Nineteen: Home Visit

Things at work escalated quickly thanks to Judy Hopps, she'd found the missing mammals, with Nick's help curiously, but her message had brought concerns to the predators working with the police. Wolford and the others were finding themselves being put onto desk duty more and those on patrol were being put in areas where there were no youngsters and no large amount of prey animals. More prey animals were being offered jobs, but they were even setting up community support officers amongst the sheep and antelope that were to go on patrol instead of most of the officers already there. It made a lot of them anxious, but it was only when Clawhauser was moved that the predators were really getting concerned and Wolford was getting anxious.

"I'm the next one they'll likely remove, it's a real concern to think that there is a chance that they're phase out predatory officers like this. It just can't be right, why would they do it?" Delgato grumbled in the cafeteria one afternoon, the three of them completely alone and trying to eat the vegetarian options that had been prepared for them. Wolford was eating the tofu without too much complaint and Fangmeyer was used to eating anything if it was in the form of a curry, but Delgato was looking ridiculously miserably as he jabbed a beetroot burger. It concerned the tiger to see him looking so miserable as she patted his shoulder and he gave a groan. "Thing is... I've already been hearing weird things about me amongst the sheep, and yesterday they got us banded from sharing the locker room at the same time in case we try to kill them! The locker rooms are unisex!"

"Its weird, its getting really weird... it almost makes you think you should just consider going to the outskirts where there isn't this weird shift. I mean, I'm not against anything with the herbivores but... it just feels like they don't want us here at all." The tigress grimaced, considering the lion's complaints and some of the other wolf officers that had been pushed to speeding duty. None of them had been given a decent job and the detectives had been complaining just as much. Everything was unsettled and uncomfortable and Wolford just gave a grimace of his own. "I was taking leave to go home for a week, they said that was fine but I've already been pulled onto desk duty..."

"I don't like the thought of you going away Wolford, even if its going back home I've got a seriously bad feeling about everything that's happening. Part of me feels like its got something to do with the bunny but... I dunno..." Delgato groaned, only for Wolford to tap his nose with the blunt end of his knife to tell him not to use such language, just like wolves were called dogs, rabbits weren't called bunnies. The lion gave a snort, apologising but then suddenly grasping the wolf to his chest, nuzzling into him and then giving him a nice cuddle. "Maybe we could just go in disguise to work from now on, test out some of the suits we have? It might prove useful..."

"Hmm... you've got a point there Delgato, I was able to fit into that sheep's costume without any trouble and I could use a little interaction to see if it works. Do you think I should ask Chief Bogo about it?" Wolford questioned, watching the lion suddenly smother his mouth as the tigress growled at him in irritation, but Wolford was thoughtful. If he could infiltrate the situation for Chief Bogo to keep an eye on the community support officers, he could find out why some of the crimes against predators that were posted on social media were not being reported. It seemed like an idea with a lot of potential, but Priti quickly wagged a finger at him.

"No way... if you go down that hole you won't be coming back out without trouble Wolford... undercover work can be pretty dangerous, you could be out of work for six months and not be able to have contact with anyone. Do you really think you can manage such a thing? Think about your friends at the Fox and Hound... how will they react to not being able to see you?" Priti stated, though Delgato was quite sure the tigress was making a point that included them as well. But Wolford informed them that there'd been windows getting smashed and threats sent to them that he'd been reporting already. No one had been assigned to deal with it yet and they were not the only places being attacked... he needed to get involved in it and find out. Priti though gave a sigh and shook her head. "Then you'll need to convince Sargent Higgins first, he's the best undercover even if it's just a mild change he's amazing and he'll be the one you'd have to work with anyway."

"Alright, I'll write up a proposal and pass it on to him to think over whilst I'm away..." Wolford stated with a sigh, but as he got up and left them to it, the other two stared out in concern. They'd noticed how miserable Wolford had been lately and it was clear that they could not do much to improve his mood but support him. Delgato though was not willing to just leave it and he stood up, hoping to go after his friend when Priti grasped the back of his shirt and forced him to sit back down. The lion turned to the tigress, the pair of them curling their lips slightly to make a point of the need to behave, but Delgato just shook his head.

"Maybe there's at least something we can do in trying to find him a decent boyfriend at least?" Delgato grunted, but Priti just shook her head at him, insisting that there was no way that Wolford would be looking for another one-night stand. She gave him the sharp expression that screamed he needed to back off but Delgato was convinced he was going to be able to do something helpful as he grasped hold of Priti's shoulder with a grin. "I know the perfect guy, he's adorable and knows how to cook!"

"Uh... are you completely insane?" Priti groaned, slapping her paw onto her face and dragging it down with a groan. But, Delgato had been with them both in academy so he might have a reasonable idea of the bad type of boyfriends to choose. All the same, before he rushed off, the tiger quickly grabbed his wrist and then jerked him back down to sit on the chair next to her with a soft glare of frustration. "Take me to meet this beast..."

"Alright but... do you eat spicy bug-based meals?" Delgato questioned and the tigress blinked a few times in surprise before then lifting a hand an insisting she'd give it a try. Delgato grinned, his bit puffy tail wagging in delight as he leant forward and suddenly kissed her nose as she gave a growl. "It's a date! I'll book it and text you the details later..."

With that he was running off to go and deal with it as Priti just remained motionless with a snarl upon her face as her eye began to twitch. She could hardly believe that she had basically just accepted going on a date with the most annoying lion on the force. It would not go anywhere of course, she had an arranged partner, but it might be a good idea to do something like this to help stop Delgato from causing a nightmare or poor Wolford!

"So you're going home for a bit? I'm glad you're letting me stay even so but, I'm really worried about what's going on Wolford..." Sandy was enjoying the vegetarian meal that Wolford had made for them both, startled all the same that it actually tasted decent. Wolford had used a recipe in a magazine, a magazine they'd always got but was suddenly being filled with articles by herbivores above any kind of predators. It was starting to read like propaganda about temporary mayor Bellweather and that was something that had been bothering Sandy as she waved a fork with a grimace. "Aren't we supposed to have a new mayoral election now? I mean... isn't it protocol to start talking about these matters within two weeks of the exposure?"

"Yes and no... because we're in a serious situation, extreme powers have been given to the government until the crisis is dealt with... its quite suspicious though as the other political parties should be making a point but they've panned predator candidates from attending any of the emergency conventions. They're not treating it like an emergency either, so I'm just as confused!" Wolford groaned, in frustration, spooning out the last of the meal to eat before looking at the recipe in the magazine and musing over the chef. He had heard this bat-eared fox was looking to get a new television spot with the weekend morning shows, but with the herbivores taking over, a lot of the predators on cooking shows were gone! "This is pretty good..."

"It is... I hope he gets on television... but I'm a little worried about what me and Finny should do. He said he could drive the van out to the country for a bit, but there's rumours that people are going to be having to produce passes to get back in!" Sandy stated, no one had been talking about this at the office but there was a lot that he still could not trust mayor Bellweather not to do. It bothered him that he did not trust a sheep so much, but he wondered if it was a genetic predisposition that he needed to deal with when he went home. But then Sandy pulled the magazine over, flicking through to some of the music news before turning over a page and giving a groan of frustration. "You see this guy? He's A-Cin.... An amazing singer and DJ, really young but he's a kit fox! His concerts are always sold out and me and Finny got tickets to it, but in the interview he's discussing how he's thinking of missing out Zootopia because of the 'virus' everyone outside the place are blaming for this! Have you heard his music before?"

"No... not that I... can... remember..." Wolford stated calmly, looking towards the picture of the singer and then feeling his eyes widen in surprise. He was shocked to see a familiar face and his brain screamed the surname 'Cinders' and Wolford gulped. He'd not removed the contact from his phone, he'd blocked it but what if he tried to message it and learnt this fox was the same kit he'd met before. He grimaced; how could he be that foolish to think like that? Then he gave a groan of frustration and rubbed at his temples and then considered what had happened between himself and the kit. He recalled he was not a kit but a Swift fox, tiny, adorable and had been mistaken for being too young when he'd come to the bar. It made Wolford snort in amusement to remember how much he'd had some fun with that guy and how... they could have been a couple.

"You should... here, I've got it up onto his FurBook page... here a video's been posted of is latest practice." Sandy beamed, ignoring the look of shock on Wolford's face, or the fact he was trying to consider if he had even a chance with this youngster. Probably not, he'd been lucky back then that after he'd started academy, the interspecies law had been scrapped so eighteen was old enough for any species to enjoy. But when Sandy flashed her phone to him and he watched the familiar face of the young fox talking about his latest work and then started to sing, Wolford found himself blushing as Sandy giggled. "I know you're useless when it's a cutie... but he's got a good voice right? Maybe you should follow him on FurBook, you hardly ever update yours anyway..."

"Oh..." Wolford was blushing, hearing that singing voice had been shockingly close to the satisfied voice when Wolford had got his tongue deep into that little fox's hold. He was not about to declare that to Sandy, let alone let her think the pair had a relationship at one point. But when he pulled out his phone and left her to find what he needed to do, he was rather embarrassed to see how many female fans of different species there were and to find a picture of him in a video with Gazelle of all beasts! "Whoa... he's worked with Gazelle?"

"Yeah... if it weren't for her, he'd have gotten nowhere. You know how Gazelle is all out for pulling talent out of any crowd and showing how your background means nothing... she got him out at a concert to sing, asked his name then followed his account, his original songs and like... he was going viral so she got her record label involved. Amazing right, not many beasts think of a fox as a decent singer." Sandy giggled and Wolford nodded his head, only for his heart and body to sink as he considered it all. There was no way that Cinders would ever remember him or care to remember a guy he had one-night stands with, let alone lost his virginity to in a bathroom. He probably had taken countless others since then, but with that, Wolford finished clearing up and insisted he'd take the early train... that way he didn't have to say goodbye to Finnick.

With a yawn, Wolford was lounging into his seat on the train but noticing that loads of predators were leaving too and he sighed heavily. He could not think of a day he'd ever thought of going home, he had no clue what others might think, but he was coming back a police officer. But then that was all, he'd messed up in relationships and his fetish was not gone... he was no different to the wolf that had left them. He almost thought this was a mistake, but a sudden message on his phone caught him off guard.

Wolford looked at his phone, he had a new friend request on the social media, then he got a message asking if he was the Officer Wolford. The wolf went to the profile of a Matthew Ashley Cinders, a swift fox with a geeky look but unmistakable to Wolford. The account had family linked, it was private and that made Wolford's eyes widen in surprise to think that he was being requested to contact someone he had never thought he'd ever hear from again. He was still a little anxious to accept, just in case it was not the beast he thought it was, yet still he accepted and then sent a message he hoped would be suitable.

Hello Matt, I haven't heard from you in a good while and I do hope you are doing well!

As soon as he sent it, he almost felt like slapping his forehead for how corny it sounded when he clearly should have written something more commanding or less... less like he was at work. He blushed heavily, he was still really unsure what to do and just closed his phone up, sinking back into his seat and hoping that he could just settle back and enjoy. He was worried though, he hated that everything else in his life could be looking just about to be sorted, but instead his lack of a decent love life made him so miserable. He just could not seem to catch a break no matter who he went with and Wolford was filled with that fear of being alone forever!

But just as he was feeling that, he got a message back straightaway with a very simple two sentences that made a little bit of hope sparkle back with Wolford.

I missed you, is it alright to keep talking? I can't stop thinking about what we did together.

Wolford doubted he might be getting much from this interaction if Cinders was not the same anymore but, who could say as Wolford would enjoy talking with someone at least who certainly would understand him. Maybe this was not such a bad time....