The walkie-talkie erupted into pandemonium, panicked shouts, desperate questions, and fractured commands layering over each other in a chaotic mess.
Then, cutting through the noise, came Finn’s voice.
“Everyone, assemble at the main gate!” After that, the walkie-talkie went dead.
York’s face darkened.
He slumped against the doorframe and sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands.
He looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“Dammit!
Why does this always happen to me?!” Even he wasn’t dense enough to miss what was going on.
The Lindvilles had enemies, and those enemies had just stormed the estate.
If they were bold enough to start killing right out of the gate, that meant they were prepared for an all-out war, no negotiation, no mercy.
Now came the real question.
Should he head to the front gate and join the fight?
Or should he cut his losses and vanish into the night?
York didn’t hesitate.
He chose the latter.
Five hundred bucks was not worth dying for.
He felt a surge of relief that he’d been assigned to such a remote post.
At least the attackers didn’t seem interested in breaching from this side.
He cast one last look at the Lindville estate, now blazing with lights as the alarm blared across the grounds.
Then he casually tossed the walkie-talkie aside and plunged headfirst into the dark forest.
—— Meanwhile, at the main gate of the Lindville estate.
Four armored vehicles flanked a sleek black sedan, parked just thirty meters from the entrance.
The sedan alone probably cost more than most of the guards would earn in a lifetime.
The estate’s defenders had received advance warning.
They were already in position behind makeshift barricades, weapons trained on the approaching threat, bracing for a final stand.
“Fire!” The command cut through the tense air.
A volley of bullets tore toward the intruders, hammering against the armored vehicles with sharp, metallic pings.
Sparks showered the ground in brilliant bursts.
But without heavy weaponry, the guards couldn’t even scratch the armor plating.
The gunfire sputtered and died.
Then, the back doors of the armored vehicles slammed open.
A squad of heavily armed Wolves poured out, moving with practiced precision.
They advanced in formation, using the vehicles and their own riot shields as cover while methodically picking off the guards stationed outside the gate.
A few guards tried to return fire, but the moment they so much as peeked out from behind cover, they were instantly painted by a swarm of red laser sights.
The survivors broke.
They turned and ran, but the Wolves had no intention of letting anyone escape.
In less than a minute, the area was cleared.
The strike force pressed forward, boots crunching over spent casings and broken glass.
The door of the black sedan swung open, and a young, elegant she-wolf stepped out.
If York were there, he would have broken into a cold sweat the moment he saw her face.
Because this she-wolf was none other than Catherine.
Skipping the front gate was the best decision York had ever made.
Catherine touched her earpiece, her voice flat and emotionless, but the words she spoke sent a chill through anyone listening.
“Leave the elderly and children.
Kill everyone else.” This was a wolf’s revenge.
Cold, Absolute and merciless.
—— York sprinted through the pitch-black forest, branches whipping at his face and roots threatening to trip him at every turn.
Before long, he realized something was wrong.
He was lost.
Completely, hopelessly lost.
With no moonlight to guide him and unfamiliar terrain stretching in every direction, it wasn’t exactly surprising.
At first, he tried marking his path and pushing forward in a straight line, hoping to at least break out of the treeline.
But after what felt like an eternity of circling, he made a depressing discovery: he was right back where he started.
“Seriously?!
How the hell did I run into a ghost trap in the middle of a damn forest?!” York was starting to suspect someone had set him up.
But that was paranoia talking…
Probably.
Still, he didn’t give up.
He kept marking his trail and pressing onward.
He pushed aside a thick curtain of bushes and was halfway through when he froze mid-step.
Through the faint moonlight filtering through the canopy, he saw Finn supporting an elderly, hunched-over Sloth as they moved through the woods.
This was the last scene York ever wanted to witness, caught red-handed by his employer while trying to flee.
Awkward didn’t even begin to cover it.
He instinctively tried to duck back into the shadows, but it was already too late.
“Who’s there?!” Finn barked, his sidearm snapping up in one fluid motion.
York shot his hands into the air and stepped out from the bushes.
“Whoa, whoa!
Don’t shoot!
It’s me, Captain!” Finn recognized him and let out a breath of relief.
But almost immediately, his expression twisted with anger.
“Mr.
Lindville, I told you these hired hands were useless.
The moment real danger shows up, they run faster than anyone!” ‘Lindville?
So this is him?’ York’s gaze shifted to the Sloth, and the pieces clicked together in an instant, the Lindville estate had already fallen.
There was no other reason the patriarch would be slinking through the woods like a fugitive.
Lindville shook his head slowly, his cloudy, tired eyes settling on York.
His voice was low and weary, carrying the weight of a man who had lost everything.
“Since we’ve run into you, come with us.
If you stay here, those Wolf bastards will eat you alive.” At the word “Wolf,” York’s heart skipped a beat.
“Y-You said… Wolves?” Lindville lowered his voice.
“Yes, son.
I know they’re terrifying.
But don’t worry, I prepared an escape route a long time ago.
No one knows where it is except my most trusted men.
We’ll be safe there.” York forced a strained smile, but his mind was a churning storm of panic.
No… no way.
There are so many Wolves in Zootopia, what are the odds it’s Catherine?
Exactly!
No way!
‘Wait… why does the thought of her make my heart race like this?…
Damn it!
I’m not afraid of that woman!’ Whether anyone else believed it or not, York certainly bought his own mental gymnastics.
After a round of intense self-persuasion, he felt his back straighten, his legs strengthen, he was almost ready to march right up to Catherine and call her a nasty woman to her face.
Finn, clearly unhappy but silent out of deference to his boss, said nothing when Mr.
Lindville decided to let York tag along.
He just shot York a venomous glare and helped the old Sloth move forward at a brisk pace.
“Stay close, dead weight.
If you fall behind, don’t expect us to come looking for you.” Finn’s words snapped York out of his spiraling thoughts.
He quickly scrambled after them, keeping his head down.
Lindville was right, if he kept wandering lost in these woods, he’d eventually run straight into the enemy.
Better to stick with them for now and find a chance to slip away later.
Though, that guard of his sure had a big mouth.
York made a mental note to settle that grudge someday.
————•★•————★ Author Note: Thanks for reading!
(And a review too.
Thanks 🪻🪻) P@treaon: Blueduck14