I'm sitting in a chair in front of Bogos desk, talking through training strategy and techniques, when a certain portly cheetah tumbles through the door.
"Chief! We just made a truckload of money, sir!"
Bogo stands, forehooves planted on the desk. "It happened? Are there witnesses?"
"I saw it myself, sir. In their office. Eat dirt, Pennington!" He pumps a fist energetically, then seems to notice me for the first time. "Aw, too bad, Jack. You didn't have time to get in on the pool."
I hold up a paw. "Wait, what's going on that I am not aware of here?"
Clawhauser gapes at me. "I just caught Officers Wilde and Hopps smooching up a storm in their office."
A unexpected pang shots through my chest. Why should this news affect me? I've only known these mammals for a couple of weeks.
"I see." Years of practice come to my aid, and keeping my face neutral is second instinct.
"Right. Savage, this talk has been most instructive, but I have some pressing matters to deal with, so if you don't mind?..."
I stand up. "I just realized I have to report to my handler, thank you for your time, Chief Bogo, but I'm afraid I really must be going."
I don't think they even noticed me leaving.
_________________________________
"So. How's it going with the donut munchers?" Salah, the moose from across the hall asks me, munching on her food. She's sitting at the table next to me, in the ZSS's HQ restaurant. The chefs here are good, but don't know squat about the right way to sauté carrots.
"It's fine. What's your assignment again?"
She grins. "I'm on bodyguard duty. For every five bodyguards you see around some politician, there's a ZSS agent in the shadows, making sure the assassins never even get that far. It's an easy assignment. I hear you had it for a couple of months." She leans sideways, towards me, as if to get some gossip.
"Yeah. Then I got redirected to the field."
"Why?"
'They felt that my skills were.... wasted ... in that particular duty." More like I kept on breaking attackers bones just to carry the point across for next time. The ZSS was terrified that it would be uncovered, and they'd have to deal with brutality rumors.
That was before I'd learned finesse.
A female wolf sits down across from me, at my table, and shoos Salah off. It's Bekka, my handler.
She smiles. "What's up, Jackie?"
