FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The grumbling of the engine finally died, cut off as the rental car crawled to a halt on the side of the paved road. The few mammals passing by craned their necks to stare at the shiny, modern-looking sedan; so different from the dust-and-mud-coated pickups that were the standard in Bunnyburrow. The fox who hopped out of the passenger-side door to stretch and pop his neck provoked a similar reaction, even if the prey mammals dropped their gazes in something that wasn't quite politeness whenever he looked their way. Bright-eyed, and quite-literally bushy-tailed. The top two buttons of his shirt undone, and his tie pulled loose around his neck. The scythe-like smirk of a city-slicker perched below his laughing eyes.

Nick Wilde, former hustler and current officer of the ZPD, looked up and down the street. "I wasn't expecting a parade, but you'd think they'd send someone out to meet us."

"It's a small town, Nick." The driver's side door slammed shut before Judy Hopps, Nick's partner--or rather, the other way around--moved around the car to join the fox on the sidewalk. "And nothing this big has happened before. They probably don't have the resources for a welcome party."

"Well lucky for them, that's why we're here. You, me, and..." The back-passenger door opened, and a groaning bulk extracted itself from the back seat with well-practiced care. Nick and Judy watched, concern plain on the bunny's face while the fox's smirk just inched towards one flicking ear. "You alright there, big guy? Wasn't too rough a ride, was it?"

"Fine." The mountainous bulk stretched, let out one final grunt, and resolved itself into the shape of a mammal. He looked like a lion, but was about as big as a rhinoceros; bulky, musclebound, and towering. Faint stripes showed through the pred's golden fur, and the short mane which lined his jaw and was pulled back into a small bun at the nape of his neck didn't quite reach up between the massive male's tapered, black-tipped ears. A liger. "Knee's acting up a bit, but that's just cuz there wasn't much legroom."

"Sorry, Nox." Judy craned her neck up to give their tagalong a sheepish smile, and a paw reached up to pat just under the larger mammal's hip. "It was the best they'd give us for transport."

"Like I said, it's fine." Nox nodded to Judy, his face remaining in its set expression. "So... this is Bunnyburrow PD?"

"Yep!" Nick waved an arm towards the squat building before the trio; the glass double-doors and windowless brick wall facing the street. "Got that small-town charm to it, huh?"

"Don't be a jerk." The paw that had patted Nox's leg moved to swat at the fox, who danced away from it with practiced ease. Judy rolled her eyes. "Come on, boys, let's go introduce ourselves to the chief at least. Get a handle on the situation."

"Lead the way, Carrots. And you just let us do the talking, Noxie." Nick moved to follow the bunny after tipping the larger officer a wink, and Nox moved to lumber after the pair when he was done rolling his eyes at the fox's back. The liger held the door open for the two smaller mammals, and then ducked under the doorframe to follow them into the Bunnyburrow Police Department's main--only--office.

It did indeed have that 'small-town charm', as Nick had put it. Rather than the massive lobby of the ZPD, the trio were greeted by the sight of a small front room. A flickering tv sat on a cabinet on one side wall, opposite a line of various-sized plastic chairs lining the other one. A faded carpet led up to a long, low desk, at which a patchy-furred older bunny sat with his cheek resting on one paw while he clicked away at an outdated desktop. Other than the trio of newcomers and the apparent receptionist, the office seemed deserted; no hustle of officers coming and going, nor any ringing from the phones at dispatch.

The buck sitting behind the desk glanced up, and then his eyes widened as he did a near-perfect double take. "Judy? Is that l'il Judy Hopps?"

"In the flesh!" Judy's eyes lit up as well as she led Nick and Nox up to the desk. "How've you been?"

"Oh, other'n this trouble goin' on 'round town, pretty much the same-ol' same-ol'. "The buck stood and made his way around the desk to give the doe a hearty handshake. "When they said they was sendin' a couple officers down to help us out, I didn't think they'd be sendin' you."

"Well, it's my hometown. Of course I'd volunteer to come by and help." After letting out a soft laugh, Judy turned to her colleagues. "Oh! Sorry, how rude of me. Nick, Nox, this is Jimmy Buckner. He's been with the BPD since I was about knee-high. Jimmy, this here is my partner, Nick Wilde. And Mr. Tall, Dark, and Stripey here is Nox Priderock. He's here to provide backup while Nick and I oversee his first experience in the field."

"Pleasure." Jimmy offered Nick a strained smile and a loose, quick handshake. Then he looked up, and up, and finally managed to meet Nox's gaze. "Boy-howdy but'cher a biggun, son!" He took in the pred's striped fur and mane. "What in the Sam Hill kinda critter are ya?"

"Liger." Still keeping his face blank, Nox offered his massive paw to the buck, and after a moment of hesitation Jimmy shook it. "Hybrid. First in the force." After letting the silence linger for a few seconds, the liger's eyes flicked down to his shuffling feet. "I was just recently recruited, but I'm happy to do anything I can to help keep the peace, sir."

"Huh. Well I'll be." Jimmy shrugged. "Guess we're happy ta have ya. Can use all the help we can get, what with the craziness goin' on." He cleared his throat, and then turned a beaming smile Judy's way. "Go on back to the chief's office, he'll get'cha briefed on the situation. I gotta man the phone here, but if ya head on through there..." He hooked a thumb to the door in the back wall of the room behind his desk. "...it's a straight shot down to the end of the hall. Can't miss it."

"Alright." Judy nodded. "Thanks, Jimmy."

"No prob." After tipping the other bunny a nod and offering Nick and Nox one last stiff smile, the buck stood aside to let the trio head through the door.

The hallway was, as Jimmy had described, a straight shot down to the end. It was lined on either side with doorways; offices, the door leading to the holding cells, and a briefing room that looked more like a small classroom. Their footsteps on the carpet was the only sound. There was no talking or laughter. No shuffling of papers. Nothing. Just like the lobby, the rest of the department seemed to be deserted.

"Yeesh, this place is a ghost town." Nick peered into the breakroom, and his upper lip curled a bit at the sight of the dirty coffeemaker and the picked-over box of stale-looking donuts sitting on the counter.

"Well, it's like I said, they probably have all hands on deck." Judy bit her lip, letting her own eyes dart around.

"I mean, yeah, but you'd think they'd have someone back here holding down the fort."

The fox's words lingered in the still, almost stale air; much like the faint, pungent scent of cigar smoke coming from the door at the end of the hall. When they reached it, Judy drew herself up--smoothing down her uniform top while ignoring the twitching of her nose--and knocked.

The voice that bellowed out for them to "Come in!" was almost as large as the bull waiting for them in the room beyond, puffing away on the cigar clenched in his jaw. The BPD chief was massive, a mountain of muscle and paunch and dark-brown fur which rose from behind his wide desk; though it didn't seem wide enough, judging by the heap of gathered reports that barely let a hint of scuffed oak show through. The rest of his office was just as messy; stacks of paper were scattered here and there, almost hiding the overflowing ash tray and half-full cup of cold coffee on a side table. The chairs--only two, and looking like they'd seen much better days--sitting in front of the desk were left askew, as if whoever had sat in them last had beaten a hasty retreat. The mammal--a name plate teetering on the very edge of the desk's crowded top had 'William Steermeyer, Chief, Bunnyburrow Police Dept.' engraved upon it--spoke; and the expression on his face, which was just as thunderous as his voice, failed to grow lighter as the three filed in. "You the ones from ZPD?"

"Yes sir!" Trying not to breathe in the heavy cloud of smoke filling the office, Judy offered the chief her smartest salute. "Officer Hopps, reporting for-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know you. Or rather, I know yer pa." An impatient snort gusted from the bull's flaring nostrils as his gaze slid over to Nick and Nox. "What I don't know is why the hell ZPD thought to send a pair a' preds with ya ta deal with anti-pred vandals."

"My colleagues' species has no bearing on their performance, sir." A shard of ice slid into Judy's voice, and then was hidden away under a quick, polite cough. "Nick Wilde here is my partner, and I trust him with my life. There's no one I'd rather have watching my six. And Nox here graduated from the academy with high honors."

The liger himself cleared his throat. "I can take care of myself, sir."

Chief Steermeyer eyed up Nox's own considerable bulk for a long moment, and then snorted and gestured to the chairs before his desk. "Alright. Sit, n' we can get this over with."

Judy and Nick glanced to each other, and then to their tagalong. Nox nodded to his two superiors and took a step back; the liger eyed the flimsy-looking chairs with a distrustful grimace. Once he and his partner were seated, Nick crossed one leg over the other and offered Steermeyer a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "So! What's this about anti-pred vandals?"

In answer, the bull gestured to the mess on his desk. "Take yer pick, we got reports comin' in every day. Pickups with their tires slashed, farm equipment tampered with, store windows smashed... it's been gettin' worse month by month, ever since that Nighthowler debacle up in yer neck a' the woods."

"Sir, the Nighthowler case was years ago. And it was resolved peacefully, with the perpetrators jailed." Judy's nose twitched as she glanced over to the fox at her side. "With all due respect, what does it have to do with what's going on here?"

"You think a l'il dance party n' singin' 'kumbaya' would fix everythin' like the end of a cartoon?" Steermeyer huffed out another snort. "That case was just the match bein' thrown on the tinder. Pred n' prey've been at each other's throats fer years n' years. Sure, y'all can act pretty up in yer ivory towers in Zootopia..." The bull leaned forward, looming over both Nick and Judy even from behind the desk. His voice was like flat and cold gravel as he looked from the bunny to the fox. "But'cha can't fight nature fer too long."

"With all due respect, that's the entire point of Zootopia, sir." It was the fox who spoke up, his face a neutral mask. "Us preds and prey have come a long way. We can fight whatever 'nature' you're talking about, and be civilized mammals that work together." Nick's own voice grew flat as one brow perked up. "Which is why all your officers are in the field dealing with these incidents. And why we're here to lend a helping hand, and catch whoever's slashing tires and smashing windows. Right?"

"...Right." Steermeyer sat back in his chair. "I jus' pray y'all aren't gonna be gas thrown on the fire."

"We can take care of ourselves, sir." Nox moved forward to loom over Nick and Judy from behind as well; however, far from oppressive, his presence only added to that of the fox and bunny as he set a meaty paw on the back of either chair. "And as officers of the peace, it's our duty to keep citizens safe. Whether it's in Zootopia or out here. We will find these vandals and make sure that these incidents cease."

More than just thick, choking cigar smoke hung in the silence between the four mammals. And when it got to the edge of being too cloying, Judy cleared her throat again. "I think we're getting off track." She looked up to meet Steermeyer's gaze. "Sir, we're here at your request. Whatever you need us to do, we'll do it."

"How bad has it gotten?" Nick leaned forward a bit. "There hasn't been any violence, has there?"

"...Close." After heaving out a deep breath, Steermeyer picked up a report off the top of the pile and held it out to Judy. "That's the most recent incident. And if things escalate from there, we're really gonna have trouble."

Judy's eyes flicked over the page; and then they widened as her breath hissed out between her teeth. Nick leaned in to see what Judy was looking at, while Nox read over the pair's shoulder. When all three had finished, their expressions were as stormy as the bull's.

It seemed that fire Steermeyer had mentioned wasn't just metaphorical.

---

Again, the rumbling vibrations of the rental car was the only sound filling the stale air inside the cab. Nox sat hunched in the back seat, one paw rubbing and squeezing his knee as it twinged; at least it wasn't his neck or shoulders, which brushed against the car ceiling even as he compressed his body into itself.

The liger glanced to the driver's seat, where Judy sat hunched over the wheel in a similar position while keeping her eyes locked onto the road. Beside her, in the passenger seat, Nick tapped a few fingers against his knee as he stared out the window at the streets passing by; at the gathered mammals wandering along the sidewalk, nodding to each other in greeting with vague, down-home politeness. They mingled together without a care, or at least so it appeared at first glance. But anyone with two eyes and a brain between their ears could see the way prey edged away from pred, and pred gave prey a wide birth and a few cautious glances in return. Something was festering under the surface. Perhaps it had been festering all along, and was just now showing the first visible signs.

Nox hadn't even been thinking of going to the police academy when the nighthowler case had rocked Zootopia; when predators had seemingly gone savage for no reason, sparking tension between the species which had quickly been fanned into flames that swept through the city. But he'd been there, caught in the middle of it. He'd received plenty of distrustful looks, and had many friends distance themselves from him out of fear that he'd turn on them. And while Nick and Judy's investigation had uncovered the truth of the matter, cleared the air, and had helped to heal the deep wounds that the peace in Zootopia had suffered, tension still lingered even in that bastion of species-wide cooperation a couple years later.

"So...!" The liger's train of thought was derailed by Nick's voice coming from the front seat. "Steermeyer... real piece of work, huh Noxie?" The fox's head turned to regard him with a glimmering eye and a--strained--smirk.

"He's stressed." Nox shrugged; and winced at a twinge that shot from just below his shoulder blade into his spine. Of course he'd had to open his big mental mouth. "It's understandable, considering the situation."

The fox just huffed in return. "All that bullcrap about 'not fighting nature' or whatever, that's understandable?"

"That part, I'll agree with you on." The liger pursed his lips. "Though it's likely just the small-town mindset. Living out here, instead of a more cosmopolitan area like Zootopia." A moment of silence for Nox to realize what he'd just said. "No offence, Officer Hopps."

Judy just grunted in reply, and jerked the wheel a smidgen too hard on the next turn she took.

"It's a shame, huh?" Nick rubbed a paw against the spot on his skull that had bumped against the window while his grin widened and grew sly. "He's a pretty big guy. Probably about as big as you standing up. Built like a brick outhouse..."

He'd noticed. Nox could only thank the darker coloration of his fur for hiding away the heat that had bloomed in his cheeks and over his snout when he'd first seen the massive bull sitting behind his desk. The liger raised an eyebrow at the fox while working to keep his tone neutral. "And?"

"And I'm just saying." The smaller pred let out a quiet chuckle and shrugged. "Seems like he'd be your type."

"Oh really." A heavy, huffed out breath and another roll of the liger's golden eyes. "And how exactly would you know 'my type'?"

"Call it instinct, Noxie." Nick tipped Nox a knowing wink. "Sharpened by years out on the mean streets. I mean, I've been around the block a time or two, so-"

"Will you shush!"

Nick flinched, but immediately regathered his charm as his gaze moved over to the bunny. "I'm just having a little fun with the new guy, Carrots. Gotta lighten things up a little."

"Well, it's not helping." The rabbit shot Nick a glare, and then turned her glower back onto the road.

"Alright, sorry."

Judy didn't answer. However, she did mutter low under her breath. "This hasn't happened before. This shouldn't be happening. Why is it happening now, and to him of all mammals?"

Nick looked to Nox. Nox looked back to Nick. The pair turned back to their respective windows to let silence engulf the inside of the cab once more.

It was a massive relief when the car came to a stop next to a line of small shops in Bunnyburrow's downtown area. Nick hopped out of the front seat, while Nox extracted himself from the back with a grunt and a slow, careful stretch. The two looked to the storefront before them; their destination. Just as the report had detailed, every pane of glass in the windows had been smashed. Graffiti scrawled in a worrying red color covered the door and sidewalk out front, as well as the sign above; 'Gideon Grey's Real Good Baked Stuff' was scratched out, replaced with more insidious words. 'Predator'. 'Meat Eater'. 'Get out now!', among other more colorful phrases and epithets. The sight sent a cold finger tracing down Nox's back as he stood next to Nick; and when Judy moved around the car to join them, her eyes were wide and staring as her nose twitched.

A deep breath. The back of a paw scrubbed over her eyes. A glance to Nick and Nox as her expression hardened. Judy nodded, drew herself up, and pushed forward to make her way through the door. "Well, come on."

The chiming of the bell from above as the door swung open was far too cheerful for the scene behind it. More shattered glass lay scattered on the floor in the near-deserted front room, tinkling against itself as it was swept up by a pudgy-looking fox who'd obviously seen better days. Tail drooping and dragging behind him, brushing against the wooden floor. The tufts of fur on his cheeks and top of his head mussed. Dark circles under his eyes. He flinched and almost dropped the broom in his grip as the trio walked in, and then whipped around to greet them while plastering a wide smile on his muzzle. "Sorry, folks! We ain't open today, but..." He trailed off, staring as if he'd seen a ghost. "Judy?"

"Hey there, Gid." The bunny's mouth opened and closed for a moment. "How're you holding up?"

"Alright, all things considered." A weak laugh dribbled out from Gideon Grey's mouth as he turned to set his broom aside. And then he trotted up to offer the rabbit a loose, quick handshake. "What're y'all doin' here? I mean, it's great ta see ya, but I ain't really prepared fer sittin' n' visitin'."

"Don't worry, I'm here to help out with..." Judy's eyes trailed over the broken windows and shattered glass. Then, she cleared her throat and gestured to her companions. "So's Nick here. And Nox. He's a new recruit, so he's taking a more observational role during our investigation. Getting experience and all that. But he's already got the makings of a fine officer, so you can count on him just like you can count on us."

Nick offered his fellow fox a lazy salute, and Gideon gave him a nod and faint smile in return. Then, like so many smaller mammals before him, the pudgy pred's eyes widened as they travelled up and up to meet Nox's. A long moment of silence as Gideon stared at the liger. "W-wow." The fox cleared his throat. "Uh, nice to meet'cha, Officer Nox! Sorry fer mah slack jaw, I just ain't never seen a pred as big as you." His reddened ears twitched as his snout schooled itself into another smile.

"I get that a lot." Nox glanced away and cleared his throat while ignoring the flutter in his belly. "Speaking of our investigation, can you show us the... incendiary device?"

The smile dropped off of Gideon's face. "Y'all talkin' about the Molotov? Sure, it's... over there." He gestured to the unswept side of the room, where dark brown shards of glass were mixed in with the clear ones from the window. A soaked, half-burned rag lay in the middle of a large puddle of liquid; what had been in the bottle before it was thrown through the broken window. "I didn't wanna mess wit it, in case the police came by n' wanted ta see it."

"Do you know of anyone who'd want to...?" Judy looked from the failed Molotov cocktail to Gideon and then back again.

"Idunno. My mind's been kinda swimmy since all this happened."

Nox nodded and let out a soft grunt. "Take what time you need to get your thoughts together." With that said, he padded over to the glass-filled puddle and squatted down next to it. Reaching to poke at the shards with a claw. Sniffing at the air. Pushing a few pieces together when he noticed what looked like the soaked remains of a label. "Nick, can you come here and tell me what you smell?"

"Uh, sure, Nox." While Judy moved to set a hand on Gideon's shoulder, Nick made his way over to join the liger. He sniffed. He blinked. He let out a soft huff of breath. "Hoo, that's strong. You need a shower, big guy?" The fox let out a quiet snigger when Nox shot him a glare, and held up a conciliatory hand. "Kidding, kidding. But yeah, smells like... some kind of alcohol?" He sat back on his heels, considering. "Whiskey, maybe?"

"That's what I was thinking." Nox took another sniff while continuing to move the remains of the bottle around. He could almost make out what looked like white lettering on a black background, and the edge of some kind of design. "You don't smell anything else?"

"Other than a waste of good booze, no."

"Hm." Nox lifted the finger he'd been dragging through the puddle up to his lips and gave it a tentative lick. He clicked and ground his tongue against the roof of his mouth while staring up at the ceiling. He grunted. "No gas or motor oil, or anything like that. Likely why it didn't ignite."

"You know a lot more than you should about explosives, Noxie." Nick glanced from the puddle to Nox's finger, and then to the liger's face.

"Incendiary, not explosive."

Nick scoffed. "I mean, it's the same difference, right?"

"Not at all." Nox gestured to the remains of the failed Molotov sitting between them. "As their names suggest, explosives explode while incendiary devices set things on fire. And so, while the latter would leave behind just one large, burnt piece of whatever--or whoever--you used it on, the former would leave several smaller, blown-up chunks." The liger sniffed. "And as for being 'a waste of good booze', alcoholic percentages are so regulated around here that it's no wonder it didn't ignite. They may as well have tried using a bottle of water."

"Uh-huh..." Nick stared up at the larger pred, one eyebrow cocked, and then he let out a soft grunt. "I mean, yeah, alcohol's regulated. You know of anywhere around here where it isn't?" The slight upward twitch at one corner of the fox's mouth made it sound almost like an earnest question.

The liger just cleared his throat in response. "In any case, I 'know a lot about explosives' because I actually studied while in the academy." With a grunt of his own--and a wince as his knee complained at him once more--Nox stood and made his way back over to Gideon and Judy with a grumbling Nick trailing behind. "Couldn't find too much of a lead just from the cocktail. We can take the shards in for evidence, but I don't know what else we can learn from them."

Judy nodded, and then looked to Gideon. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Sure..." Gideon nodded, and began his recounting of events. He'd been asleep in his apartment above the shop when he heard the first window being broken, and hadn't realized what was going on until the sound continued. While he'd heard tell of other preds having their stores or properties vandalized recently, in his half-awake state the thought didn't even occur to him, and so he figured that it was a burglar or something like that. He staggered out of bed and rushed to the window to peer out and try to see who it was; but it was so dark outside--the town had been telling him they would fix the street lamp outside the shop for a couple of months by that time--that all he could make out were a few huddled shapes in the shadows. And so he rushed downstairs and turned on the lights in the store, hoping to scare whoever it was off. It seemed to have worked when he saw those darkened shapes scatter and run off down the street; however, one of them tossed a burning bottle--the Molotov cocktail--through the shattered window before booking it. Luckily, it broke on the floor and almost immediately put itself out.

Nick looked to Judy. Judy looked from Nick up to Nox. Nox felt his lips trying to curl as his jaw clenched. What kind of scene might the trio have walked in on if Gideon hadn't been so lucky?

"I called the police right after to tell 'em what happened, n' they said they'd send someone over soon as they could." A soft gulp and a shiver, which Judy tried to soothe away by rubbing up and down Gideon's back. "I been in here ever since, jus' waitin' on whoever they sent out n' tryin' to clean up a little."

"You haven't asked any of your neighbors whether they saw anything?"

Gideon shook his head in response to Nox's question.

"Well then, it looks like that's our next step." Judy took a deep breath, let it out, and rubbed at her twitching nose with the back of a paw while sniffling. "Leave everything to us, Gid. We'll figure out who did this and bring them to justice."

A smile--small, soft, and brightening up the fox's light blue eyes--broke out on Gideon's muzzle. "Thank ya, Judy. N' you too, Nick. And Officer Nox." He nodded to each of the trio in turn, letting his gaze linger on the larger liger before flicking away.

"Of course, Gid. We're here to help." Nox nodded in agreement with Nick's words.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Judy patted the pudgy fox's shoulder. "I mean, after what happened, it might be better for you to... stay somewhere else for the time being. At least until we're finished with our investigation." She paused. "I'm sure you'd be welcome to stay with us at Mom and Dad's until this blows over if you don't."

"It's real appreciated, Judy. N' truth be told, Mr. Stu n' Mrs. Bonny've already made the offer. But I couldn't impose on y'all like that." Gideon cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. "I'm gonna crash at Travis' place fer a few days. You remember him from, uh, when we was kids, right? His family's got a place outta town, n', y'know... considerin'..." His ears pulled back a bit as he looked down at himself, and then over to the prey mammal.

Judy looked like she wanted to argue, but instead the bunny just sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure." Gideon nodded, drawing himself up. "He's cleaned hisself up as much as me, so y'all don't need ta worry none, alright?"

"...Alright." After a moment, Judy's expression lightened up once more. "But don't think you're getting out of coming over for dinner."

Gideon laughed, and a few years seemed to drain off of his face. "I sure can do that, yeah! Mrs. Bonny's cookin' ain't like no other, n' I'd be glad fer the opportunity to catch up with y'all." He slung an arm over Judy's shoulders and dipped down to give her a conspiratorial whisper. "N' the ovens in back work jus' fine, so I'll be sure ta whip somethin' up as thanks fer the hospitality."

Both Judy and Nick smiled at that, and Nox looked between the two as Nick licked his chops and one of Judy's feet thumped the ground. "We'll look forward to it!" The bunny was practically bouncing already in anticipation of what Gideon would 'whip up'.

"Alrighty." With the pudgy fox's spirits seemingly lifted, he moved to take the broom up once more. "Y'all take care now, y'hear? See ya later."

"Yeah. You take care too, Gideon." With one last nod, Judy turned to Nick and Nox. "Well, come on, boys. We've still got some questioning to do before the day's over."

"Yup. Lead the way, Carrots."

"Mm."

Judy made her way out of the bakery, and Nick followed her. Nox, however, paused on the threshold and turned back to give Gideon a glance over his shoulder. The fox did seem to be happier than he had been when they'd come in--his tail was waving behind him, and he was even humming a quiet, simple tune to himself--but something still lingered around him like a shroud. A stiffness to his movements. A certain forcefulness to his tone. A few lines on his face that shouldn't have been there on a mammal his age. Nox took one more long look at the corner of the store, where dark brown glass shards and a half-burned cloth still sat in a puddle of whiskey, and then let the door swing shut behind him.