Guarded: Neon Sunset Ep. 00

The young wolf was escorted to the judge's chambers. She stepped into the fancy-looking office and took a seat on one of the uncomfortable chairs before his large desk. The fox nodded to the bailiff once Tracey was seated. "You can wait outside."

"You sure that's safe? Er... your Honor." The warthog asked, trying to show as much respect as he could in his voice.

The fox shook his head gently. "I'm not the target of her rage, I will be fine. I will call you if there's a need." The pig nodded in response and quietly slipped out of the room.

"So, you called me to tell me my charges in person for fucking up your little courtroom earlier?" Tracey growled the words bitterly as she looked out an adjacent window.

The fox said nothing as he moved behind his desk and opened up a small cabinet, withdrawing a decanter and two shot glasses. The judge poured a drink in both before putting the decanter back. He then settled at his desk and pushed a glass over to the wolf.

Tracey blinked down at the clear liquid in the glass, assuming it would be vodka or white rum. "Do you call every girl to your chambers to drink with them, Your Honor?" She hissed the last of the words mockingly before snatching the glass and downing the shot. It ended up being gin, not her favorite but it would do.

The fox downed his own shot of gin before settling in his chair and looking at the wolf with a calculated look. Tracey huffed out as the burn started to warm her up a little then looked dead on at the judge. "So, what's the deal? Fines, jail time, what?"

"I knew Helen, I went to the same law school as her, she was my friend," The judge spoke the words pointedly as he kept his hands folded on the desk.

Tracey looked away and clicked her tongue as she spoke, "Doesn't that mean you shouldn't be on this hearing?"

"This is a sentencing trial, not one of establishing guilt. However, you are correct. Are you going to go tell the media?" The fox spoke the words calmly as he sat there studying the wolf.

Tracey looked away once more and gave a shrug of her shoulders, feeling an ache in the right one from the gunshot injury. It had been almost a year since that night, lots of therapy, lots of rehab, and a lot of bitter tears. "It's whatever, Judge. Whatever you tell me stays in here."

"Good." The fox sighed softly before continuing, "Helen wouldn't want you trashing your life like this. I could slap you with assault charges and put a serious record on you from this."

"Then do it, I don't give a fuck honestly. If I get a chance, I will kill him," Tracey spoke the words coldly while maintaining her gaze out the window.

"So you would waste Helen's sacrifice then?" He saw her flinch, knowing it would hit the nerve he wanted.

"The fuck do you know? Who the fuck are you to question my life choices when it comes to avenging my grandmother!" Tracey showed her teeth as she barked the words, the pain, and fury in her voice plainly evident.

"Well, I am a judge, it's what we do," The fox shrugged as he spoke then met her eyes with a hard gaze. "Listen to me Tracey, this guy is going to pay for what he did, but he is going to do it by the standards of the law, not yours. I can only imagine how you're feeling, but remember that Helen gave you your life that night, she chose the outcome of that awful situation."

Tracey growled in response to the words but said nothing as the fox continued, "You're walking out of here with no charges, despite what the defense attorney wanted. I won't add salt to your wounds."

"How magnanimous of you," She spat the words out bitterly as she stood from the chair and turned for the door.

"Tracey," The judge called out. She stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder. "You do what you want, but remember that Helen felt it more important to save you than see her own course through. Like it or not, that day, you inherited her dreams."

Tracey sat there looking upon the judge for a long moment before turning and leaving his office, pulling the door closed with a heavy thump on her way out.

"Yo," The bailiff called out to the wolf as she passed him on the way out of the judge's chambers.

"What the fuck do you want?" She snarled as she kept walking.

The warthog snorted out, obviously trying to hold back his irritation from the words. "I just want you to know, I had a lot of respect for your grandmother. She wanted everyone to be happy like you said."

"Cool," She shot back as she kept walking.

The bailiff paced along behind her, "Several laws have already been pushed through over this. Mrs. Sherry's dreams are coming true you know. This was a turning point."

Tracey stopped and put her hands on her hips, feeling the ache in her thigh and shoulder, flicking her permanently scarred ear. She thought about Helen, thought about her gentle smile, then her blood on her hands, the final words of her friend. "Who gives a damn if Helen, my grandmother, isn't here to see it!?"

"People don't try to change the world to see it in their lifetime, your grandmother was trying to change things for the next generation, not herself. The future is a little brighter for her sacrifice," The pig grunted the words as the wolf resumed walking towards the exit of the courtroom.

"That's fucking great! Let the world be bright and happy then!" She snatched the large wooden door open before giving the bailiff a hateful glare. "I see only the darkness left behind. It doesn't mean anything if she isn't here to enjoy it." Tracey moved out of the courtroom slamming the door behind her.

I'm not going to lie, I kick my tail writing these! A single episode can take me twelve to fifteen hours or longer to make after conception, writing, editing, and proofreading! If you enjoy this, support me, please? Vote, Fave, Comment, offer feedback, or anything else. Thank you, and as always, I'm nothing without your support!