Chapter Text
Desperation.
That was the best way to describe the team's current state. In less than seventy-two hours, they discovered some of the worst information possible, had two feral attacks, and in one of them got another one of their operatives bitten. She was a long way from showing symptoms, but if zoonotic transmission was guaranteed, it was only a matter of time before she too reverted to a primitive beast. And that simply wasn't an option because losing Kiri or Nick would prove highly problematic for all of them.
As their weapons and apprehension specialist — not to mention her undercover work — Kiri was easily one of their strongest members. And right behind her was Nick by virtue of his background and interpersonal skills. That wasn't to mention his criminal mind, street knowledge, and multiple connections. If they were to lose him, they would — in the grand scheme — lose more than half of their possible leads with him should they need them. And losing Kiri meant losing an absolute unit, not to mention the fact that they may be forced to fight her in the first place.
And that wasn't something any of them wanted to do. Of all the feral animals they would want to deal with, she was not one of them. She was dangerous enough on her own.
So, now, the animals were being forced to change their strategy. They had a pretty good idea of how the infection worked, but they needed to figure out the ingredients being used as well as the kingpin distributing it. And there were two major problems with that. One being, they had hit a dead end with the first issue. Without any form of match to cross reference, they were grasping at straws. And they were no closer to figuring out who was distributing it than day one.
For the sake of efficiency, the team split their resources. Kiri went to conduct her own investigation, starting with paying a visit to Cliff Side Asylum. Believing she may have found a lead; she left the rest to determine the method of infection. And with no other possible options, Nick decided to suggest a less orthodox method. After all, desperate times called for desperate measures. And their desperate times started months ago. Thus, he rounded up the other members for a Hail Mary.
That was how the hero pair found themselves waiting patiently in the alleys of Sahara Square. They heard the music long before he arrived, the bright orange van pulling to a stop in the deserted alleyway. Cutting the engine, Finnick hopped from the vehicle and looked around, seeing the red fox leaning against the wall on the other end. And he wasn't alone. Judith was at his side, looking no less determined than the day he met her. But there was something different in the way they were interacting now. She was standing closer to him; he was less tense. He could feel a smile coming on.
"Well, I'll be damned… When's the wedding?"
Judy huffed, glaring at the tiny fox with what she was sure was almost no ferocity — it was pretty difficult to look bashful and scary at the same time. Another animal possibly could. Maybe Kiri. But certainly not her. Nick only grinned. "Trust me, Finn, you'll be the first to know… but I'm sorry to say that isn't why we're here."
The fennec fox sighed. "I figured as much… so, what do you need?"
"I need you to take us to an old friend. And since you're the only one she trusts with her ever-changing whereabouts —"
He lifted a tiny paw. "Nope. I'm gonna stop you right there, Nick. There's no way we're going to see her. With all this savage shit going on, she's gone off the deep end."
"Yeah, well, see that's kind of the point," he muttered. "We're a little stalled in our investigation."
"And you want to see her about it? You must be beyond desperation. That woman is nuts."
"Yeah, she is… but maybe crazy is exactly what we need right now since all logic has failed."
"Look, man —"
Finally, Judy stepped in, fixing the little fox with a hardened stare. "Finnick, please. He needs your help. We all do… we're running out of time."
"Running out of time? For what?"
Nick sighed. "Well… turns out this drug isn't a drug at all. It's a virus, and it's zoonotic. Cameron was infected, and so is every other animal running rampant. And the guy bit the hell out of me, so…"
He watched for a few moments, letting the pieces fall into place. "…Fuck, man."
"Yeah. So, at this point, we'll take anything we can get, no matter how ridiculous or outlandish."
Fennec gave his words some serious thought. Then, he sighed. "…Alright, fine. I'll take you to her."
"Thanks, man."
"Yeah, just don't ask for anything else."
"Well, about that…"
Finnick groaned. "For fuck's sake — what now?"
"Well, it's… kinda more than just the two of us. We, uh… brought our team."
"Your team, huh? And who is this 'team' of yours?"
"Nothing much. Just a couple other officers from the precinct… and a ZBI agent."
"ZB — a federal agent? Nick, what the fuck —"
"It's not like I have a choice, Finn. Savage is my current boss. He's coming whether I like it or not."
"I don't give a damn if — Savage…?" There was a long stretch of silence, while the words registered in his head. Then, his eyes rounded. "Wait a minute, Jack Savage?!" Realizing he was shouting; he quickly lowered his voice to a hiss. "You brought Jack Savage here?! Are you out of your damn mind? That guy's arrested half the city, you can't bring him to —"
"It's a little late for that, sorry to say."
Finnick leaped, spinning around out of pure reflex and swinging his bat. It came to an abrupt stop, colliding with a tailored sleeve wrapped around the arm of the largest rabbit he had ever seen, looking boredly down at him. Carefully taking the bat from him, Jack flipped it around and leaned it against the side of the van. "There's no need for violence. We just want information. No one is being arrested."
"What the…" he muttered, eyes following the agent as he strode by. From the other end of the alley, another pair of animals, a wolf and a tiger, peeked out from around the corner. "Nick, I swear to Karma, if one more animal shows up —"
"That's all of us, I swear." Nick paused. "Well, technically, there's two more, but one of them is injured and the other is probably watching us from the cams right now."
"From the…" Finnick was dumbfounded. He couldn't even bring himself to argue as the group slowly made their way into the back of his van. They shuffled in one by one, Judy being the last to climb in. She looked back at him, but Nick waved her on, letting her know he'd catch up in a minute. Shrugging, she closed the door behind her.
The moment they were out of what Finnick thought was earshot — Nick doubted it, Jack and Judy could hear water dripping on cotton a mile away — he hissed. "Jack fucking Savage? That's the guy?"
"Yep." Nick shrugged. "Told you he was James Bond."
"He's not James Bond, he's fucking bionic. That was a steel bat…"
"I've given up on trying to understand it, Finn."
"What, the four-foot rabbit or his action movie vibe?"
"Don't call him a rabbit. And honestly, all of it. But you know what, I don't really care anymore. If Judy chose me over that guy, I must be doing something right."
"…Can't argue with that."
"Now, let's get going. We're going to start drawing attention standing out here too long."
Nick rejoined the others, climbing in and settling down at Judy's side. She smiled at him, quickly growing one of his own, even as the hare across from him starting quirking his brow. He had heard every word that was said, he was sure of it, and that smirk agitated him. He wasn't lying, he wasn't threatened by Savage anymore. Or at least, that's what he told himself. But honestly, it was kind of hard not to be. Not so much because of Judy but because of general principle. Smart, strong, strategic, practically devoid of emotion, the guy was like a damn terminator. And apparently, he was immune to pain too since he just ate Finnick's bat like it was a foam noodle.
No… there was something up with that hare, he was sure of it. There had to be. There was no way someone that perfect could possibly exist. There had to be a weakness, a vulnerability, a chink in that seemingly impenetrable armor of his somewhere. The question was, did he care enough to try and find it.
. . .
Finnick led them deep down into the Rainforest District. Beyond the service tunnels, beyond the bridges and underground roads. He drove them until reaching a deserted street, where no other vehicles dared to tread. Taking a sharp turn to the right, the van rocked, startling all of the animals inside. Now offroad, he continued his journey, jostling around the animals in the back until finally reaching his destination. Shutting off the vehicle and its lights, he hopped from the van, the group slowly filing out to follow. They exited to find what looked like an old sewer drain. They climbed down, walking through a cement tunnel, winding underground. Their trek finally ended in front of a large metal door.
A bunker. The fennec fox had brought them to a bunker.
Lifting his paw, Finnick knocked a peculiar series of raps, almost like a secret code. A few moments later, the door swung open and standing on the other side was possibly the most interesting animal they had ever seen. Nick didn't have time to open his mouth. Within two seconds of catching sight of him, he found himself suspended in the air, being squeezed in the tightest bear hug possible for any animal that wasn't a bear. "Nicky!!"
"…Hey, Honey."
Judy lifted an eyebrow, taking in the sight. It was a honey badger, and a surprisingly large one. She donned camo gear and slacks and had the largest emerald eyes in the world. Yet in them, there was a hint of something strange. Some… uncertainty. Or perhaps instability.
"Hurry! Get in here before the lambs find us."
Jack lifted an eyebrow. Okay. Definitely instability.
Grabbing Nick, she dragged him inside, leaving the others to nervously follow. The moment they stepped inside the makeshift home they knew Finnick had spoken the truth: this badger was nuts. She had hijacked this military shelter and somehow turned it into a functional living space. There was a kitchenette in the corner with a pipe extending upward into the ceiling. On the other end was a bed and nightstand and somewhere in the middle was a table. But the strangest thing of all were the walls.
Strewn across nearly every surface were images of animals, maps, notes, and miscellaneous items, all connected with thumb tacks, string, and other detective-like materials. At first, it seemed intricate. But upon closer inspection, it was just convoluted nonsense. Probably.
Leaning down, Honey whispered — loud and very audibly — in Nick's ear. "You gotta be careful, you know? You can't trust these prey animals, Nicky."
The two prey animals in question said nothing, Judy and Jack looking back at her with confused and fascinated expressions respectively. The rabbit wasn't sure what, if anything, to say in response and the hare was watching her the way one would watch an interesting television program. His twitching ears caught her attention, suddenly alerting her to their presence. Honey jumped, grabbing a questionable looking taser from her pocket. "Get back, Nicky! They've found us!"
Finnick sat in the corner trying his best not to burst into laughter while Nick rolled his eyes. "Relax, Honey. That's Judy Hopps and my current employer."
Her shift was immediate, the taser vanishing as quickly as it appeared. "Oh, Judith Hopps! The Night Howler detective. Never mind then. Anyone who's a friend of Nicky is a friend of mine." The fox chose not to correct her statement — Judy was his girlfriend, and Jack was far from what he could consider a friend. A useful ally and arguably captor, maybe. "But the other's will just as quickly turn your hide into clothes… that's what they're doing with the missing animals, you know."
"No one's getting turned into coats, Honey," Nick assured. "But we are investigating a case. A big one. And we were hoping —"
"Say no more, Nicky. I know all about it."
"Y-You do?" he balked, eyes shooting straight upward. "How did —"
"I've been conducting my own investigation." Honey rushed over to the wall, reaching up and digging around in the ceiling. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled down a hidden board. One so elaborate, it made the others look like a kindergartener's school project. There were lines drawn and circles connected to other circles that connected to more lines, all hidden under scribbles and notes that wrapped all the way around the edges of the board. There were pictures of different prey animals plastered all across. In short, it was a total mess.
But apparently, Honey understood it because she proceeded to explain her latest theory. "It all started a few months ago!" she began. Finnick rolled his eyes. They were in for it now. "The Bellwether conspiracy was just the beginning! See, she wanted us to believe her goal was to dethrone Lionheart, but no! That was just a ploy to distract us all from her true goal… sheep domination!"
The animals stared back at her, all wearing faces ranging from astonishment to confusion to utter disbelief. Judy wasn't sure what drove her to raise her paw. Perhaps she feared retribution should she interrupt. Thankfully, Honey seemed to take it in stride, possibly even enjoyed it. Pointing a long claw right back at her, she exclaimed. "Yes, little bunny in the back!"
She was actually standing in the front. "Um, sheep… domination?"
"Yes!" she shouted. "See, it all goes back to an insidious plot hatched by the deep state!"
"The deep what?"
"Sheep want us to think they're helpless. Since the beginning of our evolution, they have mastered the art of deception, convincing all species that they're innocent and helpless. But oh no, they can't fool me! I know their game. Who do you think coined the phrase, 'wolf in sheep's clothing', huh? Explain that!"
Judy looked around, uncertain of whether or not Honey wanted her to answer.
Seeing she wasn't going to say anything, Wolford tried his paw. "Um… sheep?"
"Yes!" She grinned. "It has always been their plan to rule the world. But how? A sheep couldn't possibly achieve such a feat, right? Wrong!" Honey pointed her claw all around the board, landing on different images of various sheep. "Sheep are everywhere! They're in our government, our infrastructure, our supply chain! They're even in our military! Who was it that shot down our brethren during the Night Howler scheme? A sheep, no doubt!"
Nick and Judy slowly looked at one another. At least one of the things she said was true. It was a sheep that had been under Bellwether's employ. A mercenary, a sniper, ex-military most likely, who she had hired to infect predators with the serum bullets. He was a damn good shot too, considering Otterton had been hit through the cracked window of a moving limousine in the middle of the night.
Looking back at her, Nick waved his paw. "As fascinating as this is, Honey, we're kind of on a timer here. So, about the mission…"
The badger blinked for a moment, going completely silent. Then, she started right back up again. It was like hitting a reset button. "Right!" Going back to her original board, she started at the bottom of her images, which only now did Judy notice was fashioned into a pseudo pyramid. "It all starts with the supplier. His job is to collect reagents."
"Reagents?" Jason muttered. "For…?"
"For the potion!"
"…"
"The potion that is turning all of the predators savage. The Night Howler incident was a good start. But it wasn't good enough, not to stop our Nicky!"
The fox in question shook his head. "Well, actually —"
"So, they had to come up with a new scheme. Something they couldn't detect. Something silent that moved beneath the city and sprang out when animals least expect! The potion sleeps inside the host, like a silent killer, and then boom! Savage predator!" Moving up the pyramid, she rambled on. "The savage predators start off small. Attacking civilians, store workers, joggers, everyday common folk. But what happens when they start going after more dangerous targets?! Important mammals like CEOs and animals in leadership… because if even our leaders aren't safe, then who is?! And this is all with one single goal in mind. To spread mass hysteria among the populace!"
Jack listened, following the animal with his eyes as she bounced all around. Finnick was right about one thing. This badger was nuts. And the worst part was… her theory wasn't that far off. He wasn't sure her plan about deep state sheep aiming to take over the world was entirely accurate, but overall, she was close to the mark. So far, her logic followed the trajectory of what they'd been investigating, and that was precisely what May Bellwether had been aiming to do. To terrify the general populace. To rule them with fear by convincing them that predators couldn't be trusted in their society. Lifting his own paw, he got her attention.
"Yes! Big hare in the front!"
He was standing to the side. "I am a —" he paused, eyes growing wide for a moment. "Wait, what?"
"You're a black-tailed jackrabbit. Lepus californicus, desert hare. Sahara Square, right?"
For the first time since they had met him, Jack was speechless. Absolutely floored. "I — erm…" Shaking his head, he got back on track. "So, what is their ultimate goal then, according to your theory? They want to cause mass hysteria to take over the city?"
Honey's eyes grew dark, large, forest green pools staring back at him. "No. Their goal is something far more sinister. They're goal is… total subjugation."
"Total sub — huh?" Judy balked. "The sheep want to subjugate the animals?"
"No. They want to subjugate predators. That has been their plan all along."
"And they're going to do that… how, exactly?"
"With the election. Johnson may be an anteater, but he's more sheep than the rest of them! He's just a figurehead. The real enemy is pulling the strings!"
"Wait, what?!" Now, she was hopelessly confused. "I don't understand. How does Johnson have anything to do with — so his plan is to get into office and subjugate predators… by putting deep state sheep in power? How would he even do that?"
"With this!" Honey ran over to the other side of her board, grabbing yet another one, and pulling it down from the ceiling. But this time, the group fell silent. Judy and Nick looked confused, though no less disturbed. Wolford and Jackson looked concerned, but equally lost. And Jack wore the darkest expression that Nick had ever seen.
On the board was not writing nor images of animals. It was instead a blurry image of what looked like a scanned document, though most of it was redacted. How the hell she had even gotten this photo was a mystery. But at this point, Judy wouldn't be surprised to find out this animal was some sort of ex-government-official-turned-conspiracy-theorist. But what was clear were the words scrawled against the top in blurry writing. Regulation 647.
At that, Judy groaned. She was just about sick of this. Everywhere she went, everywhere she turned, every animal in every corner of the city was talking about it. This mysterious regulation that was so vile, it was supposedly the sole reason for Johnson's poll numbers. Admittedly, she had no idea what it was. She had been meaning to look into it, but every time they got a free moment, it seemed like something else came up. But apparently, this honey badger — assuming a word of what she said could be believed — knew more about it than any of them.
Raising her paw, she asked. "Okay, I've been hearing about this for weeks now. Will someone please explain to me what is going on? What is Regulation 647?"
"Well, mostly it's just a rumor, but…" Nathan began.
Honey interrupted, fixing her with the heaviest stare she had ever seen. It wasn't until that moment that Judy mentally registered this honey badger was in fact a predator. She was so wonky; it had never even crossed her mind. "It is the most repulsive, evil, and despicable legislation to ever taint the executive halls. The general populace doesn't know much about it. It was scrapped and buried before it ever reached the council floor. Modern animals believe it to be an urban legend… but trust me, it's not. Rumor has it, they were even testing it in a top-secret government facility on some of the savage animals… but no proof of that was ever found."
"Okay…" Judy sighed. "So, what is it? A law? Some sort of executive order?"
Honey cleared her throat and stood tall in what was, quite frankly, a ridiculous pose. But the words that followed were anything but. From memory, she recited. "Article A, Section Seven, Paragraph One. All predators from the age of five will be required to wear a tame collar. This collar is not to be removed under any circumstances, and none but law enforcement, licensed medical clinicians, and government officials will be capable or permitted to do so."
Judy blinked. "Um… I'm sorry, but what in Sweet Serendipity's name is a tame collar?"
"It's a gods damned torture device is what it is," Jack growled.
Before she could question further, Honey recited again. "Article A, Section Seven, Paragraph Three. The collar will track the blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate of each predator, calibrated by species, to track their level of excitement. Each will be equipped with an LED that will light as follows. Green, yellow, and red. Upon an animal's vitals rising too high, the light will turn yellow and emit a warning sound. The animal will then be permitted thirty-seconds to bring their emotions down. If they are unable to do so, the LED will turn red and administer a shock to return the predator to a manageable state."
"It's a shock collar?!" she shrieked.
"Indeed. And every predator in the city will be required to wear one. Me… Finnick… Nicky… even your hare's friends."
"…What?" Jack blinked, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Your mannerisms are predatory. I assume you spend a lot of time around predators, right?"
What in the world? What the actual hell? Was this animal batshit crazy or was she a seer? He was genuinely beginning to wonder. Looking at Nick, he only received a shrug in response. It would seem he was used to this alarming behavior. Maybe she should be a member of CANIS…
"And if that happens, we'll all be under the hooves of sheep!"
… or not.
"Okay, so let's say you're right," Nick began. "Let's say the sheep do have a top-secret plan to drive all the predators crazy so they attack animals. How are they doing it? What's the medium of infection?"
Honey fell silent, looking back at him with a darkened gaze. The animals watched her with bated breath. No one dared to move a muscle lest they interrupt her train of thought. Even Finnick was invested now, watching from the corner of the room. Then, her face returned to its jolly smile. "No idea!"
Nick facepalmed. He had a feeling nearly every other animal in the room did too. Probably even Savage. And he wasn't even surprised. Because that was Honey Badger. Somehow, despite all of her theorizing, planning, and potentially stolen files, she had no clue whatsoever how they were doing any of it. All she could offer was the most generic, simple, and cliché answer any one of them could have imagined. "Maybe they put it in the water or something. That's why I only drink filtered spring water." Gesturing a paw, she drew their attention to the wall.
Sure enough, on the other side of the room were gallons upon gallons of tanks, all running through an unnecessarily complicated filtration system. Where was it all coming from? Gods only knew.
"But!" she continued, quickly regaining everyone's attention. "My sources tell me that Candidate Johnson is holding an event in the eastern city… if you want to figure out the government's conspiracy, you can probably find your answers there."
"Is… is that true?" Judy asked, looking to their leader for confirmation. For once, even he looked surprised. Apparently, he hadn't heard anything about it either. What was more alarming and concerning was how she had. Immediately pulling out his phone, he made to contact Skye.
Honey snorted. "Don't bother. You won't be able to get through the jammers."
"Jammers?!" Judy balked.
"Yeah. You're pretty much standing in a Faraday cage. No signals are coming in or out."
"That's so — why would — but then how —"
Nick halted her sputtering with a shake of his head. There was little point in trying to figure out Honey's motivations. She was one of his closest friends and he loved her to death, but she was a weird one. That had been true before the Night Howler incident. But clearly, she had her usefulness. Even if she was completely off her rocker.
Seeing as how she had given them — as far as she was concerned — all they needed, Honey wobbled her way over to a stove, pulling off a steaming kettle. When had she put it on? No one knew. "Anyway, Nicky, let's catch up! I barely see you nowadays since you joined the fuzz. Have some tea!" Nick took one look at the tea box on the counter and wanted to fall right over.
There, displayed proudly in the kitchenette, was 'Fleeceleaf Sereni-Tea'. A sheep-made brand.
. . .
High above the branches of the Rainforest World Tree two canids rested in the living quarters. With the other animals occupied, Kiri had taken that time to do her own detective work, paying a visit to the asylum under the guise of visiting a patient. In reality, she had gone to observe the prey animals, hoping to get a read on their feral behavior. After recording her findings, she returned to Headquarters to contemplate what she had learned. That pondering time had been interrupted by a knock at the door, a familiar orange face staring back at her through the peephole.
Now, she sat on the bed, looking boredly out of the window with her paw suspended in mid-air. Right beside her sat Kevin the coywolf, holding said paw gingerly in one of his own. Thankfully, the wound hadn't actually been that deep. Just enough to break the surface of the skin. But due to the structure of cougars’ teeth, it still hurt like a bitch. As he worked, he hummed, listening to her explanation and findings. "So, what do you make of it then? You don't think the prey animals are going feral?"
"It's not that… Something is definitely wrong with them, that's undeniable. I just…"
"You're not sure it's the same as what's happening to the predators."
"Exactly. Kevin, you should have seen them. I don't think I've ever seen an animal run faster than when I walked up to the window. They acted like I was a demon right out of hell."
"Well, that's to be expected… you're a predator and you've got some serious predatory energy. You probably set off their alarms."
"That's what I was testing for, but… I don't know how to explain it. But something is wrong with this situation. I don't like it."
"Just be careful." Securing the end of her changed bandages, he checked over his work before letting go of her paw. "You have a terrible habit of wandering into dangerous territory."
"I'm an agent, Kevin. My entire life is dangerous territory."
"Exactly. So, don't go making it worse," he tapped her nose with his index finger, earning a scowl. Kevin was one of the only animals on the planet that could do something like that and not lose the entire paw. He knew it. And took full advantage of that privilege.
Sighing, Kiri looked over her paw. "Thanks."
"Not a problem." Kevin took the supplies and moved them back into the bathroom. When he returned it was with a lighter expression. "So…"
"Yes?"
"Tell me about this team of yours. I recognize Judy Hopps, but who are the others? Based on their mannerisms, I'm assuming the fox is her boyfriend."
"Partner. And boyfriend. Nick Wilde. The other two are homicide. Jason Wolford, and Nathan Jackson," she answered. "And they aren't my team, they're Jack's."
His amber orbs bore playfully into her own, carrying that little sparkle that told her he was about to try his best to piss her off. "Jason, huh? Now, this wouldn't by any chance be the same Jason you were fucking in the storage closet that time, would it?"
"You are never going to let me live that down, are you…?"
"Not a chance."
Kiri rolled her eyes, the coywolf laughing with utter delight. "You need to get laid yourself. Maybe then you'd be less of a dick."
At that, the animal only laughed harder. "Maybe. Could certainly use one though, this winter's been brutal…!"
"Couldn't find yourself an animal friend for the season?" she teased.
"I was seeing a coyote for a little bit, but she didn't work out. I think it was my fur. Orange is an acquired taste, you know?"
"I think you're the acquired taste, Kev…"
"Speaking of orange… Which one was Jackson again? The tiger, right?" he let out a low growl, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"You're such a dumbass."
"Hey, now! I've had to survive nearly four years without my wing woman, work with me here." She let him have his fun, fixing him with a lighthearted grin. Then, the two burst into laughter, familiar habits of years past falling into place. But they didn't last for too long, his expression turning suddenly serious. "So, what's actually going on, Kiri?"
"I already told you. I am here to solve a case, then I am taking the next train back to Zootropolis. He did me a solid… so, now I'm repaying the favor. That's all there is to it."
"So, you're not coming back to the ZBI?"
"Absolutely not. Better for everyone."
Kevin's ears flattened slightly. He couldn't say he wasn't disappointed. The moment he had seen her in the main lobby, he was over the moon. But he supposed it was foolish of him to jump to conclusions. "Guess that means you two are still fighting then…"
"I'm not fighting anything… I did what was asked of me, and so did he. I'm over it."
The certified words of someone who was, in fact, not over it. Sighing, he instead shifted the conversation. "…You okay?"
"I'll be fine." Eager to end his line of questioning, she quickly started her own. "So, what's been going on in my absence? How has everything been since…"
"You want the honest answer?"
"If he doesn't kick your ass for telling me, I'll know you're lying."
A half-hearted chuckle was his response before lifting his gaze. He could see the concern in her eyes. "It's been rough. Things haven't been easy since you left. For any of us."
"He seems to be doing well enough."
Her tone was level. It was an art she had perfected over the years and was more than enough to fool most of the animals she encountered. Kevin wasn't one of them. Sighing, he lifted a large orange paw and rested it over her own. "…He's really not, Kiri. Jack's a fighter, but… this whole mess — it hit him really hard."
"Did it? He made a whole damn division with me gone. If anything, it looks like he's moving up in the world."
"Have you heard the name?"
"Yeah, I heard the name… CANIS, huh? Who came up with that one?"
"Him and Skye came up with it. Supposedly."
"…Yeah. That makes sense."
"Kiri —"
"It's fine. I'm glad he has you guys. Pretty sure aside from you two, he doesn't have any actual friends," she snarked.
He squeezed her paw, forcing her to look at him. "He hasn't replaced you… you know that, right? I don't think he ever could. Hell, the whole ZBI hasn't been the same without you two."
"It's not a big deal, Kevin… I'm glad he's doing well. Seriously. I worry that guy will kill himself left to his own."
"You have no idea how true that statement is… but Kiri —"
Kevin's answer was interrupted by a loud buzz sounding from the bedside table. Reaching over, Kiri swiped her phone from the surface to check the caller ID. Ka'Shira. The coywolf looked down at the letters, lifting an eyebrow at the foreign text. His friend looked back at him, looking equally concerned, though for a very different reason.
"…It's Jack."