by Tom Jones
As Jason drove down the quiet road, he spotted a pair of headlights approaching him in the distance. As the wolf came close enough to see the oncoming vehicle, he could see that it was a beige Dodge Charger sporting a PIT guard and police lights. The beige livery featured a single brown stripe on the side of the vehicle accompanied by the lettering ‘BALDWIN COUNTY SHERIFF’. As the wolf passed the police vehicle, he hoped that the police would not think anything out of the ordinary seeing a gray 4Runner driving on the road in the middle of the night. However, Jason could see that the Dodge Charger was now in the process of making a rather sudden u-turn. The wolf knew that a pursuit with the police would be reckless and cause more trouble than it would be worth, so he decided that he would just have to stop and comply with the police if they decided to pull him over. With the police car trailing behind the 4Runner by just a few feet, only a few seconds passed before the officer activated his flashing blue lights. Jason shook his head in a mix of frustration and despair, “Dammit! Fuck…” The wolf knew that he had no license, an unconscious fox in the passenger seat, and a rifle in the rear seat. Without Arcades to vouch for the wolf, Jason knew that he would almost certainly be detained at the very least. Jason decided to just accept what would happen as he put the brakes on the SUV. He took a look to his right to see that Arcades was still unconscious, and unfortunately, the fox was almost limp in the passenger seat.
As the wolf finally stopped the SUV, he already could feel a pit of nervousness form in his stomach. Jason rolled down the driver’s side window and kept his hands on the steering wheel of his vehicle as he waited for the officer to approach the vehicle. Jason looked into his rearview mirror as he saw the officer move into his peripheral vision. When the human officer moved directly beside the driver’s door, Jason turned his attention to the officer. The human officer looked into the vehicle with his ASP Poly DF flashlight to see the reported wolf in the driver’s seat while an unconscious fox sat in the passenger and an integrally suppressed rifle sat in the back seat. The officer spoke to the wolf while trying to mask the encounter as a routine traffic stop, though he knew that the wolf matched the description of the reported suspect, he did not want to alarm the wolf before detaining him, “Do you have a driver’s license?” Jason took a deep breath, but he just shook his head, “No.” The wolf then heard the officer say what he expected him to say, “Alright. Do me a favor and step on out of the vehicle. Turn your engine off first.”
Jason knew what was about to happen, but he knew that it would be ultimately futile to try and fight the police officer. There was also absolutely nothing Jason could say which would dissuade the policeman from doing what he was intent on doing. The wolf turned the key to the left and removed it from the ignition slot. Next, Jason dropped the key into one of the cupholders next to the gearshift, and his hand started to tremble slightly as he reached over to pull the door handle. As the wolf slowly exited the vehicle, he looked down at his legs to see that his feet were still bare. Jason knew that he was about to be restrained hand and foot, but in a way, he was glad that he was not wearing any shoes. Like Arcades, Jason preferred to be restrained while not wearing any kind of footwear. The wolf closed the door, and he stood in front of the officer as he waited for the officer to speak again. Sure enough, the wolf heard the exact words he was expecting the officer to say, “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” Jason hesitated slightly, but he knew that he was not getting out of this situation. In compliance with the policeman, the wolf turned to face the 4Runner and placed his hands behind his back.
Within seconds, Jason felt a familiar sensation of handcuffs locking around his wrists. The wolf looked into the window of the 4Runner as he was being detained to look at the unconscious fox in the passenger seat of the SUV. The officer removed a ZAK Tools key from his pocket, and he used the end tip of the key to push the double-locking pins of the Smith & Wesson M-300-1 handcuffs to the double-locked position. The officer looked down at the wolf’s bare feet, and he quickly remembered the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department policy that all detained anthros must wear wrist and ankle restraints along with a muzzle, with no exceptions. The officer grabbed the connecting hinge between the handcuffs and tugged in order to make Jason comply and walk with him. The officer spoke as he began forcing the wolf to walk back to the Dodge Charger, “This way.” Jason remained silent as he was forcefully escorted by the police officer; he knew that there was nothing he could say to the officer that would cause him to be released. Jason knew that it would be best for him to wait for Arcades to wake up and vouch for him. The wolf’s best guess was that the officer believed he was the one who was responsible for Arcades being unconscious, but he was not planning on speaking and incriminating himself. The fox had already told the wolf about his Fifth Amendment rights since he was now living in the United States of America.
When the human officer and Jason reached the right-hand side of the Dodge Charger, the officer made the wolf kneel while staring at the side of the vehicle. While still keeping his grip on the wolf’s arm, the officer opened the trunk of his Charger and pulled out a pair of Smith & Wesson M-1900-1 leg irons. The officer made the wolf stand up before cycling one of the shackles to the open position, “Lift your right ankle,” the officer ordered. Jason complied, and he soon felt the restraint lock around his bare ankle. With the wolf’s right ankle now locked in the shackle, the officer ordered the wolf to lower his right foot and lift up his left ankle, “Left ankle. Do it now.” The wolf complied again, though there was evidence of hesitation given how reluctant Jason was to lift his left ankle. Nevertheless, the wolf lifted his left ankle, and the officer locked the second shackle around Jason’s bare ankle. When the wolf placed his left ankle on the ground, the officer bent down to push the double-locking levers upwards to double-lock the leg irons while taking care to avoid getting swiped by the wolf’s tail. With Jason’s wrists and ankles now locked in carbon steel, the officer made the wolf kneel yet again.
With Jason now on his knees and facing the rear door of the Charger, the officer began to read the wolf his rights as he retrieved a canine muzzle from the trunk of his vehicle, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present before and during any questioning if you choose to speak with us. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state with no cost to you. Do you understand these rights, and do you wish to speak with us at this time?” The wolf briefly looked to his left, and he could see that the human officer was waiting for him to acknowledge his Miranda warning before muzzling him. Jason knew that there was not anything he could say for the officer to release him at the moment, so he simply complied with the officer to hopefully move the situation along, “I understand these rights, but I do not wish to speak at this time.” Once the officer heard that Jason acknowledged the Miranda warning, he placed the muzzle over the wolf’s mouth and fastened the straps to make sure that the wolf was unable to speak. At the very least, the wolf would not be able to incriminate himself with his mouth held shut, even if it was not his choice.
Jason, now bound and gagged, only sat on his knees while he heard the officer proceed over to the passenger seat of the 4Runner. The wolf scooted himself to his right in order to get a better view of the officer’s actions. Jason was rather confused as to why the officer did not place him inside of the back seat of the Dodge Charger, but he figured that he was not too much of a threat to the policeman in his current state. Jason had been completely cooperative with the officer’s instructions, and he offered no form of resistance against the officer, whether that be verbal or physical. While the wolf watched the officer drag the unconscious fox out of the vehicle, he was wondering why the officer had warned him of his right to remain silent. It was not like the wolf even had a choice to be silent or not, given the muzzle holding his mouth shut, but Jason figured that it was probably best to stay muzzled since he had literally n
o chance to incriminate himself by speaking. At the same time, Jason could not understand why the human-operated police departments incorporated additional restraint requirements when dealing with anthros; anthros did not even have too many major anatomical differences when compared to humans. To Jason, it did not really make sense for leg restraints to be mandatory when dealing with anthro subjects.
The human officer sat the fox on his back while he briefly checked his pulse and made sure that Arcades was breathing. From the officer’s brief check of Arcades, he concluded that the fox was likely only unconscious. Nevertheless, the officer called for a paramedic team as well as an additional police unit from his radio, “Yeah, this is Yellow Three. Can I get EMS and another unit over here? Let EMS know that the subject in question is a male silver fox; he seems to be just unconscious. I’m currently unsure as to what happened. The fox is in custody, and I have a male gray wolf in custody as well.” When the officer finished speaking over his Motorola APX 8000 radio connected with a simple Motorola speaker microphone, the dispatch was rather quick to relay the information to the proper units.
The wolf was unsure as to why the human officer relayed that he had Arcades in custody as well, but Jason watched as the officer returned to his patrol vehicle to grab another set of restraints to use on the unconscious fox. Jason remained silent and on his knees while he watched the officer roll the fox over on his stomach before restraining him identically to how the wolf was restrained. Jason tried to sigh, but the muzzle prevented him from opening his mouth. The wolf did not know why Arcades needed to be restrained, but he knew that the side of the road was probably not the best place to lament over police policy. Jason found himself in one of few scenarios where he took no pleasure seeing Arcades in restraints. The wolf knew that the fox would normally be rather enthusiastic about being restrained, but Jason knew that Arcades would only enjoy it if he provided his consent. The fox was unconscious, and there was no way for him to give consent to anything. As a result, Jason could not take pleasure in seeing the fox restrained as he normally would. The wolf also knew that the fox would probably not enjoy being restrained himself in the current situation, even if he was conscious. Jason looked down at his body in the midst of flashing blue lights, and he remembered that he was not wearing a belt since his shorts were small enough to fit around his waist without slipping. Jason wondered if the officer would have taken his belt when he was being subdued, but he did not have to worry since he was not wearing a belt in the first place.
The wolf’s train of thought was interrupted as he heard footsteps approaching him and the officer from behind. While the human officer was rummaging through the glove compartment of the 4Runner trying to find registration or insurance details, he was completely unaware as to who was approaching the traffic stop. Jason was first to notice the unexpected visitor, as it was the same human who had shot Arcades with the tranquilizer dart in the first place. As the wolf laid his eyes upon the human, he felt a strong pit in his stomach as his eyes widened and his ears drooped. The agent gave a rather taunting smile to the detained wolf when he walked him by, and Jason could see that the agent was wielding a bowie knife in his right hand. Jason was unable to alert the officer to the immediate threat since he was gagged, but he did try and make noise through the muzzle. The officer heard Jason’s muzzled cries and dismissed them as he continued his search, “Shut the fuck up over there.” Right after the officer finished his statement, he suddenly felt himself being dragged away from the 4Runner, “Holy shit! What the fuck?!”. The officer, suddenly realizing he was being attacked, attempted to reach for his holstered Gen5 Glock 17, but the furthest the officer got was releasing the retention strap of his Level 3 Safariland holster. It was too late for the officer to draw his duty handgun, since he felt a sharp pain as the bowie knife pierced his soft neck. The agent did not hesitate as he excavated his fellow human’s windpipe, and Jason could only watch in terror as the officer’s screams quickly turned into gargles. Blood spilled down the officer’s newly gouged throat, and the red fluid did not hesitate to stain the deputy sheriff’s brown and khaki clothing.
After relentlessly stabbing the officer with the bowie knife a couple more times, the agent finally released his grip of his fellow human and watched the officer collapse to the ground. He was no longer making any noise. Blood was all over the agent’s gloved hands and long sleeved shirt, but he did not bother cleaning himself off before he bent down to pick up the restrained fox. Jason knew that he had to do something; Otherwise, he would likely never see Arcades again, and he had no idea what the police would think about him when reinforcements arrived. As the wolf saw the agent hoist the unconscious fox over his shoulder, he looked down to see that the Glock 17 was still in the officer’s polymer holster. The wolf had his hands locked behind his back, but he remembered one trick which Arcades taught him: Jason brought his hands underneath his tail, moved into a squatting position, and finally brought his wrists under his hips and under his legs as he rolled backwards.
With his cuffed hands now in front of him, the wolf lunged forwards and scrambled to remove the Glock 17 from the Safariland holster. Since the officer had restrained Jason’s hands using hinged handcuffs, it was rather difficult for the wolf to properly orientate himself to grab the handgun. Fortunately for Jason, he was able to depress the button to release the Glock 17, and he successfully removed the handgun from the holster. Though he was still locked up, muzzled, and on his knees, the wolf pointed the handgun upwards while holding it with both hands, and he pointed his sights directly on the agent’s head. The agent did hear the sound of chains as well as polymer fiddling about, and he turned around to see what had happened. The agent’s eyes widened as he froze and realized he was staring down the barrel of a Glock handgun. Being careful not to shoot the fox, the wolf pulled the trigger and watched as the agent’s head rolled backwards from the impact of the bullet. The wolf’s cuffed hands began to shake as he saw both the agent and Arcades land on the ground. Blood poured from the agent’s head, and it began to stain the fox’s black and white fur as well as his clothes.
The wolf got up from his knees, and he continued aiming the handgun at the agent. Unsure of whether or not the human was dead, Jason positioned himself at an angle which a gunshot would not overpenetrate and strike Arcades, and he took two more shots to make sure that the agent was actually dead. The wolf’s ears were ringing from the gunfire, but he found that he had let go of the handgun and let it drop to the pavement. The Glock landed on the ground, but it did not fire thanks to the handgun’s internal safety mechanism designed to prevent the handgun from firing when dropped. The wolf’s eyes went from the two dead humans to the pair of handcuffs he was still wearing. Jason remembered the officer radio for reinforcements mere moments ago, and he knew that he did not want to be at the scene when more humans arrived. After all, Jason felt that the authorities would likely point the blame on him for killing the officer. What human would believe the word of an anthro? Jason was not even a fox, either, and he was still at such a strong disadvantage.
The wolf turned to the open door of the 4Runner, and he knew that Arcades always kept a spare keyring of handcuff keys in his backpack. The wolf used his bound hands to open the rear door of the 4Runner, and he reached his hands out to grab the backpack. Jason lifted the backpack up since it fell down, and he felt his breathing intensify due to stress as he rapidly searched for the keyring he needed. Jason was glad that the fox had previously told him the pocket in which he kept his keyring, for the wolf found it with relative ease. The wolf’s hands still trembled as he focused on the ring of assorted handcuff keys. Though several of the keys could open almost all American models in use, other keys were made to open foreign manufacturers such as Clejuso, Yuil, and even Australian models. Jason held the key while trying to fight against the stress, and he felt a slight relief as he was successfully able to release himself from the Smith & Wesson M-300-1 handcuffs.
The wolf dropped the handcuffs in t
he back seat of the 4Runner, and he bent down to unlock the shackles loosely binding his ankles together. Jason was able to remove the leg irons more quickly than he could the handcuffs, and he still deposited both of the restraints in the back seat of the 4Runner along with the Haenel Defence RS8 which was still occupying a decent amount of the SUV’s rear seat. With his wrists and ankles now free from restraints, the wolf quickly undid the straps of the muzzle and tossed it in the seat as well. The muzzles were not devices with integrated locking features, so they relied on officers making sure that an anthro was unable to reach the straps of the muzzle to be most effective. The wolf dropped the muzzle in the vehicle again, and he held the keyring in his hand as he turned around to see Arcades. Jason prepared to free the fox before putting him in the 4Runner, but he could now audibly hear sirens in the distance. The wolf turned around to view the direction of the sirens, and he could see the agent’s Ford Taurus parked several meters behind the Dodge Charger. It was clear that the agent was relying on the element of surprise before attacking the officer.
Briefly in a panic from hearing the approaching emergency sirens, the wolf flung the keyring back into the 4Runner, closed the rear passenger door, and he decided that he would simply take the fox with him as he was. The wolf did not believe he had the time to free Arcades from his restraints: Jason bent down, pushed the dead agent’s body off of the restrained fox, and he was able to pick Arcades up to put him in the 4Runner’s passenger seat. Since the fox was not placed in the seat correctly, he was positioned in such a way that he was kneeling on the vehicle’s floor mat with his muzzled face resting against the passenger seat itself. The wolf could not buckle the fox’s seatbelt in his current position; he also did not have time to readjust the fox’s position. Jason hoped that the ride would not be too rough for the unconscious fox to handle. Jason closed the passenger door in a hurry, and he quickly ran around the front of the 4Runner before entering through the driver’s door. The wolf was relieved to see the keys where he had left them, and he briefly shot a look outside of the vehicle’s windows using the Dodge Charger’s lights as illumination to make sure that he did not leave anything on the ground. After the wolf was sure that he had left nothing behind, he inserted the key into the ignition, started the SUV, and he sped off as soon as the 4Runner was able to move. Jason successfully withdrew before any police reinforcements had arrived at the scene.