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Pawbert Pawthorne (Male Lynx) was on a break in between intake towards the end of the day when his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Looking at it as he waited for his tea to finish brewing, he froze as the number for the school was on display.
He answers, lifting the phone up to his ear as he strains his teabag. “Pawbert Pawthorne.”
The receptionist’s voice comes out from the speaker, blunt but also slightly stressed at a situation. “Mister Pawthorne. We have a situation at the school. Nekos has gone missing.”
Pawbert freezes, choking out a strained “M-Missing?” Instinctual terror at the words no parent ever wanted to hear.
Sorrel (Male Capybara) looks up from looking at his own papers, now alert at Pawbert’s comment, knowing that it must be important from how terrified his workmate sounded. Pawbert doesn’t notice, his entire being focussed on the phone to the receptionist at school as she continues. “He threw up during a history lesson and was hyper-ventilating, but when Judith was escorting him to the Nurse’s office, he ran. She lost him fairly quickly and has been missing for the past 5 minutes. We have teachers searching, but we wanted to let you know first. If we can’t find him in the next 6 or 7 minutes, I’ll be calling the rest of his emergency contacts.”
The voice hesitates, as one of the few mammals in the school that knew some of the details that may have caused this, she had a pretty good idea on why the cub ran. “The double history lesson was on the Lynxley incidents, both the trial and Clawrence’s terrorism. They finished the trials about 12 minutes ago, and had moved onto the terrorism.”
Pawbert blinks, leaning on the counter as he closes his eyes and heaves a sigh, realising what had happened and now acutely aware that he hasn’t talked about Clawrence’s part of the incidents with his kit yet. The receptionist continues on. ”We wanted to know if he hides at times when he gets overwhelmed, or what kinds of places he retreats too.”
Pawbert takes a deep breath. “I understand. He hasn’t really hid at home yet. He.“ Pawbert hesitates. ”He usually retreats to one of the Pack when he gets overwhelmed and covers his eyes, so I’m not sure where he would go if he’s panicking and on his own.”
He bites his lip, worried now, but jumps when Sorrel puts a paw on his shoulder. “Go. Your son needs you. We can handle and reschedule if needed, and I’ll let Devor know.”
Pawbert blinks, then gives a wobbly smile of relief. “Thanks.” He turns back to the phone, starting to pack up his things as Sorrel heads out to let their boss know. “I’m coming in. Maybe he’ll come out when he hears me?”
The receptionist sighs in relief. “That’ll be great, Mister Pawthorne. He’s so small, so there are a lot of places he can squeeze into and his phone is still in his bag by his desk. I’ll let security know you’re coming.”
Pawbert gives a nod, then hangs up before gathering the rest of his things. Despite the absolute fear and adrenaline flowing through him, his pace is steady and calm, pulling upon all his patience to keep himself focussed and grounded. Then he’s setting off, a brief nod to Devor (Male Bison) who gives his own solemn nod.
He leaves his work place, power-walking to the school to help his son.
He also gets his phone out and opens up the Pack chat. He grimaces, but they had the right to know as well and they agreed, no secrets unless a Closed File was called for. He types a message into it. “We messed up.” A few confused emoji’s from Nick who was probably in the passenger seat of their cruiser and a questioning ‘Paw?’ from Luther was the reply as he was typing out “Nekos’s history lesson about my family's trial took 40 min so they moved onto Clawrence’s terroism. He threw up and ran. I’m heading to the school rn to help look for him since he’s hiding. I’ll keep you all appraised.”
He sends the message as he arrives at the school, turning the usual 7 minute walk to 4 minutes. He confirms who he is to the security guard, and heads to reception.
The Capybara working the desk looks up and gives a sad look. “I’ve been in contact with the staff. A lot of the students are still in lessons for the next 42 minutes, but the teachers are all aware that a student has gone missing and will be keeping an eye out. If we haven't found him in 35 minutes, they will inform their classes at the end, so we expect around half the student body joining the search then. Judith’s class has all volunteered to help look for him as well. We know he ran towards the east wing, but that’s still a large area. But he’s also a Feline AND he’s small enough to fit into smaller spaces, so everywhere everyone can think of is being checked.” Pawbert gives a nod, then turns to the wing they believe he was in, passing by Star Wars posters put up and figuring that they were fully taking part in the May 4th puns.
As he heads on over, his phone pings with more replies. Looking at the chat, he winced at the various swears he got from the pack, having realised that a Lynx cub with pre-existing trauma from everything before, would not react well to discovering what his own father did to others, especially as he was already beaten down with the trials. Nick had even commented out how the trials were already done.
Luther (Male Wolf) has already gone to Chief Bogo (Male Cape Buffalo) to request time off for the pack for a family emergency. It had been approved and he would be waiting in the car for Nick (Male Fox) and Judy (Female Bunny), whilst Nick and Judy were heading back to the precinct to drop off their cruiser and travel together.
Nick has informed them that Judy has not turned on the sirens, against his recommendations since he thought this was a legitimate emergency.
A ping afterwards says that she turned them on, which made him huff in amusement. But it did also show that Judy was worried enough to use the siren for personal reasons.
As he approaches one of the junctions, he spots a Female Tapir teacher looking behind the lockers with a torch on her phone. She glances back at Pawbert who offers a smile, answering the question before she could ask. “Pawbert Pawthorne. Any luck?”
The teacher shakes her head, realising that it was the missing cub’s Father. “Sorry, not in this hallway unless he’s behind these lockers. Davies says he’s not in the boys locker room but is checking the field, and Serena says she’s checked the computer labs. Several teachers have looked through the bushes in the quad but nothing so they have moved to the bushes in the front of the building.”
Pawbert gives a worried hum, looking around, trying to figure out where Nekos could have been hiding. “Mister Pawthorne, I actually had a question.” When Pawbert looks at her, she hesitates. “I’m his Art teacher, and I brought up an issue with his homeroom teacher when I first had him and she explained some of it, or at least what she knew. He didn't have a good life before now, did he?”
Pawbert shakes his head, confirming her fears. “You said you're his Art teacher right?” At her nod, he gives a smile. “As far as I’m aware, the first time he did anything creative, was almost two months ago, but that was with me and some friends to help calm him down and relax. But he’s been doodling a lot more since starting school.”
Her expression softens, so he looks outside, trying to figure out where his cousin went. “I’m glad. He’s bright, but so shy and unsure about art.” She gives a look around, then nods. “I’ll check the next hallway.” She heads on off, having confirmed he wasn’t in this area.
Pawbert looks out the window overlooking the quad. He then narrows his eyes as he looks at the tree, a niggling memory of hearing about Nekos’s first time at Bunnyburrow and playing hide and seek, where he hid in a tree. Then a memory of the cub jumping from a moving car to a tree to escape from being kit-napped.
It was sparse, still growing leaves so that it wasn’t really capable of hiding anyone, which is probably the reason why none of the teachers were searching it. But it had lots of small grooves that someone who was small could hide in, especially from this angle, which would be a great hiding place for a feline of Nekos’ size.
He makes his way to the quad, having an inkling that he was there based on his memories of his kit liking trees from the way he watches them in the car when they were driving.
Pawbert pauses as he spots Fanyan (Male Lynx) entering the quad, eyes darting around in worry as he was looking for Nekos. He remembers how excited, yet shy Nekos was introducing the taller Lynx and the Badger to him on the second day of school. ”Fanyan?”
The Lynx jumps, and looks at Pawbert. “Mister Pawthorne! You’re here to look for Nekos too?”
Pawbert gives a nod and a gentle smile, moving into the quad. “It’s Pawbert, remember. But yeah. I got a call about 10 minutes ago and just arrived. Can you tell me what happened?”
Fanyan gives a nod. “I wasn’t paying that much attention to him in class, trying to follow the lecture. We covered the Lynxley trials and an overview of the Clawrence Terrorism. But when Miranda said that Nekos didn’t look too good we all started to look. He was really pale and shaking so that tracked. When Mrs Judith asked if he was ok, he just threw up all over the desk and kept shaking with the beginning of another panic attack. Mister Stripes was calling the janitor as Mrs Judith was helping him to the nurses office when he just bolted like his tail was on fire. Is… Is he ok? I think he’s outside since he likes the fresh air, but do you know where he is?”
Pawbert approaches the tree. Claws unsheathing, he digs one paw against the side and starts to climb it. “I’m hoping he’s up here. Let me check and I’ll see if there are any other places that he could be.”
He gets into the sparse greenery, and his nose twitches at the perfume of nature, and something acidic. Fanyan’s comment about him throwing up clued him in that this was where he was, gaining a bit more excitement as he could feel that he was close to his cub now.
He climbed up some more, checking branches and crevices, before finding in a groove that held his cub. He had his paws over his head and was curled up into a ball, so the school’s dark green blazer and his pants was almost all that he could see. But he was also a ball that was trembling but was quiet. With the green blazer and pants, he was almost perfectly hidden unless you were actively looking.
He moves closer, and rests a paw on the cub’s paws, adding his own warmth onto his head, glad he found him. “Hey. You ok Nekos?”
He grew a bit more worried when Nekos(Male Lynx) didn’t respond like any other time someone placed a paw on his head, just continued trembling so he must be really out of it or didn’t feel it over his own paws. He was hoping for the latter as he reaches over to scoop him up and holds him against his chest so he could listen to his heartbeat. He could see some leftover vomit on his muzzle and shirt, but didn’t seem to be responding to anything.
He slowly climbs down with one paw, glad that Fanyan had backed up to give him space but had lit up at the sight of his friend. “I’ll get a teacher!” He then turns to run back into the school, whilst Pawbert shifts so he is sitting against the tree and positions Nekos so the cub’s ear is against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. He was hoping it would help ground the kit, because the lack of reaction was extremely concerning now.
After a minute, Nekos starts to tremble harder, before he lets out a brief sob. He looked up at Pawbert at an angle, keeping his ear against Pawbert’s chest with glazed eyes and still out of it, but his nose was twitching as something familiar and safe was near him. Pawbert was glad that the steady heartbeat that he had been trying to keep steady and not drown in sorrow was helping. Nekos's homeroom teacher and advisor, Judith (Female Badger) finally arrives with Fanyan, looking relieved as she shoots off a text to someone to confirm the cub was found.
Pawbert looked back down at Nekos, having confirmed that whoever was approaching was safe, resting a paw on his cub’s head before offering a soft smile, still worried that he wasn’t leaning against his paw but glad he was moving again. “Hey. You’re ok.”
Judith approaches, then pauses nearby as she looks at the trembling kit, the beginning of a rebuke stopping at the sight and deciding to hold off on it until everything has settled since it was the LAST thing the cub needed right now from how devastated he looked.
Nekos blinks a few more times, tears most likely making his vision blurry. He finally seems to comprehend that Pawbert was there, before burying his face into his Uncle's chest and starting to viscerally cry, grasping his jacket as if confirming he was there and would not be going any time soon.
Fanyan gives a sad look, before Judith turns to him. “You can return to class now, Mister Lynter. Let Mister Stripes know that he’s been found.” Fanyan gives a hesitant nod, one final glance at his friend before he turns to run back to the classroom to let them know he’s been found.
Nekos starts to speak, but it’s distorted and disjointed from his sobbing as he seems to go onto different tangents. “Dad, hurt. Wife. And, you. He..”
Pawbert gives a rumbling purr to help ground him, as Judith gives a confused look, wondering what the cub was talking about. Pawbert looks up at her, then down at Nekos before sighing, the purring still reverberating through his chest. “Nekos, what your father did is not your responsibility. He’s his own mammal. Remember what Doctor Fuzzby said. The actions of others are not your actions?”
Nekos just sobs some more. “But… You were. And-and her… But you.” Pawbert gives another look at Judith, and she gets the distinct impression that she was being judged briefly, before he seems to come to a conclusion.
He pulls Nekos back a bit to look him in the teary eyes, paws around his ears and rubs the kits cheek fluff with as much affection as he could muster. “What your father did is not your fault, Nekos. My Uncle did shoot me in the shoulder for not saying my mothers name at the Central Weather Interface, but that’s on him. Not you.”
Judith blinks, eyes wide as she starts to put things together with a breath. She looks at Pawbert, then Nekos, then back to Pawbert, then finally asks to confirm her realisation. “You’re Pawbert Lynxley…”
Pawbert gives a sad smile, raising a paw with his wedding ring on it. “Pawthorne now. But, yes. I was.”
Judith blinks, as if everything was aligning, having come to a conclusion and remembering the things she had said throughout the year, especially within this and last week's history lessons.
How this cub must think that she would hate him once she knows who his father was, and that thought had stabbed something in her heart that made her guilty that she made a cub feel like this. Not only that, but the cub’s adopted father was the same mammal that chose Zootopia over power, and got shot for that refusal. Shot by the cub’s own father.
She looked down at Nekos, who had finally blinked at her voice and was looking up at his teacher. His eyes were watery and red from his tears, but also terrified in a way that twisted the wound in her heart deeper since it was directed AT her, not at his situation.
She hated the other Lynxley’s. Milton, Clawrence, Catterick and Kitty, but not the two here. One that chose Zootopia, and the other, a cub that was still innocent of that family’s wrong-doings. That made the hatred easier to swallow down, because these two had proven that the family name wasn’t all bad.
That, and the guilt at making a kit feel like he was hated. That made her feel a little sick.
She sits down next to them both and places a gentle paw on Nekos’s back. “Nekos… The sins of the father do not fall onto their son. I don’t blame you for what your father did. He may have killed my wife, but that’s on HIM. Not you.” She looks up at Pawbert, eyes soft. “Nor on your new father. Just Clawrence, and those that worked for him. You are both your own mammals.”
Nekos heaves another sob, before burying himself into his cousin to cry some more, his emotions far too much to contain. She gives a sad smile, before explaining to the older Lynx. “I keep bringing it up in class so the students that have been affected know that I understand their pain and can talk to me, since there have been some cubs in the past 5 years that were affected from family leaving. I didn't think how it would sound to the other side. I didn’t think Clawrence would HAVE a kitten himself, let alone in my class. I’m sorry Nekos, Mister Pawthorne.”
They stay like that for a few more minutes as the cub’s crying starts to taper off to hiccups and sniffles, before Judith’s phone pings. She gives a smile. “I’ll be right back.” She sits up and leaves the quad.
She eventually returns with 3 more mammals, A Wolf in uniform, along with a Fox and Bunny, both dressed casually with a ZPD badge on their belt, all three looking harried. As soon as they spot Pawbert and Nekos, they speed-walk over and gather around.
Pawbert looks up at Judith. “I’m going to be taking him out for the rest of the day, and probably tomorrow as well. Can you let his club members know?”
She gives a nod. “I will. It is almost the end of the day anyway, so that’s fine.” She gives a soft smile as the pack closes in on Nekos and Pawbert, lending wordless support with all the love they had, before leaving to return to class and update the class.
Pawbert gives a grim smile at the pack. “I really should have talked about this before school.”
Luther reaches down to help his husband up, seeing as he was busy holding their cub, but still states “There are FOUR of us, so it’s not just on you Paw. I think we all got distracted with the future, that we forgot about the past. We only talked about the trials, not Clawrence.” Pawbert stood with his husband’s help, still holding onto Nekos who’s sniffles were tapering off as he was crashing heavily.
Nick was getting his phone out as he stated “We didn’t think the trials would be done so quickly. It took all year and they did it in 50 minutes?”
The pack headed to exit the school, nodding at the receptionist and passing by some other parents that had come to pick up their cubs early in order to get to the car, some of them double-taking at the sight of them.
Nick was tapping on his phone, but mutters out “First we forget to tell everyone we adopted, then we forget to tell him about his father and uncle’s actions. We’ll need to have a chat about anything else we need to consider or forget. It’s just Icener’s thing left now, right? And whatever they didn’t cover in the Clawrence thing”
Judy was on her phone, calling someone. “And Lionheart. I’ll see if Doctor Fuzzby has any sessions she can do with him today. Doctor Fuzzby. Hi, It’s Judy Wilde-Hopps. We’ve had a situation at school with Nekos. He just did a lesson on the Clawrence terrorism… Yes, it was heavy… No, we covered just the trials. We didn't expect the trial lesson to be done so quickly… Yeah. It felt like it should have taken longer.” She pauses at the reply, then sighs. “That makes sense, a lot of it would have been redacted for school books.”
Nick was also on his phone, but looked up whilst Judy explained the situation to Doctor Fuzzby. “To paraphrase what she told us 7 years ago. I’m mandating joy. I’m ordering donuts and Ice cream. Think we can swing by Creams to pick them up Lute?” Luther gives a sigh at that nickname, but nods his head as they pile into the car, Nick taking shotgun so his wife and Pawbert could hold onto their sleeping cub.
Judy hangs up after a few minutes. “She has a slot available this afternoon at 6 that she’ll keep free if we want that and another tomorrow around 10?”
Pawbert gives a nod, now looking a little relieved. “Hopefully he’ll wake up before then. He was really hit hard by this. He didn’t respond to my paw on his head to begin with.” That elicited a wince, as the only time he hasn’t done that was when he had a bullet wound, a concussion and bruised ribs, or in other words completely out of it.
Judy glances at the cub, then sighs. “I’m going to have to do some research on what’s publicly known about all the major events since the trials. We’ve been a part of all of it, but what will be in the history books won’t have everything.”
Nekos shifts a bit, leaning into Pawbert’s side as he softly breathes, asleep. Pawbert pets his head, and smiles as their kit leans into it, craving the affection even while asleep still, but showed that he was back now. “You may want to contact the school, get an idea on what will be going on in history for the rest of the year so we can plan it all out. Judith knows about Clawrence’s connection, so she should be able to at least direct you on the material. I’m pretty sure she’s also clocked onto the rest of you, so she’ll be a bit more giving with that information.”
Judy gives a sigh of relief with that knowledge. “I’ll do that. But I’m also a bit worried he’s going to have nightmares tonight.”
Nick pauses. “He hasn’t had nightmares yet… Despite EVERYTHING that’s happened. But that may change with this.”
“Night watch rotation. Every 30 minutes after he goes to bed. One of us checks in on him.” Came from Luther.
He feels rather than sees the nods from his packmates. Pawbert then confesses. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.” Several inclined heads at that, as if they were all agreeing.
A buzz from Judy’s phone. “Clawhauser’s asking if he’s alright.”
Nick blinks, then swipes on his phone. “I’m letting everyone know. At least the lecture will be on not telling him about his father rather than that AND not telling everyone else what has happened.”
“Make sure to let them know that we have some therapy sessions booked.” Nick gives a nod at Luther’s reminder as he sends a message with a general overview of what had happened to the family. “If nothing else, that would limit how long they can do the lectures for.” A chuckle at that.