Meaningful Clues - Collaboration with Minothebull

Story by Perrin Wolfbrother on SoFurry

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#3 of Sgt. Horns

Mark finds important clues to solve the mysteries around his father and his sergeant


Hey everyone ^^

Thought I forgot about posting a story yesterday? Not true! It is a April Fool's prank! Maybe a bit mean-spirited ^^ Still, have been a while since I uploaded a chapter of this story, which is a small collaboration with minothebull, who provided the ideas and general plot ^^ Nott sure how many of you likes it, but oh well, hope to get some feedback

Thank you Gritou for editing this story and loving me ^^

A week had passed since Paul had talked about his sergeant with his mom... Since he had discovered a few things about his old man... Since he had been bent over and fucked by said bovine sergeant, leaving him confused. It had felt like it had been months to the wolf; rethinking about it, he wasn't even sure if the bull had used his authority on him, like he had sensed something in him...

Or maybe the grunt was just getting mad over the fucking unethical behavior of his direct superior. It hadn't been right of him to do that, even if the lupine had been disrespectful and not cooperative. He sure had been a dick, of incredible proportions, and he had needed some discipline... Maybe. But fucking some sense in him wasn't the thing, even if he had loved it a lot.

Those were the kind of thoughts that had plagued the young cop's mind during the week. It had been some kind of epiphany for him, he understood that his old man's behavior hadn't been the best to follow. Deep down he already knew that, but it was hard to go against what he had been taught his whole life....

But that wasn't the worst of the situation. What he would have liked, no, loved right now was to have some time alone with sgt. Horns, so he could confront him and talk in a constructive way. But the fucking bovine had switched him with Peterson, and now he had to go on patrol with officer Nakamura!

Sure, the shiba inu was a nice guy, very chatty and always ready to teach him, and he had actually helped cement his conviction that a cop could be friendly and still be a good cop. Damn, the dog was welcomed everywhere he went, and he was positively dorky too!

But he wasn't the bull, which meant no faithful conversation. Paul had tried to go to the sergeant's office, but either he wasn't there, or he was busy with some thing or meeting. Hell, he was beginning to think he should pounce on him in the locker room or in the showers, but those were hardly the best places to have a conversation!

And so he was stuck with amiable, loving Nakamura, while they did the round of the neighborhood at a leisure pace and without much trouble. The dog was on the passenger seat, looking outside to spot any crimes, as unlikely at it sounded; he had learned that they didn't send fresh recruits in the dangerous spots, so the worse they could find was some drunk bastard.

Though, to tell the truth, the shiba inu's eyes weren't always on the road... Sometimes, when they weren't talking, Paul had caught the officer regarding him in a strange way. Maybe he would have found such behavior creepy normally, but it paled in contrast to having being handcuffed and fucked dry in a back alley so he had let it pass.

But now, after a week of that fleeting stares, he was fed up. The wolf would have been okay with it, he knew he was quite the looker and that the uniform really fitted him, but this small thing was way too much on top of all that shit.

"If he does that one more time..." The lupine thought to himself as they were waiting for the green light. Of course, punctually, the dog did just that, sneaking a peek at him before turning back to his job; that was the proverbial last straw that made Paul snap.

"Why are you doing that? Sir?" Paul managed to keep his tone respectful and even added the honorific, having learnt his lesson about messing with those over him, even if the shiba inu didn't seem the guy to... enforce his authority in unorthodox ways.

"What do you mean, Kowalski?" Officer Nakamura answered the question with another question, his voice been having a strange tone when muttering his name, as always.

"Sir, with all due respect." The newbie started, wording carefully. "Since we started patrolling together, you had been are glancing at me every so often."

"W-well of course I am, I need to observe your conduct, Kowalski." Again with the weird tone, something that threatened to make his hat fall thanks to his flickering gray ears.

"The Sergeant didn't do that when we went on patrol." The gray canine gambit on that; it hadn't occurred to him that the frequent glancing was part of the teaching... But the bull hadn't done any of that. Sure, he had been quite unfocused and in an unease state of mind, but he thought he would have noticed the stare of the stern bovine on him... No?

"Sgt. Horns has his own way, Officer." The other canine walled himself in his justification, clearly not going to explain the real reason. The light turned green at that precise moment, ushering the wolf to drive forward while he thought of another approach.

"Since we are talking about Horns, is it usual that he changes the partner's arrangement after just one day?" Paul asked, genuinely curious to know that. It didn't seem normal, nor logical, to do such a thing, plus him and Peterson had been the only ones switching....

"I don't know why SGT. Horns did that, I just accepted it." The officer replied to him, raising his voice and stressing the proper title of the bull. That was the first time he saw the shiba inu not being his friendly self, which piqued his curiosity all the more.

"It just seems weird that he picked me up the first day, then discharged me the next." The wolf pointed out, driving past the various shops and enterprises that lined the street.

"As I said, I don't know why he wanted that when he asked me." Nakamura repeated his defense, now sounding a bit annoyed. But it was far too late for the newbie cop to stop, he had to know now.

"So did he asked you, or just ordered you? He doesn't seem the type to only ask." The lupine commented, maybe a bit of sourness creeping in his voice since the officer turned to him with a slightly frown.

"Don't dare implying that of Mark, young man!" The shiba inu rebuked him. "He probably wanted to switch because you look a lot like his J-"

Even if his eyes were fixed on the road he could hear the other canine clamming up on his words. He must have pushed the right buttons since the officer had called their superior by name, and did he know something about... Deciding he had to know, he turned in a back alley between two shops, going in just enough not to be a hindrance.

"What the fuck are you doing?" The senior cop growled at him, not at all happy of the turn of the events.

"Seems like we need to talk, like a man to another man, and better not to do that while driving, no?" He uttered, turning off the engine and facing the shiba inu who was starting to look very, very angry.

"We don't have anything to talk about, now turn on the car before I decide to put this insubordination in your file!" The red haired dog didn't shouted, but his tone conveyed how much pissed off he was. But he was resolute to not back down, now that the cat was out of the bag, even though he needed to be rational and not let his temper fire up.

"There is plenty. Horns didn't want me because I look too much alike his Jim? Like my father?" Paul asked calmly, prepared to endure whatever disciplinary measure could come if that would get him the truth.

"Well, no, don't try to change subject K-Kowalski!" The dog was clearly trying to do what he was accusing the newbie of doing, and this time the wolf did recognize what caused the weird tone when the other male uttered his surname. It was fear.

"Oh stop that! Horns told me everything about him and my dad." He bluffed, in the hopes that it might convince the canine. He suddenly remembered a detail, one that might just help him uncovering everything. "He told me he fucks you. And that you like being collared."

Of course, he didn't know anything, just small bits, and even those about the shiba inu had been just passing reference that, somehow, had stuck in in his brain. Still he remembered his interrogation classes, projecting security and convince the criminal he knew more than he did; the officer wasn't a criminal, and he should be able to see through his lies... But it still worked.

"H-he told you about the collar?" The Japanese dog stuttered in disbelief.

"And the leash. He used both on me." The wolf continued, the implication shocking the other canine. The two remained in silence for a few minutes, the lupine letting his officer regain composure and leaving him time to think.

"... Well, if you know about those things, no use to play the ignorant." The dog in uniform finally gave in, looking the newbie policeman straight in the eyes. "But you can't know everything, else you wouldn't have asked."

The lupine kept the stare, nodding in satisfaction at seeing his plot working. He still admired the officer for not losing his shit completely, even if faced by such revelations. "Yeah. He just alluded to him fucking my dad, and of fucking you too."

"Okay." The shiba inu calmly said, nodding his head. "But what happened between you two? Did you two fuck?"

There was no jealousy in his tone, no indication that he was upset by that. So the bull and the shiba inu weren't a couple after all... "Yes. It was more or less consensual." He told him, not sure if he wanted to tell more.

"What do you mean by that?" The red-furred male frowned, his ears flicking a bit.

"He... used sex to discipline me. I was being an asshole, I guess." The lupine confessed, hastily adding more. "It wasn't rape... I think. I am gay, I liked it, and I might be wrong on him using his authority to... well."

He looked up to his officer, and saw him shaking his head sadly. "Oh Mark, what have you done... This is a long story, but you need to hear it."

"I'm listening." The wolf said, happy to finally get the truth from someone.

"Your father... Jim... He was deep in the closet." The dog started slowly, unsure on what to say. "So deep in it that he was famous in lashing to everyone, especially to those he perceived as faggots."

"... Lashing in which way?" Paul dared to ask, even if he really didn't want to know.

"You don't need to know the details. But you surely know how strict and full of anger your old man was. Always talking of how a cop should be arrogant and so on." That wasn't exactly a question, but the wolf nodded nonetheless. He remembered those discussion... how a Kowalski had to be... He had molded himself to follow that model but... Now he was beginning to think it wasn't the right one.

"I was around your age when I entered the force under your father..." He breathed heavily, as if what was going to say heaved on his soul. "He almost did to me what... you think Horns did to you at some point."

That froze the young cop inside. Did his father really... He couldn't believe that. Sure, it had been terrible - at first - when he had sex with the bull, but he was somehow convinced the sergeant would have stopped if he had seen him not liking it... He thought. But this dad... the dad he didn't knew, sounded like the type who wouldn't take a no.

"What happened?" He asked, fearing to hear the answer.

"Mark happened. He was transferred from a different department, and I knew from a friend he was gay. Like me." The shiba inu gulped, the memories a bit too hard at the moment. Paul gave him time, he was in no hurry after all. "So I went to him and told him everything. Probably he had heard rumors already, but my story probably convinced him he needed to do something."

"And what he did?" Paul asked, prepared to know every grizzly detail. The officer turned at him with a small smile, probably to just ease the mood, before he spoke again.

"I don't know. All I know is that, one day, I saw the two of them bruised. But chatting amiably. Your father looked relaxed, something no one had ever seen." He got silent, probably lost in memories. Paul actually remembered that turning point... His mom yelling at his old man for being in a fight, and the older wolf actually not yelling back... and then him being much more... relaxed and happy.

"And from then on my dad and Horns were fuck buddies?" The wolf said, maybe a bit too bitterly.

"No." The shiba inu shook his head in denial. "It went slowly... Them becoming friends, and then becoming a couple. I saw that happening."

"They were... a couple?" Paul exclaimed, shocked. But it made sense.... This completely fit with what his mom had told him... He just couldn't believe he never saw it... "How many knew?"

"Everyone in the department. Your mom too." The shiba inu said with a fatherly smile, despite him being just ten years older than the wolf.

"My mom knew?! But she never..." He couldn't continue the phrase, that revelation had shocked him completely. Why didn't she ever told him?

"I can't tell you why you, and your brothers, were kept ignorant. That is something you have to ask Mark... Or your mom." The older canine grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it with sympathy, probably guessing his inner turmoil. "What I know is that both your mom and Horns were crushed when... your father died."

"And then that bull fucked you." The uniform-wearing lupine retorted with a venomous tone.

"No." The police dog shook his head once again. "Or rather, yes. But many months after... that. And it didn't last. He was, and still is, grieving your father."

"Okay..." The wolf muttered, lowering his head, unconvinced.

"This is all I know. You need to talk to him directly. And you don't have to forgive him for what he had done to you... You can even denounce him. But first, talk with him." The officer advised him, his paw still squeezing and irradiating comfort.

"He is avoiding me, so good luck with that..." The wolf replied sarcastically.

"Well... I know where he lives. I can tell you if you want." The shiba inu proposed him, making his tall gray ears perk a bit.

***** *****

The rest of the patrol went regularly, even if his mood hadn't improved one bit. Paul was still brooding and considering ambushing his superior officer at his place when he entered his house, yummy smells coming out of the kitchen.

"Mom, I am back!" He shouted, feeling like a teenager in doing so but not really caring.

"Hi Paulie!" He was shouted back, the dress-wearing figure of his mom appearing in the threshold to her domain. "Dinner is almost ready. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Yes mom, anything." He replied, one step on the stairs already. The wolf was feeling the urge to yell at her, but it wouldn't have been fair... He was angry at her for hiding about his father, but he needed to confront her on the subject when he wasn't that agitated.

"Can you go the attic and fetch Jimmy's scrapbook from when he was a cub? He needs it for a class!" She asked him, her smile being warm and motherly as always. Paul could ask her why couldn't Jimmy go and do it himself... But he desisted, knowing that it was the way life was for elder brothers.

"Okay." He replied, going up the stairs without adding more. Soon he found himself in the attic, in the middle of a cloud of dust as he started searching for the scrapbook. But, as he had guessed, that wasn't such an easy task, since the thing was no where to be found.

"Where the fuck did they put it?" The lupine cursed, going through old clothes and albums. It wasn't in the pile of scrapbooks in the old library from when he was little, the wood still bearing his biting marks from when he was fanging. It wasn't in the old wardrobe, along with his old black clothes from his emo phase. There was one place he hadn't thought about... but he started to fear it was in there.

Slowly, he approached the old chest that was resting just under the window of the attic. It was old, very old, his great-grandfather's if he believed the story, one of the few things he had brought with him from the old continent. It had been part of his parents' bedroom for years, used by his dad to put all sort of odd things.... But it had been moved there after his death. It was too heavy with memories... for all the family.

Carefully, he opened the chest, a whiff of dust and mold hitting his nose as he did it. Many of his dad's old things were there, like some of his favorite shirts... or his harmonica... and also some album of photos, luckily for him.

Sighing, sitting on his haunches, still dressed in his uniform, Paul started to go through each of the big books, hoping to find the one his brother needed the most. He was skimming through the one dedicated to his first Communion -damn if he was so little back then - when he felt one of the other scrapbooks falling from the pile he had put them in.

Sighing, the police lupine went to pick the scoundrel up, but his paw froze in mid-air when he saw one photo peeking out of it: a photo of a wolf and a bull hugging and smiling at the camera. Gingerly, he opened the thing, seeing that there were several unglued photos, a stash that just began with the pic he had noticed.

Curiosity had the best on him, and he began to carefully look at each one of them, all featured the wolf and the bull. His father and Mark Horns. Some had been taken at a bar, some in a park, some in an unknown house; but they all had in common those two, smiling warmly, peering in each other eyes, just acting in love.

But the most shocking photo was the last one. It looked like a selfie even if it predated the term, the photo taken in a bedroom. And they were unmistakably naked, his old man's gray fur being pressed against the white and red pelt of the bovine as the horned male hugged the lupine from behind, one arm of the wolf disappearing to hold the camera in place.

It wasn't... sexual. The naughty bits weren't even featured. It was more like... they wanted to immortalize their love, without constrains, free of everything. And Paul could see the love in their eyes, and the happiness, and....

Slowly, he stood up, taking the photo with him and putting back the others, leaving the scrapbooks where they were as he walked downstairs, determined to do what it was needed.