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Savannah Central - The Red Lion Apartment Suites - Forest Penthouse Suite - Den 23A

Monday - 18:00 PM - Mostly Cloudy

Murana was exhausted as she stepped off the elevator to the upper penthouse floor of the Red Lion. The day had been a long one and was filled with disaster and heartache. She wanted nothing more than to just collapse on her bed and sleep until it was time for her evening routine. Unfortunately, she could hear the ruckus from down the hall as she approached her apartment door. She groaned inwardly at the sound of several voices beyond the wall. Her husband was not alone tonight.

Wiping away the remaining tears and trying her best to put on a happy face, she unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal Anthony still in his police blouse and uniform halfway through a bottle of beer with his fellow wolf buddy from the precinct beside him on the couch downing one just like it. She rolled her eyes as she saw the expected meerkat fawning over his partner, her diminutive hands roving over the larger mammal's chest.

"Surrika Tunnah." She admonished, closing the door a bit harder than intended, "How many times have I told you that my husband's work colleagues are off limits?"

The stripe tailed meerkat smirked at her with a mischievous glint, "I've lost count Murana." She hiccupped. "Besides, I think he likes me." Murana was almost positive that Anthony's very presence probably prevented Surrika from removing her white tank top and saggy sweatpants. She had obviously slept the entire day away.

Murana shook her head as she dropped the keys into a bowl on the counter by the kitchen. She figured she might as well join them. She opened up the fridge to see two six packs half gone. Pulling a bottle out and popping off the top, she took a swig before joining the merry crew in the den. They were sprawled out on the furniture, the news on the television reporting on mute the newly formed electrical storm happening that night.

She picked up the indignant meerkat and plopped her on the other side of her husband. "You know he's too big for you Surrika. He'd tear you a new one and I highly doubt you'd recover." She took another sip of her beer to hide the fact she was struggling to maintain composure.

"I do what I want, you're not my mom!" The meerkat decried before skittering across their laps back onto her husband's colleague's lap. She was greedily rubbing her cheek back up against the oblivious wolf's chest spreading his leather jacket apart to get at the undershirt. "He's all mine. He even said so!"

"I did?" The wolf looked down at the tiny critter.

Anthony smacked his buddy's arm rather roughly from across Murana. "Yeah Trevor! Don't you remember?" He practically hooted with glee. "You were on your third beer and she asked if you'd marry her!"

"Let me guess..." Murana deadpanned.

"I did?" Trevor repeated dumbly.

"Congratulations." She chuckled, taking another drink. "You two look like you were made for each other."

"I know right? Time to consummate!" Surrika beamed, already trying to unbuckle the poor, confused wolf's pants.

Murana practically smacked the meerkat off the occupied lap. "That's enough. We'll be having none of that here in my own home. You two can take it elsewhere and figure out...how the heck that is even going to work." She couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Surrika Tunnah was a dear friend and neighbor of the Wolfords. Murana had met the lively thing shortly after living in Zootopia properly for the first time in her life over a decade ago. She could vividly recall that day during the Meerkat Market held at Sahara Square every Sunday where she practically ran afoul of Surrika's legendary temper. In the end, they had become fast friends and ultimately neighbors within a few years' time.

Although Surrika's small apartment door was fixed just outside their own in the hallway a few paces down, her living space literally snaked around the interior of the walls of their own. Sometimes Murana could hear the little thing scamper around in her home at night when it was quiet. The only connection between the two suites was a single oval window on its side perched up along the middle of the wall in the living den. Each tenant had to unlock their side of the glass to have her flow freely in and out of either complex.

"Love finds a way!" Surrika purred, crawling up Trevor's bicep and curling up enticingly by his neck, smushing her cheek onto his.

Leaving the two befuddled newly loves, she turned to her husband with some concern. "So why this little gathering? What are we celebrating? It's the start of the work week and you're already drinking before we even hit evening." She thought for a moment, her eyes wandering over to the schedule on the fridge. "Besides, aren't you on shift tonight?"

"Oh babe!" He chortled, wrapping an arm around her waist as she waved off his alcoholic breath. "A new guy got transferred today, he's covering my shift! Besides, Chief Bogo promoted me to Sergeant today and told me I could have the rest of the day off!"

Murana placed a paw on his thigh, trying to be as supportive as she could, "That is amazing honey! See? I told you dressing nice for your job would bring you better opportunities!"

He barked out his mirth, "Hardly. He could clearly see I had the qualities it took to earn the rank and the responsibility that goes with it!"

Trevor snickered, "Yeah, but he's in charge of only a small team of six!"

She raised an eyebrow at his buddy's lack of support, "That's still better than none." She turned back to Anthony. "I really am happy and very proud of you." She leaned in and quickly gave him a small lick on the muzzle. "You've earned the right to celebrate tonight."

Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the fact something good was finally happening today for at least one of them, but Murana felt she needed to relax tonight and enjoy the happy moment with her husband. He was quite transfixed at the sudden display of emotion from her. He was far used to having to wring it out of her bit by bit. Both Trevor and Surrika caught on to the impromptu interaction and began giggling like cubs as they teased the two of them about naughty things.

"Whatever." Murana rolled her eyes, taking a big gulp this time. "Is it a crime that I should want to kiss my husband when he does well in his job?"

"Define well." Trevor cackled, holding his sides so much it hurt.

Anthony pointed a claw at him angrily, "You cut that crap off, Trev!" His drunken nature probably getting the better of his reason.

"Easy there everyone!" Surrika stood up suddenly on the wolf's shoulder. "We're just having a good time. So let's just celebrate! More rank means more money! Awooooo!!!!" The little meerkat had started to howl.

"Don't you dare start Surrika!" Murana made a grab for the little critter but caught nothing but air as the meerkat quickly switched to the opposite shoulder and began to howl again.

"I didn't know meerkats could howl." Trevor was transfixed by the beautiful creature perched just inches away from his face.

"Great idea!" Anthony agreed before howling himself. It wasn't long before Trevor joined in and there was a trio chorus of howls erupting through the early evening.

Murana grit her teeth hard, struggling to maintain a decent sense of control. The urge bubbled within her breast, wanting nothing more than to escape with wild abandon. Trevor stopped briefly enough to encourage, "Come on Murana, you'll feel a lot better when you howl! Awoooo!!!!" He was going off again.

"You know you want to!" Surrika leered, sticking her tongue out before resuming.

"This is your fault. I'm blaming this all on yooooooooooooooo!!!!" Her resistance to the instinctual urge failed and she was consumed by the natural need to howl. Their four voices filled the night and enraged several floors of tenants. The phone was ignored on the hook as they howled for what seemed like hours. As their cries echoed through the building, one could hear several other wolves joining in.

At long last, they finally died down, the adrenaline from the howl still pumping through their veins; Anthony threw a fist into the air, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, hun! We're going to let it all out tonight!"

"Preferably in front of us please." Surrika requested with obvious intent.

Although she couldn't deny the euphoric effect howling had on her physical body, she hated the fact that she could lose control like that so easily even if she had trained herself to resist the urge to a point. She slumped back into the couch and glared at the meerkat, "I really hate you right now. You better be glad we're friends."

---

Downtown - Happytown - Near Tail Hollow Orphanage

Monday - 21:23 PM - Overcast with Occasional Electrical Currents

Murana lay awake in her bed, eyes locked onto the ceiling of her bedroom. She could still feel the aftermath of their lovemaking as Anthony lay snoring next to her, completely spent. Despite her not being fully into it as usual, she let him enjoy the moment and feel the satisfaction of ravaging his 'beautiful wife', as he called her. It wasn't often they got to enjoy something so nice these days, so it was a welcome reprieve for both of them.

However, she couldn't rest, not tonight anyway. She lay motionless in the bed, staring at the picture of the two cubs in the red wagon for what seemed like hours on end. Satisfied that the husband was not going to wake up anytime soon, she slipped out of bed, flinching at the soreness in her thighs as she stood up on the grass floor. He sometimes got a bit rough when he was drunk, but tonight for once, she didn't mind.

Drinking the booze was probably not the smartest thing for her to do tonight. She needed to clear her head. Walking out into the living den, she was a bit taken aback by the fact that Trevor and Surrika were still here. She was about to go back and get clothed when she realized they were sound asleep, Surrika atop Trevor's abdomen, in the wake of their own aftermath.

"You've got to be kidding me..." She said mystified at the audacity of her neighbor. She was going to have to force that little bugger to clean the damn place up.

Sighing at her uncontrollable friend, she swept past them into the kitchen and pulled out a pitcher of cold water from the refrigerator. After pouring a glass and drinking it down, she opened up the side pantry door and walked into the small alcove with barred racks bolted into the walls. She knelt down to pick up a few jars of tomato juice before setting them on the counter next to the microwave. She would need these in a bit when she got back later that evening.

Walking over to the front door, she picked up her wallet she had put down next to the key bowl and sifted through it. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out the small sheet of crumpled paper and began to snap up the clutch. As she set it back down, she jingled the key bowl slightly which caused the meerkat to stir behind her.

Looking up dazed, she mumbled incoherently, "Murana? What you doing up naked?" Lazily waving her arm back towards something random behind her, "You wanna join in this hotness?"

Smiling at her incorrigible friend, she whispered, "No Surrika. Just lay your head back down and get some sleep."

"Good idea." She dropped her head with a small tap back onto Trevor, who barely moved at the touch.

Shifting back into her bedroom, she shut the door tightly and locked it. Walking over to the verandah to read the paper in what little light was provided from the outside, she concentrated hard on what it said:

Mom (scratched out), Murana,

Christopher told me that a new drug deal was going down tonight at 2200 in Happytown near the Tail Hollow Orphanage. I'm sure you are familiar with that place because Christopher told me he sees you go there. Your target of interest will also be there overseeing the deal and should be easy to bring to justice. If you're reading this, then you ignored my plea to stop and I'll be hearing about it tomorrow morning of his death. This will be the last time I help you. Please don't call me again or show up at the coffee shop tomorrow. I won't be there.

Sincerely, Steven Stinkman

She crumpled it back up again as she shook in grief and rage at what her son had written to her. On one hand, she was furious at him for cutting her off completely from him, but on the other she totally understood his position and knew that she had hurt him deeply by continuing this course of action. However she couldn't stop, not until they were avenged. She unfurled it once more and reread it, curious the second time through about Christopher and why and how he'd know of her visits to the orphanage. Wasn't he just a reporter like Steven at ZNN? Was he following her?

She didn't have the time to dwell on that thought right now. Time was wasting. She set the piece of paper in the groove of her shredder plugged into the wall inside the closet to remind herself to shred it in the morning before flexing her legs and using the small space to perch her feet on opposing walls to climb up to the ceiling. Pushing up on a slightly visible square that was cut out, she pushed the piece aside and reached up into the dark recess to pull down a rather bulky bundle of clothing. Resetting the panel back into the groove of the ceiling, she hopped down to the grass lightly, careful to not make a sound.

Held in her hands was a suit that she had custom tailored to fit her body by Billy Silva, her supplier and confidant. Unzipping the blood red suit from the front, she quickly slipped her legs in, pulling it up over her waist before reaching back around to unhook the opening for her tail so she could stick it through. Kneeling on both knees, she leaned back before placing one arm through one black sleeve and then the other. Flipping the collar up over her shoulder blades, she finished the main portion by zipping it back up to the neck.

She adjusted and clicked in the maroon bulletproof pauldrons on either shoulder before getting a spindle of hospital wrap to encircle her forearms and elbows. The less wolf fur she could expose to the stench, the better. She buckled the gauntlets on either arm, ensuring the claw extenders rested perfectly across each paw finger. She then began to put on the boots, their soles open to allow freedom of sense and touch for her pawpads.

Taking a small bottle from a bag that Anthony ignored daily, she sprayed a thin coating of stench from Steven onto her clothes, arms, legs and face. The acrid odor stung her nostrils something fierce but she was intensely familiar with her son's scent and the effect passed quickly. She shivered slightly at the procedure but knew it was necessary to mask her scent from those who could recognize it during the day. She looked into the bag for more to realize there was not a single bottle left of the pungent liquid. Guess she would have to visit Billy tomorrow to get more.

Buckling on her utility belt, complete with gold plating on the front, she paced over to the mirror in their room. She regarded herself intensely. Was it this that Steven saw the other night? Did he not know this was who she was? What was she to Steven now? A mother or some abomination who he had thought was his mother? Shaking her head angrily, she placed the mask onto her face just above the muzzle, allowing the small adhesive to stick to the fur between her eyes to cover up her identity.

This is me, she thought. This is what the city needs. This is what Zootopia needs. With firm conviction, she took one last look at Anthony, sleeping soundly in their bed, one arm stretched out over where she had once been. With a mournful look, she silently stepped out to the verandah and surveyed the city. Her focus landed on Happytown several miles away, its forgotten section devoid of most of the city lights the rest of the districts shared.

Taking a deep breath, she leaped off the balcony, closing her eyes to embrace the feeling of the wind whipping through her fur. Plummeting down the stories of the Red Lion, she was internally counting in her head. After a few seconds, she reached down to her belt, depressing a button on the buckle to unleash a small grappling hook. Arching her head back to look at the building opposite her, she gripped the roped hook and began twirling it in mid-fall.

Thrusting her arm out towards the opposite structure, it connected with a distended flagpole three floors up from the ground level. Repressing the button yanked her towards the panes of glass, revealing the interior within. She flipped in the air to hit the side hind paws first before letting the inertia of the swing propel her forward, her feet literally running across its surface.

At the apex of her upward momentum, she hit the button a third time, unlatching the hooks from the pole and zipping just the cord back into her belt. Simultaneously leaping off the skyscraper, she vaulted towards the nearest building, clicking her claws once to engage the extenders above her paws. She smacked into the siding, the metal tips digging holes into the material. Without losing a breath, she scrabbled quickly up the side, her metal appendages assisting in the climb.

Cresting the top of the building, she leaped over the edge and launched into a dead sprint across its slanted paned surface. She took each building at a time, calculating in advance the route she would need to reach the one after and the trajectory of her jumps. Reattaching several spare hooks from her belt pouch to the rope, she launched herself across gaps utilizing the arcing swing to clear distances she couldn't normally.

At length she hit the top of a roof just on the outskirts of Happytown. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, she dipped inside a stairwell of one where she climbed up a corner of the room to collect a small bundle she had placed there months ago. Other such similar bundles existed across the city that she had placed specifically for instances like this. With package in paw, she continued her journey to just a block away from the Tail Hollow Orphanage.

With a small pant, she sat down with her back resting up against the roof guard. She rebuked herself for feeling a bit winded from the exertion. She needed to exercise more. She was still too young to be feeling this tired. Unpacking the bundle she had collected, she unhinged all the pieces and began assembling it into a rather lightweight rifle complete with sniper scope. It wasn't bulky, and its purpose was intended for non-lethal dart rounds rather than a heavier stock of ammunition.

Now prepared, she turned around and got into position with her sights aimed squarely at the building entrance three doors down from where Max was most likely sleeping. She gave his window a quick glance to see that it was still dark. She smiled sadly before refocusing back on the target location. She was about five minutes early from the drop time, but she would be ready.

A small stinging of her nose from an unusual scent diverted her attention from the doorway in question. The storm clouds were getting closer, hovering just over Tundratown. Even from this distance, she could see past some of the skyscrapers to where the bulk of the electrical activity was blasting through the sky. She furrowed her brow as she gauged its rough location to be just over Pale Moon Orphanage in that district. She reminded herself to check in there later tomorrow to see if everything was alright.

Her ears flicked back to the disturbance below as she saw several mobsters in brown trench coats shuffle out from the building. The usual assortment of cats ranging from tigers to lions to lynxes, all members of the Felicity Firmament; a ridiculous name for an all-feline gang that had multiple strangleholds in sectors across the city specializing in drugs. Her ears wilted slightly as she did not see her target of interest.

They snapped back to attention, however, when an ocelot exited the structure with a plush trench coat of tan and what looked like real wool on the interior. She sneered as the spotted cat walked among the taller felines with pompous arrogance. He waved a few times to several of his companions to flank him as they awaited the other party for the drop.

Murana calmly breathed through her nose as she trained her eye down the scope at his despicable face, a scar running down the length of his nose and trailing through his lips. As much as she wanted to plug a dart into his neck, she needed him separated from the rest of the group so she could more easily dispatch him. Having his contingent of minions around would be far more problematic and would not make this job easier.

As she and the cats below heard the white van coming down the street, a small movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her. She saw a brief flicker of grey and black in the opposing window on the eighth floor. Someone was in the apartment directly across, most likely looking at her through the open window. She gauged if she should call off the hit but shook her head in determination; this mark was very elusive and this was as good an opportunity as she was going to get. She re-aimed down the barrel.

The van had pulled to a stop just alongside the curb. She could hear from this distance a window being rolled down. She cared little for what they had to say to each other, just that she could get an opening on the ocelot. The cat moved behind the cover of the vehicle, blocking him from sight. She was patient and waited for him to reappear.

As it seemed the deal was just about done, she was ready to take aim again when she heard a few of them rise up in shouts. She whipped the scope to the right to see some weird looking fox in an orange hoodie and sweatpants bounce off of several of the bigger cats' heads. Her barrel followed this unknown assailant as he brutally whipped around the felines with ease, tripping some and hind kicking others into submission. Murana cursed softly with thoughts of losing her prey because of this idiot vigilante.

Her eyes narrowed to slits when she saw her quarry break off from the group and begin running towards Tail Hollow. Seizing her chance, she aimed quickly and fired. The bolt went off with nothing but a puff as it zipped through the air, aimed perfectly at the back of his head. It would have connected had it not been for his sudden turn into an alley, causing the paralyzing dart to hit the sidewalk pavement uselessly.

Swearing loudly, she dumped the rifle on the rooftop and sprang off the side of the building. She extended her metal claws as she hit the opposing building's window frame. Unlatching from the brick, she quickly leapt down from each outcropped sill to ground level where she broke into a run. She hadn't even fired the gun more than seconds ago when she was turning the corner and enveloping herself in the darkness of the alley.

The ocelot had not gotten far as she could see he was stuck between the brick façade and a fence barrier for the backyard playground of the orphanage, its outer border extending too close for him to squeeze through properly. With rumbling anger, she gripped her claws deep into his flamboyant jacket before ripping him from the small opening and flipping him over her shoulder. The coat slipped off of him in midair, still clutched within her paws. He hit the ground hard, drawing a small moan of pain.

Casting the worthless coat aside, she rounded on him, fangs bared. "You have been extremely hard to find Javier Sanchez!" Without giving him any respite to collect himself, she kicked him hard in the chin, flipping him into a somersault before smacking his face back into the grime and filth of the asphalt.

"Argh...you stupid bitch!" He roared, cradling a bloody nose from that last impact. "Who are you? Do I know you?" Without pausing to wait for an answer he pulled a gun out of his teal vest and fired at her.

Recognizing the motion to his breast, she was already to the side ducking low to disorient his aiming. The shot blast rang out in the stillness of the night, audible only to the incoming electrical storm. She surged in low before digging her metal claws deep into his gut, causing him to whine pitifully. Completing the momentum, she leaned in with her elbow to bring him to the ground. He instinctually went into fight or flight mode as his hind paws came up and began to scratch her abdomen mercilessly. She cried out in shock as the claws ripped through the multiple layers of her outfit and sliced through her skin.

Murana staggered back, holding a paw to her stomach, pulling it away to reveal fresh, dripping blood. She perked up as he was scrambling on all fours towards the gun that had been kicked away. Unwilling to have him get the upper hand, she mounted him swiftly, putting her entire weight on his back as she pressed him into the ground. She wrapped an arm around his neck before yanking up with the other paw to close off his airway.

Javier had a lot of fight still left in him. Snubbing the pain that was scorching his face, he used every ounce of his strength to crawl mere inches towards the gun, his left arm stretching out to just touch it, inches out of his grasp. He howled in rage as he realized he wouldn't be able to fight against the superior strength of the wolf. Raising her arm high she raked it down into his eyes, drawing a blood-curdling scream as she gouged them out.

Stomping on his spine viciously, she rose up off of him, allowing him to stumble and collapse several times on the ground before her. He shrieked and yowled at his wounds, jamming his paws into his eyes to make the misery stop. Calmly reaching into her belt pouch, Murana pulled out a small, secondary dart round and held it firmly in her paw. She advanced towards him slowly, taking care to keep some distance from him until she could get a good opening in-between his rolls.

Ramming it into his neck, she pushed the plunger on the dart to release the toxin deep into the cat's bloodstream. Within moments, his movements slowed and then ceased entirely. Casually rolling him over onto his back and moving his head to face her, she serenely rolled her left wrist over to uncork the top of some tubing that ran the length of her interior sleeve. Pressing a button with a paw finger on her right, viscous liquid came out of the end of the tube just at the wrist, coating the entirety of the ocelot's body. Her ears flickered at the sound of impending police sirens but she felt she had enough time for this.

"This is a rather curious wax that retains its liquid state." She began to explain with some satisfaction. "When burned, it has the capability of maintaining the flames for days without ever giving off much light or any visual cues of its existence." She seemed rather proud of this fact; all the more reason to use it since it attracted very little attention should a bystander be passing by the alley.

She went to one knee before rolling back onto her haunches, taking in the soothing feeling of being able to sit finally. As if talking to a friend, she wrapped her arms around her raised knee before flexing out her other leg to get a few kinks out. Turning her head to regard him, she continued, "You may not know me Javier Sanchez, but I know you. I know Fresia Lorian and Tyler Mason. That single mother jaguar and her young son whom you brutally raped, mutilated and killed."

If Javier had the ability still of widening his eyes with fear, he would have surely done it. "Now you will feel the flames of their justice as you endure your punishment Javier." She coolly judged as she rolled over the right wrist and popped off the opening.

She stretched out her left hand and was about to press the button to release flames from below her wrist when a familiar voice behind her halted her movement. "Hands up right where I can see them! Don't you dare reach for a weapon or I will shoot!"

Closing her eyes in contempt she slowly rose up to full standing height, arms out to the sides. She had to admit, she did not hear the rabbit coming. They probably parked their cruiser back at the scene of the drop and were alerted to the skirmish in the alley by perhaps a local resident who had heard the gunshot. She had little doubt the eager bunny had come running over to see what was amiss, no wonder she was taken by surprise.

As expected, she saw Officer Judy Hopps pulling her vest up to her mouth to speak into a radio. "All units, we have an unidentified..." She struggled with the proper terminology. "masked wolf caught in the process of killing a civilian. Request back-up now."

"You don't want to do this." Murana reasoned peaceably, her voice level. "Just turn around and forget that you saw this." She knew it was futile but she had to give the rabbit a chance.

"Not buying it, miss! Hands up where I can see them!" The bunny shouted, pointing her gun closer towards her when she saw Murana lower her right arm back down to Javier.

Officer Nick Wilde and a new recruit she thought she recognized ran up alongside Judy. "What in blazes? Who is that?" The fox exclaimed, his eyes bulging.

"I thought you knew everyone." Judy jibbed, but kept her serious gaze on the wolf.

"You wouldn't happen to be...the Dark Flame Wolf would you?" Nick marveled as he actually waved at her. "Pleased to finally make your acquaintance. It's not every day I meet a notorious vigilante!"

"Officer Wilde, I do not believe this is the proper time to be making friends with the enemy." The wildebeest admonished. Remembrance slammed into Murana as she recalled Ralph Grayz from the orphanage. He was the new transfer and had taken Wolford's shift tonight! She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't here to see her like this.

"Well Carrots." He said standing with his paws on his hips. "Now I can say I officially 'met' everyone in Zootopia."

"Can it, Nick." She made a motion with her paw to Murana. "Turn around and put your paws behind your back. Officer Grayz, can you detain this...wolf please?" Keeping the gun trained on her, Judy nodded to the gnu.

"Certainly." He smiled, flipping out a pair of pawcuffs and a muzzle before advancing on Murana.

Playing along for a brief time, Murana held out her paws without complaint, hearing the clopping of hooves get closer. He was almost upon her. The jingling of the cuffs was heard as he opened up the racks. Quickly crouching low, she did a forward flip ensuring that her hind paws hit the underside of the gnu's chin, snapping his neck back hard. Landing back on the ground just beyond Javier, her wrists were in prime position.

"Goodbye Javier." She cooed before pressing a button and igniting the ocelot. The barely visible flames spread quickly across his body, unseen to most eyes, but the results on the cat were clearly evident.

"How did she?" Nick looked to Judy before shifting back to Murana. "Did she just?"

Another gunshot went off as Judy fired a round at the wolf. Murana was off and running, reaching the top of the fence with a single bound before clicking her metal claws back out and crunching them deep into the brick. Within moments she was up to the rooftops and was leaping from building to building.

Ralph was just recovering from the assault as he came up sputtering, "What in blazes is wrong with that wolf?"

"Ralph!" Judy commanded, holstering her gun and running past him towards the fence. "Follow us on foot through the streets, I'm going to try and get her down to your level! Nick, try to extinguish the body and get him to a hospital!"

With an impressive display of parkour, Judy hit the dividing fence bar once before launching herself back and forth between the two buildings and reaching the top. She stopped briefly, her nose twitching and her ears twirling. She easily detected the sound of the wolf escaping off to her left. With her target sighted, she dashed off in hot pursuit. "All units, all units. This is Officer Judy Hopps in Happytown with a 217. I am engaged in a foot chase on rooftops heading in the direction of Savannah Central. Converge on my GPS location."

Without another word, Ralph was already running past Nick, his eyes to the sky as he tracked the two dark silhouettes across the rooftops. "Okay guys! I'll just...figure out how to put out the fire here." Nick trailed off as he turned back to the raging pyre that was the ocelot. He didn't even have a fire extinguisher on hand.

Murana had already reached the high rises of Downtown Central when Ralph realized he could not keep up with the two as he was. He shook his fluffy mane angrily as he brayed, "I cannot believe that you're forcing me to resort to this! Arrogant, pompous vigilante!" Taking off his police blouse to reveal the swollen wife beater shirt underneath, he collapsed to all fours and began galloping through the streets of Zootopia, avoiding any lingering night-owl pedestrians and cars.

Murana was within range of the ZNN tower, hoping to lose the bunny on its awkward surface. Without proper equipment, the cop would have no firm footing and plummet to the ground below. She had begun to hook up a third grapple attachment to her belt wire when the bunny caught up to her on her right. With a running leap, she crashed into Murana with her hind feet with the force of a piston.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy exhaled.

The impact threw the wolf off the edge and down to the streets below. Recovering fast, Murana slapped her claws into wall, its metal appendages squealing in protest at the friction put upon them. She hadn't even gone several meters when the tips broke off and she began her downward velocity again. Extending her unbroken hand covering, she snagged onto a building outcropping, having it slip between her paws as she hit the next windowsill below before slamming into the dumpster perched just alongside the storefront. A tearing feeling could be felt off her left ear, but she had little time to acknowledge that injury among many.

She groaned miserably as her aching body rolled off the dumpster to the ground with a thump. Shaking off her confusion, she was about to stand tall when Ralph rammed into her side, slapping her back up against the same trash bin. She cried out, tears coming to her eyes from the excruciating throb shooting up and down her sides. She crumpled to the ground, completely wracked with pain all over.

"You ignorant, self-righteous fool!" Ralph thundered, pointing his hoof at her. "No one is above the law, even if executing self-proclaimed justice!"

Judy hopped down from above, dusting her paws off as she saw that the situation appeared to be handled. Fellow sirens were blazing in from multiple corners of Savannah. They would converge upon this location within seconds. "Settle down Ralph. I think we got her."

Feigning unconsciousness, Murana manipulated her arm, which her body had rolled over, towards her belt to the left pouch, which contained just one grenade. As the rabbit got closer to her, she lifted her entire body weight with one paw before spinning her legs in a wide arc, tripping the little officer onto her rump. With the other paw, she flicked off the activation lever on the bomb and tossed it at the wildebeest. It exploded with mild concussive force, blasting the gnu onto his side. Within moments, the entire air around them was consumed in a cloud of noxious gas.

"What the heck is that!" Rhinowitz shouted as he pulled up and got out of the car, trying his best to hold his nose and get right back in.

Judy hacked her lungs out, lurching forward on all fours. "It's skunk spray!" She exhaled, her lungs were on fire. Her noise burned like the heat of a thousand suns. She was in agony.

Shutting the door swiftly, Rhinowitz got on the radio, "All units, we have a 10-53. Two officers down, please assist."

The last thing Ralph could manage to utter before passing out from the stench was, "Where did that wolf go?"

---

Savannah Central - The Red Lion Apartment Suites - Forest Penthouse Suite - Den 23A

Monday - 23:54 PM - Overcast with Occasional Electrical Currents

It had taken nearly an hour longer to get home that evening. Murana pitched inward into her suite, shivering and miserable. She had doused herself in a running fountain just outside the central roundabout in front of ZPD headquarters to remove the reeking smell of skunk. It still lingered on her outfit and exposed fur however. Noiselessly shutting the glass door to her balcony, she bolted through her bedroom to avoid having the persistent scent disturb Anthony to the point he'd wake up and find her like this.

Cursing herself for leaving the stupid tomato juice cans out on the counter, she whipped into the living den and snatched them before leaping into the bathroom just off the master bedroom. She thought she heard a squeak from the couch but decided it best to just get into a place of safety to undress and shower. She had not expected to use her smoke bomb tonight. In fact, this night did not go at all according to plan like it usually did.

Finally secured and locked into the rather robust wash closet, she whimpered as she cast off the mask to the floor and unzipped the front of her suit. She breathed in rapid gasps, whining at the pain of gingerly unfurling her top off her wounds across her stomach. The lacerations had temporarily glossed over with a bright red film but were still very much fresh. The throbbing in her sides was reaching an unbearable pitch. She would probably be limping around the rest of tomorrow after this.

It was a laborious process of removing each article of clothing and utility, but she managed to do it. She had to contain her small moans of pain as she rubbed the tomato juice all throughout her fur to remove the scent of skunk. She clapped a paw over her mouth as a yelp escaped when the acid from the juice hit her cuts. Grimacing at the sound of a body moving in the next room, her mind spun trying to think of some story for cover.

"Babe? You here?" Anthony was still half asleep.

"Yeah! I'm here!" She called out from the bathroom.

"Is everything all right? It smells awful." He commented, drawing a few skips of the heart from Murana.

"Yeah...I'm fine!" She blurted out. "I just ate something really bad tonight. It's really going through me!"

"Okay, well just spray good before you come to bed, okay?" He mumbled before flopping back over onto his side and passing right back out.

Relieved that one disaster was averted, she continued to massage the juice throughout the rest of her body. She flipped the shower on and left to let the water get warm before attending to her outfit. She wrinkled her nose at the putrid odor her senses could see visibly rising up from the suit. She opened a towel cabinet and took out a plastic bag before stuffing all of them into the scent proof container. She'd have to launder these tomorrow in an offsite location to avoid suspicion. She probably would have to get Billy to stitch up the front however.

A small glint in the mirror over her vanity caught her eye while walking towards the now-hot shower. Her pupils dilated as she realized what it was. She bunted up against the counter, leaning close towards the mirror to see a small tear in her left ear where an earring had been. Her right pine tree-shaped earring was still intact. Did she not remove them before leaving that night? Was it dropped somewhere during the scuffle? It had even lost its perfect smell!

Angrily taking the remaining piece out, she tossed it in the bag with the rest of her stuff. She'd just have to have Billy discretely dispose of that piece when she saw him tomorrow. She stood there gripping the sides of the vanity, on the verge of tears. That was a present to her from her son, and she went and lost one piece tonight because she was too stupid to bother remembering to remove them before heading out.

Whapping a fist hard into the counter, she moved to the shower and rinsed both the smell and the juice out of her fur, the scalding water actually pacified her wounds. Stepping out, she rubbed herself down with a towel, dabbing the parts where she hurt. Positive she had hidden the bundle of stinking clothes up into the ceiling nook in the closet well enough. She replaced the panel and hopped back down.

Murana rolled into bed beside her husband, delicately wrapping an arm around him. Listening to his snores, she thought on what a terrible day it had been. Her company was still tittering on the verge of bankruptcy unless that otter could actually fix things, her most loyal assistant tried to kill her, her own son practically disowned her, Max not wanting anything to do with her unless she's serious about adopting him, and now losing one of Steven's earrings while accomplishing a botched mark.

It really had been a shitty day. Maybe she should fix things with Steven tomorrow; maybe he hadn't meant what he wrote in that letter, and she'd seem him again at Snarlbucks. She could also make good on her promise to Max as well. Tomorrow will be a better day, she told herself. She curled up closer to Anthony, pulling the covers tighter around her neck. Within seconds she was gone, with nothing but the rumblings of the electrical storm raging outside their windows filling up the silence of the room.