, being strong enough to force the golems off their feet.

"Now!" Tyrell said, "Go now!"

The ones who stayed behind then rushed to catch up. Gazelle and Tyson were among the ones who passed.

"Tyrell!" Gazelle said, "Boys!"

"We'll stay behind and take care of them!" Tyrell said, "Tyson, you stay with Maria! Make sure she is alright!"

Both the popstar and the tiger wanted to complain about it. However, neither of them had the time for such, for in that moment, the golems were already getting up.

Tyson grabbed Gazelle by the wrist and pulled her to make her move. The popstar felt her heart clenching, as she was force to leave three of her great friends behind...

"Okay now." Jade said, as her daggers glowed. Lana and the three tigers were by her sides. The golems were in front of them and they looked to be ready for battle. "It's show time!"

The golems stood in there, looking at the mages for a few moments, before they rushed in their direction, metal claws and teeth all ready for battle.

"Lana!" Dawn Bellwether said as she and Krystin just turned a corner. They had stayed on the back of the running group, and it seemed that not many on the group cared if the fox and the convicted criminal stayed behind.

"She will be fine!" Krystin said to her as he pulled her by the hoof. "Just keep running!"

Dawn did as she was told, although she continued to look back, as if she wanted to go back and help her sister...

"Look out!" Krystin cried out, and that was the only warning that she had before the fox forced her to stop, and it was right on time for them to avoid the blow that came from a big axe made of stone.

Krys forced her to walk back as they looked at the group of golems that suddenly showed up in front of them.

"Too many..." Krys said, as the rune on his paw started to glow.

Dawn also looked. She too thought that there were too many, maybe ten or so. She needed to do something.

Reaching out, she grabbed one red chalk, and closing her hoof around it, she focused her magical energy. The circuits in her hoof lightened up as she sent magical energy into the chalk that she was holding.

"Take cover!" She said as she threw the chalk and pulled Krystin back.

The chalk flew on the air and collided with one of the golems. Immediately, the magical energy-charged red chalk glowed in an intense crimson, before it exploded like an incendiary bomb.

The golems were force back as flames covered all of them. Two of them had already dropped to the ground, as they had suffered too much damage due to the force of the blast.

Krys and Dawn had dove to avoid the worst of the blast, and as they got up again, they saw that Dawn' tactic had worked, and that now they had a path ahead of them that they could use.

"Run!" Krys said as both of them made a break for it.

They were almost passing by the golems, when Krys saw something that made his eyes widen.

Dawn was by his side, but she suddenly felt herself being roughly pushed forward as Krys himself moved his body backwards.

It was right on time, for moments later a stone sword nearly hit the post where they both were together.

Dawn landed on her chest on the ground, while Krys stumbled back. Meanwhile, the golem that was still on fire turned to look at the ewe. It was moving in her direction, but it was immediately hit by a fireball from behind, causing it to stumble and then turn around to look at the fox that fired that at it.

Meanwhile, Dawn had got up, and she looked back, seeing Krys now being surround by the still burning golems.

"KRYS!"

"I'm fine!" The fox screamed to the ewe. "You go and get out of here!"

"No!" Dawn said, getting up, and looking like she was about to rush forward.

"Do as I say!" The fox cried, and this made the ewe flinch and step back.

They locked eyes for a moment, before the fox said:

"I'll take care of them and I'll meet you on the outside!" Just as he spoke it, a golem tried to go at him, and he dodged the flaming weapon and shot a fireball square in the chest of the golem, causing it to burst open and making the stone entity fall down. The tod looked back at the ewe.

"I promise!" He said, and made a gesture, crossing his heart.

The ewe stood right where she was, not moving an inch.

"Krys..."

The fox looked at her, and he had to move out of the way of a flaming axe.

"Go! Now!" He screamed as he lit up the flame on his paw.

The ewe looked for a few moments, and then, she gave a step back, before she turned around and sprint into running.

Meanwhile, the battle continued at the central square.

The golems tried to attack the three females that were among them, and they quickly answered with their own moves. Emilia had, at some point, drop her dagger, and now she was using her paws and feet, hardened by runes and magical energy, to block the attacks of the golems and give her own attacks back.

Meanwhile, Sophie and Bonnie were showing that they were good long distance fighters, as they both kept their distance and used their own means to attack. Sophie used her shorthands to produce fireballs, shards of rock or even icicles in the air and shot them forward into the enemies. Meanwhile, Bonnie used her shotgun and the bullets to fight, and the bullets flew across the air and hit the targets.

Bonnie needed time after each shot to reload her shotgun, luckily, Sophie showed that she was in there to cover her.

The two females showed that they were very skilled in battle, and that they were ready to help each other.

Meanwhile, Marceli too was doing his part to fight the golems, and he mostly used his dagger to fight them. He dodged their blows and approached with his dagger, hitting in strategical points as id he was aiming at the vital areas of a living mammals. This showed to have some effect, as the golems would soon be falling to the ground, unmoving and looking like they had been defeated.

Not to mention Lapinsky, who was up there and was firing plasma blasts at the enemy mages. During the flight, his eyes darted all around the area as he flew with the help of his anti-gravity metal boots.

Analyzing reactions. Calculating escape routes. Finding most advantageous course of action.

The bunny would fire his plasma bolts at the mages who were trying to attack his allies, and his focus in particular went to Percy Colter, who showed to be the ones who was actually capable to aiming at Lapinsky himself.

The bunny and the horse were actually trading blows as the bunny flew. The horse was firing blasts of kaleidoscopic fire shaped like suits of cards, while the bunny answered with blasts of plasma from his guns aimed at the equine. In some cases, they were able to dodge with an aerial maneuver or a mortal backflip. In other cases, the attacks collided in the air and exploded in flames and sparks.

All the while, the cops tried to do their part and to approach. However, that was proving to be quite a challenge for the ones that didn't had magecraft.

They even tried to approach the mages, but as soon as they were saw, the mages would react with a bit of violence towards them. Evan Canis would materialize screens on the air that would fire energy blasts at them, Zane Tigereye would send blasts of rock at their direction, and Coyle Hudson would use a red piece of rope to fight the cops that come his way. Actually, at some moment, Hudson Coyle grabbed McChill by the ankle and dragged him around himself for a while, before tossing him back at the other cops.

"Man, that gotta hurt!" Nick said as he looked at the bear had his tail handed to himself on a plate. Judy was right by his side, and she was trying to see an opening to be able to shot, however, it was proving to be hard, considering how much the mages moved, and how they seemed that they almost had a sixth sense that allowed them to know when darts would be fire at them.

It seemed that the cops actually could do nearly nothing, and this was something that frustrated the bunny cop. Especially considering her own mother was among the mages who were fighting in there.

Bonnie had just fired another round of bullets into a golem, blasting its chest and head, and she was on her way to reload, when:

"Look out!" Sophie's voice came, causing the bunny to look up just in time to see a stone axe coming her way. She was quick to dive out of the way, as the axe sank into the soft ground, however, in the process, Bonnie had lost her gun.

The golem was immediately neutralized by Sophie, who used a shorthand to create a spear of ice that she threw into the golem, piercing its head and making it fall to the ground unmoving.

Bonnie breathed in relief, and she immediately looked around, seeing that her shotgun had flew out, and that it was now out of reach within the golems that were quickly coming her way.

Well, it seemed that she was going to have to fight for real.

She looked at her shoulder, looking at the skull of the skeletal snake that was still wrap around her body.

"Gib mir einen Schub" Bonnie said to the skeleton, which seemed to understand exactly what she meant, as it opened its mouth and sank its pearly fangs into Bonnie's shoulders.

The bunny hissed as she felt her skin being pierced, a feeling that was followed by a burning feeling as the skeleton snake started to inject some kind of black liquid into her wounds and right into her veins.

The results appeared fast, as lines of black appeared under Bonnie's fur, which went from her shoulder to all of her body, including her head. As she opened her eyes, her sclera and iris were both darkening, until her eyes had become pitch black.

"Okay now." Bonnie said, and she reached out for the bone that she had strapped into the belt, pulling it free and holding it in her paw. As she did, something happened to the bone, as light erupted from it, extending forward and solidifying into a long metal blade. Bonnie was now holding a sword with a bone hilt, and she wasted no time into charging into action.

Dashing forward, the bunny moved much faster than any of her children probably ever saw her moving, as she moved ahead and swung the blade, slicing the legs of the first golem clean off. This caused the now legless golem to fall into the ground, while Bonnie passed by it and immediately jumped in direction to the next golem, swinging the blade and making the head of the golem fly.

Immediately, she needed to make a mortal flip to avoid the incoming punch from another golem, and then she reacted. The blade of the sword extended, becoming very long, and Bonnie swung it vertically, cleaving the golem clean in half. As both halves fell to the ground, the blade of the sword shrunk back to its previous size, and Bonnie was already getting up.

As she did, there was a golem right behind her, its weapon raised and ready to strike down at the bunny. However, it didn't had the chance, for immediately, Sophie came with a flying kick, slamming both of her feet at the golem and producing a large crack on the place where her feet hit the golem.

As she fell, she quickly recovered, falling on her feet, and immediately clenching her fists, as she delivered three well-placed punches right on the spot that her feet had hit, causing the cracking on the golem to increase more. Then, with a fourth punch, the chest of the golem exploded, causing the whole thing to fall down on the ground, unmoving and with pieces of its broken chest all around.

Sophie looked at Bonnie, and the bunny met her gaze, but only for a second, for the two females immediately went into fighting the golems around themselves. Bonnie would jump and duck to avoid the blows, while using her sword to slice through the golems. Meanwhile, Sophie was more physical, as she used her limbs to block and redirect the blow while she fought in a style of Greco-roarman wrestling. Actually, at some point, Sophie grabbed a golem and slammed it into the ground, causing both the golem and the stone ground to break with the impact.

All of this under the eyes of some cops who were able to see the action taking place, and they were quite impressed on how well the bunny and the vixen could fight. Among these cops, were Nick and Judy, who simply... stared.

"Carrots?"

"…huh?"

"Did you know that your mother could fight like that?"

"Uh-uh."

"…okay."

The two cops were not the only ones who were staring, as Bogo was among his officers, and he was watching the whole scene develop. He was making his best to coordinate his officers and to make them at least try to make a difference. However, it was proving to be difficult, as the mages proved to be too much for them to deal with. It was frustrating for him to see the mages repel the efforts of his cops so easily.

Even that scrawny coyote was proving to be a problem, as that red rope of his danced around himself, blocking the darts in midair as they flew. At some point, the coyote flicked his wrist, causing the red rope to glow and to ignite in flames, as he swung it into the air like a flaming whip, using it to repel the cops that came too close, as one of them nearly avoided having his fur burnt.

We don't have training for this kind of thing. Was all that Bogo could think, as he watched impotent on how easily the mages could overwhelm his officers. At the same time, he was seeing how the other mages fought, and he could see that it was on a whole other league, as the small mammals were able to fight the big golems rather easily, including Marceli Mieczyslaw, whom was using his dagger at the golems as he jumped between them easily.

The black tod was slicing through some golems, when one of them made a sweeping movement with its stone paw. The black fox avoided the blow, but it managed to bate the dagger out of his paw, causing it to fly out of his reach. Now he was unharmed facing that golem and three others that were coming his way.

However, the tod showed no fear in the situation. He dodged the blow of the golem and went forward, pressing his paw into its chest, making it glow, as the rune that was on his paw was print into the body of the golem. Then the fox jumped back and backed away a few feet, before pointing his paw at the golem once more.

"Hagalaz!" The fox said, causing the rune on his paw to glow. Immediately, the rune on the golem also glowed, before the golem exploded, making pieces of itself fly all around.

Bogo flinched as he saw this, and many heads actually turned to see what was the explosion, and they saw what the tod had done.

Of course, Marceli was not done with this, as he immediately dashed forward, in direction to the three golems that were coming his way. Marceli passed between the legs of another golem, placing his paw in the backside of the golem as he passed, imprinting the rune into the being's stone butt. He them jumped at the next one, placing his paw in its forehead, causing the rune to be print in there. He then jumped as he went for the last golem, placing his paw on its back as he flew, and quickly imprinting the rune on its back, though it was upside-down.

As he was on the ground again, he immediately jumped forward, and he looked over his shoulder as he pointed his paw back at the golems.

"Hagalaz!"

Then, just like that, all of the three golems exploded right into the points where the rune had been print in them. Pieces of them fell all around as they detonated.

"Holy yeet!" Hudson Coyle said as he saw that, and the other mages were just as impressed, however, they didn't had time to dwell in that, as the battle around them was continuing, forcing them to keep their heads into the battle.

Bogo, however, was still staring at the black fox, even as he recovered his dagger and went back into fighting using it. All the while, Bogo was thinking on what he had just witnessed, and his mind went back to something that he heard a while ago.

"I still recall every detail of it. I remember how that wolf just placed his paw on the other mammals and they stumbled back. The wolf smiled as he waved at them, or just pointed at them, and a second later they would just... explode. Just... boom. They were in pieces all around the place."

Bogo continued to look at the situation that was developing in there, and he looked at how the golems were scatter around after they had exploded. Right after the fox had touched them and then pointed at them with his paw.

It was so familiar.

So strangely similar to what Tim had described to him.

However, there was still the fact that Mieczyslaw was a fox and not a wolf, however, the rest of the similarities was so...

Bogo was so distracted, that he hardly noticed the golem that was coming his way, its stone axe raised and ready to attack the buffalo. However, someone else noticed.

"Bogo!" Benjamin cried out, causing the buffalo to snap out of it just in time to see the raised axe coming down on him.

And stop in midair before it could hit him.

For a while, the axe just stood in there, even after the golem let go of it.

Bogo blinked at the floating axe, before it flew over, and was now hoovering by Clawhauser's side.

The cheetah had a fierce look on his eyes, as he had his paw raised, and the axe floating right by his side, as if it was held by an invisible force.

Then, the chubby cheetah made a sharp gesture with his paw, causing the axe to fly straight into the golem. It hit it in the shoulder, sinking into the stone and making the golem stumble back. Then the cheetah made another gesture, raising his paw, and the axe got itself out of the shoulder of the golem, only to attack again as the cheetah made a chopping movement with his paw.

Bogo could only watch as Clawhauser, with his gestures, caused the axe to attack the golem on its own, cleaving it with strong blows, until the golem fell into the ground and didn't got up anymore.

There was a silence, as Benjamin stood in there, and Bogo continued to look at the cheetah, who had a fierce expression that the buffalo had never actually saw on his face.

"Clawhauser?" The buffalo said, and the cheetah looked at him, however, his attention was turn to the three golems that were coming their way, all of them with stone spears ready. The cheetah didn't wasted time into getting into fighting posture.

As the golems approached, Benjamin turned his paw into a nearby bench. With a sharp movement, he made the bench fly out of the ground and hoover in the air. With another movement, the bench was fling into the golems, smashing into the one that was more in the front, causing it to stumble back.

The cheetah didn't stopped, as he pointed his paw at a nearby lamppost, and with a sharp gesture, he made it snap clean from the ground, and immediately fly to the golems. The lamp went through the shoulder of one of the golems, causing the entire arm to come clean and fall to the ground.

"Wow!" Nick said, as he too had just witnessed what Benjamin had just done. "Man, Spots looks just like a Jedi!"

Ben still had a determined expression on his face as he made a pulling gesture, causing the lamppost to come clean from the shoulder of the golem, causing more of the golem to fall off, and causing the thing to sway, as it looked like it was struggling to stay up. Ben looked like he was ready to attack again. However, one of the golems was faster.

The golem threw its spear, which flew through the air and landed right into the cheetah's shoulder. The force of the spear pulled Ben back, as the tip of the spear sank into his shoulder.

"BEN!" Bogo cried out as he saw the cheetah fall down, the spear sticking out of his shoulder. The feline looked at it, feeling numb as his chief soon was coming his way, and holding him up.

"Ben! Are you alright!?" Bogo said, cradling the cheetah up, while the golems were using this chance to move their direction. They were about to reach them, when a jet of acid flew through the air and hit the golem right on the head, causing it to melt and the golem to fall down.

Soon, the two-headed snake was slithering, and it was now standing between the two mammals and the golems, hissing threateningly as it opened the hoods on both of its necks, which were decorate with threatening red colors.

The golems were not intimidated, and they continued to advance in direction to the animals before them, their own spears ready to fight and to kill what was on their path. However, the snake was faster than they were.

One head opened its mouth, and breathed out a great volume of purple smoke out. It was quick to fill the space in front of itself, acting like a fog that was blocking the vision of the golems. However, that was not its truest purpose, for soon, the other head opened its mouth and clicked its fangs together, producing a spark.

This spark landed on the cloud, immediately causing it to ignite. The result was that the cloud generated a directed explosion that projected forwards, destroying the two golems.

"No one touches-sss the cheetah!" one of the heads said.

"He is-sss ours-sss!" The other one said.

Meanwhile, Bogo was watching from behind the snake, still holding Ben on his arms as the cheetah looked around, seemingly confuse. He was starting to get pale, as the wound of the spear was starting to leak blood, and this prompted Bogo to get even more worried.

Meanwhile, Hudson Coyle was shaking the unconscious form of the wolf.

"Butch! Butch! Wake up, buddy, you are losing all of the action!" The coyote said, however, he seemed to be pretty nervous about the "action" that Butch was losing. To be completely honest, he just wanted to wolf awake so he could feel a bit safer.

While he tried to get the wolf to get up, he still used his flaming rope to keep all of the other cops at distance, as well as to deflect their darts. It was a bit hard to keep track of what was happening on both sides at the same time. Luckily for him, Butch was slowly coming to himself, as he was getting up, massaging his head, which was hurting from the blow that the black fox had gave him.

Up in the air, Lapinsky was surveilling the area, and he was able to catch sight of the wolf getting up, while the coyote was right by his sight.

He immediately identified it as a threat, and he pointed a single plasma gun at these two, aiming to use a blast of plasma to separate them and maybe to knock the wolf down again.

However, in that single moment of distraction, a flaming card swept through his legs, immediately setting his pants on fire.

The bunny quickly realized, and he looked back in time to see another projectile made of flames hit his other leg, exploding in rainbow flames.

This was enough to completely throw him off balance, as the bunny was now falling while his pants were on fire, leaving behind a trail of smoke as he fell.

Luckily, he was able to turn his boots to the ground, making the anti-gravity in them slower his descent enough to save him from a lethal fall, however, he still crashed on the ground and rolled as he landed heavily.

"Lapinsky!" Someone said; looking as the bunny had fallen from the ground in flames like a plane hit by a missile. His pants were still smoking as he laid in the ground.

Percy, who had just hit the bunny and brought him down, was now standing near Evan, and he looked around, seeing the mages that were skillfully destroying the golems, and that soon would surely turn their attention to them. Now, Percy was not afraid of fighting them, but he was smart enough to know when there was no longer a point in fighting.

"We are done in here." The horse said to the dog, and Evan nodded back. Soon, the dog was tapping in his invisible keyboard, and soon, each one of the other three mages heard a voice talking in their ears:

"We are done here. Everyone gather. We will vanish from the party now."

Zane was not happy for having to retreat now, for it would feel as if he was running from a battle. Butch was still a bit confused, but he understood that it was time for them to leave now. Hudson, on his own end, was more than happy for leaving now before things went more south than they had already.

With Butch getting up, he and Hudson now were cutting their way through the golems and the fighting mages. Marceli saw them, and tried to go their way, but was stopped when three more golems entered his path. The two canines moved, and had to stop at a point to avoid getting caught by a misty cyclone that had been created by Sophie and her shorthands, which was now sweeping across the area and knocking golems over, in particular those that were coming for the fallen Lapinsky.

Meanwhile, Zane was effortlessly opening way, as he just slammed his hammer into the ground and made the ground burst up, disorientating the cops enough for him to pass without any problem, as if he was just making a stroll.

Eventually, all of them were walking to Percy and Evan, and the dog had already created a blue screen on the air.

However, there was one cop that was seeing this, and that was not willing to just stand in there and watch as the culprits escaped.

"Oh, no you won't!" Judy said, as she dashed in their direction.

"Carrots!" Nick cried out, but it was too late, she was already rushing in direction to the bad guys.

They were already passing by the blue screen, one by one, and vanishing from sight. It was pretty much like when Judy and Nick first saw it months ago, back at the storehouse, as they simply disappeared by crossing the screen, which seemed to be like some short of portal. However, this time Judy was onto them, and she was not going to give up easily.

The dog was the last one to pass, as they crossed the blue screen. However, Judy caught up to him, and she immediately was able to jump into the screen, passing through it just seconds before it vanished.

Nick was on her tail, and he watched as she disappeared inside that screen before it vanished like a television being switch off.

"Judy?" Nick said, looking around and seeing no sight of the bunny.

Oh crap! Did she followed them? Had she been transport to their hideout somewhere?

"Judy!" Nick cried out, and Judy's voice answered.

"Nick! They are getting away!"

"Wha?" Nick said, looking around, but seeing no one. "Judy?"

"Nick! They are escaping!"

"Judy! Where are you?!"

"I'm right here!" The bunny said, not getting why Nick was looking to all sides when she was just a few feet in front of him. "I am right..." She was saying, but stopped when she took a good look into her arm.

It was normal, but now it seemed to be a bit translucent, as if Judy herself suddenly became a hologram.

The bunny blinked, and looked back at Nick, who still looked around and called for her. That was when she realized that he could not see her.

She looked back at the retreating mages. She could see them, but they looked translucent as well, and they passed by a few other cops, but they acted as if they weren't even there. That as when Judy realized what truly was happening.

Sweet cheese and crackers! They become invisible! I become invisible!

"Stop them!" Judy cried out, as she now ran forward, in direction to the runaway mages. "They are still here, but they are invisible! You guys have to stop- Ah!"

Judy was stop in the middle of her phrase, and she had her short run cut, as a golem stumbled on her way, and nearly stepped on the invisible bunny.

Marceli was on top of the golem, and he had his dagger raised, before he brought it down right on the top of the head of the golem, burying it to the hilt into the stone creature.

The golem remained still for a few moments, before it collapsed, first on its knees and then it laid on the ground. Marceli jumped off the golem, sighing as he just finished that.

He didn't saw Judy, but she was in there, next to him, and she looked over.

She could no longer see the mages. They had escaped.

Nick was soon coming, as he was following Judy's voice, and after a few moments, he was able to find her. Well, "find" in the sense that he knew where she was, for he was still unable to see her, for she had turned invisible, just like the enemy mages had done so they could escape the place.

Meanwhile, the women were finishing with the golems, as Emilia shattered the last one with a well place punch, breaking its head into several small pieces that scattered around the ground.

She panted a little bit, as Sophie and Bonnie had also finished with their own golems, and now there was not even one of them standing. The mages finally were able to breathe a little bit. In this, some had time to remember the guy who was taken down.

"Lapinsky!" Emilia said, turning to look at the bunny, who was still right where he fell. Soon, the vixen was rushing in his direction.

"Hey, Lapinsky! Dude! Are you okay?"

She approached, and she saw that the bunny was flinching. Soon he was getting up, using his arms to support himself.

"I let myself be hit." The bunny said, seemingly more to himself than to the vixen who was talking to him. "I let my guard down. I should know better."

"Yeah, you surely got hit." Emilia said to him, "Man, you sure you are okay?"

"I'm fine." Lapinsky said, looking up at the vixen. "No wounds of any kind."

"You sure? Because they hit you right in the... legs..." The vixen said, and she looked at the legs of the bunny. They had become visible now that the legs of his pants burned. However, it was visible that the legs themselves didn't had any kind of harm. And looking at them, it was easy to tell why...

It turns out that what everyone thought were boots, were actually the feet of the legs of the rabbit. Through the burned pants, it was possible to clearly see the grey coloration of the metal of the prosthetic legs, combined with the blue glow that was coming from their trimming; making them seen like prosthesis from a futuristic movie (not that Emilia herself saw many).

As she looked at the prosthetic legs, the bunny was getting up, dusting his suit, and straightening his tie, as he walked to his fallen plasma guns and picked both of them.

"Like I said." The bunny spoke, putting his plasma guns back on his belt. "No wounds of any kind."

That was enough to the vixen, who smiled at him.

"Good to know. By the way, your legs are nice." She said with a smile, and Lapinsky looked at her as she spoke that, as if he wanted to see the mockery in her face. However, he saw none in her eyes, and neither had he heard it in her voice. It seemed that she was really sincere in saying that.

"Thank you." Was the bunny's simple answer, before he turned around and walked away.

Meanwhile, the two-headed snake was looking around, as if it was looking to see if there was any golem left that could come. Soon it convinced itself that there was none, and then it turned to look at the two mammals. Bogo was still with the cheetah on his arms, and he was on the radio.

"Enter this mall as fast as possible and have the paramedics ready! Clawhauser is losing blood and he will need medical attention as soon as possible!" The buffalo nearly shouted into his radio, as he looked down at Benjamin, who was starting to truly look worryingly pale on his arms.

Danmit! Danmit! Danmit! Bogo thought as he tried to talk to the cheetah, telling him to stay awake and to breathe slowly, and he just hoped that the help was going to come soon.

The bovine was about to start calling his other officers for help, when he noticed the shadow that had befallen them. He looked up to see the two pairs of red eyes of the snake looking back at him.

Bogo was froze on spot, and the snake was leaning forward, but it seemed not to be giving any form of attention to the buffalo, as both of its eyes were focused on the cheetah, who was looking back at them, as he was much paler than normal.

One of the heads leaned forward, and flickered its tongue. It lapped over the wound that was open by the spear, lathering it with a slime-like saliva. Benjamin immediately flinched a bit as the wound smoked, but relaxed as soon as the wound started to close, the bleeding stopping completely.

"There." The snake said, as its other head retreated, tasting the blood that remained on the tongue. "All better now... well, kind of."

Benjamin was still pale, but his breathing was becoming more even, and he was looking a bit better, and his eyes focused on the snake as Bogo still held him.

"Sss-so, guess-ssssss you won't need us-sss here anymore." The snake said, and Benjamin looked back at the snake. As if it was a silent agreement, the cheetah nodded and, with a single gesture, the magecraft that summoned the snake was undone, and it was now starting to disappear into white mist.

Ben looked at the cheetah, whose's bleeding had stopped, and then at the snake that just stopped the bleeding and saved his life.

"Thank you..." Bogo said, and the snake looked at him as it disappeared.

"Don't thank us-sss." One of the heads said, "We didn't do it out of kindness-ssssss or anything."

"We did it becau-sss-se if the cheetah died, we would lo-sss-se a lot." The other head spoke.

"Familiars-sss like us-sss sss-sruvive in the life of the mage who sss-summons-sss them." The firs head spoke, looking at the buffalo, "If Ben died, we would no longer have the chance to taste the delicious-sss life that he can offer."

Bogo looked at the snake as it spoke that, and it looked back at him.

"We want Benjamin alive sss-so we can keep feeding on him." The other head said, right before the two heads also vanished in white mist, the red eyes being the last part to disappear, as they glowed like red stars before vanishing in the air.

With this, the situation was overall solved. With all of the golems destroyed and the hostages all rescued. Of course, the mages had escaped, but what mattered was that everyone else was safe and sound. Judy had become invisible as she had passed through that screen to go after the mages, but Lapinsky assured her that there was nothing to worry.

"It is just an electrostatic field generated around your body that refracts the light. Don't worry, it can't last more than just a few minutes."

Judy would be visible soon, that was what the bunny agent meant. This was enough for the two cops, who felt a bit calmer at this.

All in all, it seemed that the situation now was definitely solved.

"Murder on the Orient Express."

"What?" Nick said, looking in direction of Judy, who just spoke that. In her direction, for she was still invisible due to the "static-electric whatever it was that Lapinsky said". He could not see her, but he knew she was in there because he had his paw resting right on her invisible shoulder.

It was a bit strange to the fox, hearing Judy's voice and feeling her shoulder under his paw, but looking in there and not really seeing her.

"The movie we are going to watch on our next movie night." The invisible bunny said, looking back at Nick as he looked at her direction. "I really loved the book when I read it, and I want to see the movie. I still haven't since it came out last year."

Nick looked for a few moments, and he nodded. He knew that movie, based on an old detective romance about a murder on a train. It actually sounded a bit interesting, if Nick was completely honest.

"I'd still rather watch Die Hog."

As the mammals finished what they were doing, all of them had failed to notice the three mammals that were nearby, hiding behind a tree, watching to the scene unfold. One of them had a camera, and it had recorded most of the action that had just transpired.

"Wow..." Patrick said, as he zoomed out with his camera. Sully and Shawn were right next to him, as all of them were hiding behind the same tree. Shawn's head was just beneath the hyena's, and Sully's head was beneath Shawn's, as all of them peered to see. All of them looked baffled.

Sully, however, looked pretty giddy.

"One million viewers, here we go."

The door in which they had been working had finally been unblocked, as Jackalson finished using the amulet to unwind the "bounded field" or whatever it was and the officers were able to move the blockage that was keeping them from entering. The first thing they noticed was a distraught and very nervous group of mammals right on the other side of the door, all of them looking over their shoulders as if they were afraid that something could come after them at any moment.

The mammals were quickly scouted out, while the special teams started to enter the mall, ready to go pay help to the team that was still on the inside taking care of the problem and rescuing the other officers.

Once outside, many of the mammals were finally being able to breathe a little easier. They were soon receiving medical attention and they were able to breathe. The reporters on the group, once on the outside, were able to recover the signal on their cameras and were amazingly fast into starting to make a live transmission, describing their own fight for survival, along with that of the other mammals who were with them.

Vicky looked with disdain at these mammals, as she and Cameron were both being check by the paramedics.

Many of the mammals were relieved for having got out of there. However, some of them were still worried for the ones still inside. The cops were worried for their friends on the inside, and McHorn, in particular, was worried about Meerkovitz, once the last he heard of him it seemed that the meerkat was having trouble. Gazelle was with Tyson, and they both were worried about the other three, as they had gave them the chance to run and tasked Tyson with making sure that Gazelle was okay, which the tiger was still doing, despite his worry. And Bellwether...

Well, the ewe looked a bit distraught to who looked at her. During the time the cops were going inside with their weaponry, the ewe had talked to them, insisted on them to find the fox that was with her and make sure that he was okay. Some of them thought it was a bit strange the ewe being so worried about a fox, but they mostly ignored her as they went inside. This only served to make the ewe even more nervous.

The sun had already set, and it were the early hours of the night as the mammals exited the vehicle and were being see by the medics. Still, there was a large crowd around the mall, made by civilians and reporters, as well as the authorities that wanted to keep order to everything. Many of them tried to get a glimpse of the mammals that came out, that is, until even more mammals were coming out of the mall.

It were the mages and the cops, followed by a large crowd of rescued mammals.

The hostages were all priority in there, and the cops and mages remained on the background as they saw the civilians being saw to.

Judy was next to Nick, as she had become visible again after a few minutes, just as Lapinsky had said. She was still thinking that they should try and look for the runaway mages, once they probably had become visible too. However, it seemed that everyone agreed that this was a matter for another time.

Sophie was next to her son, and so was Bonnie. As soon as they caught sight of her, Stu and the rest of the Hopps children were quick to rush to her, asking her if she was fine and if she had not gotten hurt, to which the older bunny was quick to reassure all of them, saying that she was fine and not harmed in any way. One or two of them, however, were able to notice the blood that was coming from two puncture wounds that she had on her shoulder, along a slimy black substance. Sophie just remained next to her soon, seeing the female bunny be surround by her family.

As the hostages were see to, some were looking among them, looking for specific mammals. Among them were Gazelle and Tyson, who looked for the others, and Dawn, who was calling out for Krys, and asking others if they saw him. They eventually came to the cops to ask if they saw them on their way out.

This, of course, caught the attention of the enforcers, who heard how Dawn was asking about Krystin, and they were, of course, going to her, to ask what was going on.

"Where is Krystin?" Was Marceli's direct question. However, the ewe didn't answered.

She looked between him and Emilia, who both looked expectantly at her. She looked sad, even scared, and she looked down. It was as if she could not stand to face them. This only served to make the two more worried.

"Where is Krys?" Emilia asked, getting increasingly more worried the more the ewe didn't answered. She walked forward and grabbed the ewe by the shoulders. "What happened to him? What happened to my cousin!?"

"Grabbing someone by the shoulders roughly?" Said a strong voice, which resounded above the rest of the noise, and caused everyone to look at whom it belonged to.

"Now, that is a behavior that can give enforcers a bad fame."

The one who spoke was dignified, and the voice itself carried some kind of authority and power that made other silent after hearing it. Not only that, but they were opening space to the one who just spoke, as well as to the others that were by his side. The one who spoke was right in the center, and he was the tallest of the three. He stood on 6'4'' feet tall, being quite tall for a sheep. He had a coating of white wool with an underfur that was just as white, and it was puffy, as it was expect for a sheep, but it was possible to notice that he had actual muscle under that wool. On his head, he had a proud and impressive set of horns, yellow in coloration and certainly looking like a matter of pride for the ram. His eyes were deep brown, with round pupils, and they looked with a cold fierceness up ahead as he walked forward. He was some important sheep, if the fine clothes that he wore and the dignified posture that he had as he walked were of any indication.

By his sides two other mammals were coming. The first one was a fox. The vulpine stood on 3'9'' feet tall, not being particularly tall for a fox, but he certainly was dignified. He was wearing a clothing that was basically a regal outfit of purple coloration, that made contrast with his cherry-red fur and the pure-white on his muzzle and down his neck, as well as the dark coloration on his feet, on his hands, and on his ears. His tail was long and bushy, with a white tip. He had a serene and friendly smile on his muzzle and a warm and wise look to his champagne-colored eyes. He looked to be on his early twenties, and on top of his physical shape, however, he was slightly hunch as he walked, and he used the help of a golden cane.

By the other side came the shortest of them, and also the only female. The bunny doe should be around three feet tall, however, her long ears added one more foot. The fur on her body was of a cloudy-gray coloration, with a pink coloration on the fur of her muzzle and down her neck and chest, and the same pink color on the inside of her ears, one of which had two earrings in it, one of them with a nice crystal hanging from it. The same pinkish fur went on the inside of her arms. Her eyes were of a red coloration, with her sclera being of a pinkish coloration, which stood behind a pair of half-moon glasses. She was wearing a figure-hugging indigo and purple dress, which showed off her voluptuous body, with an hourglass figure, delicate curved hips and a modest pair of... assets.

"What the?" Judy said as she saw the three mammals walking forward proudly, as if they owned the place and had all the right to be there. Some of the cops had the same looks; the mages, however, had some different reactions.

"Oh, crap..." Tyson said as he stood next to Gazelle.

"Oh, man..." Emilia said as she looked.

"Oh, no..." Dawn Bellwether said, now looking nervous.

"Oh, Frith..." Bonnie said, now looking truly worried.

"Oh, my..." Sophie said, as she stood by her son's side.

"Hey!" One of the cops said, a wolf, and he was standing on the way of the three. "Civilians are not allowed here, this is a scene-"

The wolf was not allowed to finish, for the three didn't even slowed down or dignified to look at him. Even the ram didn't really looked at the wolf as he simply pushed him out of the way, causing him to land on his butt on the ground, as they continued to walk forward.

They eventually stopped in front of the enforcers, looking at them and ignoring everyone else. The ram, in particular, was also looking at the ewe that was with them, and she seemed to shrink under his hard gaze.

"What is going on?" McChill asked, walking forward. "Who are you?"

The three mammals ignored him, as they had their attention fully on the mammals that stood before them.

"Dawn." The ram said, looking at the ewe. She looked at him for a few moments, looking like she wanted to turn around, run away and hide. However, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, she fixed her glasses on her face and looked back at the ram, before she spoke:

"Hello, father."

Father!? Was the thought on the head of some of the ones near, as they looked between the small ewe and the ram who looked at her with a severe expression.

The ram then looked away from the ewe, and focused his attention on the two foxes.

"What has happened here?" He asked, his tone was authoritative, and it seemed that he was giving a command rather than asking a question. Emilia seemed to have an answer on the tip of her tongue, but Marceli was quick to silence her by placing a paw on her shoulder.

"A situation has developed." Marceli said, "But it has been solved now."

"Tell us." The ram said again, and he really sounded like he was a king giving commands to a lowly peasant. However, someone had something to say.

"Excuse me!" Judy said, walking forward, this prompted the three newcomers all to look at her. Bonnie was quick to whisper to her daughter, asking her to "don't do it", but the bunny ignored her. "Just who are you three to come here and start asking questions?"

The tone of the bunny made it clear that she didn't had any fear of the three, and the ram seemed not to like it. He glared at the bunny, and he seemed like he wanted to say something to her. However, the fox beat him to it.

"Oh, yes!" The vulpine said, his voice sounded jovial and pleasant to the ears. He seemed to be far friendlier than the ram, as he looked at the bunny. "We were so nervous about this happening that we completely forgot our manners! We didn't even introduced ourselves!"

With this, the fox looked around and made a small respectful bow, as he spoke:

"My name is Noah Wilde, known as the One True Son of Zootopia, and I am the current patriarch of the Wilde clan."

Wilde?

"Known as Queen of the Dead." The bunny said, as she spoke next, "I am Verona Höhle, current matriarch of the Höhle clan."

The ram looked at both of them, and he then looked around, at all of the mammals that were looking at him. Grunting and rolling his eyes in annoyance, right before he let out a resigned sigh and said:

"Asher Bellwether. Patriarch of the Bellwether clan."

With that said, the ram turned his attention back at the two foxes, and commanded again:

"Now, tell us what happened here."

"We need to know everything." Verona Höhle said to them, and she sounded a lot nicer than the ram. "Please."

They looked with mistrust at the bunny, despite her friendly behavior, and soon, Marceli started to give a report of all that he knew about the subject, in details.

Some of the ones around looked with raised eyebrows as the fox gave explanations to these three mammals who just walked in there as if they were the lords of the place. However, some of them were worried about other things to actually give it any attention. Among them was Bogo.

The buffalo was more worried into getting medical attention to Benjamin, once the cheetah still looked pretty pale, despite not being as bad as he was back then. He helped the cheetah to walk, and made sure to find a medic that could check on him, and soon, they told him that the cheetah looked fine, although it seemed that he lost a significant amount of blood, and would be needed to be taken to the hospital to be attended on and receive a transfusion.

"Ben!" A voice called, cutting through the air, and Bogo turned to look. He saw another mammal that was trying to get in there, but was stop by the officers in there. The horse was a bit shorter than Bogo, but was still rather tall. He had brown fur on his body and a mane of pure white. He had a black muzzle and snout, and his brown eyes looked forward worried as he looked at the scene before him. He was nicely dressed, as if he was going into a sophisticated dinner in town, or was attending to a special event, probably the opening of his own store on the mall.

"Ben! On my god! Ben!" The horse said, looking distraught as he saw all of the blood on the shirt of the cheetah, and how pale he looked. His gaze turned to the buffalo. "Chief Bogo! What happened to Ben!? Is he okay!? Please, tell me he is going to be okay!"

"He will be fine, Mr. Manechester." The buffalo said, looking at Chandler Manechester as he spoke that. "He just lost some blood and need to be taken to the hospital for a transfusion, but he will be fine, he is not in danger."

The horse was relieved for hearing this, and he was able to relax, although he was a bit nervous as he saw the doors of the ambulance close and they get ready to take the cheetah to the hospital, where they would give blood to him. Bogo had the distinctive impression that the horse would be going to the hospital where they would be taking Ben on that same night.

Well, not really a surprise, considering how good friends these two are.

"So, that is basically all of it." Marceli finished, "We will be writing a more detailed report for the Association, but we can make sure that you receive a copy of it, if you want."

"We will." Asher Bellwether said; his gaze as imperial and his tone as condescending as during the first word he said to the foxes. Some of them looked at the ram with raised eyebrows or with glares, as that guy seemed to be a true jerk.

"Look! Someone else is coming!"

The voice made everyone look, and they saw another group of mammals coming out of the mall. The three tigers were talking together, Tyrone with a blackened eye and Tyler had his paw holding his bleeding shoulder. Lana and Jade were walking side by side, with the kangaroo holding a golem head under her arm and seeming like she was bragging about something, to which the ewe by her side smiled, but the smile died as soon as she looked and saw Asher in there. Next to her, Meerkovitz was coming, he had his rifle with him, and he was limping on one leg. On the group, walking on the front, was a fox who had a line of blood coming out of a wound on his forehead, but other than that looked unharmed.

"Krys!" Dawn said, as she immediately sprint into running, going in direction to the fox.

Upon arriving, she threw her arms around his body in a hug.

"Oh, Krys! I was so worried about you!"

The tod looked down on her, and he smiled. Soon, he was pulling her away so he could kneel and look her in the face.

"You shouldn't have been." He said to her, "After all, I am a trooper. Besides, I gave you my word I'd met you outside, didn't I? And no way I was going to break that promise." He said, making the same signal as before as he smiled at the ewe.

They looked at each other for a long moment, and then, Dawn made something that no one would ever expect of her in a situation like that:

She leaned forward and kissed the fox on the lips.

This surprised the tod, as his eyes widened, and he was left actionless by the sudden kiss.

It lasted for a few seconds, before the ewe pulled back. She looked at the surprised face of the tod before looking down, seemingly ashamed of what she had just done.

There was a brief silence, before the tod placed his two paws on her face and lifted it. Their eyes met and this time it was the tod who would lean forward and kiss the ewe's lips.

This kiss was longer, more passionate, and by the time it was over, the two stared at each other's eyes.

"Uhhh, Krys?"

The voice broke them out of it, and made them look at the two foxes who were in there. Marceli had crossed eyes and an unreadable expression, while Emilia looked with a raised eyebrow.

That was the moment when the tod and ewe suddenly remembered that they were not alone. As they looked around, they now saw that nearly all eyes were on them, from the mages to the cops to the many reporters and civilians around. Some cameras even were point at their direction. All kinds of looks were coming, from surprise to shock, from confusion to disgust; some of them even were looks of outrage. Lana, however, was smiling, and she gave a thumbs-up to her sister.

Blushing, the two mammals straightened themselves, both looking like they wanted to disappear from sight.

"Well, I guess that we are done in here, aren't we?" Noah Wilde said, looking to his two companions. The bunny agreed with him. The ram, however, looked in direction to Dawn and Krys, and he had a scowl on his face.

"Yes." He said, and soon, he was turning around and walking away. The expression on his face was enough to make most of the mammals around to open space to avoid being on his way. As he walked, the fox and bunny stayed behind.

"Good seeing you, Sophie!" Noah Wilde said to the vixen that stood near Nick, "Try to appear home next week! We'll be having that roasted quail that you used to love!"

With this, the fox turned around and left. Sophie was blushing slightly, as the actions of the fox caused attention to turn to her.

The bunny, Verona Höhle, is the last to leave, and she looked in direction to the Hoppses. Bonnie immediately steps forward and stand in front of the bunny, glaring at her, almost as if she was shielding her family from Verona. She simply smiled at Bonnie, and said:

"Good seeing you again, Helga."

With this, she turns around, but Bonnie continues to glare at her.

"Helga?" Judy asks, a bit confuse.

"Yeah, apparently that is mom's baptism name." Jason says to his sister. "Helga Höhle."

Judy blinked.

Helga Höhle.

Verona Höhle. Matriarch of the Höhle clan.

As the three were leaving, Marceli sighed, and he soon was walking to the others.

"Didn't really expected these three to come here." He said, more to himself than to others, "But well, I guess that it is to be expected when something like that happens in their city."

"'Their' city?" Judy asking, looking at the black tod. "What do you mean by 'their' city? How are these three? And why were you acting as if they were friends with the mayor?"

The black tod looked at her, and it seemed that he was considering just how much he should tell her. After a while, he said:

"They are the current heads of the Bellwether, Wilde and Höhle clans." The black tod said, "Three of the most important mage clans of the modern world. Not only that, but these three are also Archmages, and they are the Second Owners of the Sacred Land of Zootopia."

Judy and Nick both stared at the black tod. Nick looked at the three departing mammals, and he looked back at Marceli.

"Huh?"

Chapter Text

October 15th, 2018 – The Morning Report

THE MAGES WHO LIVE AMONG US

Yesterday, during the take of the New Den Plaza, a many mammals were made hostages by a group of criminal mages making use of stone beings described as "golems". Luckily, these mammals were rescue by the combined efforts of the ZPD with the enforcers sent by the Mage's Association. However, these mammals also counted with the help of mages who happened to be present during the event, and who helped in fighting the criminal mages and rescuing all of the hostages.

Among these, were know mages, like Dawn Bellwether, who became stranded in the mall during the attack, and Zillah Ferron, who decided to help after seeing news of the taking of the mall. However, among them were also other individuals who were mages, and who lived among the non-mage population unknowingly. Between them were Sophie Wilde, Bonnie Hopps, Chloe Fanghanel and ZPD Officer Benjamin Clawhauser.

Sophie Wilde is a widower, mother of the ZPD Officer Nicholas Wilde. She has entered the mall after the attack had started, according to sources, to help her son. She is said to be an ex-mage who has renounced magecraft shortly before her son was born.

Bonnie Hopps is the mother of 382 children, including ZPD Officer Judith Hopps. She was with her family during a visit to the mall, and she, along with them, was stranded in the building as it was taken. In order to defend her family, she made use of a special magic shotgun that she was carrying with her for unknown reasons. Sources claim that Bonnie Hopps is a necromancer, a mage who uses the remains of the dead to make magecraft, and that during the attack she used the corpses of mammals killed by the golems to create zombies. Sources have also revealed that her baptism name is Helga Höhle and that, despite living in BunnyBurrow with her husband and children, she was born in the city of Zootopia.

Chloe Fanghanel, maiden name Chloe Dapperclaw, is the wife of ZPD officer Eliot Fanghanel. She moved to Zootopia with her husband shortly after her marriage. According to the presents, she played an important role in aiding their escape, as she, according to witnesses, "summoned ghosts to serve as their scouts on their way out".

Officer Benjamin Clawhauser is a twenty-six year old officer of the Precinct one. He was not born on the city of Zootopia, but moved to the city five years ago, entering the Police Academy shortly after. He joined the ZPD with excellent grades at the academy, and as the top of his class in shooting practice. According to sources, Benjamin Clawhauser is an ex-mage who abandoned his home and moved to Zootopia after having renounced magecraft. The cheetah has been injure during the event and was take to the hospital to receive a blood transfusion.

Other mages who were present at the local were Tyson, Tyrone, Tyrell and Tyler Tigereye. The three brothers are better known as the dancers of the famous singer Gazelle, two of them had been stranded with her on the mall while the other two invaded the mall later, along with Sophie Wilde, in order to succor the popstar and the other two tigers. There are rumors that one of the criminal mages who has taken the mall was a relative of the four brothers, such information, however, has not receive confirmation.

These mages have been living as common mammals, while the population was unaware of their past and their nature as mages and ex-mages. It is currently unknown if such information were known previously by those immediately close to them, for the ZPD has remained silent on the matter and the popstar Gazelle has been unavailable to speak.

There is also a rumor about an unknown antelope mage in the local. His identity has not yet been confirm, although those who were in the local described him as "a crazy guy who screamed a lot."

"Damn." Nick said, as he finished reading the reportage that was in there. Along with it, there were pictures of the mammals they spoke about. There was his mother standing next to him and Mrs. Hopps surrounded by her family, both of them still on the clothes they used to fight the mammals on the mall. They also had a picture of the four tigers next to the singer, and a shot of Benjamin, pale and being take to the ambulance with Chief Bogo's help.

"I just don't believe how fast these guys are." He said, as he dropped the newspaper on the front desk, where he was sitting, with Judy, Eliot and Ben all around him. Benjamin was a lot better than he was on the previous day, much to everyone's relief, as they all were happy for having their favorite bubbly cheetah back on the front desk, where they all were used to see him. "The guys practically published everything that they could find, and they even mentioned our names."

"They didn't took a picture of Pumpkin, though." The wolf said, "She would have look nice on the newspaper."

Judy looked up at the wolf, while Nick only sighed and shook his head. The wolf talked as if that was a nice thing; however, the two cops knew that it was not really nice for people to end up on the newspaper for being part of something like that. Including Benjamin, who seemed that practically had his life researched as they wanted to find as much about him a possible in order to publish on the paper.

"They even got a hold of my grades at the academy." The cheetah said, taking the newspaper and looking at it. "Those were supposed to be confidential... wow, I looked pale!" The big cat said as he looked at the picture they had of him. He looked worryingly pale there, due to blood loss, by the way, much of it blood seemed to have leaked and stayed his fur and the shirt he was wearing.

No wonder everyone looked so worried back then.

"Yeah, you truly looked terrible." Nick said, looking at his cheetah friend. "Hard to believe that you are back into the donut office already."

"Yeah, the medics said that I was alright, that I had no contusions and no wounds, and I just needed the blood transfusion to be fine again." The cheetah said, "One of them said that, with the amount of blood I seemed to have lost, I could very well have died. So... lucky me, huh?"

"Yeah, lucky." Nick said to him, "Our favorite lucky ex-mage."

He had a smile as he said that, but Ben looked a bit down at this. Yeah, now everyone knew that he used to be a mage.

Benjamin kind of expected this day to come ever since the day that magecraft was revealed. On some occasions, he even thought about revealing this to them himself, however, he never had the nerve to do it. Now, all of them knew, and they actually found out through a dire situation.

Benjamin did expected things to change after this. He totally expected some to avoid him, or even someone to come and demand from him why he kept it a secret from his brothers in blue. However, no one really came to demand anything from him, and no one was really avoiding him currently.

As a matter of fact, most of them still treated him pretty much the same way they always did. Although, he did had the impression that some of them were giving him weird looks, among them was McChill...

"Hey, dude." Nick said, getting Ben to look up, "No need to be so blue about it. We are not mad at you for having been a mage."

Ben looked at him, and at the other two, and saw that they indeed didn't looked mad.

"Really? I mean... I did kept it a secret from everyone."

"You had your reasons." Eliot said to him, "Pumpkin kept it a secret from me because she wanted to protect me from problems, and also because she was afraid that I wouldn't like anymore." He said, and he seemed a bit sad at this, but then he looked up.

"But I still love!" He said firmly, with a serious expression on his face. "I love with all of my heart, and I always will, and nothing will make me give up on her! I accept her as she is, with her magecraft and everything! And so I accept you, my dear friend!"

Eliot was deadly serious as he said that, and he talked directly at Ben as he spoke that. This made Ben look at him a bit weird, and so did the other cops. All of sudden, the wolf seemed like a character from one of these Japanese cartoons that the cubs of nowadays saw...

"Yeah. Our dear White Fang is right." Nick said to his cheetah friend, "You are still the same big and happy cheetah that we have always known, and the fact that you have magecraft doesn't changes that. Although, you can't really blame us for being a little surprised."

Yeah, that much was truth.

They were still surprised for finding out that Ben used to be a mage. Just like they were surprised for finding out that some close to them used to be mages as well. I mean, how would you feel if you suddenly found out that your mother used to be a wizard?

It was a whole lot to process, and everyone could agree with that.

"Yeah... one of the points of being an ex-mage was to live as if you were never a mage in first place." Ben said, trying to justify himself. "They kind of practiced this while magecraft was still a secret."

"We understand, Ben." Judy said, making the cheetah look down to her, "You don't need to explain, it is okay."

She was really sincere as she said that, and this warmed Ben's heart, to know that his friends all still cared about him. It was something really nice.

"Well, being an ex-mage was also not the only secret you kept." Nick said, causing the three mammals to look at him, and he had his eyes on the cheetah.

"I mean, when did you planned to tell us that you were BFFs with a Manechester?"

"O-oh!" Ben said, "Well, that... W-well, this is something that I didn't really kept a secret. I-its just that I never really came out during a conversation."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Nick said, and he was smiling at his cheetah friend, "Still, it is a Manechester, and it is Chandler Confectioner himself! The guy is kind of a big deal in the candy world, you know?"

"Yeah." Ben said, "I actually met him before he started doing confections. He rented an apartment that was just next to my own first apartment when I moved to Zootopia. One night, we started to talk and after that we started to hang out together. Before I knew it, we were great friends. He still give me some gifts on Christmas and on my birthday."

"Oh." Nick said, looking at him, "Well, next time you talk to him, maybe you could let it slip that Precinct 1 could use some donations."

"Oh, I couldn't do that!" Ben said quickly, "I mean, I already feel guilty when he spends money on the expensive gifts that he gives me, I couldn't bring myself to ask him money for the ZPD!"

"Hey, it's okay, buddy, I was just kidding." Nick said, cursing himself in silence for forgetting how Benjamin could take things seriously sometimes. The look that Judy was giving him was also not helping, as she too thought that he could have chosen something better to say.

However, she had to admit that he managed to break tension a bit. It seemed that this was just what was needed to diverge Ben from the matter and to make him relax, even if juts a bit.

"Hey, guys!" Someone called, and the mammals turned their head to look at McHorn.

"Everyone is waiting at the briefing room! You guys might want to come now!" The rhino said to them, still at the door. "The Chief and the enforcers both want to talk about what happened yesterday, and it seems that this is really important!"

"Right!" Eliot said, as Judy and Nick both jumped off the front desk and were waving bye to Ben as they walked in direction to the Bullpen, leaving the cheetah behind in his duty.

The cheetah waved bye to them, and he opened another pack of donuts, as he got ready to wait, when suddenly...

"Oh boy..." He said, and pressed the button on the intercom that he had, and soon, there was a voice answering.

"Deermond here. Is that you, Ben?" The voice on the other end said, and the cheetah was soon answering.

"Hey, Lewis. How you doing?" The cheetah said, and he was shifting a bit on his seat. "So, I know that you already stayed in my place in the front desk yesterday, but any chance you could take my place in here just for a few minutes. Is that... well, nature is calling, you know?"

"Sure, I'll be there in two minutes." The stag on the other end said, and Ben continued to shift on his seat.

"Could it be in one? I think that hospital food did something to me..." He spoke, and his stomach grumbled in a weird way as a bad shiver went up his spine. "Oh, sweet goodness..."

The three officers soon were making their way into the Bullpen and to their respective seats. Meanwhile, they passed by many of their fellow officers, and they could notice that the main topic was still what happened yesterday.

The enforcers were already in there, leaning against the wall as they waited, along with everyone else. Jackalson was in there as well, with his trusted computer. However, it seemed that this time he was in there only to watch, as he didn't seemed to be getting anything ready for any presentation. He simply stood there close to his mage bosses.

Soon, Bogo was coming in, and once ready, he looked at all of his officers.

"Okay, I think it is safe to assume that all of you have a lot of questions to ask, and I know that we have a lot of work to do, but before it all, there are a few things that I want to say." There was a silence after he said these words, and everyone looked at him. "First of all, I'd like to compliment all of you for the bravery and determination that you showed yesterday. We were never trained to deal with mages or anything of supernatural, which I think that we will need to work into, but all things considered, I have to say that all of you showed that you were worth your badges. You might not hear me say that again, but you made me proud."

"Oh, Chief, you make me blush." Nick said, as he could not avoid being the joker, even in a situation like that.

"Save that for your partner, Wilde", Bogo said, before he continued, "Also, I'd like to let you know that our officers who have gotten stranded on the mall and injured are all safe and doing okay." The buffalo said to them, "None of them suffered anything worse than dislocated shoulder, and yes, I'm talking about Fangmeyer. She will remain with her arm immobilized for now and will be back on duty in a week. Until then, I'll be pairing Wolfard with Officer Andersen." The wolf and bear both made a salute at that, and everyone nodded. "Also, Meerkovitz is also fine, but he will have to stay in the hospital for a few more days as they see to that leg injury, but the doctors are sure that the wound is only superficial, and he will only need a couple staples and he will soon be on desk duty for a while as his leg heals." Many nodded at this. It was good to know that their fellow officers had not gotten seriously hurt in all of that.

However, some of them still remembered that there had been at least a few fatal victims to that whole chaos...

"Now, back on the topic..." Bogo said, placing his glasses, and looking at the files that he had brought. He was now looking at it. "The events of yesterday. Yes, there is some information on that."

He looked into the files, and spoke to his officers.

"We have at least two hundred mammals who went from there straight into the hospital, and we already have at least twenty five confirmed casualties." He said, and he could feel the tension that was forming on the room, as he looked around. "We have many mammals who were said to have done things while under the effects of hypnosis, and the remains of many of these golems."

He stopped for a moment, and he looked back at the enforcers.

"Now, I was told yesterday that you two had an idea of who was the one who fabricated these golems." The buffalo said, looking at both of the foxes. "You mentioned something about some 'MTC' that actually sold these things, right?"

The two vulpine shared a look, and Marceli was the one who took the front, and he spoke:

"Yes... there is no doubt about that." The black tod said, looking at Bogo, "These golems definitely belong to the MTC."

He looked around, "We have been brought to attention that the MTC was acting in Zootopia, when officers Wilde and Hopps brought us the remains of two of their golems." He spoke, and his gaze landed on the two officers that he spoke about. "Thanks to them we knew that the MTC was here, however, we were focused on our mission, and we decided to investigate it in a more convenient time."

"Well, not your smartest decision, was it?" McChill asked, as he looked at the fox. His tone was rather aggressive, as some could notice, including the two foxes.

Marceli locked eyes with the polar bear for a moment, and some even thought that he was going to say something at the big ursine. However, the fox simply continued to speak to the room in general.

"Indeed, leaving it to be looked at later might have been a mistake from our part." He said, admitting it without any hint of shame or embarrassment. "Perhaps is we have given it more attention on the moment that it was brought up to us, the events of yesterday could have been avoided. However, we never truly imagined that the MTC would ever come as far as doing something like that. Especially not in this city."

He seemed in thought as he said the last part, as if he was truly surprised that something like that had happened. This, of course, caught the interest of some of the cops present on that room.

"It sounds like you have some experience with these MTC guys." Wolfard said, what caused the black tod to look up, and look at the wolf.

"...indeed, we have." The fox said, and looked around, "We have crossed paths with them often, and they are often at odds with the Enforcer and the Association. These golems we saw yesterday, they are truly of their making. Mass-producing and selling them is one of their most known and profitable businesses."

"So, they have other businesses?" Delgato asked, looking at the fox, "What kind?"

Some other questions followed, and most of them seemed to be asking the same kind of questions. It were so many that Bogo was force to call for order, for someone to be able to be heard properly in that room again.

"Mr. Mieczyslaw." Judy said, looking at the fox, who looked back at her purple eyes. "Just what is the MTC?"

That was it. The bunny just asked the question that everyone in that room wanted to know.

Marceli knew, as all of their eyes were on him, that they would not accept anything less than an answer to that question. After all, they were practically terrorists now, as they have seemingly taken a great deal of hostages and caused the deaths of innocent civilians.

There was no dodging this and no going around, and Marceli knew that. He knew that he needed to be completely honest now (within the possible) in order for the cops to have any trust on him.

Looking around, he saw all of these eyes on him, asking (or, in McChill's case, demanding) answers.

He let out a sigh, and then, he started to explain:

"The New Mage Codex." The fox began, looking at the mammals in that room, "Was written three hundred years ago, being a collection of rules and regulations that would bring moral and ethics to the works of mages. It was accepted by the Council of the time, as well as by enough of the important mage families of the Association to actually be accepted as a law, and enforced over all of the territories under the jurisdiction of the Mages' Association."

"Yeah, we know that." McChill said, looking at the fox, "The ferret said that when she gave that interview."

"Yes, indeed." Marceli said, looking at McChill, "However, what she didn't told, at the time, was that a pawful of families didn't accepted the Codex."

Everyone looked at the fox as he explained that, and he continued:

"There were some mages who were not willing to accept a set of laws that would impose restrictions to their works and to their progress only because it would be the more moral thing to do." Marceli explained to the cops on the room, "These mages thought it made no sense to put restrains on their progress only because of moral notions."

"You mean, like Zane Tigereye?" McHorn asked, as he, along with the cops who were on the rescue mission the day before, still remembered vividly that tiger, and his speech on how the Codex held back mages from achieving more.

"Yes. Like him." Marceli confirmed, and he then continued:

"Mages like that have been around ever since the codex was first written, and they were not as few as would have liked." He admitted, looking around, "However, they were still few enough and small enough in importance so they would not be able to cause the Codex to be rejected. The Codex still became a law, and they would be forced to abide to these laws, unless they wanted to have to deal with punishments."

"However, as you can imagine, simply prohibition and threat of punishment is not always enough to keep others from breaking laws." The black tod said, and he knew that the cops understood it, as the looks on their faces said it all.

"These mages could not oppose the Association directly, but they would not accept the regulations of the Codex." Marceli continued, looking around, "These mages gathered in the darkest corner of our community. They organized themselves on the backstage of the world of magecraft, and in there, they were able to form a group of their own."

"Like a mob, huh?" Nick asked, and Marceli looked at him, nodding.

"Yes. Like a mob."

There was a brief silence following this, before the fox would continue with his explanation:

"Now, we first were unaware of the existence of such a group when it first appeared. In fact, the first time we heard of it was roughly one hundred years after the Codex was stablished, but some say that they actually appeared just a few years later." He said, looking around, "Back then, they had a different name, but they were pretty much what they still are today, a group that opposes the Codex and all that it represents."

"Time has passed, and they have had different names with time, as their organization grew and became more powerful." Marceli explained, "Nowadays, we know them as the MTC, an international organization that has grown so much that they are classified as a serious threat by the Association."

Everyone took in the information that the fox was giving to them. Some of them talked among themselves as they were taking in everything, while some of them stood in silence as they absorbed and processed this information.

"So, these guys sell golems as a way of making money?" Bogo asked, causing the fox to look at him.

"Yes. This is one of the ways that they make money." Marceli said, and this caused others to look at him.

"What others they have?" Judy asked, and Marceli looked back at her, with smart eyes. He then proceed to say:

"Necromancy is a branch of magecraft that was widespread and popular enough that it could not be deemed illegal. However, it was possible to put a lot of regulations on it. For instance, defining a law that determines laws to the corpses that the necromancers would use." The fox said, "Due to these regulations, the necromancers could only use corpses obtained under certain conditions, like the unclaimed bodies, in laws that actually are pretty similar to the obtaining of corpses for medicine universities and corpses donated to science. It is a bureaucracy that, according to some, would make it harder for necromancers to obtain the material to work."

"The MTC offers to necromancers corpses for them to work. Corpses obtained through illegal means, like stolen from morgues and hospitals, or even stolen straight from their graves." The fox said, and this produced a few shocked expressions. However, the fox knew that there was still more to reveal:

"Another of their business is to offer researches taken from other mages." Marceli continued, "They take these researches and secrets from other mage by stealing from their workshops by invading their homes, or they force them to give it to them through coercion of various types." He said as he looked around, "And they also manage to put their paws on rituals and spells that were forbidden by the Association, sharing them with other mages in return for payment."

"However, the more known for they make money is connected to mammals." The fox said, and he got ready, for he knew that this kind of information would produce the most reactions.

"You see, in the old days, some of the ingredients for rituals were taken from mammals, like the oil from the liver of bats or the eyes of felines". He spoke, and this caused a bat on the chair of small animals to choke on air and Delgato to take a hand to his face. "Not only that, but on that time it was considered common to use innocent mammals as subjects to test our new spells, or even to use them as sacrifices in blood rituals."

A sense of dread filled the room, as many of the cops present already knew just where the fox was going with this.

"One of the things that the MTC is famous for doing is kidnapping innocent mammals." The fox concluded, "Either to take ingredients from their bodies and sell them to mages, or to sell the mammals themselves to be used as sacrifices or test subjects."

This produced a wave of murmurs, as the cops talked among themselves, taking in what the fox had just told them. Some of them, like Judy, had horrified expressions on their faces in reaction to what they had just heard.

"As you can see, the guys are first-class creeps." Emilia said, talking for the first time since she was in there. Marceli said nothing, as he continued:

"The MTC opposes the Codex and all that it represents." The black tod said, "So, it is no surprise that they involve in all kinds of things that the Codex forbids. Stolen knowledge, forbidden magecraft, illegally obtained corpses, living mammals to be killed in name of magecraft."

The tod looked around, and he concluded:

"If a mage is looking to buy, sell, negotiate or trade anything among those lines, no questions asked, they go to the MTC."

Everyone took in what the fox had just said, and not a few of them were completely horrified by what they had heard.

"How can mammals like that be let on the loose?" Judy said; it was more to herself than to others. Nick looked at her, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was still new to the whole horrors that were on the world. Nick, however, saw the ugly part of the world a few times on his life, so much that knowing that there was something like that was not so surprising to him.

It was no surprise that there could be some mammals like that among mages, just like they were among normal mammals.

It was actually not that different from meat trafficking or even the trafficking of mammals to become slaves or God knows what else.

"It is not easy to bring down the MTC." The fox said, as he had heard the question that the bunny had made. "Ever since the beginning, they have used secrecy to keep themselves out of the sight of the Association and of the authority, so they could do as they wanted."

"They were sure to conduct all of their business away of the eyes of the Association, as they still do today." He spoke to the ones present in the room, "Until today we don't know who exactly is or is not a member of this group, as they don't usually tell that they are members, and actually hold ties to other groups. Even members of the Association had already been suspected of being members of the MTC as well."

The cops took in all that the fox was saying, and the tod continued:

"Not only that, but it is rumored that the 'services' that the MTC offers are used by some important mages, including a few lords. Of course, none of that is confirmed, but if it was truth, it would explain how we never manage to actually reach them." Marceli said, and it seemed that this bothered him, in the opinion of some.

"So... these guys in the mall, they were members of the MTC?" Judy asked, as she had absorbed the information, and was now able to form words properly. She looked at the black tod as she asked that, and the fox looked back at her.

"I don't think so." The fox said to her, "Remember what Percy Colter said? They had been hired to be in there."

"How much you wanna bet that it was the MTC that hired them?" Emilia asked, and her uncle nodded.

"Yes, it seems pretty likely." He said, and he then added:

"Also, I have been talking with someone after that situation was solved, and I think that she can give a bit more of information on this." With that said, the fox turned to the lateral door, and he said:

"Miss Bellwether, would you come here please?"

Some of them perked on their seats, and all of them looked over. All of them expected Dawn Bellwether to come walking. However, the ewe that came from that door was taller than the ex-mayor, and she looked different overall.

"That ain't Bellwether."

"That's her sister. She was there last night, remember?"

Everyone looked as Lana Bellwether walked forward, and she seemed like she barely minded all of the eyes on her as she walked, and she stood in front of the room full of mammals.

"Sup?" She said to them, very casually, and all of the mammals in there just looked back at her, some of them with raised eyebrows or with tilted heads.

"Lana Bellwether, of the Bellwether clan." Marceli said, introducing her to the ones that still didn't knew her. "She has some information that can be quite meaningful to the direction that the investigations are going to take."

"Yeah, I sure have." The ewe said, and she looked at the fox, "By the way, I think you should know that I don't have ties with the Bellwether clan anymore. The Orphans are my family now."

The fox nodded, and some looked at the ewe.

"Wait, 'the orphans'?" Eliot Fanghanel asked, "You mean, that they abandoned you in an orphanage and you grew up alone?"

The ewe looked at him, and so did some of the mammals present in the room.

"Yeah, that's not really what she meant, wolf boy." Emilia said to the wolf, and Marceli spoke:

"The Orphans are a minor organization separated from the Association, and formed by mages who abandoned the Association and their clans." The fox said, "They have been monitored for a while due to the potential for becoming a threat, but were never truly classified as one."

Lana scoffed at what the fox said, and Marceli looked back at her.

"Well, I'm sorry, but this is what I have been told in official reports." The fox said, and his tone was almost apologetic. It was as if he was really sorry for saying something that offended her. "I assume you would like to speak for yourself, as a member of the Orphans, what is their true nature?"

"Yeah... I would like that." The ewe said, and she looked at the mammals on the room. She looked at them as she spoke:

"Mages can be quite prideful, either they are from the Association or not." She spoke, looking around, "I fact, some mage families are so prideful that they shun away any one of their members that fails to live to their expectations."

"Now, it can be because they chose to pursue a particular interest, or because they acted in a way that the family considered disgraceful, or because they simply decided that they didn't wanted to let their families decide their future. The reasons don't really matter, their families turned their backs on them, and so, these mages turned their backs on their families as well."

She spoke as she looked around, and everyone kept a silence that seemed to be respectful as she said that.

Of course, most of the silence was because they saw the expression on her face as she spoke that, and they thought it would be a good idea not interrupting her when she was talking over something that seemed to be sensitive to her.

She stopped for a moment, and she seemed to be considering something.

"Still, some actually had nice families." She said, as if she was admitting something.

"Some of them actually have good families back home, but they had these families taken from them, and the Association wasn't willing to help them." The ewe said, and everyone looked at her, some of them even sharing looks among themselves.

The ewe, as if realizing that she was divagating, went back to the subject.

"You see, mages like that have been around for a long time." The ewe said, "But only around a hundred years ago these mages started to gather and form their own group."

"At first, it was just a bunch of mages, alone and rejected by the world, gathering to help each other survive and grow. But, as more of them gathered, the group grew and became stronger." The ewe said, "Now, we are a faction of our own."

"Like, a little club for the rejected?" McChill asked, and some looked at him, including the ewe.

"Yeah, I guess you could call us that." The ewe said, and she sounded as if she didn't really liked admitting it, "We are all rejected and abandoned. Neglected by the Association and by the mage community for not fitting in their ideals. So, we called ourselves The Orphans."

The cops continued to look at her as she explained that, and some of them couldn't help but think:

"So, what does this have to do with what happened yesterday?" McChill asked, as he was a straightforward type of mammal, and he wanted to get right into the business if possible. The mages all looked at him, as Marceli was the one who spoke next:

"Zane Tigereye is known to the Association for breaking the laws of the Codex, so he has been kept under watch for a while." The black tod said, "He came particularly into our attention after we learned that he had joined the Orphans."

"Oh!" Someone among the cops said, and they all looked at the fox and at the ewe that was in there.

"Yeah, we talked to the Association." Emilia said, "Zane Tigereye, Percy Colter, Butch Lupo, all of these guys abandoned their clans and joined the Orphans."

"So, they are your pals?" Nick asked Lana.

"They were." Lana said, looking around the cops, and with a serious expression on her face. "Not anymore."

"What, did you guys kicked your fellow Orphans out?" McChill asked her, "The rejected rejecting the rejected?"

"They left on their own." Lana said, looking at the bear with a glare that made the bear look away. Nick was actually able to feel a bit of sympathy for the ewe as she had managed to make that bigoted jerk do that. Nick wished that he could learn how to do that...

"Ms. Bellwether explained this to us last night." Marceli said to her, "According to what she told us, a few of the mages who composed the Orphans was dissatisfied with how the group operated, as they wanted a more radical approach on their actions."

"Radical?" Bogo said, looking at the mages, "Radical how?"

"Radical as performing blood rituals, stealing from other clans, trying to overthrow the government and the Association." Emilia said, "You know, the thing that anarchists usually want to do."

"They thought we were 'too tame'." Lana said, and she looked as the other animals on the room, "They wanted our behavior to change, but your leader was very incisive when dealing with them. He told them that we would not behave like that, and that if they were truly dissatisfied, they were free to leave."

"So, they actually did leave." Nick said, getting the gist of everything, "And they made their own club."

"We were unaware of this scission within the Orphans until Ms. Bellwether informed us." Marceli said, "It has happened two years ago, and it was something that had not come to our knowledge until now."

"Oh." Judy said, now looking at the ewe.

"Curious that she told them that just when they found out that ex-members of her little group did that." McChill said, and he was once more shut up as the ewe glared at him.

"I knew that the Association had their eyes on us, and that they would soon know that these guys used to be our members." Lana said, looking at McChill, before shifting her gaze to Marceli. "That is why I looked for them on that same night, to let them know that they had left and were no longer tied to us. No way that we could let our name be tied to what happened, we won't have our reputation stained."

Many mammals remained in a respectful silence, as they looked at the ewe.

"So, these mammals who have taken the mall using the golems used to be associated to your own group." Bogo said, looking at the ewe, "So, any chance that you can give us information about them?"

"I can give you their names." Lana said, "And I can already tell you that they are made by the more violent and cruel guys who once made part of the Orphans and now are pretty much a gang."

Bogo looked at her as she spoke that, "They call themselves Black Vipers."

Bogo nodded at her, and Marceli took forward, explaining that they would use the information that Lana would supply them with and that it would be valuable in the case the Black Vipers would try something else in the future.

"The Black Vipers will be a subject of a lot of attention to the Association from now on." Marceli said, looking around, "As much as the MTC, they violated nearly all of our regulations with what they have done yesterday."

"Yeah, the guys totally went over the line." Emilia said, looking around everyone, "I mean, taking everyone hostage? Using golems? With everyone watching it through television? Man! That was really crazy by all standards. Even the clans said that they would be helping us with all that we need for this mission! The same clans who had a problem with we coming to here in first place! Can you guys believe it?"

Some of them looked at the vixen, and they talked among themselves.

"I'm sorry... what clans?" Judy asked, looking at them, and it was Lana Bellwether who answered:

"Bellwether, Wilde and Höhle." She said, looking at the bunny, "The same clans whose heads you guys met yesterday, among them, my dear father."

The way she spoke that made it clear that she considered her father anything but "dear". However, some of them were less worried about her apparent problems with her own father and more on what she told.

Yes, they could still remember the three mammals who walked into the place as if they owned it and demanded to know what happened. They also remembered how Marceli himself explained to them what happened, as if they guys actually were his bosses.

"Yeah, I kind of wanted to know who were these guys." Delgato said, and some of the cops agreed with him.

"Mr. Mieczyslaw, yesterday, you said that they were 'second owners'." Judy said, looking right at the black tod, "What does that means? It is some short of title?"

Marceli looked at her, and he then shared a look with the other two mages on the room.

"Yeah, that is kind of complicated." Emilia said, looking at the bunny.

"Well, you can explain, right?" Judy asked, and the mages had to agree that she was being completely reasonable with her arguments. There was no reason why they could not explain it to the ones present in that room, and so, they should actually do it, even to have the trust them more.

Marceli was soon speaking:

"Zillah Ferron revealed a great deal of information during her interview." Marceli said, looking at the cops around, and they looked to him in return. The fox continued.

"One of the things that she revealed was about the mechanics of magical energy, magic circuits, and ley lines." He looked around as he spoke that, "Ley lines are said to be the magic circuits of the world, being paths through which mana runs. Ley lines are useful to mages, as they are hotspots from which they can extract a great deal of magical energy for rituals with the right means. There is a great number of know ley lines, and they are always on the same specific pathways, which often go through areas of historical and cultural importance, hence increasing the belief that ley lines tend to attract success and good luck to the buildings that are built over them."

The cops all looked at the fox as he explained this, and they remained in silence as he explained that.

"As there are the ley lines, where the mana runs freely, there are areas in which the mana pools and even leaks out, generating great areas that have a much greater quantity of mana than others." The fox said, looking around, "Such areas are called sacred lands, and they are greatly treasured by mages as places where they can have access to a great quantity of mana and use it for their own designs."

"Okay, where he is going with this?" Someone whispered, only to be shushed by the others. They were finding the explanation to be quite interesting.

"There are a number of known sacred lands, and nearly all of them are under the control of the Association. That is, all of the ones that are in Roarope and Afurika, as well as the ones in Britain." Marceli spoke, "However, it is impractical for the Association to use their resources to have watch over the area all of the time. So, instead, there is a system in which a specific mage lineage is tasked with protecting the area, making sure it won't be explored by the wrong mammals, in return, this family receives full control over the area, and can make use of it as they see better. Such individuals are known as Second Owners, and they have full authority over the lands entrusted to them, so much that any mage who wants to use the mana of the land can only do so with their permission, and the enforcers on the area have to answer to them."

Some mammals nodded, and some of them were already making the connections on what the fox was saying.

"So... these three from yesterday... they are second owners of sacred lands near Zootopia?"

"No." Emilia said, looking at the bunny, "These three mages together are the second owners of Zootopia itself."

"Say what now!?" Someone said, and many cops followed suit in expressing their surprise, and the room soon was filled with many of the cops talking and asking questions, Bogo needed to silence them with a bellow of his own. All mammals were capable of making such primal noises, usually when they wanted to make a point or when they were really mad, but it was very rare to see the Chief make such noises.

Once it was all calm again, Marceli was once more explain:

"I see that you are surprised, and maybe a bit confused." The fox said, looking around, "Let me explain a little. It started during the time of colonization, when England started to explore the land of Animerica. Now, I know all of you know this from history books and lessons, however, these books, obviously, don't tell about the developments on the world of magecraft during the same time."

"As the English forces explored the land, representatives of the Association were among them, as they wanted to make sure that anything of supernatural nature would be seen and reported back to the Association." Marceli continued to explain. "It was during these explorations that they came across something that was never seen before, an area where a staggering amount of ley lines passing over a single area."

"It is actually not that uncommon for ley lines to pass through cities." Lana said, and everyone looked at her, "Many of the most important and famous cities of the world have two or three ley lines passing through them, the Vatican has six."

"Yes." Marceli said, and soon he was saying, "Zootopia has fifteen ley lines passing through it, and it surely is the greatest sacred land ever found. There is so much mana in here that a skilled mage can take a substantial amount of magical energy from the very air."

Some of them still talked among themselves as they take in the information that the fox was giving, and they continued to listen as the fox was once again speaking:

"As soon as the land was found, the Association was quick to take control over it. But, as it usually was the problem with such places, the physical distance made it hard to keep control over such a place."

"But of course that the guys of the Association would not give up of the chance of having this land for themselves." Emilia chimed in, and this caused her uncle to look at her, before he continued.

"Indeed, the importance of such a land being found made sure that the Association would be determined to make sure that this sacred land would be under their jurisdiction." He said, and everyone had their eyes on him, "That was when three of the present mages stepped up. These three mages were representatives of three of the oldest and most influent clans of the Association: Bellwether, a clan of sheep alchemists; Wilde, a family of Kabbalistic foxes..." at this point, some actually looked at Nick, who noticed the looks on him, "... and Höhle, a clan of bunny necromancers."

"These three representatives stepped forward, and attested that the clans could be classified to be in charge of that sacred land." Marceli said, looking around, "However, the Association didn't immediately accepted such arrangement."

"They were afraid that the guys could become too powerful." Lana said, "The three clans were already powerful back at the time, and if any of them had such a powerful resource up their sleeve this could make them too powerful for the rest of the Association. They were afraid that they could prove to be hard to control. That was when the heads of the clans at the time came to the Council themselves and presented their case."

"They united their efforts to be able to make the Council do what they wanted." Emilia said, "It was already rare for mages to work together like that, but the prospect of having a land like that at their disposal was too tempting for them to let it pass. The three clans united their influence and said to the council that they wanted to land and would not take no for answer. They actually managed to force the Council to bend to their will!"

The vixen said that as if it was something impressive, and the cops around shared looks among themselves, as they were taking in how the clans were important back at the time, and soon, they attention was being call back to the situation as Marceli coughed to call attention, and soon, the black tod was speaking again:

"So, after insistence of the three clans, the arrangement was made." He spoke, looking at the room full of mammals, "The three clans would share the authority over this new sacred land discovered in Animerica. Now, normally in these situations, a single mage of the family is send to the place to keep watch over the land, however, in that occasion, the three heads of the clan, along with their entire families, moved into the new sacred land and based themselves there."

"It is very rare for clans to abandon their homelands." Lana asked, "It's due to the fear that they might lose their roots and end up losing their legacy. Even if the head of the clan heads out of the homeland, the rest of the family will often remain in there. But back then, all of the three clans moved to the new land and made their home there."

"Once in there, they made the land as their private property." Emilia said, "They basically controlled everything that happened in there, and they were sure to know everything that happened."

"Back on that time, there were already non-mages living in that land." Marceli spoke, "Due to the amount of mammals living in there, as well as the amount of attention that the land received, it was not possible to close the area from the non-mages coming its way."

"Some say that it was due to the great amount of mana." Lana spoke, looking around, "They say that the concentration of magical energy acted as a beacon for non-mages, making them feel a pull in direction to that land, even the ones who were native to different climates felt like they should live in there, independent of their natural ecological needs."

"Closing the area completely to non-mages proved not to be an option." Marceli spoke once more, "So, the clans adopted a new strategy: to leave the area open to any non-mage that came. After all, they knew that there was little chance that those not directly connected to the world of magecraft could actually use the power of the sacred land without their consent."

"They opened it as a new place that welcomed mammals of all species and walks in life." Lana spoke, and she was looking at all mammals present in the room, "It was a place that welcomed prey and predator, big and small, feeble and mighty. The three clans were the ones who built the foundations of what would become Zootopia. They stood in this land and declared, loud and clear, that this was a land for all mammals, where a mouse could rival an elephant, and where a wolf could walk among the sheep without being feared." She made a pause, before she concluded:

"That this was a land where anyone could be anything."

There was a tone of mockery in her voice, that some thought to be strange. However, few actually noticed it, as they were too busy processing what was just reveal to them. Many of them were very surprised for finding out that these families of mages had been the founders of the city where they all lived.

Among them was McChill, who found it hard to believe that a family of pelts could have had their paw on the foundation of the city. He looked at Nick as he thought about that.

Judy herself was thinking, and she couldn't help but reflect on what the ewe had just said, as well as something that she herself said years ago...

"But, just 211 miles away stands the great city of Zootopia! Where our ancestors first joined together in peace and declared that anyone can be anything!"

She had said these words back in the show of the Carrot Days Festival. She had no way of knowing that the ones who spoke it were actually three families of mages. It was surprising to her. Especially for it seemed that one of these families actually were her ancestors...

"So... basically these guys founded the city and they now have some authority on the land?" Eliot asked, as he was doing his best to follow along with the reasoning that was being present to him.

"Some authority?" Emilia said, looking at the wolf. "The guys OWN the city! Any mage who wants to base in here needs their permission! Not only that, but they also keep an eye on any mage or relative of a mage that comes to visit the city, and anyone who tries to use the ley lines without their permission has to answer to them."

"'Answer to them'?" Bogo said, and Lana was the one who spoke:

"Usually this means paying a fee for having done things without their permission, that when they are in a good mood. Because if they are in a bad one, they will call the Association to send their enforcers after you, or they will even leave the Association out of it and deal with you themselves." Lana Bellwether said, causing the ones in there to look at her.

"As a matter of fact, the clan has full authority in what it comes to the matters involving mages within this city and the neighbor areas, like Meadowlands and Outback Island." Marceli said, "Any mage or even ex-mage who wants to live in the area needs their permission."

"Wait, any ex-mage?" Nick said, and the others looked at him, "You mean, including Clawhauser and Fanghanel's wife?"

"Sure." Lana said, and she turned to the wolf, "Your wife didn't immediately moved with you into your new house, did she?"

Eliot thought about it, and he soon was saying:

"Actually, she had to go to a place before." The wolf admitted, "She said that it was a place where she needed to go before we moved into Rainforest District. She never told me where she went..."

"She went to see the clans." Emilia said, "To ask them permission to live in their land. Just as Benjamin Clawhauser had to do before he could get an apartment in the city. They asked for permission and were allowed to stay in Zootopia. If the clans had not gave them permission, they wouldn't have been allowed to even set foot on the city."

Everyone considered that, especially Eliot, who was now wondering what would have happened if these guys wanted to forbid his Pumpkin from living in Zootopia with him. He would have not hesitated to leave the city to be with her, he was pretty sure of that...

"Now, since they live in the city, they have to respect the clans." Lana said, "Any mage who is in there is under the jurisdiction of the three clans, and they have to abide to their will. Even the Enforcers cannot come here without the permission of the clans."

"Wait, for real?" Someone asked, and everyone looked at the two enforcers, and it was Marceli who spoke now:

"Yes, the three clans hold a great deal of authority and influence over this land, in a way that it would be hard even for us to act in here without their cooperation."

"As you probably noticed", Lana Bellwether said, looking at the cops around the room, "On your world, they are only your average discrete rich families, but on the world of magecraft, the Bellwether, Wilde and Höhle clans own Zootopia."

"They agreed to let us come in here to do our thing." Emilia said, "Amazing, considering that all of them have a problem or another with us."

"What? These families have problems with the authorities?" Judy asked, and Marceli soon answered to her:

"Well, there are some tensions between the clans and us, but that is not as important now. What is important is that the clans have agreed to give their full support on our mission, and they are ready to help with all that we need. Within what is convenient to them."

Some of the cops looked among themselves, and Bogo, in particular, didn't liked the "within what is convenient to them" part.

"So, with this explained, I guess that Chief Bogo now has assignments for you, ain't it right?" The fox said, looking at the buffalo. They both locked eyes for a few moments, before the buffalo nodded.

"Yeah, that's right."

With this, the Chief was fixing his glasses on his face, and he was soon starting to read the papers that he had, with the assignments for his officers.

"Snarlov, Rhinowitz, Higgins and Fanghanel, you will be going to see the mammals rescued from the mall, we will need their testimonies for the records." Bogo said, and he was soon handing a sum of files to the rhino, and soon, the four mammals were heading out of the briefing room as they looked at the many files that described the rescued hostages of the mall, they already knew that they would be busy for a while with that...

"Trunkaby, Pennington, McHorn, Delgato, Grizzoly, Jackson, McChill, Wolfard and Anderson." He said, "You will be scouting forensics to the mall, and will help them with anything that they might need." The cops nodded, and they all already knew that they were in for a long day, for they all had seen just how big the mall actually was. They were talking about twelve floors, each one with ten blocks in area. They could pretty much kiss their free time goodbye.

"Finally, Wilde and Hopps." The buffalo spoke, and the two cops stood on their seat (literally), as the buffalo looked at them, and said:

"You two will be going with the enforcers to help in their investigation." He spoke, and this surprised the two cops, as well as some of the other officers.

"Really?" Judy asked, looking a bit surprised, and so did Nick, "Sir, why are we going to go with the enforcers?"

"Because we asked Bogo to put you with us." Marceli said rather bluntly, prompting the two officers to look at the black fox.

"What can we say? We really like you two." Emilia said rather innocently, and the gaze shifted to her, before Bogo cleared his throat and soon the buffalo was the one speaking:

"Yeah, for some reason the enforcers were pretty insistent in having you two tagging along with them." The buffalo said, and he looked at the two small officers, "I do hope that you two do well with this."

"You can count on us, Chief!" Judy was quick to say, and Nick saluted to say that he understood. Soon, the two officers were going to talk with the enforcers, as to discuss details of what they were going to do. Bogo looked at them for a while, and he was about to turn and leave, when:

"Hey guys!" Someone said at the door, and this caused the ones still on the room to look. They saw Delgato in there, and he looked worried about something.

"Well, we were on our way out to go to the mall with forensics but..." The lion said, and he was looking back, "There is a woman in the front desk that is making quite a scene."

"And you came back here to tell us this?" Bogo said, "Can't you deal with this yourself?"

"Well, actually I came to ask for the enforcers to help." The long admitted, "Because, you see, the woman is actually a mage."

"Seriously?" Nick said, looking at the lion.

"How do you know she is a mage?" Bogo asked, and the lion opened his mouth, to speak, hesitating a bit before talking:

"Put me down now!" McChill said as he struggled on the bounds that were holding him. They both were two long pieces of cloth, that had came to him and wrapped around his body like two tentacles, and were proving to be too strong for the polar bear to break through them.

Said cloths were coming from a female cheetah, who stood in there as she looked at the struggling polar bear with her hard emerald-colored eyes, and her arms crossed over her chest. This cheetah was around 6 feet tall, with a slender and attractive figure, as it was possible to see hence most of her upper body was exposed, save for a cloth tied around her breast area to preserve her modesty. The fur of her body was of a pure golden-yellow coloration with black spots all over, and a softer yellow on her muzzle, down her neck and chest. She had three black lines that ran from the top of her head down the center of her back, ending on the base of her tail. She was wearing a long skirt, of a sea-green coloration, just like the two cloths that which bases were tie around her waist and that now were tie around McChill, hoisting him from the ground.

"Put me down!" The polar bear cried out in rage, but the cheetah only continued to look at him with indifference. All around, both cops and civilians were looking at the cheetah. Most of the civilians were hiding behind the cops. The cops, in general were around the cheetah, some of them pointing dart guns at her, but nearly all of them were urging her to put the polar bear down. Meanwhile, Lewis Deermond was in the front desk, hiding just out of sight and with only his antlers appearing from the other side.

"Put me down, you crazy feline!"

"I will, as soon as you apologize for grabbing my writs without my permission." The female cheetah said with indifference, and she looked back at the front desk, where Deermond was still hiding. "And where is Benjamin Clawhauser? I need to see that stupid fatso at once!"

"Will you stop talking about Ben like that!?" Someone near said. Chandler Manechester had switched clothes since last night, and now he was wearing red shirt and long jeans pants. He was also wearing a blue jeans jacket, and he was also carrying something on his hoof. It was a gift that he brought to Ben. He had intended to give it to the cheetah at the front desk, but the plump feline was not there. He had decided to wait, and that was when that crazy woman appeared, demanding to see Benjamin and then she started to badmouth him. The two mammals started to discuss, and in this, they called the attention of the ones around. They called so much attention that the polar bear cop came forward, and he was a bit rough with her after she insulted him, roughly grabbing her wrists, and that was when she used these cloths to subdue him.

And the woman still was talking bad about Benjamin!

The female cheetah looked at the horse as he said that to her, and she seemed like she was evaluating him,

"What? Are you saying that he is not fat?"

"I'm saying that you have no right to speak about him like that!"

"Why not?" The cheetah said to him, "He is fat for a cheetah, and you have to admit that this is truth."

"Maybe, but he is not stupid! I cannot accept that you speak this way about a friend of mine!" The horse said, "I don't care if you are some crazy mage! Ben is my friend and if you are gonna insult him like that, I'm gonna have a problem with you!"

She looked at him, and everyone around was still looking at the scene developing, and some of the cops looked like they were expecting the right chance to fire their darts at her.

"Hey, you!"

The eyes turned to the approaching bunny and fox, both of them with their own dart guns ready.

"Hey, McChill!" Nick said, with a smirk on his face, "A bit tangled up in there?"

"Oh, shut up and just dart her, Wilde!" The polar bear said, and the cheetah turned to look at the two newcomers.

"Oh, yes, the two small cops." The cheetah said, looking at them.

"Miss! Let Officer McChill go!" The bunny said, to which the cheetah answered:

"This brute tried to manhandle me!"

"Because you were resisting prison!" The polar bear said, "And you said that I was fat and ugly!"

"Oh, sorry, did I hurt the wittle cub's fragile feelings?" The cheetah said to him, causing the polar bear to grunt and try harder to get free, but having absolutely no success against these cloths holding him.

"Miss..." Judy said once more, "Let him go. Now."

The cheetah looked at the bunny for a few moments. Immediately after, the cloths unwrapped from around the polar bear, making him drop to the ground, holding himself up and pawing for his own dart gun.

Meanwhile, the cloths now were tying around the cheetah's torso. She had uncrossed her arms, letting the cloths wrap freely around her body, making loops around her shoulders and to the sides of her body, covering more and more of her. By the time they were securely tied, the two cloths had formed a shirt that was covering over her body and combined perfectly with the skirt that she was wearing.

"Okay..." Judy said, looking at the cheetah, "Now, if you just-"

"Do you know Benjamin Clawhauser?" The cheetah suddenly asked, and this surprised Judy.

"I... what?"

"Are you friends with Benjamin Clawhauser?" The cheetah asked again, and Judy looked at her for a moment, before she answered that she was.

"I see..." The cheetah said, "And can you really be friends with him, as he is so unsightly?"

"Excuse me?" Judy said, looking at the woman.

"You know what I mean." The cheetah said, "Have you seen his fat he is? Big felines are suppose to be slender and graceful, but instead that cat is corpulent and clunky, it is almost painful to see him."

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but I appreciate if you don't talk about my friend like that!" Judy said, really not liking that this woman was talking about someone as nice as Ben like that.

"Oh, so you really like that big fool?" The cheetah asked, and now, Judy was not the only one that was not looking at her nice.

"Hey, don't you say that!" Eliot Fanghanel said, looking at that woman as he spoke that, "I can tell that Ben is surely not a fool!"

"Now listen here!" Judy said, causing he female to look at her, "Benjamin is one of the kindest and most helpful mammals that I've ever met, and I won't accept you to say such things about him!"

The cheetah looked at her, and she knew that the bunny was serious, and the look at the fox said that he was of the same opinion.

"Is that so?" The cheetah said, and then someone else came into the scene.

"Now, normally I don't lose my composure with ladies who don't work for me." Bogo said, walking forward, "But I really don't like it when someone attacks one of my subordinates and blatantly insults the other."

"And who are you?" The cheetah asked.

"I'm Mansa Bogo, Chief of Precinct 1, and who are you?" The buffalo asked, and that was when Marceli came near, followed close by Emilia.

"I know her!" The black fox said, "She is-"

"I'll introduce myself to them if I feel like doing so, thank you very much!" The cheetah cut the fox out, and looked at the big mammal that was before her. "So, you are the famous Chief Bogo, huh?"

"Yes, why?" Bogo asked, evaluating that woman up and down, just like she seemed to be evaluating him.

"So, you are that fatso's boss." She said, looking at the buffalo, "Tell me, is he efficient on his work?"

Bogo looked at her, and he evaluated her a bit more before answering.

"Well, he always takes the right calls and passes the information correctly." Bogo said, "He is a very efficient dispatcher, and he is a very good mammal to have in the front desk."

The cheetah looked at him, and then she cast a glance at the front desk, where Deermond was, and he was still shrunk behind the desk, his head peeking out to see what was going around.

"I see..." The cheetah said, and she then asked, "And what about his other work positions?"

"Other... work positions?" Bogo said, blinking at the woman.

"You know, on his knees beneath your desk." The woman said, sounding very casual as she said, that "Or leaning over it with his pants down, unless you prefer a different kind of position."

Needless to say, many around looked shocked and flustered with what the woman was suggesting. Judy herself took a few moments to understand what she meant by that, but when she did, she looked scandalized.

Bogo, on his end, looked at her in shock.

"W-what? You... You!" The buffalo said, now beginning to properly react to the insinuations that the woman was making.

"Yes, after all, I must only assume that the big fool must satisfy these needs of yours." The woman said, looking at Bogo as this was a subject for a casual conversation, "That is the only explanation I see why anyone would keep around with such an unsightly, clumsy, incompetent..."

"NOW LISTEN HERE, WOMAN!" Bogo nearly bellowed, surprising many of the mammals who were around. "I don't know who you are, and neither what business do you actually have in here! But I'll NOT accept you to go speaking such things about one of my subordinates! Benjamin is one of the few sources of joy that this place actually has!"

Some were surprised to hear the big Chief say something like that. Of course, it was surely expected for him to defend his subordinates, but saying such a nice thing about someone was something that most other officers were not used to.

The female cheetah, however, only looked at him.

"So, do you care about him?"

"Yes!"

"Would you do your best to protect him if the need came?"

"Yes!"

"Would you fight for his happiness if given the chance?"

"Yes!"

The woman was coming closer to Bogo with each question, and now, they noses were almost touching as she looked at him dead in the eyes.

"Would you sacrifice your life to save his'?"

Bogo looked at her dead in the eyes, before he said:

"Yes."

For a long moment, they both just looked into each other's eyes, while the ones around seemed to only be waiting to see who was going to punch the other first.

However, everyone in general got surprised when the female cheetah opened as smile.

"I am so glad to hear that!"

Bogo blinked, looking at the smiling feline.

"What."

"Come here you." She said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. The buffalo was too shocked to actually resist.

"You are just like Ben described you." The woman whispered in the buffalo's ear, "Now, I don't know how things will go in the future, but I want you to know that, as of right now, you already have my blessing."

Her… blessing?

As she pulled out from the hug, she looked around, at the confuse mammals around.

"I'm so glad for knowing that Benji has made such nice friends." The cheetah said looking at the horse, at the wolf, and at the bunny and fox. "It is really nice that he has friends that will stick up to him and defend him, even against a mage. This is very important for me."

Now the ones around were trading looks among themselves, and some of them looked really confused.

"Okay?" Nick said, looking at the female cheetah, and it was McChill who spoke next:

"Okay, what is going on!?" He said, looking at the woman as if she was a dangerous lunatic. "Just who the heck are you, Miss?"

"It's Misses." The cheetah said, looking at the polar bear, "Misses Caitlyn Clawhauser, of the Clawhauser clan."

Everyone around blinked.

Clawhauser?

"I'm back!" Said a familiar voice that approached. Benjamin was soon coming back in fast steps.

"Sorry taking long, Lewis, that hospital food really did a number on me. Oh, and we need more toilet paper on the bathroom." The cheetah said as he arrived, and he was about to go back into the front desk, when he noticed that there was a something going on.

"What did I miss?" The cheetah asked, and that was when the woman spoke:

"Just me getting to finally know the friends you always talk about." She said, causing the plump male cheetah to look at her, "Also, I hope that you've washed your paws."

Ben blinked as he looked at the female cheetah, surprised for seeing her.

"Mom!?"

Chapter Text

"That's really Ben's mother!?" Judy thought, as part of the initial shock had passed, "Sweet cheese and crackers! She must have had him when she was a teenager!"

Indeed, Caitlyn Clawhauser didn't looked to be so old. Some would say that she could probably be on her middle thirties, by the way that she looked. Many would not immediately say that she was Benjamin's mother. Maybe his older sister, but not his mother. Still, there she was, currently hugging her son.

"Oh, look at you, my chubby and round cub." She said, and she broke to hug to look at Ben. "If you took off your shirt and were holding a gold bar I could mistake you by a Nipponese lucky cat."

The tone that she was using was very different from the one of minutes ago, when she was openly bad-mouthing the cheetah. This tone was maternal and caring, and it was obvious that she deeply cared for Benjamin.

"Wow..." Nick said, turning to his partner, "She went from calling him a fatso to calling him her chubby cub in minutes..."

"Yes, I don't like talking like that about my own cubs." Mrs. Clawhauser said, looking over her shoulder at the fox. "But I found out that doing things like that helps find out who really cares about them. It is my way of making mammals show me if they truly care about them enough to stand up to me."

Nick blinked, surprised that the female cheetah had heard him. She was looking back at him and she had a smile on her face.

"It is really good to know that there are mammals like that near my Benji." She said, and turned back to Benjamin, "It is really nice to finally know the friends I heard you speak about so much."

"Y-yeah... nice." Benjamin said, a bit awkward, and he soon was saying:

"But... what are you doing here? I mean, I thought you were back home with dad."

"I was on a nearby state taking care of a business." Caytlin said, looking at her son, "I actually planned to just get that done with and head back home, but I changed my plans as soon as I heard news of you being taken to the hospital."

"Oh..." Ben said, and looked at his mother.

"I was passing by a store on my way out of the city when I saw an image of my son, bloodied and pale being taken to an ambulance." She said, looking at him, "What else could I do but head to Zootopia as fast as possible?"

Ben looked down; scratching the back of his head, and his mother looked at him.

"So, are you okay?" She asked, and Ben looked up at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, you didn't looked fine yesterday." She said to him, paws on her hips, "What were you doing to get like that? And what are you doing in here today? You should be resting!"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Benjamin said, "The doctors said I was fine and that I could go back to work if I wanted."

"Only because you could be at work don't meant you should." Caitlyn said to him, "Do you even realize how pale you were yesterday? You should have taken the day off and stayed home recovering."

"I'm fine." Ben insisted, "The doctors gave me a blood transfusion last night. That was all I needed. You didn't needed to come."

"I was worried about you." She said, looking at the cheetah, "Benjamin, you should know how I am when one of my cubs is hurt. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that they are okay, and that is something you can be absolutely sure."

For a long moment, mother and son looked at each other. Ben looked as if he was truly reflecting on what she said, while she looked serious at him. It seemed that what she was saying was something really meaningful, and the way that Ben looked at her told that.

Eventually, the big cheetah looked down, and his mother looked back at him, before she moved forward and put her arms around him in a hug.

"I'm so glad you are okay." She said, and Ben said nothing, letting his mother hug him.

"Sorry for making you worried." He said, and she looked at him after breaking the hug. "Is just that mammals needed help, and I could not let them hanging."

"Of course you couldn't." She said, looking at him, "You are sometimes too good for your own good. I'm relieved to see that you are doing fine, and so will Marcy and Josh when they get here."

"Yeah, I guess that they will... wait, what?" Ben said, as he suddenly realized what his mother had just said, and she nodded at him.

"Yes, they have both seen the news online and they saw your state. They both want to come to Zootopia to check on you."

"What? They don't have to! I'm fine!" Ben said, "You can tell them that I'm fine!"

Mrs. Clawhauser just shook her head, "It would do it no good. They both will only be calm when they see you with their own eyes. You know how these two are."

Ben looked at her, and he looked like he wanted to protest, however, he seemed to recognize that there was no point, and he just looked down. Meanwhile, everyone around shared looks, as it seemed that mother and son had nearly forgot that they were present.

"Uhh, excuse me?" Chandler Manechester said, causing the two cheetahs to look at him. "Who are Marcy and Josh?"

Ben blinked, looking at his equine friend.

"Oh, yeah! I never really told you about them, did I?" Ben said, sounding a little embarrassed by this, "Marcy is my older sister and Josh is my brother."

"Oh, right... what?" Chandler said, looking at Ben with surprise, as well as some of the others.

"Yeah... I never really spoke of my family with you guys, did I?" Benjamin said, looking quite sheepish as he looked at the surprised faces around himself. His mother was right by his side.

"What, ashamed of your own family?" She asked, with a smile in her face, and Ben blushed a bit harder.

"I-it just never really came up..." Ben said, and now she turned her look at the ones around.

"So, none of you ever bothered to ask Ben about his family?" She said, and now it was the turn of the ones looking to look quite embarrassed. Yes, most of them had never thought of asking Ben about his family. The ones who did never truly asked; it was likely that most of them assumed that Ben himself would speak about them when he felt like doing that. Still, some of them felt a bit ashamed, for it made it seem that they actually had no interest in the cheetah, despite all of them considered themselves as pretty close with him. Even Chief Bogo looked to the side as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well... he never really said anything, you know?" Judy said, as she was the one that thought that she felt like she should justify herself, "We just thought that he would tell us if he ever felt like doing that..."

Caitlyn chuckled as she looked at the bunny.

"You are really sweet, little bunny." She said, and Ben was soon whispering to her, warning her mother not to call Judy "cute".

"So, Ben is from a family with three children, right?" Nick asked, causing the three cheetahs to look at the fox, "It's him, Marcy and Josh?"

"Yes." Caitlyn said, "Along with the rest of my cubs."

"The rest?" Nick asked, and he turned to Ben, "How many siblings do you have?"

Ben looked at him and, for a moment, Nick had the impressions of a shadow passing through his eyes, as if suddenly there was a bad memory going through his head. However, the cheetah looked like he quickly recovered, and now he was fumbling with his claws as he answered:

"Well, counting with Marcy and Josh... Seven."

"I've always wanted a big family." Caitlyn said, looking around after her son said that, with a sheepish smile of her own.

Nick whistled a bit at that, and Judy looked surprised. Seven siblings. Well, it was nothing compare to the hundreds of siblings that she had back home, but it was still more than she thought Ben would have.

"Wow... didn't knew that your family was so big, Ben." Chandler said, and Ben looked at him, as he blushed even more.

"Yeah... it is."

"And we all care about him very much." Caitlyn said; placing a paw on Ben's shoulder, causing the plump cheetah to smile as his blush persisted.

Everyone around was finding this to be quite something, as they were all learning new things about Ben. Of course, some thought that it meant that they were only finding out more things that Ben actually hid from them, but these were just McChill and some others. The rest of them was finding Ben's mother to be interesting.

"So, this Josh." Chandler said, looking at the two cheetahs, "Is he older or younger than Ben?"

Caitlyn was the one who answered, as she looked back at the horse:

"Oh, he is older. By three-and-a-half minutes." She said with a smile, and the horse looked back at her confused.

"Huh?"

Luckily, Ben was in there to clarify it:

"Josh and I are twins."

"Oh!" Chandler said, rather surprised by this, and so were most of the ones present. Actually, some of them looked like they were about to start asking questions. However, Bogo was quick to step forward and cut this.

"Okay, this is all enough." The buffalo said, catching everyone's attention, "I think it is safe to say that we all have things to do now, and that we should all get going. After all, I don't think that Clawhauser and his mother would like to have everyone watching their life as if it was some cheap of soap opera, right?"

With this, the movement that gathered in there started to disperse, as everyone was once more going to their business. Bogo himself gave one last look in direction to Ben and his mother, and they both were smiling at him. Ben looked a bit relieved, as the level of attention in there was making him nervous, and his smile was a bit grateful. However, his mother's smile was a different one; it was as some kind of knowing smile that made Bogo a bit unsettled. The buffalo was quick to go his way, leaving Ben along with his mother and with Chandler Manechester, as the horse still found himself a bit fascinated by Mrs. Clawhauser, something that the female cheetah seemed to enjoy a bit.

"Can't believe I had no idea that Benjamin had siblings." Judy said, "And a twin brother! Can you believe it?"

The bunny still felt a bit bad about not knowing these kinds of things about the cheetah, and she still talked about that as she walked with Nick, Marceli and Emilia. Nick himself shrugged a bit.

"Yeah, most mammals don't go telling to people about their families as soon as they met. That is the kind of thing that you speak when it is from someone's initiative." Nick said, and he looked back at the bunny, "Still, I'm surprised that his family still likes him."

"Why?" Emilia asked, "Did you thought that his family would not enjoy having him around?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Nick was quick saying, "Is just... I kind of thought that becoming am ex-mage meant that you were leaving your family behind and that you were cutting ties with them. Like, you would leave and never look back."

"Most times it is just like that." Marceli said.

"Normally, when a mage renounces magecraft they cut all ties with the world of magecraft, which includes cutting ties with their clan. Often this means that the clan will also turn their backs on them." The black fox said, as they walked into the garage, "However, it seems that Benjamin Clawhauser and the Clawhauser clan have not followed this pattern. Despite Benjamin having renounced magecraft, he still keeps good relations with his family."

"He goes to visit them on holidays and long weekends." Emilia said, "And they always love to have him over, according to what they say."

"This is unusual in similar cases." Marceli said to them, "However, not that unexpected considering that we are talking about the Clawhauser clan."

"Oh, they are famous for not going by the book?" Nick asked, and Marceli answered:

"They are said to be... eccentric. Also, they are said to be quite unorthodox in what comes to traditional mage behavior."

"Some say that they are all crazy." Emilia said, and the two cops took the information that the enforcers were now passing to them. "Even Caitlyn Clawhauser, even though she only became a Clawhauser by marriage."

"Still." Marceli said, causing the two cops to look back at him. "There is no denying the power and influence that the Clawhauser clan has."

What, they are an important clan?" Judy asked, and Emilia smiled at her.

"One of the most important clans of the modern age. They are on the top twenty, along with the three clans." She said, "The guys are one of the oldest mage families, and they have a lot of contacts."

"Not to mention the amount of important collaborations that they made to the advancement of magecraft." Marceli said, "They truly managed to secure a very solid place for themselves despite their unusual behavior in relation to old mage traditions."

"Wow, so our dear Spots is from an important family." Nick said; sounding a bit surprised at this revelation.

"And a big family too." Judy said, "I mean, eight children! It is surely not much by bunny standards, but it certainly sounds like a lot for a cheetah. And she seems so young to have had so many children."

"Yeah, she does look young, doesn't she?" Emilia said, "Hard to believe she is in her sixties."

"Yeah, it sure is... Wait, what?" Judy said; looking in surprise at the vixen. However, her attention was diverged when Marceli said:

"Is that your vehicle, right?" The black tod asked, pointing at the respective police cruiser, to which both of the cops answered positively.

"Cool!" Emilia said, "I never rode on a police cruiser before. I heard it is different from the other types of car. Does it really has a metal frame separating the drivers from the ones on the backseat, for the case one of the perps try to attack the officers?"

Soon, the cops and the enforcers were going the way. Nick and Judy were on the front set, with the bunny on the steering wheel, while the two enforcers took the back seat. Emilia looked fascinated with the inside of the vehicle (apparently, she didn't got to ride a lot inside of cars) while Marceli remained as professional as possible while they went their way with things.

"Is it just me, or we are acting more like chaperones for them than actual help?" Nick mentioned to Judy as they both stood nearby the vehicle, waiting for the two foxes to come back.

During the course of the morning, they had been mostly making the cops drive them across the city as they went to certain places. Their first stop was on a secluded area of Savannah Central, with run down houses and walls with graffiti, where they stopped in front of a big and abandoned-looking old house.

Their next stop was on Sahara Square, where they went to a neighborhood on the very same street where they had their first meeting with a guy of the MTC, as Nick still remembered that alley where the panther tried to have him run over by his golems. From there, they went into Tundratown, where they visited an area near the Glacier Falls, on the outskirts of the cold district.

"Some clans have workshops in these places." Marceli explained to them, "They are smaller clans that have been here for generations. They have received permission from the clans to live here, in return for helping keep order and watch on their land. Of course, they don't have any of the true privileges of a second owner, but this is the land of the clans, so they have to abide to what they say if they truly want to stay. These clans have been here for decades, so they have their own connections and their own sources of information, it is very likely that they have at least some kind of suspicion on what happened on the mall."

That was what the enforcers said, of course, neither Nick nor Judy got to go along to check it for themselves, for the two foxes insisted on them to stay behind.

They didn't really liked that, especially Judy, but the two vulpine convinced them by saying that these clans were really mistrusting with strangers, and that they would probably not talk with their presence. Marceli also noted that these clans probably didn't wanted to be exposed and wanted to have their privacy valued, so they could not expose their identity to two members of the ZPD, especially two that were so famous as Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Judy saw herself with no other option but sucking it up and waiting with Nick.

In each local, the enforcers went, vanished from sight, and came back after anytime between thirty minutes to an hour. Of course, they were not all secrets; they shared with them all information that the ones they went to see told them, but not saying anything that would give away their identities or even the precise locations of their homes/workshops.

This proved that they were willing to help and trust the two cops, as they gave them the information needed for the two to write down and later put on their reports. After all, despite the event having been one involving mages, it did had serious repercussions in the non-mage community as well.

They diligently made their notes on the subject, but Judy still felt dissatisfied on being left out like that from the investigations, as she wished that she could look in the eyes of the mammals and hear the answers from their own muzzles, instead of hearing it from the enforcers. It felt as if she was having limited access on her own investigation.

However, in the last place where they were going, Judy actually felt a bit glad that she was not going in there along with the two enforcers.

The area was basically a giant swamp, with murky water and rough, wild vegetation growing on it. Bugs buzzed across the air over the still water, and there was even some mist floating on the place. That was, as far as Judy could see, once the vegetation on the area around this swamp was so dense that sunlight was seriously reduced in there. The very air almost seemed to be thicker in that area. Not to mention that there were no streets in there, only the end of the road they had been following to get to that place, and a dozen meters back, when they were on their way, there was a single sign, which said:

MARSHLANDS - CAUTION AHEAD

Judy was still not very familiar with a lot of Zootopia past. As a matter of fact, she didn't even knew that a place like that existed in Zootopia. It was Nick who told her about the place as they arrived there.

"This place has been here ever since Zootopia was founded." The red fox said to his partner. "Back at the day, the Marshlands actually covered all of the area that now is the Rainforest District. This is all that was left of that place."

He looked at the two enforcers, and he asked:

"So, there is a mage living here?"

"Yes." Was Marceli's answer, "And she probably can say something, if she actually feels like saying. You two wait here."

This time, Judy didn't felt like discussing. At least, not as much as on the other cases. She only stood by Nick's side as they both watched the enforcers walk into the swamp, vanishing from sight. They could still hear Emilia complaining on the humidity, on the mosquitoes and on the way that the muck felt around her toes.

"This place gives me creeps." Judy admitted to her partner as they saw the two enforcers disappear inside of the swamp.

"It gives everyone creeps." Nick said to her, "You know, it is actually no surprise that there is actually a family of mages living in there. People used to think this place was cursed even before they knew that magecraft existed."

"Really?" Judy asked, and she looked back at the place. The feeling persisted, as if her instincts were telling her to be away from this place if possible.

"Yeah, they started thinking it right in the start, because they claimed that the swamp was strange, and that mammals tended to disappear in there." The red fox said, as he pulled his cellphone and started to play a little game. "It got worse when they actually started to populate the place, with all of the things that happened."

Judy looked at him.

"W-what things?"

Nick continued to play his game, but he stopped to look at her for a moment, seeing her worried expression. It seemed that he was debating if he should tell her or not. Eventually, he went back to his game as he started speaking:

"Well, back on the time there weren't many mammals that wanted to live in a smelly swamp. They wanted something more... 'civilized', so to say." The fox said, as he was busy crushing candies on his cellphone, "Now, they wanted it to be a place for animals from forests to live, so they started to ground the land so they could plant trees in it, for the place to have a more of a forest look. That was when things started to get strange."

"As they worked into the land, the guys who were in charge of turning the swamp into a forest started to die in really freaky accidents, all of them involving water." Nick said, and he seemed completely unworried with that. "Some say that it was the answer of the swamp to the destruction, and that it was taking revenge on the mammals that were changing it just so some mammals could live in it more comfortably."

Judy looked at him as he spoke that so casually. However, the information was disturbing to Judy. Now, months ago she was not one to believe in such things, however, she needed to admit that the story would still have made her a little scared.

Now, she knew that the supernatural was real, which meant that stories like that had even more weight. So, no surprise that she looked at the land before her with a bit more apprehension than before. Something that her fox partner didn't failed to notice.

"Don't worry." He said, looking up from his game to look at her. "The only ones who died in these accidents were the major players in destructing the swamp. Besides, the accidents stopped happening after what was left of the Marshlands was turn into a protected area. Most say that, as long as no one tries to explore or destroy that swamp, no one has anything to worry about. We will be fine."

Now, this helped make Judy a little bit more comfortable, however, the fact was that there was something about that swamp that made her very uncomfortable, and she doubted it was just her imagination.

"Honestly, I don't like it in here either." Nick admitted, as he went back to his game. "I used to be terrified of the stories that they told about this place, and even as an adult this place gave me creeps. Sure, it did served for inspiration for characters like Solomon Growly, Swamp Beast and Mammal Thing, but everyone tends to avoid this place, especially since they found out that the supernatural really is a thing." Nick stopped, and he looked at Judy.

"Yeah, mammals fear ghost and curses a lot more, now that they know that they might exist."

Judy could understand that, and she continued to be nervous about the place as she a Nick waited.

And waited...

And waited.

"They are taking a long time, aren't they?" Judy said, as she looked at the time on her phone. It has been now one-and-a-half-hour since the enforcers had gone in there. That was considerably more time than they took on the other places. Judy and Nick were both still waiting, as Nick was now sitting on the floor, resting his back against the wheel of their vehicle, as he got tired of playing with his game and was now reading comic strips online.

"Maybe they got lost?" Nick suggested, "Some people say that once you enter on the swamp you can get lost in it and also lose all track of time. Some even say that inside of it there are interdimensional wormholes that can transport you across time, and that some have vanished inside of them to end up in the distant past or in the future."

"Okay, now that is kind of ridiculous." Judy said, looking at the fox, and Nick nodded:

"Yeah, I admit that it is. Still, I almost believed the first time I saw Colter and Canis disappear on that portal. You know, before you found out that all it did was turning them invisible."

A bit more of silence followed, one that Judy broke.

"So, I've been revising my notes on what the enforcers told us. Would you like to revise yours?"

"Nah, they are fine." Nick said, "I'm pretty sure I wrote down everything that I need in them."

"Still, it is always a good idea to revise." Judy said, looking through her own notes. "Hey, why don't we compare our notes? You know, to see if we are on the same page. Maybe one of us noticed something that the other didn't."

She spoke it as if it was a good idea; still, Nick was hesitant in accepting. However, she knew how to be insistent, and Nick knew that he had no way of denying her.

"Just for you to know, they might not be as detailed as yours." Nick said, as he handed her the notebook where he had been making his notes, while she handed him her own.

As he expected, her notes were long and full of details, having being wrote as thoroughly as possible and with all the things that Judy thought were important. That, and with a very good calligraphy, as Nick could easily see.

As for the tod's notes...

_We went to Savannah Central, on the outskirts. The enforcers talked to some guy in there who had information on the mall's events. He gave them details on the events of the mall. Apparently what they made in there made the ley line go bonkers. He said that felt it all the way into his home.

*The guy in also said that the place might not be safe, for someone could try to make it disappear into oblivion again.

_Next we visited that place on Sahara Central again, in there they talked to someone who know something about the MTC. He said there had been a suspicious guy roaming the area for a few days, apparently making surveillance.

*He also confirmed that the guy in there was that panther who doesn't like me (I bet a million bucks that he was the mastermind of that attack)

_Next we went to visit the Glacier Falls, they talked to yet another secret mage in there, who told them that there had been rumors on the area about the presence of Ridley Blackwall (the rat who turned Delgato into his minion)

*He said that the rat has been looking for a place to nest in there, followed by two other guys, a hyena (our dear Laughing Joe) and a big boar (or even dearest Slimy Tusks), but apparently, they decided to go somewhere else. He said nothing on the gold

*Also, apparently the rat used his magic zonking eyes to turn someone else on his slave, this time a snow leopard with a white van (are they on their way out of town?)

_We just arrived in the Marshlands, I wonder what the enforcers are after here. Seeing a swamp hag? Consulting the spirits of the place? Looking inside of a magical mud pond that let them see the future?

By the time Judy had finished reading that, she rose her gaze and looked at the fox, who had just finished reading her own notes.

"Yeah, with a different kind of language, but basically the same that I wrote." The fox said with his usual smirk, which Judy was not returning.

"Nicholas, I really hope that you are not planning on giving this to the Chief as your official notes." She said in all seriousness.

"And have the Chief go all Black Death on me? Nah, I'm smarter than that." The fox said, "I'm just writing them as a way I can understand, I plan to rewrite them more professionally once we are back in the Precinct."

"I really hope so... Oh, there they are!" Judy said, and this caused Nick to look. He was right on time to see the two enforcers walking out of the swamp and stepping in their direction. They were both damp, and it looked that they had mud up to their knees.

"Next time we come here to talk to that woman, could we please bring rain boots?" Emilia asked, as she shook her legs, "And also something that could cover our tails? Seriously, I'll take two days to get the mud out of mine."

Marceli ignored her, and he walked to the two cops diligently, although Judy and Nick both noticed that he too seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the mud on his feet.

"This was informative; we received some interesting facts from the mage who resides here."

"Really? What kind?" Judy asked, as she had her pen and notebook ready to write down whatever the black tod would say, and Marceli was soon speaking.

"The mage who lives in here has information on what happens in the Canal District, for it is very close to the Marshlands. She has informed us that in the last days there were a few boats under the name of a certain company bringing forth a large number of craters and storing them on a nearby storehouse." The black fox explained, "During the night between the 13th and 14th, all of the craters were moved out of the storehouse and taken to an unknown location, probably at another part of the city."

"The golems were in those craters?" Judy asked, as she continued to take notes.

"That is what we think." Emilia said, "The old hag was really specific when she described it to us. I guess she wanted to be sure that we would not be coming back later with more questions."

Wow, there really is a hag! Nick thought in surprise, but he said nothing, and just took his own notes while the enforcers talked. In this, he circled the words 'old hag', and made a few notes on what they just repeated about the craters where the golems were.

"I see." Judy said, as she made her own notes, "Did she said which company transported the craters?"

The enforcers didn't answered immediately, but shared a look among themselves. However, only for two seconds, before Marceli answered:

"Yes, she did." The black tod said to the bunny and to the red fox. "Marble Trading Company."

Nick hesitated juts for a moment before writing that name, looking at the enforcers. Meanwhile, Judy simply nodded as she wrote that name down, for further investigation and reference. With this, they were pretty much done on that area, and soon they were all getting into the cruiser again.

"Any chance you would let me drive?" Emilia asked, and the others looked at her.

"Do you even have a driver's license?" Judy asked, and the vixen looked at her with a tilted head.

"A 'what' now?"

"Yeah, you are not driving." Judy said, and soon she was climbing at the driver's seat.

"Can I at least go in the front?" The vixen insisted, and this time it was Nick who answered:

"Sorry, only cops go in the front."

"Awww." Emilia said, as she followed her uncle climbing on the back.

Soon, the cruiser was driving away. As it did, the ones on the inside had failed to notice the mammal who watched them leave from behind a nearby tree.

The jackal on a football jacket watched as they left, before he turned around and walked in direction to the inside of the swamp.

"All that information is really important." Judy said, her eyes on the road as she drove across the area of Rainforest, out and away of that closed area that led to that swamp, and back into the normal areas of the district. "It will surely help us get the ones behind that attack."

"Yeah, this is what we hope." Emilia said, "The Association is up our tails demanding for results, and now so are the three clans. They really didn't liked that someone pulled something like that right beneath their snouts."

"So much for the guys who were suppose to be responsible for this city." Nick said as he looked into the streets, and a brief silence followed these words, before Judy spoke.

"I still cannot believe this." Judy said as she drove, "Taking an entire mall hostage only to recover that glowing thing on that box? This is so crazy! Good thing that you two still have that thing safe on your apartment."

The enforcers both perked as they heard that.

"Oh, yeah..." Emilia said, "We didn't told you guys, did we?"

"Huh? Told us what?" Judy said, looking at them through the mirror as she continued to drive."

"Yesterday, while we were at the mall, the MTC broke into our apartment." Marceli said.

The car stopped suddenly as Judy hit the brakes, causing the mammals to lurch forward. Marceli reacted quickly, holding himself. Meanwhile, Emilia went with her face in the divisor, while Nick hit his head in the dashboard.

"What did you said!?" Judy said, turning around suddenly, and looking at the two foxes.

"You know, you could give a warning when you are going to do that." Emilia said as she rubbed her face, and the bunny continued to look at them, and now so was Nick (who was also rubbing his head).

"They invaded while we were at the mall." Marceli said, "We think this was actually their plan, to make us leave our apartment so they could get inside. As soon as we arrived, we asked in the reception, and they said that a panther and two other mammals walked into the place dressed as plumbers. We saw our apartment, and it was completely ransacked."

"The guys even broke the furniture." Emilia said, "They really wanted that back."

"But they didn't got it, did they?" Judy asked, now looking fully at the two, ignoring the honking of the other cars that were on the road. "They didn't managed to take that thing with them, right? Right!?"

The enforcers shared a look between themselves, before looking back at the bunny cop, who was getting really worried with all of that...

"You have went over all lines." Tasman said, as he walked side to side, "You crossed all the limits and broke virtually all of the rules. You know this, don't you?"

With this, Tasman looked at the panther. He was laying on the couch, looking relaxed as he laid in there, both of his paws off the ground and resting on the table. The panther looked pretty calm, even a little smug, as he looked back at Tasman, who looked back at him with a calm, but severe gaze.

"The Association will be on our tails more than ever now." Tasman said, looking away as he returned to pacing back and forth in front of the panther. "We will be more in evidence than ever. That not to mention the amount of resources that you have used for this. And I'm not only talking about the golems, but also of the exorbitant amount of money you paid those delinquents to lead them to that mall."

"Hey, you were the one who told me to recover it at all costs." The panther said, still looking quite smug, and Tasman looked back at him, "And I did! You can feast your eyes."

The panther spoke as he gestured with his paw to the object that was on the same desk where he was resting his feet. It was the decorated wood box. The same one that he lost during the business with Blackwall when Nick Wilde and the other cops walked into them and the same one that he recovered from the enforcers' house. Now there it was, sitting in there, right within his possession. Of course, he could not help but feel a bit smug and satisfied with himself for having gotten it, like a frog that ate a fly.

"Yes, I see." Tasman said, and he looked back at the panther, "Still, I think that maybe there were other ways to get it than attacking a mall and making hundreds of hostages just to make sure that the enforcers would be too busy to go back to the place while you were trashing it to find it."

"I did what I had to do." The panther said, looking back at him, "And I was rather successful. You should be praising me for my work."

"I'll do that next time that you don't bring so much attention to us and use so much of our money." Tasman said, looking at him with indifference, "Still, I have to say, it is truly admirable that you managed to get in there and recover it without getting any damage to yourself. Did you used some golems to set off the traps?"

"I didn't had to." The panther said, "There weren't any traps in there."

"There weren't?" Tasman said, now letting show some genuine surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I just had to get in and take the package out of that apartment." The panther said, clearly bragging. "They had it hidden in a hole on the wall behind a painting. I found it, grabbed it and walked off."

Tasman said nothing, but only looked at the panther for a while, before he spoke:

"You... just grabbed it and walked off?"

"Yes." The panther said, his smugness at full force.

"Nothing happened when you got it?" Tasman asked him, "No bounded fields around the place where it was? No magic traps under or around the box? No strange happenings or some deadly effect when you removed it from place and took it of the apartment?"

"Yes..." The panther said, as he was starting to find strange that the other mammal was asking all of that.

"Are you saying that the Mieczyslaw, a clan famous for using runes to create some of the best bounded fields and traps of the world of magecraft, and one of the clans that more worry about safety and protecting what they have, have placed no special protections around the box?" Tasman asked, looking at him in the eye, "They probably realized what it was, and knew why we wanted it, and they still placed no special protection on it?"

"... Yes..." The panther said, and now the smugness had slipped out of his face, as he and Tasman looked at each other for a few moments.

"Okay, stupid question: ever since you took it from their apartment, did you looked inside the box?"

The panther looked at Tasman as he said that, the smugness all but gone from his face. In a second, the panther was fumbling into the box, placing it in front of himself. He hesitated for a second, and then he opened it.

Inside, instead of the same glowing golden thing that he saw when he first opened it, there was a rock. A simple, plain and smooth rock, with something written on it with watercolor:

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME

Emilia laughed as she thought the expressions of the MTC when they saw that the box that they stole didn't had their precious cargo, but a little present that the vixen herself left for them.

"Sneaky." Nick said as he looked at the vixen, quite admired that she did something like that, and finding himself enjoying her sense of humor for playing with them like that. Judy herself felt relieved that the MTC didn't got what they wanted.

"Okay, so, where is the thing?" Judy asked, and Marceli looked at her, before her spoke:

"It is in a safe place." He was serious as he spoke that, "The MTC will not put their paws on it, not if we have a saying on it."

"Yeah, it is not easy to steal anything from a Mieczyslaw." Emilia agreed with her uncle, and this was something that the two cops were grateful, for it would have been really bad if the bad guys had managed to get what they wanted in the end.

"With this clarified." Marceli said, "I think it is better if we now focus on our investigation, don't you all agree?"

Yeah, everyone agreed with that. They really had to continue with their work and go on with their investigation.

"So, where to now?" Nick asked the enforcers.

"Actually, we were about to ask you guys that." Emilia admitted, "Because, you see, we have talked to all of the mages that could possibly give us some information on the matter. We pretty much talked to everyone who we could talk."

Nick and Judy both looked back to look at the enforcers, and they saw that they were serious.

"So, this means we are in charge now?" Nick asked, and Marceli shrugged.

"You two live in this city, and we pretty much exhausted our options on the mages." The black tod said, "As far as I know, you two can lead from this part, if you think that there is anyone with whom you could talk."

The fox and bunny shared a look, and they seemed to be considering it. Who they could talk with?

Yeah, sure, they had their own contacts out there, Nick in particular. However, there was any of them that could give them more information on the event that happened involving mages? Anyone who could shed a bit of light in this situation?

"You know... there might be someone." Nick said after a few moments, and now all eyes were on him.

"I have a friend who is often keeping an eye for what happens in the city." Nick said, looking at his partner on the driver's seat and to the two foxes on the back. "She must know something about these craters on the Canal District, and maybe something on the Marble Trading Company."

"Sounds worth a try." Marceli said, although deep down, he doubted if this contact would tell them anything that they didn't already know. "Does this contact of yours has a name?"

"She surely does." Nick said to him, "Honora Badger. But everyone calls her 'Honey'."

Judy knew that she would now meet the famous 'Honey' of whom Nick talked about a few times already. She couldn't really say that she looked forward to it.

Still, if Nick said that it could be worth it to talk to her, they were all willing to do it.

So, by the fox's instructions, Judy was now driving them in direction to a more secluded part of the city.

"So, does she lives around here?" Judy asked, as she looked at the rundown walls covered with graffiti.

"Oh, she surely does." Nick said, looking through the window at the many passing buildings. "She says that the neighborhood is nice. Of course, she hardly even talks with anyone in here, but I guess that this is between her and the neighbors."

They drove to there, Nick pointed out a place for them to park the cruiser. As they got out, Nick was speaking once again:

"I must warm you; Honey is very mistrusting with strangers, so you just let me do the talking, okay?"

They walked for a short while, and they eventually stopped at an area that seemed near an old abandoned field where once they were building something, but stopped midway. There were some pieces of old pipe sticking out of the ground, and also some trash on the place, like broken glass and old wooden boxes falling to pieces.

"This is the place." Nick said as he walked into the barren terrain, and the others followed him, some of them with raised eyebrows as they looked around.

"Seriously?" Emilia asked, and Judy said:

"Nick, this place is abandoned."

"Oh, Carrots." Nick said, looking at his partner, "My dear, sweet, innocent Carrots. You have learned a lot since you came to Zootopia, but you still have a lot to learn." He said, and Judy looked at him.

"You cannot take everything at face's value." The fox said, and he approached one of the pipes that were sticking out of the ground. Picking another piece of metal, Nick started to tap at the pipe, making it vibrate and produce a metallic sound that resounded a little.

Nick didn't simply tapped at it, but he did so with a certain flourish, and soon, they were noticing that there was some kind of pattern to what he was doing. It was a code.

It took only a minute for something to happen.

Suddenly, a loud *CLANK* was heard, as if something being unlocked. Then, there was an even louder *BANG*, as the ground suddenly opened itself, revealing it to be a hatchway, and a mammal was climbing out.

This had to be Honey.

She was taller than Nick, standing on 4.8 feet tall, and she had a stout and wide build. Her fur was black in coloration, with a white stripe that ran from the top of her head all the way down to the tip of her short tail. Her fur was dirty, and it seemed that it was covered with grime and food crumbs, showing that the honey badger didn't cared very much (or at least was a little relapse) about personal hygiene. She wore a camo tank top, khaki pants held in place by an olive tool belt full of pockets, and she wore a military tag around her neck like a necklace. Now, she didn't looked crazy in the traditional sense, but there was a clear eye of suspicion as she looked at the ones in there as she got out of the hatchway. Her green eyes looked at every single one of them, starting with the bunny, and looking at the two strange foxes, before they stopped on the fox on police uniform.

For a long moment, they looked at each other, and the gaze of the honey badger was quite hostile, to the point where Judy was actually starting to get worried, her paw was subconsciously reaching for her dart gun, ready to use it in a moment's notice.

Suddenly, Nick walked forward, and said:

"Honey, Honey, Honey, must be funny~!"

"In a rich man's world~!" The honey badger said, and in this, a smile opened on her face as all of the mistrust disappeared. "Nicky! It's so good to see you!" She spoke as she pulled the fox into a hug, to which the vulpine didn't resisted. Meanwhile, the other three watched, Marceli with a tilted head, Emilia with a raised eyebrow, and Judy with an expression similar to the one she had when she first met Mr. Big.

"Dude, you that is the first time I see you in your police blues!" Honey said, as she let go of him, "I mean, I saw it on the news and on the tv, but that is the first time I see it in person! Man, you look rather dashing!"

"Thank you." Nick said, adjusting his lapel, "Got this custom made, fox-sized and extra fly."

The others continued to watch as the two went on with this, seemingly trading amenities. Marceli was the one would walk forward and ask:

"Honora Badger?"

This caused the two others to look at him, and the honey badger looked at him with her arms crossed.

"It's 'Honey', Mister Enforcer. The only one who calls me 'Honora' is my mama when she is pissed." She said, looking at the black tod, "And before you ask something dumb, yes, I know who you are, I watch the news, although most of it is controlled by the Flock."

Marceli only looked at her, before he looked at Nick.

"Hey, she knows everything that happens in Zootopia." Nick said, "By the way, would you happen to know anything about some craters that have been arriving in the Canal District?"

"Oh, you mean, the ones of that Marble Trading guys?" Honey said, clearly showing that she knew every well what this was about. "Yeah, I know about that. The golems that attacked the mall were inside of those craters, weren't they? That was how they brought them inside the city, wasn't it?"

Marceli looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe... there is anything that you have to say about it?"

"Maybe." Honey said, looking at the fox, "But I cannot say it up here. Get in the hole, y'all."

Some of them were still a bit hesitant; however, the ladies were both going for it as soon as they saw Nick going down with no hesitation, followed by Marceli. Soon, all of them were going down on the hatch, with Honey going last, closing and locking the lid behind herself.

The placed was basically a long tube made of bricks with a stair inside that they had to go down to the bottom of it before they arrived at "Honey's Den", as Nick himself had called it.

The place was basically a big bunker, with a lateral door that seemed that it gave access to an area that was more similar to the living room of a normal house. The bunker had two sides, on one; there was a great supply of provisions, including canned food and a lot of drinkable water. On the other side, however, there were a lot of things, like what seemed to be a fire extinguisher, a set of fur products (including a curling iron and a few scissors and shavers), and a few cans of paint with a couple balloon packages. However, the most interesting seemed to be the walls.

They were decorate with what seemed to be many things that Honey had placed in there as part of a personal research. Many of the pictures and documents were connect to each other with red lines and pins. She had even what seemed to be a big map of Zootopia itself, with many pictures and lines pinned across it.

The pictures were different among themselves, as some were photographs, while others were drawings, and some of them looked like images taken from old books or from websites. However, it seemed that all of the pictures had one theme in common: sheep.

"Nice decor." Emilia said as she looked around. Judy was taking a closer look on the things in there, and she realized that what she thought was a fire extinguisher was actually a can for shaving cream, that there were some balloons in there that looked like they had been filled with paint. She also noticed a thing in there that looked terrifyingly similar to a big gun but was actually a giant shearing device. Marceli himself was busy looking at the pictures, as his eyes moved between some of them, and in some he stopped his gaze for a few moments, but eventually moved away to look at other.

"Seeing anything that rings a bell, enforcer?" Honey said, as she approached the black fox, who looked back at her.

"So, I see that you added a few things." Nick said, and Honey turned to him.

"Well, I had to. After they revealed that mages were out there, I had to review a few of my lines of investigation." The woman said, as she looked at Nick, "I gave up a few investigation lines and started new ones. You know, you have to adapt."

"Yeah, I imagine." Nick said, looking at her, "So, Marble Trading, what can you say about them?"

"A lot actually." Honey said, and she looked at them, "Still, I'll not do that for free."

"What?" Nick said, now being one of the moments were he actually seemed surprised. "Honey what... do you want money?"

"Pffh, no way!" The honey badger quickly said, "I don't take money for telling others the truth. Even though my bank account now is kinda empty..." she said that, and then she turned to the enforcers. "Nah, I'm not interested in money... but, I am interested in trading information."

The enforcers looked at her with raised eyebrows, and Honey was straight to the point:

"Okay, I know things, and you guys know things as well." She said, looking at them, "So, I give you the information I have, if you guys give me some information as well."

The two foxes shared a look, and they looked back at the honey badger, who looked expectantly at them.

"What kind of information?" Marceli asked, and Honey smiled at him.

"Oh, anything that could be meaningful. I do like being in pair of everything. It could even be something in relation to what happened in the mall yesterday, and if the sheep were really involved."

"Humm, excuse me? Ms. Badger?" Judy said, causing Honey to look at her. "The events of the mall are an undergoing investigation, and sharing information on that would put the investigation in jeopardy."

"Oh, I know." Honey said, "I understand of all of these procedures, I don't want to know these details, unless you want to tell me." She said the last part in a low voice to the enforcers, who continued to look at her. "Anyway, I kind of know some details already from the video the Mage Chasers posted."

"Excuse me?" Nick said, as he and the others looked surprised at this, and Honey looked back at all of them.

"Oh, you didn't knew?" She asked, and soon she was digging through her stuff, until she pulled out a laptop. "The Mage Chasers have posted a video online of their little adventure on the mall." She said as she connected with the internet and accessing ZooTube. "Of course, not many took it seriously when they posted it, because of the fame they gained, but as soon as they saw that it was serious it started downloading like crazy. Here it is!"

Soon, the five were watching a video that was basically what the three teenagers have made when going around the mall. They recorded a good deal of fights, bits of the interview that they made with Emilia and Marceli before the thing happened, and some close ups on certain areas. They even managed to capture some impressive shots on the brawl in the central square of the mall. All of that with cuts to the teenagers, making their own commentaries on the thing. The video had been edit rather professionally.

"Sweet cheese and crackers."

"The Association won't be very happy with that." Emilia said, as her uncle looked at the screen.

"They got a good shot on us, didn't they, Carrots?" Nick asked as the camera showed a zoom on Nick and Judy's shocked expression as they were seeing their mothers fighting.

"Yeah, the guys are getting a lot of views thanks to this video." Honey said, "They are actually making a name for themselves on the internet now. But, apparently their parents didn't liked that they put themselves in such a situation, and now the three are grounded until they go to college."

Honey now turned away from the computer, and looked at the other four.

"Now, I don't want you guys to tell me all the details of the investigation, I know better." She asked, "Actually, I might not even want to know about the events of yesterday. I just want to know some things."

"What kind of things?" Marceli asked; his arms crossed as he looked at the woman, and she looked back at him.

"You know, things like if a family of mages has connection to the Flock, or if you guys have ever needed to fight some mage sheep who wanted to take over the world, or if you know of a certain secret organization formed by sheep that the Association often has to oppose."

Marceli continued to look at her with a raised eyebrow, and so did Emilia, who was starting to get a little worried with the obsession that the honey badger had with sheep.

"I'm... not sure if we have any information about that we could simply say." Marceli said, and Honey was quick to answer:

"Come on, guys." Honey said, "Just give me some information! Anything!"

"I'm sorry, but I think-" Marceli was saying, and suddenly, Nick cut him.

"Wait, I think there is something." The tod said, causing the others to look at her, "We could tell her about the three clans."

"Nick?" Judy said, and the enforcers looked back at the fox.

"I'm... not sure this is a good idea."

"Why not?" Nick asked, "I mean, you already told us from the ZPD, and it is not directly related to the investigation, so maybe we could share it with her."

"What? What clans? What are you guys talking about?" Honey asked, and Nick made a gesture to the honey badger as he looked at Marceli. The black tod looked at him for a few moments, before he sighed.

"Fine." He said, and looked at Honey, "There is a thing we can tell you, but you need to keep it only to yourself. The clans might not be happy for us babbling about them to others."

"What, you think I can't keep secrets?" Honey said, "I might want the truth to be told, but I'm smart enough to know when to keep my mouth shut. Now, spit it out, what are these clans you are talking about?"

Marceli looked at her, and he started to conversation rather casually, asking her what she knew about the Bellwether family. Honey said that she knew the basic, that they were some reclusive rich family of sheep that lived in the Meadowlands and that the head of the family had three children and one of them was Dawn Bellwether. It was know now that they were mages after the revealing that Bellwether herself was a mage.

"What, are they like, an important mage family?" Honey asked, "Do they have ties to the Flock?"

Now, Marceli had no idea on what 'The Flock' was exactly, but he was able to share with Honey the same information that he shared with the ZPD in that morning.

They told her about the ley lines and sacred lands, and how Zootopia was an important one. They also told her about how that land was seize by three families, who turned into the second owners. Also, the level of power and authority that they had on that land as the second owners.

By the time they finished, Honey looked positively baffled.

"The Bellwethers own Zootopia!?" Honey said, sounding really shocked. And she was a bit loud, as Judy's ears hurt a little.

"Yes, they do." Marceli said, looking back at her, "Along with the Wilde and Höhle clans. They share the authority."

Honey seemed like she had stopped listening, and now she was reflecting on what she had been told.

"Wow... Bellwether's family owns Zootopia along with two other families. And they took part on founding the city! This is so... wow." The honey badger said, as she turned around, and she looked as if she was opening a few files in her laptop, and she was looking on the things in there.

"If that is truth, this would explain so much... but, it would also mean..." She said to herself, and she turned to Marceli once more. "They have authority over all that happens in Zootopia?"

"All that pertains to the world of magecraft." The black tod said to her, "They have their own personal policy of not interfering with the affairs of the non-mages, unless it starts to represent a threat to themselves. It was a condition that the Association stipulated for them when they decided to allow the non-mages to live in here freely."

"Yeah, but they actually follow it?" Honey said, and she turned her attention back to the computer. "If they are a family that controls Zootopia, this would allow them to do a lot. They could have free access to most of the area and use their rituals in here without anyone getting on their way. They could use spells to suppress instincts on the population and even control elections and legal decisions. If they actually do have connections to the Flock, well, it is actually possible that they do, if they are such an old family of mages..."

"Honey. Honey!" Nick said, making the honey badger snap out of her own reflections and look at him. "You already got your information, what about you give us some?"

She blinked, and it was as if she had suddenly remembered it.

"Oh, right! Marble Trading!" She said. Soon, she started to fumble on other archives, and this time she opened a few windows that seemed to be documents and news articles concerning the company.

"The guys are an international trading agency that has subsidiaries all over the globe, and that it is said to make business with some of the more influent guys around." Honey said as she went over the files. "They don't have a subsidiary here in Zootopia yet, but rumor has it that they are actually planning one. Also, there is a great deal of legal cases that have been raise against the company, saying that they had been involved in illegal things, like trading of stolen goods, and even mammal trafficking. But none of these investigations and lawsuits ever went past their initial stages. The company is consider pristine clean and devoid of any irregularity. Still, the amount of cases that were raised against them was something that you should really pay attention to."

Sounds like the kind of company that a mage criminal organization could use. Judy thought to herself, as the badger continued to open more files.

"They have a lot of investors." Honey said, "Most of them seem to be of the classified kind, but some of them are pretty wealthy. In fact..." She said, and she opened another file, "One of them is the owner of that storehouse were the craters they have been bringing were taken."

"Oh, really?" Nick asked, looking at the file, "What's his name?"

"His identity seems to be protected." Honey said, looking through the files, "But, I got the guy's initials: K.T."

"Only the initials?" Judy asked, "Didn't got his name?"

"Nope. It seems that he is among the classified investors. But, the guy definitely is the owner of that storehouse. The craters all were kept in there before they were taken to two different places."

"Did you said two?" Marceli asked, and Honey nodded.

"Yep, two. Most of the craters were taken to a place in the outskirts of Savannah Central, and that was on the day before the mall was taken." She said, and she looked at another, "But, there were a couple of big craters that were taken somewhere else during a couple weeks, some undisclosed location here in Zootopia. Actually..." She said, opening a few other files, "It seems that the storehouse was being used to receive small craters that were taken to the said address, but there was an increase in the amount of craters for around three or four days before the mall was taken."

"The mage was working on them." Marceli said, and the others looked at him. "He was working on his golems. He used the storehouse to get the components to arrive and be taken to him so he could work."

"Did you said four days before the mall was taken?" Judy asked, and Honey confirmed. "That was the day that we apprehended that strange package from the panther and gave it to the enforcers!"

"He wanted to have it back, so he provided for more components to be brought so he could have the golems he would need for his plan. Were all the craters removed in a single day?"

Honey nodded.

"If they all were taken at once, he could not take them to his own workshop, for they would call too much attention." The black told spoke, seemingly to himself as much as to the others, "He would have to take them to an area that was open and yet hidden from sight, so he could get them all assembled and ready." Marceli said, and all of them nodded in agreement.

"This is all very important, and it gives us some ground to continue to investigate." Marceli concluded.

"Honey, think you can put all of these files on a pen drive for us?" Nick asked, and the honey badger was soon nodding.

"You don't even have to ask." She said as she pulled out a pen drive that had a sheep skull printed in it. "I'll have all of these files ready for you to take them." She said as she plugged the drive in and started to download the information in it.

"And." She added, opening another file, "Since you guys gave me such a meaningful information about the Bellwether, I'm gonna let you guys into another information that might be good for you."

"Really? What information?" Emilia asked.

"Mages and the Bigfoot are roaming around the Manechester house." She said, and everyone looked at her.

"Did you just said 'Bigfoot'?" Judy asked slowly, looking at the badger, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Well, that's how I'm calling the thing, since I don't really know what it is." Honey spoke, as she accessed a few video on the file she just opened.

"Any chance you could elaborate?" Nick asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, it is all some situation regarding the Manechesters."

"You mean the family of Chandler Manechester?" Judy asked.

"That's right, the king of confections." Honey said, as she fumbled through the files. "His family is quite old and a big deal here in Zootopia, and they made some serious dough with their security and private police agency. They are said to be a good family, even though the old horses Manechester are not big fans of predators... Here!"

She showed what seemed to be the view of a camera that was install in what seemed to be some big and important house.

"You actually got a camera in the Manechesters' yard?" Nick said; sounding more admired than surprised.

"Do you have permission for this?" Judy asked, but Honey dodged the question by calling their attention to something:

"See this guy right here?" She said, pointing a horse that had just walked into the line of the camera. "Does he looks familiar?"

They all looked at the horse on the image, and they all recognized him.

That was Percy Colter!

"Yeah, the guy from the rainbow flames." Honey said, "He and a few friends have been lurking around the Manechester house for a while between last November and the start of January." She said, as they looked at the video, and they could see two mammals coming at his encounter. It were Hudson Coyle and an unknown silver fox. They chatted for a few moments, and soon they were all leaving the place.

"These guys certainly do not live there, so I found it rather suspicious." She said, "Of course, I didn't had idea that they were mages until a few months ago, when I saw the horse online on a video and I realized that he was a mage, and probably so were the guys with him."

"They still go to the Manechester house?" Marceli asked, as now his curiosity had been awaken, and Honey continued:

"They stopped around the middle of January, and didn't appeared again ever since. But, I have kept my eye out for them, in case they went back in there." She said, and she opened a few more videos.

"In this, I caught some other interesting things that have been happening lately." She spoke, and opened a video that showed two mammals, a wolf and a gazelle, being received by a donkey butler at the front door and entering the house.

"Who are these two?" Judy asked,

"Beats me." Honey said, "They appeared last week, and they have been living in the house ever since. I think that these guys might be mages, rumor was that the Manechester guys had been looking for a few mages to work for them."

Judy and Nick shared a look.

"I'm serious! Some rich families have been doing that lately! They look for mages who are after a job and offer then a salary to be their live-in personal magecraft professionals. For things like protection, counseling, cursing their rivals, you know, the gist."

"They could be freelancers." Emilia said, but Marceli said nothing.

"Don't you have a better angle of them?" The black tod asked, "Or maybe some image that isn't so dark, and we can see their faces better?"

"Nope, sorry." Honey said, and she then passed by another video, one that showed another angle of the house.

"However, I also caught some curious figure who was also sneaking around their yard at night." She said, and soon, they were seeing a figure walking in the sight of the camera.

It was hard to say the species, but it was something big and full of fur.

It was carrying a small device in its paw/hoof (?), which it placed in a nearby tree, and took a while adjusting it.

"Is he... placing a hidden camera?" Judy asked, and Honey nodded.

"Sure is, bunny buns."

The creature continued with what it was doing for nearly a minute, before it considered its work done. That was when she creature turned around and started to walk away. In this, Honey paused the image right when the creature had turned its head, allowing others to see the face.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy said, and Emilia said something in Pawlish as she looked at the image.

The creature was certainly a mammal; however, it looked pretty different from most regular mammals. It had an elongated face that one would expect in some species of prey, but its mouth was pack with sharp teeth. It was hard to discern precise features on the mammal in question, but it was possible to see the eyes of the mammal, which glowed in the low luminosity of the night in a rather ominous way.

"There is Bigfoot." Honey said, gesturing at the image, and the others just stared.

"Not very pretty, is he?" Emilia said as she looked at the image.

"Just what in Frith's name is that thing?" Judy said, looking at the entity that was showing on the image.

"I don't know..." Marceli said, looking at the glowing eyes of the creature, "But this has really caught my interest."

Chapter Text

"Just what in the name of Minos is that?" Bogo said, as he looked at the video that the enforcers and his two officers had brought. He looked very intently at the face of the strange creature that appeared on the screen.

"According to Wilde's contact, it is the Bigfoot." Emilia said, as she stood in a chair with her uncle sitting next to her, while the two officers stood in another. Bogo snorted at this.

"If that's Bigfoot, than I am the Minotaur." Bogo said, "I mean, look at it. It could be a mask."

"It doesn't quite look like a mask." Judy said, as she had seen the video herself, and it didn't really looked like some kind of mask. It was dark and kind of hard to have a clear view, but it was clear enough for them to be sure that the mammal in the video was not wearing a mask.

"Well, I know that it cannot be the Bigfoot." Bogo said, but them he stopped, as if thinking on something. He then turned his gaze to the enforcers, "It cannot be the Bigfoot, right?"

"Bigfoot is just a legend." Marceli said; he was tapping on the machine that he had. Bogo felt a bit angry that the fox was doing that while they were talking, but Marceli made it clear that he too needed to pass information to the Association to update them on their situation. "I'm not sure of what it is, but I assure you is not Bigfoot."

"Well that's a relief." Nick said, "But so, just who and what is the ugly guy in the camera?"

"Could be a mage." Emilia said, "He could be a user of lycanthropy."

This really caught the attention of the cops present on the room.

"Wait, did you said, 'lycanthropy'?" Judy said, as the prospect suddenly had her worried.

"As in, getting cursed by the bite of another lycanthrope?" Nick asked, "Turning into a savage monster during the full moon? Losing your mind while you grow and your teeth and claws become sharper and you crave for the taste of mammal flesh even if you are a prey?"

"That is ridiculous!" Bogo said, looking at Marceli, who still typed on his machine. "There are no such things as lycanthropes!"

"Hmm, with dues respect, sir." Nick said, "You did said the same thing about magic some months ago."

Bogo looked at Nick, and it was a gaze that would have made other mammals cower, but not that sly fox. The buffalo soon was snorting as he looked down.

Sometimes he hated when Wilde was right.

"Oh, yeah. Lycanthropy is a thing." Emilia said, "But, it is not really like what they show on your television series and on your books."

"Lycanthropy is the process of awakening something primitive in your body." Marceli explained, as he continued to type on the machine. "It is something that brings forth the more primitive and savage parts of your species, sometimes even of the ancestors of your species, using it to make yourself more savage."

He finished typing, and he turned his look at the mammals on the room. "You change to become closer to what your ancestors were in a distant past. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. More in tune with primitive instincts. Basically, you could call it a regression to a more primitive state. This, of course, might also mean that you become far more aggressive."

The cops all looked with interest at the enforcer, who them was concluding:

"It can be achieved through magecraft, but it is not something easy. This kind of transformation is extremely taxing, both physically and mentally. The mind suffers from being forced into a more primitive state, and physical transformations of any kind put the body under an immense amount of strain." He said, "As a matter of fact, the transformation itself tends to be painful, and it is said that overuse of the ability by someone inexperienced could put one's sanity in danger or even reduce their lifespan. It is not the kind of thing that you would do on a whim."

The mammals around nodded, and they all took in this information.

"Anyway." The black tod said, "This is relevant information, as well as the rest of the ones that we acquired today."

"Yeah, it sure seems like it." Bogo said, and he reflected on all that they told him. It was a whole lot of information that they had collected by talking to their contacts. Most of it came from the enforcers, but there was also some significant information that they acquired from someone that Wilde knew.

Of course, none of them shared the identities of their contacts. The enforcers for they were mages and didn't wanted to be identified, while Wilde said that his contact (who could one day become a good informant, according to the fox) wanted to have their name off the records.

"So, how will this information help?" Bogo asked, looking at the mammals, "I mean, they obviously give new directions to the investigation, but how helpful are they, actually?"

"Very." Marceli said to the buffalo. "Knowing that they interfered with the ley line tells us that they were using a powerful magecraft, and that is not the kind of thing that they could have done in a day, which means that they have been preparing. The fact that it is confirmed the presence of the panther in Sahara Central had been at the place for a few days shows that he has been studying the area, telling us that he has been in the city for a while, which means he probably found a place to stay. The fact that they had been bringing their golems through the Canal District let us know that they truly planned to stay here for a while, to the point they were possibly mounting a workshop in there, something I seriously doubt that the clans have gave permission for. Not the mention the information Wilde's contact gave."

"And don't forget the information on Blackwall." Emilia chimmed in, "We know that the guy was in the city for a while, probably preparing to make business with the MTC. He could be a source of information on their plans."

"That if he is still in the city." Marceli said in answer, "It is likely that he has left already."

Nick nodded at this. That indeed seemed like the most probable.

"Either way, this lead in particular is not as promising as the other ones. We'll keep it in second plan and focus on the others." Marceli said, and the cops in there agreed with him.

"And, what about Hon- I mean, Nick's contact's other information?" Judy asked, causing them to look at her, "The one about the Manechester? Is it relevant?"

"Maybe... or maybe not." Marceli said, "It was before this situation, and it might not be related at all."

"Yeah, but about the creature in the figure and the two supposed mages that are now living there..." Judy said, and Marceli shook his head.

"It might be totally unrelated to this situation. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to look into it later on."

"Well, we should give them a call, to let them know what is happening, and maybe to mark an interview with the mages in there." Judy said, and this time it was Bogo that shook his head.

"It might not be the best idea, Hopps." The buffalo said, causing the bunny to look at them, "If we ask their help on something, it is very likely that they might at least not be fully cooperative."

"Huh, why not?" Judy asked, looking at him.

"You really don't know much of Zootopia's recent political activity, have you?" Nick asked, and Judy looked at him, with a raised eyebrow.

"Hopps, the Manechester family is famous for their work as an independent law enforcement and security company, one that is quite successful." Bogo said to the bunny. "It was founded around sixty years ago, and it has made a name for itself as one of the best in the market. Of course, they have many times worked in conjunction with the ZPD in some important cases, but many times they have worked more on their own, there were even times when their work and the ZPD ended up interfering with each other."

"Yeah, the old Manechester grandpapa was a guy who thought that he should do the job that the police could not." Nick said, "Some even said that he used to go around the city beating up criminals, like he was a vigilante or something."

"There were tensions between the family and the ZPD." Bogo continued, and Judy looked back at him, "And these tensions have gotten a bit worse a few years ago after certain... circumstances..."

Bogo was a bit vague at it, and Judy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. After a few moments, Bogo was speaking again:

"Still, I think that we really should call the Manechester manor and let them know that there is a hidden camera at their yard." The buffalo said, "I'll have Deermond call them as soon as possible to give them the warning."

The ones around nodded, however, Judy said something:

"By the way, sir?" She asked, and Bogo looked at him, "We haven't seen Clawhauser in the front desk... is he okay?"

Bogo looked at her for a few moments.

"Yes, Hopps. He is fine." Bogo said, to her, "Clawhauser is currently on health leave for the next three days. As per his mother's request."

The mammals on the room looked at the buffalo.

"She came to talk to me soon after you all left, and she told me that it would be better if her son took a few days off work to be sure that he would be fully recovered." He spoke, looking around, "Of course, under normal conditions I would not agree with it, since it looked like Clawhauser could work perfectly, but... his mother can be pretty convincing."

"She must be, if she managed to convince you." Nick said, the buffalo only looked back at him, and he seemed that he wanted to say something back at the fox. However, the buffalo chose the best option at the moment: to ignore the fox and move on.

"So, this leads to how we will proceed with the investigation now. Do any of you have anything else to pursue?" Bogo asked, and Judy was about to answer to him, when suddenly her phone started ringing.

She barely thought as she pulled it from her pocket, and she let out a small groan.

"Oh, cheese and crackers." She said under her breath, and the others looked at her.

"Your neighbors again?" Nick asked, and Judy nodded.

"Yeah, they have been calling for a while now." She said, and the others looked at her with interest.

"Ever since yesterday they have been asking me to investigate the website that Bucky has been looking at." She said to the ones around. "The one that 'turned him into a mage'. And they want me to convince the enforcers to look into it as well."

"The guys are still pretty freaked out about that." Nick said.

"One cannot turn into a mage." Marceli said, "If anything, this 'Bucky' was born a mage and never realized it until yesterday."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit it is strange." Emilia said to her uncle, "I mean, from what I heard it seems that the guy learned actual magecraft from the internet, and that is not common. You know how we are in keeping secrets, if our teachings really ended up online..."

"I admit it's unsettling." Marceli said, "And that it could be important, but right now we have to focus on the case of the mall, and this means that we don't have time to look into this. We'll focus on doing our job and we will-", Marceli was saying, but he was interrupt as the machine started working by itself.

Marceli now had his full attention to the machine as it worked, punching line after line into the scroll in there.

"So, what does the HQ says?" Nick asked, but Marceli seemingly ignored him. The black tod had his attention turned completely to the machine and to the words that were being write in there.

The machine worked for around two minutes, and Marceli continued to look at it as it wrote a sizable number of lines. After it was done, Marceli was in silence for around another minute, causing everyone to look at him, before he spoke:

"Change in plans." He said, turning to the bunny, "We should go see your neighbor."

This caused everyone to look surprised at him.

"We should?" Judy asked, and she looked at black tod.

"Why the sudden change?" Nick asked, and the question was clear in the eyes of the other officers around.

"The Association has a direction for the investigation." The black tod said, tapping the scroll that had been print in there with words from the Association. "They want the mages who were present on the mall to be questioned. This, of course, includes that neighbor of yours."

"Oh... wait, this means my mother will be questioned as well?" Judy asked.

"And mine too?" Nick asked, and Marceli looked back at both of them.

"You have their addresses here in Zootopia, right?" He asked simply, and this was enough answer to the two, who shared a look among themselves, while Emilia looked at the scroll with the message, and she whistled.

"Wow, Aaron himself gave the order." She said, "The thing is really serious."

"Yes, indeed." Marceli said, "Although he probably only did it because the clans have insisted for this to be done."

The ones around looked at them, and Nick was the one who felt inclined to ask:

"This 'Aaron', is he some influent guy among the enforcers?"

"Aaron Mieczyslaw." Marceli said, looking at the cops. "He has an elevated ranking in the enforcers. He would be the equivalent to a police chief among us." He said, looking straight at Bogo.

"Wait, Mieczyslaw?" Judy asked, and she knew that it was the same name of the foxes.

"Aaron is our cousin." Emilia said, and the cops all looked at them.

"Wow... the enforcers are certainly ahead of other police departments around." Nick said, "I mean, hiring so many foxes, and making one a chief? Man."

"Oh, no." Emilia quickly said, "Aaron is not a fox, he is a wolf."

This, of course, granted a few confused looks.

"Wait, but didn't you just said he is your cousin?" Judy said, and Emilia confirmed.

"Yes, he is."

She looked at her for a few moments, and then it occurred to her that maybe they were a mixed family. She heard of these many times, and they weren't that rare.

"Oh... sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Emilia asked.

"For being... you know... for not considering that foxes and wolves could be relatives... I mean... I just... I-is he a relative by mother or father's side?" She said, clearly trying to diverge from what she thought to be a social indiscreetness. However, this only caused Emilia to look at her confused. Luckily, Marceli was in there, and he seemed to know better what to say.

"There are two Mieczyslaw families." The black tod said, causing the eyes on the room to turn to him. "There are the fox Mieczyslaw, and the wolf, Mieczyslaw."

"Oh..." Judy said, looking at him, and so did the others. Bogo, on his end, had a particular look of interest to what the black tod was saying.

"Despite both families being of different species, we consider ourselves as the single clan, composed by two different families. We study the same branch of magecraft, we share of many of the same beliefs and views, and we even refer to each other as 'cousin'." The black tod explained, "Still, the two families focus on different things, for while the wolf Mieczyslaw are more focused on keeping order, often becoming enforcers, the fox Mieczyslaw are more worried on travelling the world and collecting old artifacts."

"With a few exceptions." Emilia said, "Like Uncle Marcel and me." She was rather proud as she spoke that, and the cops processed what the enforcers had just told them. Bogo in particular, looked to be a bit deep in thought as he processed what the black tod said.

So... there are wolves who use the same magecraft as this fox.

"Now that is quite an interesting family." Nick said, "What, did you became associated by marriage or something?"

"The two clans are descendant of the same individual." Marceli said simply, "But, this is not relevant now, we must go on and proceed to interrogate the mages of the place. Starting with Bucky."

With this said, the enforcers and the two cops were jumping out of the chairs, and they were now heading to the door. Bogo looked like he was having a mental debate as he watched them go to the door. As they were halfway to it, the buffalo got up from his chair.

"Wait!" He said, a bit loudly, surprising the four others, who looked back at him with surprised expressions or, on Marceli's case, a raised eyebrow.

"Mieczyslaw." Bogo said, after recomposing himself, and he was looking at the black tod. "Before you go, I'd like to talk to you a bit."

"Yes?" He said, and the buffalo added:

"In private."

There was a silence on the room, and Marceli looked at the buffalo with a raised eyebrow, before he nodded. He told the others to go ahead; he would catch with them soon. Emilia was a bit hesitant, but she eventually agreed to go with the cops while he uncle had a quick talk with the ZPD Chief.

As they left the room and closed the door, Marceli was now alone with Bogo.

"So, what is it you want to talk about, Chief Bogo?" Marceli asked, going straight to the point, "By your expression, I'd say it is something serious."

Bogo looked at him, evaluating and immediately knowing that the fox already knew there was something that the buffalo wanted. However, Bogo knew better than to be too blunt, and he decided to ease things in first.

"So, your clan has a wolf side, huh?" Bogo said, "That's... interesting."

"I assume it is." Marceli said, looking him with smart eyes, "Although, I don't really consider it interesting enough for you to want to talk about it with me in particular."

Bogo looked at him, and he continued:

"And, these wolves use the same type of magecraft as you do." Bogo said, and he was not asking, but confirming what the fox himself said just minutes ago. "So, I assume that you learned much of your magecraft from them, right?"

"Well, that is how it is usually done between mages." The black tod confirmed, looking up at the buffalo. "The teachings are made within the family, as we want to make sure that our secrets will not be stolen. All that I know, I learned from the rest of my clan."

"I see..." Bogo said, "Including that little exploding trick?"

Marceli visibly tensed at this, and that was something that did not went unnoticed by Bogo.

"That... was something I came up with on my own." The fox said, and Bogo noticed something strange on the way that the fox said that. This made him suspicious, and he decided to continue:

"Really?" Bogo said, "You don't learned it up from someone else? Maybe a wolf of your clan?" Bogo said, "Maybe you got inspired by someone else to come up with it..."

"What are you getting at?" Marceli said, looking at him. Bogo said nothing, as he only looked back at the fox.

"Even a kit can tell that you are up to something." Marceli said to him, "Let's not play these kinds of games, Chief Bogo. It is beneath both of us. If there is anything you want to say or to ask, just look at me in the eye and say it."

Bogo looked at the fox. It was obvious that the fox was not in the mood for games, and he had a point, playing games and trying to go around the subject to reach something like the politicians often did was something he considered to be beneath himself. The vulpine obviously was too smart for these games, and he saw right through Bogo from the beginning. Bogo took this in consideration and, after a while, he decided to finally say it:

"It was over thirty years ago." He said to the fox, "In a forest near an upstate house."

Marceli looked at the buffalo, with a raised eyebrow.

"A calf was visiting an uncle who had a house upstate, and he liked to explore the deep woods." Bogo said, "One night, he wandered deeper than before in the woods, and he met something unusual in this. He sees a bunch of mammals in the woods, performing some kind of ritual. They don't notice that he is in there, and he doesn't wants to call their attention, so he remains hidden."

Marceli looks at him more intently as he speaks, and his expression is becoming more serious.

"That was when a group of mammals come in, making them stop the ritual, and identifying themselves as enforcers." Bogo continued, and he saw as the expression of the fox became darker and darker. "At their lead, is a wolf wearing a fedora and with a creepy smirk on his muzzle."

Now the look that the fox was giving him was hard, almost hostile, and he said, slowly:

"What have you seen there, Bogo?"

The fox was purposely dropping the Chief, and it was obvious that he knew what the buffalo was talking about. Bogo himself felt a bit confused by the words of the fox, but only for a second, before he realized that the fox thought that Bogo was talking of something he saw himself, rather than something that his brother told him.

Bogo decided to play along with it.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Bogo said, avoiding telling a direct lie but effectively going around the truth. "Enforcers stopping a ritual in the woods, when all of sudden the wolf starts doing something to everyone in there, including the enforcers. He placed his paws in them and a few seconds later, they exploded. The wolf is laughing while he makes them explode, and the calf stays hidden, watching it all happen from his hiding spot, and he even sees when one of the daggers of the enforcers land on the ground near his hiding point."

The fox's expression continued to become heavier, and Bogo had the impression that the fox was clenching his fists.

"After it is over, and the wolf is gone, the calf finally comes out of where he was hiding and ran back to his uncle's house. Years have passed, but the calf never forgot what he saw on the woods that night." Bogo said, Marceli looked up at him, and Bogo looked back at the almost-ferocious look that the fox was giving him.

"Over the last months, the calf got some answers to what he saw." The buffalo said, "He now knows better about magecraft. He knows what enforcers are. He knows that the enforcers were there because these mammals were probably doing something against their laws... but, there is still one thing that the calf didn't understood yet."

Bogo looked deep into Marceli's eyes.

"What was that all about?"

There was silence, and the fox looked back at him with a fierce expression on his face.

"Bogo..."

"Why did the wolf killed everyone?" Bogo asked, looking at the fox. "He was a traitor to the enforcers? Did he went insane? Was he following some kind of plan?"

"Bogo..." Marceli said again.

"Was the wolf close to you?" Bogo asked very bluntly. This immediately got a reaction of the fox, who now visibly flinched, and he looked at the buffalo with a dire expression on his face.

"Was he a member of your clan?" Bogo asked him.

"Do not speak things you don't know about." Marceli said, his voice was dangerously low, and all of his physiognomy let the message that he was getting ready to charge and fight. Bogo took this hostility as a sign that the fox indeed knew about something, and that it was a very personal matter for him.

"It is always bad when a fellow officer betrays you." Bogo said, "Even more when they are from your own family."

The fox said nothing, but continued to look at the buffalo, and it now looked like he was fighting the urge to leap at the buffalo's neck.

"Have you ever mentioned about this to anyone?" He asked, and it was clear that he was making an effort to calm himself, although everything from his tune to his posture still denote aggressiveness, or at least some anger-based hostility.

"What if I did?" Bogo said, not letting himself be intimidated. He was not the kind of mammal who backed away from a challenge, and this included the one that was coming from that fox.

They looked at each other for a while, before the fox said:

"You should forget what you saw."

"As if it was easy to forget something like that." Bogo said, remembering all that Tim had told him since that night when they finally reconciled. Tim had never been able to forget what he saw, and it haunted him for decades on end.

"You should try." Marceli said to him, rather bluntly, "I know I have been trying to."

"Oh, it must be so hard." Bogo said, as he was starting not to like the tune of the fox, and neither the way that he was talking to him. Bogo didn't liked this kind of thing, he had problem enough dealing with it from politicians.

"You think it was not?" Marceli said, and his tune was low, almost as if it was a threat to the buffalo. "Don't you think that I had been struggling to try to leave that behind and to move on with my life after that? That I didn't spent years trying to move on? He was my idol, dammit!"

"So this makes it harder than to a calf who witnessed mammals dying like that!?" Bogo asked to him, as this conversation was escalating. "Do you think that a calf who witnessed such things would have it easier to forget it than someone who admired the wolf who did that and who was told about it by some of his peers later on? Was it that bad when they told you that your idol had murdered his companions?"

"No one had to tell me anything!" Marceli shouted back at the buffalo, "I was there!"

There was a silence after this outburst from the fox. Both mammals looked at each other, and Bogo couldn't help but look in surprise at the fox who was nearly fuming.

"This conversation is over." Marceli said, turning around and walking to the door, Bogo tried to call him, but the fox was incisive in his answer:

"This has nothing to do with this case." The black tod said, "The event of that forest was years ago, and it has no connections to the events that we are currently investigating." The tod looked over his shoulder, straight at the buffalo.

"Just let it go, Chief Bogo." He said, and he walked off, closing the door behind himself.

Bogo was left alone in that room, as he processed all that had just happened.

Marceli managed to catch up with the others as they were on their way to the cruiser, and Emilia did noticed that there was something with the black tod.

"Uncle Marcel?" She asked, causing him to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

The black fox looked back at his niece, who was looking at him with a worried expression.

He took a deep breath, and he said:

"It's okay... we have work to do. Let's go."

"I'm saying that we should try to call Hopps again!"

"To ask her to come here and bring the enforcers with her only because you are asking?"

"To investigate this thing! I mean, it is the kind of thing that is worth of their attention, right?"

"Don't you think that they might already be busy enough with what happened at the mall yesterday?"

"Well, maybe they could spare some time!"

"They have other duties!"

"Yeah, but maybe they would come if we asked!"

"What, think that they will agree only because you are a mage now? Amazing how fast you got full of yourself!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, YOU shut up!"

With each 'shut up', there was a banging on the wall, as the screaming seemed to get louder and louder.

However, it was interrupt when someone knocked at the door. Immediately, one of the mammals who were screaming marched to the door (stomped, actually), and swung it open.

"What!?" Bucky said as he looked at who it was. The first mammal that he saw in there was jackal, who visibly flinched at the screaming kudu. Bucky was about to ask who he was and what he wanted, when he looked further down and he noticed the presence of four familiar mammals coming with the jackal.

"Hey there." Nick said to the kudu, and Judy was by his side. With them, were the mammals who Pronk immediately recognize from the mall. The enforcers. They were without the hoods that they used back then but there was no way of mistaking the mammals who helped save his and his husband's lives.

"Oh... Hey there." Bucky said, and he immediately turned back to inside. "Pronk! Guess who is at the door!"