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Chapter Eight: Of Burning Homes

Things had only been growing better for Dawn despite her parole making the news in recent weeks. For one, the exposure had been brief, and where she lived and worked wasn't revealed in any of the coverage. The next day it was quickly pushed aside in favor of a massive police raid in Tundratown, and for that she was grateful.

On top of that her bond with Vernon had grown significantly stronger, in part due to the discovery of their previous history. Every shift since the discovery had been spent catching up and rekindling what they had lost so long ago. It turned out the wolf and her were more alike than she realized, sharing a great deal of the same taste in film, books, and a variety other interests. There were times she even found the small fearful sheep part of her brain forgetting that it was supposed to be afraid of this big bad wolf. To her, he was simply her big friendly 'Puppy'.

The worst thing she could say that happened to her over the past few weeks was the surprise confrontation with Judy and Nick a few nights prior. It hurt a great deal to see her again, but another part of Dawn was happy. Despite knowing that there was nearly no chance of the two ever becoming friends again, at least she had gotten to tell her how she felt about everything. It was a weight off the lamb's shoulders, and she was certain it was a weight off Judy's as well.

It was because of these things Dawn found herself feeling in particularly high spirits as she chatted with Vernon that night. She felt as though she really had a shot at getting her life back on track, and holding on to that seemed to make her radiate with joy.

"Wait, you can't be serious!" Dawn said, half chuckling.

"From my maw to the gods ears, When me and Gus are on shift together we run a session." Vernon responded, raising his paw in a solemn swear.

"Battlefields and Beasts? You play B&B?" She was glowing.

"Yes ma'am, been doing it since high school. That's how I got interested in architecture, I used to design buildings and places for Gus' campaigns." The wolf scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Lamb shanks!" She said in awe. "I was in a B&B club in college! I loved it!" She beamed, eyes practically shining.

The wolf grinned widely. "No foolin'?"

"Pfft...I knew the spell pages like the back of my hoof." She waived her hoof dismissively.

Vernon rubbed her tuft of wool affectionately. "Well, looks like we'll have to add you to the sessions sometime soon. I'm sure Gus' would love a fifth."

"Five huh?" She asked.

"Just some other workers from the day shift. Sure they won't mind either. They could use some lessons from another seasoned veteran." The wolf chuckled.

Dawn clapped her hooves excitedly, earning a smile from the large wolf as he leaned against the nearby wall. After his chuckling subsided, he let out a prolonged yawn. Stretching one arm, he glanced over at the nearby register clock.

"Shoot it's nearly six, almost time to clock out Floofs." He said.

"Already?" She deflated.

"You sound disappointed." He chuckled.

"Well, it's just-" She was interrupted by the buzz of her ringtone as it warbled from her pocket. Picking it out, she turned it to see the face. The incoming call was from Don Polarski.

"That's odd." She muttered.

"What?" The wolf asked, his ears raised.

"It's my parole officer, I can't imagine why he'd be calling this early." She pressed the answer key and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked.

She could hear a great din on the other end of the line. Sirens blared, engines roared, and mammals could be heard yelling over each-other in panicked tones. Suddenly Don's voice cut through the noise.

"DAWN!?ARE YOU THERE!?! DAWN!?" He was shouting in an attempt to drown out the noise.

"Don! Is something wrong!? What happened?!?" Her grip tightened around her phone as tension ran through her.

"DAWN, YOU NEED TO COME BACK TO YOUR APARTMENT NOW!" The bear yelled.

"What!? What's wrong!?" She sputtered in confusion.

"THERE'S BEEN A FIRE!" Came the reply.

Dawn nearly dropped the phone in shock. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't quite come at first. She looked at up at Vernon, he hadn't quite heard what happened but he could clearly see she was distressed. His ears sagged and his eyes were fraught with worry.

"DAWN, YOU STILL THERE!?" The voice brought her out of her stupor.

"Y-yes, I am...I-." She sputtered. "I'll be right there!" And with that she hung up the phone, slipping it back into her pocket. It felt like the ground was whirling beneath her, as if it were all a bad dream.

"Dawn, what's going on?" Vernon asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I-I uh..." Dawn could barely form her words. "I need to get home right away. There's been a fire." She uttered in a daze.

"Teeth to tails Dawn!" The wolf put his paw to his head. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride. Let's go." The wolf said, turning to head toward the back room.

"W-wait, Vernon! What about the restaurant?" Dawn shouted, coming back to her senses.

"It's only ten to six, the morning crew will be in soon! Gus'll understand! Now c'mon!" She heard the reply.

Dawn stood frozen, her feet wanted to move one way but her mind another. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Everything had been going so well, hadn't it? Her mind was going at a mile a minute until Vernon's voice rang out again.

"C'mon Floof's, We need to move!" He called from the back.

With that shout Dawn broke from her trance, and she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her to the back room.

It took less then twenty minutes to arrive at Seaside Towers, and as the two rounded the corner on Vernon's moped the horrific extent of the damage to the building came into view.

On the side Dawn could see, the grey stone exterior had become scarred with ash and soot. The charring traveled all the way up to the side of the building, nearly reaching the roof. As her eyes traveled down she could eventually see the source. The third floor from the bottom was warped and crackled, and every window had burst outward as if a violent blast had echoed through the interior. The apartment in the middle had been struck so bad that it's outer facade had fallen away, exposing the ruined contents for all to see. It had clearly originated there, that blackened chamber that was once the place she called home.

As the two pulled up to the front of the complex, they came upon the full frantic scene. Tenants sitting on the curb with blankets, weeping over their lost homes. Fire-fighters busily putting out the remaining embers, and cleaning away the ash. And the ZPD, taking statements and investigating the scene. As Dawn slowly climbed off the scooter, she could see the familiar white polar bear approach.

"DAWN! Dawn! I'm glad you were at work for this. I'm so sorry!" Don replied, concern in his voice.

"My apartment..." She muttered.

The bear looked at his feet. "Gone I'm afraid." He said with a sigh.

She could feel Vernon's paw on her shoulder, and she placed her hoof over it.

"It started there. ZPD thinks it was deliberate." Don said glumly.

"Deliberate?'" Vernon piped up. "How? Wasn't her address kept from the public?"

The bear shook his head. "I don't know, it wasn't publically listed. The only mammals that should have been aware would be those at City Hall, and the ZPD." He shrugged. "You didn't tell any angry mammals where you lived, did ya Dawn?"

Dawn looked at the bear with shock. "I-uh..."

She thought back, aside from the legal places, like the bank and post office. The only other mammals who knew were a handful of co-workers.

"No one who would do this." She mumbled.

"That's what I thought, that me-"

Don was interrupted by the shrill snarl of Edward Weaslow, who was now bounding toward the ewe. He had nearly made it to his target when a large, white paw grasped him. He wriggled like a fish trying to escape, obscenities spewing as he flailed.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU FILTHY GRASS GUZZLER! YOU RUINED MY BUILDING!" He snarled, still desperately trying to escape Don's clutches.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS WILL COST TO FIX!?! I'M GONNA BE IN DEBT UP TO MY EARS! ALL BECAUSE OF THIS BITCH!" He desperately reached her paws to grasp the ewe, who stepped back behind Vernon.

"Watch you mouth Eddy! There's no reason for that kind of language!" Don barked.

"OH RUT ME DON!" He stopped fighting, instead turning his tirade to the polar bear.

"AREN'T I GREAT!?! I DID A FAVOR FOR A FRIEND AND LOOK WHAT IT GOT ME! NEVER AGAIN! YOU HEAR!?! NEVER AGAIN!" The weasel pushed free of the large paw, but instead of trying to attack he stood stiffly. Stabbing a claw in the ewes direction, he growled.

"I better NEVER see you around here again after today lady. YOU GOT THAT?" He hissed at Dawn, causing her to duck behind Vernon. Vernon learned forward in an attempt to scare the weasel, but he had already turned to face Don.

"AND I'M DONE WITH YOU! CAPISCE?" His claw now pointed to Don. "We're MORE than even, in fact I better be getting A BIG RE-INBURSMENT from the Zootopian City Council FOR THIS MESS!" He was practically biting the air.

"We will see to it that you do Mr. Weaslow." An approaching ram interjected. His wool was grey, and his face was withered with age. His horns were large, and chipped in spots, but still whole. With him was a significantly younger Ibex, who sported horns which far outmatched the older ram. His coat was tan, and he was frantically scribbling in a notepad.

"You better!" The weasel huffed before turning away and walking toward the now ruined building.

"Ah Dawn, you remember Warden Mouflon from the parole board?" Don asked.

Oh she remembered him alright. Gavin Mouflon had a particularly stern countenance, which was strikingly similar to that of her own father. Of the few interactions Dawn had with the old ram they had been nothing short of terrifying. He exuded pure hatred whenever she had been around him, not just at her, but seemingly everyone and everything. Needless to say any meeting regarding her that he attended was severely uncomfortable. He was also the only mammal of the six on the parole board to vote against her release.

"I do." She said warily.

"I suppose this is quite a surprise." Mouflon responded.

"Yes actually." Dawn murmured.

The old ram turned to regard Don.

"Don was giving me a lift to work today when we had to take this intriguing little detour." He grumbled.

Dawn made her way out from behind Vernon, attempting to stand firm.

"I see." she responded.

"After we found out what happened I took it as my duty to try to pitch in and see what I could do to help." He stated. "After all, it was going to end up on my desk anyway." He grumbled.

The young Ibex coughed, bringing the old rams attention to him. Mouflon eyed him with agitation, before returning to a strained positive demeanor.

"Ah yes, where are my manners, this is Mr. Gabriel Steinbock. He's our prison criminologist, I called him in to aide with the ZPD investigation of this hate crime." He sneered.

"Hate crime?" Dawn asked.

"Well I can't imagine there would be any other reason for such a deliberate attack on Ms. Bellwether other than one motivated by hate." Mouflon said with a smirk.

Dawn felt Vernon's body press against her back, and she swore she could hear the faintest growl.

"Yes, from what I've discerned the fire was definitely started with a makeshift incendiary device. Possibly a Molotov or something to that effect." The Ibex stated clinically. "It wasn't explosive, the windows on the floor blew out from back draft." He continued going over his notes.

"Please Gabriel, save your notes for the detective when he arrives." Gavin shooed the ibex.

"Eh, in the meantime Dawn." Don interjected. You may want to head upstairs, They managed to recover some clothes and belongings you might be able to salvage.

Dawn looked to Vernon who was still glaring at the older ram. He broke it to look down at her sympathetically.

"Would you h-"

"You don't even have to ask." Vernon replied.

"Forgive me for asking Dawn." Don interrupted. "But I don't believe I've met your friend here." He motioned to Vernon.

"Oh, this is Vernon Hunter, he's my friend and co-worker." She gestured to the wolf as he leaned in to shake paws with the bear.

"Well, mighty fine, MITE-E-FINE!" The bear grinned broadly. "Good to see Dawn made some friends! Especially a wolf of all mammals. I'm sure as shootin' impressed." He laughed as the two shook paws.

"Write that name down Gabriel." The older ram muttered. "He could be a possible suspect."

"What did y-"

"Excuse me!?" Dawn cut Vernon off, irritation in her voice.

The old ram stared at her with a bored expression. " A wolf, the number one natural predator of all sheep, friends with the sheep who tried to kill all predators. I find the notion rather dubious." He chuckled.

The ewe marched up to the old ram, now stabbing a finger at him. He remained unfazed.

"Vernon would NEVER do something like that!" She snarled. "Even so, we were at work together when this happened."

"An accomplice then." He smirked in response.

Dawn tromped back over to Vernon, anger burning in her eyes. "C'mon Pup-" She stopped herself. "Vernon, let's go."

As the two made their way to the building entrance, Mouflon uttered a few more choice words.

"Be careful Ms. Bellwether, trusting the wrong mammal could end in disaster for you." He sneered. Dawn ignored his remark, and the two headed upstairs.

A few scraps of clothes, and some small personal effects were all that remained of Dawn's belongings. It was an awful ruin, but the ewe could at least take comfort in the fact that the apartments contents had only been a third of her belongings. She still had extra clothes and furniture in storage. It was a sort of silver lining to the devastation.

Unfortunately, that silver lining was quickly forgotten as the duo made their way back outside with Dawn's meager effects to discover a particularly familiar looking fox talking to Polaraski.

"Ah Dawn, I er..." Don looked uncomfortable, and the lamb shared his sentiment.

"You remember detective Wilde?" He mumbled.

"Howdy Puff-Puff." The fox cop gave his familiar smug grin.

Again, Dawn could feel the wolf pressed against her back, low growling emanating from his chest. Don pulled uncomfortably at his uniform.

"I know." Don sighed. "I know about the history between you both."

"Yeah, some history huh?" Nick chuckled. The bear looked at the fox with a nervous glance.

"But he's the best detective the ZPD has to offer. Mouflon picked him specifically." Don said, his voice quavered.

"Yeah, I'd say he hates you." Nick cackled.

"You can't be serious!" Vernon suddenly spoke. "This is one of the cops that put her away! You can't expect him to be unbiased whe-" The fox rose a hand to silence him.

"Relax Puppy." He sniggered. "I may not have a great history with your little handler, but I take my job seriously. I will solve this case regardless of my feelings for the victim, or lack there-of." He nodded.

"DON'T CALL ME PUPPY RED!" The wolf snarled, but Dawn waived her hooves in an effort to calm him.

"Don, where is-" Dawn was interrupted.

"He already left, even so..." The bear's irises darted around from side to side. "I already argued about using Detective Wilde, but he refused to listen." The bear lowered his head, shaking it in shame.

The fox now made his way past the wolf and lamb, heading toward the apartment building.

"Just be happy Carrot's is sick today. Otherwise this would be super awkward huh?" He laughed as he passed. Dawn grabbed Vernon to stop him from chasing the fox. Still Vernon snarled as Nick disappeared into the structure.

"C'mon Puppy, let's just go." The wolf's anger dropped, and he sadly looked at the ewe. his ears drooped as he slowly nodded in agreement.

As the two made their way back to the moped, Don called out to the pair.

"Wait! Dawn!" He jogged over. The wolf was already on the bike as the bear approached Dawn.

"We haven't even discussed where you'll be staying!" He stated.

"Oh mutton chops, you're right. I hadn't ev-"

"She'll stay with me." The wolf replied without turning.

Dawn was shocked, she turned to Vernon in disbelief.

"V-Vernon." She stuttered. "You can't, I mean, we can't..." She still couldn't process what he had said.

"I mean I'm a sheep and you're...other mammals will thi-" The wolf turned to her, smiling softly.

"Eh, who cares what they think, I can't possibly leave my best friend out in the lurch like that now can I?"

Dawn smiled, 'his best friend' she thought as warmth began to fill her cheeks. She pushed the feeling down though as her rational thoughts continued to nag at her.

"But Vernon-"

"No buts, I got the room. Now don't fret." He said turning back to the road and starting the bike.

The bear wiped his brow, looking amazingly relieved.

"Sir, you just made my job a hell of a lot easer. I'd say this fella's a keeper Dawn." The bear joked.

Dawn blushed and buried her face in Vernon's back. 'what was that supposed to mean?' Dawn turned the thought over in her mind.

"Welp, I won't keep you. Dawn call me when you get settled in." Don said. "You two try to have a good rest of the day alright."

"Goodbye Don." Dawn said absentmindedly, still distracted by the previous statement. And with that, the two pulled away from the devastated scene.

It hadn't taken long to arrive at the large Lowland Drive apartment complex. Unlike Seaside, the Shutterbuck Estates were a series of four smaller buildings, each seemingly styled after small, jutting rock faces. Some of which had large balconies dotted with trees and flowers of various kinds. It also looked as though it was better kept, and at least a little more expensive than Seaside had been. Each building was toned in a different grey-ish hue. One green-ish grey, one red-ish grey, one blue-ish grey, and a simple standard grey one. In between the four structures laid a small park and playground, where Dawn could see a few small mammals playing.

As the moped pulled into a parking space on the street, Vernon piped up.

"Welp, here we are, home sweet home." He said, removing his helmet and breathing deeply.

"Are we still in Savannah?" Dawn queried.

"Technically this is the rainforest district, just barely. Certainly cheaper the Savannah Central, I can tell you that. Probably cause we get a lot of the lingering rain." He chuckled, offering a paw to the ewe to help her off the moped. Dawn slowly took the paw and hopped down with ease. Vernon then grabbed the box of belongings on the moped's back, and began to walk toward the complex.

"I'm in the green one. Hasn't got much of a view, but it's a nice place." As he continued to walk forward Dawn stayed frozen in place. He was a good few yards away before he must of noticed her straying.

"Hey Dawn?" He muttered, grabbing her attention again. "It's fine here, it's a predator and prey complex. Mostly prey, nothing to fear." He stated.

Dawn shook her head before running to catch up to Vernon. As they walked together she spoke.

"It's not that, I just..." She muttered.

"Hmm?"

"I'm still kind of in shock, you know." Dawn said blankly.

"that's understandable, it's been one hell of a day." Vernon nodded.

Dawn scurried ahead to open the double doors to the building, earning a nod and a thank you from the wolf as he passed inside. She followed closely behind, eyeing the surprisingly well furnished lobby. As the pair continued toward the elevator, Dawn spotted a particularly smaller mammal passing the other way wheeling several large replacement fixtures on a dolly.

"Mr Otterly, how you doing sir?" Vernon spoke.

The cart stopped, and from behind it a diminutive otter sporting large glasses appeared. He was dressed in a grey worker's jumpsuit, and had a coif of hair sticking up on his head. While he sported tired eyes, clearly from a rough nights sleep, his tone was jovial as he looked up to regard Vernon.

"Vernon, please call me Marty." The otter flashed his tiny sharp teeth. "How you doing lad, all's well I hope?" He asked.

"Just moving a friend in with me, I hope you don't mind. Her place burned down this morning." The wolf shrugged his shoulders toward the ewe.

Otterly's eyes followed the motion as he started to speak. " Not 'tat all boyo. Your a good fella helpin' out a-" As his eyes fell on Bellwether, they went wide in fear.

"SHELLS PRESERVE US!! Vernon me boy! Don't you know who that is!?" The otter shouted.

The wolf nodded as the sheep went to scurry behind him. "Yes'sir that's D-"

"DAWN BELLWETHER!" The otter feigned a spit at the ground. "Vernon, ya can't be-"

"I am, she's an old friend. And she's turning her life around. She needs my help Marty." The wolf said bluntly.

"Vernon!" The otter removed a napkin from his pocket, dabbing his brow. "I-I-." He sputtered. "She can't stay here son!" The little otter flailed his arms in Dawn's direction, and she in turn buried herself into Vernon's side.

"Mr. Otterly, I can vouch for her character. She's a reformed lamb." Vernon responded, confidence in his voice.

The otter dabbed his brow again, then began to nervously twiddle his claws.

"Vernon." He sighed. "The other tenants are gonna give me hell if I let this happen! I can't-."

"You trust me right?" Vernon replied.

The otter stamped a foot down and pointed at the wolf. "Don't ya pull the-" the little otter suddenly deflated. Letting out a heavy sigh, he placed a paw to his temple.

"Of course I trust ya Vern, I always..." He mumbled, trailing off before suddenly snapping his head up to look at the wolf, eyes weary.

"I got so much on me plate right now boyo. The misses has pups coming in a few months, and I'm falling behind on repairs, and the last thing I need is the tenants complainin' to me that she's staying here!" He said.

"Congratulations." Dawn said meekly.

The otter simply sighed in response.

"Hey, any complaints and you tell them to take it up with me okay?" Vernon asked, re-adjusting the box he was holding. The otter looked at him with resignation. Sighing deeply he walked back behind his cart.

"Alright, I'll hold ya to it son." He began to push the cart until he was aligned with the partially hidden ewe.

"Welcome to the Shutterbuck Estates Ms. Bellwether." He smiled weakly.

The lamb watched as the little otter continued to push the cart toward the door. Stopping just short of the entrance he turned to Vernon on last time.

"Don't forget, rent's early next month cause the first is on a Sunday." He yelled.

"No problem Marty." Vernon responded, giving a waive.

With the otter out of sight, the two continued their way toward the elevator. As Vernon hit the call button Dawn was busy thinking of all the reasons why staying together was a bad idea. The species difference, the social implications, and more importantly how who she was would affect Vernon. All of these reasons were playing through her head on loop as they entered the elevator and began their ride to the fourth floor. She couldn't figure out which one to say first, but Vernon didn't give her the chance to.

"Don't worry about the landlord. He's pretty easy-going, just very expressive." He chuckled.

"Yo-you." She muttered. "You still don't have to do this for me Pup-"

The wolf simply held a paw down in front of her muzzle. "Now Dawn, I won't hear it. I told ya your staying with me. I don't care about the consequences."

Vernon had read her mind, albeit vaguely, but she still didn't think Vernon quite grasped the seriousness of this situation. Being associated with the infamous Dawn Bellwether would probably ruin everything he'd built for himself. That she was certain of, but he wouldn't hear of it.

She continued to try to convince him as they made their way to the fourth floor, and eventually in front of a door with the number four o' five.

"Now Dawn, stop fretting about me." He turned the key and unlocked the door. "I'm a big wolf, I'll be fine."

With a gentle push the wolf entered through the doorway, promptly placing the box on a nearby counter. He turned back to Dawn, waiving his arm slowly out across the room.

"Now, welcome to casa de Puppy."

As Dawn entered the first thing that she noticed was just how much larger the place was than her previous home. The combined kitchen and living room she was standing in could easily fit two of her old apartment inside. Of course the space was made even more apparent by the sparse amount of furnishing the wolf seemed to have. The living room section was relegated to a simple brown couch, a flat screen, and an old looking coffee table. There were a few stray movie posters, and a Vangoat painting, but little else adorning the walls. The kitchen area had a breakfast bar with stools to make up for the lack of a dining table, and the appliances had all the modern comforts of the last ten years. All of this was illuminated by the large windows facing out toward the greater Rain Forest District, which just seemed like a massive wall of green from this angle. The sunlight peering through the open shades across the various surfaces made Dawn aware of how surprisingly clean the apartment was.

"I know there isn't too much going on in the living room, but I'm more of an outside designer." Vernon remarked. "Even so, most of my cash goes to rent and tuition, so I can only spruce this place up so much."

"It's very clean." Dawn uttered.

Vernon chuckled. "Well, I honestly don't spend a lot of time in this place other than sleeping. So I don't get to much of a chance to dirty the place up." He smirked. "Not that I would, I tend to try to keep my spaces as clean as I can. Growing up with seven brothers will either make you a very messy mammal, or a very clean one."

The wolf walked over to the nearby hall entrance. "C'mon, let me show you the other rooms." He again guided the ewe with his arm. Dawn approached and peered into the first doorway the wolf pointed out.

"That's the bathroom." He stated as her eyes fell across the sand colored tiles of the room. It had all the basics, a sink, a toilet, and a combination shower/fur dryer stall. She also noticed a small alcove with a washer and dryer. In Seaside she had been forced to use a communal Laundromat, which required her to carry a load of wash up five flights of stairs to reach. She also had to carefully time it so she wouldn't run into any neighbors while doing the wash, or risk being harassed. The thought of not having to worry about that anymore was a definite boon to moving in.

"Over here is the office. This will be your room once we move the computer to the living room. I hope it isn't too small." Vernon commented, now pointing at the adjacent door.

The office was small, but more than large enough for her. The room was stark save for the computer desk and a corner lamp. It appeared that Vernon had a hard time filling the space.

"I...I uh, It should be fine bu-"

"Great!" Vernon cut her off. "Lastly, over here is my room." He concluded, walking them over to the door at the end of the small hallway.

The bedroom was also bathed in the sunlight from the massive windows on the side wall. It glimmered off the older wood dressers and tables, clearly hand me downs from family. In the center however, was an immaculate looking bed. It was oddly circular, and the edging toward the top sported a fake rock face. The sheets and blankets were a green reminiscent of alpine forests.

"That bed's probably the most expensive thing in the place." Vernon smirked. "Certainly the only new thing." He muttered.

"Why is it round?" Dawn asked.

"It's supposed to be more comfortable for Canids, allowing us to sort of curl up more naturally like the wolves of the past did. Supposed to help with sleep." Vernon stretched his arm and released a comfortable sigh. "And I'd say by experience it does so in spades."

"Oh my, did you have trouble sleeping?" She asked.

The wolf chuckled. "Yes ma'am, and I was pretty grumpy back then."

"You? Grumpy?" She said with amused surprise.

"What can I say? Puppy needs his beauty sleep." The wolf chuckled.

Vernon ran a paw over his tuft of hair, scratching the back of his head as he continued to look into the bedroom.

"So for now, you'll be sleeping in my bed." Vernon stated.

The ewe felt a sudden flush fill her cheeks in shock. She quickly buried her face in her hands to hide it, glancing up to see if the wolf had noticed. Thankfully he was still staring into the bedroom.

"I'll be on the couch till we can get you set up." Vernon added.

Dawn's flush receded, and she sighed with relief as she looked back up at the wolf. Vernon looked down to her with a soft smile, clearly unaware of the ewe's mini panic attack.

"Sound good?" He asked.

"Vernon..." Dawn twisted her foot awkwardly.

"Dawn." He replied flatly, his tone clearly indicating he was predicting her protest.

"Vernon, this is so nice, all of it. I appreciate it so much." She grabbed his paw and patted it. The wolf's tail began to wag.

"But it's probably better if I don't stay here." The wagging stopped.

"I mean, I don't want anything you've done, or are doing to be threatened because of me. I mean, I'm Zootopia's most hat-"

"Dawn, look." The wolf sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you." He paused, turning to look back at his bedroom.

"If you don't want to stay then that's fine, but don't leave because you are worried about how things are gonna be for me." The wolf frowned.

"I'll be fine, if anything..." He turned and weakly smiled at her. "The prospect of living with my best friend sounded like a lot of fun."

Dawn frowned in turn as the wolf continued. "But I won't stop you from going to stay at a hotel some place. It's your call." The wolf's head was hanging in disappointment, but slowly he rose to meet the lamb's eyes. Dawn could see his eyes were filled with sadness.

"But I'd love it if you'd at least give it a shot Floofs. I'd feel a heck of a lot better knowing you safe here instead of some dingy roach motel."

The lamb was left immobile by the terribly sorrowful eyes the wolf was giving her. It was absolutely heart wrenching, and all of her resistance seemed to melt away under it. Before she could think better of it she found the words slipping out.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it a chance. Just stop with the eyes, it's too much!" She held her hooves out to stave off the wolf's expression. Vernon quickly stood up, tail wagging briskly in excitement. He clapped his paws together loudly.

"Great!" He said gleefully, scooping Dawn quickly into a full on hug. Dawn could barely breath under the wolf's tight embrace. It was clear he was putting all of his feeling into it.

"V-vernon" She coughed.

The wolf quickly put her down and drew back, clearly afraid he hurt the lamb. "S-sorry Floofs." He stuttered, again running a paw through his tuft nervously.

Dawn simply giggled in response before letting out a tired yawn.

"Tired huh Floofs?" The wolf asked.

"It's been an awful day." She muttered, looking down.

"But it's gotten a lot better." She turned back up to smile at Vernon, who's tail wagged in response. "Still, it's been pretty draining."

The wolf nodded, a yawn escaping his muzzle as well before gesturing to the bedroom. "Why don't you get yourself settled in. Get changed and comfortable." The wolf said.

Vernon walked his way back over to the counter and grabbed the box of Dawn's belongings. Bringing it over, he handed it off to the ewe.

"Um...O-okay." She stuttered, grabbing the large box as best she could.

"I'll be setting up the couch for myself if you need anything." Vernon pointed his thumb back toward the living room.

"Sleep well Floofs." Giving the ewe a final friendly pat on her wool tuft, the wolf headed out into the living room and disappeared behind the halls edge, leaving the lamb to reluctantly bed down.

After changing into one of her few surviving night gowns, and scuttling on to the massive bed Dawn did her best to get comfortable. It didn't take long. Vernon had been right about the quality of the mattress, it felt like a cloud. As the ewe bunched up the blanket around herself she became acutely aware of a pleasant aroma. As she brought a section of blanket up to her nose to root out the scent, the more concentrated whiff caused her to recognize the odor. The scent of the earth after a rain storm, Vernon's scent. She closed her eyes, a smile crawling across her muzzle as she inhaled deeply. As a comfortable and contented sigh escaped her lips, her eyes flew open.

'What is wrong with me?' She thought to herself, turning on her back and staring at the ceiling. She twiddled her hooves together under the covers. She found herself thinking back to Don's 'keeper' comment. Surely Don hadn't meant anything by it, but why was the first thing she thought was that he was implying they were mates instead of friends? Worse, why when Vernon had mentioned sleeping in his bed did a part of her feel slightly disappointed at finding out they weren't going to be sharing it. Why was Vernon making her feel so weird?

She briskly shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts she wasn't quite ready to confront yet. Turning back to her side, she pulled the covers up close to her. Shutting her eyes tightly she did her best to drive away her confusing thoughts. Her body was tense, as if trying to keep such notions walled away. But with each inhale a whiff of the wolf weakened her resolve, her grip loosened, and eventually she drifted off to sleep content in the earthly scent.