Four more pages for you! Some tweaks made to the characters, lighting, and overall goodness. :) Let us know what you think!
The story for the epilogue is complete and will be posted once all of the pages are completed.
Thank's for all of your support as the insanity continues!
The new artist who has joined me on Sunderance wishes to introduce himself! So here you go. :)
"Greetings Patreon people.
So first things first, I'm Rick.
I know some of you are a little confused as to why Weaver left and suddenly replaced with the likes of me, but to make a long story short, he's been doing this comic pretty much since the movie came out and he decided he wanted to move on to personal projects. And that's his choice to make and I can respect that.
As for myself, well I've been helping with the comic creation for a several months now doing mostly the sketch work and page layout. A bit further back, I was the one responsible for animating most of the Sunderance trailer. And while I understand the sudden art change might be a little jarring, I do take critique seriously, and I do view it as need to better myself as an illustrator. I'll be the first to admit I might have made Marian's tatas a little to big in the first page.
Anyway I hope you bear with us a little longer as I find my footing creating the comic pages from here on out, with Kulkum's writing and direction I'm sure I'll get the swing of things."
And there we have it! Give him a warm welcome, and I will give you more pages of Sunderance Act 1 Epilogue!
(Just kidding, I'll give them to you anyway.)
Here we have the first few pages of the Epilogue for Act 1 of Sunderance.
Note the Act 1 part. Because Sunderance is not over by a long stretch. Weaver is bowing out as primary artist (though he will help us when he can) and the primary artist will now be Rick (some know him as Billbobbaggybottom).
With this new artist will come a few changes, including the release of chapters in pages or chunks rather than waiting for full or half chapters to be completed. This will allow us to post more frequently, so no one thinks we've gone and died. :)
Stick around! Let us know what you think of the new art! Looking forward to your feedback!
While I understand that Weaver's choice of words on his Deviant Art post may have given the impression that Sunderance is over, that is not the case. There is a lot more content to come and a lot more story to cover to answer the many, many unanswered questions that are open.
Another artist will be taking the reigns of putting the story to comic, one that I am already working with. Once everything has been settled on our end, I will give you further updates that will include the Epilogue to the end of Sunderance: Act 1.
Thank you for your continued support!
“All rise.”
At the call from the bailiff have every mammal in the courtroom rising to their feet as Chief Justice Bellwether’s wooly head appeared over the rise of her bench. There was and electricity in the air that was equal parts curiosity and tension, the desire to know the outcome of the appeal that was considered a direct challenge not only to the justice system of Zootopia, but to the status quo of the city itself. Everyone felt it. From the tiny otter sitting next to the bunny who had come in hopes of clearing his name, to the hulking form of the bailiff himself, who watched every figure in the courtroom with a more careful eye than usual.
“Be seated,” Bellwether said, adjusting her glasses as she looked at the folder set in front of her with an expression that could only be called unreadable. She didn’t bother to open the folder, to review the information within again, since her decision had been reached. Instead, her eyes moved to the bunny who sat beside Emmett Otterton.
“What happened here today was nothing like what I expected,” she began, folding her hooves in front of her and leaning forward just a bit so she could see every face in the court. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts about the appeal from the start, as I am sure many others did. I like to think that the justice system in Zootopia works. I like to think that no innocent mammal is ever found guilty of a crime. I like to think this because if I didn’t, it would be difficult for any of us to sleep at night. But the truth is, sometimes it does happen. Does this mean that the entire system should be changed or that the law doesn’t work? Of course not. Law and order are not as simple as who is punished and who isn’t; it is also a system that is put into place to deter those who would otherwise abuse the defenseless with impunity or use violence rather than reason…”
Judy was more than a little stunned when she stepped out of the courtroom, feeling shell shocked and exhausted. But happy at the same time, as the otter beside her paused at the entrance to look up at the sky for a moment and take deep breath. She could hardly imagine what it was like, to breathe freed again after having that taken from you, especially so soon after a personal tragedy.
Watching him with a little smile on her muzzle, her mind was moving in so many different directions that she was caught completely off guard by the sudden roar of questions and flashes that rang out from the line of reporters behind the barricades.
“How does it feel to be free after all these months?”
“Will you be suing the city for wrongful imprisonment?”
“Do you think you were set up intentionally?”
“What will you do now?”
“Will you be staying in Zootopia?”
“That being said, when a mistake is made it must be corrected. I know there are questions about whether the system itself Mr. Otterton willfully, perhaps even with hostile intent, but those are not questions that we are not here to answer today…”
She realized that only the last question was intended for her and watched as Otterton, who was not entirely new to being in the eyes of the media, stepped forward and started to answer questions without hesitation. And she was grateful for that, though in some ways she was worried about him and what he was going to do with himself now.
More than that, though, she wanted to see Nick.
Turning her eyes, she looked down the steps of the court, expecting to see the black car waiting on the street below. Instead, she saw Officer Clawhauser running up the stairs towards her with an expression and ear set that had her ears dropping and her head skipping hard in her chest as she moved to meet him.
“Miss Hopps, we received an anonymous call while you were in court,” he said, coming up beside her and gripping her arm to lead her back down the stairs. “About a disturbance not far from the courthouse. The chief decided to handle it discreetly.”
“Where is Nick?” she demanded, violet eyes wide as her already quick heartbeat quickened while she followed his lead around the courthouse. Thankfully, the pace was quick, so she had little time to stop and think as they turned the corner. That was when she saw the black car pulled hallway into an alley, surrounded by police cars, one SWAT van, and multiple ambulances parked on the sidewalk up and down the street.
“He’s... Hey!” he called when she yanked her arm away from his paw and bolted off in the direction of the alley.
“Today, we’re here to do what needed to be done to protect the freedom and the life of one mammal who deserved a chance. A chance that they were denied save for the determination of one mammal, who could very well have sacrificed their life to do so.”
She didn’t hear the calls for her to stop as she ran across the street, pushing herself faster than she had ever run before. When a wolf in ZPD blues raised his paw for her to stop, she ignored him and ducked under his paws when he made a grab for her. Dimly, she heard Clawhauser’s voice telling the officers to let her pasts, but she was hardly aware of that as she rounded the patrol car in time to stop and watch a wolf in black clothing being led out of the alley in handcuffs. The smell of blood struck her and she tried not to let her eyes fill as she stood stunned for a moment with her heart locked in her throat.
“Nick!” she nearly screamed when she could move again, starting to push her way past Clawhauser to enter the ally when he caught up to her.
“Because of this, the truth in this case has finally come to the light. Where the system failed, someone came from outside of that system to show us the truth. And for her, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and hope that she continues to show people that the system does work. And that with persistence and integrity, there are rewards to be taken and cherished.”
“Over here, Carrots.”
A silent sob rocked her chest when she heard the sound of his voice, turning quickly to see him sitting in the back of an ambulance with a tall, older curved horn stag in a paramedic uniform wrapping bandages around his upper arm carefully. She covered the distance to him in seconds, and it was only the fact that the stag stood so close to him that prevented her from launching herself at him. Which might have been a good things, considering that his chest was wrapped in bandages, he had multiple cuts over various parts of his body that were visible as lines of blood in his fur, and his face was puffy around exhausted eyes. Still, she reached out and laid a trembling paw on his leg as she moved as close to him as she could without interrupting the EMT.
“Nick, what happened?” she asked, looking at his battered face with an ache in her chest that seemed to get worse when she realized that much of the smell of blood was coming from him.
“Well,” he began, glanced at the EMT beside him for a moment before he gave a slow shrug. A shrug that caused him to wince slightly and earned from a disapproving look from the stag. “These gentlemammals currently being carted away by the ZPD wanted to have a word with you and knew that I was the fox to see if they wanted to make an appointment. We had disagreement on the terms.”
She stared up at him for a long moment as he looked down at her, feeling some degree of relief in the fact that his eyes – those beautiful, predatory green eyes of his – were as bright as they ever had been despite the swelling around him. Amused, even, as they turned, and she followed them. What she saw was five wolves, in various states of consciousness, in various positions. Three of them were walking under their own power, though one of those had their paw bandaged and another walked with a limp as they were herded towards the SWAT van by two rhinos carrying heavy tranquilizer rifles. The other two she could see as she glanced at the other pair of ambulances further down the sidewalk. Both were laid out on stretchers but given the almost relaxed pace with which they were loaded into the back of their perspective ambulance it seemed doubtful that they were seriously injured.
“As you can see,” he continued, drawing her wide eyes back to him as he waved the paw of his least injured arm, and almost managed to make it look casual, “I settled the dispute for the time being. And as much as I appreciate the placement of that paw, if you move it much higher, I might not survive in my current condition.”
That caused her to blink uncomprehendingly up at him, only to realize that her paw was pressed to his thigh rather higher than it should have been. She released a quick laugh as she removed it, and swiped the back of the paw over her eyes to wipe away the tears that had never quite managed to fall. All she could think was that he was okay, and he hadn’t killed them. She didn’t even know if she cared that they wolves were alive, beyond the fact that he had decided not to kill them even though, by his own words, it would have made any fight with them easier. And while he had not hesitated to kill before, he had made the choice not to do so even when she hadn’t been there to act as his conscience.
“We’ll need to take him to the hospital for a full workup,” the EMT said, his voice calm and smooth as he rested cool eyes on her. “But from what I can see, he likely won’t be in for more than a day as long as he can remain inactive for at least a week.”
“This Court finds Emmitt Otterton not guilty on all charges raised against him in the murder of his wife. I am personally sorry for everything that you’ve had to go through, and despite your personal losses and the trials you’ve faced, I hope that you can move forward and find happiness.”
“Okay, he will,” she muttered, only half paying attention as she responded to the stag with her eyes glued on the fox and her heart beating more steadily that she thought it should be now. “Give me just one second before you take him, please.”
Nick’s eyes were on her as she climbed up to stand on the bumper of the ambulance, putting herself on eye level with him. She carefully cupped his cheeks, avoiding the long cut visible on one of them, as soft fingers drew him closer until her lips pressed to his. There was a sort of electric heat in the kiss, as her heart stopped beating steadily and quickened when she felt as much as heard the quick into take of breath from the fox. Maybe it was the kiss, or the fact that she wasn’t going soft or sweet. She kissed him deeply, almost demandingly until his lips parted to the urgency in hers and the taste of him filled her senses as completely as his scent. It was made perfect by a growl that rose from low in his chest, one that she felt as a ticklish hum against her lips as one of his paws slipped under her ears to press against the back of her head to deepened it further. And damned if in that moment she didn’t realize just how much she had been denying herself all this time. One week didn’t seem like so much. But once that was over?
She was going to move forward with him and find her own happiness.
“Court is Adjourned.”
2020-10-18 17:19:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for the singular update this month. With the release of the previous part of the chapter, we had a smool break. But updates are underway!
Above are some random, non-spoiler sketches of the upcoming conclusion to the current chapter from Rick. Our super thin Clawhauser being a cheetah. :D
As for the writing, The Savage Dark chapter is well under way. Sorry it is taking so long. With limited funds currently thanks to the pandemic, things are going slow as I try to stabilize my bills.
But! I expect to be finished next month. So be ready. Hopefully I'll be able to work more steadily on it in the near future.
Thanks for the support! Looking forward to the next update!
(And here we are at last! It went from "Last update" to "Finished!" really fast! One part to this chapter remains. But we are out of the court at last. :D
The longest... Chapter... Ever. Many thanks to Rick - BillyBobBaggyBottom - for his help on this chapter. :)
Enjoy and thanks for your support!)
_________________________________________
The courtroom was a buzz of indistinguishable voices during the brief recess requested while the prosecution conferred with the next witness. The voice came from all around while the Chief Justice was in her chamber, while Judy sat at her table and prepared for what she knew would be the pivotal questioning of the case. Thus far, she had offered little more than evidence that the people of the city didn’t believe that Otterton had murdered his wife. Combined with the opinion of a reputable forensic investigator, and the thoughts of the well-loved Mayor of Zootopia, she had built enough doubt on the case that once actual evidence was presented, she was almost certain it would change the outcome. Still, she was going to drive the point home by directing doubt towards the one person she believed might have been directly involved in the murder. While she didn’t expect it to be enough to convict or even open an investigation, it would be enough to cast doubt on his testimony; testimony which had been critical in the conviction of Emmett Otterton in the first place.
Lost in her thoughts and her notes, she was not aware of the otter next to her watching her until she turned another page and glanced over to find his eyes on her. This had pausing and closing the folder before she turned her full attention, and her body, to face him.
“I don’t know how I can thank you for all the work you’ve put into this,” he said, his eyes bright and voice kept lowered so only she could hear him. “When all of this is done, I’ll do my best to make sure everyone knows what you’ve done.”
“I haven’t won the case yet, Mr. Otterton,” she said, her ears lifting despite her humble words. “It wouldn’t be right of me to get your hopes up until we have the final verdict.”
“With what you’ve shown me you have, and the way you showed the mammals of Zootopia who I am, I have no doubt that one of two things will happen,” he said, folding his chained paws on the table. “One, I’ll walk out of here a free otter with my name cleared and the truth about my trial exposed. It will lead to a lot of questions about how the justice system failed to notice how horribly it was being misused. Or, two. I’ll be sent back to my cell for however long it lasts. Word of what happened here will get out into the public, and the mammals of Zootopia will start asking the same questions. Given the state of the city now, I’m not sure anyone really wants that.”
“Change either comes with a roaring cheer or it comes with a roaring fire,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head slightly as she leaned over to place her one paw over both of his. “I’ll do my best to make sure it is a cheer.”
______________________________________
Even with her earlier words, she had her concerns about the Weasel who was being sworn in, dressed in a surprisingly crisp and well maintained ZPD dress uniform. Every piece of brass was polished, every seam was straight, and there wasn’t even a stray strand of fur to be seen. Even his fur had been combed, making him look less like a weasel she might have been afraid to meet in a dark alley into an almost respectable looking member of society. She didn’t buy the illusion one bit, but it did make her curious.
She remained seated next to Otterton, the carrot pen tapping soundlessly on her notepad as her eyes searched for his without success. He seemed completely focused on the bailiff that swore him in, and once he was sword in, he simply sat with his eyes moving over the room. As if he didn’t have a care in the world and she wasn’t of any interest to him. She knew it wasn’t true, though. It was easy enough to see that she was of great interest to him in that moment, simply because she was the only mammal in the courthouse that he didn’t look at. The act of obvious dismissal was an amateurish tactic that told her that he was not acting as someone who had been coached to give testimony. He was just trying to get under her skin before they even began.
But she already knew he was nervous because of it.
“Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Officer Weaselton,” the Chief Justice said coolly before she turned her spectacled gaze to Judy without waiting for a reply. “The defense my proceed.”
“Thank you, your honor,” Judy said, wondering what could have caused that cool attitude towards the weasel, pulled herself from her desk and stepped out into open court. Whatever it was, it really didn’t matter more than possibly allowing her some leeway, which she was running very short on currently. “Officer Weaselton, it is always a pleasure to see you.”
“And you, counselor.”
The courteous reply did not catch her off guard. She had expected he would be coached on how to behave, if not by the ZPD then by the Prosecution, so she gave him a smile and nod in return before she glanced down at the file in her hand.
“I’m going to get right into it, because it’s already been a long day,” she began, keeping her voice neutral but not accusatory. “On the night of the murder, you and your partner, Officer Fangmeyer, were the first responders, correct?”
“That’s right, yeah.”
“You were the first to enter the house of the defendant? Was that unusual?”
“A little,” he admitted, giving a little shrug as he glanced at Otterton for a moment before return his eyes to her. “I mean, she usually went first because she’s the muscle. I’m just a little weasel and she’s a freaking tiger. Er… A tiger.”
“But not that night?” she questioned, keeping her eyes level on his as she let the folder rest against her legs.
“The house was for smaller mammals. Otters, obviously. So I just thought it would be better if I went in before her, to make sure things were clear.”
She saw the little twitch in his upper lip as he spoke, the line of questions clearly not what he had expected. Though she had to admit, whoever had coached him had done a good job of keeping the violent, aggressive weasel from showing the annoyance. She couldn’t even see it in his eyes. Yet.
“Was the night in question the only time you offered to go first?”
“I… Don’t remember,” he said, hesitating for a moment as he seemed to consider before he continued. “We go into a lot of houses, so I’m sure I went in before her once or twice.”
“According to every report you’ve ever filled out,” she countered, holding the folder in front of her for a moment before she walked towards the judges stand and handed a copy of the reports to the bailiff, “she always went first. Accounts that are corroborated by her corresponding reports, which also state that she always entered houses first. Even those for smaller mammals.”
“I guess that’s how it was then,” he replied shortly, almost impressing her with how easily he had reacted to being proven wrong. “Like I said, I didn’t really remember.”
“So, on the night of Mrs. Otterton’s murder, you broke with this long-standing pattern and entered the house before your partner. Can you explain why the sudden change of heart?”
“Well, I smelled the blood as soon as we got to the door,” he said, his tone still even in his reply. “I might have been a little concerned that, if the murderer was still present, there might be trouble. Looking out for my partner, you know.”
“Looking out for your partner,” she deadpanned, folding her hands in front of her as she met his eyes. “The tiger. Whom you referred to as ‘the muscle.”
“Objection, your honor,” came the voice of the prosecutor, causing her to wince inwardly. “Argumentative. That wasn’t a question: she was repeating the Officers previous answers.”
“Sustained,” Bellwether said crisply, looking down at Judy evenly from behind her glasses.
“I withdraw the observation, your honor,” she said quickly, which seemed enough to mollify the Chief Justice. This worked in her favor, too, because she had managed to slip the word ‘observation’ into the withdrawal without further objection.
“Let’s move on then, Officer,” she said, walking back to the defense table for her next piece of evidence. She held the small evidence bag close to her side as she approached the stand again, drawing the weasel’s forward set eyes to it. The curious concern in his expression was a good thing, but rather than let him see it just then, she turned a bit to the side and removed it from his line of sight. “Are you aware that Mr. Otterton has never received a traffic violation?”
“Objection, your honor.” She really considered at the sound of the Todd’s voice, that she shouldn’t want to punch a fellow layer, but that did not change the fact that she did when she glanced in his direction. “Relevance and calls for conclusion. There is no way Officer Weaselton can be expected to know the defendant’s traffic record.”
“The question moves to explain the time and place of the murder relative to where Mr. Otterton was at the time of the murder,” she argued quickly before Bellwether could rule one way or the other. “There is evidence to support this, your honor.”
“Overruled, but that question will be struck from the record,” the Chief Justice ruled, adjusting her glasses as she looked down at the bunny. “Mrs. Hopps, if you would be so kind as to enlighten the court as to Mr. Otterton’s driving history and then get to the real question.”
“Of course, your honor,” she replied, giving a nod of acceptance. That was not nearly as bad as it could have gone, given how much of her very limited leeway she had already used up today. “Going straight to the answer to that question, Mr. Otterton has a spotless driving record. He doesn’t have a single speeding ticket, has never run a red light, and doesn’t even have a parking ticket. And everyone in here knows that the ZPD loves to hand out parking tickets.”
There was a general titter of laughter from the court, which had her smiling as it died down. Then she focused her attention back on Weaselton.
“I’ve done a lot of leg work since coming to Zootopia, which I’m sure anyone who watches the news can verify,” she continued, pacing in front of the witness stand as she spoke before she waved on paw towards Otterton. “I learned a lot about Mr. Otterton. On of the things I learned about Mr. Otterton was that he has a weakness for sweets. In fact, this weakness of his led him to stop at a specific gas station not far from his house to purchase a single candy bar on the night that Mrs. Otterton was murdered. In fact, we have a witness that will testify that Mr. Otterton was at this gas station until 9:56 pm.”
The courtroom erupted in a series of started murmurs, but Judy’s eyes were focused on the weasel in front of her. Crisp uniform, combed fur, straight posture. He had even trimmed his normally crooked whiskers to be up on the stand. She had no doubt that he had been told to look his best, to put forward the perfect picture of what a good officer for the ZPD was supposed to be. But as his eyes darted to the receipt again, then back up to her with an almost wild urgency, she could see that this shell was starting to crack. She kept her eyes focused on him even as the gavel banged and Bellwether called for order.
“Is there a question coming, Mrs. Hopps?” she asked once the room was quiet again.
“Of course, your honor,” she replied, moving towards the witness stand with the receipt held out to him. “You seem a frequent visitor to that same gas station. The clerk that was working that night recognized both you and Mr. Otterton and said that you had both been there at about the same time. Can you please read the time on this receipt?”
“Uh… It says 9:55pm,” he stammered, frowning at the receipt. She could have sworn she saw his paw twitch, as if resisting the urge to snatch it away from her.
“And does the date match the date of the crime?”
“Yeah, it does,” he replied, this time after a bit of a pause.
“I submit to the court the receipt for one candy bar, purchased within three minutes of the time that the murder was supposed to have taken place,” she said, offering the receipt to the bailiff. “This receipt was recovered from Mr. Otterton’s car, in police impound a few days ago. The ZPD was gracious enough to verify that it is the defendant’s fingerprints are on the receipt and the night clerk on duty that night is willing to testify that she had seen him in the store. Do you happen to remember Mr. Otterton’s statement about that night when he was being questioned?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice a little weak now as he glanced around quickly. Now she thought he looked like he was looking for a means of escape. “He said he went to the gas station to buy some candy, then he went home and found his wife lying on the floor.”
“Do you happen to remember if this was ever brought up at his trial?”
“I wasn’t there for the whole trial, so I couldn’t say for sure,” he replied, his tone shifting to a little testy as she kept her eyes focused on his every move.
“Well, the trial was open to the public, so I would think there are a lot of mammals in the city that could answer that question for me. But I have already been over the court transcripts and the submitted evidence,” she said, walking back to the table for the defense to pick up a file. Once she flipped it open, she made a show of looking over it with the tip of one finger before she shook her head. “Not once was it mentioned. I can only assume that, without the receipt, the defense decided that it wasn’t worth bringing up in court. A costly oversight for my client, wouldn’t you agree?”
She was aware that the fox was standing and raising his paw to object, just as she was aware that Bellwether held up one hoof to stop him from doing so.
“Counselor, you’re not here to question Mr. Weaselton’s knowledge of what happened during the trial you’re appealing. Do you have any more questions for this witness?”
“I’m sorry, your honor,” she replied, mentally bracing herself for what would be the most difficult part of her case to get away with. “I’ll move on to my last questions.”
“Proceed.”
“Officer Weaselton, I mentioned that the night clerk on duty at the gas station recognized you on the night of the murder. Her statement says that you came in shortly before Mr. Otterton, but that you disappeared almost immediately after arriving. She assumed you had left the store already. Did you leave the store?”
“Yeah,” he said, clearly assured that he had the right answers for these questions, “because we got the call. I didn’t hang around long.”
“That’s surprising, considering that your partner testified that you were gone for some time,” Judy said, doing her best to look surprised by this ‘turn of events’. “Her statement says she were gone for at least ten minutes. During which time, Mr. Otterton came into the store, purchased his candy, and left the store. The clerk also said that you suddenly appeared again and made your way out in a hurry. This was at the time of the domestic disturbance call. Can you explain why they the night clerk and your partner have differing stories from yours?”
“Obviously, I lost track of time,” he said, and she was pretty sure she detected a hint of a growl in his voice. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.
“Lost track of time,” she repeated, seeming to consider it for a moment before she shrugged it off. “Your partner also said that your better at obstacle courses than she is. She even said you were very fast for a smaller mammal. That must be a point of pride for you.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty fast,” he said, seeming to relax for a minute as the subject changed. He even folded his arms over his chest loosely, looking a little smug at the play on his ego. “Top five percent on the obstacle course.”
“That is impressive,” she said after letting out a little whistle to emphasis it. “Otterton’s house was only half a mile away if you ignored roads and cut across yards on foot. You could cover that in… What? Three, four minutes? Less?”
“Objection, your honor!” the Todd called, right on cue. “Relevance!”
“This is just a confirmation of my earlier line of questions with Officer Fangmeyer,” Judy said, looking up at Bellwether and trying her damnedest not to let the pleading show in her eyes. “I am just having Officer Weaselton verify what she already told us for the record.”
“Overruled, with the same limitations as before,” Bellwether ruled, turning to the weasel. “Officer Weaselton, the questions may continue but you are under no obligation to answer them.”
“Thank you, your honor,” Judy said, quietly breathing a sigh of relief as she turned back to Weaselton. “Do you need me to repeat the question?”
“No, no I heard you,” he said, his tone just on the edge of irritated. She could see his mind working as his eyes moved and his fingers clenched on his own arm. Weighing the risk of answering the question, trying to decide where she was going with this. She had seen it before, just not so openly displayed. Then finally, he looked up at her again. “Yeah, I could make that run.”
“So, in the extended period of time that you were away from your squad car, you could have run to the Otterton home, stayed for two minutes, and then run back. Might even have had time to catch your breath.”
“I…” he began, then paused for a minute before he nodded, “I probably could have, yeah. But why would I?”
“Just giving the court some reference material,” she said casually, then completely changed the subject. “Did you actually see Mr. Otterton holding the knife over his wife’s body?”
This change of direction obviously threw Weaselton off course as his large eyes blinked twice as he stated at her, then nodded his head quickly.
“Yeah, I saw him over the body, with the knife in his hand.”
“Is that the way he was when you walked into the room, or did he reach down to pick up the knife because you startled him?”
“It could have been,” he said, his whiskers bristling as her questions started to hit at things she knew he didn’t want brought up. “It was dark, I was staring at a bloody crime scene, he wasn’t expecting to get caught in the act. What difference does it make?”
“I would think you would recognize if someone was or was not holding a knife when you entered the room,” she said, raising the tone of her voice by a measured amount. “The crime scene photos very clearly show a paw print, the same size as Mr. Otterton’s paws, over the bloody outline of the knife next to the body. This seems to imply that it was on the ground, and he reached down to pick it up. So, I’ll ask you again, was he holding the knife over his wife’s body when you entered the room, or not?”
A few beats of silence followed. The fingers on his arm tightened further, and she was pretty sure that there wasn’t an inch of his body that was relaxed now.
“I could have been mistaken,” he ground out after those few seconds, his eyes darting to the back of the courtroom. This act compelled her to turn herself, glancing over her shoulder to see…
Nothing.
“Mistaken,” she repeated as she turned back to him with cool eyes and an equally cool demeanor. “So we’ve established that he may not have been holding the murder weapon when you went in before your partner for the first time since you became a cop, and that while the murder was taking places, there was almost no chance that he could have been at the scene of the crime. A time frame when no one can verify where you were.”
“You’re honor, I object!” the Todd shouted, clearly as flustered as everyone else in the stunningly silent courtroom as he stood with one paw in the air. “Just what is the defense trying to prove here?”
“Sustained,” Bellwether said, pointing one finger at Judy. “The defense will proceed very carefully.”
But she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t, and she was going to have to rely on the same weasel who had attacked her to make what she was about to do even a little bit acceptable.
“You could have made that run, couldn’t you, Officer Weaselton?” she said, moving towards the witness stand as even the objecting Todd was struck dumb for a moment. “You could have run to the Otterton home, broken into their house, stabbed Mrs. Otterton, and run back. And then to cover your tracks, you made sure that you were the first one on the scene so you could testify to seeing him holding the murder weapon while he grieved his wife!”
“Your Honor!”
“One more outburst, Mrs. Hopps, and I’ll…”
“You little country cunt!” Weaselton hissed, standing up in the witness box with his paws at his side, shaking with rage. The movement and the rage on the slender muzzle of the weasel were both so obvious that the bailiff took two steps towards Judy as the courtroom grew deathly silent. Neither of them paid the Chief Justice any mind as they stared each other down: one mammal with murder in his eyes, and one with determination and victory in hers. “I didn’t do nothing! And there’s nothin’ you can do to prove anything different! I already told you, you should go back to your little burrow where you belong before you get yourself hurt!”
The slam of the gavel rapped repeatedly.
“The witness will restrain himself or I will have him restrained,” Bellwether said in a tone as cool as ice. That same ice was carried over to Judy when she was addressed. “And this line of questioning is out of line, Mrs. Hopps. I will not warn you again.”
“Again, I am sorry, your honor,” she said, mollifying her tone until she sounded as contrite as possible as she looked up at Bellwether. She wondered if the sheep could see the gratitude in her eyes. Chastising her for being out of line was the least of what could have resulted from her outburst and accusations, and they both knew it. “I have no further questions for this witness anyway.”
She took supreme satisfaction in watching Weaselton settle down, collect himself, and realize what he had said. The cold fear in his eyes obviously had nothing to do with the warning from the Chief Justice. No, that sort of fear only came when someone realized that had screwed up something long planned, or worse. She saw his eyes flick towards the back of the courtroom again, then move around a little wildly as he sat unsteadily in the witness seat. She had a moment where she wondered what it was he really feared. They both knew that she had nothing to pin him to the murder, and they both knew that he was not even going to be brought in for questioning. She wondered for a moment before she turned her attention to the otter beside her. The otter who had, in his cell, looked so broken down and defeated, ready to accept his fate and the injustice that had been done to him. That otter looked at her with something akin to wonder, with a light in his eyes that had been all but absent before.
Hope.
So, when she turned her eyes to the front of the courtroom, and saw that naked fear in Weaselton’s eyes one more time?
She smiled to herself and found that she didn’t give a damn.
2020-08-22 21:42:34 +0000 UTC View Post
That glare. XD
We are getting very close to being finished with this part of the chapter, which will then be posted! I won't estimate, but all the sketching is done, the shading is mostly done, and then we should be set!
The next part, we hope, will move faster. :)
On the The Savage Dark front, I have been delayed by the need to write another story for my other partner but that delay will not be too long, as I should be done with that by the end of this week. The story is much... Easier to write.
*Coughsmutcough*
Stay tuned and thanks for your support!
Hello! Things are moving along nicely still. Multiple pages completed on both the story boarding by Rick and the more detailed pages by Weaver. I do hope everyone enjoys those!
Also, The Savage Dark continues and the chapter is now half complete! (I think.) Given that the average chapter of TSD is 20 pages, and I'm on ten, I can safely say that I am at least almost halfway done. :D
More updates as they come!
So I'm going to keep updates on progress going twice a month now. Figured it would be best to let people know we are alive and still working, rather than the long periods of silence between chapters that has unfortunately happened in the past.
Here we have some... Steps in 3d by Rick (BillybobBaggyBottom)! Whoo!
Also, I'm sure you all recognize the poofball (it's so fluffy!)
Plus The Savage Dark is moving along. Still no estimated finish date on the chapter, but pages are done. So progress!
Thank you all, old and new Patreons, for your support. More updates soon!
Things are still underway on our end! Progress is being made. This is a storyboard from Rick (BillyBobBaggyBottom) of the ongoing court case. He made me chuckle. XD
Side note (for those interested) I have resumed work on The Savage Dark after oh such a long delay. To my pleasant surprise, I still have people asking me to continue the story after all this time, but school, work and Sunderance demanded my attention. Not sure yet on when an update on that will come, but you can be sure it will be posted sometime in the near future!
Thanks for all your continued support. :D
Patreon will be updating their tax policies to charge tax to certain types of Patreon tiers. I wanted to let everyone know that I have updated our page so that, to the best of my knowledge, none of our Patreons should need to pay tax.
Because we are a creator that does not actually provide a service (no votes, no commissions, no 'You get this for every level' we are considered general content and your Patronage is considered a donation toward our content) there should be no tax if I am understanding the update correctly.
Thank you all for your continued support over the years, and we look forward to more years to come as the story evolves. :)
Also, Sunderance update! Things are underway for the next chapter. Have some random clips!
That's right... An update so massive that one part of the chapter required two full length strips to post. Otherwise, websites compressed it to hell.
Thanks for being so patient, thanks to all of our long standing Patreons, thanks to all of our new Patreons! More to come in the next future!
_____________________________________________________________________
(Story on Part 1)
That's right... An update so massive that one part of the chapter required two full length strips to post. Otherwise, websites compressed it to hell.
Thanks for being so patient, thanks to all of our long standing Patreons, thanks to all of our new Patreons! More to come in the next future!
_____________________________________________________________________
“Then I will make you one, so then you can tell the real Yūrei that I’m coming for him next.”
The boast may have been born of anger at the defeat of his subordinates, but it rang hollow in the ears of the one the wolf promised to come for next. While he was somewhat uncertain of the level of skill the Alpha of this pack possessed, he was more so aware of the skill the fox he faced possessed. At the start of the fight, he had not been entirely certain of how Nick showed signs of difficulty dealing with the relatively standard breed of assassins that the wolves represented. But Jack understood that he was fighting not to kill them, something that seemed confirmed by the differentiating between the fox and Yūrei by way of mercy.
Why he was doing this? The rabbit had to assume it was due to Hopps. It was the only thing that made sense, really. He had been there when she had first arrived in the city, watching as he did now. The Todd had shown no indication of hesitation or regret in finishing off the tiger who had attacked her then.
Hopps, on the other hand? The stricken look of horror on her face had been obvious. Not used to killing, obviously. But more than that, she was a mammal of the law. As justified as the killing would have seemed, it would not have sat well with her. With the apparent… Depth their relationship had taken, it was not outside of reason to believe that even someone like Nicolas would be willing to spare the lives of the wolves. Particularly since Hopps herself was not around to protect. If she were in actual danger? Jack doubted Nick would be nearly so merciful.
“Well, if you manage to kill me than I don’t think you’ll have to wait very long,” Nick said, causing Jack to blink slowly as the fox turned his back on the wolf and started to walk a short distance, back to where he had been standing at the start of the melee. The wolf, wisely, did not take this as an opening to attack. “There is a plan behind all of this, after all. I am the odd fox out. I am the unplanned variable, the wild card. Your employer - whoever that might be - wasn’t expect me to get involved. And the mammals who want the lawyer to survive were not expecting me to get involved. I’ll be perfectly honest. I wasn’t expecting me to get involved.”
“Yes,” the Alpha confirmed, not moving an inch from where he stood at the ready. Jack’s eyes narrowed as he continued. “We were expecting to face Yūrei today. We believed we were facing that phantom from the very beginning.”
“So, you’ve been trying to draw out the one you’ve never been able to find all this time. Lucky for you, I don’t believe that is the only reason for trying to kill the lawyer,” Nick replied, his voice cold as he turned to face the wolf again. He snapped the baton out to the side, returning it to the extended and no less dangerous length it had been before. Emerald green eyes were narrow, near savage as he stared down the wolf. “If I thought that, I might change my mind about not killing the lot of you.”
It wasn’t the only reason; Jack knew that as he watched from above. Though he had not known that he was one of the targets, it did clarify the inconsistency in the method of the attacks. A lone assassin; a group of assassins armed with guns and explosives; a group of prisoners and paid off prison guards; and now, a pack of traditionally trained assassins focused only on the one protecting Hopps. They had been probing for him while trying to kill the bunny. Obviously, Nick’s ability to survive their repeated attempts had convinced them that he was the one they had been looking for.
What he needed to know now was why they actively sought him after all these years?
“You’re good at talking,” the Alpha said, finally moving as he spoke. “Sly as a fox, yes? Using your words to catch your breath before you face me. I have allowed you enough time to regain your strength, however.”
Nick didn’t bother with a reply to this, nor did he change his stance or show outward sign that he was anymore, or less, ready than he had been when the pause in combat had started. He simply stared at the wolf with cold green eyes and waited.
The Alpha did not leave him waiting. The advance was slow and measured, both swords held above and below at the ready as he closed the distance and left his fallen packmates behind. When he reached the fox, having seen his opponent wait out the other wolves rather than attack, he did not linger or hesitate. He swung both swords around in a quick arch in front of his body that brought them together in an upward curve that led to a downward slash. Even with two swords, the strength behind them was only marginally more than a sword yielded with two hands, so the blow was easy enough for the fox to deflect with the baton. The moment the swords and baton both were levered to the side by the block, however, the wolf shoved his entire body forward in a surprisingly swift motion that had his shoulder slamming into the fox’s chest. The blow had strength and nearly lifted the smaller mammal off his feet as he was driven back with a grunt as the breath was forced from his lungs. And he was driven back again when the wolf slashed out with one sword in a follow-up attack that brokered no doubt that he was far more experienced in combat with skilled opponents then the others had been.
When the other sword came around, however, Nick was quick enough to deflect this one properly without losing any ground. It was not the advantage he had been expecting, though. As the sword met the baton again, the wolf brought his off-hand down in a pommel strike that slammed into the fox’s shoulder. Nick let out a snarl as he was driven to one knee and was forced to roll away quickly as the wolf raised his foot to stomp down on his smaller opponent.
A fascinating fighter, Jack decided as he watched the wolf push his attacks relentlessly until it became less a fight and more a chase and evade. At first glance, it was the fighting style one might expect from a street fighter. All forward motion and punishing strength, giving the Todd no time to gain his footing. But someone like Nick had no doubt faced that sort of fighter before without much difficulty. No, there was more to it. The strikes were not only strong, fast, and relentless. They were also accurate and skilled. When he saw the wolf reverse his hold on the hilt of the sword to swing out in a close to the chest body strike, he realized that no motion was wasted. More than once, Nick was not fast enough or strong enough to counter the attacks and the wolf took full advantage of every opening he was given. A glancing blow to his legs caused a wince, which itself was enough of a distraction for the Alpha to lash out with a front kick to the midsection that sent the fox flying back and then tumbling tail-over-head.
Had he been less skilled himself, that would have been the end of the fox as both swords came slashing down as he lay prone. A quick roll to the side had the blades cutting into the asphalt, and even then, he had to change direction mid-roll as the larger predator followed up with a series of stomping kicked even as he pulled the swords free. When he finally managed to gain his feet again, he was barely fast enough to stop the oncoming crescent strike from one of the swords. And again, the wolf took full advantage without pause. The paw gripping the pommel of the other sword was punched brutally into Nick’s cheek with enough force to split the skin and fur under his right eye and send the fox stumbling back with a dazed expression.
Jack tensed as he readied himself to end the fight as the wolf took the advantage and pressed the attack further. In some ways, he was loath to do so. He wanted to see the fox pressed, to see the extent of his skill. At the same time, if he had overestimated the other’s abilities and allowed him to die in the process of slaking his need to know, Neveen would never forgive him and would never trust him again. What stayed his hand was the moment he realized that the wolf had failed to land any of his last few strikes as he had before with such ease. Eyes narrowed, remaining ready to strike himself, he continued to watch as the wolf continued his attacks with seemingly endless stamina.
The Todd dodged and deflected another series of quick, powerful strikes in succession, this time managing to avoid the follow-up attack. It was a near thing, as even from this angle Jack could see that the swipe of the sword likely took a few strands of orange fur off Nick’s already bleeding and swelling cheek. But even as he dodged that, the follow-up uppercut seemed anticipated and was avoided more easily.
Jack set his jaw and felt an unfamiliar trickle of envy. He had seen this before and had felt it firsthand in his own brief encounter with the fox. Nicolas’ seeming talent to adapt in such ways that it was almost like fighting a completely different opponent than when the fight began. The lengthening and retracting of the baton during his fight with the wolves had been a physical, visceral example of this to the extreme. But as the wolf pressed his attacks, it made little difference. The fox remained unable to move fast enough to counterattack without the wolf retaliating in a way that forced him into retreat again. When he raised his baton, suddenly shortened again, and attempted to slip it past the Alpha’s guard the responding backstep was nearly instantly followed by a thrusting lunge with one sword. That lunge was avoided, but the raised foot that followed into the fox’s gut was not.
Then it came without warning. Even before the paw lodged against his midsection was withdrawn, the baton snapped down in a reckless but no less effective blow that hit hard into the meat of the Alpha’s thigh. There was no snap of bone, but there was a snarl of pain from the wolf as he yanked his foot back. The half-second of hesitation in putting weight on the leg was a sign that even he was not sure how much damage had been done, and that hesitation was taken as an opening to attack. The results were almost the same as they had been for the entire fight, however. As soon as Nick moved in for the attack, his baton swept wide to meet a raised sword, the wolf ramped up the aggression and pressed the attacks again.
The major difference was obvious to both the two fighting, and the one watching. Every time the wolf pressed his attacks and landed a blow, Nick responded with a blow of his own. When the sword that barely missed gutting the fox was followed by the other sweeping down for a pommel strike, Nick drove the tip of his baton into the muscle of that arm viciously. When an elbow was driven into his face, sending his head snapping to the side, he turned that into a spin that had the baton slapping hard into the other arm. When the blade of a sword slipped past his guard, grazing his chest in a shallow angled cut that made him wince, the baton cracked into the wolf’s forearm without hesitation. The process repeated itself, and Jack could see the results clearly. The wolf was starting to slow down. Every direct blow from the baton to muscle tissue was causing tears and strain that were making movement painful, harder. Even if the change was imperceptible at first, it was obvious as the fight wore on. But the same was true of Nick. Even though he was not going for body blows or finishing strikes, his opponent was and the fox was more than showing the wear of it all. Even though the fox had changed the pace of the fight and had taken some control back, Jack could still see that it was not a winning strategy. If it came down to endurance, the wolf was going to kill him, and it was obvious that Nick was already pushing himself to keep himself moving to counter every blow.
It was when the baton came crashing into the Alpha’s shoulder that another change came. Pain and weariness had both males panting now, struggling further. Nick more so than the wolf, as Jack had expected. The blow seemed to awaken the wolf, however. Perhaps seeing an advantage, perhaps just furious at not being able to take down the annoying, smaller predator, the wolf snarled and redoubled his attacks with the same strength, speed, and fury. He stood as the wolf swung out with one sword and prepared to follow up with the other until the last second, then ducked down to move forward for a strike with his baton in paw. The wolf and Jack both had seen the move before, so it was no surprise to the silent bunny when the wolf swatted the blow aside.
What did catch both of them off guard, however, was the fact that Nick released the baton with no resistance. This sent the baton flying to the other side of the alley to clatter against the stone walls, as caused the block from the wolf to swing wide by just a few inches. And those few inches the fox used to slip in and wrap his arms around the Alpha’s belly and press in close against him. Jack watched with rapt fascination as the wolf snarled and raised both swords for what could have been a killing blow if Nick had not swung himself around, keeping his arms tight around the larger predator’s belly until he was behind him. The reason for the grip was obvious, as every attempt the Alpha made to turn to face the fox again only carried Nick with it. Something that became more and more dangerous as the fox’s grip moved up around the Alpha’s chest, with the now clear intent being to get it his arms around the neck. It was when the fox released his grip with one paw that the wolf dropped one of the swords and tried to reach back to dislodge him, only to wince when the arm came up short in the range of movement. Damaged muscles prevented him from reaching far enough back to reach the clinging fox.
Then he was thrashing as the fox managed to loop one arm around his thick neck, snarling as he turned his back towards the alley wall and start towards it. Nick, having expected this, drove one foot into the wolf’s kidneys ruthlessly. This was a blow that combined with the weakened leg muscles of the wolf to halt the motion, driving the larger mammal down to one knee with a gasping growl of pain and allowing the smaller male to finish his climb. Both arms were now latched around the wolf’s throat, and Jack clearly heard the moment when all sound from the Alpha was forced to a stop as his ability to take in or even release breath was brought to a sudden stop.
Both males were clearly struggling. The Alpha, trying to get to his feet to dislodge the fox, and Nick just trying to keep his grip even as the wolf clawed at his arms with both paws. But the alpha, already weakened and now deprived of oxygen to fuel his body further, was the first to show signs of fading. The paws stopped their clawing, soon only weakly pulling at the arms wrapped around his throat. When the struggles slowed, and the head started to droop, rather than relax his grip, Nick yanked the male’s head back and used his body weight to drag the larger predator to the ground. There, he added his legs to the hold, wrapping them just under the Alpha’s arms and tightening the grip so ensure that it held.
For a moment, the bunny was sure that the Todd was going to forget mercy and simply strangle the life out of the wolf, for even as the wolf went limp and still, Nick refused to relax his grip. He did find it oddly unsurprising when the fox, now on his back mostly under the wolf, focused green eyes on his. Jack wasn’t sure exactly what he saw in those eyes, beyond a certain level of defiance, before he finally relaxed his grip and allowed the unconscious wolf to breathe and the blood flow to return to his brain.
It was only as he was pulling himself out from under the Alpha that he noticed the subordinate who had surrendered his sword starting to stand. There was no fight in the male’s eyes, but there was the obvious inclination to flee the second the fox turned green eyes to him. With a worn-down sign, the fox crawled to his discarded clothing, and just as the wolf started to turn and run, he called out in an exhausted and annoyed voice as he sat with his back against the alley wall.
“If you force me to shoot you, it’s going to interrupt what’s going on across the street,” he said, leveling the gun at the wolf’s back while using his knee to support his arm. “If that happens, I am going to be annoyed enough to shoot you two or three times. I can do that without killing you, but it will still hurt like hell.”
Wisely, the wolf came to a stop and put his hands in the air with his tail quickly tucking between his legs. The cursing that came from him wasn’t threatening, so much as it was the last resistance of someone who knew he and his pack had just been beaten.
“Good. Now, be a good little wolf and walk back towards me. No, don’t turn around,” he corrected when the wolf was inclined to do so. “Just like you are. Good. Now, stop, sit next to your friends there, and be quiet. We’re going to wait until the commotion across the street tells us that the lawyer has finished what she came here to do.”
“Who the hell are you?” the wolf felt brave enough to ask, though not brave enough to do much else.
“I am the fox currently wondering if you know what ‘be quiet’ means,” Nick replied, letting the gun slump a bit without changing the direction it was aimed. “Also, someone who could really use a drink.”
The larger predator didn’t dare ask another question after that and as his ears dropped in submission, the alley filled with silence.
2020-04-22 18:06:22 +0000 UTC View Post
The next update is being inked right now by the wonderful TheWyvernsWeaver! He expects to be finished in a few weeks. Why?
Because this update is a monster. In content and length.
We'll update as soon as we can. Thanks for all of your continued support. :D
Update at last! More to come soon, we promise! Enjoy!
The tigress stood in the witness stand with her hand raised as she spoke the oath. She had all of the poise that one would expect from a decorated officer who had, in her years on the force, been in that exactly spot at least a dozen times. Knowing what to expect, knowing what kind of questions would be ask, and knowing how to give the answers. And the most important factor of this witness in Judy’s mind: knowing that her answers were true to the best of her knowledge.
But even with the familiar setting and the strength of truth behind her words, the tigress was also nervous. She, like everyone else in the courtroom that day, was aware that nothing about this appeal could be considered normal. Everyone - from ZNN to the Administrator herself - knew that the original trial had been bungled on every level at best and was a rushed attempt to hide something rotten about the inner workings of the city at worst. She, as a good cop who had been partnered with a bad cop, had found herself in the middle of something bigger than she should have to face. At least in Judy’s mind, she understood that Officer Fangmeyer had nothing to do with the murder and the following coverup and she intended to do her best to make sure that everyone else saw that too.
But to do that, she needed to catch the tigress off guard and prayed silently that she would be able to do it.
Once the oath was finished and the tigress was given leave to be seated, Judy stood slowly with a glance at the young fox who sat on the opposite side of the courtroom. He looked back at her and met her gaze for a moment, a little glint of appreciation in his eyes. In his cross-examination of Mayor Lionheart, he had rather effectively attempted to dismiss Lionheart as a character witness based on his lack of a personal relationship with the accused. While his point had been a strong one, she had objected herself by stating that Lionheart – while not personally close to Otterton – had been aware of his work, his nature, and had spent enough time talking to him to make a generalized assessment. In the end, the Chief Justice had allowed the testimony to stand based on the fact that Lionheart was a trusted public servant in good standing. This had, in Judy’s mind, been swayed by the fact of the clandestine relationship between Bellwether and the Mayor. Her using that, even in a small way, was not technically right but it was not strictly illegal, either. But even though it had been allowed to stand, Corsac had still picked apart the testimony by citing cases where seemly peaceful mammals had killed throughout history. Whether or not it had any real effect remained to be seen but she was as glad for it as she was annoyed by it. A mistrial wouldn’t help anyone at this point.
Returning her mind to the questions at hand, she walked forward with her paws folded behind her back.
“It’s good to see you again, Officer Fangmeyer,” she began, finding it easy to put on a smile for the larger female as she stayed close to the front line of the defense and prosecution tables. This made it easier for her to look up, meet the eyes, without having to tilt her head up to an angle that would be ungainly for a long period of time.
“And you, Miss Hopps,” the Tigress replied, allowing a small smile to curve the corners of her broad muzzle.
“I am sorry that I have to call you again for this case, but there are a few things that I feel need to be looked over again before anyone will be satisfied that this case is closed one way or the other.” This drew a quick, curt nod from the tigress as the bunny stopped her pacing and stood for a moment. “According to your report, on the date that Mrs. Otterton was murdered, you received a call at 9:55 pm requesting officers at the Otterton home. If that correct?”
“That’s correct, yes.”
“And did you respond immediately?”
“Yes,” was the instant reply, followed by a brief pause. “Well, not immediately.”
“Oh? Why is that, officer?”
“My partner, Officer Weaselton, was using the gas station restroom at the time,” she said, ears flicking lightly as she said it. Even here, Judy would see her annoyance at the ritual long bathroom breaks. “He sometimes took a while, though when he came out this time, he said he was delayed by other factors. By the time he got back, it was 9:58 pm.”
“This was not in your report?” Judy asked, wrinkling her brow slightly as if confused. In reality, she knew exactly when they had left the gas station thanks to a few minutes of grainy video. She also knew that Otterton’s car had left two minutes before.”
“Well, we don’t put minute by minute details on how we arrived at the scene of a crime, generally,” she commented, though she did not look happy suddenly. “The report starts from when we received the call and includes everything that happened when we arrived at the scene.”
“I understand, of course. The response time, in this case, was already impressive regardless,” Judy continued, pausing to pick up a folder from the defense table. “That is, in part, because you were right around the corner from the Otterton home. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” she replied, seeming to relax again now that the subject returned to what was in the official report. “We arrived at the scene at 10:02 pm.”
“Geographically, you were less than half a mile from the scene.”
“I… Guess.” It was clear that she was uncertain in the reply.
“But it still took you five minutes to reach the scene from the gas station?”
Now, she quickly recovered with information that she was certain of. “It was a block down, another block over, and in a subdivision. In populated areas or residential communities, we keep to the speed limit unless we are on an emergency call. At the time, we were not aware that it was an emergency call and the speed limit in the subdivision was 15mph.”
“So, accounting for traffic, that makes the time about right driving,” Judy confirmed, all information that she knew seemed pointless. “Thank you for clearing that up. How fast can you run, Officer? How fast can you run a mile, for example?”
“Objection, you honor!” the fox burst out suddenly, enough to have her nose twitching for a second before she turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see what relevance that would have in this case.”
“I don’t see how it could hurt your case,” Judy said calmly, causing him to blink slowly at the realization that she seemed to be right at the moment. “I am trying to get and give a clear image of the scene in a case that has until now been devoid of a lot of details. If Officer Fangmeyer doesn’t want to answer the question, I will accept that, though.”
Bellwether seemed to consider for a moment before she nodded. “Overruled, but with the understanding that you are under no obligation to answer the questions, Officer.”
“I don’t see why not,” she said, her expression one of consideration or an attempt to remember. “My personal best was two minutes, forty-five seconds but my average is closer to three and a half.”
“Whew, that’s a good time,” Judy said, smiling ruefully as she waved on paw. “My record back in high school was something like five minutes, but I always had my nose in the books. Are there faster officers in the ZPD?”
“Of course. I am somewhere in the middle. The current class speed demon is Clawhauser, but, you know, he is a cheetah.”
“I met him outside,” Judy grinned, keeping the friendly smile on her muzzle as she continued to aimlessly pace. “Slim build like that, I expect he puts all of you to shame. How about your partner?”
“He’s surprisingly fast for a smaller species,” was the instant reply, giving Judy a little thrill as she continued. “I mean, I am faster at base running speed but on the obstacle courses he is in the top ten percent.”
“So, if you and your partner had decided to jump out of the cruiser and run to the Otterton house straight across, not following the roads, how long do you think it would have taken?”
“Objection!” came the call again, which caused her to sigh inwardly as all eyes turned to the fox again. “Unless she is trying to say that the ZPD are at fault for their response time – which everyone agrees was very prompt - this line of questioning clearly has nothing to do with the Otterton case.”
“Is there a point to these questions, Miss Hopps?” the Chief Justice asked, adjusting her glasses as she focused her gaze on the bunny.
“There is, your honor, and I will get to it. This is the last question of this sort, so I beg your indulgence.”
She knew very well that she was begging indulgence at this point, even if she kept her tone composed and professional because the line of questioning had nothing to do with the case. Not until she called her next witness, anyway. The long pause for consideration that followed had her fighting to control the twitching of her nose before Bellwether gave a curt nod.
“This is the last seemingly irrelevant question you are allowed, Miss Hopps. Overruled, following the same condition as before. That Officer Fangmeyer is not required to answer it.”
It was all she could do not to explosively sigh in relief, somehow managing to keep her expression calm as she turned her eyes towards Fangmeyer again. The tigress seemed to consider for a moment, watching the bunny curiously and a little warily before her expression turned to thoughtful. The sort of expression someone had when they were trying to figure out a math problem.
“Having chased suspects through the bushes and other mammal’s back yards before, I would guess I could do it in five minutes. Weaselton probably faster. Like I said, he’s better than most on the obstacle courses.”
“Thank you,” Judy replied, loving it when witnesses offered up more information than was needed. Especially when she had cornered her into asking no more questions that were considered off-topic. “Moving on, as promised. You arrived at the Otterton residence at 10:02 pm. Can you go over what happened from there?”
“Well, when we arrived at the scene everything was quiet,” the tigress began, reciting what Judy knew was a prepared or at the very least memorized retelling of the report. “It wasn’t until we reached the door of the Otterton home that it became obvious that something was wrong. The door was open, and the smell of blood was coming from inside. At that time, we decided that entering was justified…”
“Who went in first?” Judy interrupted, causing the officer to pause.
“Weaselton offered to go in first.”
“Was this normal?”
“Not usually,” she replied, shaking her head slightly. “It was generally his belief that suspects would be more intimidated by a larger predator that a smaller one when we entered the scene. This time, though, the house was made for smaller mammals and I would have been at a disadvantage. So, he went first.”
“Well, as I said, he went in first,” she continued, taking a deep breath as she collected her thoughts. “Inside, the smell of blood was overpowering, and I knew immediately that we were not walking into a scene of a simple domestic squabble that ended in a few cuts and bruises. I was about to warn Weaselton but he had already rushed ahead and into the house.”
“Rushed ahead without his big, intimidating partner to back him up?” Judy asked, tilting her head as if she didn’t really believe it. Because she didn’t.
“Yeah,” the tigress said, hesitating on the word before she spoke more clearly. “Yes, he moved down the hallway faster than I could follow. I was on my paws and knees, because of the size of the house. By the time I caught up with him, he was dragging Mr. Otterton away from the body of Mrs. Otterton, telling me to check on her. Of course, by that point it was too late.”
A part of her wanted to press further, but a larger part of her didn’t believe she needed to. Not just yet. The fact that Fangmeyer had not seen Otterton over the body with her own eyes was not something she wanted to make public, as it would bring her report into question. Something that could damage her career, especially if the appeal succeeded. And Judy didn’t want to see a good cop go down with her partner. A partner that she had been assigned specifically to keep under control.
“All right,” she said, deciding to move on as she looked down at the paper she still held. “According to crime scene reports, none of the neighbors claim to have heard anything.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“So, an argument that was so loud and violent that it led to the brutal stabbing death of the victim was not heard by anyone?”
“From what I understand, yes,” she said, her eyes focused on the bunny as her muzzle drew into a calm line. “I didn’t take part in the questioning of the witnesses or the follow-up investigation. We were too busy giving statements to the detectives that arrived from Homicide.”
“Aside from the fact that you didn’t question them, do you find it strange that no one heard anything?” Judy asked, shaking her head and looking confused, “While the anonymous caller claimed that things had become loud and obviously violent? Isn’t that strange?”
“Objection, your honor,” came the protest, which this time almost managed to make her roll her eyes as she turned to face the standing prosecution. “Leading the witness.”
Damn. He had her there. She released a small sigh before she raised her hand in acceptance. “I will reword the question.”
“Carry on,” the sheep nodded, motioning for the fox to take his seat.
“Officer Fangmeyer, in most cases of loud and possibly violent domestic altercations, are the neighbors normally unaware of it?”
“Generally, no,” she replied, shaking her head slowly. “In most cases, if it gets that bad, it is a neighbor that calls the ZPD to investigate and calm the situation. Except in some neighborhoods, where talking to the police is frowned upon.”
“Did the Ottertons live in that kind of neighborhood?”
“No, they did not.”
“Do you trust your partner, Officer Fangmeyer?”
The sudden shift in topic and the nature of the question caused the already silent courtroom to seem to empty into a soundless void. This was exactly what she had expected, given the fact that the tigress in the witness box was not giving the immediate answer that would normally follow a question that, to most police officers with partners, would be automatically positive. When Judy turned, the expression on Fangmeyer’s face was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She looked halfway between surprised and reluctant to answer the question. The result was a grimace of discomfort as she averted her eyes, looking entirely too thoughtful.
“Officer? Should I repeat the question?”
“No, no,” she said quickly, in a tone that was just a little distant. As if trying to figure out how to answer the question, she opened her mouth and nothing came out for a full two seconds before she said, “Officer Weaselton and I have only been partners for a short time. I like to think I trust him, but that kind of trust builds over time.”
“Thank you, Officer. You’ve been a very pleasant witness,” she said, offering a friendly smile that was genuine in her delight before she made her way back to her seat. “I have no further questions at this time.”
2020-03-07 15:25:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Yes, you heard right. An actual release date! We're really moving now!
I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding with us on this delay. The restructuring of our team and the addition of a full-time sketch artist has helped put us back on track, so a big thanks to Rick (BillyBobBaggyBottom) for helping. :)
And thanks to you Patreons for your continued support. You have helped keep the motivation (and the funds have helped allow the time) for us to continue working on this epic story. We have some new projects coming in various forms, but none of those will delay Sunderance any further.
Onward!
Kulkum
A few more (not all) of the sketches that were completed recently. Many sketches and much art and much writing continue. The next two parts, I hope, will come out pretty quickly.
Thank you all for your patience and thanks to new and existing Patreons for supporting us in our continued endeavor. :D
Just letting everyone know that we are still at work! After a delay, we have reworked our structure a bit in production. We will have a full-time sketch artist, Rick (AKA FoxxJ), helping us out as a sketch artist! Here are some examples of the current chapter he is working on. This is not all of them, of course. But you know I hate spoilers. ;)
Sorry for the slow updates and lack of production, but I want everyone to be aware that Sunderance is not going to stop until it is finished. This will not be an abandoned project, because I love it and love knowing that people are still interested after so long.
So keep your eyes open for more updates and projects in the very near future!
And here we have Prologue, remastered by Weaver.
A note on this: this will NOT delay or interfere with the timeline of the Sundedance comic or stories. Weaver has done this while I worked on the latest chapter, so it is more of a free time thing. And the latest chapter, written version, is now complete so he will set his time to working on that. :)
I hope you enjoy! His art has come a long way, we think. :D
The goings-on in the courtroom below were not really of much interest to him, even though sharp eyes that watched every person below. Just because it was of interest to the vixen below and the city at large didn’t mean that he needed to care about the outcome of the trial himself. All he cared about was ensuring that she was properly protected. The fact that the building was currently surrounded by dozens of ZPD officers had not been enough argument from her to incline him to leave her protection entirely out of his paws.
As it was with any government building Neveen might have found herself entering, and many private ones, he had his means of getting into the courthouse undetected. It had not been hard to convince her that this was necessary to ensure her safety, as long as he ensured that he remained out of sight. In the days before the cloaking technology had been made available to him, his secret entrances had just as often served as his hiding places above. Now he had more freedom to move, but he rarely strayed far from those compartments and trap doors just in case the holograms failed.
It hadn’t, yet, but it never hurt to be prepared when keeping his existence secret was of the utmost importance.
The secret door in the courthouse had, itself, been upgraded to a hologram days before when she had decided that she would be appearing in court to witness… Whatever it was she wanted to get from the drama playing out below him. He remained crouched down on his belly in the narrow passage just below the ceiling, his eyes scanning every target in the room for any possible threat. Even he was almost certain that the courtroom was safe for her, but it wasn’t his job to assume anything. His eyes moved from Neveen, sitting upright with a pleasant expression on her lovely face, to the otter who sat at with his head low at the defense side of the court, to the fox who sat at the prosecution’s table, and on to the gallery where almost everyone was watching with rapt attention. The lack of threats was no more disappointing than the case was interesting; it simply was.
His eyes paused, as did his breathing when there was a light buzz in his ear as the earbud silently informed him that someone was trying to reach him. Blue eyes shot to Neveen, who remained as focused on the trial as she ever was. No signals were being given, no sign that it was her, which had him inching his way deeper into the narrow passage leading to the city. After a second buzz came and he was sure he was deep enough, he flexed his ear muscles to activate the device. The mechanical voice, even at the low volume, was clear and familiar to him.
“The Foxhounds have engaged her brother near the courthouse.”
Flash. One of those people in the city that was on a strict ‘no-kill’ list for Neveen, even though the information broker was fully aware of Jack’s existence, who Neveen really was, and what her plans were for the city.
The power of unlimited information was invaluable, after all.
As soon as the words were spoken, the line went silent again, leaving Jack to flex his ear again to trigger a call to Neveen as he slithered up to the entrance again where he could see her.
“The broker sends word,” he said, so quietly that he couldn’t even hear his own voice clearly. “The Foxhounds found Nicholas.”
There was a brief pause in her pleasant expression, a slight downward turn to her muzzle. Anyone else would have missed it, just as they would have missed the tension in her body that came and went as quickly as Flash’s message to him had been. Then she was calm again, with the pleasant expression smoothly returning as the news that would have sent most into a panic was replied to with a light flick of her ear.
That flick was her signal to act, and the course of action she wanted him to take in this case was clear to him: ensure that her brother survived the night.
He didn’t bother to reply to the signal. She knew that he would do what was needed, though before he did so he took the time to look to each mammal within the courtroom one last time for signs of anything he might have missed. Even the hologram of Lionheart on the stand, being questioned by the only other bunny in the city, was not above his scrutiny. For that matter, neither was Hopps.
Once that was finished, he slid back behind the hologram again and deeper into the tunnel. Halfway through, there was a widening of the gap that allowed him to turn around and move more quickly until he reached the exit hatch. When that slid away, he was greeted with the scent of fresh air - relative to how fresh air in a city like Zootopia could be - before he easily pushed himself out onto the sloped roof. Even the entrance had been placed in an area where no one from the ground would be able to see the hatch slide open, between the large front dome and one of the six smaller around the triangular building. It afforded him a quick look at the police barricade that was keeping the crowd of reporters on the front steps from getting too close to the courthouse. Not just the media, he knew. Until the trial was over, the courthouse was on complete lockdown due to the repeated attempts on Hopps’ life. It was for the best, since he would be leaving Neveen at the mercy of the ZPD’s competence for a short time.
The shadowy rabbit turned his gaze outward and did something he rarely did; he raised his ears to listen to the sounds of the city. With the racket of the reporters talking to their cameras and the ZPD officers shouting at energetic citizens demanding entry into the courthouse, he needed to move across the rooftop almost across the entire length of the eastern side of the building before he heard something. A distinct sound of metal on metal. Not something most mammals would have been able to hear over the noise, especially since they were not trying to find it. But he had a location now as he looked across the street behind the courthouse and saw a vehicle identical to the one Nicholas had been using to drive Hopps around in.
It didn’t take him long to slide down a windowless gap in the wall, using the deeper shadows cast by the building to dash across the street, and scale the wall above the alley where the sounds of metal striking metal increased. With it came the occasional sound of masculine grunts, the sounds of deep breathing, and the scent of blood, all of which reached a zenith when he stepped onto the high ledge overlooking the alley and gazed down.
A quick assessment of the situation told him most of the story from above.
First, he took note of the five wolves, known in some circles as the Foxhounds. One was on the ground motionless, two were standing at one entrance to the alley, watching the other two who were currently playing a game of distance with the fox that stood against the two of them. Both wolves, one grey and one write, wielded swords against the fox that was longer than the baton that was Nick’s weapon of choice. This, Jack noticed instantly from this angle, made his already clear size disadvantage even more crippling as it increased the superior reach the two larger wolves had.
Even as the buck watched, the smaller predator was driven back a short distance as a failed attempt to move in low against the two males was met with a quick slice of the white wolf’s sword. But it was when the two wolves tried to press their brief advantage that it became clear that they didn’t really have an advantage. The grey moved forward, intent on countering the retreating fox with an overhead lunge, only to almost have his forward momentum met with a swift uppercut counterblow by the fox. The only thing that saved him from taking the blow was the white male, who managed to deflect the baton with his own sword just as it came close to the other’s muzzle. They then moved back a few steps, back to where they had started, as Nick stood to his full height and stood unmoving.
This act repeated itself a few times as Jack watched, his eyes narrowing as his paw moved to the hilt of the dagger at his back. He had no intention of interfering unless he absolutely had to in order to save the Todd’s life, but as he watched the fighting continue, he could see that something was off. He knew what it was, of course. In his brief engagement with Nick days before, the fox had moved much faster than he was moving now.
But more than that, the fox had adapted to counter even his speed, landing the first painful blow that Jack had felt in years. And from every recording he had seen of Nick’s fights, the fox seemed almost sluggish. He seemed to be making the same moves, the same mistakes more than once only to be driven back by the wolves again. And again, they pressed the attack, only to be driven back themselves. From where he was, he saw at least five openings where the fox could have moved in further than he had, landing a fatal blow easily.
In a way, it was as thrilling as it was confusing. He had not been so interested in the methods of another fighter for a very long time. Generally, he found weaknesses as quickly as the enemy exposed them, but the weakness he believed he had found in this one had proven to be a feint that had exposed his own vulnerability. A vulnerability that he had worked to correct since that night. But as he continued to watch, there was something different in the way Nick struck out when the white wolf this time exposed himself. It was almost like he wasn’t trying to finish it as quickly as he could. That idea was dismissed, however. Even if he was attempting to wear down the wolves, there were still two waiting at the other end of the alley.
The fox moved in quickly again, ducking low and bringing his baton around in a broad upward sweep that had one wolf deflecting with his sword and the other wolf counter-attacking. It was the third time he had attempted this, with the only difference being the method of the counterattack, and the deliberateness had the shadow watching from above looking for the reason. The reason Nick was holding back, and the reason he kept doing the same thing repeatedly when it was obvious that it was going to fail.
Jack felt something akin to annoyance, causing his nose to twitch once when Nick lowered himself into a combat stance again and moved forward. The Todd darted forward, dropped low, swept his baton upward in an uppercut motion, and was predictably blocked. The grey wolf pressed the attack, moving into the gap created by Nick’s retreat with his sword already in mid-swing. Jack’s muscles tensed and his paw tightened on his dagger when Nick was too slow avoiding the blow, the blade swiftly dropping into his chest.
Thwipcrack.
The new sound was so out of place, Jack didn’t know where it had come from until the blade that should have been lodged in the fox’s chest came to a stop before reaching its mark, tumbling from the grip of the wolf. An almost comical pause followed, enough time for the blade to strike the ground before Nick was set into motion again, moving with the speed Jack had expected to see to begin with.
But even as the wounded wolf howled in agony and clutched his broken paw, the fox was moving past him towards the unwounded wolf. Wounded or not, it didn’t matter. The orange fur was almost a blur as the fox closed the distance and swung his baton. The larger assassin, surprised but using the length of his sword to his advantage, prepared to counter. Even Jack half believed that the counter would succeed again, only to lean forward when the wolf let out a startled yelp of pain when the baton, now more than a foot longer than it had been before, smacked across his muzzle. When that muzzle yanked to the side, the exposed neck was met with another blow from the baton, resulting in another sword striking the pavement, followed swiftly by the wolf himself.
Even as the body hit the asphalt, the black wolf growled low in his throat and motioned for the wolf beside him to join the fight.
“You worthless mutts! If I am the one to fulfill this contract, none of you are getting your percentage!” he snarled through clenched teeth, as the final of his subordinates charged into the fray.
Jack was perplexed when the Todd, walking backward, simply passed by the wolf whose paw he had broken without finishing him. Even as he walked past, the white wolf was reaching for his sword with his off-hand, a pained snarl on his muzzle as he drew himself up just as the other wolf dashed past him. The newcomer slashed his sword forward, but rather than dodge as he had been doing, Nick met him head-on with the baton brandished like a sword.
And suddenly, it was like watching an entirely different fox fight. Now the baton had become as effective as the sword, and Nick wielded it very much like one. Jack had seen this type of baton fighting before, had trained and fought against it, but even skilled assassins like the wolves below were hard-pressed to adjust to the sudden shift in combat tactics. The Todd wielded the baton in one paw with every bit as much skill as the wolves had their swords. Quick, sweeping strikes and strong guards prevented the wolves from getting close to him in much the same way they had kept him from getting close to them. It didn’t take the wolves long to adjust to the change, even if it was obvious that they were being more careful.
But it was just as they started to move in unison to counter the swordplay that the field was changed again. As the wounded wolf clashed his sword with Nick, the baton very suddenly and forcefully shrank again, causing the wolf’s balance to hesitate. That hesitation was more than enough for the fox to revert to his former quick, low method of attack, to much greater effect this time. Jack was familiar with the move - and his ribs with the feeling - as the fox dropped under the larger predator’s guard and drove the blunt tip of the baton into his chest with the full weight of his body. Because the wolf was larger and his body broader, the blow clearly wasn’t intended to be fatal, but the wolf still dropped to his knees hard with his paw clutching his chest as he drew in ragged, desperate, and shallow breaths. There was no fight left in him when the fox placed his paw on his shoulder and shoved him sideways, letting him crumble and roll onto his back as he tried to gasp in enough oxygen to remain conscious.
“Enough!”
The final wolf, who had been ready to press his own attack while Nick was distracted, paused where he was when the Alpha of the Foxhounds stepped forward. The expression on his face and in the set of his muzzle was nothing short of insulted rage as he walked towards the last standing member of his team, drawing his sword as he went.
“Give me your sword,” the black wolf demanded, holding his paw towards the other.
There was a moment of hesitation, as anyone would have when told to hand over their weapon in the middle of combat, but it was brief before the smaller wolf lowered his ears and turned his blade to offer the hilt to his Alpha with a slight bow. The Alpha was not as courteous when he snatched the blade away, so quickly that Jack was certain the other wolf had a cut on his paw-pad. He showed no sign of it, however, as he backed away from the enraged wolf with his ears kept low and his tail very nearly tucked between his legs.
Nick, from Jack’s perspective, had not moved a muscle. While he couldn’t see the Todd’s expression, he imagined it was either hard and focused… Or smugly amused that he had dragged the Alpha into the fight before all his pack was down.
“You’re not Yūrei,” the black wolf growled low as he faced the smaller predator. Jack resisted the urge to perk his ears as someone else mistook Nicolas for him. An interestingly common error, it seemed, but one that only worked in Neveen’s favor. “If you were, you wouldn’t be showing mercy.”
“I never claimed to be,” Nick replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly, a motion that seemed casually bored to the point of insulting.
This only served to cause the Alpha’s fur to bristle as his lips pulled back in a snarl as he adjusted his stance, brandishing both swords, with one held at a high angle with the other low.
“Then I will make you one, so then you can tell the real Yūrei that I’m coming for him next.”
2019-12-01 22:17:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for the delay, folks. We're back on track! Thanks for sticking with us. :)
2019-11-18 21:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostHello, dear Patreons! I know we have been generally quiet, but have no fear. Things are in the works, as always. :) The delay was my fault, as work and school conspired to slow my working on the chapter. But I will aspire to increase the pace again for future updates.
However, the first part of Chapter 29 has been written and is currently being sketched! This means there will be an update sometime in the near future. A teaser will appear soon!
Thank you for your patronage and your patience with us. :)
“You never know if a case is won, until the judgement has been passed and the gavel falls. So, no matter how well you think things are going, always push forward. Always give that one piece of evidence; call the unneeded witness; present one more fact. Do this until you see in the eyes of everyone in the courtroom that you’ve won.”
“And then push a little more.”
The elderly elk stag that sat in the witness box now had given his testimony, for all intents. The forensic evidence was dry, as she had known it would be, but it was important for the appeal. The forensic results themselves were important, but only so much as it led to a certain conclusion when looked at beyond what it corroborated from the police report.
“In the autopsy report, it states that the cause of death was a single stab wound that pierced the heart. How often are you asked for your personal opinion, Doctor Pricket?” she asked, standing in the middle of the court with a manila folder open in her paws. “Excuse me, let me rephrase that. How often are you asked to remember your past experiences as a witness?”
“Quite often,” was the curt reply, a tone that he had kept through the entire questioning. Not out of rudeness, she knew. He had been a very cooperative witness, he was simply a mammal used to giving nothing but the facts when on the stand.
“Then let me ask you just a few more questions, if I could,” she said, stepping up the set of stairs that allowed her access to the witness on the stand. Once in front of the larger mammal, she opened the file that showed his own report beside an image of the stab wound in the otter’s chest. “Does this look like a wound made out of anger?”
“I’m not a criminal psychologist, so I wouldn’t be able to make that determination,” he replied, obviously dodging the question.
“I’m not asking for a psychological evaluation of the attacker, Doctor,” she said, putting on a smile for a moment before she tapped the photo. “We’ve both seen crimes of passion and rage. Is that what you see here?”
There was a pause, during which the doctor lowered his eyes to the photo again with all of the dispassion one would have expected from someone who had seem more death than most mammals could understand or ever want to see in a lifetime. His brows furrowed for a moment, before he shook his head in the negative.
“No, that’s not what I see here.”
“Can you explain why?” she asked, feeling that tiny thrill she always got when a witness followed her line of questioning.
“There is no additional damage beyond the stab wound itself,” he replied, and when she kept her eyes on him as if waiting for more, he took the hint and continued. “Usually in a crime that comes from anger, it’s a surprise. The victim will often fall into the attacker, or struggle with them. This causes additional lacerations, as the knife moves within the wound. Most wouldn’t notice this because on the outside - the damage is minor - but, on the inside, it is often more significant.”
“So, in your expert opinion, there was no noticeable additional physical trauma that one would normally see in a case of rage or passion?”
“That is correct,” he confirmed, giving another of his short nods to affirm the statement.
“So, how would you hypothesize a wound like this was created?” she asked, keeping the folder open for him to take another look if it was needed. It was not needed, as he didn’t bother to give the evidence another look before he replied.
“This kind of wound would seem to suggest that the murderer stabbed the victim once, and immediately withdrew the knife.”
“I’ve seen the public transcripts of the previous trial,” she said as she closed the folder and made her way down the stairs again, towards the table where Otterton sat watching. She could see, for the first time since it had all started, that he was really paying attention now. She understood. He wasn’t just going to be satisfied if he was cleared of the crime. He was going to want to know who had really done it, and why. She set the folder on the desk as she turned back to the witness box. “This never came to light. Can you explain why?”
“I was never asked,” he said simply, which sparked as series of short lived murmurs from the court, murmurs that quickly died down when the Chief Justice banged her gavel in a call for silence.
“I just have two more questions for you, if you don’t mind,” she continued, doing her best to look apologetic. It never hurt to be on the good side of the witness, after all. “First: in an attack like that, where the knife is plunged into the heart between two ribs without any extra external or internal damage, only to be withdrawn quickly, would you say that the intention was purely to kill?”
“In the scenario you describe, the quickest way to kill the victim would have been to withdraw the knife, yes,” was his reply, and she was pleased when he continued of his own accord. “Not all wounds to the heart are fatal, most often in cases where the object that has penetrated the heart is not removed. This restricts the flow of blood and slows the rate at which the victim would bleed. By removing the blade after the heart was damaged, the flow of blood was not restricted, and the victim had maybe a few seconds before loss of consciousness and less than a minute before death.”
His giving data of that sort without prompted told her that he was either feeling that he was actually getting to do his job in this case, or he was feeling that the case itself had more merit this time. She had to restrain her desire to press him further, because his testimony to this point had been on point.
“I see. And my second question,” she began, waving one paw towards Mr. Otterton as she stepped aside to let the witness see the accused. “In your expert opinion, would someone with no history of violence of any kind be able to inflict the wound described so cleanly?”
“In my line of work, you learn that anything is possible,” was his reply, though before she could press the question further, he continued on his own. “However, given all of the factors, it is extremely unlikely.”
And that would have to be good enough, though given the softer buzz from the gallery it may well have had the effect she was looking for.
“Thank you, Doctor Pricket. You’ve managed to clear up quite a bit,” she said, giving him a courteous nod before she turned her eyes up to Bellwether. “I have nothing further for this witness, Your Honor.”
“Very well,” the sheep in black robes replied, looking down at the fox behind the prosecution desk. “Your witness.”
“No questions for this witness, Your Honor,” the fox said, half rising from his chair with a brief, nervous nod of his head before he dropped down into the seat again.
This caused Judy to frown slightly as she looked over at her counterpart even as the Chief Justice rose one eyebrow over the rim of her glasses. The lack of an opening statement had been surprising in itself, but no cross examination of such an important witness was extremely odd in a case like this. Bellwether clearly thought the same as she folded her hooves in front of her and leaned forward slightly while looking down at the fox.
“Do you intend to sit there and watch as you lose this case, Mr. Corsac?”
“Oh! No, of course not, Your Honor,” he said, fully rising from his seat this time with his ears pinned back against his skull. Judy quickly got the impression that he was fresh out of law school, given how quick he was to snap to attention and his obvious lack of experience. Either that, or he was waiting for the right moment to strike. “I just have no questions for this witness.”
“I understand,” she said, clearly not convinced. And she then showed how unconvinced she was when she continued, “But I need you to understand, Mr. Corsac, that you are expected to do your job in this courtroom. Everything in a courtroom has a place, and your place now is to act as State Prosecutor. If you cannot do that, you will either step down or I will see to it that the Review Board carefully examines your future in law. Are we clear?”
“Of course, Your Honor,” he said, looking a little white around the nose and the insides of his ears as he was dismissed. Judy tried her best not to feel pity for the male as he dropped down into his seat again with slumped shoulders, looking as if he simply wanted to vanish in that moment. She knew that feeling, herself, after being rebuked by a judge or two.
Much less the Chief Justice of Zootopia.
“Thank you, Doctor Pricket, you may step down,” the sheep said, giving the male a nod as he excused himself from the witness stand with the same self-assured regality with which he had taken it. “Defense, you may call your next witness.”
“I would like to call a character witness, Your Honor,” Judy replied, receiving a curt nod in acceptance of that as she walked over to the witness stand. “In accordance with the Advanced Technology Act, Article Thirty, Paragraph Sixteen, this witness has agreed to appear via holographic imaging since he was unable to appear in court in person.”
“Accepted,” Bellwether replied, looking down at the terminal interface installed in her bench for a moment, sliding her hoof over the screen until the name of the witness came into view. From where she stood Judy could have sworn, for just a moment, that the stern face of the Chief Justice softened just a bit before the court’s holographic system hummed to life.
“I call Mayor Leodore Lionheart to the stand,” Judy said, as the faintly glowing image of the large lion in the witness box, wearing his ever present, neatly pressed suit and a smile that never seemed to fade when he was in the public eye.
“Am I on?” he asked immediately, turning his eyes around the courtroom for a moment before they settled on the Chief Justice. His often perceived as fake smile softened, at least in Judy’s eyes, for a moment before he turned to look forward until his gaze rested on Judy. “Ah, Miss Hopps! It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Mayor Lionheart,” Bellwether interrupted, her tone as terse and controlled as it had been since the trial had started, “I appreciate you taking the time to appear in court, but I will remind you that you are now in court and must behave accordingly.”
“Of course,” he said instantly, not losing the amiable tone to his voice though he the twitch of his holographic ears showed that he was properly chastened. It was enough to make Judy produce an actual smile as she moved towards the witness stand as the bailiff swore the lion in.
“Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or face charges of perjury under the laws of Zootopia?”
“I do, of course,” Lionheart replied, sitting down once he was sworn in. Of course, he was really sitting in a chair in his own office in City Hall, but how closely it leveled out with the chair in the witness box was almost hauntingly accurate.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, too, Mr. Mayor,” Judy began, gaining a broad muzzled grin from the lion in reply to the simple pleasantry. “You know the accused, Emmett Otterton?”
“I met with him on one occasion, yes, though I knew who he was before that meeting took place.”
“And what was the subject of that meeting?”
“He wanted to discuss ways to improve species relations within Zootopia,” he replied, in what was perhaps the most professional tone she had ever heard from the boisterous, energetic, photo-op addicted male. “Specifically, relations between predator and prey.”
“Having spoken with Mr. Otterton himself, it was a little more focused than that,” Judy stated, walking back to the defense table and picking up a piece of paper. “His statement was that the primary subject of the conversation was the reunification of bunnies into Zootopia. Is that correct?”
“Ah,” the lion began, pausing for a moment as his brow wrinkled in thought. “Yes, yes I believe that’s right. He believed that relations between all predators and prey in Zootopia were strained because of the Bunny Ban Act, with the broad idea that some prey species with high populations might begin to wonder if they were next.”
“And what were your impressions of Mr. Otterton during this meeting?”
“He was very passionate about the idea,” he replied, eyes of reflected light shifting to the chained otter at the defense table for a moment before return to the bunny. “He had ideas. A lot of ideas, about how it could be introduced to the Council. Everything from a grand, instant reunification to a gradual work program that would allow those from the Commonwealth to enter the city over time and become citizens again.”
“Did he ever mention violence as an option?” she asked bluntly, watching as the lion’s ears twitched in surprise.
“No, of course not,” he replied, keeping the answer short since he had clearly not been expecting the question.
“At any time during the meeting,” she said as she walked the space between the defense table and the witness box, “was there even a small moment where you believed that Mr. Otterton was capable of using violence to get what he wanted?”
“Violence of any kind never came into the conversation at all.”
“Did the subject of Mrs. Otterton come up?”
“Well, yes,” he replied, folding his paws together in front of his chest as he seemed to lean back in the witness box to get more comfortable. No one seemed to notice that the back of the witness box passed through his chest as he did this. “General conversation, you know. Pleasantries: I hear you’re married, how is your wife, and things of that nature.”
“If you could tell us what your impression was?”
“He smiled when he answered the question. His whiskers twitched too, embarrassed I think.” The lion paused for a moment, seeming to consider before he elaborated. “I think I intimidated him at first, and the questions caught him by surprise.”
“Did anything in his reply hint at anger or distrust towards his wife?”
“Not that I noticed, no.”
“Do you think Emmett Otterton killed his wife?” she asked, causing the lion’s ears to drop back. No one was more surprised that her when she heard the voice coming from behind her.
“Uh… Objection, your honor,” said the fox as he rose from his seat and held up one paw. He looked almost frightened to have objected, like a school kid raising their hand to ask a hard question in class. “Mayor Lionheart did not take part in the trial that convicted the defendant, nor is he an expert in criminal law. So, his answer would be irrelevant.”
“Objection sustained,” Bellwether replied instantly, turning her eyes to Lionheart. “You will disregard that question, Mr. Mayor.”
She had not really expected the objection, though it did show that the prosecution was at least paying attention to the trial. But it did not deter her from the line of questioning, only changed the way she approached it.
“You said you knew of Mr. Otterton before the meeting took place, is that correct?” she began again.
“Yes,” he replied, his ears up again and his posture straighter now. “A lot of the mammals in Zootopia knew who Mr. Otterton was before the unpleasantness. It was one of the reasons I agreed to meet with him personally.”
“What did you know of him?”
“Well,” he began, taking a breath as he thought about his reply, “as the subject of the meeting would suggest, he was a well-known advocate for peaceful relations between species. He worked for various non-profit charities, volunteered his time to help the needy, spoke about the idea of peaceful protest. He grew so prolific over the years that he gained backing from various groups whose goals coincided with his own.”
“Would you say that everyone liked him?” she asked, stopping close to the witness box and looking up at the holographic Mayor.
“I would like to believe that most liked him,” he replied, though that obviously wasn’t the end of his answer as he shifted in his seat slightly. “But no one is loved by everyone.”
“There were, in fact,” Judy said, walking back to her side of the court and producing a folder which she held up towards the lion, “multiple groups that didn’t like Mr. Otterton at all. Open opposition, entire groups of mammals that spoke out against his pacifist methods, even death threats in response to his ideas about reunification. Someone even tried to fake a love child with a previously unknown female, who mysteriously disappeared shortly after the rumors were proven untrue. Did you know about those?”
“I was aware, yes.”
“And through all of that, did he ever change his ideals? Did he ever,” she said, waving the folder in front of her in a slow circle to emphasis her next words, “lash out? Try to incite violence against these groups? Approve of those who did?”
“I’ve never heard of him doing anything of the sort, no.”
“So, knowing all of this, that he remained a mammal of peace even under threats and defamation,” she said, placing the folder on the desk again before she turned to the witness and rephrased her previous question, “do you believe that Emmett Otterton was capable of murder?”
This time, there was no objection to the question. Sometimes, it was all about how things were presented. She had jumped the gun with the blunt question before but had used that mistake to set the stage for a return to what would be the most important answer Mayor Lionheart would give in this trial.
“No, I don’t,” was the answer he gave, his face stern and his voice certain as he gave it.
“Thank you for your time, Mayor Lionheart,” she said, feeling a little giddy for a moment as she gave him a small smile as she returned to her seat beside the otter. “I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions today. I have no further questions, Your Honor.”
The Chief Justice gave a small nod of her head as she turned her eyes towards the fox, one brow quirking above her glasses again as she leveled a gaze at him.
“Prosecution, your witness.”
2019-09-30 18:30:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Been three years since we started as of two days ago. Thank you all for your past support and continued support as we continue to move forward! This would have been much harder without all of your comments, patronage, and little "Like" hearts. :D
Kulkum and Weaver
No cameras had been allowed into the courtroom, something that Judy had known before the trial had started. It had been a decision by the Chief Justice, to prevent what she described as the media circus outside from coming into the courtroom. Fairness in the ruling demanded that the people of Zootopia not be involved in the case directly since public opinion had long ago turned in favor of the innocence of Mr. Otterton. As a lawyer, she had faced public scrutiny before, though, in her defense of Gideon Grey, the opinion of those in the Commonwealth and Bunnyburrow had been far less kindly towards the predator. This also Judy understood, making it easier when she rose from her seat next to the otter and made her way towards the front of the courtroom. Made it easier, but no less vital. No matter the opinion of the population, what was important to her was getting to the truth and from what she had gathered, she had enough of the truth to do what needed to be done here, today.
The rest of the truth? Well, that could come later.
“Your Honor,” she began after drawing in a slow, deep breath while facing the bench, then turned to face the courtroom, “mammals of Zootopia. I know that the case of the murder of Mrs. Otterton galvanized the city, not only because of the unexpected nature of the victim – a well-liked member of her community, free with her kindness and good nature with anyone who came into contact with her – but also because of the mammal accused of killing her. According to everyone who knew them personally, Emmitt Otterton was nothing if not a devoted, loving husband. I won’t go into details about that, because you will be hearing testimony and reports from their friends and family later today, but suffice it to say that his accusation, arrest, and shotgun trial sent shockwaves through all of Zootopia. The shock of it stretched so far that it reached The Common Wealth, and even there – outside of the reach of Zootopian law – there were protests and petitions flying around about the injustice of what happened that day. The end of two innocent lives: one in cold blood, with violence, and one through a brutal manipulation of the system to imprison one otter.
“The reasons behind this? I will not go into detail about today. Not because I think it is unimportant, but because it is not the reason we are here. Why I am here, at this moment, is to give to this court the reasonable doubt that was so obviously ignored in the rush to sweep the murder and Mr. Otterton himself under the rug and out of the public eye.”
She paused for a moment, just long enough to take a breath before sweeping one arm towards the otter who watched her with a calm expression and tired eyes.
“What I am going to prove to you is three things. First: I will bring to light the character of the male that was so easily tried and convicted of murder. I will show this court why many, including myself, believe that he is incapable of such a crime against someone he loved very much. Second: that Emmitt Otterton was physically incapable of the murder, both in the precise way it was carried out and because of his location at the time of the murder. And last, perhaps most important: I will show how the investigation into the murder was carried out with something other than the truth in mind, leading to a court case that could only be called an attack on justice.
“With these three things alone,” she continued while holding up three fingers as she paced over the floor in front of the prosecution’s table, feeling nausea and worry of being in front of so many mammals vanish as she felt herself falling into the role she had found she was best at, “I could easily bring reasonable doubt into the case. I believe this would be more than enough to prove that something in the justice system of Zootopia went wrong and set an innocent otter free. But like many, I will not be content to just take a token victory. So, I have evidence proving that the statements of one of the arresting officers was a lie.”
These words caused a startled murmur to pass through those seated behind Otterton, who himself sat up a little straighter in his seat as he met her gaze with a soft nod. Her gaze then passed behind him, to Neveen, who had a small smile playing over her lips though she didn’t seem nearly as surprised as those around her. The murmuring lasted long enough that Chief Justice Bellwether banged her gavel twice sharply.
“Order,” she demanded, then banged again and repeated her call for order before the murmuring finally died down. Once quiet had returned, she fixed her gaze on Judy with a sharp sort of warning. “I do not allow hearsay in my courtroom, Miss Hopps. I expect this evidence to be compelling at the very least.”
“I would not have brought it to the attention of the court otherwise, Your Honor,” Judy replied, giving a slight incline of her head while keeping her ears high. This certainty seemed to both intrigue and mollify the sheep, who gave a short nod in reply before waving for her to continue even as Judy made her way back towards her seat at the defense table. “By the end of the day, my hope is to see this otter walk out of this courtroom, knowing that he is the free mammal he always should have been. Also, I hope to see the case of the murder of Mrs. Otterton reopened and investigated with open eyes and with the intent of finding real justice. While we cannot undo the damage that has been done, we can at least see that it stops here and make mammals everywhere see that justice still has meaning. Thank you, Your Honor.”
“Good,” the Chief Justice replied, turning her gaze from Judy to the fox who sat behind the prosecution’s desk. To Judy, it seemed for a moment that her eyes focused on the fact that there was not a single mammal sitting on that side of the isle, before she spoke. “Prosecution, would you like to make an opening statement?”
“Uh,” the fox said, hastily getting to his feet with his paws resting flat against the table. He glanced towards Judy with no real animosity in his eyes, before that gaze flicked behind the bunny for a moment. While she didn’t dare turn herself to confirm that he had looked at The Administrator with that glance, she was almost certain that he had - even as he just as quickly returned his attention to the front of the courtroom. “No, your honor. I have nothing to add.”
“Very well,” Bellwether said, pushing her glasses up with one finger as the fox returned to his seat without further comment. It seemed to Judy that Bellwether was either not surprised by his lack of a statement or was hiding it very well. And while this, the lack of an opening statement, and the glance towards Neveen had all been unusual occurrences, she didn’t have time to dwell on that fact when Bellwether spoke again.
“Miss Hopps, you may call your first witness.”
_______________________
They sent a single wolf first.
It wasn’t unexpected. While they had no doubt been honest about having watched him, studied how he fought, they had never directly faced him before. With the space restricted by the walls of the alley and their understanding that anyone who tried to get past him would leave themselves vulnerable, he had known that they would not be charging him all at once either way. To do so would have allowed him, as the smaller mammal, to sow chaos by directing their limited attack ranges towards each other in the shuffle of limbs. Whether they would have followed this tactic without the guidance of the Alpha in their ranks? He had no way of knowing. So, instead, he took the advantage he was given, keeping his baton lowered at his side as green eyes focused on the grey wolf moving towards him. The others remained where they were, but two of them were tense and obviously ready to strike if the upper hand was gained. Likely, they hoped to prevent a death blow from being delivered. It was worth considering.
“Never really thought I would have the chance to fight you,” the wolf said as the distance between them closed, his sword drawn, hilt held close to his chest by both paws with the tip of the straight blade pointed towards the fox. His stance moved towards one wall of the alley, which Nick saw immediately as an attempt to start the typical circling method of sizing up each other. It was a move that the fox refused, keeping his own stance forward-facing and relaxed as he moved in a way that mirrored the wolf’s.
“You’re going to be disappointed in the end,” he replied simply, judging from the light steps but firmly planted feet and spaced legs that the other predator wasn’t a weekend warrior with his weapon.
“I somehow doubt it,” was the reply, his lips curled in a silent snarl. Nick couldn’t decide if the snarl was because the attempt to get him to expose his back had failed, or simply an intimidation tactic to make him think a strike was coming. “We were all surprised when you exposed yourself to protect a bunny.”
“Which is one reason you’re going to be disappointed,” Nick replied calmly, drawing in a slow breath as he kept his eyes focused on those of his opponent. “I am not who you all seem to think I am. But because it seems to be a common mistake, I’ll let it slide this time.”
The other male’s expression never changed, never wavered. He didn’t even blink as he started to move towards the fox again. But his ear did flick, stayed back for a moment too long, telling Nick that the words were being considered. And that he used as an opening to strike. Dropping his stance, he took two steps towards the wolf before he launched himself forward, his baton drawn up to cross his chest as he saw the larger mammal’s arms tense and the sword flinch upward a fraction of an inch in response. Using the tiny opening, he dropped to one knee and twisted his body into a sweeping strike that would have his foot and then baton both striking low on the wolf. That was his plan, at any rate. However, his foot made no contact with the intended target when the wolf shifted his foot back half a pace and when he struck out with the baton, it struck the blade of the sword with a resounding echo of metal on metal.
When he found himself facing the gray-furred predator, the speed of the other male caught him completely off guard. The sword easily batting aside the baton and the arm holding it swung upward in a quick strike that would not have been fatal if it had connected but would have been more than enough to wound had he not yanked his head back just in time. He felt the lethal whisper of air against the tip of his nose as it passed, but had no time to dwell on it when the fluid strike came around in a half-moon motion that had the blade slicing much closer to his chest that he would have liked. Much, much closer, he realized when he felt half of his tie flutter down his thigh and hit the ground even as he backstepped further away from his opponent. He wasn’t unaware of the appreciative murmurs from the rest of the pack as he put some space between them when he was not pursued. Eyes narrowed when he came to a stop, assessing that he had not been cut by the blade even if the front of his shirt at chest level had been cut through like paper. A moment’s pause made him roll his neck over his shoulders when he realized that he had miscalculated their intention, as they had known he would.
They had not sent him one of their ranks as a sacrifice to see how he performed: they had sent him a master of individual combat.
So, playing it as if he was slower than he really was from the start was not going to be as effective as he had hoped it would be. Growling slightly, he kept his eyes firmly on the wolf as he rolled his shoulders, shrugging out of the jacket and letting it drop to the ground behind him. Then he gripped the front of his shirt with both paws and tore it open, putting a scowl on his muzzle as he took a moment to unbutton the cuffs without dropping his baton. Once the shirt too was discarded, he moved towards the wolf again with the scowl still in place.
This time when the two met, Nick had no intention of feinting in an attempt for a quick end to the fight. The quick double-handed forward jab from the wolf was met with the baton, deflecting the attack as he double-stepped closer in an attempt to close the distance. He was forced to fall back again when the wolf, rather than being unbalanced by the deflection, swept the sword around with a graceful underhand sweep that forced him to drop his baton lower to defend and take one step back to lower the power of the blow as he felt it vibrate through his paw when the two weapons connected. The wolf was using his size and the greater length of the sword to his full advantage; using long, penetrating strikes to drive him back every time he managed to even begin to close the distance. Combined with higher strength to go with the size and training, Nick was hard-pressed to find an opening that he could use. At the same time, he realized that he was facing mostly deflection and counterstrikes as the larger male made use of the length advantage to keep the distance between them. This proved that they had been watching him because larger predators were always easier to take down once he was able to close the distance. He attempted to defeat this distance, placing both paws on either end of the baton as he drove himself forward, hoping to slip past the blade of the sword and into striking range. The effort was wasted, and painful. The assassin, seeing the intention of the attack, backstepped quickly and slid his sword harmlessly to the side in a way that took all of Nick’s force with it and carried his arm into an overreach that allowed the larger male to slide the blade neatly over his shoulder just as he managed to regain control of himself. Even as he did, the bright flare of pain when the butt of the sword was driven into his muzzle had him stumbling back more steps than would have been necessary to put some distance between them again.
The secondary pain from his arm was slow coming, as was the blood over the dull throbbing in his face. Both came at the same moment as his body seemed to understand that he had been cut, the aching burn combined with the feeling of a lazy but noticeable trickle of blood down his arm. With a throaty snarl of frustration, fury blazing in his eyes, the fox dropped to all fours and charged the wolf at full speed and with the intent of finally closing the distance even if that meant taking another blow in the process. The wolf dropped into a ready stance, lower to the ground to compensate for the lower stance of his opponent. As he reached striking distance, Nick saw the tip of the blade tip a fraction, the balance of the weapon readied for a low sweeping strike. That balance was why he was able to press off the ground with one leg, launching himself just high enough to get over the tip and slap his baton onto the blade. Then with the leg that was already raised, since he had not used it in the leap, he drove his foot down onto the baton and the blade at the same moment with enough momentum to strip the handle from the wolf’s paw.
He saw the moment when the wolf realized he was done, his ears dropping and his eyes just starting to widen even as that same step was used to push the fox from the ground again and up enough to bring a flying reverse crescent kick slamming into the side of the larger male’s neck. The strike landed exactly where he needed it to and, even as he found his feet again, he saw the bulk of the wolf start to crumble to the ground as the strength left his body. Whether it was to be sure that the predator stayed down or to let the rest of the pack see clearly what had just happened, Nick lashed out with one paw before the male had fallen halfway, the flat of his palm thudding against the side of the wolf’s head. The effect was the same, whatever the case, as the limp muzzle snapped to the side before continuing to the floor of the alley where he lay, unconscious.
Panting slightly, he drew himself away from his fallen opponent and stepped back towards his baton and the sword as he settled his eyes on the remaining wolves. The alpha, watching with a keen eye and seeming indifference on his muzzle, met his gaze for a long moment. They did not interfere as he calmly lowered himself to one knee to pick up the baton, though there was a moment of tension in the white wolf when he picked up the sword as well before drawing himself to his feet. A slight pause as he checked the balance, the weight, and the size of the weapon overall before he released a slow sigh. Too heavy. With a sigh, he drew his arm back and tossed the sword easily so that it stuck in the ground at the feet of the lead wolf.
With a slight nod to the white wolf and another grey, the alpha obliged him as the two drew their swords and charged forward for a far more aggressive assault.
2019-08-16 20:18:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for all of your support, guys!
Update in the very near future.
