A Darkness Brightly Burning

by Selaxes

Summary:

In a dark version of Zootopia Dawn Bellwether leads the crusade against predators and has shaped the city of Zootopia into the capitol of hate as non-prey mammals are hunted down for placement in re-education and concentration camps. Standing against the unyielding power and cruelty of the Unity Party that now governs, predators and prey mammals that know there is a better way have banded together, rebels with their very lives hanging in the balance.

NIck Wilde is one of these predators, a fox that has had everything taken from him but still refuses to give up hope, to surrender, to give in to the darkness...

 

Note: What you have before you is one of the darker things that I have written. It would've been reposted sooner but several of the files were eaten when I had to change out my computer and I'm still in the process of repairing and in some cases rewriting missing chapters and segments. I was tempted to re-do the entire thing, but with so many other projects going on that means it might be a long time before I even get started, so here it is, in it's mostly original and terribly written form!

Chapter 1

1
The lights from the cruiser slid past the damp alleyway, the illuminated area glaring briefly while small nooks and chinks in walls and dumpsters stayed the deepest black. Shielding his green eyes from the glare and not wanting to lose his night vision, the fox huddled halfway in a pile of refuse, fighting the rising gorge of his stomach as the smell of rotting trash filled his sensitive nose and maggots trickled out of something he’d disturbed. Just when the huddled figure thought that he could endure no more or that the Zootopia Police Department cruiser had found him, the roar of the engine carried the heavy vehicle and its questing light away.

Letting out a sigh of relief as he slowly stood and scanned the end of the alley, the fox ensured that there were no foot patrols as sometimes happened before continuing on his way. Nor did the fox’s vigilance waver as he neared the closest thing to sanctuary that he knew. His target was a rusted iron grate on the side of the older building and as he drew near he tapped on it twice, waited, then tapped three more times. Without even the slightest squeak the grate swung out and the fox ducked inside, shifting the black plastic bag slung over his shoulder so it wouldn’t snag on anything and slipped into the darkness.

He’d only gone about ten feet when the barrel of a gun was placed against his side causing the fox to freeze.

“Password?” a voice growled.

“Damn it, Wolford!” the fox hissed. “You know it’s me!”

The white furred wolf was grinning as he emerged from the gloom. “Couldn’t resist, Nick. Sorry,” the wolf said in way of apology as he hoisted the tranq rifle onto his shoulder. “What’s it look like out there tonight?”

The fox shook his head. “Patrols are up. Looks like ZPD got Lionheart’s group. The entire safehouse was gutted. I…I think they burned them out.”

The wolf swore darkly for several seconds. “Of course. Bullets cost money. Fire’s cheaper and you don’t have to house and feed prisoners.” Wolford clapped the fox on the shoulder and gave the smaller mammal a sympathetic look. “I know you had friends there. I’m sorry, Nick.”

NIck shrugged, unsure how he could bury his emotions so well and still function. “Thanks. Oh. It looks like the sweeps from the outlying districts have turned up enough bodies for the next Academy class. Since Bellwether made it mandatory for all mammals to join the Unity Party they’re getting more and more bodies every day,” Nick snarled. “It’s not like we aren’t already outnumbered ten to one…”

Wolford squeezed the fox’s shoulder again as he shook his head. “Go on down. The others are waiting for you. Get some sleep, too, if you can. I have a feeling Finnick’s going to ask you to head out again.”

“Sure,” the fox said with a display of cheerfulness that he definitely didn’t feel. “It’s what I do!”

The passageway led down into the old abandoned subway tunnels that had been walled in decades before, some of the tunnels and chambers so old they didn’t show up on any of the underground maps of Zootopia. Nick snorted as he rapidly padded down the concrete steps. Zootopia, the city that all mammals, predator and prey, could get along in peace. Sure, that had been the dream. Then the dream turned into a nightmare when the sheep took over the city council. From there they spread. Suddenly laws curtailing the rights of preds began to appear. From there it turned into open harassment for any predator that didn’t toe the party line. Within a few years preds were being rounded up and shipped out of the city.

Not all mammals that had evolved from prey species supported the turn the government had taken. Those that protested found their lives getting more difficult and were soon treated as bad as preds and being called species traitors, collaborators, or the most derogatory name of ‘baiters’. Gangs of supporters for the Unity Party would slander their homes and businesses with graffiti, they would be harassed whenever they stepped outside, then they discovered that things such as electricity or even groceries had jumped almost astronomically in price. If they had trouble and the police actually showed up, they would treat the non-party mammals like criminals instead of persecuted citizens.

The latest measure against preds and prey mammal supporters were forced to wear collars that would deliver painful shocks that would incapacitate the one wearing it if they acted in anything but a subdued and subservient manner. If a pred needed to purchase anything, they had to let the collar get scanned for the incorporated RFID chip in it.

The darkness continued to grow and the state of things deteriorated even further, though. Whole families were rounded up and sent out of the city. Whatever was happening to them no one knew. It was like they just vanished into thin air. Not even the collars were used anymore. Being a pred meant you were a target, plain and simple. They’d even built a permanent gallows at City Hall for public executions. Blood sport for the masses and the mob who celebrated each and every death of a predator that had no choice in what they’d been born as.

Nick continued down the dark tunnel until lights began to appear. The electricity was highjacked from thick power cables that ran all through the city, though the amount that was siphoned off was so miniscule that no one would ever notice it. It provided a necessary resource for the thirty three individuals that his friend Finnick had smuggled out of the different districts and holding areas throughout the city and was one of several dozen such sites and the refugees that used the hideout as a waystation on their way out of Zootopia.

In one of the nooks off to the side that served as the hideout’s clinic the Ottertons tended to the sick and wounded. Many of the preds were starving and that led to disease running through the numbers of refugees. Nick paused and stepped over to where the two otters and their children were helping a couple of snow leopards who’d just come in a few days ago that had been beaten severely by Unity Party enforcers. There was one of Nick’s old friends, Benjamin Clawhauser, normally a chipper, almost perky, cheetah that had worked as a music teacher before the crackdown by the Unity Party. He’d once been fairly rotund but the deprivation that they’d all been suffering from had caused him to lose weight too quickly and his furry skin hung off his body like ill fitting clothes and his health was failing fast.

Nick’s appearance got Emmett Otterton’s attention and the fox pulled a sack out from under his coat. “It’s not much,” Nick whispered as he set the bag down, “but it’s something. Just don’t ask me where I got it,” the fox added with a wink before turning away, unable to keep the smile on his muzzle as his eyes filled. The young tigress that had been on the cot closest to the doorway was staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, the orange and striped feline not even nine years old. Her suffering was over.

Emmett looked in the bag and gasped in surprise as he eyed loaves of bread, blocks of protein soy and plastic bottles of medications. “Oh, Nick,” the otter said with awe, “bless you, lad! Bless you!”

Nick rubbed at his eyes as he walked away until he was out of sight and earshot of the others and paused, his head resting against the cool concrete of the tunnel and softly drew in a shuddering breath as he fought not to weep. The supplies were vital, but it would only last the sick a day or two before it ran out again. Bless him? Not with what he had to see while doing what he could for the others, not with the nightmares that came every time he closed his eyes. The little tigress was the lucky one. She was in a better place and maybe, just maybe, had been able to retain a shred of innocence with her when she died.

“Get some sleep, Nick,” a deep, tired sounding voice told him. Nick turned to see his oldest friend, Finnick, looking up at the taller fox with a sadness that would never vanish from his honey-brown eyes. “You’re worn out. Go get some food and then sleep. You’re inside until I say so. So, most likely until tomorrow night.”

“Why are we doing this?” Nick asked as his tears ran down his tapering muzzle and splashed silently on the concrete floor. “It would be so much easier just to give up. Death has to hurt less than this, doesn’t it?”

The fennec took his friend’s paw and dragged him into the area where other resistance fighters, scouts, and saboteurs slept and lived, pushing the red fox towards the soup line. “We give hope to them, Nick. We keep the light burning in the dark. Yeah, dying is easier. I ain’t never heard anyone say life was supposed to be easy anyway.”

Nick didn’t resist as he was pulled along and didn’t realize he’d had a bowl put in his paws until a large tigeress named Fangmeyer poured a slightly larger than normal ladle full soup into it and handed the fox a slab of bread that might have been stale but was blessedly free of mold. He then let Finnick steer him to a table and chair, the smaller fox hopped up onto the other.

“I’ll need you for tomorrow night. Got word of a shipment of food and meds coming in on the train from Bunnyburrow. We need what it’s carrying,” Finnick said. “You’ll have a solid team with you. Get what you can and get out.”

Nick looked up and one ear dipped in curiosity. “How’ you get this information?”

“Sources, Nick. They’re all over if you know how to listen,” the smaller fox said with a wink. “Ain’t that right, Mr. B?”

“It is certainly the benefit of being small,” a shrew with prodigious eyebrows said from Nick’s shoulder, the fox having no clue how he got there. “I got the information directly from Magistrate Bogo’s desk. I even know that he’ll be busy tomorrow night as he attends the graduation of the latest batch of Academy grass-chewers. As will most of the black jackets from Precinct One.”

“Easy now, Mr. B. Some of those mammals are on our side. Just because they come from prey bloodlines don’t make ‘em automatic Unity Party. Those are the real enemies Them and that Bellwether ewe.” Finnick shook his head. “I’d rather have Bogo in the office of Magistrate than someone else. We know how he thinks.”

The shrew lowered his head. “Tell that to my Fru Fru,” he said bitterly. “I don’t like to be considered so insignificant that it’s better to step on my kind because it’s cost efficient.” He sniffed loud enough to be heard over the circulation fans. “Or fun…”

The three mammals went silent and Nick eventually started eating, dipping the bread into the relatively thin broth. When the bowl was mostly gone he was surprised that there were actually bits of solid food in it consisting of potatoes, carrots, what looked like grass and even a couple of small blocks of soy protein. Nick set the bowl in a bin for the cook staff to retrieve and paused at the table the shrew was at, still unable to look up from regarding the floor. “I…I’m sorry about your daughter, sir,” the fox said before shuffling off to the sleeping area.

For once there was a bottom bunk and Nick slipped his green and grey coat off before rolling onto the thin mattress. As soon as he was horizontal the fox curled up on his side and shut his eyes, the world dropping away into blackness for a little while.

Until the nightmares began.

***

Judith Laverne Hopps had stood still as a statue while the silver badge with enameled trim was presented to her by Magistrate Bogo who then attached it to her black uniform. With the whole of the event being watched by Chancellor Bellwether and cameras no one dared to do anything to draw the ire of their trainers. “Congratulations, Cadet Hopps,” the Cape Buffalo rumbled as he finished putting the badge on the rabbit and took half a step back before saluting. “Serve the Unity Party with honor and strength for the good of the herd.”

With her eyes locked onto a point behind the cape buffalo, Judy saluted in return. “Unity, Honor and Strength, Sir!” she barked back in reply, the words that had been drummed into her since she was a kit in school coming automatically. She didn’t lower her paw until Magistrate Bogo did and then waited a respectful few seconds before crisply turning about and rejoined her fellow Academy graduates as Chancellor Bellwether took the podium on a raised dais to address the crowd of graduates, citizens, and cameras that would be piping the proceedings to the outlying districts.

Judy didn’t hear much of the sheep’s speech. She was still a little too overwhelmed with the fact that she’d made it to graduation at all. The training had been grueling and taxed her greatly. On top of that there had been no support within the ranks of her fellow cadets. While they’d had far less trouble than she had on the physical side of training, she’d persevered and used her intellect in combination with her own capabilities to finally succeed.

Not that she was sure she wished to be part of the police force that protected the city and enforced the law in outlying areas.

If she’d had her choice, Judy would’ve stayed on the family farm collective in Bunnyburrow. That hadn’t really been an option available to her, however. Her scores on the end-of-school mandatory tests had dictated where she would be placed to best serve the Unity Party. That she was the first bunny to make it through the Academy training program was both surprising and not. Nearly all of the other species of the Party firmly believed rabbits could and would only ever be farmers. Couple the way that other species viewed bunnies with Judy’s own stubborn streak at being told she couldn’t do something had enabled her to relish the looks of astonishment when she proved a mammal wrong.

It also helped Judy to know that with her newly won posting her father and mother would receive subsidies for their daughter’s service. Life on the farm wasn’t easy and production quotas came first before the family was allowed their share.

That’s not to say that she wasn’t proud of her accomplishment, but Judy wasn’t sure that the task that had been put upon her was something that she believed in. Granted, preds were a potential threat, she knew that from experience when at the tender age of six she’d been assaulted by a fox kit by the name of Gideon Grey. The attack hadn’t gone unnoticed and Gideon, along with his family, had been taken away as a threat to the community and sent to a re-education camp. Only noticeable when she lifted the fur along her cheek, the scars that she bore were a silent testament that predator species could be dangerous, but that didn’t mean that they all were. Later, though, she realized that what had happened had been the act of kits that really hadn’t known better.

The Unity Party spoke of safety from the dangers that predators represented. She’d only met a few in her life, but they hadn’t seemed all that dangerous to her, even Gideon hadn’t been truly dangerous. They were just as intelligent as any other mammal species, had the same drives and desires and could, when the need arose, be tremendously compassionate and helpful.

Of course Judy kept these thoughts to herself. To utter them aloud would mean the attention of the Inquisitors, the branch of the Zootopia Police Department that sniffed out sedition and treason. They were the police within the police and feared by all, both predator and prey species.

It was with some relief that the doe realized the ceremony and investiture was winding down and she joined the others when they finally shouted the Party line back to those that were in attendance. “Unity, Honor and Strength!” all of them cried out before being dismissed back to their barracks. As she fell in to step with the others Judy wondered exactly what job she would be given. Her small stature, resultant of her species and not a conscious choice, meant that there was little chance she’d be put on a city patrol. With a tired sigh she figured that if anything she’d be assigned some sort of make-work position, perhaps in a file room or as some Vice Magistrate’s secretary. As they filed into their barracks room, their trainer and immediate superior was waiting for them, Group Commander McHorn being one of the most foul tempered, intimidating rhinos that Judy had ever seen.

McHorn called all of the graduates into a circle and began reading out names and assignments from a list. He finally got to Judy and she listened with a sort of dread, expecting a clerical detail.

“Hopps, J. L.! Transport Center!” the rhino belted out before moving on to the next graduate.

The transport Center was where all incoming and outgoing cargo traffic was processed. It was more than a little surprising. She’d be part of the unit that not only inspected the trains, trucks and buses, but was also one of the first lines of defense for the city against predator insurgents. Fighting the urge to clap in glee, Judy moved to her locker and bunk in the huge room and began to change her black dress shirt for a duty shirt of tight fitting grey that her body armor would go over, making sure she transferred her badge to the vest. Once that was done and she had her equipment belt buckled on Judy collected the few things she had, putting all of them into a duffle that was marked with her name and a bar code. Logistics would see to it that it was sent to her housing assignment that she would receive before the night was over, wherever that was, and ran to the passenger bus that would take her to her first post.

There was no party for the graduates. As soon as they were handed their badges they were expected to begin immediately in their jobs for the greater good of the Unity Party. Celebration would come when enough time had passed for Judy to be issued a travel permit to return home for a few days to visit her family. For the Party members that had seen the graduation, those like Chancellor Bellwether, Chief Bogo and others, there was a veritable feast waiting. She’d heard one of the other cadets on the kitchen staff say that the amount of food that would be wasted after they all gorged themselves could feed and entire block for a month. They also spoke of a bar being built and live entertainment, whatever that might mean.

The bus began moving and Judy held on to the rail trying to stay out of the way of larger mammals until they arrived at her duty section. With a sigh she waited as the lights from the city flashed through the darkened windows and wondered what her family was doing at that moment

Chapter 2

Judy walked amongst the crates of supplies, each one clearly labeled with a bar code that could be read with a portable scanner, though the officers that were actually in charge of the depot found that rookies and, until an hour and a half previously, cadets, didn’t need anything more than the most basic of equipment, which meant her uniform and body armor, radio, baton and flashlight. Only mammals that had proven themselves got full equipment issue.

As she ran her paw over some of the crates, the stacks towering high above her, the rabbit wondered which ones came from Bunnyburrow. Her pangs of homesickness had almost consumed her during her training and were now growing with every step at the thought that the contents she was helping to guard might have come from the family’s farm collective. Judy missed her parents and siblings, she missed the games, the talks about different young bucks they all knew…

With a sigh Judy kept walking, looking in between the stacks of supplies as other depot staff communicated with each other over the radio. She thought she’d be working with the security crew that saw the offloading of the trains and inspecting incoming vehicles, not that she’d be stuck in the outdoor storage area. At least the night air felt good if slightly cool and the breeze that wafted over her came from the outskirts of the city and brought with it the occasional smell of the woods. The rabbit was actually getting to be a little bored when a sound like a sneeze made her ears perk up. She didn’t it had come from the pair of sheep Inquisitors that had been walking the rows of crates as well. The two rams nowhere in sight. To be honest, Judy would have preferred not to have to interact with Inquisitors at all if she could avoid it. They were fanatically loyal to the Unity party and some of the most terrifying mammals that the rabbit had ever met. It was a little frightening at how vicious they could be to those that weren’t sheep.

Turning to see if she could detect anything in the direction of the sound, Judy let her right paw dip to the ring on her hip and the haft of the baton it held. She had expected to at least have been given a canister of repellant. It was a strong deterrent that had been processed from the strongest hot peppers and also had other chemicals that would mark a target with bright dyes.

Her instructors had demonstrated the spray on pred prisoners that had been brought to the Academy for training purposes. When she’d seen the spray used on a bear, Judy hadn’t felt reassured. If anything the bunny had felt sickened as the adolescent black bear had writhed on the ground crying in absolute agony while clutching at his eyes. Her fellow cadets had shouted approval, or in some cases, actually laughed at the brutal treatment that made Judy want to throw up in disgust. Or, at the very least, use the spray on her fellow cadets.

Walking as silently as she could on the fur covered pads of her feet, the bunny moved closer to the point where the sound originated, her ears up in full alert while her lavender eyes scanned the gloomy shadows that spilled between the stacks of supplies as if the crates were bleeding darkness itself. As she moved from one stack to the next, Judy heard a small ‘Click!’ that seemed out of place for the storage yard and her head and ears swiveled around towards the direction of the sound so that she didn’t see the closed hoof that came down from the shadows behind her.

Stars exploded in her vision as she was driven to the ground, Judy’s head bouncing almost as hard on the asphalt as she’d been struck. The world spun crazily and the rabbit was only vaguely aware of her lip splitting as it was pinched between the ground and her teeth. Reeling, the bunny tried to make out the words that were being said from figures standing over her, though the voices sounded like they were coming from a distance, or in a tunnel, and were barely intelligible through the ringing in her ears.

“You almost killed her,” the first voice said in a flat, almost emotionless monotone with a scoff.

A snort of bleating laughter grated from the other figure. “So?”

“She’s ZPD. She’s one of ours,” the first speaker pointed out.

Judy was roughly flipped over as the second figure began to paw at her protective vest. “She’s a rabbit,” the one tugging at her clothing said as her eyes tried to focus. Each of the figures was an amorphous blob that showed up as darker blobs in the dimly lit storage yard. “Rabbits are a dime a dozen and useless. The only thing even worse than rabbits are mice. Bunnies, though…” he said as her uniform top ripped. “They breed nonstop and are good for two things,” the second one almost growled as began to unfasten the bunny’s uniform pants and tugged at them with enough force to sling her unresponsive body across the rough tarmac.

“And that is?”

“Farming…and…fun,” the second concluded as the bunny lay in disarray and he began to divest himself of his clothing.

“We’re on duty!” the first figure reminded his companion. “We’ll get in trouble for this!”

The sound that was used as an answer was rude and obscene sounding. “We’re Inquisitors! No one’s stupid enough to bring us up on charges. Besides, as soon as this one disappears I bet there are at least ten more to take her place.”

Judy tried to fend off her attacker and swung weakly while trying to speak though all that made it past her bloody lips were inarticulate whines and mewls of protest. Even those were silenced by the casual backhand that rocked her head and sent blood and saliva flying. Even dazed as she was Judy felt what was being done to her and felt involuntary tears spill from her eyes, the doe unable to prevent the violation that was just a moment away.

“This isn’t right, Doug,” the first figure pointed out. “I’m heading back to the guard post.”

“Are you sure? Give me a moment and I’ll have her nice and broken in for you,” the second said as he lowered his body and pulled the dazed rabbit closer.

Judy thought she heard something else as she waited for the ultimate crime against a female to be committed against her and looked up, only one eye wanting to focus as she saw clearly for the first time that her attacker was one of the sheep that she’d spotted a short while earlier, his curled horns catching the faint illumination from one of the dim security lamps in this portion of the yard while his wool seemed to glow with a malevolent sort of nimbus.

The ram paused in his ripping of Judy’s uniform as his arms waved wildly for a moment before his hooves scrabbled for his throat, his eyes rolling wildly in his head. As she looked up, her senses coming back slowly, Judy saw something that would forever be burned into her memory.

The Inquisitor called Doug by his associate thrashed as a font of thick crimson erupted from his throat, the liquid splashing on the concrete and Judy while further down he bobbed, still erect in the arousal that he had been planning to forcefully unleash on the bunny. Behind the sheep, a grimace on his vulpine face, stood a fox, his arms up, the faintest glint of steel wire leading from the sheep’s neck to his paws. The fox held the garrote taut until the ram ceased struggling, a wet gurgle issuing from his open mouth as his body was unceremoniously dumped on the concrete.

Judy tried to scoot away from the fox, one form of terror from just a moment before being replaced by a second. From rape to death at the jaws of a savage pred, neither was what the bunny had wanted and feebly kicked at the ground in an effort to flee as her perspective on the world began to tilt and darken.

“Nick!” a voice hissed from the shadows. “The other one’s taken care of.”

The fox nodded as he drew close to the bunny, his paw reaching out to touch her face as he looked at her with concern. “Shhh. I’m not going to hurt you,” he told her in a soft voice.

Judy shook her head and tried to scream, the only sound a pitiful whine when another pred joined the fox, his white fur almost glowing. “What the hell are you doing? She’s one of them!”

The fox shook his head as he pulled a kerchief from a pocket of his dark overcoat. “So?”

“So?!? So she’s the enemy!” the wolf snarled quietly.

The fox looked up for a moment, his eyes flashing dangerously, before turning back to the bunny. “That means she deserves to get beaten and raped? She’s coming with us. Otterton can get her pieced back together.”

“Have you lost your mind?!?” the wolf asked heatedly, his hackles rising as he let his arms lift slightly in a clear threat posture. “She’s ZPD! Leave her! Let the grass eaters take care of her!”

The fox finished dabbing at the blood from Judy’s face and lip then calmly pocketed the bit of cloth and scooped the bunny up in his arms, cradling her against his chest as she whimpered in pain. “Do we have the supplies we needed?”

The wolf stepped back, blinking amber eyes as his head tilted quizzically at the change of subject. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Then let’s go,” the fox said as he turned for one of the rows of supplies furthest from the light.

“No way. I’m not gonna let you take her back to the den!”

Judy saw the resolute expression in the fox’s eyes. “I’m still in charge of this mission, and I say she comes with us.”

“She’s one of them, you bastard! She’d kill us all in a heartbeat!” the wolf raged quietly.

“Which is why I’m doing it,” the fox replied sadly. “The hate and fear have to end somewhere so the healing can start.” He carried the bunny into the shadows, pausing long enough to set her down, remove his coat and wrap her in it before lifting her again. “We need to blindfold you,” he said gently, a look of infinite sadness in his emerald eyes. “I’m going to take you someplace where you’ll be safe.”

Judy tried to respond and wound up coughing on a gobbet of blood and spittle in her mouth as she lifted a paw, her finger pads barely brushing the fox’s face, though it left a smear of blood that showed darker on his reddish brown fur until it passed to the creamy portion of his cheek and flared carmine. Then the promised blindfold was put over her eyes, gently so it wouldn’t hurt as it pressed against the swollen flesh beneath her fur. The feeling of being carried, of being safe, and in the arms of a predator no less, felt good after her treatment by the ram. Not knowing why it felt safe, Judy curled against the fox, her head resting on his shoulder as he held her until events caught up along with the beating and she passed out.

Notes:

It's interesting to see how my writing has changed...evolved?...over the years since I first started putting words down. Interesting, indeed.

Yeah, this was pretty wretched, and it will get worse before it gets better. Apart from that, not much else to say.

Chapter 3

Nicholas Piberius Wilde never asked to be a leader. It had been forced upon him by circumstances, or fate, or divine providence, whatever it was that others believed in. All the fox knew was that he hated it. If he’d had a choice he would have found someplace far away in the forests with a lake or river where he could have lived out his life in peace working a garden and fishing. Instead he found himself serving as a resistance fighter struggling against those that wanted him dead because he was born different… because he’d been born from mammals that descended from predators.

Others preds had let the changes that swept Zootopia turn them. They’d let the hate and the anger into their hearts and souls so that they became almost as bad as the regime they struggled against. Nick, though, tried with every beat of his heart, with each breath he took, to keep some spark of hope alive in the core of his being. He tried diligently to hold onto his compassion. He’d told his best friend from when he was a kit that the day he stopped feeling, that when the tears for those that suffered stopped, regardless of whether they were pred or prey, that he wanted a bullet to the head. Finnick had tried to laugh it off until he saw that the red fox was deadly serious.

Now on the latest mission everything he fought to hold onto almost died in a moment of indecision. He didn’t have to rescue the bunny that was about to be raped. She was one of those that he feared the most, a black shirt, one of the city’s dreaded police. If the Inquisitors, those mad torturers that were the main power of the Unity Party, wanted to become what they themselves feared the most and prey upon their own numbers that was a good thing…wasn’t it?

However, the moment of indecision passed and in its place rose a righteous fury that burned as hot and pure as the sun. No one, no matter what they were, deserved to be raped, to suffer the scars that such a violation left. That is if the one being tormented lived through the process.

His pistol dispatched one of the rams, the sleeper dart hitting him in the neck as he turned to go, the second unaware of the event as he spread the poor bunny and prepared to unleash himself on her nearly unconscious rabbit. In fact, the ram was so distracted by his prize and lust that he didn’t know the wire was around his throat until it was too late. With a snarl of hatred embodying all of the atrocities he’d witnessed, Nick had hauled back on the garrote with his knee pressed into the spine and savored the feel of the thin strand of steel slicing through muscle and sinew and vocal chords until it hit bone. The fox didn’t relent until he felt the last tremor of life pass through the sheep before letting the body drop.

Nick choked down the disgust with himself at having killed and went to the bunny, only her left eye attempted to focus on him as the right one continued to swell tightly shut. He tried to clean her up, wondering if it would be best to leave her where she was for her own people to find her. As he fought with the choice, she looked at him with her amethyst colored orb and it was as if the decision was made for him right then and there.

Wolford wanted to leave her, or better yet, plunge his blade in the bunny’s heart as he had the tranqed sheep that the fox had dropped. Nick wouldn’t hear of it and decided to take her where he knew she could get help. It was like the rabbit barely weighed anything at all as he scooped her up in his arms, adrenaline giving him a strength greater than he normally possessed, though with the lack of steady food, Nick, like so many others, had been pared down to bone and whipcord muscle and little else.

The journey back to The Den, the hideout of his specific resistance cell, took less than an hour and a half, a miracle considering the boxes of supplies they’d managed to liberate before the two sheep and attempted rape of the bunny interrupted the stealing of necessary materials. Nick left the task of getting the supplies into the underground tunnels to the others as he carried the bunny into the heart of the Den, setting her on the cot that the tiger girl had died on and hoped that it wasn’t bad luck.

Unfortunately there weren’t any other beds available. He covered her to help preserve as much of her dignity as he could before removing the blindfold.

“What do we…” Emmitt asked as he padded up to the bunk and saw the rabbit, the shreds of her uniform barely covering the necessary bits before Nick got the sheet over her. “Nick? She…she’s ZPD,” the otter husked in wide eyed astonishment.

“She was beaten by an Inquisitor that tried to rape her,” Nick said as he sat heavily on the floor and placed a paw over his eyes as the shakes set in. He always got the shakes after a rough run into the city and tried to fight the nausea and memory of murdering the sheep. “I…I think she should be checked for a concussion, treat the obvious contusions and lacerations. And have Mrs. Otterton find her something to wear.”

The smaller mammal grabbed Nick’s arm and shook it. “She’s ZPD!” he hissed. “You want me to use what little we have on…on her?!?”

The fox’s eyes turned as hard as the stones they shared color with. “She’s a mammal that needs help!” Nick snarled loudly. Heads all around The Den whipped around to regard the fox with the utmost shock. Nick never raised his voice, and that it was filled with so much anger stunned other resistance fighters.

“Do it,” Finnick ordered as he stepped up to the clinic area and pointed at the bunny while giving Otterton a hard look. He moved closer to his friend, his surprisingly deep voice dropping to something that was friendly and soothing. “Nick? Are you okay?”

“I’m pretty goddamned far from okay, Finn,” the red fox replied as he tilted his head back and let loose the tears that he’d fought the entire way back, mammals that had been staring in his direction turning away. They knew that in order to maintain sanity a mammal had to vent the emotional pressure somehow and gave the fox as much privacy as could be mustered in the situation. “I won’t ever be okay again…”

The fennec put an arm around the other fox and pulled him down to his shoulder while a paw settled on his larger friend’s head. “I know, brother. I know. And you’re right. We got to be the better mammals in this or we completely lose.” He let his finger pads smooth the fur on Nick’s head for a few seconds before the other fox sat back up, locking down on the emotional display. “So what do you want me to do about Wolford?”

Nick shook his head. “He was right and wrong, Finn. Just like I was right and wrong. I can’t blame him. Not after what he’s been through. He watched his whole family get gunned down. I understand his hate. But we have to be better than the Party.” He rubbed at his eyes with balled up paws. “Let him get some down time. He’s too high strung at the moment. Maybe let him go on a few look-and-see ops. No more hit and fade stuff for a while, though. Okay?”

“Sure thing, brother. Sure thing.” Finnick eyed the red fox. “You could do with some rack time, too.”

Again Nick shook his head. “Nope. I’m going to stay right here until she wakes up.”

“Why? Otterton can handle it,” Finnick told the other fox.

“I…it…” Nick tried to say and shrugged. “Just something I feel I need to do. She…she looked at me and…and it’s just something I want to do, okay?” Nick asked in irritation. “Stop grilling me about it.”

Finn took a half step back, his paws raised in a gesture of peace and placation. “Hey, no big,” he said with a worried look. “You’re a grown up fox and can make your own choices. That said you will get some sleep and eat something as soon as she wakes up or I’ll have Emmitt dope your fuzzy ass and plug a tube into you. You get me?”

Nick nodded wearily and turned to watch the bunny as she slept and was tended to. As Emmitt took care of the rabbit, Mrs. Otterton brought over a bowl of clean water and a cloth and began to clean Nick. “You’re right, you know,” the lithe otter told him as she dabbed at the blood on the fox’s cheek, a little surprised when it turned out not to be his. “We have to be the compassionate ones or we’re lost forever. And I think you did a very brave thing.” She moved to his paws, again surprised when it turned out to not be Nick’s and searched him for nonexistent wounds. “This…this isn’t your blood?” she asked softly.

Nick shook his head silently.

“Nick? What happened?” Mrs. Otterton asked softly as she took the larger mammal’s paws in a very matronly fashion.

“I…I k-killed. To protect her…” the fox said.

“Oh. Oh, Nick,” the otter cooed as she pulled his head to her breast and let him weep silently.

For five years he’d fought against the Unity Party, but even after raids and successful sabotage missions, he’d never killed…never murdered another mammal intentionally.
Until tonight.

Other preds didn’t have the problem of killing, preds like Wolford or even Finnick, the head of the cell, but Nick didn’t have that mentality. He could tranq another mammal, but to kill, to actually end their life…

It hurt and it made him want to be sick and never do it again, but times were becoming more and more desperate. The fox wasn’t sure if he believed in a god or divine being or anything except what he could see and touch, but that didn’t stop him from praying that he’d never have to take a life again. Though, like so many other prayers, Nick didn’t expect that one to be answered either. He watched as another strip of the thing he missed the most about himself was torn away. He so longed for the innocence of his childhood…

Events caught up and the fox dozed off where he sat on the floor, automatically tuning out the noises from the clinic and the others moving about the Den. Then when the first nightmare came he jerked awake, starting so bad that he smacked the back of his head against the concrete support he leaned against. Nick reached up to rub the lump forming between his ears and pulled away his paw when it felt wet. He looked at the blood on the pads of his fingers and chuckled with dark humor. He didn’t get hurt in the field all that often. Most of his injuries he inflicted accidentally on himself. The cut didn’t feel too bad, more of an inconvenience than anything else, and sat back before he realized the rabbit was awake and looking at him with her one unhurt eye.

“Hey,” Nick said softly. “You’re awake. How are you feeling? Do you need me to get the doc?” he asked and got to his knees, his paw going for the edge of the sheet that covered the bunny where it had gotten pushed down.

The bunny jerked as he reached for the sheet, not knowing what he was doing and with her one eye opened as far as it could be in terror, scrambled to get away, her flailing knocking over a tray and small table and getting the attention of Mrs. Otterton who rushed over. The bunny only relaxed minutely at the presence of another female until she realized that said female was also a predator and she resumed her attempt to escape though her efforts were hampered by the beating she’d received.

“Hey,” Nick said softly as he motioned the otter back and got the bunny to focus on hm. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. No one here’s going to hurt you. You have my word!”

“The word of a pred?” the bunny asked sarcastically, her words carrying a slight lisp due to her swollen and split lips.

“Does it matter that much if I’m a pred?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the bunny as Mrs. Otterton continued to retreat, though blessedly didn’t go for help, her dark eyes wide and looking back and forth between the two.

The bunny sneered. “You know what I am…or what I was. So, yeah,” she replied saucily. “I’d say it damn well matters.”

Nick nodded. “Yes. I can see why that would be a bit of a challenge,” he agreed. “Even though I’m the mammal that kept you from getting raped.” He watched as the bunny flinched, the anger in her amethyst eye fading a little. “Huh. Remember that part now, don’t you.”

“Yeah,” the bunny replied in a soft voice. “I…I remember that…”

Nick relaxed and sat back on his knees, his paws still held up and out a little from his body. “I killed for you, and I’m none too happy about that. In fact, every time I think about it I want to throw up. But I can understand why you’d be a little nervous.” He watched as she stayed tense. “So, what’s your name? I could just call you ‘bunny’ and it wouldn’t be too bad because you’re the only one here, but it seems…rude.”

“You’re worried about sounding rude?”

“I am. Just because I’m a fox it doesn’t mean that I’m uncivilized, no matter what the Party says.” He snorted softly in amusement. “You can even give me a fake name. I’m just trying to be nice.”

The doe thought about it before eyeing the fox suspiciously. “Judy.”

“Hello, Judy. I’m Nick. I’d offer you my paw, but I don’t want you to freak out. You took a hell of a beating and I’m a little worried about how you’re feeling and if there’s any permanent damage.” He let out a breath. It was progress of sorts and nodded towards a pitcher of water. “You thirsty?”

As if mentioning it made her realize just how parched her throat felt, Judy swallowed hard and glanced at the jug of water. “Yes,” she replied softly, as if admitting it made her vulnerable, and she had a desperate need to not feel vulnerable just then.

Nick held up his paws, gestured to the pitcher, then waited for her to agree, all of it silent. He got the water and paused. “Um, tell you what,” he said and drew the heavy knife from his belt and took it by the tip of the blade and held it out hilt first to the bunny. “Take this. If I move wrong, cut me…or if you feel you have to…kill me.”

The two mammals didn’t see the look of extreme worry in the otter’s eyes or the way she lifted her paws to her muzzle in concern.

Judy took the blade, moving a little too quickly judging by the wave of vertigo that caused the world to tilt crazily, but shook her head to clear it as she held the knife at the ready. When Nick drew close enough to pour the bunny a glass of water she put the blade against his throat with enough pressure so the keen edge pressed through the fur to the skin beneath and prickled coldly.

“I can’t guarantee your safety if you kill me, but go ahead if you feel you have to.”

Judy looked into the fox’s eyes, something in the green orbs saying that he’d actually be grateful if she did cut deep and ended his life. There was pain there. A deep, soul-searing pain and a sort of pleading for her to end his silent suffering that caused her to pause. Slowly she lowered the knife before letting it clatter to the floor and fell to the cot, the strength in her gone. She was unable to resist when the fox gingerly lifted her head for her to sip from the glass, the water feeling wonderful as it slid down her throat, cooling and rejuvenating her.

No. Not ‘the fox’ she told herself. Nick. His name was Nick.

“Why?” she asked softly as he lowered her to the cot and set the glass down before pulling the sheet up to cover her. “Why save me?” She regarded him with a strange curiosity. “Why did you care what happened to me?”

“Because no mammal, pred or prey, deserves to be…deserves that,” he whispered, his eyes taking on a momentary pinched appearance before his face became almost completely neutral.

It wasn’t so much what Nick said, but how he said it and the rabbit knew. She knew that his reason for saving her was that he had known someone that had been raped.

Or raped himself?

Judy tried to clear her thoughts, to push the fog away but it was too hard. She was too tired and he saw it. Judy watched as the fox waved over the otter, her paws holding a small plastic cup that had some kind of pills in it while her large chocolate brown eyes took in the bunny with more compassion than Judy had seen in a long time. “Why are you helping me?” she asked softly as the otter helped her get the pills in her mouth then gave her a sip of water. “I’m the enemy, aren’t I? Why are you doing this?”

Nick smiled bitterly and touched one of her ears with a trembling paw that was actually soothing to the rabbit. How odd that she was being given comfort and solace by a pred and tended to by another.

“Because the hate has to end somewhere,” he all but whispered.

Notes:

I think after this I may just let the notes go and answer in the comments if anyone has anything to say or wants to discuss the chapter. That and dealing with some things going on and just don't have a lot of energy to do notes, so I ask that you, dear readers, will forgive me for that. And now let's see ho many more chapters I can get up!

Chapter 4

By her reckoning at least ten days had passed since being brought to the secret location underground that the predators used as a base of operations and Judy used that time to heal and to observe. From snippets of conversation this was just one of many such sanctuaries. What was strange was that the predators that she found herself with didn’t stage daring attacks from this or any of the other hideouts. They didn’t make plans to fight the mammals of the city above. If anything the lair was used as a temporary waypoint for preds leaving the city as they were helped to escape to an unknown location beyond the grasp of Zootopia.

For the most part Judy was left alone with the exception of her wounds being tended to by Olivia Otterton, occasional visits from the fox that had rescued her, and twice by the diminutive fennec that seemed to be the leader of the group of resistance fighters named, unimaginatively in her opinion, Finnick.

Nick was gone much of the time, pensive in the times that Judy saw the red fox, exhausted by the time he returned hours later, sometimes he came back with supplies, sometimes with information, normally with groups of predators that would only be there for a day or two before moving on. The groups of preds that came through were rarely whole family groups, and there were a surprising number of kits, cubs and pups, many without parents. Each time Nick brought a group in, making sure the refugees were taken care of before he retired into the recesses of the lair, it seemed that there was a little less of him.

To make room for the constant flow of mammals in their makeshift clinic, Judy, once she was deemed healthy enough, was taken to a chamber that smelled as if it had once been a storage room for chemicals and cleaning supplies in the distant past. She understood why that particular room was chosen as it could easily be guarded and there was only one way out. The vent that let out was only four inches by six, far too small for even the bunny to slip through.

Nick made it a point to come and talk to her at least once a day, or so it seemed. Sometimes he told her about things that were going on, other times the fox would ask her about where she grew up, of what it was like, sometimes even smiling when the bunny described parts of Bunnyburrow. Whenever she talked about some of the crops her parents grew the fox’s eyes would get a faraway look to them, as if he were trying to remember something from so long ago that it was lost in the mists of time. As for details of his family and past, Nick said almost nothing and the pain that she’d seen in his eyes when she’d held his knife to his throat would return. It was a haunting and disturbing thing to see the change in a mammal that seemed as if he’d been made to smile more than anything else.

One day, or possibly night, it was hard for Judy to tell what it was anymore, Finnick appeared before she’d been brought food, the only way that she could determine time, and tossed her a fairly used and threadbare one piece jumper and pullover hood that had two holes cut into it for her ears. “Put that on,” he told her in his surprisingly deep voice.

“Why?” Judy inquired in a slightly tremulous voice as she saw the tiger that loomed behind him, her paws filled with a rifle that wasn’t one of the tranq guns many of the resistance mammals carried.

“Because it’s time for you to learn some things,” the fennec said as he started to shut the door to the room. “You have five minutes.”

As soon as the door closed Judy looked at the jumper. It was an odd request, but she took of the clothing that had been given to her to replace her ruined uniform and slipped out of the sleeveless flannel shirt in an unwholesome yellow and brown before sliding the jeans down her legs after untying the rope belt that had kept the slightly large pants on. The jumper wasn’t much better and hung a little loosely on her to the point she had to roll up the leg cuffs and sleeves. The hood went on without any trouble and she tied the flaps that covered her cheeks in a bow knot under her chin. It was the kind of clothing that a mammal that worked in dirty areas such as old style boilers would wear. She was curious about the reason for it, but said nothing as the door opened after a single rapping knock. While many of the preds intimidated her, Judy was genuinely frightened of the fennec fox.

“Come with me,” was all he said and turned from the room and headed down the service corridor, the tiger keeping watch on her with fiery orange eyes.

They passed through some sort of gate, the door a heavy slab of steel set in a wall of thick steel reinforced concrete. From there it was a journey of almost an hour through a twisting maze of tunnels and corridors, some dry and dusty smelling, others thick with dirty, turgid water and rotting garbage. Just when Judy wondered where they were going Finnick stopped and indicated Judy and the tiger do the same as he slipped the back pack he wore off his shoulders.

“You’re gonna want this, bunny,” he said as he held out a filter mask that looked as if it had been designed more for the desert fox’s muzzle. “It’ll smell weird, but you want it to. Trust me on that.”

“Where are we going?” Judy asked as she put the mask on after casting a glance back at the tiger to see that he looked more than capable of making her wear it if she balked. It fit well enough once Judy adjusted the straps and found Finnick looking at her before he nodded and continued on.

It was almost a quarter of a mile until the bunny was directed to turn once more. While she and the desert fox could still walk upright the tigeress had to crawl into the tunnel. Her bulk blocked any chance of retreating in the direction they’d come and Judy didn’t think that pushing past the fox in front of her was a smart idea as the tiger had her rifle pointed forward. There was no way that she could miss and Judy knew that Finnick was armed. The only option was to see whatever they had planned through to the end.

The sound of a foghorn came from the end of the tunnel that was visible just ahead. That meant they had to be near the waterfront at the northeastern portion of the city where cargo and container ships made dock. It was also nighttime as the tunnel angled up slightly and the sliver of sky that Judy could see was the odd purple color of the ambient light from the city being reflected off of low clouds. When the desert fox stopped at the end of the tunnel and turned to face the rabbit there was an odd cast to his eyes and his large ears tried to press against the sides of his head.

“I want you to see this,” he said softly. “I think you need to see this. Maybe then you’ll understand. And just so you know, this is the only way back. When you’re done come see me.”

It was an odd, cryptic thing to be told and Judy glanced behind her to see if the tiger, Fangmeyer she’d come to learn, was waiting to put a round between Judy’s shoulders. What she found was the large cat lying with her head down on her arms with a strange, ragged sound coming from her throat. Finnick had turned back to look at whatever it was beyond the mouth of the tunnel, standing as still and motionless as a statue. With a deep breath through the mask, the sweet smell of deodorizing chemicals all but burning her nose, the bunny moved forward.

The inner edge of the tunnel had had a steel grate built into it, but sometime in the not too distant past the crisscrossing bars had been cut away with a torch. On the small drop off at the entrance lay the remains of the grate, the metal scorched and warped as if from a great heat. Judy avoided the rusty blackened metal as she hopped down and began walking slowly.

The doe tried to watch where she was stepping, the ground feeling strange under her feet and wondered if Finnick was going to have the tiger shoot her once she was further out into the bowl shaped pit. When her toes caught on something that rattled hollowly Judy bent over to pick it up, turning the object over in her paws a couple of times before she realized that she held a blackened skull. With trembling paws the bunny looked at the skull with a growing knot of disgust and nausea forming in the pit of her stomach. It had belonged to a predator, that much was obvious by the long fangs that had somehow stayed white. What was truly shocking was that the size and shape indicated it had come from a child.

The grisly object tumbled from fingers suddenly gone numb as Judy looked around her slowly.

There were literally hundreds of charred skeletons, their blackened bones looking like dried and dead plants leftover after a winter thaw. Some had raised their arms to ward off whatever it was that had killed them. Then the bunny saw a skull that wasn’t from a pred. It was, from everything she could tell, a rabbit like her. Next to that was something like a goat or other ungulate, possibly a deer. Then the true horror fell upon her as she realized many of the skeletons were holding smaller versions of themselves.

Her eyes rolling in a sort of dazed madness, Judy tried to suck in a breath, feeling as if she were suffocating as she spun about looking for Finnick and the exit. Judy wanted out…she needed to run, to forget what she saw, but even in her state of panic the bunny knew that she would see this scene for the rest of her life in every nightmare that would come visit her.

Ripping the mask off, Judy fell to her paws and knees, her stomach wanting to heave up what little was in it, but rabbits were incapable of vomiting and she could only sit there as copious amounts of saliva poured from her mouth. Her gut spasmed painfully for several long moments as the air in her lungs was forced out in a wet, strangled, shrill whine and her vision darkened around the edges. When her muscles relaxed for a moment Judy pushed up and sucked in a long breath until the smell of the carnal pit reached her nose and she dry heaved again and again while drooling miserably. Then as if to accentuate the horror around her, Judy realized that where she was hunched over was the arm of a kit or cub, the paw oddly preserved and clutched around a simple, bright plastic rattle that looked almost as clean as if it had just come out of the package.

It was like Judy was trapped in the worst thing she could possibly imagine and as the nausea passed, but not the sickness and anger at what had been done, the rabbit lifted her arms to the cloudy sky and screamed in horror and outrage. Even though she vented at the top of her lungs, the sound seemed pitiful when compared to the atrocity she all but wallowed in before falling in on herself and weeping in great, soul-ripping sobs. When she felt a paw on her shoulder Judy looked up with tortured, haunted eyes to find not Finnick, but the tiger, Fangmeyer, looking down at her with compassion in her flame-orange eyes.

“Used to be a small landfill here,” she said quietly, as if to speak louder would be an affront to the souls that had died in the pit. “Both Finnick and Nick had family here,” the tiger said softly. “The neighborhood they all lived in, locals joked about it being called ‘Fox Croft’, were rounded up one night in one of the first sweeps by the Unity Party. Preds…prey, anyone that protested…they were all brought here. Tankers were parked on the edge of the fill and after the police threw everyone they rounded up into here they turned the hoses on.

“It would have been more of a mercy to shoot them, but that would have been expensive, so Bellwether had her inquisitors spray the whole thing down with low grade fuel oil from the docks. When the time came, the ewe herself set it on fire using a flare gun. No one from the neighborhood knew about it until they came home from work, almost everybody working the factory just over the hill, about the only work they were allowed. They came home and discovered everything had been taken from them.”

Judy listened, unable to look away, unable to plug her ears. She didn’t want to know, didn’t want to learn the truth. Tears streamed down her cheeks, finally understanding, realizing what she was a part of and it was like a small part of her died right there and joined the blackened skeletons.

Now she knew why Nick was the way he was.

It was like Fangmeyer shared her thoughts. “Nick’s family was here. His mother and father. His sister. His wife and their little vixen. They were all here. In less than an hour Bellwether took everything from him.” The tiger snorted, but there was no amusement in the sound, no humor in her eyes, her mouth turned down so that it looked like Fangmeyer’s entire muzzle was frowning. “Bellwether declared a war on all preds that night and anyone, even prey, that tried to stand with us were her enemies. She fears preds. Hates us. And the thing is, none of us have ever committed anything this vile.

“Nick fights because it’s the only thing he has left. But he won’t kill. He thinks that if he kills it will drag him down to Bellwether’s level. In fact,” Fangmeyer said as she lowered her head to look at the bunny, “the only time he’s ever killed was to save you.”

“W-why?” Judy asked in a small voice.

Fangmeyer shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe he sees something in you that’s worth saving. Maybe you reminded him of a different time. Whatever it is, I can’t tell you. Nick…Nick is a little odd. He just seems to know things, like he’s got some sort of extra sense that the rest of us don’t have. Don’t get me wrong. Nick’s a great friend and I’d be more than happy to kill for him or take a bullet for the mutt, but he’s just…different. Like he’s not all the way in this world.” The tiger snorted again. “You want to know more, then ask him.” She held out her enormous paw. “Come on. It’s time to go back.”

Judy let herself be hauled to her feet but didn’t let go of the tiger’s paw, using her to steady her watery legs. When they got back to the entrance to the tunnels Finnick just looked at her challengingly. “Why?” Judy husked, her throat dry and ragged from the smell of burnt death. She wasn’t even aware when her paw came up of its own accord and struck the small fox across the muzzle until it was done. Fear at what she’d done clashed with the rage of what she’d seen, black dust and ash on her palm pads and knees from the burnt bodies in the pit. “Why show me?!?” she asked angrily before fresh tears began to run freely from her eyes and her mouth twisted into a frown of turmoil, pain and sorrow.

“Because you needed to see,” Finnick said without bothering to wipe the smudge from his muzzle, his amber-brown eyes as haunted as hers. “You need to see what’s been done.” He nodded slowly. “You needed to see the truth.”

Judy sucked in a shuddering breath. She wasn’t sure what to think, the scene too much for her to process all at one time and let herself be led back through the tunnels and sewers and service ways back to The Den. As soon as she could she peeled the jumper off and showered, someone having tapped a water pipe to provide the hideout with that necessity. Despite the water being cold the bunny soaped and rinsed several times until her teeth began to chatter. Judy didn’t think she’d ever feel clean again after what she’d seen. She felt it was time to get out after she caught herself washing her paws for the eighth time where her pads had touched the skull she’d tripped on. If she didn’t make herself leave the impromptu showers now, she’d stay under the water until hypothermia set in or she scrubbed herself raw and bloody.

Dried and dressed in secondpaw but clean clothes once more, Judy made her way to the main area of the Den, only noting with mild interest that she didn’t have nearly as many eyes following her. As the bunny wondered what to do with herself, wanting the company of others, she spotted Nick at a table near the kitchen set up, her ears perking slightly. She owed the poor fox more than just her thanks and realized that not only had he kept her from being raped, he’d shown her more compassion and friendship than many of her so called friends she’d made since coming to the city or the ones she’d left behind in Bunnyburrow. He would have been well within his rights to have left her in the storage yard.
Hell, he’d have been within his rights to have let the sheep have his way with her. Nick owed her nothing and had all the reason to hate her and all other prey species.

But he’d saved her. He’d seen to it that her injuries were treated, even going so far as to sleep on the unforgiving concrete in the clinic to watch over her. Judy felt a deep need to try and repay the kindness he’d shown her. As she drew closer to the makeshift table formed out of cinderblocks and boards he was sitting at the others he was talking to came into view on the other side of the large concrete support the table was set near. Seeing Finnick in one of the chairs was no surprise.

What caused the bunny to gasp in shock and awe was that the two foxes were speaking to a pair of mammals that Judy knew well, one by sight and one personally.

At the sound of astonishment from the bunny, Zootopia Police Chief Bogo and his companion, the pop icon Gazelle and one of the main artists used by the Unity Party looked up while Finnick grinned and Nick stared at the table.

The Cape Buffalo dwarfed everyone in the Den, but what was more astonishing was the fact that he was still in uniform and no one cared. As for Gazelle, she was dressed almost conservatively in shirt, jeans and jacket of drab colors instead of her rather risqué ensembles in bright hues. She had a scarf wrapped around her head with only her horns and a single curling lock of pale gold mane escaping the covering.

It was enough of a surprise that it took several moments for Judy to start to come to her senses, a tremble running through every fiber of her being as her vision narrowed to focus on Bogo.

Then, as if something in her snapped the bunny lunged for one of the freedom fighters that was close by, Judy jumping up to and on the wolf’s back as she grabbed his pistol then kicked off with both legs, her strength aided by the flood of fight-or-flight hormones that saturated her blood. When she came down in was low in a three point stance, the pistol in her paw pointed directly at the Cape Buffalo, the barrel sighted directly at his left eye. Even at close range and targeted for the right spot a tranq gun could be lethal. Just as her finger took in the slack of the trigger, a paw wrapped around her wrist, yanking the weapon up just enough so that the bunny’s shot went high, missing Bogo’s eye by a good foot and smacked harmlessly into the far wall.

“You murdering son of a bitch!” Judy screamed as she fought to free the weapon, her eyes boring into the head of Zootopia’s police force. “Lemmego! I’mgonnakillhim!” the rabbit continued to rage until a gentle paw forced her to turn her head and she found herself looking at Nick, his green eyes filling her vision with a sort of cool calmness that pushed out the red rage that had been there a second before.

“Bogo’s on our side,” Nick told her in a soothing, even voice as he plucked the pistol from paws that had suddenly gone numb. The fox put a paw on her back and steered the bunny towards the table, a slight look of amusement on his muzzle as Judy tried to determine if she was more outraged or shocked. “Don’t feel bad. I just found out an hour ago myself that Bogo has been helping us.”

The cape buffalo actually smiled as the bunny was physically drawn closer. “Glad to see you’re still alive, Hopps,” he rumbled. “I was expecting the worse when we found the bodies of Doug Ramses and Cole Sheppard. The deaths of Inquisitors are something Chancellor Bellwether takes very seriously. I was more concerned about you missing, though.”
Gazelle looked around the table, a look of impatience on her narrow, delicate face. “I’m glad that this…whatever it is, isn’t going to degrade into violence, but we need to get back to the subject we were discussing.”

“You won’t hear me complaining,” Finnick said as he poured a cup of coffee from a camp style percolator. “We have too many refugees to get out of the city as it is so the more we can send along the better. Are you sure you can open a window for us to get them onto the train heading for Bunnyburrow?”

Judy’s ears perked up as she forgot about her outburst a moment before.

The singer nodded. “My entourage will be available to help further. They’ve already got food and medical supplies hidden in different locations in Bunnyburrow. We have safehouses ready all through the Burrows. From there they’ll be sent to different safe cities out of Bellwether’s and Inquisitors’ reach. Chief Bogo has assured me that he has officers that he’ll assign to the depot that will ensure the escape plan. There are almost thirty families willing to hide refugees until they can get transportation. These are mammals we can trust.”

Judy eyed Bogo nervously as she drew closer to the table, her shoulder brushing against Nick. “You…you’re sending refugees to Bunnyburrow?” she asked softly.

Gazelle nodded. “Word is spreading about what’s happening in the city,” she said as her eyes took on a deep sadness. “This isn’t the city I grew up in anymore. We have a network of support and have been getting as many as we can out of the city. It isn’t much and I wish I could do more…”

“Oddly enough,” Bogo said with a nod to the bunny, “this is one of the Hopps’ daughters. First rabbit through the Academy.” He looked fully at Judy. “I would have eventually brought you in on this, or at least gotten a feel for where your sympathies lie, but events sped up what I planned. Nick and Finnick filled me in on what the Inquisitors tried to do to you. Are you coping with it?”

Judy shrugged, half listening as the desert fox filled in Gazelle on the incident. “I’ve made some good friends that have helped me through it, sir,” she answered glancing at Nick.
The doe was surprised when Gazelle spun in her chair and took her paws in her dainty hooves. “That’s terrible! I can’t imagine having to go through something like that. I’ll make sure that I get word to your parents that you’re well and safe. It really is a pleasure to meet one of Stu and Bonnie Hopps’ daughters. They must be very proud of you.”

Blinking her large amethyst eyes in surprise, Judy tilted her head in confusion. “You know my parents?”

“Oh, yes,” Gazelle said with a smile. “They were one of the first families to offer help…” The singer’s smile faltered. “You…you don’t know about your brothers and sisters, do you?”

“My…my brothers and sisters? What happened?” the bunny asked in a desperate, fearful tone.

Gazelle glanced at the others before lowering her head for a moment while still holding the bunny’s paws. “Virgil, Dusty, Abby, Lara and Rory were caught helping preds hide in the woods. They were found with supplies and medicines. When it was discovered what they were doing, the magistrate in Bunnyburrow…he…he had them shot as traitors with all of the burrows watching.” She swallowed and lifted her head so she could look into Judy’s eyes. “They were heroes, Miss Hopps. They saved so many…”

Judy hiccupped softly as her lower jaw began to tremble as he eyes filled. Her siblings were all born with her except Rory. Rory had been fourteen, just entering that time in his life that should have been magical as he took the first steps to becoming an adult. Her chest felt tight and the world spun a little with the shock that the news had brought. She was completely unaware when a pair of gentle paws guided her away from the meeting and really didn’t come to her senses until she was in a real bunk with a cup of water in front of her.

“C’mon, Carrots,” Nick said gently. “Drink up.”

The bunny turned to regard the fox and blinked her gem colored eyes slowly. “Wha…what did you call me?”

The fox smiled for a split second and lowered his head. “Sorry. Stupid attempt to lighten the mood.”

Judy put her paw and the fox’s arm. “I…it’s appreciated, Nick. Thank you.”

“C’mon. Drink some water then take these,” the fox said as he held up a small paper cup with three different colored pills. “One’s a mild sedative, one’s just basic aspirin, and the other’s a multivitamin.” He nodded as the bunny took the pills and gulped water. “There you go.”

Nick got up to set the glass on a small table when Judy clutched at his paw not wanting to be alone, thinking he was leaving and unsure how to ask the fox to stay. “Wait!” she cried, her eyes wide and frightened. “Nick…please. I…I need…” Her lower jaw began to tremble again. “Don’t leave me!” she whispered desperately.

Nick put the glass down and turned back around to sit on the bunk. Before he was fully settled the bunny had thrown herself at him and began to weep with the loss of her brothers and sisters. There was a moment of discomfort for Nick then he discovered his arms wrapped around the bunny of their own volition and he held her as her heart broke over her loss.

What disturbed Nick even more was how good it felt to hold her.

Notes:

So, I did make a little alteration and made Fangmeyer the tiger that goes with Judy and Finnick to the killing pit, but that's about it. Oh, and I'm cleaning things up a little as I go, fixing typos as I find them...

Chapter 5

Dawn Bellwether, Chancellor of the Unity Party, looked out over the city as the early morning sun fell upon it, the view from her window showing her the domain she’d claimed and bent to her vision. It had been a struggle of almost ten years, a nudge here, a suggestion there when she’d first set the ground work for what the Party was now. At first it had simply been a gathering of her kind, other sheep that shared a common fear and mistrust of predators. It had been a simple thing really. Then, as she listened during those first few meetings, an idea began to form. As she thought about it after going to bed that night it grew from an idea into a dream, and from a dream to a goal.

What would the world be like without the constant threat of predators?

Preds were a collection of substandard species, weren’t they? Apart from a mate, preds really knew nothing of working together for the common good of something larger than themselves. They were solitary for the most part, and those that could function in a group only did so because it had made their ancestors more efficient killers. How could preds ever be a part of society when they had no concept of a good and proper flock? How could such bestial mammals ever be trusted when the entire reason for a herd was alien to their less developed and inferior brains?

A smile pulled at her mouth as she lifted the dainty porcelain cup decorated with a flower and vine motif with pure gold around the rim to her nose and sniffed delicately at the mint and lemongrass tea. It had been so easy to steer the others from just meeting to complain about predators into a special interest faction that pushed for more prey-centric legislature. Then a few years of careful cultivation and she’d taken that and turned it into a small political movement. Another year past and it was seats on the city council…

‘Slow and steady won the race,’ Bellwether told herself. By focusing on prey interests the ewe had brought other groups in under her banner. Her speeches had appealed to them, after all, who out of the evolved prey mammals in the city hadn’t at some point been frightened by preds? Even the most friendly gesture from a pred was a demonstration of their nature. What proper, civilized mammal showed of a muzzle full of knives when they smiled? Then the day came when an independent study group indicated that Dawn Bellwether and the political machine she’d created had gained almost sixty percent support in city wide polls. She would have been more than happy to launch her campaign for the position of mayor with fifty three percent, keeping in mind that no matter how galvanized the populace, there was always a twenty five percent section that would vote spur of the moment.
Dawn had canvassed the entire city, going from district to district, meeting with mammals of all kinds and told them as sincerely as she could that a vote for her was a vote for change.

Change. She hadn’t even had to elaborate on that. Certain words resonated with voters, and change was one of them. The only ones that questioned what kind of change Bellwether meant were a few reporters that were affiliated with small magazines. One of them was even a pred, as if a filthy meat eater understood that politics was a game of allies, of grooming a specialized herd for the betterment of all. She’d assured them that her concept of change was to alleviate job pressure, the strain on emergency services, and to begin a zone recovery project that would revitalize older sections of the city. What had made them believe her was that Bellwether believed what she said.

Never mind that the areas she spoke of were pred neighborhoods, or that her answer would be the elimination of dangerous and undesirable social elements. That the elements Dawn spoke of were preds. She’d leaned early that you didn’t have to divulge an entire truth for it to be believed. Give just enough and other mammals would listen. Then as election campaigns began to form, Bellwether announced the formation of the Unity Party that would bring mammals together to finally realize the dream that had been Zootopia. On election night she watched with her staff as the polling results came in. Leodore Lionheart, the incumbent mayor, had disappointed the masses in his inability to meet his previous campaign promises and the citizenry was ready for the change that Dawn Bellwether spoke of.

She laughed when results from the different voting districts showed that she’d even gotten an impressive twenty one percent of the pred vote. When the tally was totaled and posted, Dawn Bellwether was shown to have been chosen as the next mayor of Zootopia by a staggering seventy eight percent margin. When the day came that she was sworn into office, she believed the oath that she recited, that she would strive her utmost for the mammals of the city of Zootopia. It was an oath she planned to take seriously and strive to uphold.

At least for mammals that hadn’t been born with mouths full of teeth that had one purpose, and one purpose only.

The morning she sat in the mayor’s office, the room unfortunately redolent with the stink of pred, she allowed herself five minutes of celebration. Then the real work began.
Over time businesses that were owned or employed preds found new fees and insurance costs while select medical studies determined that preds were emotionally ill suited for certain jobs. It had been easy to sway the results of the studies that were published. Small grants from Zootopia’s coffers saw that Bellwether got the statistics she needed. An overhaul of services ranging from fire and rescue to the Zootopia Police Department opened up a string of positions for prey mammals, and Bellwether’s staff used that to validate her decreasing unemployment numbers by only counting non-preds.

Polls indicated that support was at a steady figure of nearly seventy five percent, though once more, it was only prey species that had been asked.

Bellwether found that properly managed, propaganda was a very useful tool, and once more using municipal funds, established several new newspaper, magazine and blogs that were geared towards fomenting mistrust against preds. She even brought into existence the popular adolescent magazine Hoofbeats! to guide the next generation of citizens, it’s flashy colors and articles on prey celebrities along with insipid questionnaires became an instant success with calves, kits and lambs, particularly with articles of trendy entertainers like Gazelle, the Mice Girls and Siouzie and the Bunnies or film pretties such as Colt Timberson and Johnny Bison.

Her grip on the city growing stronger every day, Bellwether was able to push several reforms through the city council, one of the first being an extended term for mayors. She argued that no mayor elect could properly administer the city and see that the job was done properly without more time in office and that if Bellwether had already demonstrated her marked improvement in unemployment numbers in just twelve months, what could she do with two more years added to her term in office? As soon as the proposal was passed, Bellwether set events in motion that would solidify her power base.

A chance encounter with a horticulturist that had been arrested for erratic driving introduced her to an innocuous little flower that had extreme mind and mood altering effects. Research into the flower led to the development of a refined liquid that could turn any mammal into a raving savage. Finally Bellwether had the weapon that would enable her to orchestrate contained events that could be quickly and easily dealt with but not before witnesses saw that preds were not just inherently unstable, but exceedingly dangerous to the common good.

By the time of the fourth incident, each one seemingly random, Mayor Dawn Bellwether was given leave by a concerned city council to form a specialized unit within the police force that she dubbed Inquisitors. Each member of the elite unit was handpicked by the ewe herself, and each was fanatically loyal. The Night Howler incidents became the prerogative of the Inquisitors and the news agencies that she’d established covered the incidents while Bellwether extolled her new force’s ability to counter the threat.

When the citizenry began to shun preds openly, Bellwether began the next phase of her plans. Overnight any pred without a collar that would track their movements and also provided their information via RFID chip were subject to automatic jail time. No collar meant goods and services were unavailable forcing even the most recalcitrant pred to submit or leave the city. When the collar initiative began to work too well, Bellwether ordered the construction of special camps to concentrate the preds that were being arrested on almost an hourly schedule. To offset the cost of these camps, new collars that could be controlled by remote to not only track, but to punish malcontents were introduced while the incarcerated preds were used as forced labor. This helped to swell the city’s bank accounts as resources for urban renewal projects were now flowing into Zootopia, harvested and gathered by workers that only had to be fed the bare minimum, required only the most basic of housing needs, and generated honest work for prey mammals.

By her third year of office, Bellwether’s position was consolidated and, as was only proper in her mind, for life. Trumped up charges of corruption that the populace believed enabled her to disband the city council, the ewe having many former allies and supporters incarcerated. She told the public in a speech broadcast on every station for both TV and radio with several live feeds on the internet that she was adopting the title of Chancellor as the demonstration of the city council to its susceptibility to payoffs that her job of looking after and guiding the city was far from over. That and with recent troubles there was to be a curfew for all preds who would face arrest for being out without valid reason between sundown and sunup.

Shortly after that proclamation, Dawn Bellwether ordered her personal tool, the Inquisitors, to choose one of the more dilapidated pred neighborhoods for renewal. Within hours they brought their selection to their leader, the target selected being Fox Croft. Bellwether smiled in approval. Foxes had always terrified her. Though they were related to wolves, the ewe’s second most terrifying pred, they didn’t act fully canid. Their inferiority was evident and she gave her ascent. Clear the neighborhood, eliminate the foxes that lived there at the first sign of opposition so that the entire portion of the city could be razed. In its place Dawn Bellwether had plans for parks that could be used by prey mammals, a sports arena for nonviolent contests and library that would provide proper education and entertainment for those like her.

The event, one that others in the city called ‘Night of the Culling’ showed Dawn Bellwether that the city was hers. Any mammal that spoke out against the operation was sent to prison or one of the camps that had been built. Three specialized camps were soon built where the old, infirm, medically challenged would go. It was the ewe’s belief that if a mammal couldn’t help promote the growth of the city and society at large, then they were a burden, and Bellwether had enough burdens to deal with.

Year six found Dawn Bellwether completely unopposed and she sent her Inquisitors to the surrounding towns to consolidate the resources her city needed. Bunnyburrow, Greenville, Woodsburg, Deerbrook…all of them belonged to her and it was truly glorious. Without opposition, the punishment for speaking out against the Unity Party being immediate arrest with extreme prejudice, Bellwether ordered the final steps to be taken in dealing with the predator issue.

Now she sat in her office, the city and surrounding countryside hers. The dream of a world without preds was slowly becoming a reality and the result, regardless of the means, would vindicate Dawn Bellwether for all of history! The tea was soothing as she drank the flavorful brew and saw a city…her city…that would soon be free of the fear of predators.
“Madame Chancellor?” the voice from the intercom said with the proper tone of respect from her receptionist. “Police Chief Bogo is here for his appointment. Shall I send him in?”

Bellwether spun her chair about and held out her hoof with the cup, the pitiful creature on the leash attached to her desk darting forward with the carafe to refill it. As soon as the cup was refilled, Bellwether’s pet retreated back to the small box under the table that held the tea service with an obsequious bow. Dawn actually deigned to look at her slave for a moment before nodding slightly at a task well performed. The ferret, a female in the simplest of clothing, smiled in gratitude, her pink gums showing where Bellwether had had her obscenely sharp teeth removed while her claws had been properly trimmed and then cauterized to permanent round nubs.

“Send Bogo in,” the ewe said in her deceptively breathy, high voice. Dawn liked Bogo. The cape buffalo was calm, efficient and quite dependable. Never mind that the bull was rather easy on the eyes and had a magnificent set of horns. Bellwether had always been quite fond of a good set of horns…

The cape buffalo strode into the office with supreme confidence, as comfortable with his size and knowledge of his capabilities as a mammal could be. Dawn smiled, her ears twitching in genuine pleasure while the nub of her woolen tail twitched for other reasons. Bellwether was more than happy to entertain thoughts and fantasies of a dalliance with the magnificent mammal before her…

“So good to see you, Bogo,” Dawn told the bull warmly. “It’s always a…pleasure,” she told him coquettishly.

“Madame Chancellor,” the bull said as he inclined his head respectfully.

The ewe shook her head. “I was hoping that we’re good enough friends to use names instead of titles, Bogo,” Bellwether said as she batted her eyes in harmless flirtation. “Come now, have a seat and tell me how your operations are going.”

The Police Chief lowered his solid frame into the chair, the heavy steel framed piece of furniture not even creaking as it accepted his mass. “Well, incidents with resistance elements are down. From everything that I’ve been able to determine we’ve broken their back with the destruction of the cell that Lionheart was running. Incidents dropped dramatically with that victory. As for the incident in the storage yard at the train station some weeks ago it looks as if the break in was by starvers. I’ve ordered my investigative teams to focus their efforts on tracking down whoever was responsible. The murders of two Inquisitors must be met with swift, severe and strict justice.”

Dawn nodded, pleased that Bogo was so supportive of her elite unit. “I have complete faith in you. Have you come to a decision about the security at the storage center?”

“I have,” the Cape Buffalo said. “I’d like to create a mixed force of veteran officers with recent Academy graduates. A sort of mentoring program, if you will. I believe that teaming up experienced officers with more able bodied and younger mammals will enable us to prevent the same sort of incident that took those fine young Inquisitors from us.”

“That sounds like a well thought out plan, Bogo,” Bellwether said with a firm nod and reassuring smile. “You have my full support to do as you see fit.” She waited until the bull had sipped from his cup that her servant had poured before asking the next question. “Has there been any word on the officer that went missing? I think her name was Jumps? Leaps?”
The Chief shook his head. “Hopps. I’m hopeful that we’ll turn up something in our continuing investigation, though I’m not as hopeful that she’s still alive.”

“It’s just further proof that preds are a danger to society, Bogo. To think that such an upstanding bunny could have such deluded brothers and sisters,” the ewe commented with a frown. “Then again, we are talking about bunnies and they’re unreliable at best. Most are good for nothing but farming when they aren’t humping each other senseless. Officer Hopps struck me as being made of better material, though.”

“As you say,” the bull agreed noncommittally.

Bellwether looked at the clock on her desk, the time actually projected into a block of glass in a soothing green shade. “Oh, dear. The time does get away from one while enjoying the company of friends,” the sheep told Bogo as she got up from her chair and approached. “You’ll keep me appraised of the investigation and the search for your missing bunny?”
“Of course, Madame Chancellor,” the Cape Buffalo said as he put the cup down and stood, trying to hide a distasteful expression as the ewe took his arm, her hoof like fingers sliding up and down the short, coarse hair in an attempt to again be flirtatious. “As soon as I find something out I’ll bring you the information personally.”

“That would be delightful,” Bellwether told him as they walked to the double doors of her office. “Perhaps we can dine together some evening in the near future?”

“I would be honored, Madame Chancellor,” Bogo replied with a bow, pausing while he was hunched over to grasp the sheep’s fingers before placing his lips against the short shorn wool of her knuckles. “Until then.”

As Bogo departed, Bellwether watched him go. He truly had a magnificent set of horns and it was enough to cause Bellwether to feel as if the temperature in her office had gone up several degrees. No one in the outer office looked up, all of them smartly keeping their heads own over their desks and the work they’d been hired to handle. The ewe snapped her hard fingers at her receptionist, the other ewe looking up. “Hold my calls for the next half hour and inform the kitchen that I’d like lunch in an hour.”

“Yes, Madame Chancellor,” the receptionist said as she gave the impression that she bowed from her seat.

Bellwether turned back to her desk, the door closing on a pneumatic return as Bellwether loosened the scarf at her throat, a dreamy look in her eyes as she imagined Bogo as a ram. As she took her chair fanning herself lightly she snapped for her slave, the ferret darting forward to wait next to her mistress’ chair. “Show me what a good pet you are…” the ewe said with a smile as her pet got to her knees before the ewe and did as she was bid.

Predators might have few uses, but some of them could be quite capable if properly prepared and trained.

Notes:

Yeah... Bellwether is a psychotic wretch in this one. Then again, she wasn't a lot better in the movie. But this is her dialed up to 11.

Poor Bogo. <.<

Chapter 6

Judy jerked awake, her lungs burning as she fought for breath her heart hammering madly and wondering where she was. The darkened room wasn’t the pit with charred remains and she wasn’t sunk to her chin in the ashen remains that had been getting in her mouth and up her nose. Then the bunny realized that what held her wasn’t the ground swallowing her up, it was the thin blanket she’d been given. Nor were the shadows in the room the blackened center of the pit but the semi-private area that she’d been sleeping in. With her foiled attempt to kill Bogo, then the news that her siblings had been executed for helping preds, the rabbit had been moved to a small partitioned off section where the others like Finnick and Nick had personal areas. Her closest neighbor was a petite black bear that was one of the larger mammals hiding out in the Den. Rona, the name of the bruin sow, stuck her head in at the sounds of distress to find Judy sitting up in the tangle of her blanket, the wide eyed terror fading as the last tendrils of the nightmare dissipated like smoke on the wind.

“Bad dreams,” Rona said with a nod. “You’ll get use to them.”

The rabbit shivered and it had nothing to do with being cold. “I hope not,” Judy replied softly as she swung her feet off the mattress and onto the cold concrete of the floor. “If I get used to bad dreams it means I’m getting used to what’s going on up there,” she commented with a vague indication of the city above their heads.

“Come on, bunny,” Rona said as she held out a large paw, the black pads blending to almost invisibility in contrast with her black fur. “We actually got a score on some of the finer things in life. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

Judy closed her eyes for a moment as a smile played across her short muzzle. “I think I’d cut my tail off for a cup of real coffee,” she commented, her eyes snapping open as she looked at the bear when the other laughed.

“It’d have to be a small cup ‘cause that ain’t much of a tail!”

“No,” the doe agreed as she followed Rona. “I guess it isn’t.”

The cooking line only had a few others around. There were no set hours and the mammals of the resistance cell ate and slept whenever they could. Finnick was speaking to Emmitt Otterton at one of the small makeshift tables when Judy appeared with Rona, the bunny nodding in acknowledgement. She hadn’t realized that she was distractedly looking around and unmindful of why she was there until a battered cup, the kind that was a staple at diners for its thick, simple design, was pressed into her paws.

“I guess you really could use this,” Rona said as she took her own cup and headed for one of the larger chairs on the far side of the eating area. “Or are you looking for someone in particular?” the sow asked with a knowing, good-natured leer. “Like a certain fox that has soft green eyes…” She smirked. “Now talk about a cute tail!”

Judy sipped from the cup, the coffee actually having body and flavor instead of the hot discolored water that was normally available. It would have been nice for a bit of cream and sugar, but she wasn’t going to turn her nose up at the little luxury. It was interesting how a little under three weeks in The Den had enabled her to adapt and that the things she used to take for granted, like different condiments or the occasional bit of chocolate or other candy, were truly special treats to be enjoyed. Such things were such a mood booster for the mammals that fought against Bellwether’s tyranny and plans for genocide.

“Wait a moment,” the bunny said as she lowered the small mug. “You…you think Nick is…well…” Judy lowered her voice after casting a surreptitious glance around the common area and leaned closer, “…cute?” Her lip curled slightly at the word that most rabbits found demeaning, but in this case it was an accurate descriptive.

Rona laughed and almost covered the rabbit’s entire forearm with a gentle paw. “I think lots of the guys around here are cute. Though considering your opinion of that word, maybe attractive is better.” She smiled warmly. “And I know you’ve been thinking the same where a certain fox is involved.”

Judy blinked as her mouth fell open in surprise. “I do not!” she husked in an affronted whisper as her ears quickly folded back along her neck as if they had springs in them.

“No?” the sow persisted with a knowing grin. “Then why are your ears as pink as a sunrise?” Rona let the bunny squirm and sputter in feigned indignation. “Hey. I’ll take a little bit of love and comfort wherever I can find it these days. I don’t think any of us are going to get out of this alive, so if I want to get laid and just enjoy something where I don’t have to be afraid for a little bit and some guy can make me forget what’s going on out there, then I’m all for it.”

Judy said nothing, hunching over the meager warmth of her cup, her eyes drooping a little with the feeling of sadness at the bleakness of the lives around her. Rona was a small Eurasian bear, certainly lacking the size and mass of most other ursine mammals the rabbit had met. She was hardly taller than Nick and had been an acrobatic entertainer for a carnival before finding her way into the resistance. “A bunny doing the deed with a fox?” Judy finally said sullenly. “That’ll never happen.”

“And why not?” Rona persisted. “I know a lot of the girls have tried to warm up to him, even one vixen over in Leodore’s cell. She had it something bad for Nick, but he never let it go past a nod or a word or two spoken in passing.” Rona nodded at the bunny’s look of disbelief. “He’s shown more personal interest in you than any other mammal he’s met in the two years I’ve known him.”

“It’s because you remind Nick of Amanda,” a deep voice said from off to the side.

Judy and Rona turned to see Finnick near their table though he wasn’t looking at them, his eyes seeming to be focused on something remembered than anything in the open common area.

“Who’s Amanda?” Judy asked with curiosity.

FInnick closed his eyes and took a breath. “Nick’s wife. She…she was a lot like you,” he said softly looking at the bunny. “Fiery, maybe a little too naïve about things, but that’s only because she believed the world could be a good place. Amanda and Eva, their daughter…they were the light of Nick’s life. He blames himself for not being there that night.”

“Oh…gods…” Judy whispered, her paw going to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

“Yeah. Don’t think they exists,” Finnick said with a bitter smile. “That’s why Nick’s taken a liking to you, bunny. Like Rona said, it’s the first time he’s acted like this to another since that night. That’s why he ain’t here all that much.”

“What do you mean?” the rabbit asked.

The desert fox gave Judy a scrutinizing glare before blinking in surprise. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” Judy asked a little shrilly, the little bit of coffee she’d been able to sip souring in her stomach in apprehension.

Finnick shook his head. “For the first time in years Nick’s let someone in, past all that gallows humor, past the walls, and the bunny doesn’t even know it!” he exclaimed with a bitter bark of laughter. “Only ones Nick ever lets see the mammal he used to be are the kits and cubs that come through here.” He looked pointedly at the rabbit. “And you.”

Judy blinked in surprise, her ears twitching, her changing emotions causing them to flick up and down. “I’d like to talk to him,” she finally said. “Where is he right now?”
“Ain’t here,” the fennec fox said with a shrug.

“Where’d he go?” Judy asked. “When will he be back?”

“Won’t be back for a while,” Finnick said as he started to walk away. “He went to Bunnyburrow. Escorting the latest batch of preds getting out of the city.”

Judy jumped up so fast she knocked her chair over and dashed in front of the small desert fox, her paws on his shoulders to stop him, her eyes wide and filled with concern. “Bunnyburrow?!? You sent him to the Burrow? Are you out of your mind?!?”

“Hey!” Finnick snapped as he flicked Judy’s paws away, a scowl on his face. “I don’t send Nick nowhere, understand? He makes his own mind up ‘bout what he does and doesn’t do!” The fox pushed past, his neck ruff and tail bristled out in irritation.

“But you’re the leader here!” the bunny accused.

The deep laugh was full of wry humor as Finnick stopped and turned slowly. “Where the hell did you get that idea?”

Judy looked confused. “But he…Nick always comes to talk to you…after a mission…or…”

“He talks to me about what’s going on out there, fluffy,” the fox growled. “He lets me know what’s happening. Sometimes he’ll talk to me about the things that are bothering him, but I ain’t in charge here.” He narrowed his eyes, his frown reappearing on his muzzle. “Nick is. Nick got the whole damned resistance going. He’s the one in charge, you blind-ass cottontail!”

Judy leaned back on her feet feeling almost as if she’d gotten gut punched while Finnick reclaimed his seat before turning in his chair to look at her.

“Others were gearing up to stand up to Bellwether, but Nick was the one that got them organized, got them communicating with each other. Nick got them working together. He’s the one that set up the dead drops so we could talk without that wooly bitch’s Inquisitors learning about what we were doing. The rest of us do what we can, like getting supplies, or finding help like Bogo, but the rest of it? That’s all Nick, fuzzbutt. He’s the brains behind it all.”

It wasn’t something that Judy had been expecting to hear, but in retrospect it all made sense. Whenever something happened, the mammals in the Den went to Nick. Whenever something needed to be done, it was Nick that got it going. He took the most dangerous tasks because he didn’t want others risking themselves. Originally she’d thought it was because the fox had a deathwish. That might still be a part of it, but closer to the truth was Judy’s realization that the fox put himself on the line because he cared. Not just about preds, but all the mammals that came for help to escape the city.

It was something that had eluded Judy until that moment and then it struck her with all of the force of a lightning bolt.

Nick was doing this because he loved.

Where the others carried lethal weapons, he still carried a tranq pistol, maybe a rifle. In all the years of fighting, he’d killed once. And that was to save her.

As Judy stood rooted to spot in stunned silence, she put together the bits and pieces of things she’d seen or heard, a clearer picture forming of the red fox than she’d had before.
And when she’d learned of her own brothers and sisters being executed, it was Nick that had comforted Judy, had held her as she wept with a broken heart, stood watch over her while she slept and kept the nightmares at bay.

When Judy could move again, the bunny headed back to the little cubby where her bunk was, wanting the darkness and quiet so she could think for a little bit without interruption. As she got there, Judy found one of the scarves that Nick always seemed to wear, this one a light, floral patterned green that looked like it had been made from an old Hawaiian shirt. She remembered that he’d worn it for a few days straight, and as she picked it up, running the slightly dingy cloth through the pads of her fingers she prayed that he was still well, that he’d come back, wanting so very much to see him, almost needing it. Then the bunny wondered why his absence was affecting her so strongly when she realized that she had the scrap of fabric pressed to her nose to drink in Nick’s lingering scent.

Judy closed her eyes as she picked up the fox’s smell, finding it comforting, memories of him holding her when she needed it the most causing her to smile. Then the smile faded as suddenly trembling paws lowered the scarf and her eyes opened as the cold harshness of reality set in. Preds were still being hunted and persecuted in the city above and here she was, a bunny, starting to develop feelings for a fox. As her heart fluttered Judy wondered when reality had given way to fantasy to even think that there could be something between her and a fox! Never mind what Rona had said. The mere notion was insanity itself!

Judy sympathized with the preds now that she knew the reality of the world around them, but to have feelings for Nick?!? Preposterous and absurd! It wasn’t as if there weren’t more than enough rabbit bucks for her to choose from back in Bunnyburrow. Some were even rather skilled lovers as she’d discovered on more than a few occasions.

But none of the rabbits she’d dallied with had such a gentle nature, they’d been more interested in what was between her legs, or the number of kits she’d be able to birth. They never reached out to offer a caring touch when she’d needed it the most. Nor did any of them have green eyes that were the same shade as new spring grass at the end of a winter thaw. How could bunny paws ever be as strong as a fox’s? Tender and soft, yet so strong as they wrapped around her body and made her feel so safe…

“God damn it,” the bunny husked in a tormented whisper as she wound her paws into the scarf in complete frustration. “It’s just not possible,” Judy told herself, angry at what she saw as a betrayal of her own heart while wishing with every fiber of her being that Nick would come back safe and craving his presence so badly it was like a physical pain.

Judy curled up on the bunk, not realizing as she lay on her side that her paws, still wrapped in the impromptu scarf, had again brought the green fabric to her nose so she could breathe in the scent of the fox that she longed for. She dozed, but instead of nightmares, her subconscious mind brought forward all sorts of images of the fox. A tiny, aware part of her brain wondered why there were so many memories of the fox, of why she had been watching Nick so much and cringed at the answer she got in return. Because of the half dreams, her sleep was fitful and at one point she woke herself up, panting heavily as her chest clenched tight. She’d been imagining what Nick’s kiss would feel like with his sharp teeth, how he would taste, how he’d feel when he took her…

With a frustrated rumble Judy flipped to her other side and curled into a tight ball, again drifting off and the dreams picking up almost where they left off.

The rabbit thought that it was her arguments with herself that woke her the next time before realizing the commotion was coming from the common area. Mammals were shouting to each other, some of the voices excited, some concerned, but it was more than enough to pique Judy’s curiosity and she exited her cubby, blinking at the brighter light in the concrete corridor and shuffled back towards the main area of the hideout.

“They got through!” one pred was saying with a grin, his tail wagging excitedly as the wolf told several others about whatever had the other mammals of the cell agitated. “That’s thirty eight families. Our largest run yet!”

“And sixteen cubs,” another said, the red panda female drinking from a water bottle as her eyes sparkled even though her tail hung limp and the dusty state of her fur attested to her exhaustion and the need for a good long shower. “They’re spread all through Bunnyburrow. By this time tomorrow they’ll be out of Bellwether’s reach for good!”

All of it was news about the run that Nick was conducting, ferrying families out of Zootopia to safer places. Judy floated amongst the resistance fighters listening to the news of a successful operation and feeling their exuberance.

Until she looked over in the direction of the clinic and saw a red fox lying on a cot, his side sodden red as the Ottertons worked on him.

The bunny’s ears fell as her eyes widened, her stomach clenching with a painful cramp of dread before she physically pushed her way through the assorted preds and prey mammals. “Nick?” she husked, her throat suddenly dry. “Nick!”

“Hey, Carrots,” the fox said as the rabbit made it to the side opposite of where the otter husband and wife team tended to Nick, trays of medical supplies at paw while they cut away his shirt. “Oh. You found my lucky scarf. I was looking for that.” He smiled weakly and there was a slightly unfocused cast to his green eyes.

“What happened?” Judy demanded, lifting her attention from Nick to the other mammals gathered around.

“We were making our way back out of the train depot when some Inquisitors spotted us,” Fangmeyer said from the other side of the clinic nook where Rona was wrapping her left wrist. “Nick held them off while we made a break for it. Caught a bullet to his side. Wouldn’t have made it without him,” the tiger said in a voice that dripped with fatigue.

“Shot?” Judy asked as she looked back down at the red fox, her expression becoming cross. “You got shot?”

“Just a graze,” Nick said. “Nothing serious.”

The rabbit looked at Olivia. “No. It’s not all that serious,” the otter agreed. “Or, at least it wouldn’t have been if you’d put some kind of bandage on it. You’ve lost a quite a bit of blood, though, and the wound is certainly not as clean as I’d like it. I’d recommend a few day-“

“No,” the fox said. “We don’t have a few days. Pack it, wrap it and give me some antibiotics.”

“Did you just hear him, or did this affect your hearing?” Judy inquired sharply. “At least take a day, you dumb fox!”

Finnick appeared at the rabbit’s side. “I agree,” the smaller tan colored fox said with a hard look and arms folded across his chest. “The bunny’s right. At least a day. Bellwether ain’t goin’ nowhere.” He crossed his arms over his chest and let his lip lift to expose the tip of one fang. “And neither are you.”

Nick jerked slightly as his decision was countermanded by Judy, his second backing her in the first display of disobedience the fennec fox had ever shown. “The meeting with Bogo…”

“Is handled,” Finnick said forcefully. “I know the dead drops as well as you do, and I’m a hell of a lot less conspicuous. We have a network for a reason.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You’re no good to us if you let this get infected. We need you, but we don’t need you right this moment, you stubborn son of a bitch.”

A sullen expression stole onto Nick’s face. “Fine. But I want regular updates and I want to know exactly, word for word, what Bogo says. You understand?”

“No,” Finnick replied with a grin. “You’ve suddenly started speaking a foreign language. Of course I understand.” He looked at Judy and pointed a claw tipped finger at her. “When Olivia and Emmitt done, get him to his bunk and keep him there. You want to help out around here, then you can take care of him and make sure he gets some rest.”

The bunny opened her mouth to protest before realizing what the diminutive fox had just done as he turned to walk away. She did yelp in surprise when Finnick casually back-pawed her on the rump with a resounding noise that set the nearest mammals to chuckling. “Miniscule little turd,” she muttered before turning back to the red fox only to find him grinning.

“Huh. Looks like I get my own personal bunny nurse,” he joked.

“You know, it’ll be hard to give you a sponge bath if I have to remove it from your nose first,” she told the fox with a sardonic leer. She waited until Olivia and her husband cleaned the wound and bandaged it before helping Nick to his feet and had him lean on her as she helped him back to his personal space.

The wound actually wasn’t bad, but it was in a location that tended to see a lot of movement and the lack of a proper bandage had only added to the injury. The result was more bleeding than should have happened. Judy had actually done more damage to herself helping her father on his farm when she was a bunny kit and gouged her leg on a plow blade. She helped him get situated on his bunk, the fox sighing in relief as he wiggled his toes, happy to be in a comfortable position after the somewhat arduous run to Bunnyburrow.

As soon as she closed the door to the cubicle, Judy whirled on the fox, her eyes flashing with anger. “You…you inconsiderate bastard!” she hissed between clenched teeth. “Did you, in that tiny fox brain of yours, think for one moment that it might have been nice to be told that you were making a dash with refugees almost two hundred miles from here? Did it even occur to you that some mammals might be just a little worried?”

Nick raised a paw and opened his mouth to speak, perhaps the wrong thing to do as it only infuriated the rabbit even more.

“Shut up!” she snapped, her own paws curled into tight fists at her sides while her tail puffed out like it had gotten an electric shock. “Because I already know the answer! It’s no! No, you didn’t think of it because you’re too damn distracted trying to save the world and I’m too stupid to actually tell you that I was worried because I care about you!” Judy growled.

“I tr…wait… What?” Nick stuttered.

Judy hauled the fox into a sitting position by the simple expedient of grabbing his shirt in both paws and hauling, her ire giving her better than normal strength. She kissed him with such suddenness that their noses bumped painfully, but neither was bothered by that, the bunny filled with desperate relief, the fox with extreme confusion. When they parted she was still glaring at him and shook his upper body. “Don’t you ever…and I mean ever leave without either, one; taking me with you, or, two; saying a proper good bye!”

Nick could only blink and in that small fraction of a second the rabbit went from positively furious to sobbing softly and lowered her head to his chest, her paws still firmly wrapped in the fabric of his shirt. The sounds the bunny made were small, but they were full of an anguish that Nick was all too familiar with and he gingerly put his arms around Judy’s shivering body despite her attempt to shrug him off with a choked and muffled “No!”

Nick was glad that the bunny wasn’t looking at him as he lifted her up, his eyes squeezing shut as he winced with the burning feeling from his side. She all but curled up on his lap, her grip on his clothing not relenting in the slightest. He held her for a few moments until the worst passed. She eventually lifted her head, her amethyst eyes raw and sore looking as her mouth was twisted into the saddest frown he’d seen on another mammal’s muzzle save his own.

“You’re the only friend I’ve got,” she whispered in a quavering voice. “I didn’t know what that meant until I saw you lying there in your own blood…”

“I’m sorry, Carrots,” he told her as he used his thumb pads to brush away the damp under her eyes. “It’ll probably happen again. We’re at war. And there’s no guarantees that any of us will make it out alive. If I have to die to take Bellwether down, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. You know that,” he told her in his infinitely soft and patient voice. “And you know why.”
Slipping from the fox’s lap, Judy pushed him back onto the mattress after getting his shirt off and pulled the blanket he had up over him but not before snugging herself against his uninjured side. The bunny rested her head on Nick’s chest, one arm under his neck while the other absently ran through the fur of his stomach. Her eyes looked to the far wall without seeing it, just grateful for the moment of warmth and contact, hoping she returned the feeling. “What did you do before all this?” Judy asked, her voice as gentle as his was, as if to raise the volume in speaking to each other would somehow damage the respite.

“You’ll laugh,” Nick said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“No. I won’t.”

He sighed and recalled what his job had been, almost as if it were something from some other mammal’s life centuries before. “I was an engineer and designer.”

Her petting of his stomach for paused for a moment as Judy absorbed this. “Why would that make me laugh? She asked. “What did you design?”

“Toys. I worked for Carrie-Boo Toys. I was the one responsible for Adventure Annie. My Dad did the original Action Annie.” Nick could feel the smile that split the bunny’s muzzle where her head rested against him. “I also did the Thundermammals Rescue Team.”

“My sisters have Adventure Annie! She was the coolest ever. Adventure sets for all over the world and little place cards. They have her jeep, the boat! They really loved the boat. Especially at bath time and in the pool during the summer. Then the books and stickers.” Judy raised her head. “You really designed her?”

Nick nodded. “That was my job. I was a toy designer.” He started to smile for a moment before it faded. “I remember holidays and because we never had a lot of money growing up we didn’t get much save the most basic of necessities. I think making toys was my way of making holidays better. Not just for me, but for kits and cubs and pups all over the world. I was able to show the company board that by donating more than we were making and using it as a tax write off that we actually increased our income. We worked with a lot of groups that did toy drives for the holidays and made sure children that needed them got presents.”

Nick fell silent, that part of his life over, while Judy let silent tears roll from her eyes. How could this happen? How could someone like Nick be in this kind of position? Leading a ragtag gathering of mammals against powerful forces that wanted them all dead? Was there anything he’d done in his entire life that warranted any of this? When she sniffed a little loudly Nick put his arm around her and held her a little closer. “None of this is fair to you at all,” she said and nuzzled her cheek against the fur of his chest, enjoying the feel of the coarse guard hairs that gave way to the downy undercoat. She also breathed in his scent, so much better to have the real thing than the lingering smell from his scarf.

“No,” he agreed. “I suppose it isn’t. But if you’re looking for fair, go down to the city grounds when the carnival is in town. That’s the only ‘fair’ you’ll see until we smash the Unity Party.”

Another moment of silence fell, Judy liking the quip Nick just made. She was about to ask him what his wife had been like when she thought better of it and sucked in her lower lip, biting it gently. The fox had been through enough and she’d be damned if she was going to poke at that wound. It was Nick that broke the silence, however.

“So you know what I used to be. What about you? What did you want to be when you were growing up?” he asked.

“Apart from anything but a carrot farmer?” Judy replied with a soft snort of laughter. “To be honest I thought I wanted to be a cop. Not like there is now, but like the ones I used to see on TV. I wanted to be the one that caught the bad mammals, that saved the day, pulled off a daring rescue,” she told him. “Silly, huh?”

“No,” Nick answered seriously. “This won’t be the way things stay forever. One day all of this will be over. Zootopia will need good police officers then. Good mammals that’ll keep them safe. So you better stick around.”

Judy squeezed him a little tighter for that and went back to resting her head on his chest, listening to his breathing and heart beat.

“Crap,” he grunted and started to sit up.

“What’s wrong?” the bunny asked in concern.

Nick reached for his overcoat. “I have something in the pocket of my coat for you. Left inside pocket.”

Judy rolled to a sitting position close enough to reach the coat hanging from a nail in the wall and to shove her paw in the pocket. She found an envelope and was ready to hand it to the fox until she saw her name on it in the unmistakable flowing script of her mother’s writing, the ink being from her Mom’s favorite carrot shaped pen. “You…you saw my parents?” she asked in a tremulous voice.

“I did. I wanted to let them know that you were safe. Your mother made me wait while she wrote that,” Nick said with a nod towards the envelope. “Well? Go on and read it.”
Judy wasted no time in ripping the envelope open and unfolded the page inside with trembling paws. Before she could stop herself the bunny was reading her mother’s words aloud.

‘Our Dearest Judy,
‘We can’t begin to tell you how relieved we were when Nicholas told us that you were not only alive, but safe and well. I can’t stop crying in relief, even writing this. Nicholas told us what happened to you and I thank the stars for this wonderful fox. I know that if it weren’t for him and the mammals with him, life would be much harder out here in the burrows. I’m also glad that you aren’t having to serve under that bitch Bellwether. I swear that sheep is nothing but evil in a sweater. I look forward to the day someone turns her into a ball of yarn!

‘I also know that you’ve heard about your brothers and sisters. I want you to remember that they died doing something they believed in, something that was right. What’s going on in the world…in the city is wrong. No mammal, prey or predator deserves to be tormented just because another is afraid of them. That’s not what we believe and that is certainly not how we raised you. We raised you to be fair, to treat others with kindness. We know that some of the things that we used to believe were wrong. We were wrong. We don’t want you to make the same mistakes that we did. Help show others that all of us can live in peace, that there’s no reason to be afraid of another because they’re different. When I think of what happened to that poor kit Gideon and his family it breaks my heart. I know one day your father and I will have to face judgment for that, I just pray that he and his family can forgive us.

‘And I hope you can forgive us. We should never have let you go to the city, but a child has to get out in the world no matter what her parents want so she can find her own way. We just wish that it was by your choice and not mandated service. Because of Nicholas we’re having a bit of an easier time of it. He even got your father’s old tractor going again so that it’s a might easier bringing in the crops. While I wish you were back here in the burrow where I could hold you and know that you’re safe, I know that Nicholas and his folk will do that as well, if not better, than we can.

‘And you better hold on to that fox, bun-bun. I can see in his eyes…’

Judy stopped reading as her ears turned a deep pink in a hard blush, her embarrassment so great that even her nose darkened. “Um…the rest is…uh, personal. I don’t think you need to hear any more,” she husked and folded the letter up and slipped it into her jeans pocket.

“So…are you done being pissed off at me?” Nick asked after a few minutes.

“I wasn’t really mad at you,” Judy whispered as she again curled up against his side with a small nuzzle to his chest. “I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” he asked with genuine confusion. “You were safe down here.”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t scared of that,” the whisper continued as her fingers gently clutched at his fur for a moment. “I…I was scared I wouldn’t see you again…”

“Carrots-“

“No!” she cut him off, raising her head so she could look into his eyes. “Look. I…I know it’s completely crazy, but the thought of you going out and not coming back is terrifying, Nick! It makes me want to throw up and I get the shakes!” Her eyes began to fill again and she dashed the tears away before they could fall. “I was serious when I said you’re my only friend. I…I’ve never known anyone like you before and I don’t want to imagine a life that doesn’t have you in it somehow!”

Nick blinked, surprised by the confession and unsure how to respond. “I…I don’t know what to say, Carrots,” he told her honestly.

“Don’t say anything,” Judy said, her paw touching his face and tracing the line of his mouth all the way around his muzzle. “Just remember that there’s one mammal that cares and wants to see you come back.” The bunny emphasized her words by touching her lips to his in a kiss as soft as a breeze. “Just promise you’ll always do everything you can to come back to me…”

He stared at her for a few long moments. “Why is it so important I come back?”

“Nick…”

“Why?”

“It just is, all right?!?”

“Why?”

“I told you it’s because you’re my friend! Isn’t that enough?!?” she snarled while pulling away.

He wrapped his paw around her wrist when it looked as if she was going to get up. “Say it.”

“Say what? And let go of me,” Judy ordered curtly.

“Say it,” the fox persisted in an even tone though his eyes were intense, lit from within. “Say why you want me to come back.”

“Damn it, Wilde! Let me go!” the bunny all but snarled as she hauled against the grip his paw had on her.

“Say it!” Nick demanded.

With a gritting of teeth Judy pulled free, all but leaping off the bunk with her back to the wall as her chest heaved. She edged towards the door, her eyes locked on his as she struggled in her own heart much as she struggled to break free of the fox’s grip. “I…I-I-I…” she stammered before going silent, her throat working hard to swallow a lump past the dryness it had suddenly developed.

“Then I’ll say it,” Nick said.

Before he could utter another word, Judy yanked her arm away, made the door and bolted down the hallway as fast as she could, her passage startling some of the others. The fox simply looked at the spot where she’d stood before falling back on the mattress, the journey and injury finally taking their toll along with feeling emotionally drained. He was tempted to say the words, but decided if he uttered them at all it would be when the bunny could hear him.

Nick’s eyes scanned the concrete ceiling for a time before they fluttered closed and he let out a grunting sigh as he shifted slightly to take pressure off his side. Before drifting off he cast an apology to his late wife and child, wherever they might be, and asked their forgiveness for feeling something again for another.

For once, when sleep finally claimed him, there were no nightmares to haunt him.

Notes:

So emotional! ;)

Chapter 7

Zootopia Police Chief Bogo looked at the papers scattered across his desk top and sighed. Every single red folder was a suspect that had been apprehended in the past twenty four hours, each one a predator. The first was one that caused the cape buffalo to snort in disgust. An eight year old tiger had wandered out of the pred section of the Rainforest District in violation of confinement protocols. His officers had been dispatched after calls from overreacting mammals. The cub had only wanted to play with the deer and Thompson’s Gazelle fawns he’d seen on the other side of the barricade because there were no other kits, cubs, or pups his age on the pred side of the fence. Truly a dangerous situation that warranted the dispatch of three of his units to intercept.

Bogo slammed his hoof down on the file as soon as he closed it, disgust causing his stomach to roil with the threat of indigestion. He could already hear his doctor telling him to work on his stress levels before he got an ulcer or fretted himself into a coronary. He delved further into the files with a grunt of irritation.

As his officers were taking the young tiger back to his parents an assault on an elderly leopard went uninvestigated. The leopard, one Eunice Spotler wound up dying from the injuries inflicted on her by a gang of alpacas. Why? She was a pred. The cape buffalo knew that as soon as the report on the tiger was processed that the Inquisitors would be doing a sweep, picking up the cub and his family, plus any other preds that they saw, and sending them to the camp outside Bunnyburrow. With a smirk, the Chief of the Zootopia Police Department slipped the folder into the paper shredder next to his desk. By the time the machine was done devouring the folder it was so much confetti. Another officer that was more skilled than he was and had Bogo’s trust would ensure that the computer record of the call was expunged and turned into random electrons in the ZPD database while still more got the cub and his family to one of the cells so they could be taken out of the city.

Oddly enough, the minor act of rebellion made Bogo feel better. He began to look through the other folders. All of them were similar. Preds out of bounds, preds just trying to get food for their families… On and on it went in a sickening spiral. He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small bottle of pain killers, dumping half a dozen brick colored tablets into his hoof before tossing them into his mouth then grabbed a second bottle of liquid antacid and washed them down with two large swallows before pegging the empty container into the wastebasket. As he dropped the first bottle back into the drawer he spied the pistol that had been his father’s when cops had carried actual firearms on a regular basis. The huge revolver was just as clean and serviceable as the day his father had gotten it. A box of cartridges sat next to it. If he were to ever use a lethal weapon, there was only one target that he’d want to point it at.

He barely brushed the grip when a knock sounded on his door. It was too polite to be one of his officers. Sliding the drawer closed Bogo spread a few pages on his desk to hide the folders before bellowing. “Come in!” his deep voice resonated, actually causing the paper cup of four hour old coffee to ripple. The Cape Buffalo’s stomach immediately soured again as the fluffy visage of Dawn Bellwether appeared, her eyes looking far too bright and cheerful behind the glasses that also made them look too large.

“Good morning, Chief Bogo,” she told him warmly, a strange smile pulling at her mouth.

Her breathy voice ranked right alongside claws on a chalkboard as far as the bull was concerned though he choked down his revulsion and plastered a smile on his broad face. “Good morning, Madame Chancellor. What brings you down to the Precinct on such a fine day?”

The ewe smiled affectionately, unaware that her almost simpering expression made Bogo want to vomit. “I’d like to discuss the need for security with you,” she said as she planted her wooly rump in the yellow chair that faced Bogo’s desk.

“Security details for…?” the Chief asked in confusion. There wasn’t anything planned that he knew about and her premises were already well protected as were her offices and the whole of City Hall.

“A rally,” she said brightly. “A grand celebration to mark the Unity Party’s tenth year. I was thinking that the Zootopia Animalia Stadium would be an excellent venue. Ten glorious years of stability! We’ve seen an incredible reduction in pred contamination and marked improvements on the city with reclaimed neighborhoods being transformed into parks and urban agriculture centers. It’s a milestone to celebrate!”

She snapped her fingers for an aide. A young goat with brightly dyed fur, her small horns coated with some kind of clear polish that was liberally doctored with glitter that had also been applied to her hooves came forward where she’d been waiting in the hallway outside Bogo’s door. As the cape buffalo looked at the pages within he found the descriptions of the things that Bellwether wished to have as central spectacles to the rally. In all, the plan was a security nightmare with an overlay of gaudy and tactless boasting and self congratulation for the ewe. The further he got into it, the more Bogo began to smile.

“This is rather expansive,” the bull said as he continued to the next page that outlined the event. “And detailed. I think the outline for security is well done, though I’d like to study it in depth.”

Bellwether smiled as Bogo stroked her ego. “By all means! Do you think you could be done looking over this by the afternoon?”

When he glanced up over the edge of his reading glasses he saw that the ewe was leaning forward in her chair like a moon-eyed school calf would while dealing with the object of her first crush. “I can definitely have it to you by this afternoon. I’ll even bring it over personally to your residence if you’d like.”

Under the thin layer of wooly fur the sheep’s skin darkened as her ears flicked in a rush of warmth and she made a show of smoothing her skirt. “That would be lovely,” Bellwether answered. “You don’t have plans for dinner do you? I wouldn’t mind having a nice supper with an old friend.”

‘I’d rather wrap my testicles around an electric fence,’ Bogo thought to himself before replying. “That’s a difficult request to turn down.” He stood up behind his desk and inclined his head politely. “Shall we say eight this evening, Madame Chancellor?”

“Eight would be wonderful,” Bellwether all but gushed, her skin darkening even more. “Oh, no need for a uniform, Bogo. Remember, this is just friends getting together for a nice evening.”

“Of course, Madame Chancellor,” the bull said with another bow.

It looked as if she were going to gently chide him for not using her name as she wanted but instead went to the door and departed but not before giving him another smile and appraising look that was meant to be flirtatious. For his part, the cape buffalo kept the disgust off his face until the door shut. He sighed and returned to his desk and thumbed through a few more pages before getting up and stepping to the window in his office and looked through the slats of the shades that were down. His dark eyes narrowed as he watched the ewe get into the limousine available for her use, two motorcycle units in front and behind the car with Inquisitor security. As soon as the vehicle started to pull away Bogo went out amongst the officers in the Precinct. He found one of the ones that he trusted the most.

“McHorn,” the bull said softly. “Set up a meet with Wilde’s group. Get me Francine as well. As soon as you’re done setting up the meet get me a list of the officers that are loyal to the Party.”

“What’s going on?” the rhino asked with a frown.

Bogo smiled though there was no mirth to the expression and would have looked at home on the muzzle of a pred that was both savage and ready to make a kill. “We’re going to do what we are supposed to by serving and protecting the public and putting an end to this nightmare,” was all the cape buffalo told his subordinate cryptically.

Throughout the day various individuals appeared at the Chief’s door and plans were hastily set in motion. McHorn appeared almost at the end of the day to say the meet with the resistance was set for two AM the next morning while a list of police officers that were fanatically loyal to Bellwether was given to Bogo, the names a lower number than he’d anticipated. As for the security outline, the buffalo had made a few recommendations and edits before calling it a day and headed home to clean up and relax before he had to meet Bellwether.

Bogo actually showered twice, and he knew that he’d want another after he left the Chancellor’s residence. He was more than aware of the ewe’s childish infatuation with him and used it to exploit weaknesses at every opportunity that wouldn’t make him a target for the Inquisitors. As far as he was concerned most of Bellwether’s elite unit of sheep, the primary condition for being part of that group, were little more than bullies, suited for nothing better than acts of terror and barbarism. They only exerted themselves when the odds were distinctly in their favor and their targets of opportunity were grossly outnumbered or outgunned.

“What the Inquisitors fail to realize is that sooner or later all victims stop being afraid and eventually stand up to the bullies,” Bogo told the reflection of his own eyes in the rearview mirror as he drove his vehicle to the mayor’s mansion. “And that is when it gets interesting.”

It wasn’t uncommon for the bull to talk to himself and he was old enough that he could chalk it up to one of his quirks he’d developed from being a cop his entire adult life. He guided his vehicle, an unmarked version of the standard ZPD cruisers, through the light evening traffic until he reached the mayoral mansion. It was a large house on a plot of well groomed lawns with decorative gardens. Around the entire property was a wall of thick masonry that was covered with stucco and painted a neutral off-white that would deter most intruders, but not a motivated mob. As if aware of that problem Inquisitors walked regular patrols along the inside of the perimeter. There wasn’t a tranq pistol or rifle among them, all of the sheep hefting actual firearms.

As he pulled the large vehicle to a stop Bogo noticed some of the less than cordial looks that a few of the rams were giving him. Whether it was because he was the object of desire for Bellwether or the fact that he was a non-sheep in a position of power was inconsequential to the Cape Buffalo. Old he might have been, but he wasn’t a mammal to be trifled with lightly. He didn’t bother trying to keep the challenge out of his gaze as he returned the Inquisitors scrutiny and stepped to the front door and punched the doorbell.

A ewe in traditional maid’s outfit complete with a bonnet answered the door and actually curtsied to Bogo. “Good evening, Police Chief Bogo. Madame Chancellor is waiting for you in the salon,” she told him before standing back up fully. “If you’d kindly follow me?”

The cape buffalo gestured for the maid to lead the way. The salon was attached to both the dining room and the sitting room and Bellwether was inside, a glass of white wine in her hoofed fingers, though her clothing made Bogo feel conspicuously overdressed in a short sleeved button down and tie. Bellwether was wearing what looked to the Cape Buffalo like lingerie in different shades of green with a matching ribbon around her neck that a cameo hung from, and a matching bow in the puff of wool on her head. The manner that she reclined on the divan had to have been staged, a sad attempt to look alluring and sultry that made Bogo wince inwardly.

He wondered if she’d suffered some kind of emotional disappointment in her formative years that caused her to not only fixate on him, but to pursue him in a twisted passive-aggressive manner. Were it not for her being so hateful and demonstrably evil, and wholly unrepentant in her quest to eliminate preds, Bogo might actually pity the ewe instead of despising Bellwether with every fiber of his being.

Dawn Bellwether smiled warmly as she rolled to a sitting position then stood in an attempt to demonstrate a grace that she wasn’t capable of, and the cape buffalo saw that most of what she wore was very nearly transparent and that at some point the ewe had her wool sheared and styled so that her various feminine assets were not just hinted at but almost blatantly, visible. She walked with an exaggerated sway to her hips as she approached.

“Mia,” the sheep said as she snapped to her maid. “Bring our lovely Bogo a drink. Make it a martini, extremely dry, with a cocktail onion.” She placed her hoofed fingers on his arm, gripping the Cape Buffalo almost possessively. “If I’m remembering correctly you enjoy martinis, right?”

“Absolutely adore them,” Bogo replied with a forced smile as he covered her fingers with his own, realizing that it would be very easy to crush the bones of her hoof, letting that thought push away the revulsion he felt. “And you look quite lovely this evening, Madame Chancellor.”

Bellwether sidled up even closer to the much larger mammal and brazenly brushed her hip against him as she led him back to the divan. “No, no. I’ve asked you to use my name when we aren’t in public.”

Bogo coughed in discomfort as the ewe was doing everything but openly presenting herself to him. “Of course, Dawn. Forgive me. I simply meant no, er, disrespect.”

She laughed in her high, breathy voice and pulled on his arm until he sat next to her. As soon as he was on the divan the maid reappeared with his martini, the bull nodding in thanks as he tossed the drink back, fortunately avoiding the toothpick with the onion from getting swallowed or stuck in his lip or tongue. Never mind that the glass that the drink had been brought in was less than a shot for the Cape Buffalo.

“Mia, another,” Bellwether directed, her eyes never leaving the bull’s.

Actually the ewe seemed to be looking a little higher than Bogo’s eyes. It was a bit disconcerting and her expression made him wonder if Bellwether was going to start actually drooling. He’d come to the conclusion that letting the ewe have certain…liberties with his person would make her more amenable to the changes of her security plan for the Party rally. His dignity, what little he had left, was a small price to pay for finally putting an end to the madness that had swallowed his city and claimed the lives of so many.

The drink arrived and Bogo downed it without hesitation while the sheep continued to stare. She finally spoke after letting out a deep sigh from her open mouth. “Bogo? May I touch them?” Bellwether asked in a voice that quavered, but not with intimidation. If anything, she was filled with a sort of lusty anticipation.

“Touch…er, touch what?” he asked uneasy and confused.

The ewe got up on the divan, her fingers resting on the bull’s shoulder. “You have the most magnificent horns, Bogo!” she husked, her fingers finally touching that which she’d admired for so long. She felt the ridges and irregularities, the warmth that radiated through them as the marrow cores filled with blood. Her mouth fell open as she took in a shuddering breath that should only have been made during the height of passion, and grasped the conical protrusions, her hoofed fingers stroking them almost obscenely.
“You…you like my horns?” the Cape Buffalo asked in confusion, feeling more than uneasy with the unexpected and somewhat deviant behavior.

“Oh, yes!” Dawn exclaimed softly. “I absolutely adore them! Horns are an extension of everything male!” She had both arms up and continued to caress and stroke while pressing her body harder against him. “I’ve always found a nice set of horns to be very…arousing,” she admitted, lowering her face in front of his so that he could see the look in her hazel green eyes. “Very arousing,” Bellwether pointedly told him in a breathy voice.

For a moment Bogo was horrified that a mammal who could be rather pretty and unassuming, even tender at times, could also harbor the heart of a mass murderer and rabid specist. The bull fought the urge to retreat, the gesture would have been futile in any case as the sheep had hold of both his horns before letting her hoofed paws slip down to the sides of his wide face and drew closer, her expression thick with promise of delights she wished to share with him.

“Maybe I should save something for dessert, hmm?” Bellwether told him seductively.

“That would be something to look forward to,” Bogo rumbled back, trying not to enrage the megalomaniacal ewe by thwarting her designs upon him. When he suddenly found her muzzle pressed to his it was all he could do not to physically throw her across the room in reflex. Instead he gulped down his revulsion and pride in a hard swallow and let his huge fingers wrap around her small body, a small bleat of pleasure sounding in her throat.

How could someone so small contain so much darkness?

“Oh, Bogo,” Bellwether husked throatily as they parted, “I have wanted to do that for so many years…”

She slid down to the floor, letting herself rub almost the entire length of the Cape Buffalo before her hoofed feet touched the thick, plush carpet. When she took him by the arm and started to lead Bogo to the dining room he saw that the normal table that sat in the large room was gone and a much smaller, intimate one was in its place. With the ewe sashaying in front of him, trying her best to be enticing, the cape buffalo reminded himself that what she wanted was a small price to pay to remove the threat she posed. The rally would be the best opportunity to eliminate Dawn Bellwether and her entire Unity Party in one fell swoop. She needed to be assured that Bogo had her best interests at heart, and to do that, he had to let Bellwether have her way with him.

He shook his head slightly, his eyes closing for a moment, sure that his father was turning in the grave for the blatant way that Bogo had let himself be used by the Party, by Bellwether herself, for the past ten years. What was one more compromise that might help set everything straight for the whore that he’d become?

Bogo pulled out the chair for the sheep before taking his own, repressing a shudder when her foot began to slide up his leg a few times before moving higher. “I am hoping that you have a healthy appetite tonight, Bogo,” Bellwether said as she rested her chin on her wrist and smiled at him.

“I’m feeling rather…ravenous,” he answered back with a completely believable expression.

Notes:

Yup. I'm a cruel sumbitch for doing that to poor Bogo.

Chapter 8

Judy looked through the binoculars at the fenced in yard almost half a mile beneath the hilltop she was on, her prone body hidden by a camouflaged sheet made from strips of shredded burlap in different browns and greens. On her right side, a rifle at her shoulder as she looked through the scope mounted on it was Rona, the Eurasian bear scanning the camp and making mental notes of the guard towers and patrol routes. The rabbit gasped as she saw one of the sheep in black whipping a small figure and realized with a tiny gasp that it was a bunny, her ragged clothing exposing her body and showing that she was on the verge of starvation. The binoculars slipped from her paws that had gone numb with shock.

“Why?” she whispered as her eyes filled.

Judy was already in shock after seeing the long trenches filled with bodies, their gaunt appearances clear despite the dusting of powdered lime to aid in decomposition. A quick guess told her there were at least a hundred bodies in the trench that awaited covering. Just yards away were three long piles of soil, Judy knowing that under the dark dirt were more bodies. Many more. Shaking her head in shock, some things unbelievable even when seen in person, the bunny recovered the binoculars and continued to observe the concentration camp. As she spotted more prisoners she realized that all of them were prey mammals. Then her scan of the compound from left to right showed three of the sheep in black. Between them was a figure kicking the dirt of the ground in a desperate patter…with rabbit’s feet. Then the bunny understood what was going on, what was being done and dropped the binoculars a second time as she clamped a paw over her mouth not a moment too soon with the urge to scream in rage.

“These are just the political prisoners,” Rona said quietly, her voice so flat it might as well have come from a machine. “Rape’s just one of the nicer things the guards do to prisoners here.”

Judy heard the sow bear but couldn’t respond. She knew that things were worse at the pred concentration camp just on the other side of the hills to the northeast of the one they watched. Even here they could see the plume of smoke from the industrial sized crematorium. On the first scouting run Judy had thought what was falling on her was snow, like the atmospherically engineered flurries of Tundra Town. At least the bunny thought it was snow until she realized that it wasn’t cold. Before she could ask what it was Rona passed her a respirator mask.

“You don’t want to smell what’s going on,” the bear had told her with a flat expression.

She was right. Judy remembered what the pit had smelled like, and what was going on below had been so much worse as lines of mammals, mostly preds with some prey mixed in, were herded into the chambers en masse before the incinerators were turned on. A few rebelled and were either gunned down or the collars they wore, similar to standard T.A.M.E. collars the Unity Party had forced on preds a few years before, but instead of subduing shocks, they exploded with what sounded like little pops from the distance that Judy and the others watched. Suddenly headless bodies simply crumpled to the dirt.

The political camp was a forced labor facility for prey mammals that had irritated members of the Party. Some had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One of the things that truly disturbed Judy was that from the present hilltop position she could see the water tower for Bunnyburrow just a few miles away. That something like the camps were so close to home was a personal affront.

Unable to take it anymore, Judy scooted backwards on her belly and continued until she was on the leeside of the hill where she wouldn’t be observed and wept until a paw came to rest on her shoulder and she looked up at the other mammal that had come with the group, Fangmeyer’s eyes as full of sympathy as they’d been when she’d been shown the pit.

“This has to end!” Judy rasped past her ravaged throat.

The tigress hunkered down next to her and nodded. “It will.”

The bunny shook her head, her amethyst eyes wide and unfocused as she wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth. “I didn’t know…” she whispered before hiding her face. “I didn’t know!”

“Not many do, Judy. But it’s what we’ve been fighting against all these years,” Fangmeyer said. “And we have to win. We have no other choice. Once we preds are gone, who’s next? You know Bellwether won’t stop. She’ll keep going until the wooly bastards are the only ones that are left. This? This will spread. It will spread to every city, every nation, and no one that’s different will be safe.”

Annie Xiang, a red panda that normally made the Bunnyburrow refugee run, came up the hill silently, her normally vibrant black and russet fur hidden beneath baggy clothes with a homemade camouflage pattern that was accentuated with strips of the foliage colored burlap with the exception of her long tail. She held up a cell phone. “Hey,” she called softly as she stepped up to the tiger and bunny. “Got word back from Nick. He says that he got some info from Bogo. He wants us to get ready to hit the camps tonight because he’s going to stir things up in the city. Free the prisoners, take out any mammal wearing Party colors.” She pulled a canteen from her belt and took a long swig before holding out to the other two who declined. “The Burrow network is ready to take in anyone we get out and protect them.”

“About god damned time. Was there anything else?” Fangmeyer asked, relief and determination causing her to square her shoulders while her expression almost became a smile.

“Yeah,” the red panda said with a return grin of her own. “But not for you, stripes.” She handed the phone to Judy and a pair of small ear buds. “Nick left a voice mail. Said it was for you only.”

Judy lifted her head and blinked. “For me? What does it say?”

“Don’t know. It’s for you,” Annie quipped. “Battery’s full so don’t get your panties in a twist about running it down.” She put the phone and earplugs into the bunny’s paws and walked back down the hill a few yards before sitting down in the leaves.

With only a moment’s hesitation, Judy plugged the jack into the side of the device and stuck the ear buds in before bringing up the screen. It was already on the app for the bunny and she opened the file with a touch of her finger and closed her eyes for a moment as the fox’s voice sounded in her head, unaware of the way her mouth curled up at the corners. She opened them to look at the still image of Nick that appeared on the small touch screen.

“Hey Carrots. If you’re listening to this it means that I’ve put the order out to set things in motion. By this time tomorrow night we’ll have either taken down Bellwether and her Unity Party, or we’ll all be dead and it really won’t matter.

“That’s one of the reasons that I sent you to help with the camps near Bunnyburrow. If we succeed, well, I guess it’ll mean that there’ll be a period of confusion, some problems with getting things straightened out and then the long process of healing. We have to show everyone that preds and prey can live together, Carrots. If we fail I wanted to make sure you were somewhere where you could get away and be safe. I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like when I think of something happening to you. It…it’s like the feeling I got when I learned what happened to my family. If something…I just don’t think that I could live through that again. I can only have my heart broken so many times before there’s no piecing it back together anymore.

“So, that’s why you’re there. If we win, once things settle down, come on back to the city and maybe we can see what it’ll be like to live normal lives. Maybe we’ll do it together, maybe we’ll just be really good friends. I think that as long as I know you’re safe that’s all that really matters.

“There’s also the chance that we’ll win but I won’t make it. Let’s be honest, Bellwether would be more than happy to have me skinned and turned into a rug. In case something like that does happen, you need to promise me that you’ll shake it off and live. I mean really LIVE! Live for both of us. Get over it and go find some bunny buck and raise fat little bunny kits. And if you do, teach them not to hate. Teach them that there’s a better way than being afraid, and that the only thing that makes all of us mammals different is just on the outside. Oh. And plant some blueberry bushes for me. And a plum tree or three.”

Judy sniffed as she could hear the smile in his voice and see the mischievous sparkle in the fox’s eye as he recorded the message. The fur beneath her lids darkened but she paid it no mind as Nick continued to speak.

“You’ve seen for yourself that we aren’t all that different, right? Now I guess it’s time for some confessions. They aren’t going to be easy to say, and probably just as difficult to hear, but I have to take this chance to put everything on the table now, so bear with me if I start to break down.

“When I rescued you that night…god, it seems like a lifetime ago instead of a couple of months, I was going to leave you for your people to find, but I wasn’t sure that you wouldn’t be blamed for the death of those two Inquisitors. Sure, life might have been a bit simpler for me if I had, but I would have missed out on something special. I don’t know if you remember, but you looked at me and touched my cheek. When you did that it was like an electric thrill ran through me. I guess you’re something of an emotional defibrillator because all of a sudden I felt something…here in my heart.

“I haven’t felt anything in there since the night…the night Amanda and Eva…

“Sorry. Getting off topic.

“I felt something, though, and I couldn’t leave you there on the ground. I really couldn’t. I almost got into it with Wolford over it. Stupid wolf. In that moment you looked at me, one eye all swollen, and touched me, I think…I think I fell for you right then and there. Maybe it’s silly to think that love at first sight really happens, particularly between a pred and prey, but I really think it’s true, because I haven’t felt anything like this in years. I look at you and all I want to do is hold you. I hear your voice and my heart speeds up and my paws shake. When I held you, the moments you were in my arms have been the happiest I’ve been in years.

“I could see making a life with you, Judy Hopps. I could see it plain as the sun in the sky and it's beautiful.

“Maybe I’ll get my chance to try. Well, if things go our way and if you can see making a go of it with a scruffy, dumb fox…”

Judy heard something in the background of the recording and knew exactly what it was and felt tears roll down her cheeks to match the ones Nick cried while he was making her the message. Her vision starred with the moisture and the world in her peripheral vision became like something viewed through textured crystal, the only clear thing she could see being the fox’s image on the phone.

“I have to go now, Carrots. Before I do though, know that I love you. For what it’s worth, I love you with all of my heart. Won’t you say it back…just once to try it on? I’m not there, but say it for me just once. I know you feel the same way I do. Say it and mean it. I’ll know when you do. I’ll feel it. I just know I’ll feel it…

“Just remember, when you think that you can’t go on, the words my father told me. ‘All of the darkness in the world gathered together doesn’t have the power to extinguish a single candle.’ I think I know what he meant. These past few days in the bleakest time of my life, I shared it with you and you made me love again as you shined in a darkness brightly burning…”

The recording ended and the phone automatically closed the file. Judy just stared at the device as she continued to cry. Why hadn’t she told him before this? Why couldn’t she have had the courage to tell him what was in her heart? Lowering the phone Judy turned her face to the sun that sparkled through the dancing leaves of the trees above her and basked in the warmth for a moment, imagining that it was Nick’s touch that caressed her.

“I love you, Nicholas Wilde. No matter what happens I will always love you,” she whispered, trying to send the surge in her heart to wherever he was at that moment. “Yes, my sweet nick. I really can love a fox. And you better make it because I need to show you that I love you and I’m not just a dumb bunny.”

She took a shuddering breath, held it, then let the air escape slowly through her pursed lips. He had to make it. She would help liberate the camps and she would go back to the city after he destroyed Bellwether. She would love her fox and they would come and make a home here in the Burrows or the city or far away. It didn’t matter as long as she had Nick and he had her.

Slipping the phone into a pocket, Judy unloaded the magazine from the rifle she’d been given, cleared the chamber and began to disassemble it to make sure that it was clean and ready for when she and the others would attack the camp. They’d win. She’d win. For herself, for the prisoners, for a better way of life.

For Nick.

Notes:

Hold on a moment. I need to tug at the feels and see if I can cause some emotion...

Chapter 9

The Den was a flurry of activity with mammals running back and forth in preparation for the upcoming attack. Large and small, the predator and prey members of the resistance moved quickly, some laden with supplies, others with liberated weapons and all deftly avoiding collisions with each other. At the center table in the mess area Nick was continuing his study of the plans that the Chief of Zootopia’s police had sent by a trusted courier. Literally on the table as he looked over the same blueprint and schedule of guards, Finnick was on his paws and knees with a claw tipped finger tracing a service tunnel that piped in both water and power for the stadium.

“It looks like we can access the subbasement through here,” the desert fox observed. “This doesn’t show up on the other layouts. Maybe cut through from the old utilities station by the closed Jubatus subway station. That place has been shut down for fifteen years.”

Nick nodded. “That’s what I was thinking,” the red fox agreed. “We wouldn’t have any opposition until we get to here in the stadium’s storage area, unless Bogo was able to convince Bellwether’s security admin that there was no point in it. Remember, she’s firmly convinced that she’s won. She’s also an egomaniac that believes no one would dare oppose her with so many of her supporters around her.” Nick glanced at Finnick. “She’s evil and conniving, but her ego and overconfidence are her weaknesses.”

The smaller fox lifted his lip in a silent snarl of distaste. “Yeah, yeah. You might be right. All I know is I’ll sleep a lot better when I’m positive the wooly bitch has been turned into a nice pair of mittens, all right?”

“We’ll only kill if there’s no other choice, Finn,” Nick said reproachfully. “We can’t let ourselves become the monsters that Bellwether claims we are. We might be preds, but we aren’t animals.”

Finnick shook his head and closed his eyes with a sour expression as he rubbed his head just in front of his right ear. “Everything that we’ve seen…everything that we’ve been through! Even after what happened to our families and you’re repeating the same shit you’ve always said? To me?!?”

“Even to you,” Nick told him softly. “We suffered. So have others. We take as many of them alive as possible and they stand trial.”

Finnick stared hard at his friend but the red fox didn’t flinch or give in. In a fit of frustration he slammed the pistol he had, one that fired actual bullets, and picked up a tranq gun while swearing heatedly. “You crazy-assed fox,” the fennec snarled. “You and that soft, squishy center is going to get you killed one day!”

“Maybe so,” Nick answered as he closed his eyes, his mind conjuring up the memory of his wife and daughter, the way Amanda had the most beautiful amber eyes, his daughter one amber eye, one green eye and the sound of their laughter…how they felt in his arms.

Then, as if saying good-by to the fox that had been husband and father, they waved as their images dissipated like fog being touched by sunlight and a morning breeze. As amorphous tendrils of color swirled for a moment they began to coagulate into a different shape, copper and light brown fur turning grey as Judy appeared in the mists of his mind. Amber eyes became amethyst and she looked at him with one of the few true smiles the bunny had graced Nick with while in the underground hideout. Her expression changed to one that was kind and warm, her eyes growing heavy with emotion as her paws reached out.

The image vanished when someone lightly hit Nick’s shoulder to get his attention. “You might want to go have a word with him,” Finnick said as he pointed in the direction of the clinic.

Nick opened his eyes to see Benjamin Clawhauser fumbling with a tranq rifle, even at this distance the fox could see that the weapon was loaded, the safety was off, and the cheetah was close to putting a dart into himself or someone else. In a few quick steps the fox was there, his paw catching the rifle as the cheetah swung towards him, his thumb tripping the safety on.

“What are you doing, Benji?” Nick asked gently.

“Coming with you,” the large cat said in a soft voice. He saw the look in the fox’s eyes and lifted his head with a furrow forming between his brows. “I want to fight, too, Nick!”

“There’s more to this than fighting, Benjamin,” the fox said as he put a paw on the cheetah’s shoulder and pried the rifle away with the other. “Fighters we’ve got. I need mammals I can trust to help out afterward. There are going to be those that need medical help when this is over.” He watched as Clawhauser’s eyes began to fill and rested his forehead against the cat’s. “You haven’t pulled a trigger the whole time you’ve been with us, Benji. I’d like it to stay that way. Someone has to stay innocent in all of this. And if we do this right, one day the mammals of this city are going to need teachers again. Mammals will need music. There’s so much more to this than just the fighting. When it’s over it will be a time to rebuild. And in the years to come, when the wounds are healed, it’ll be time to remember so that the mistakes we’ve seen won’t happen again.”

Nick smiled warmly for his friend and shook his shoulder gently in emphasis.

“It’s going to be up to you and the others that make it out to see that nothing like this ever happens again and see that preds and prey can live together. Can you do that for me? Can you sit this one out and make sure that the others stay the course?”

“I’m not a coward!” the cheetah said as his eyes spilled over, their light brown depths full of too many emotions, but there was the spark of hope that the fox put in the cat’s heart.

“No one has ever accused you of being a coward, Benji. And it’s going to take a different kind of strength to keep on going when the war is over to help rebuild the world. You have that. You also have music, and that will help people forget their sadness and heart break. That’s why I need you to stay here. That’s why I need you to stay safe.”

Clawhauser thought about it, his expression bitter, but finally nodded, relenting to his friend’s request. “I…okay. I don’t like it, but okay…”

“Will you do one more thing for me?” Nick asked, his voice low enough where it didn’t carry past the two old friends.

“Of course, Nick,” Benjamin replied. “Anything. You know that.”

Nick nodded. “If something happens…if I don’t make it back-“

“You’ll make it!” the cheetah hissed, his eyes hardening. “You have to!”

“It’s okay, Benji,” the fox soothed. “I know. But just in case, make sure Judy…make sure she-“

“You’re going to come back!” the cheetah snarled, his eyes flashing for a moment before the fierce visage crumbled and sadness pulled on the loose skin from the weight the cat had lost. “You have to come back…” Clawhauser whispered. “You’re the only friend I’ve got left…” Without thinking or being aware of it, the cat’s arms were around the fox as he held the mammal that he’d known since he was a cub. “You have to come back…”

“I’ll try,” Nick told him truthfully, slapping the cheetah on the back in genuine affection for his friend. “But just in case, take care of Judy for me. Just in case.”

“I will,” Benjamin promised in a quavering whisper before releasing the fox and stepping back. He went to work on bandages and medications, repacking already organized boxes so that no one else would see the tears in his eyes.

Nick nodded, a quick glance at Finnick showing the desert fox hadn’t been immune to the display either and hastily rubbed at his face before reassuming his normal surly expression.

“All right, mammals,” Nick called out to the rest of the fighters in the Den as he propped the rifle he’d taken from Clawhauser on his shoulder. “Let’s get this show on the road. Manchas, you’ve got point. Steelpaw, you’re tail. If you get separated, meet up at the old Jubatus subway station. If you can put a mammal down, do it, but don’t kill unless there’s no choice. Bogo’s on our side, so if you see any cops, don’t shoot them, they’re friends.”

Nick looked down as Finnick joined him and the two shared a paw bump.

“Let’s go tell the Chancellor that we’ve decided a change of government is in order,” the red fox said with a smile and confidence that he actually felt. He turned to the white wolf that stood near the exit tunnel. “All right. Lead the way, Manchas.”

With a nod the panther brought his weapon up and headed into the dim tunnel, his rounded ears already perked and alert for danger as he felt more than heard the others behind him.

***

As the group headed out, determined and ready for the coming fight, across town others were getting ready for what they felt would be a night to remember, unaware of import of the evening and seeing it as a chance to rub shoulders with the powerful and affluent members of the Unity Party. Live music filled the Zootopia Animalia Stadium and Sports Complex, the venue having sat dormant for several seasons unless it was a staged event to demonstrate the superiority of prey mammals over predators or Unity Party rallies. In the center of the grass field was the stage that Dawn Bellwether and her sheep dominated, that the highest members of the Unity Party elite were on a platform that quite literally raised them above others having been a conscious decision.

ZPD Chief Bogo stood at the edge of the platform in full regalia, a glass of champagne in his hoofed paw and wished for the twentieth time that he could be in his standard uniform instead of the dress blacks he had to wear for the rally. Bellwether stood with her fingers idly playing with the gold braid that spilled from the Cape Buffalo’s left shoulder in a glittering cascade, her eyes wide and warm, though the old bull was sure that it was simply an effect of the glasses she wore.

“It looks like the rally’s off to a wonderful start,” the ewe observed, unaware how much the cape buffalo hated her high, nasally voice. “Are you sure that having so many officers in full gear was wise, though?”

“Of course, Madame Chancellor,” Bogo said with a smile and tone that was almost affectionate as he tickled her chin with a finger. “My officers are at the Party’s disposal and it does well to show the mammals out there that while the police are there for the city’s protection, they are more than capable of meeting any threat to you and what you’ve built.”

It was the right thing to say and Bellwether leaned closer, her fingers moving from Bogo’s shoulder to further up so she could play with his ear a little before running a finger along the bottom of his horn. “You are one of the most important mammals in my life, Bogo,” she whispered to him with a light, affectionate lipping to the ear she played with. “Maybe later tonight I can show you just how important!” The sheep drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm the heat that started to fill her. “You make me glad to have been born a ewe…”

“My dearest Madame Chancellor,” Bogo said as he ran his finger from where it had stroked her chin along her jaw line and down her throat and neck that the sheep thought was a bit of love play. “I can guarantee you a night that you will never forget.” He watched as her face and ears pinked up in the bright lights of the stadium, glad that Bellwether took his words as he knew she would. “But it’s terrible of me to monopolize your time when there are so many other important Party members here for you. Please, go enjoy another glass of champagne and think of tonight, my lovely Dawn. I need to ensure that my officers are paying attention to their jobs and not all of the lovely mammals here tonight, you most of all.”

Bellwether let out a soft, girlish giggle with the flattery and turned to go, but not before caressing the cape buffalo’s cheek in barely contained lust, the manner that she walked away a clear indicator what was on her mind as Bogo walked in the opposite direction. He was almost at the end of one of the corridors that ran through the interior of the stadium when a camera crew appeared, An alpaca in a smart summer suit of dark green and eggshell white stopped him, the large bull recognizing Chella Cervantes of Zootopia News Network, the reporter that usually covered notable Unity Party events and celebrity news within the city. It had been the only way for the airheaded Chella to advance herself, simpering to any party member she could, as the alpaca didn’t have an original thought in her tiny head.

“Chief Bogo!” Chella said as she brushed away the trimmed wool along her neck that had been dyed a soft pink, one of the latest fashion statements among the young celebrities as of late. “You were looking rather friendly with the Madame Chancellor,” she stated brightly. “Is there some substance to the rumors of a romance between you and Madame Chancellor Bellwether?” Chella asked with a knowing look and pursing of her lips in a wry smile.

Bogo gave the reporter a stern look, but not one that was openly hostile. “You know better than to imply things like that, Miss Cervantes.”

“You’re not denying anything, Chief Bogo!” the alpaca said in a leading tone.

“The Madame Chancellor has a task that precludes the pursuit of what some might consider a normal personal life, as do I. We’re simply friends that find ourselves in the other’s company on a regular basis. Is that so wrong?” Bogo inquired.

“Surely there must be more to it than that?” Chella persisted.

Bogo allowed the ghost of a smile tug at his mouth. “Perhaps,” he replied. “All I can say is that my true feelings for the Madame Chancellor will be made quite clear before the Party rally ends tonight.” As he started to walk away he caught the alpaca turning towards her camera and sound mammals.

“There you have it, Zootopia! Is there a romance brewing between two of the most notable mammals in the city? Our ever vigilant Chief Bogo says that we’ll all know before this grand event is over!” She was silent for a moment before squealing joyously. “Oooo! There’s Gazelle! Let’s go see if the singing and entertainment sensation will give us her thoughts on our Chief of Police and the Madame Chancellor!”

Once within the confines of the stadium interior Bogo went to one of the small offices that had been set aside for his police officers that were walking patrol while most of the Inquisitors were circulating out on the field, puffed up with their own importance or trying to out sneer each other as they competed for the ewes that were attending. To be painfully honest all it would take would be the shimmy of one wooly ass to set the Inquisitors to butting heads as worked up as they were. Inside the office Officer McHorn waited and shut the door as soon as his boss entered.

“How goes it?” Bogo asked as he found a bottle of water and downed it in a couple of gulps.

“We’re ready, Sir,” the rhino grunted. “As soon as we get the message from Wilde’s group we’ll take out the sentries while Yarborough will drop the security gates from the control room. Francine and Tobin are covering for him.”

“Good,” the Cape Buffalo said as he looked around. “Do you have my bag?”

“Right here,” McHorn said as he pulled a gym bag out of the corner it had been sitting in.

He watched as his superior withdrew a large revolver and tucked it into the back of his trousers, the weapon hidden by the long, loose uniform jacket which also hid the fact that Bogo was wearing light body armor. Shells for the pistol were dispensed into each pocket so none of them bulged overly much. Once everything was dispersed as inconspicuously as possible, Bogo had the rhino give him the once over.

“Looks good, Chief.” He waited a moment as the Cape Buffalo readjusted his clothing once more before speaking. “You know that if this gets botched we’re all dead, right?”

“Ian, if we don’t we’re dead anyway. Bellwether has plans for expanding her camps beyond just preds and the few dissident lock-ups. I’ve sat by long enough while she’s fucked the citizens of this city over and her hooves are dripping with the blood of innocents. This ends with either her going down or the rest of us tonight. Let’s just make sure it’s her.”

The rhino nodded and stepped a little closer to the Chief and brought his huge hoof up in a salute that Bogo returned. McHorn then held it out for the other mammal. “Whatever happens, it has been an honor and a pleasure serving under you, Sir.”

“The honor and pleasure have been mine, Ian,” Bogo said as he felt a surge of pride for one of his longest serving officers.

Notes:

...hold on. Lighting the fuse for this bomb....

Chapter 10

Judy Hopps discovered that there was actually a mammal that frightened her on a primal level. Just as the sun set, the golden orb dipping below the top edge of the forests to the west, Rona went to work with her rifle while resistance fighters took out the power and landline communications station ten miles away. Looking at her watch for the moment, Rona smiled coldly before snugging the rifle to her shoulder, her paw wrapped around the grip and went to work. The first round, the shot muffled by the large cylindrical suppressor attached to the muzzle of her weapon, destroyed the circuit box for the wireless communications array. None of guards heard the round strike the plastic box as they were too busy trying to come up with new torments for the prisoners. After that it was whatever guard appeared in the Eurasian bear’s crosshairs.

Judy, Fangmeyer, and Annie, with nine other resistance fighters the bunny had never met before, made their way to the edge of the trees that had been cut back a hundred yards from the fence line of the prison camp as Rona did worked her death magic. By the time Judy reached the fence, the steel wires no longer humming with electricity, the only guards to be seen were lying on the ground, their blood mixing with the dusty red dirt to form a thick, dark oily substance. As she went to work on the fencing with cutters, no Inquisitors bothered her or the other mammals that joined her.

As the agreed upon plan, Judy and the others swept the camp first. There were just under a hundred guards and the bunny was fairly sure that Rona hadn’t gotten them all. Using the lessons taught at the ZPD Academy, Judy paused at each corner to glance around it to make sure there was no one waiting on the other side, her pistol held down so that it wouldn’t impede her vision while her ears were erect and straining for any sound that might indicate a hostile. She made the second of the barracks style buildings and was just about to launch herself around the corner when someone grabbed her ankle, Judy pointing her weapon with tension already being put on the trigger when she recognized the one that had grabbed her as another bunny, the piebald patterned fur of reddish brown and white giving the kit a perpetually surprised look.

With an explosive exhalation, Judy jerked the barrel away and sank down, her bladder feeling suddenly very full with an extreme fight-or-flight response and shook slightly with the additional surge of adrenaline. “Hey, sweetie,” she whispered tremulously. “What are you doing under there?” She reached a paw out for the kit, her gut twisting when the smaller bunny flinched as if she thought she was going to be hit. When the kit continued to curl into a tighter ball of fluff, Judy knelt down. “No, no. I’m not going to hurt you. Me and my friends are here to free everyone.”

The bunny looked quizzically at the older rabbit, her head tilting sideways as her ears twitched but didn’t come fully erect. It wasn’t the best reaction, but at least she wasn’t cowering in fear. The kit could have been any one of Judy’s younger sisters and she tried to act as warm and friendly to the strange bunny as she would her siblings.

“Do you have a mommy and daddy?” she asked softly, sliding down a little so that she was almost sitting on the ground with her back supported by the wooden wall. The kit shook her head slowly before pointing to the burial pits. Judy choked down the lump that suddenly appeared in her dry throat. “Are…are they gone?” she whispered.

The kit nodded slowly, her rich, hazel blue eyes sparkling with almost tears.

“Don’t you have anyone?”

The two toned bunny shook her head in a negative.

“Did you live in Bunnyburrow?”

Again the kit shook her head.

“Somewhere else then. Maybe the city? Did you live in Zootopia?”

The answer this time was a nod.

“I used to live in Bunnyburrow. I think you’d like it there. I have a big family with lots of brothers and sisters your age. Would you like to stay with them?” Judy asked, at a bit of a loss when the kit shook her head silently yet again. “Do you have other family you can stay with?” Another no. “Well, when we’re done making sure all the bad mammals are gone you’ll need to stay somewhere.”

The kit reached out a paw and began to pet the fur of Judy’s foot and it was all the older bunny could do not to start crying right there.

“You…you want to stay with…with me?”

The kit nodded, a slight twitching of the corners of her mouth and nose as close to a smile as the small bun could get.

“I don’t know…” Judy began, her partial answer causing the kit to begin curling in on herself again. “Tell you what. You stay here for the moment. Let me go make sure there are no more bad mammals and when I’m done I promise I’ll come right back and we can talk about it, okay?” The kit shrugged then slowly nodded with another soft stroke or two of Judy’s foot before she shimmied back into the dark recess under the building.

It was as safe a place as any for the kit and Judy resumed her sweep-and-clear.

Nothing happened until she neared the guards’ barracks and the building that served as the command center of the camp. Still distracted from her encounter with the other bunny, Judy literally ran into a guard who came out of a privy, his trousers still around his knees as he struggled to shuffle along as fast as possible. His greater mass sent the bunny sprawling and the Inquisitor bleated once in frightened surprise. His mouth was still open when Judy jerked her pistol up and sent three rounds at the ram. The first struck his chest, the second his throat, the needle tip of the tranq barely making it through the thick, tightly curled wool. The third, however, wound up passing directly through the center of the sheep’s open muzzle and struck the soft palette. The bleat was cut off and replaced with a gagging sound as the ram clutched at his throat. With a strangled cough he spat out a globule of bright red.

Judy watched as the sheep slowly collapse to his knees, the gagging and coughing getting worse with every breath he tried to take until he lay on the ground twitching until the soporifics in the dart took effect. Then the ram simply lay still, blood oozing out of his open mouth and nose as the dart hadn’t stopped but passed through the extremely soft tissues until it lodged deep into his head. Sometimes even the most benign weapons possible were lethal.

Judy didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse and continued on to the command structure to meet up with the others. She encountered four more guards and dropped them all before making the little yard in front of the door labeled Commandant. Others were gathered around, even Annie who calmly and methodically put a dart into every sheep that had surrendered and knelt on the ground with their hooves raised.

The door to the office slammed outward, aided by the kick that Fangmeyer had used, her own weapon in her right paw, the tigress’ left wound tightly into the thick wool of a sheep’s neck that had the silver lined black star marked shoulder tabs of an officer. The ram bleated bitterly as the tiger casually tossed him into the middle of the yard.

“This is an outrage! I’ll have all of you sent to the ovens for this!” the ram screamed, his eyes rolling wildly as he took in the stares of the resistance fighters ringed around him and the unmoving bodies of his guards. “How dare you attack an Inquisitor!”

“Yeah, lambchop,” Fangmeyer said with a grin that was more a bearing of teeth in the lowering twilight. “We’re all real scared. Maybe you noticed you’re all out of black shirts?”

As the ram spun about looking at all of the black clad bodies he began to tremble. Then the smell that emanated off of the officer hit Judy’s nose. “Wow,” she said as she waved her left paw in front of her face, her eyes narrowing at the foul odor. “Where’d you find him, Fangmeyer?” the bunny asked in disgust.

“Oh. The Commandant here was hiding under his bed in a smear of his own shit. Kind of fitting if you ask me. I didn’t think we had time for him to clean up first,” the tiger apologized.

It was as if the ram saw Judy for the first time and couldn’t comprehend why a prey mammal was with preds. “Help me! You have to help me before these savages kill us both!” he pleaded, crawling towards the bunny on all fours. “Help ME!”

As soon as he was close Judy pressed the muzzle of her pistol into the center of his forehead and pushed so that he was forced to back away. The bunny followed, keeping her weapon dug in painfully before twisting it as something in her seemed to boil over. “Help you?” she husked. “Help you?!?” her eyes flashed dangerously as she moved so fast that all the ram could do was tangle up his own limbs in retreat, tears running freely from his eyes. “Yeah. I’ll help you. Just like your guards helped the prisoners here. Oh. That’s right. They beat them and raped them and tortured them. Maybe I’ll help you like the guards are doing at the other camp! Oh. Wait. They’re dead too.” She smirked evilly. “Looks like you’re just all out of friends, you sick fucker.”

The bunny felt a hot rage filling her, like her heart was a furnace and as it pumped blood through her veins that burning anger spread. She could feel the muscles in her arm and under her fur start to contract, the slack being taken out of the trigger of her pistol. Then an inarticulate sound that Judy had never heard the likes of before came from the direction she’d made her way from. Stepping back she saw the kit that had grabbed her foot walking towards them, but her gait was all wrong.

Now that she wasn’t hiding under the building and concealed by shadows, Judy saw the dual colored bunny kit wasn’t as young as she originally thought, though she was a bit on the scrawny side. She walked hunched over, one paw clutched across her stomach and slightly to the side. The rags she wore barely covered her, and when Judy looked down, sick realization struck her like a hammer blow. The kit’s thigh fur was matted in a way that bespoke volumes of what had been done to her and Judy wondered if she was the one that she’d witnessed getting violated earlier in the day. That brought a surge of guilt ridden nausea that she could have tried to stop what she’d seen somehow even while the voice of reason, rather small and quiet at the moment, told her that it would have derailed the entire operation.

Without even waiting to ask the others, Judy had a pair of cuffs out, each of the resistance fighters having those and plastic zip-ties, and grabbed one of the commandant’s arms, twisting it savagely behind his back. The bunny then grabbed his other arm, using the tactics that had been taught to her in the Academy and pulled his other arm around before locking the second alloy steel cuff closed, squeezing them so they bit hard into the ram’s flesh. No sooner had Judy gotten the restraints on and stood up than the kit was on the sheep and ripping at him while a scream that none of the other mammals had heard from a rabbit tore from her throat.

Judy watched without comment, her face neutral, as the kit pulled pawfuls of wool out and flung them away, her tiny but sharp claws opening thin red furrows in the flesh underneath. She continued to look as the kit almost went completely savage, her scream eventually giving away to ragged sobs of rage. Fangmeyer stepped up to Judy, her eyes a little wild and disbelieving of what he was seeing.

“We need to stop this,” she said in a quiet tone.

“No. We don’t,” Judy replied flatly.

“This isn’t right,” the tiger persisted.

When Judy turned to look at Fangmeyer she flinched slightly. “Look at the mess running down the kit’s legs.”

“What’s that…” the tiger began before looking at the bunny as she continued to tear clumps of wool from the Commandant, her mouth melting from a taught line to a frown of disgust. “Her? She was…”

“Yeah. Repeatedly,” Judy informed her flatly. “By him and most likely others. It’s all they think us bunnies are good for, Fangmeyer. Farming and fucking. Preds aren’t the only ones that have been targets and victims. Anyone that isn’t one of Bellwether’s ‘chosen’ is fair game.”

Both watched as the young doe vented her anger and humiliation until she reached the point of simply hitting ineffectually while sobbing so hard that she was completely unaware of anything else happening. Once she hit the point of simply pawing at the ram, Judy stepped forward and picked her up, but there were other females, rabbit, sheep and more that were ready to take the bunny’s place and get a little bit of vengeance for what they’d suffered.

The bunny clung to Judy, her face buried as she continued to tremble and shake with the occasional whimpering mewl but little else. There was a weak gurgling from the ram as the hoard of females continued their onslaught until he finally fell silent. What was left when the mob of hurt and abused prisoners finally finished bore no resemblance to a sheep except for bits of wool untouched by the blood and gore. Judy did what she could to keep the bunny from looking at the carnage, but she already knew that the young doe had seen and endured much, much worse.

“I hope like hell things go well for Nick,” the tiger said. “We’ve got one seriously sick, messed up world to fix.”

“You and I both,” Judy said as she carried the kit off to get cleaned up.

It was an hour before Judy reemerged with the kit, the older bunny having taken her into the commandant’s quarters, a fight in and of itself, verifying that something had indeed happened to the dual colored rabbit in those rooms, and got her cleaned up and borrowed clothes from multiple sources to cover the traumatized female. While that had been happening the prisoners had been released and fed as best they could while trucks began to show up from Bunnyburrow for the freed prisoners. Judy held the paw of the younger bunny as she found Fangmeyer talking to Rona who’d finally come down off the hilltop.

“Any word from Nick?” Judy asked hopefully, sitting on the ground as a wave of weariness hit her.

Rona shook her head as she held her rifle in one paw. “Not yet. Other camp’s been neutralized. Not many prisoners rescued from there…”

“Not surprising,” the rabbit replied sadly. “Oh. By the way, this is Holly. She actually told me her name while we were getting her cleaned up. Holly, these are my friends Fangmeyer and Rona.”

The kit shifted so Judy was mostly between her and the two preds and looked up, her eyes far less wild seeming than before. “H-h-he-hel-llo…” she stammered in a hoarse whisper.

“We’ve talked about it and Holly’s going to go stay with my family in Bunnyburrow until we get this mess sorted.” Judy looked at the kit and gave her a warm smile. “Aren’tcha?”
The kit nodded after dropping her head and looking at the ground.

Someone had gotten a few of the lights other than what was working in the guard barracks or Commadant’s office working with power supplied from a portable generator and the prisoners, those that could move on their own, huddled within the fitful puddles of weak, yellow illumination like moths to a flame, their eyes regarding everything that moved with undisguised fear. Light was comforting while the dark held all manner of terrors and Judy wondered just what the hell had happened in the camp for the mammals there to act this way. The problem was, she wasn’t sure if what she would find out would make her sick or break her heart even further.

One of the lead trucks to arrive in the first line was Stu Hopps’ stakebed for hauling produce. Both Judy’s father and mother swung down from the cab as a couple of the fighters that had stormed the camp opened the back gate. As they looked around in stunned silence at the camp, Bonnie Hopps eyes fell on her the pair of bunnies near the main gate, her expression one of confusion until she recognized her daughter. Bonnie’s paws went to her muzzle as she let out a strangled cry and ran forward, her eyes streaming tears that glittered in the numerous headlights from the vehicles that were arriving.

“Judy! Oh! Oh, my bun-bun!” the older rabbit wailed as she wrapped her arms around her startled child.

There was only a moment of irritation in Judy’s amethyst eyes at her mother calling her by the nickname that Bonnie had used since she could crawl. Then her arms wrapped around her parent, adding her openly weeping father to the hug.

“But…what are you doing here?” Stu asked.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you one day. Right now you need to get these mammals to Bunnyburrow as quick as you can. Most of them are extremely malnourished, others need a doctor and even then…” Judy said before trailing off. Then she remembered the kit and held out her paw without withdrawing from the warm circle of her parents’ arms. “It’s okay, Holly. This is my Mom and Dad. They’re going to take you home with them and keep you safe until I can come get you.”

The kit huddled in on herself until she saw that Bonnie and Stu were looking at her with large, sympathetic expressions and slowly made her way to Judy, taking the older bunny’s paw as soon as she was close enough.

“Look,” Judy began as she lowered her voice. “I don’t know how old Holly is. Maybe twelve or so. They…the guards here…they had their way with her. More than once I’m guessing. Get her home and keep her safe. She’ll be terrified for a while, I’m sure. And don’t let the boys near her. I’ll come home to get her as soon as I can.”

“What?” Bonnie asked in surprise. “Wh-where are you going? You need to come home!” she said, her eyes welling once again.

Judy shook her head. “Not until we finish taking down the Unity Party. Preds aren’t the threat. They never were. They were a convenient target. I’m going back to the city to help do that.”

“No!” her mother wailed. “You need to come home! I’ve lost enough children to this madness!” Bonnie turned to her husband. “Tell her, Stu!”

The other rabbit looked at his wife, normally the only other mammal he’d listen to, then his daughter. He squinted as he looked in his child’s eyes and sighed, his own starting to brim. “It’s that young fox we met,” Stu said with a nod. “He told us. I…I like him, Jude. He’s a good mammal. Maybe when all of this is done…well, let’s just say there’ll always be room in the burrow for you. Both of you.”

Judy nodded. “I…I love him. He saved my life…”

Stu smiled and held his arms open after replacing his cap, Judy falling into the embrace with a smile. “Thank you, Daddy!” she husked.

The reunion was cut short when Annie called to the bunny. “Hey! Judy! C’mon! Things are in paw here. We’re heading back to Zootopia. You coming?”

Judy firmly placed the kit’s paw in her mother’s. “I’ll be back as soon as I can! I love you!” she said as she turned and began to run to the truck some of the other resistance fighters were piling into. “I love you all!”

Stu and Bonnie watched as their daughter jumped up into the old and battered pickup truck they’d commandeered before the rust stained vehicle pulled away in a cloud of dust, the taillights eventually vanishing in the night as it followed the dirt track to the road. Both wondered if their daughter would return before Stu headed for his own truck, the back full of mammals that were some of the sorriest looking individuals he’d ever seen. They’d be welcomed in Bunnyburrow and taken well care of until measures could be taken to get them out of reach of Zootopia. Anyone that thought otherwise would soon find the business end of more than one shotgun.

As soon as the truck with her daughter vanished, Bonnie turned to look at the white and russet furred kit whose paw she held, her eyes and smile radiating the sort of warmth and kindness that only a mother could. “Well, Holly, what’s say we get you home, get some good food in that tummy and some real clothes. It might be a little hectic at times, but our burrow has never lacked in either love or food.”

Despite the traumas she’d lived through, the kit started to smile and leaned her head on the older bunny’s arm as she held on with both paws as she was led to the truck. As she started to climb into the cab, the tears that fell from her eyes were ones of relief as it seemed that she was finally waking up from the nightmare her life had become.

Notes:

So, this was one of the chapters that was missing so it went through a bit of a revamp, and, as those that read this way back in the day will notice, events have been toned down a touch from the original. It's still tragic and dark, but a little dialed back on the horrific and graphic.

Not a lot, but a little.... <.<

Chapter 11

“The exits are locked down,” Manchas told Nick as he entered the security room complete with holding cells in the sublevels of the stadium complex. “Bogo’s mammals are out and about making sure they stay that way.”

The fox nodded and looked at his long time friend, Finnick, the surly desert fox scowling with determination. “Is your group ready?”

Finnick nodded and rolled his shoulders to loosen some of the tension that all of them were feeling. “Jenny, Byron, Howie and Fiona are on their way to the stadium’s camera points. Even if the ZNN mammals stop broadcasting we’re ready to use their feed to keep everything going. The group from Tundra will provide security for them. The Savannah group has techs standing by to blitz the booth and make sure the videos make it out. We figured it’d be better to do a four-way split screen, this way no one can really say that we doctored the images. They’ll be broadcasting continuously.

As they were conversing an elephant cow in ZPD black stuck her head in the room. “Chief Bogo says he’s ready whenever your mammals are.”

Nick looked up. “Francine, right?” he asked, smiling when the elephant nodded. “Thanks, Francine. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you and the others.”

The elephant looked at him for a moment with a small pinched expression between her eyes before she turned sad, honest eyes on the red fox. “The Chief…” she began. “The Chief made all of us watch the videos from the camps.” Francine shook her huge head slowly. “I…I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t mean anything, but... It should never have gotten this far. I think, when all of this is over, I think I’ll be turning in my badge.”

Nick stepped up and put a paw on her huge arm. “Don’t. Bellwether got away with it because no one spoke up. No one tried to stop her, and by the time some mammals knew what was happening, it was too late. When all of this ends the city is going to need reliable police officers. It’s going to be chaos for a long time until the whole damnable mess is sorted out. They’re going to be frightened and there’s going to be those mammals that’ll try to take advantage of the situation. That means we’ll need you and the other police officers that have chosen to help us more than ever.”

The fox smiled again as he craned his head to look her in the eyes.

“And nobody here blames you. It’s just the way things are. All we can do is pick up the pieces once this is over….one way or the other…and try to make a better life out of it.” Nick turned away from the elephant and looked at the faces of those he’d lived and fought with for so long, faces of those that were gone seeming to appear between the ones that were actually in the room. “It’s been a journey,” he said, suddenly feeling far older than just thirty two years. “You have become more than just allies…more than just friends. You’ve become family. I wish that I could do this alone. I wish that I could sacrifice myself so all of you could live in peace, find mates, raise families. I wish there was less hate in the world.

“We have watched so much that was center to our lives get taken from us. Husbands. Wives. Our children. Whole families…” Nick clasped his paws in front of him and smiled sadly. “I think we can build something better. For prey and preds both. Together. That’s the only way that any of us will make it. Together.”

The others watched as the fox picked up a tranq gun and checked it before his eyes regarded each of them.

“Good luck. We’ll see each other on the other side of this. First round’s on me, so don’t be late.”

Finnick had to turn away, pretending to be checking on something as his oldest friend tried to channel some of the wit and snarky humor that he used to be known for, Nick’s ability to joke with others and laugh at his own follies dying when his wife and kit had. It was the first time in years that the fox had tried to make others laugh and it cut the desert fox to his heart. Perhaps the affection he had for the bunny he’d rescued had been a good thing after all. Nick had spoken to him about his feelings regarding her, but Finnick hadn’t been very supportive and called his friend an addled fluff chaser when there were plenty of fine looking vixen’s that had tried to get the red fox to bark up their particular trees. As he watched the situation unfold, he had to admit that there was something there.

Something good.

As the others filed out, locked, loaded and ready to do their jobs, Finnick motioned to his friend, his demeanor telling Nick that it was a private thing for the two of them. Without prompting Nick retreated to the far corner, standing upright as Finn hated it when others knelt down to talk to him. It rankled almost as much as calling a bunny cute…

“I just wanted to say that…” Finnick rubbed the back of his neck as he regarded the floor, his ears dropping in embarrassment, never really one to share his feelings unless it was irritation or anger. “What I mean…awww, damn it. Look, Nick,” the desert fox said as he turned his face up to his friend’s. “We get through this…or when you do, you take that bunny and…you know. Make…make a life with her. She’s, um, she’s good for you.”

Nick snorted softly. “Weren’t you the one telling me to put her in a box and ship her back to Bogo. And she didn’t have to be in one piece?”

“Yeah?” Finnick replied a little hotly. “Well. I was wrong,” he added softly. “Look, if I can see that she’s good for you, there’s got to be something real there, right? You get through this and you take that bunny and go find somewhere quiet. Grow old. Be happy…” He rubbed at his eyes, his temper raising several degrees. “I swear-!”

“Yes. Yes you do,” Nick said with a chuckle as he interrupted his friend, the sound more than just a shadow of the happy soul the red fox used to be.

“Nick, you make me get all wet-eyed and I’m gonna chew your face off!” the desert fox snarled. When he finished clearing his vision he found Nick with his paw extended. Finnick took the paw before pulling the two of them together in an embrace that lasted for just a few seconds, but that was all it took. “Let’s get this over with. For all of us.”

Nick just patted his friend on the back and turned to go once they stepped apart, unable to comfortably say anything without his voice breaking. Waving to the others he motioned for them to get moving. As they departed Finnick turned to look at one of the mammals that was part of his group, the female raccoon flicking her ears up.

“Did you get that?” the desert fox asked.

“All of it,” the raccoon said with a nod as she held up a small digital camera. “I’ll get it to Gallie’s video team to mix in with the broadcast stuff. If that doesn’t help show the city what we’re about, all of this is a lost cause.”

“Yeah,” Finnick said with a frown. “Lost cause. Hope it ain’t that anyway.”

Notes:

Not a lot to say, so let's press on!

Chapter 12

How a mammal the size and mass of the police officer that walked a little ahead of Nick and his group could do so almost silently was astonishing. When the elephant paused, her huge finger pressing to her ear the fox raised a paw to halt his team. “Is something wrong?” he asked in a soft voice after she clicked a response with her radio.

“It looks like some of Bellwether’s Inquisitors learned about whatever your folk did at the camps and tried to get in to warn her,” Francine informed him before a grin formed under her trunk. “They’re having themselves a good little nap right now.”

Nick frowned. “We don’t have a lot of time left,” he said a fraction of a moment before dropping to his knee, his pistol coming up. Francine’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment until she realized that the barrel was pointed past her and the three rounds that the red fox fired had missed her. By the time she spun there were two sheep, both in Party black, slumping to the concrete floor. “If I remember the layout right we’ve only got a short jog down this passage and a right turn before we hit one of the exits to the field.” Nick spoke to the cop but his eyes were looking towards their destination while the rest of his team covered the way they’d just come.

“Yeah,” the cow said with a curious tilt to her voice. “You know something? You’d have made a hell of a cop with those reflexes,” Francine observed admirably.

The red fox took a moment to look at her as a tired smile spread across his muzzle. “You wouldn’t have an issue with a pred on the force?” Nick queried before edging past her a couple of yards.

“Not me. I never had a thing against preds. Folks are folks, you know?” the elephant replied as she moved again with her pistol ready. “You guys got a raw deal. For me it was a way to keep a roof over my head and my two calves fed.”

Nick paused and gave the pachyderm a quick, appreciative glance. “I’ve been meeting a lot of people that think that way lately.” His ears perked up as he heard the crowd out on the field reach a crescendo of cheering. “What’s going on?”

Francine called for an update, frowning as she again placed a thick, meaty finger over her ear. “Crowd’s going nuts. The book burning portion’s done now Gazelle is gearing up for her performance.”

“That’s what we were waiting for,” Nick said with a thrill of anxious anticipation running through him. “Everyone will be watching Bellwether’s pet celeb.”

“Yeah,” the elephant confirmed. “Chief just sent the signal for the sharpshooters to get ready.” Francine sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, her large ears flicking in nervous motions that made them look like loose sails trying to catch a fitful breeze while the end of her trunk clenched and unclenched like another mammal would make a fist. “I feel like I’m about to pee myself,” she muttered to the fox with an embarrassed smile.

“Me too,” Nick told her softly with a paw on her arm.

“Chief put four guys in riot gear at the exit I’m taking you to. They’re going to use speed and mass to plow the way for you and yours once the shooting starts and get you to the stage where Bellwether is watching with her cronies.” She was trying to be more alert, still a little shaken that the fox had gotten the two rams before she’d even known they were there, her height helping Francine look over the heads of the group. “One of the problems is that even though this is the best way to the stage there are a lot of mammals between us and it.”

“Shouldn’t be that many with rally goers crowding around Gazelle,” Nick said. “She knows how to work an audience. That and the music will cover the sounds of the sharpshooters.”

“Bogo will meet you there,” the elephant told Nick. “He and another officer will help neutralize guards on the platform.”

Nick nodded as the crowd was drowned out by the sound of an electric guitar letting loose a long rip that was added to by a synthesizer followed by drums that were being piped through enormous speaker towers that were supposed to be used for Bellwether’s speech later. The song had been agreed upon by Nick, Bogo and Gazelle herself, one of the singer’s earlier hits, Runaway Hearts. It had the desired effect as the sound of the crowd became even more frenzied, though nothing like one of the celebrity’s regular concerts that would have at least thrice the number of mammals that were attending the rally.

The elephant jerked as her radio came to life, even Nick able to hear part of the transmission even though he couldn’t make out what was being said. “Go!” the pachyderm all but screamed. “Bogo says go!”

Nick waved his mammals forward as Francine began to run down the corridor, her footfalls adding to the vibrations from the blaring music coming from the field. For every step she took, nick had to take four; the only thing saving him from Francine out running him was that the fox was much quicker. It seemed like time became an abstract concept along with distance. The corner they had to turn felt like it was on the other side of the world, then he made the sharp right. The exit to the field looked so far away that it might as well have been on the moon. Then he was through, Gazelle’s music hitting the instrumental portion of the song almost as if it were fanfare for the fox and his ragtag fighters.

As soon as Francine made it to the quartet of armored officers, another elephant that made even her seem on the small side, two rhinos and a hippo, the four officers linked their clear shields of armored plastic and angled them like a plow. It was easy to tell the four had worked together often as they moved at almost full speed in complete unison. Hooves and enormous fingers that weren’t holding their riot shields held either tranq pistols or what looked like gigantic four round revolvers that were launchers for smoke grenades.

For Nick and the others it was like following in the wake of a huge icebreaker ship as the crowd was forced to either side of their impromptu plow. A glance towards the upper stands showed uniformed officers in tussles with Inquisitors in Party black as the mammals that hadn’t been fortunate enough to be invited closer to the Chancellor and her select staff struggling to get away. It wasn’t until Nick and his mammals were halfway to the platform Bellwether was on that the crowd on the stadium floor realized that there was something amiss. Noises that had been ones of fanatical enthusiasm for Gazelle began to slowly morph into sounds of distress then screams of surprise and fear as some of the revelers realized there were predators amongst them.

Through it all the occasional coughs from tranq guns that made it past the raucous cacophony of the crowd were punctuated by actual firearms carried by Bellwether’s elite personal guard of Inquisitors. Rams and ewes with white, grey, or black wool formed a perimeter around the Chancellor and began to fire indiscriminately into the crowd, not caring if they maimed or killed innocent mammals.

The four riot police slowed when one of the rhinos took an actual bullet to the leg, their formation faltering slightly as the remaining three attempted to reform, the gigantic elephant as their center. Nick couldn’t help it as he stopped to check on the downed officer who gripped his leg just above the knee, his fingers clutching frantically to stem the flow of crimson. “Ferris!” the fox screamed as he dropped down and tried to help, the mammal he called for seeming to appear out of nowhere to help. The panda had been a nurse before the anti-pred laws were put into effect and functioned as one of Nick’s best field medics.

Working with calm efficiency, a miracle in the chaos that flowed around them, Ferris looked at the wound even as her paws found the supplies she wanted. A sprinkling of antibiotic powder was tossed onto the bloody hole much as a baker would flick flour onto a table before working a gob of dough. She then followed the medication with a pressure bandage, wrapping and tying the ends with deft paws while the rhino grabbed Nick’s overcoat.

“Go on!” he said past the pain that lifted his lips from huge, square molars. “Stop Bellwether, fox! Don’t let this chance get by! MOVE!”

Nick nodded and touched the cop’s shoulder with a paw before leaping away and falling in behind the three remaining police officers.

The sudden appearance of a ram in black from the right caught Nick’s eye and before he could really register what he was doing he’d put two darts into the sheep who continued for another step before toppling, his inertia causing him to continue sliding towards the fox. The ram held a pistol in one hoof, the slide locked back once the magazine had been emptied, the weapon clearly a standard firearm, while his left hoof held a knife with the Party symbol of a sheaf of grain surrounded by a wreath smeared with dark red. It only served to raise Nick’s anger. The Inquisitors didn’t care who was harmed in the melee, chances being that the ram had injured or killed others indiscriminately.

As he continued forward, his eyes taking in the downed ram once more, the anger and disgust only fueled Nicholas Wilde’s dash to the cause of all the strife. The only thought in his head at the moment being; ‘This has to end!’

Nick felt the trembling in his paws and limbs with the adrenaline that coursed through his entire body as he fired his pistol at other black uniformed figures and his nose burned with the stench of propellants that mixed with the fear scent that roiled through the stadium field from terrified mammals, their flight surging and ebbing all around him. Just as a wave of bodies tried to engulf the platform the Chancellor was one, the three cops used their shields and greater mass in one final push. Lowering his head, Nick leapt onto the black and white draped platform, his feet sliding a little as he sought purchase before his toe claws dug in. In a cowering puddle of other Party members, Dawn Bellwether looked around her with wild eyes, her face a rictus of rage and disbelief as Bogo, the Chief of the Zootopia Police Department, the one she’d thought was her friend and had even bedded her, laid into the guards that tried to stop the cape buffalo with his massive arms.

Bogo’s uniform was a ruined mass of rags that revealed the light body armor underneath and a score of small wounds matted his short, thick fur with blood. As one of Bellwether’s rams raised a pistol, clearly taking aim at the cop’s head, Nick fired his last two rounds, the sheep crumpling, his weapon discharging as he fell, the bullet striking Bogo in the side where the armor didn’t protect him. With a grunt the bull dropped to a knee, his hoof going to the wound as he looked around with baleful eyes only to find the cowering Chancellor and her sycophants. The Inquisitor that the fox had dropped the last one on the platform.

Nodding to the cape buffalo, Nick darted to the microphone that had been set up for Bellwether’s speech later on in the rally schedule and grabbed the stand, weariness seeping through him as the fight-or-flight hormones began to dissipate. He longed for water to remedy the dryness in his mouth as he tried speaking and failed. It wasn’t until the second attempt that he was able to get out his order.

“STOP!”

The sound system in the stadium, built to be heard over even the most enthusiastic crowd of sports fans as well as the enormous towers for the musical performances, reverberated through the structure with the shout from Nick. It took two more times repeating the single word before the crowd began to listen. The uniformed police had either neutralized or contained the Unity Party members and Inquisitors.

Nick looked out at the crowd as the giant video screens located around the top of the stadium flickered into life. “Stop! Listen! No more Fighting!” he said, eventually getting through to the most panicked of the mass of mammals. “Please!”

“More than twenty seven hundred predators and eight hundred prey mammals from Zootopia have wound up here,” a feminine voice from the sound system said, some of the crowd gasping at the images on the screens, others exclaiming shock that it was Gazelle herself that was narrating the footage. “I didn’t believe it when I was told about the camps that had been established two hundred miles away, just outside of Bunnyburrow and others in Deerbrooke. The first is a forced labor camp. Whole families that have either opposed the Unity Party or aided predators in either hiding or fleeing persecution are here where hard labor, abusive treatment, rape and deprivation are normal …”

The screen showed the camp that most political prisoners went to, the one set aside for prey mammals. Individuals from all across the spectrum of prey species were shown in complete squalor, most demonstrably malnourished or sporting patches of sores where their fur had fallen out easily seen through the ragged clothing. Another shot showed beatings being delivered by black clad Inquisitors and worse treatment. The next pan of the camera showed the trenches filled with bodies awaiting mass burial, the images brutal and raw with no effort to tone down the scene.

“The second camp was even more sickening. It is an extermination camp where the wholesale murder of predators is carried out on a daily basis…”

The images on the screen showed an even more rudimentary camp where predators, stripped of not just clothing but their freedom, dignity and hope as they were forced en masse into windowless chambers that had heavy metal doors, the interiors dark. From other similar block like buildings with three chambers each tall chimneys rose high that billowed smoke and fine ash from their tops.

Regaining her stage with several officers providing a cordon for her, Gazelle stood tall and pointed to the nearest screen.

“These images are real!” she cried out, clearly disturbed by the scenes that played around the stadium. “I’ve seen these camps! I’ve seen the suffering that has gone on there by the order of Chancellor Bellwether!” The title for the ewe was spat out like a curse word.

When the screens filled with static and electronic snow with an accompanying ripping sound from the speakers, all eyes flicked to the screens as a mutter filled the stadium. The image cleared, the screens split in half, the scenes the same camps, but it was night and there was a sharpness to them that was customary for live shots. Someone called from off screen to an armed bear sow, those that knew her breathing a sigh of relief that Rona was still alive after the assault on the camps.

“Nick!” the bear said, her rifle slung barrel down across her back. “I hope you’re seeing this. The mammals running the video equipment say that you can, but…” She swallowed visibly before continuing. “I really hope that you’re still alive and seeing this. We got the camps. We’re getting everyone out and to safe places where they can get medical treatment and food. It…it’s bad.” Tears started streaming down her cheeks darkening already stained fur. “We…we couldn’t save them all…”

As if to punctuate what the bear was saying a litter with a tiny body on it blessedly covered by a filthy blanket was carried by an elk and wolf. The tiny arm that hung from under the blanket for all to see was the hoofed fingers of a lamb.

When the camera operator at the extermination camp tried to get the mammal there to speak the coyote wouldn’t even turn around as he waved a paw to be left alone, his ears plastered to his head as his tail lay limp in the dirt. His shoulders shook as a keening whine could be heard coming from him.

“I…I’ll tell them,” a voice from off camera said.

The camera panned a few degrees to show a rabbit in overalls and bill cap, Nick jerking in surprise that Judy’s father was on the screen. He’d met the rabbit on his last run to get refugees out of the city, stunned at the time to learn that he was related to the bunny the fox had rescued.

The bunny farmer blinked as someone told him something. “This door?” Stu Hopps asked as he pointed at one of the heavy metal doors to the block shaped buildings.
The rabbit grabbed the simple bar handle and yanked up on it before hauling on the heavy iron, grunting as he put his whole back into the effort. The hinges squealed with a racket that reverberated through the stadium and was still echoing, though what Stu muttered as it stopped was clearly audible.

“Oh…my stars…” Stu husked before dropping out of the camera’s center of focus to gag noisily. “They…th-they’re all…dead…”

The camera zoomed in to the darkened room, the interior completely black and featureless until a pawheld light was shown inside. The walls were charred, and along the floor was a thick layer of ash. Then bodies began to appear like twisted, blackened twigs with the unmistakable horror of empty eye sockets of skulls seemingly looking at the camera in baleful, staring accusation.

Stu Hopps came back into focus, his expression one of revulsion…of betrayal. He wiped the remnants of his stomach emptying itself from his muzzle. “I…I can’t believe…so close to our home…just over the hill…oh…oh goodness…all dead…”

The stadium had fallen into a shocked and sickened silence at the things they’d seen, the only sounds were the occasional sob or someone vomiting noisily, all of the mammals completely horrified. Slowly heads began to turn back towards the dais that had been constructed for Bellwether and her most senior staff. On the faces of the myriad mammals were expressions of disgust and shock. On others there were concerned looks.

Then the anger began to emerge.

And spread.

Voices began to talk about what they saw. Deep in the crowd a scuffle started that rapidly devolved into a serious fight. Former supporters realized it wasn’t just preds that the party would happily destroy. Those that still desired the status quo, far less than before, clustered in small knots as other mammals surrounded them. The voices that had started in hushed tones grew louder, angrier, and no few of the mammals present started the build up to mob mentality as they initiated the push to the perceived threat.

“Arrest her!” someone called out over the muttering of the assembled mammals. Another voice repeated the cry, others picking up on it until it became almost a chant. Then the general feeling of the crowd started to swing towards something darker when a deeper voice than the others screamed out, “Kill her!”

“Chief Bogo?” Nick inquired taking an involuntary half step back from the edge of the platform.

“I’ve got it, Wilde,” the Cape Buffalo said as he stood a little straighter and motioned for some of his officers to grab Bellwether and the others on the stage. “We’ve got a secure location to hold her until she can stand trial.”

Nick looked away from the crowd that was beginning the metamorphosis into a mob to look at the ewe that had caused so much death and suffering, Bogo following suit. Instead of looking fearful, the Chancellor expressed wide-eyed shock that soon gave way to mindless rage. First her glare was directed at the fox, then at the bull, her eyes accusatory and for a moment held a hint of betrayal and the deepest pain. Her left hoof lifted a few inches towards Bogo before all semblance of sanity fled her hazel green orbs and seemed to glow with an unholy fury. Bellwether’s right hoof came up, a small pistol clutched tightly, though it was certainly no tranq gun but a pepper box derringer. The four stubby barrels pointed at the cape buffalo for a fraction of a moment as the different emotions the ewe felt towards the Chief of Police flitted across her face.

But her true nature won out in the end, her hatred consuming her to the last and with a half turn that seemed to happen in slow motion pointed the weapon at the fox, her black heart still urging her to do the only thing in life that had truly driven her.

The destruction of any and all predators.

The four barrels sounded small to the fox, like poorly made firecrackers that were a little damp. Nick’s attention was locked on Dawn Bellwether’s face, though, and the maniacal grin as she pulled the trigger. Oddly enough the bullets that struck him didn’t hurt as bad as he thought they would, the sensation feeling as though he’d simply been punched in the chest, and not even full force at that. It did become hard to breathe, though, and as his legs gave out just a moment later the fox found himself on his back looking up at the inflatable roof over the stadium, powerful colored lights smearing the enormous cover with all the colors of the rainbow.

Nick tried to fill his lungs but it just wasn’t working and his muzzle was filled with the taste of blood. Part of his mind knew that he was dying, but that wasn’t what was foremost and he mentally shooed that away like one would a bothersome fly. As he looked at the wash of bright colors above him he wondered if he’d see his family again, Amanda and Eva… He could almost see them, a sort of warmth tickling at his core as he smiled at their memory, recalling exactly what it had felt like to hold them, their scents, how his wife had preferred a soap that reminded him of roses…

Then a different face took their place, a bunny with amethyst eyes, and Nick hoped that Judy was safe, that she’d make it to the other side of the whole damnably insane mess. She had been so unexpected and had stirred up feelings that the fox thought had died within him. He recalled how her fur was so incredibly soft, how much he’d liked holding her as Nick had helped her weather the emotional storms of her own loss. His smile grew even further as he thought of her, a fox toppled by a bunny.

Blurry shapes appeared around him and Nick felt it as someone pulled his clothes open to access his injuries and put their paws over his chest then shouted to another that he couldn’t see. The platform beneath him shook strangely, but it was something acknowledged as a sort of side note and really wasn’t something that concerned Nick all that much. The fox was past caring about much at all as the edges of his vision started to darken.

It took a moment to realize that the image of Judy in his mind was actually floating above his head, blocking out the color lit roof, her expression one of deepest concern. He finally made the connection that she wasn’t a vision, but really there. His paw came up, albeit slowly as if it were made of lead, and touched the soft fur of her cheek, his pads tingling as the followed the lay of the incredibly fine strands.

“It’s really you…” he mumbled, his smile growing until his eyes rolled up and closed, his paw falling onto the platform.

Notes:

I may be just a little evil...

Chapter 13

Chief Bogo of the ZPD snorted in warning as one of his officers tried to grab the push bar attached to the back of the wheelchair to help him down the hallway as he exited his room before casting a sour look at the moose. “My leg is broken, not my arms and the hole in my side was patched,” the cape buffalo grunted in irritation. “Get back to your post,” he ordered as he gripped the wheels and continued to propel himself down the white tiled hallway.

Bogo didn’t see the half smile from the bull moose as the officer watched him roll along. As long as the Chief was grouchy and reminding mammals of their jobs things would be all right. The moose nodded and returned to the desk that sat near the elevators, a thumbs-up gesture showing his rhino counterpart that kept watch on the stairs that their Chief was okay and back to his normal, grouchy self.

Gripping the circular bar of one wheel to turn a corner then giving both a spin Bogo glided to the room where another patient lay in a coma on the secured floor of Savannah Central Medical College. As he rolled into the room the visiting occupants turned their heads to look at the new comer, save one. The fennec fox that had been helping Bogo with the ensuing chaos after the revelation of what the Unity Party had been doing sat in a chair near the window, his ears and tail drooping while his fur looked dry and aged. The diminutive fox’s eyes were raw and red along the edges attesting to Finnick’s lack of sleep over the past week with everything going on. He barely looked up and gave an almost imperceptible nod when the cape buffalo slid through the doorway.

In the opposite corner were a pair of older bunnies, a box of sandwiches and snacks of sliced fruits and vegetables sat on a small table, no one in the room really concerned with eating. They held paws as they looked at the bed and the third individual that kept vigil over the unconscious fox in the bed. Bogo had been grateful to meet Stu and Bonnie Hopps, two of the Bunnyburrow residents that had put themselves in jeopardy to help the prisoners from the camps and opened their home to any mammal that was in need. They also ensured that the crops from their farm made it to those that needed it most.

Then there was the grey bunny that sat next to the bed, her paws clutching one of Nick’s, her head resting on the edge of the of the mattress. The sheet under her cheek was damp again from the tears that just wouldn’t seem to stop, her face turned away from the others. Bogo didn’t even need to see her to know that her eyes were even more exhausted and raw looking than the desert fox’s. Even now more than a week after the incident at the Unity Party rally, Bogo clearly remembered Bellwether pointing her derringer at him before moving her aim just a few degrees and shooting Nick. Everyone in the city knew because ZNN and every other network continuously showed the footage. Then there was the scream from the silvery gray bunny as the fox crumpled to the stage, her shriek clearly heard over the crowd.

When she cradled the fox’s head in her lap, tears streaming from her eyes in glittering droplets, no one moved, no one breathed. Even Bellwether had watched in stunned silence. Then the bunny, just back from helping liberate one of the camps outside Bunnyburrow screamed for the fox to stay with her, that she couldn’t let him go. That she wouldn’t let him go. The microphones and cameras caught the next few moments and what was seen and heard did more to bring down the tattered remains of the Unity Party than all the weapons, all the bullets, and seemed to sum up all of the things that Nicholas Wilde, the predators, and so many others had fought for.

“You can’t leave me!” Judy Hopps had cried as she stroked the fur between the fox’s ears. “I came back for you! I love you!” the bunny wailed as her tears fell upon the unresponsive Nick. “I’ve said it! I love you Nichols Wilde!”

The images and the bunny’s words were replayed over and over with some even putting up websites to show their support. If a bunny could love a fox, perhaps predators weren’t the terror that Bellwether and her Unity Party had portrayed them to be.

Then files began to appear online, documents that no one had even known existed. They covered Dawn Bellwether’s plans to eventually turn Zootopia into a city for sheep only, the outlines for designs to curtail the other species of the city, regardless if they were pred or prey. There had been plans to, as Bellwether put it, cull the rabbit populations to something more manageable along with other species such as mice. Her plans for the area of Little Rodentia rivaled what had been done to Fox Croft. When investigators were sent in to the offices that Bellwether occupied they found a ferret still chained up to Bellwether’s desk with a collar that showed signs of trauma and abuse that would take years to undo, if ever, sitting on a pile of consolidated and labeled files laughing madly, her eyes wild as pink, toothless gums were exposed to the investigators.

But it was the impassioned plea of one small bunny that moved the city, and whenever Bogo would think about that moment he knew that he’d feel a twist in his heart.

As the cape buffalo wheeled to the bed and stopped, his face took on a far softer expression than he normally wore. “You know, before I learned what was going on and working with him I spent four years chasing after Mr. Wilde?” Bogo told no one in particular. “He was Number One on the Party’s list of dangerous predators after Leodore Lionheart. I’m more than a little regretful that I didn’t know the truth sooner. I might have been able to stop the Inquisitors from taking down that shaggy bastard. Nicholas was the one that Bellwether wanted the most, though. The thorn in her side. Damn fox drove me insane, always three steps ahead of me.” The bull sighed. “And now I’d trade places with him if I could.”

Stu continued to stare at his daughter while not really seeing her. “I remember when he made contact with us through the underground,” the rabbit said. “Threw me for a turn meeting a fox in my own burrow, that’s the truth. I knew he was good when the youngest of our brood interrupted us talking and didn’t hesitate in the slightest when they started to climb up onto his lap. None of them never seen a fox before that. I tried to shoo them away but Nick just laughed and said we could wait a little bit before we finished our talk. Told the kits about their big sister and how she was doing. It was a treat to see how he was with youngsters.”

“Children always liked Nick,” Finnick added after a moment of silence, his deep, gruff voice surprisingly gentle sounding. “I think that’s why he was happy to take a job as a toy designer before they shut the factory down. He loved to see children smile and hear them laugh…” The desert fox sniffed indelicately and rubbed at his face before his usual surly nature reasserted itself and he griped at the others while still keeping his voice down. “That’s enough! He ain’t dead and he ain’t gonna die! If anyone can pull through this it’s Nick, so y’all just shut up about this past shit like he’s already gone!”

The room went silent, though during the little stories the others shared, Judy hadn’t stirred once, her eyes locked onto the closed ones of the fox, her paws still holding his, her thumb pads stroking the fur of his knuckles as she willed him to wake up, to get better, ignoring the others and the machines that pumped air into his lungs and kept his blood flowing.

Minutes ticked by then became hours and still no one left the room. Nurses made periodic visits and two doctors who tried to talk to the other mammals present before giving up when no one bothered to listen.

The sun was beginning its descent to the west when Judy jerked her head up, the others looking at her in confusion. Then she felt it again, the slight twitch of the fox’s paw and looked down to see his fingers close a hair’s breadth around hers while the bunny’s heart slammed once in her chest before beginning a rapid patter.

“Nick?” Judy croaked, her voice ravaged from crying and the dry air of the room. “I felt that!” she husked. “Wake up! Please! Wake up! Do it for me! Do it for US!”

Under his closed lids his eyes began to move back and forth, almost like he was having a dream and the first sound since the night he’d been shot came from his throat. Judy was looking intently at Nick, Finnick was at the other side of the bed, his light brown eyes wide as his large ears twitched up and down in hope and worry. At the foot of the bed Stu and Bonnie clung to each other as they stared at the red fox, both silently reciting the same prayer. It was Bogo that turned for help, the bull spinning his chair so fast that his broken leg smashed into the corner of the door. Biting back a curse the cape buffalo sped his wheelchair out of the room, waiting until he was past the door before bellowing for a doctor.

On the bed the red fox’s lids fluttered, his emerald green eyes rolling behind the small crack as he made another sound, his left paw coming up clumsily as Nick tried to get the tube that was down his throat out, flailing weakly at the air line.

“No, Nick!” Judy said as she stood and squeezed his paw while Finnick tried to catch the other before he disturbed the tube or the intravenous lines that were plugged into his veins providing both fluids and blood to replace what he’d lost. “You’re on a ventilator! You need to relax. The doctor’s on the way to pull it out. Just relax!” the bunny pleaded, fresh tears springing from her eyes, but they were ones of relief and for the first time in a week her mouth twitched in the hint of a smile.

The doctor came in, the kangaroo casually pushing the others out of his way as he reached for a thin pen light. “Mister Wilde!” he said sharply, his furred thumb lifting first one lid then the other as he used the light to check not just pupil responses, but to see if the fox would follow the bright point. “Nod once if you can hear me,” he ordered, his muzzle quirking into a satisfied expression when the red fox jerked his head up and down incrementally. “Good! Now, I need you to focus on staying calm. As soon as I get a listen to your heart and lungs I may be able to remove the tube. Just relax,” the doctor ordered as he put the ends of a stethoscope in his large ears with one paw, the other on Nick’s shoulder. “Let the machine do the work,” the kangaroo ordered.

Judy’s bottom lip was between her teeth, the bunny unaware that she was biting a little too hard in anticipation even though she could taste blood. Her eyes darted from Nick to the doctor, the process seeming to take too long for her until the kangaroo nodded.

“Mr. Wilde, this is going to feel strange when I remove the tube. Just continue relaxing and it should be out in just a moment,” the doctor said. “I want you to exhale as I begin to withdraw the tube…”

On the other side of the bed a nurse had appeared, the beaver waiting patiently to assist and looking at the doctor for any clue as to what he might want from her.

With small sounds from Nick, the tube was slowly pulled out and once it was clear the fox took a breath on his own before coughing weakly, but he was doing the important work on his own. The kangaroo continued to monitor Nick, checking a number of the fox’s capabilities and even allowed him to take a sip from a water bottle. “Very good, Mr. Wilde,” the doctor said with a smile. “I’m going to go ahead and fill you in on your status if you’re up to it,” he said, pausing to watch his patient nod slowly. “Good. The first thing you need to know is that you’ve been on a ventilator for the past week and a half. Your injuries were extensive and included a collapsed right lung, minor scoring of your right ventricle and damage to the aorta. The fourth bullet lodged in your ribs. The good news is that you will make a full recovery, it’ll just take some time. As soon as you feel ready we’ll begin you on a liquid diet and get rid of the feeding tube then start getting you back up to solid foods.”

Nick nodded again before trying to speak, his doctor stopping him.

“I really wouldn’t recommend trying to talk just yet. Give it a little bit and let your throat acclimate to having the ventilator tube out first,” the kangaroo suggested. “I’m going to go and update your status and chart and set up a line of medications that will help you recover including vitamin and mineral supplements.” He patted the fox’s shoulder and smiled before leaving the room.

As soon as the doctor and nurse left, Judy and Finnick were both back to their stations on either side of the bed, Nick looking at his oldest friend with a relieved expression. He tried to speak but the desert fox shook his head. “Doc said to shut up, so you better shut up,” Finnick growled though the sting was taken out of his tone by the smile on his face and the moisture that soaked into the fur under his eyes. “You do what the doc says or I’ll bite you.”

Then Nick turned to the right to find Judy, her paws holding his up so that she could rub her cheek on his knuckles. He smiled and sighed, squeezing her fingers trying to convey all of the things he wanted to tell her and couldn’t. “I…is-s-s…it…Ju…r’lly?” he managed to get out, his expression exhausted and anxious.

Judy sobbed once and smiled as she leaned close so her muzzle was close to his ear. “I love you,” she whispered, her breath stirring his fur before moving a little close and kissing the side of his muzzle. “I’m not afraid to say it anymore.”

When she moved back a little it was to see him smile and blink slowly as a single tear rolled from the corner of his eye and landed on the pillow beneath his head. When he felt gentle paws on his legs Nick looked down to see Stu and Bonnie Hopps looking at him with affection and nodding in approval. He then saw Bogo as well.

“Bel…”

“We’ll discuss Bellwether another time, Wilde,” Bogo grunted, his voice cracking slightly. “You just rest. Work’s not done yet. We have a lot to do and I need your help.”

Nick nodded before letting his head fall back, returning his attention to Judy, the bunny the last thing he saw before slipping into the gentle oblivion of actual sleep.

Notes:

Okay. Maybe I'm not too evil...

...mostly.... <.<

Chapter 14

Nick glanced up from where he was reading news articles online, the phone that Judy and her parents had brought him one of the higher end touch screens that was far more than just a simple cell device. The fox had been catching up on all the news that he’d missed, or at least from those agencies that were putting out information, a majority from other cities. Zootopia was still far from being fully recovered, Nick having told Bogo not that long ago that if they succeeded in taking down Bellwether that the repercussions would be felt for years. He’d been right. At least the riots had stopped for the most part.

With updates also coming in from the mammals that had gone to ground with him and the allies he’d made, the fox had a steady source of news sent directly to him. He knew that the prisoners from the camps were getting the help they needed, several of the hospitals and private practices in the city sending volunteers and supplies to help put the pieces of shattered lives back together as best they could.

What was astonishing were the numbers of articles that were floating about regarding his involvement with everything. Some tried to go in depth about his life as an outlaw hero or as a resistance fighter, the motivations behind it, and some speculated how even in the most trying times he’d stuck to a higher level of ethics and conduct than any other mammal. Those stories worried Nick the most, the way they were told made him sound almost like a saint when the truth of how he acted was far from the printed versions. He’d killed and the fox would have to live with the scars that left on his soul until the end of his days.

And now that he was sleeping somewhat normally his nightmares were coming back. He knew that they would be with him for the rest of his life, but there was no help for it. At least there were things to look forward to and a new brightness that warmed his heart and soul, particularly from a certain bunny…

As if thinking about her had summoned her, Judy walked into the hospital room, the smile that slid so easily into place these days causing Nick to smile in return as she strode purposefully to the hospital bed and kissed the fox deeply before saying anything. As soon as they began to part the bunny kit that she’d rescued from the labor camp scampered up onto the bed, planting herself firmly on Nick’s lap as an arm slipped around him and she rested her head on his chest. Despite her reluctance to interact with others, even if they were rabbits, the kit had taken an instant liking to the fox and whenever she was near would find some way up onto his lap or to be near him.

Some digging with Finnick had located her name in the Unity Party registry and Judy along with the desert fox had learned that she was named Piper Lappin. She still wasn’t speaking more than a word or two, though with the terror, abuse and depravity that she’d suffered it was uncertain she ever would and neither Nick or Judy were forcing the issue. Piper had seen and endured more than any mammal should. That she’d had to do so before the tender age of ten was unconscionable. They’d decided that the kit would live with them as she had no family left and had bonded with the unlikely pair. Not even wed yet and they had a beautiful little girl of their own.

“Ready to get out of here?” Judy asked with a warm expression as she regarded the kit nestled against Nick.

“As long as it means we can stop somewhere on the way so I can get some real food,” Nick said with a grin. “Maybe some of your mom’s blueberry cobbler…”

Piper jerked her head up and looked from Nick to Judy and back, her expression one of surprised delight. “Dad’s coming home?” she asked in a high, breathy voice as the paw she had around his side clutched hopefully at his shirt.

Judy could only nod as her own paw went to her muzzle, tears springing forth at something so completely unexpected and so completely wonderful. Nick stared with shock, his mouth open until the corners twitched into a smile. “I sure am, Nibbles,” he whispered using the nickname he’d given her for her love of corn, his own vision blurring with the sudden increase of moisture and a clenching of his chest and heart that had nothing to do with his still healing injuries. “Would you like that?”

Piper nodded as she hugged herself as tight as she could against the fox without hurting his injuries and grinned like never before. “And Mom and you and me can be a real family!!!” she squealed, delighted to no end.

Judy joined them in a tight circle of holding one another until an orderly appeared with a wheelchair. As soon as he was situated, not really having any personal items to get, the new phone in his pocket, Nick held out his paws for the kit and got her situated before wheeling them down the hallway towards the elevator, Piper giggling as he made engine noises, Judy not far behind watching in wonder as the bunny seemed to be coming out of her shell.

The two officers that Bogo had assigned as floor security stood when Nick and the bunnies appeared, both with surprisingly friendly expressions on their faces. “Well, guys, looks like I’m out of here. No more having to watch the dangerous pred and all I suppose,” the fox told them.

“Pity,” the rhino said, McHorn being one of the friendlier ZPD mammals. “I enjoyed telling reporters that I’d stomp them into goo if they tried to bother you.”

“I liked that we could get decent coffee whenever we needed it,” the elephant named Farber commented with a wink before tickling Piper under her chin with his trunk, the bunny kit letting him without her normal reaction of going silent and trying to hide behind either her ears or Judy and Nick. “As it so happens we have orders to escort you down to the lot. Chief doesn’t want to take any chances.”

Nick’s expression fell. “I thought it was getting a little better out there,” he commented.

“It is,” McHorn said, happy to have been reassigned from the ZPD Academy and put back on street duty. “Stores are getting produce and things again. It might be a while before things return to something actually like normal, but it’s getting there. A lot of us are pulling shifts escorting trucks when they roll in so they don’t get jacked, but it’s not like it was. Be glad you were out of it for that.”

Nick shrugged as they all piled into the elevator. “What about Bellwether?” the fox inquired. “No one’s telling me anything and there’s nothing on her anywhere. No newspaper articles, no internet info. It’s like she vanished.”

McHorn was looking straight ahead as was Farber, though it was the elephant that spoke. “Sorry, Mr. Wilde. We haven’t heard a thing. We’re just beat cops. We aren’t even allowed opinions unless the Chief gives them to us.”

“It would be nice to know something,” Nick told them with an irritated edge to his voice as the elevator doors slid open. “I want to know if I’m going to have to look over my…back…for…” He trailed off as his eyes widened.

Outside the lobby windows it looked as if half the city were waiting for the fox to emerge from the hospital. At the vanguard of the crowd was Bogo, numerous officers under his command, several of Nick’s most trusted mammals when the predators had been in hiding. Finnick, Stu and Bonnie Hopps were there, as were more reporters with cameras and recording equipment than the fox had ever seen in one place. He stopped the wheelchair, his mouth falling open and going suddenly dry as his eyes widened so far it looked as if they might actually fall out of his head.

“What…what’s going on?” Nick asked with a nervous tilt to his voice as he shook his head no. “I can’t go out there…”

“Yes you can,” Judy said calmly. “They aren’t here to lynch you. They’re out there to thank you.”

Nick looked up at her, an uncomfortable trill running down his spine that made his tail feel as if it were full of static electricity. “Thank me? For what? Don’t they know…” he whispered, trying to get the lump of ice that had formed in his gut to relent.

“They know, Mister Wilde,” McHorn said with a huge hoof on the fox’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry. None of us are going to let anything happen to you. I can promise that much.”

Nick couldn’t have stopped the officers from wheeling him out if he wanted to. If he’d put on the brakes they’d have picked up the wheelchair. If he’d tried to flee they would have simply caught and carried him outside to the mass of mammals. Before he knew it the doors were open and he was out in the sunlight, his exposed fur tickled by the light breeze while his skin underneath crawled with the feeling of so many eyes upon him. There were preds and prey in the crowd, neither group shunning the other but standing shoulder to shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The sound, small at first, came from the far left edge of the enormous gathering before spreading slowly. Then it was picked up by more and more mammals and grew louder and more enthusiastic. It took Nick several seconds to realize it was applause.

Applause for him.

As McHorn and Farber stopped with Nick at a podium that had been set up with a cluster of microphones on a flexible arm, Police Chief Bogo standing just a little to the side using a cane to steady himself with his right leg in a walking cast, the escorting officers and cape buffalo joined in the clapping. All the fox could do was look around in complete confusion. When a number of shouts, yells, howls and his name began to be mixed in with the energetic clapping, Nick’s confusion only grew.

Eventually the raucous noise began to fade and Bogo moved behind the podium to call the lingering cheering down. He glanced at the fox as camera flashes began to go off in rapid succession while video lenses pointed at him like glossy black eyes.

“There were a few mammals that wanted to see you when you came out,” The cape buffalo said with a hoof indicating the crowd. “We’re getting the city back in order one neighborhood at a time. The Unity Party’s crumbled and the few supporters that weren’t at the rally are being rounded up and brought in to face criminal charges.

“The problem Zootopia is facing now is that without proper leadership, things are taking a little longer than they should. We’re working on remaking the city into what it was meant to be, but too many of us, myself included, need to learn to do something that none of us have done in a long time.”

Bogo had been looking at the crowd and now faced Nick and his odd little family, Piper still perched on his lap though she only peeked out at the crowd from behind the cover of her ears, her bright eyes twinkling with nervous shyness while the fox looked at the Police Chief in confusion.

“Nicholas P. Wilde, by order of the interim city council I hereby officially present this pardon for any and all infractions of the law that you may have been accused of,” Bogo said as he held up a piece of thick paper with only a few paragraphs of writing and a multitude of signatures, one or two the fox even recognizing. “With this pardon clearing you of any culpability of crimes against the City-State and Municipality of Zootopia, the city council has requested, along with the recommendation of the Zootopia Police Department, several character witnesses, and popular demand by the mammals that call this city home, that you accept a position within the newly reformed governing body that you have proven more than capable of. This city needs a leader, a mayor, Mr. Wilde. We need someone that can help guide us as we rebuild.”

Nick opened his mouth but had no idea what to say to the request. “Me? You want me as mayor? I...I-I don’t know the first thing about being a mayor!” he finally protested as the flash of cameras increased, distracting him as he looked from Bogo, to the crowd, to Judy and back again.

Bogo actually smiled as his hoof came down once more on the fox’s shoulder. “No. But you have shown us that you aren’t prejudiced,” the bull said as he looked at Judy and Piper. “Time and again you have shown us that you’re able to see past the predator or prey differences. You’ve demonstrated that it’s the mammal that’s important, not what they were born as. More than anything else, that is what the city and the mammals here need.” The cape buffalo nodded. “Even I wasn’t above the trouble that we’ve just been through, letting another’s hate influence me from doing what I knew was right. Help us,” he asked simply. “Help me. We…all of us, need to heal. You’re the one best suited to help us do just that.”

Nick was still stunned and looked first at Judy who nodded slowly, her eyes holding complete confidence in the fox. That same look was in the eyes of others, Stu and Bonnie also nodding, Finnick, his normal angry visage gone and replaced with one of…hopefulness. Other mammals looked on with a certain amount of anticipation.

“For how long?” Nick finally asked Bogo, his voice small sounding as he felt as if the weight that had been removed the night of the rally was back ten-fold and settled on his shoulders and would crush him flat.

“The rest of the present term. Three years plus,” the bull said. “With the option of reelection at the end of those three years.” Bogo frowned. “Please, Nicholas. I can’t do this alone. You’re wiser than I ever will be and you’re the moral compass that I need. Help me undo everything that Bellwether did.”

The fox sighed. It was a chance to do the things he’d dreamed about while hiding in the darkest recesses of Zootopia’s underground, to make it so that all mammals were treated with equality and fairness. He’d talked of these things to others…to Judy in the quiet moments when they would sit together or hold each other… Now that the moment had finally arrived where dreams could be made real he felt the sick nausea of doubt and fear that he wouldn’t be able to live up to his own ideals.

Then Piper shifted a little, her head finding its way under his chin as she continued to hide from the crowd of spectators and reporters and it was like the decision was made for him. Nick could make the suffering something that everyone would remember so it didn’t happen again. It would be poor compensation for all the mammals that died, for his own wife and kit if he turned from this task when others were counting on him. If he turned his back when others were looking to him, it would kill the last little bit of his family within him. Nick closed his eyes and offered up a silent prayer that he could be what so many were asking him to be before looking up at Bogo and nodding.

The crowd erupted into such a sudden and loud cheer that Piper began to tremble where the fox’s arm and paw were wrapped around her and he whispered soothingly in her ear until the cape buffalo presented another document for Nick to affix his signature.

“N-now?!?” he asked in surprise. “You want me to start now?”

“Well, you’d be given a couple of weeks to finish healing up,” Bogo said with a chuckle. “But, yes.”

Nick frowned as he accepted the pen and scratched his name onto the paper. The Cape Buffalo set it on the podium beneath a small chunk of brick he was using as a paperweight and turned to the fox with a satisfied expression.

“Please raise your right paw and repeat after me,” Bogo said as he also raised his paw. “I, Nicholas Piberius Wilde, do solemnly swear…”

As he repeated the words, Nick took strength from the faith the bunny that sat on his lap had in him, the support from Judy as she stood next to him with her paw resting on his shoulder and petting the fur under his shirt. He trusted that Finnick would help him maintain his perspective, most likely with jibes and swear-laced tirades. Nick thought of the others that had been with them, the ones that were gone, the ones that he’d never met and knew that it was they that would help him do what he could to make the their little corner of the world a bit better than it had been.

Notes:

Almost there.

Chapter 15

Judy reached up to straighten her husband’s tie, wondering, not for the first time, why he never could get the things on straight, and smiled as she slid the knot up and fixed the collar. “One of these days I’m going to show you how to tie a proper Windsor,” she teased before brushing her lips against his before stepping back and calling out to the other rooms of the house. “Hurry up, kits! We’re going to be late!”

“Ties are silly,” Nick said as he craned his head left and right to get his fur to settle properly. “It’s the most useless item of clothing I can think of and it makes it feel like I have a collar and leash on.”

“Maybe,” the bunny replied. “But it does make you look rather handsome, Mr. Mayor.”

The fox rolled his eyes. “You know I hate it when mammals call me that,” he muttered before taking his wife’s paw and stepping to the door. Before he could even reach the handle the patter of padded feet running down the stairs and from the hallway leading to the family room caused him to grin.

Once taking office, Nick and Judy had adopted three more children, another young bunny named Owen and two fox kits, one an arctic fox named Francis and a red furred vixen that had been an infant that Judy insisted on naming Eva who was now a rambunctious and happy six.

Piper, the oldest now at fifteen, almost sixteen going by the birth records that had been uncovered, helped guide her siblings into a semblance of order before they stepped out of the house with her parents. Nick and Judy were as much the mother and father of the mixed family as the rabbits that had given birth and raised her for the first ten years of Piper’s life and she loved both of them so much that there were times she couldn’t help but cry with the joy that she felt being a part of a very special family.

They all greeted the police officer that was always present at the house, one of six that the city insisted on having to protect Nick and his family at all times. Today’s officer was Rona, one of the first predators to apply to the ZPD after the fall of the Unity Party and the inclusion of all mammals. The petite, for a bear at least, Eurasian ursine looked smart and proper in her uniform, the department opting for a more traditional blue than the black and gray they’d worn just a few years prior.

“’Morning, Nick,” she said as she walked along the brick path to the street. “It’s going to be a gorgeous day.”

The fox paused and looked up at the blue sky with puffy white clouds that scudded by on a light breeze and nodded as he snugged his wife against his side. “It truly is,” he said as the kits played and tussled on their way to the SUV that Nick had gotten for a family car. “Did the others get their breakfasts?” he asked, his tradition for the police officers that pulled duty in the mornings being a delivery of coffee and breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

“Of course,” Rona said with a smile. “It’s one of the reasons you have so many volunteering for duty at the mayoral mansion.”

The bear’s tone was amused, referring to the house that the fox had decided to live in between the Savannah and Rainforest districts that was far less ostentatious than the former residence of the mayor. Nick had spent precisely two nights in it before house hunting with Judy, the large space making him cringe. It also might have been due to the fact that there were still ample reminders of Dawn Bellwether within the walls. He wanted a place to be with his family that felt more like a home than something for display, and often joked that when he finished his term that it would be easier on everyone if they didn’t have to move. It was built in rabbit style, more than half of it built underground to save energy and provide larger usable land square footage. It suited the Wildes who’d spent enough time in Bunnyburrow to agree it would be the best choice to suit their needs.

Now, if only the fox could find some way to get rid of his driver, a plainclothes officer that served as chauffer, Nick would be even happier.

Rona helped get the smaller kits into their seats and buckled in, playing tickle with the three younger ones before pulling Piper into a hug. “I swear you need to stop feeding this one!” the bear said as the bunny giggled. “We’re going to have to put a guard on her just to keep all those love sick boys away from her if she gets any prettier!”

“Aunt Rona!” Piper complained, though her grin said that she was anything but annoyed.

Nick and Judy watched the banter and felt a swell of warmth and pride swell within them. Piper had thrived under their care and had come into her own as a confident young doe. She still had her rough times in coping with what she’d been through, but she’d met other young mammals that had also survived and had used that as a common ground to form bonds that included more than just her adopted parents and those she thought of as immediate family.

Oddly enough, Piper had taken to spending quite a bit of time with a young rabbit that lived in Bunnyburrow with the hopes of going to Zootopia University to pursue a career in medicine. Nick was very much in approval of the rabbit his adopted daughter had taken a shine to, finding him to be courteous and respectful and even going so far as to already asking Nick if he could take Piper to a movie and ice cream later that day. The fox had agreed, though he hadn’t told his bunny about it yet. He did have the image of a doting and concerned father to maintain, after all.

Judy sat close to her husband, paw in paw, trying her best to keep her dress uniform from getting wrinkled, having decided to continue a career as a police officer herself. It was something that the rabbit drew satisfaction from and enabled her to do what she could to help her fox in healing the city and the schism between prey and predators that still existed in some quarters. Apart from regular police work, Judy also helped run several department sponsored outreach programs that worked with revitalizing some of the neighborhoods that had been terrorized under the Unity Party while working with the law enforcement groups of outlying areas to facilitate communication, learning and goodwill.
Nick looked out the window, his attention pulled by neighborhoods that were slowly being rebuilt under his guidance as mayor of the city. Streets that had been familiar looked radically different than when he and other preds had been forced into hiding. Alleys that had been choked with garbage, abandoned cars and all manner of debris were almost pristine, the refuse having been hauled away for recycling and reclamation while all manner of skilled workers had been employed to repair, repaint and revitalize. New street lamps had been installed and in little nook parks that had become the standard, pred and prey children of all species played together in scenes that the fox never thought he’d see in his lifetime.

Nick was rather proud of what was happening in the city. Hate crimes were decreasing along with other infractions to all-time lows, employment was up with the renewal projects and businesses were starting to come back reinvigorating entire sections of Zootopia. Granted, not all of his decisions were popular with the entire populace, but public opinion polls had indicated that his time in office was one of the more successful periods in the history of the city.

And Dawn Bellwether was gone. Shortly after the rally she’d been taken into custody along with the entire upper echelon of the Unity Party to be tried for crimes against mammal rights. Nick hadn’t been surprised in the least to learn that she’d managed to kill herself while awaiting trial. Perhaps it was more fitting that way. Nick had given a statement that it was a perfect example of evil consuming itself and that Zootopia should take it as a sign that together they could stand against the darkness of hate and fear so long as they kept the light within themselves shining as an example for others. His speech had been met with a standing ovation that had lasted a full ten minutes.

It was something else he’d never thought he’d see in his lifetime. He never thought that so many would see him as a leader. If anything the whole experience was both sobering and humbling.

The SUV pulled into the entrance for the park that was being dedicated that day and with a start Nick realized the difference in what he saw before him than the last time he looked over this particular section of the city. Was it really just a few years prior that the green expanse and gardens had been a charred pit with the remains of so many? It seemed like a lifetime ago…

The bones had been covered with soil, including those of Nick’s parents, his first wife and child. The stench of petrol and death didn’t fill the air anymore. What had been an open air crematorium was now covered in thick, green grass, planters with shrubs and fruit trees in planter boxes formed an idyllic location and fountains splashed and burbled merrily. In the center of it all stood a gleaming marble pillar, the circular plinth it rested upon engraved with all of the names of the mammals that had been rounded up and immolated here under the orders of the Unity Party and Dawn Bellwether.

Where there had once been death and ugliness there was now life and beauty. Nick felt that Amanda and his daughter along with his parents and all the others that had been lost on the very spot would have approved. It was called Friendship Garden now and was open to all. Atop the pillar was a glass globe that would drink in the light it didn’t reflect during the day, and at night it would take the offering of the sun that was stored within to illuminate the myriad of small, colored LED’s so there would always be a light in the darkness for others.

The SUV entered the parking area covered in white gravel, little rocks crunching under the tires of the vehicle, some tinking on the undercarriage. When one clicked against the window Judy shook her head and smiled. Maybe gravel hadn’t been the smartest choice, especially when Nick’s paw tightened on hers for a split second when the rock bounced off the window. She looked to her husband after eyeing the large crowd that had gathered for the dedication, familiar friends easily spotted even from a distance.

“Time to wow them, lover,” the bunny said to her husband, curious when he didn’t move as the large car pulled to a stop and the kits began unfastening their seat belts. Judy chuckled and reached across with her other paw to place it on her fox’s shoulder as Piper herded her siblings into the sunlight streaming down. “Nick? Time to earn your pay, Mr. Mayor.”

When she shook him Nick began a slow slide towards her until he slumped onto her lap.

Judy’s mouth fell open, her eyes full of confusion as she looked at the window, the small hole in the glass that was surrounded by round cracks, a thin spatter of crimson that glowed in the daylight pouring down. When her gaze traveled down, she saw the spot of dark red in Nick’s coppery fur, blood trickling from the wound just in front of his ear. Realization struck her like a physical blow, stealing the air from her lungs as her arms slid around her husband’s unresponsive body, muzzle open in a need to cry out but unable to make a sound as her throat clenched and stole her breath.

As she pulled the warm body to her, her amethyst eyes seeing nothing, tears began to fall in a steady stream. The door behind her opened again, Piper sticking her head into the opening. “Mom? Dad? They’re all waiting for us,” she said, unable to see exactly what was going on.

“Take the children to Uncle Finnick, Honey,” Judy whispered, her tears flowing even more freely.

“Mom?” the other bunny asked softly. “Mom…what’s wrong…?”

“Please, Piper,” Judy husked as her face began to crumble. “T-take your brothers and sister down to Uncle Finn. Tell…tell Uncle Bogo…tell him I need him…”

The younger bunny’s eyes began to fill, unsure why she was suddenly afraid, but the old familiar terror crept into her heart. “Mom?” she whispered once more before turning away, getting the other kits away as quick as she could.

The driver had turned and stared in stunned shock before lurching out of the SUV and scanning the area, his paw shading his eyes. Other mammals in the crowd saw the children, the lynx driver whipping his head about furiously and the lack of Nick and Judy. At the edge of the gathering Piper simply pointed silently and before she could do anything more Bogo and others were rushing to the car.

Judy didn’t care about any of that, her entire being focused on holding the body of her fox, her husband and dearest love to her breast as tears cascaded down the silken fur of her cheeks. “Oh…oh, Nick…my beautiful Nick…” she cooed softly as she rocked the limp body gently. “Oh…gods…”

He’d done so much, but there was still hate and fear in the city even though Nick Wilde had fought against it valiantly. Maybe there always would be, but Judy promised her husband that she would carry on, for him…for their kits. For the whole of the city he’d loved. She wouldn’t give up the fight as long as she lived.

“You’re my light,” the bunny said as the world turned into smeared and abstract colors in her vision, everything blurred as she wept softly, her heart crumbling to dust as she sucked in a trembling breath. “You are my candle in the darkness brightly burning…”

Notes:

And there it is, once more available and in its entirety. Going through and fixing the bits that needed fixing, replacing what was lost, well...it's been a ride. And I'm glad to have taken this journey again with you, dear readers.

I don't know if there are what I would call happy endings. Some endings are tragic, some are sad, others perhaps a little pathetic, but I've never seen what one could call a happy ending. With the things that I have seen and done, the places, I think that perhaps the greatest thing that one can strive for is to be remembered with a smile and thought of as a good person. It's how I hope to be remembered one day when my own time comes.

And for those of you...you know who you are!...that begged me the first time around for a different ending, I'm sorry to disappoint...again.

Perhaps in a different universe Nick and Judy and the kits can have that cabin by the lake in the woods.

But that, my friends, would be a different story completely.

Now if you'll excuse me I need something a little lighthearted, yeah.

Notes:

Welp, there it is. The beginning, short as it is.

There may be changes to the tags as it goes and they seem to be appropriate, and while I should add to the character list I might forget, so forgive me for that oversight if I miss something or someone!