Hello there, dear readers! I'm SUPER excited to bring to you chapter twenty-four of The Keyhole! This chapter was proofread by the amazing Trismegistus Shandy!

"--in what is being called the trial of the decade. The now notorious Honey Badger, is being tried for the kitna--" The screen went dark.

"Hey!" Jack said indignantly as he sat up on his bunk, looking to see who had switched off his tablet that had been resting at his feet. "I was watching that!" He spotted a certain arctic vixen standing there, smiling slyly at him.

"Jack," Skye said, leaning over the hare cadet, taking some satisfaction at the darker shade of pink the insides of his ears were turning, "is there any specific reason as to why I've been hearing a rumor that our date is going to be at some place called the Mystic Springs Oasis?" Her tail was slowly swishing back and forth.

"W-well," Jack said, his ears drooping, "I thought that it would be more original to take you to a fancy day spa than an upscale restaurant or cafe?"

Skye could hardly believe her ears. A spa? Really Well... I do have to give him some points for originality.

"Hmmm," Skye said, appearing to be thinking it over. Jack started to panic internally before Skye's tail wagged a little. "A little unconventional, but I'm game if you are."

Jack looked like he was about to hop up, only to have his tablet thrust back into his paws. "Alright then, just give me the details and when it's going to happen whenever you get around to it," Skye called over her shoulder as she exited the room. Jack sat there, staring after her as she left, before he hopped down and sprinted down the hall in the opposite direction, a large smile plastered onto his face. He ran from room to room, all in the blink of an eye, startling a few fellow cadets, before he finally found Walter sitting outside, scribbling notes onto a small yellow notepad. He ran up to the human, before slowing down and composing himself.

"Heya, Walt," he said, puffing out his chest as he strutted forward, "working on your valedictorian speech?"

"Huh?" Walter said, looking over at his friend, nodding, "oh, yeah. Just trying to make sure I don't sound like an idiot."

"Oh yeah? Well, me and a certain cute little arctic vixen were discussing my brilliant idea to go to that spa place," Cadet Savage said, casually leaning up against the bench Walter was sitting at, looking up at the human with a smirk.

"Well, that's great Jack, really," Walter said, happy for his friend, "but, like I said, I'm trying to work on my speech and--"

"Yup," Jack interrupted, not having been listening, "once again, the great female-luring Savage has struck. The ultimate predator."

Walter smiled and rolled his eyes. "Okay. You're a hare, which makes you a prey mammal, but fine. Still, I really need to work on--"

"Hey now, I'm not just a hare, I'm an alpha hare. There is no lady out there immune to my charms." Walter contemplated the possibility of pulling one of his eyes' muscles with all of the rolling they had been doing since meeting his new friend, before he tried once again.

"Jack! That's great and all, but can we please discuss it later, after I've finished working on my speech? The graduation ceremony is coming up soon, after all," he said, surprised to find the hare nodding in agreement with him.

"Absolutely. After you're done with your speech, I'll be more than happy to help teach you all you need to know about attracting females. Be sure to bring the notebook with you," Jack called over his shoulder, puffing out his chest as he turned and headed back inside. Walter tried to focus, and to not laugh. Especially since he knew just how well Jack could hear. It was quite the internal struggle.

At the Hopps-Wilde Residence...

"Just like that!" Nick said as he supervised Eli tying the neckerchief of his scout uniform his own self. After a few tries, Eli did it how his adopted father had showed him perfectly. "You got it, buddy!"

Eli smiled at his reflection in the mirror before looking down at the fox.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, bending down to hug him when Nick opened his arms. They both enjoyed the warm moment, and then Nick spotted something that made him chuckle. It was a phone in a grey furred paw, poking through the partially opened door. On the other side, Nick could hear a light sniffling. Eli turned to see it before turning back to Nick.

"Mom still trying to catch every moment of our bonding on camera?" he queried.

"Oh yeah, big time," Nick responded.

"Just pretend that I'm not here!" Judy's voice called out from behind the door.

"Too late, the moment's passed, Carrots." Eli stood up as Nick sauntered over to the door, opening it to reveal his grey bunny as she finished tapping on her phone.

"Cheese and crackers, I was hoping to get more," she said, her foot making a thump in mild frustration. She then looked at her mate, and then her kit, standing there in his uniform. She felt a swell of pride, tinged with a slight dash of fear. Her ears drooped a little as she stepped forward to regard her adopted kit.

"Eli, sweetie, you know that you don't have to do this," she said, "after everything that happened, no one would blame you for deciding to sit it out, at least this year."

Eli smiled down at his mother. "I want to do it, mom," he said, still loving being able to call her that, "after... my kitnapping, everything we worked so hard for at New Dawn was spoiled. They still need all the help that they can get... and..."

He wrung his hands as he said this, looking down at his feet, shuffling them.

"I-I'm still kinda... scared... but," and he turned his gaze to Judy and Nick, the latter having come closer to wrap an arm and his tail around his mate, "I don't want to stay the k-kind of person who l-lets being afraid stop them from d-doing the things that they want to do." The pair smiled at their kit.

After another brief hugging sensation, the family made their way down to the car. Eli and Nick both hesitated after Judy jogged forward, keys in paw, starting to adjust the driver's seat for her size. She shot them both a quick look. "Oh come on, don't tell me that being unnecessarily scared of me behind the wheel is going to stop you two from going," Judy said with a roll of her eyes. Eli took a deep breath, and then got into the back seat. Nick gulped audibly, and then climbed into the passenger seat.

At that moment...

Ralph's paws clacked rhythmically as he typed away on his computer in his cubicle, catching up on filing some backlogged police reports. He stopped when he felt his phone buzzing and pulled it out. He smiled at the muzzletime request notification he was looking at, knowing that Nadine wouldn't be sending it to him unless it was important. He tapped the screen and immediately saw the fangs of his mate in a wide grin.

"Ralph!" the tigress said, her voice filled with excitement.

"What's going on?" Ralph asked, seeing the camera shift until he was staring at his daughter, Rosalie, sitting in her playpen. He was about to ask again, when his breath caught in his throat. Little Rosie was grabbing the mesh sides of her playpen, and trying to hoist herself up. She had a look of stern concentration on her face before, finally, she managed it. Her little legs wobbled for a second, and then she fell back down onto her bottom, smiling and giggling and reaching for Nadine, babbling and cooing.

"She stood up," Ralph said, softly. The video shifted back to Nadine's face, after she had bent down and scooped her adopted human cub into her arms, rocking her.

"She's been trying all day, and just a few minutes ago, she got really close!" Nadine said, looking like she wanted to jump for joy. Her mate's tail was already wagging, having knocked over the ficus plant that was next to his chair. He jumped up and, before he could even think to hold it in, let out a howl.

AWOOOOOOOOO!!!!! This of course started to set off just about every other wolf who could hear him in the building, which in turn set off some wolves who just so happened to be walking by the precinct at that moment, just as the front doors were opened. This of course set off other wolves around the city, who in turn set off others.

"WOLFORD!" Ralph's ears drooped and his tail immediately started to tuck itself as he turned to see Chief Bogo striding towards him, looking thoroughly annoyed. "You had better have a good reason for violating the department policy about howling or so help me I will put you on parking duty for three weeks straight!"

Ralph looked up at the cape buffalo and tried to give him a winning smile, which came off more as a grimace, and held up his phone showing Nadine, still holding the baby, who was trying to playfully grab her mama's whiskers. "My pup stood up for the first time today, Chief," he said.

Bogo looked at the screen for a second, before looking back at his officer. "That only works once, Wolford. You're on parking," Bogo said with a snort, before walking off, not at all surprised to heard from Clawhauser that the mayor was on line one, and how he already had a good idea just what it was going to be about. Ralph looked down at the screen and saw his mate and daughter, his smiled returning to his muzzle.

"Worth it," he said.

Meanwhile...

Sharla was going over a recent field report in her office, stealing glances at the picture on her desk. It was of Gideon holding Jeremiah, dressed in a little fox onesie complete with ears and tail, standing in the shop. The human baby had both tiny hands extended towards the camera, whom Sharla had been behind, smiling. Hearing her door open, she quickly got back to work, looking up at the sight of her superior, Captain Rangifer, entered. There was a small smile on the serious reindeer's muzzle. Sharla stood up, standing at attention. He chuckled before handing her a file.

"Congratulations are in order," he said in his gravelly voice. Sharla looked confused as she took the folder.

"Sir?"

"You've been officially selected to be a part of the next mission into space."

Sharla was stunned. Ever since she had been a little lamb, she had dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She had studied and worked, and spent her entire life attempting to achieve that goal. And now... it was happening. She felt a rush of elation as she looked down again at the picture of her fiance and their baby. She couldn't wait to share the news with them when she got home that day.

"Thank you, sir!"

Elsewhere...

"Nervous?" Baily sat up straighter in his subway seat, looking to his left at the smiling lioness beside him.

"A little," the redheaded human said. He was clutching the blue-lidded dish containing the potato salad he and Sophia had worked together to make.

"Understandable," Sophia nodded, reaching a paw over to gently squeeze his knee, "but don't worry. My grandpa already likes you, and I'm sure that the rest of my family will too. Plus, this isn't any kind of formal event. It's just a family get-together and barbecue."

"Right," Baily said, offering her a smile, which she gladly returned. He then went back to actively trying not to think about literally stepping into the lions' den, internally chastising himself, due to knowing how important this was to Sophia.

At the Otterton Residence...

Mrs' Otterton hummed to herself as she added the last few treats to the picnic basket. Granted, it was a little larger, and therefore slightly more cumbersome, than what she used to pack for picnics in the park, but it was a happy necessity since their family's newest addition. She looked up from the bag of candied mussels to see her daughter, Sarah, enthusiastically tying her sparkly new shoes. She filed a mental note away to thank Judy once again for recommending the Little Rondentia shoemaker. Sarah had recently learned how to tie her shoes, and was so excited about reaching what Mrs. Otterton guessed was a milestone for human children. After the abducted human and mouse boys had been found, and their abductors apprehended, she had started to feel safer taking her daughter out of the house.

"All ready to go?" she called to Sarah, who jumped up and eagerly ran over to her.

"Uh-huh! I tied my shoes, mommy!" Sarah held up one of her feet to show her handiwork.

"You sure did, honey," she said, clapping her paws together, and happily accepting the hug she got. She then called out to her boys and Emmit that it was time to go, and heard them thundering their way down the stairs, while Emmit was closing up the shop.

Today is going to be a beautiful day, she thought to herself, gazing out the window at the bright and sunny day.

In Tundratown...

Renato's joy was so apparent that it practically radiated off of him. He was walking along, his paw holding Lily's hand as she walked beside him. They were both dressed for the freezing weather as they perused various souvenir shops. It was when they were waiting at a crosswalk that the limo pulled up next to them. The jaguar immediately recognized whose car it was, and felt a little nervous. The door opened and two polar bears got out, both wearing suits and ties. Renato immediately recognized one as Kozlov, who was holding a small arctic shrew, standing in his massive paw. He looked down into the wizened face of his employer.

"Hola, Senor Big," Renato said as Lily leaned up against him, looking confused before recognizing the name. Renato had spoken of his job quite a bit.

"Good afternoon, Renato," Mr. Big said, "I spotted you as we were driving by and decided to say hello, as well as finally get to meet this beautiful young lady whom you've mentioned." Mr. Big then turned to address the human woman. "It is a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance. I am known by most as Mr. Big," he said, holding out a tiny paw. Lily smiled and reached her free hand forward, not at all perturbed by this sudden introduction.

"I am happy to meet you as well, Mr. Big. Renato has spoken very highly of you," Lily said. Mr. Big took her pinky finger in his paw and pulled it forward a little, to lightly brush his lips on the knuckle. He then released her finger, now smiling.

"I am pleased to see that Renato was not only not exaggerating your loveliness, but your chamingness as well. I would be honored to have you both over for dinner, perhaps some night this week?"

"That sounds lovely," Lily answered before Renato could, the jaguar now starting to feel nervous.

"Excellent. I am certain that my daughter and her family would enjoy meeting you as well," Mr. Big said.

At Dr. Snowson's Office...

"And how are things going for you at school, Russel?" Barry asked as he sat across from his teenaged human patient. The boy looked up at him and smiled. Barry like how every time he saw Russel, he was smiling more and more often. He had been coming out of his shell with greater frequency.

"Pretty good, doct-- Barry," Russel said, remembering what Barry had told him, "I've been getting all A's and... uh... I'm thinking about joining the chess club."

"Oh? That sounds like a great idea, Russel," the large polar bear said, still smiling. "It'll help you to meet other mammals with a similar interest."

"Yeah... I mean, you already know about my friends already. I kinda like playing it though, and I met some guys at the club already, who all seemed really nice," Russel said. Barry noticed a slight redness to Russel's cheeks and ears, but said nothing, choosing to let his patient continue.

"And... uh... I-I've been... talking with someone about... uh... g-going out... I mean... uh..." Russel started to shift around in his seat, looking uncomfortable. Barry had to stop himself from chuckling, remembering how he himself had been about a crush at that age.

"Go on," Barry encouraged, to which Russel complied.

"Uhm... h-he's a dingo... named Sydney Canis..."

At New Dawn...

Stuart Hopps and Robert Wilde stood next to each other, exasperatedly watching as a team of bunnies unloaded the elephant-sized eighteen wheeler that had been rented. They were unloading a massive cookie ferris wheel. They presently had no idea how they were going to get it into the building for the new bake sale, but both males were certain that their mates, whom were working in tandem walking around the bunnies, barking orders through megaphones, had a plan.

Thank you so much, Nicholas, the arctic fox thought to himself as he looked on, these two working together is an even bigger nightmare than them competing. Stu was thinking something similar just as a police squad car screeched to a halt in front of the building. He smiled a little at the sight of his little girl hopping out. And then he and Robert both snickered at the sight of the still-frightened Nick cautiously climbing out, having left panicked claw marks in the seat where he had gripped in fear. Judy helped a pale-looking Eli out of the back seat, and he and Nick seemed to share a look.

"Oh stop being dramatic," Stu and Robert could hear Judy lightly chastise the two, "we got here in one piece and we made great time!"

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemammals! I hoped that you enjoyed the new chapter! Please feel free to leave a review!