Wolf & Coyote Mercenary Services [Looney Tunes AU]

Episode 10: Sins of the Father

Wile E.'s boastful claim is not without merit, for he can back it up, thanks to a surprising recent discovery.

A few nights ago, Ralph called Wile over to Sylvester's abode for a surprise meeting. "Gentlemen, feast your eyes on this!"

He threw down a thick envelope on the table. Right away, Wile recognized the name branded on it: Coyote, T.E. "Looks like your father's been busy, Wiles," he commented.

Wile picked up the envelope, brows furrowed. "I appreciate the effort, but what does this have to do with the Illudium case?"

Ralph scoffed. "Forget that crap for now, let the skunk handle it. Papa Coyote here was a long-time employee for ACME, that much we can gather. If there's something juicy in these files, we can get our hands in something even bigger than some weird goop."

"Hold on a minute," Sylvester interjects. "We shouldn't be digging through this stuff willy-nilly. This is Wiley's business, not ours."

"Wiles' business is my business," Ralph lashed out. He shot the tomcat a deadly glare, as if to say, "Look who's talking, Mr. Pussycat."

"I don't agree with the idea, but Ralph's got a point," the coyote cut in calmly. "There's probably something in these files that could work in our favor, and the sooner we get it over with, the better." And if there is a connection between ACME and the Road Runner, I have to know about it.

Wile opened the envelope and took out the documents tightly stored within. He skimmed through the contents and divided them into three piles—an easy task, as they were already sorted by document type. He handed Sylvester one of the piles. "You're the most business-savvy, so you can handle the mail order receipts. As for you..." Smirking, he pushed the largest pile towards Ralph. "You can read through these notes. This was your idea, after all." He grabbed the last pile, a stack of envelopes held together by a rubber band, then stood up. "I'm going to need some privacy. Mind if I borrow your office?"

The tomcat agreed, though he noticed Wile heading in that direction regardless. As soon as he heard the door close, he immediately got to work.

At first, the receipts seemed straightforward, tedious even. Gadgets, traps, explosives, guns, bird feed... It didn't take much to gather Trick E.'s motive. But not all of them fit the narrative being created.

Some early orders, dating back almost thirty years ago, were for blankets, food, books, and baby toys. This pattern continued until a decade later, when he gradually prioritized work over his own child. Each and every receipt contained his signature, until the ones dating back to fifteen years ago, when he noticed a change in the pattern. On the bottom of the receipts that followed, etched in crude handwriting, was the name "Wile E. Coyote".

Meanwhile, the documents Ralph was responsible for, he learned, were observation notes on Trick E., as written by a third party. He felt perturbed, imagining being watched by a stranger, recording his every move. He skimmed through several entries which were redundant and mundane. Then, as flipped to the entries from fifteen years ago, that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach grew stronger. He read on.

Date: June 6, ■■■■: Subject wrote another complaint letter to ACME. Subject is showing obvious signs of distress. We must observe his behavior more closely before taking further action.

August 23, ■■■■: Subject is accompanied by his son, Wile E., but appears to be neglecting him. Subject is seen muttering under his breath and mood swings are increasingly frequent. Subject has not eaten or slept today. Intervention might become necessary.

September 17, ■■■■: Subject has gone missing. Subject's son is still alive, albeit suffering from malnutrition. We shall continue to observe Wile E. while our search team looks for his father.

October 30, ■■■■: Subject is still missing. Wile E. has also gone missing. We shall continue searching until one or both turn up.

The lump in his throat was threatening to choke him. He swallowed and flipped to the following page. His blood turned cold at the words before him.