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A Long Ride Down a Dark Street

The young dalmatian male looked out on the night sky, his eyes wistfully hazed and his whiskers twitching. He was seated in the passenger seat of a police squad car, wearing a police uniform over his speckled, furry body. Beside him was a tall, burly tiger, with pale white fur, his bright blue eyes piercing through the night streets.

They had received the call five minutes earlier while they were patrolling one of the cities older districts. The tiger estimated that they would arrive at the Sharding Café in just under ten minutes, provided that the traffic levels did not escalate.

'The sooner we get there the better,' thought the dalmatian. 'A mugging at a downtown café? That doesn't happen every day,' he worried. His soft amber eyes were somber as they looked out over the buildings they rapidly passed, dilating rapidly from all the flashes of bright light.

For a moment, the two traveled in silence, the tiger preferring to keep to himself on nights like these. The dalmatian had no problem with that, and understood that his partner simply wished to keep his own council on his personal life.

'It is a shame, the entire affair with his wife...I wish I could help him out, but I know how much Thom dislikes needing anyone for help,' the dalmatian mused silently. He glanced over at his partner, watched his strong, sinewy arms gripping the steering wheel tensely.

'I should comfort him...' the dalmatian thought for a second, before shaking his head. He looked back out his window at the night sky, peering up at the stars contemplatively, losing himself in his own thoughts.

*** *** ***

"So you'd never seen that guy before?" Atlas asked Roberta quietly. They were seated together at one of the cafes small tables, leaning in closely together so their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"Never before in my life," Roberta answered affirmatively. She shook her head lightly, shivering again despite the warmth of the room. She constantly peered over her shoulder towards the café's backroom, as though expecting her attacker to suddenly rise up and rush at her.

Atlas patted the falcon's shoulder reassuringly. "Nothing is going to happen, Roberta, I promise. Just drink your hot chocolate, okay? It's our house blend, with some mint in there," the ferret said with a smile.

The falcon managed to return the smile, before managing a small sip of the coffee. Her feather covered hands were still shaking as she put the mug down, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "I'm so tired..."

Atlas nodded somberly at the other female. "Your night will be just a little longer, Roberta. Just until the police get here and get everything sorted out, and then someone can give you a ride home, if you'd be alright with that."

The falcon shrugged her shoulders, her brow furrowed. "I...Think I'll call over my brother...I can't believe I didn't think of him sooner, he must be so worried about me, I didn't text him since I left the studio and that was almost an hour ago now, and-"

"Roberta, calm down. You won't get anywhere by panicking. I'll check on the iguana in the kitchen while you make your phone call, okay? Give you some privacy," the ferret told her, patting her hand once before standing up.

Artemis watched his sister coming over, and his ears were twitching in curiosity. "How is she? Is she alright? Did she know the guy?" the ferret asked his sister in a low, hushed tone.

"Yes, she's okay, and no, she has no idea who he was. Probably just some thug who thought it was a good idea to jump someone outside of a café on a Friday night," Atlas replied in a weary tone.

Artemis wrapped his arms around his sister as she circled the counter. He kissed her cheek and hummed quietly. "We'll sort this all out, I promise. And Sharding can't get mad at you, you had the camera set up and working, and she's not really hurt or anything," the brother reassured his sister.

"Yeah...I guess you're right," Atlas agreed quietly.

Deep within, she was troubled.

Abundant in Questions, Lacking in Answers

"What...? Who is this guy, what happened here? Nghia, talk to me," Snow whimpered in shock as he stepped into the kitchen. He took in the sight of the unconscious jaguar and the iguana crouched over him, keeping pressure on the wound in his shoulder.

"This guy attacked that girl back there," Nghia replied in a bored, nonchalant tone. He had found a pair of oven mitts, which he kept over his hands while he pressed down on the wound, keeping the blood off of his scales.

"When did this happen? Why is he here? What-?" Snow continued to question the iguana, who let his tail trash on the floor at each question.

"Ten minutes ago, I don't know, and I'm hungry. Get me something to eat, would you?" Nghia asked, keeping his tone level and his voice even.

Snow stood there, his brow furrowed in thought for a moment. He then nodded, stepping over towards the pantry and opening the door. Just as he disappeared within, the door that led to the café opened, and Atlas walked in. She looked around and immediately asked, "Where's Snow?"

Nghia sighed and lowered his head, his tail twitching once in agitation. "Look, I interrupted a mugging, and that's that. But you people are asking way too many questions."

Atlas stood there with a puzzled, confused expression as she looked down at the reptile. She shook her head and spoke, "I just need to know where he went."

"Over there," Nghia replied, pointing at the pantry door with his long scaly tail. Atlas sighed and leaned back against one of the kitchen counters, her own tail coiled around her legs and her ears flat on her head.

"Look, I don't even know your name. Who are you?" Atlas asked the reptile in a weary voice.

Nghia did not reply for a moment. His hands were tense as they kept pressure on the wound, not trusting the tourniquet to serve its purpose fully. When he finally did reply, he did so without looking at the female mammal, keeping his gaze trained on a small spot on the floor.

"My name is Nghia Daren. I'm no one special, just a college student here in town. I came here with some other people, some furs. A fox, a fennec, and a wolfess, they're probably still at their table waiting for me."

"The three that Snow as talking with? Do you guys know him?" Atlas asked, her voice showing her interest.

"Other than having been waited on by him at The Blue Heron, no, we don't," Nghia answered, looking around the room, at the cabinets, the doors, the floor tiles.

"Okay. How did this guy get a bleeding wound?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I threw him off the bird girl when I saw him mugging her. Then he drew a knife on me. And then I took the knife from him," Nghia replied easily.

"So it was his own knife you used? Where is it?" Atlas asked, moving off the counter and looking around, as though expecting it to be lying someIt's stwhere nearby on the floor.

"It's still outside, near the door, where I left it. More importantly, where's that gun you were pointing at me?" Nghia asked, glancing over his shoulder to fix the ferret with his stare.

"It's stored, safely, as I always keep it. It's one of the precautions my boss had me take for opening this place up at nights," Atlas replied evenly.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" the reptile asked, looking away and back at the jaguar.

"Yes, I do. This isn't the safest part of New Astrium, since it's close to the ruins of the old city's warren," Atlas answered.

"Ah yes, the warren. Those burrowing mammals just can't be trusted, now can they?" Nghia asked with a small, sly smile.

"Jaguars weren't burrowing animals the last time I checked. The warrens are still filled with criminals and homeless people, not burrowing mammals," Atlas told him, her arms crossed in front of her.

"I made you a sandwich!" came Snow's cheerful yip as he came back into the kitchen. In one paw he held a small paper plate with a sandwich on it, and the other was pressed firmly to his forehead.

"Snow, what happened?" Atlas asked, immediately stepping over towards him in concern.

"Oh, don't worry. I tripped over a chair that someone had left in the pantry and hit my head on a can of olives, but it's just a small cut," Snow replied.

"Oh, Snow, sit down over here, okay? I'll be right back," the ferret replied, hurrying away into another backroom.

Snow did as he was told, taking a seat on one of the high stools near the kitchen counter. He peered over at Nghia, giving him a little smile.

"Don't worry, I didn't know if you had any food allergies, so I didn't risk putting peanut butter in your sandwich. It's a jelly-only sandwich!" the hybrid happily yipped.

"That's not what I'm worried about," the reptile said.

"Oh, don't worry about my cut, it'll be fine. Atlas is probably fetching a first aid kit to bandage it up-"

"Did you get blood on my sandwich?" Nghia asked, interrupting the canine.

Snow shook his head.

Nghia took the sandwich with one hand, leaning over to keep more pressure on the wound. He then took the first bite of his jelly-only sandwich.

From the look on his face, Snow was sure he loved it.

Arrival

He stepped out of the police cruiser and looked about him, straightening out his police cover so the visor sat properly on his head. His partner stepped out, straightening the cuff of his sleeve. With a small nod, the tiger stepped forward onto the curb of the street, and the dalmatian followed him.

They had arrived right on time, just as the dalmatian had predicted. He kept his steps brusque, to keep pace with the tiger's lengthy strides. His partner arrived there first, swingin*g open the door to the café and quickly walking, followed closely by the smaller police officer.

'So this is where the mugging happened?' the dalmatian thought as he looked around the room, at the late night downtown explorers. They looked up at the officer's with a puzzle look, obviously surprised to see the officer's there. 'Who runs this place?' he was just thinking, before he saw someone coming out from behind the café's counter.

"Officers, over here. I'm Atlas Chrisus, my brother Artemis called nine-one-one and reported what happened," said the ferret female who approached the officers.

The tiger nodded his head at both the ferret and the dalmatian. "We'll need everyone who was involved with the incident."

"Of course, right this way. Ah, Roberta, could you come back here with us?" Atlas asked, waving over at the falcon female. Roberta stood up and shakily came over to the ferret. "It's going to be okay. This way," the ferret said, waving the victim and the officers over behind the counter.

The group disappeared back into the kitchen, and found Snow and Nghia down on the floor with the jaguar male. Snow had an open first-aid kit beside them, and he and the iguana were applying a pad of gauze to the feline's wound. The blood was no longer coming out from the wound as they applied a bandage over the gauze.

Nghia looked up as Atlas and the officers walked in, and his eyes narrowed at their presence. "It took you long enough," he complained, shaking his head as he returned to the jaguar.

The dalmatian stepped forward and went down on one knee. "How long has he been like this? Why wasn't an ambulance called?" he asked, looking from the wolf-hybrid to the iguana. His voice was soft and slightly high in pitch, without the gruffness expected of a police officer.

"My brother was calling them just now when you walked in," Atlas answered, her voice strong and clear as she stood her ground in the kitchen.

"Who is he? Did he have any identification?" the tiger asked, crossing his arms and looking around at each person in the room.

"Atlas didn't want us to look through the man's things before you two got here," Snow replied, his ears a little flattened now that the officers were in the room.

"Alright...Has your sibling made the call yet?" the tiger asked the female.

"Yes, he has. Oh, here he is now, Roberta, could you come over here by the pantry again?" Atlas asked the falcon as her brother filed into the room.

The dalmatian stood and looked over at the falcon and said, "You're the one he attacked then?"

Roberta's eyes were wide from the moment she reentered the kitchen, but now her eyes were very wide and she swayed slightly on her feet. "Y-yes I am. It was...Just a...Just ten minutes ago or maybe twenty, I...I don't know..." she sighed weakly.

"Alright, look, we need somewhere to sit down," the tiger told the ferret. "I'll stay here with the cat and try to find some identification."

"My bosses' office is right this way, here," the female replied, heading over across the kitchen. She gestured for Roberta and the other officer to follow her, and the three disappeared inside.

Snow looked over at the iguana with a worried expression characterized by his flattened ears and on-end fur. Nghia looked indifferent.

Worried

Hale looked over towards the counter as the police officers entered into the café's backroom. His eyes narrowed and his ears perked up in interest. Khor noticed his gaze and followed it, and soon Amy was looking over her shoulder.

"What do you think the police are doing here?" Khor asked in her soft voice, her ear flat in worry.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. Probably just...It's nothing to worry about," Hale replied, shaking his head.

"Nghia hasn't come back in yet. I wonder what he's doing out there?" Amy pondered, looking over to the doorway.

"You're right, it has been awhile...One of us should go out and look for him," Hale said.

"I'll do it. I want to get some fresh air, anyway," Khor volunteered herself. She stood up and smoothed down the fur behind her ears before stepping away from the table.

"If he isn't there don't go out looking for him. This place is too close to The Warrens for you to wander around looking for him," Hale told the fennec, waving at her as she walked off.

Khor nodded and yipped, "Okay." Then, she was out the door.

The night air was cool as it touched the fennec's bare skin. The stars high up in the dark sky reminded her of home, of her true home far away from New Astrium. Her eyes watered a little as the air touched her eyes, and she carefully rubbed them with her paws. She looked around and saw the dark alley adjacent to the café, but she did not set down it. She stepped off the low steps leading up into the café and gazed up and down the street. Far on the east side, she could see the lights and glare of the new city lights, and on the west loomed the desolate expanse of The Warrens. The low-standing stone walls of the top of The Warrens were scarred and covered in ash, soot, and burn marks. Khor knew that the Warrens deepened far down into the ground, just as the warrens in her homeland were.

As Khor's eyes were trained on the distant dark mass, she heard a sound behind her, from far down the alley. She turned towards the sound and her eyes went wide at what she saw.

*** *** ***

"Alright, miss, please tell us what happened. From the beginning," the tiger told Roberta, standing close to her with his arms crossed in front of him.

Roberta looked around the room, noting its small dimensions and the three furs standing all around her. She took a step back and rubbed her elbows with her hands in worry. "Well, I...I was..." she struggled to begin.

"Would it make it easier for you if you knew our names, miss?" the dalmatian asked her, removing his cover from his head.

Roberta looked over at the officer and nodded meekly.

"My name is Damien and this is my partner Chris. We are here to help you, Miss...?" he led on, tilting his head to her.

Roberta looked confused for a moment, before murmuring her name to him. She seemed a little less upset, and she lowered her arms and instead stuck them in her pockets. "W-well, um...Damien and C-chris...I was on my way home from the community college here in town. I decided to cut through the alleyway because I was late getting home, and when I did...That jaguar, he..."

Chris nodded and uncrossed his arms. He crossed the room and rested a paw gently on the bird's shoulder. "We need to know what happened then for us to help you, miss."

The avian shivered and twitched at the male's gesture, but she did not shy away. She looked around the room, and after a reassuring smile and nod from Atlas, she answered.

"He saved me."

Um...That Guy

Artemis shook his head as he walked back into the kitchen area. He looked alarmed, with flattened ears and a slight shiver in his hands. Snow looked up at his friend with concern, his own ears flattening when he saw the worry that wracked the ferret.

"Missy? It's going to be okay, don't worry," Snow told him, standing up and reaching out to pat the ferret's shoulder.

Artemis nodded and smiled at Snow. "I know, I know. I said the same thing to Atlas just a few minutes ago. I'm just...This has never happened before, I haven't, ever..." the ferret fretted.

"I know, I know. But hey, the cops are here now, and this guy is still out, and the girl is okay. Everything is okay, Artemis," Snow barked reassuringly, giving the other male's shoulder a soft squeeze.

"You're right...They'll figure it out. I think I just need somewhere to sit down for a moment and get my wits about me," Artemis said, walking over to one of the stools and settling down. As he did so, the door to the office swung open, and the pair of police officers strode in.

Nghia closed his eyes in a small moment of silent contemplation. He then slowly stood up, easily and carefully. The iguana turned to the police officers and shrugged. "I figured you'd be coming over for me."

The two stopped in their tracks for a moment, but then continued to advance. "We're not arresting you, but we need you to come with us. We need to ask you a few questions, and you have to be at the station when we bring in this...Guy," the tiger said, gesturing to the jaguar down on the ground.

Nghia said nothing for a short while, and made no response. Finally, he shrugged. "I don't mind. My Friday night was looking to be pretty dreary anyways."

"Nghia, what about your friends?" Snow asked the iguana.

"Oh, they'll be fine. Though I'll need you or someone else to explain to them where I'm going. I doubt I'll be allowed to say my goodbyes?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow and even smirking at the officers.

The tiger's brow crossed and he shook his head.

"Alright then. Let's go," the reptile said, heading towards the door.

"Hold, on, just a moment," Damien said, holding out a paw. He looked over his shoulder to the falcon standing behind him. "Let's go, Roberta."

The female avian nodded and followed behind the dalmatian as he exited the room out into the alleyway. Nghia followed him, with his hands in his jeans pockets, stepping easily out into the dark night street.

Chris turned towards Atlas, who was the last to enter the kitchen. He held out a paw to her and said, "Thank you for calling this in. I'm going to stay here until the ambulance arrives, and then my partner will come back around for me.

Atlas nodded. "Alright. Please, take a seat while you're waiting. It may take a while, way out here near The Warrens."

"Is that where this cat is from?" Chris asked, nodding his head.

Atlas looked over at the criminal with a look of uncertainty. "I wish I knew...I wish I knew."

*** *** ***

"Nghia? What's going on?" Khor asked as she saw the iguana. She shivered at the sight of him being led away from the café by the police officer. "Who is she?"

"Don't you worry ma'am. Everything is under control," the police officer told her, waving a paw dismissively.

"This is one of my friends. Well, it looks like that mix won't have to tell them about my fate after all," Nghia said with a sardonic grin.

"Nghia, what happened?" Khor asked in bewilderment.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Tell the others not to worry," Nghia told her. He tried to give her a smile, but the effect wasn't what he intended.

Khor began to worry even more for her friend.