Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chief Bogo ushered Mrs. Otterton out the door and closed it. He turned to Judy, and his fake smile turned to a look of fury. "You're fired."

Judy looked up in shock. "What? Why?!"

"Insubordination. Now, I’m going to open this door and you’re going to tell that otter you’re a former meter maid with delusions of grandeur who will not be taking the case." He opened the door to reveal Mrs. Otterton, grinning in joy and anticipation that someone was finally going to find her beloved Emmitt.

Judy looked down at the picture in her paws. A happy, loving family whose father wasn't coming home, and the ZPD didn't care. Her ears drooped and her nose twitched as she fought back tears. Fired for trying to help a citizen in need? How could that happen? Isn't that what the police are supposed to do? "I'm sorry, Mrs. Otterton," Judy said sadly, "I can't take the case. I just got f-fired. I guess the ZPD doesn't want to help you." She held out the family picture. "You can have this back. I wish there was something I could do."

Mrs. Otterton took the picture with a trembling paw. Her eyes were already full of tears. "You can't really mean that? Can you?" Judy's look of shame and defeat showed her that it was the truth. She shuffled away, sobbing.

Judy wished there was some way to help, but she knew that it was hopeless. As much as it hurt to lose her job and her dream, seeing the pain on Mrs. Otterton's face hurt even more. She went to the locker room and silently changed into her civilian clothes, leaving her badge and uniform behind. She dragged her paws on the way out.

"Officer Hopps!" Clawhauser called out, "congratulations on your first arrest!"

"It's just Judy now," Judy said weakly, "I got fired."

The cheetah's enormous smile turned to a frown. "What? Why?!" Ben asked, "How could the chief do that? You're so c--cunning and capable!"

"It doesn't matter," Judy said with little energy, shaking her head slightly, "The ZPD isn't what I thought it was. Goodbye, Ben."

As she trudged out the door, Judy heard the ear-piercing squeal. "Chieeeeef, how could you?"

Judy made her way to her apartment. It was quiet for once. Bucky and Pronk must be out. She was alone, and she finally let her tears flow. Not only had she lost the job she'd worked so hard for, she had learned how little the ZPD really cared about the mammals they were supposed to serve and protect. "That annoying fox was right." Her voice sounded completely defeated. "I'll never be a real cop." She sniffled, looking down at her lap where the tears fell. "Nobody c-cares about me, or my dreams. The ZPD doesn't care about catching criminals, or finding missing mammals. They only wanted me as a token bunny to put tickets on parked cars. I wanted to make the world a better place, but this was never the way to do it. I've wasted my whole life." She had lost her dream and all her hard work. For years, Judy had fought against all odds to prove that a bunny could be a cop. In all that time she'd never stopped to think if she SHOULD be a cop. She'd just assumed the police would serve and protect the city, catch bad guys and help those in need. Now, she knew that the ZPD didn't care about those things. The chief was a bully only interested in money. "I don't belong here. It's time to go back to that carrot-choked Podunk with my fuzzy-wuzzy tail between my legs."

Judy pulled out her suitcase and began folding her clothes. She left the ZPD t-shirts in the closet. They would only remind her of her failure. She took a long look at her framed family pictures. Even with all their faults, she loved her parents, and they loved her. They loved all their children, and wanted them to be safe. They'd never understood her dream, never given her the support she'd craved, but they always wanted what they thought was best for her. She gently set the picture down on top of a shirt, and put another over it for padding on the ride home. Another family photo was stuck in her mind, a family of otters, with the dorky-looking loving father they would now have to accept wasn't coming home. It broke her heart to think of it.

She stuffed the contents of her drawers into the suitcase, and one item caught her eye. An old book called 'The Great Mouse Detective', one of the Basil of Baker Street books. After seeing the movie as a kit, she'd begged her parents to buy her the book. The stories were very different, but still exciting. Years ago, reading about an eccentric genius mouse who solved crimes had helped her believe that a bunny could do the same. She knew the stories weren't real, but they had still helped inspire her. Basil had never needed to join the police force, his clients had come to him. Even the police had begged him for help on cases they couldn't solve. If Basil had been here, he would have found Mr. Otterton. Basil wasn't here. But Judy Hopps was.

Her ears began to perk up, and a smile grew on her muzzle. "The ZPD doesn't want to help," she whispered, "but I'm not part of the ZPD anymore. I don't have to play by their rules. I don't have any authority, or equipment, or resources, but I still have everything I learned in the Academy." She dried her tears, smiling fully now. "If I can't make the world a better place for everyone, I can at least make it better for this one family."

Chapter Text

As Judy walked toward the door of the flower shop, it opened automatically. Aisle after aisle of flower arrangements were on display, and the place smelled beautiful and delicious. She hadn't eaten since chasing Weaselton through Little Rodentia.

At the counter in the back, Judy saw Mrs. Otterton. She was wearing the same clothes, with a fake smile plastered on her muzzle like most of the retail workers Judy had seen in the city. She was ringing up an order for a tapir, but her heart clearly wasn't in it. Her eyes wandered to Judy, and she twitched. As soon as the customer walked away, she turned to Judy and scowled, "What are you doing here, you cruel little bunny? Wasn't tearing my heart out this morning enough for you? You already told me the ZPD didn't want to help."

Judy's ears fell back in shame. "The ZPD doesn't seem to want to help you, Mrs. Otterton. But I do. I'm here to help you find your husband. On my own, if you'll accept my help."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Her voice was wavering between anger and tears.

Judy shook her head. "It's no joke, Mrs. Otterton. I was packing to go back to my family, but I couldn't just abandon another family that needs help. I'm not a cop anymore, but I graduated from the academy at the top of my class and I still have all the skills." She sighed, "I don't have access to police records, so I'd have to start the investigation all over, but if there's anything I can do to help you, I have to try."

The otter's lip quivered, flashing tiny sharp teeth. "You, you really mean it? You'll really find my Emmitt?"

"Yes, I will find him," Judy promised with a determined nod, "This time, I won't let anything stop me."

"Greg!" Mrs. Otterton yelled out in sudden joy,"I need you to take over the register!" She climbed over the counter and leapt down, wrapping her paws around Judy in their second hug of the day. "Bless you, little bunny, bless you again. What do you need?"

Judy blinked. She hadn't expected to get to this point so quickly. "I'll need any records you can show me, anything you can remember about when and how he disappeared, maybe you or one of your employees will have some clue we can use."

A brown-furred buck hopped up to the register. "Is that the bunny cop who..."

Mrs. Otterton interrupted him, "this is the bunny who's going to find my Emmitt!" She tugged on Judy's paw, pulling her into the back of the store. Behind the door was an open area with glass, pottery, and plastic vases shelved on the walls. Dozens of small bouquets were clustered together in one corner, along with a pawful of larger ones. Mrs. Otterton paused a moment.

"You're stronger than I expected," Judy said, gently freeing her paw from the otter's grip.

Mrs. Otterton smiled, genuinely this time. "I swim a lot." She pointed toward a door. "You can use our office. All the records you need should be in the desk or the computer."

The office furnishings were slightly too small for a rabbit, but Judy could deal with it after months of everything being far too large. The desk was clean and organized, with a pretty potted orchid next to the computer. The walls were painted in bland, faded beige, with several rectangles that hadn't faded as much. Judy quickly deduced that those spots must have held framed pictures, probably of the Ottertons together, which Mrs. Otterton had taken down to avoid constantly looking at her missing husband. She pulled out her notebook and carrot pen, and settled into the undersized office chair, remembering her classes on interrogation and victim interviews. "Where and when did you last see your husband?"

Mrs. Otterton only took a second to collect her thoughts. "Ten days ago, it was a Wednesday. Right here in the shop. He was going to make a delivery, then to his yoga class." She seemed more cheerful already.

"A delivery where? Did he make it?"

"Sahara Square. That was the first thing I checked, our order records say the delivery was done, and the customer hasn't complained. As for the yoga class, the Oasis doesn't keep entry records and the instructor has a bad memory."

"What does your husband usually do after his yoga class? When did you expect him home?"

"It's hard to predict. Ideas come to him while he's meditating, so he might call immediately, or go shopping for supplies. But he's usually home by dinner time. That's when I started calling, but I didn't get an answer. By bedtime I was too worried to sleep."

That kind of predictable absence would create a window when Mr. Otterton wouldn't be immediately missed. Judy's police training told her that whether he'd been taken against his will, or skipped town on his own, that was the perfect time to do it. She now knew when, which left who, where, why, and how. "Did he have any enemies? Anyone who might benefit from his disappearance? Maybe a disgruntled employee?"

Mrs. Otterton shook her head. "No, Emmitt's the sweetest thing. He's not the type to make enemies, and the staff likes him."

"Have there been any suspicious calls or visits to the shop? Sudden hangups like someone doesn't want to be traced, ransom demands, odd notes?"

Mrs. Otterton frowned, looking ashamed. "It sounds sick, but I've actually been hoping for a ransom call. At least that would mean there's a chance." She sniffled. "If they want money I'll pay anything I have, but no one even called."

"Would you mind if I ask your employees some questions? They might have seen something."

"I'm sure they'd be happy to help. I'll give you some time to look over the records and send them in later." She opened a desk drawer to find paper and a pen, and wrote down a note, which she offered to Judy. "Here are the passwords to the computer and Emmitt's email. Phone and credit card bills are in the top drawer, company records in the file cabinet. Do you need anything else?"

Judy carefully typed out the login password on the unfamiliar little keyboard. "I think this will be a really big help."

Nearly an hour later, Judy was getting frustrated. There had been no charges on Emmitt's usual card since his disappearance other than recurring payments. Their joint checking account hadn't been used except to pay bills. Mrs. Otterton hadn't mentioned her first name, but the bills showed it was Octavia. There were no unusual charges from her either. The business account didn't give her any clues. Emmitt's email inbox was full of frantic messages from his wife, newsletters, ads, offers of free money from imaginary mongoose princes, and other chum. She'd tried to track his phone online, but the website couldn't locate it. By now the battery must be dead. She'd found the pictures that had been taken off the wall, wrapped in tissue paper and stacked in a drawer. Each showed the Otterton family, some including the children, others from before they were born. Each had a different background, most including exotic flowers. The Ottertons had a loving family and a happy life. It made no sense for Emmitt to disappear on his own, so someone must have taken him. But there was no sign of who.

The closest thing to a lead she'd found was his last cell phone call, which matched the number of the order he'd been delivering. Even that was probably routine, but it was all she had.

There was a knock at the door, and Judy opened it to find the brown buck she'd seen earlier. He was about her height, his fur chestnut brown all over, and he looked healthy enough, but without her well-toned physique or her father's muscles earned from years of farm labor. "I'm Greg. Missus. O said I should talk with you." He took a seat and looked at her suspiciously. "She came back here crying earlier today. You said some hurtful things."

"I was just stating the facts," Judy replied defensively, "the ZPD fired me for trying to help her. It's not like I meant to hurt her."

"Well, the important thing is you're doing the right thing now. How can I help?"

"Were you here the day Mr. Otterton disappeared?"

"No, I was taking my daughter to the doctor."

So he had an alibi. "Is there anyone who might have wanted to hurt him?"

"No, not that I know of. Everyone here likes him. He pays well, he's generous with leave, and he's friendly."

"Has anything unusual or suspicious happened around here lately? Maybe something that didn't seem like a big deal at the time?"

For a moment, Greg looked upward at an odd angle, tapping his foot in thought. Then he nodded, remembering something. "A couple weeks before he disappeared, I came in and he was agitated about something. He didn't tell me the details, but I think it had to do with an unruly customer. You should ask Lance, the delivery cheetah. He was there for that."

That sounded like something worth looking into. It also raised a question about the staff. "Are you the only prey mammal who works here?"

Greg shook his head. "No, not the only one, just the only one here today. But I don't much care if the folks around me are pred or prey anymore. I grew up in Hareford, Miss Hopps. The only reason they don't run all the preds out of town by nightfall is that there aren't any around. I had to get out of that backward place, even if they'd told me all my life the city was full of monsters. Turns out the monsters were the nicest folks I've ever met! But I'm sure you know all about this sort of thing, comin from the Burrows."

Judy nodded and rolled her eyes. "My Dad tried to send me here with a fox taser!" She pulled out her fox repellent. "I took this just to make him stop talking. He was embarrassing the family in front of the whole train station."

"If you only took that to shut him up," Greg asked, "then why are you carrying it now?" Judy looked at the pink canister in her paw without a word. It was a good question, and she didn't have an answer. Why HAD she worn this with her uniform? Why was she still carrying it? Greg continued, "not that it's any of my business. You probably need a weapon of some sort private investigatin, and the ZPD wouldn't let you keep your sidearm."

Judy frowned at the thought that they'd never even issued her one, but realized that wasn't the reason. She didn't owe Greg an explanation, but she did owe one to herself. She decided to change the subject. "What exactly do you do here, Greg?"

"I do what I can. I help with the registers, do some flower arranging, take phone orders. I've been doing a lot in the greenhouses while Mr. O is gone. He always loved watching the plants grow."

"Can you think of any reason he might leave?"

"Not a chance. He loved his family and his job. He had a great life here."

"I notice you're using the past tense." Judy gave him a meaningful look over her notepad.

Greg looked down, his ears drooping. "I've seen enough crime shows to know, after all this time, he's probably not coming home. Do you really think he's okay?"

Judy frowned. "Mrs. Otterton thinks so. But I have my doubts. Until we have evidence, we should hold onto hope. Either way she deserves to know the truth."

Greg nodded and smiled. "I agree a hundred percent. If there's nothing else I can do to help you find the truth, I'll go find Lance." He stood up and turned, paw on the doorknob, waiting for a response.

"I think that's all I need from you," Judy replied, "thank you."

A cheetah knocked lightly and walked into the office. His fur coloration was similar to Clawhauser's, but the similarity ended there. His spots were smaller and more defined. He was thinner, more sleek and lithe, perhaps a bit too thin. He looked frightened. "H-hi. I'm Lance. S-sorry I'm a bit nervous, things have been, stressful lately." His voice wavered, and his blue eyes darted about as if he was afraid to meet a bunny's gaze.

Judy could see his nervousness, but it seemed more like an anxious witness than a guilty suspect. She looked up at him and put on a smile. "It's okay, you're not in any trouble. I'm just hoping you know something that can help find Mr. Otterton. Greg says you were here the day he disappeared?"

"Y-yes, Miss Hopps, I was. Last I saw him he was headed for Sahara Square with a bouquet. I don't see why anyone would want to hurt him."

Judy sighed. "I haven't heard any motives for that either. Was it normal for Mr. Otterton to make deliveries himself?"

"Yes, he likes to meet new customers and see how happy they are. He takes the occasional delivery when he can. Some of them are just too big or too small, which is where Maureen and I come in."

In that case, arranging a fake delivery would make a good ruse to lure Mr. Otterton somewhere. Which went back to the question of motive. Judy looked back at her notes. "Greg said there was an incident with an unruly customer a few weeks ago, and you were there to see it? Can you tell me what happened?"

Lance closed his eyes and took a few breaths. "There was a sheep." He held up his paws, near his head, claws extended, and twirled them backwards in one quick circle, then more slowly just under half a circle, ending on an upward point. "A big ram, pretty fluffy, black wool, couldn't tell much about weight. Had suspenders on. He walked past like he was avoiding me and went straight to Maureen at the register."

"Why would you think he was avoiding you?"

"Honestly, it might just be my anxiety. But sometimes prey go out of their way to steer clear of me. This felt like that. It's not fun."

"But he had no problem with Maureen?"

"No," Lance replied, "but Maureen's a squirrel. It's hard for a squirrel to be scary."

"What did they talk about?"

"I didn't hear. There was an okapi who needed some help, and by the time I was done with that Maureen was calling for Emmitt." Lance scratched his head behind his ear. "I'm not always good with other species body language, but the sheep didn't seem happy to see him."

Judy's foot started tapping. If this sheep didn't like predators, why would he go to a shop with the name 'Otterton' in the first place? What could he be after that only the owner could sell him? "Why would Maureen need to bring in Mr. Otterton? What could he have been looking for that Maureen couldn't handle?"

"Some of the restricted botanicals need a special license to sell. Maureen doesn't have one. Or there could have been a payment problem. But a bit later they started arguing, and I heard Emmitt say that he needed ID to sell something."

"Do you know what?"

Lance shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But I doubt the guy was buying nip."

"Yes," Judy agreed, "a ram who doesn't like cats would have no use for that. Did you catch his name or anything?"

"I don't know what his name was, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Sean."

Judy's ears gave a confused twitch. "How can you be sure what his name isn't?"

"I heard Emmitt call him 'Sean', but he didn't react like you do when someone calls your name. I think he was using an alias or something." Lance frowned and looked down. "Wish I had something more useful."

Judy tapped her foot and made a quick note. "No, that IS useful. If this ram had anything to do with the crime, the fact he was using a fake name is important. Knowing how his horns curl is a good identifier, and black wool narrows things down. Would you recognize him if you saw him again?" Lance nodded. Now Judy had a new clue. Mr. Otterton had caught a ram trying to do something shady, using a fake name. Whatever he was up to, he didn't like predators, and there was no telling what he'd do to avoid witnesses. "Is there anything else you remember?"

Lance looked side to side and leaned in close. Judy could smell fish on his breath. "When he was leaving, I'm pretty sure I heard him say," he whispered it with disgust, "kelpweasel. He said 'kelpweasel'."

"Kelpweasel?" Judy asked, figuring out the meaning as she wrote it down, "I didn't even know there WERE species slurs against otters until today." It was only one of many unpleasant bits of knowledge she'd picked up recently.

"There are mean names for just about every species," Lance said with a shake of his head, "I don't like what what says about mammals. But i guess if the word helps you find him it can't be all bad."

Judy nodded, flipping back in her notes. "I'm starting to think the last order he delivered might have been a ruse. Do you know anything about a 'Dana Hartwell', in Sahara Square?"

Lance shook his head again and scratched his cheek. "Don't remember hearing that name. Must not be a regular customer. Could be a fake I suppose. But I remember a bit about the order. It was all heat-tolerant flowers, so Emmitt didn't need a refrigerated truck."

"Is that common?"

"Not in general, but common enough for deliveries to Sahara Square. Most mammals like flowers that grow in the climate they're used to, reminds them of home."

Judy heard her stomach growl. "I see, if I were picking flowers for a snack, I'd like a sunflower like my friend Sharla's parents grew, and maybe some honeysuckles like the ones that grew on the fences at Mom & Dad's farm. But if someone wanted to lure Mr. Otterton to a place, I'm sure you agree that placing an order that he can deliver without a truck right before his yoga class is a way to do it."

"Do you think if I'd made that delivery, he'd still be here?" Lance clenched his paws and hung his head.

"Lance, you can't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. With the info you gave me, I'll find him and bring him home." If he's still alive, Judy thought but didn't say. It was important to keep some hope. And even if he was dead, knowing that would at least give his family a chance to move on. "I need to retrace his steps, follow up on the delivery and check this 'Mystic Springs Oasis' where he has his yoga class."

Lance purred with relief and stood up. "I'll tell Octavia and get the truck ready. Maybe fetch you a sunflower while I'm at it?" Judy's growling stomach answered for her.

Chapter Text

Judy gathered her notes and made one last check of the computer, then left the office. Lance offered her a pawful of honeysuckle blooms and the head of a single large sunflower. Judy inhaled the scent and nibbled at the edges of the flower. "One more thing I need to know," she said after swallowing her first bite, "where's the security camera footage? I couldn't find it in the computer."

Lance shook his head. "We don't have any cameras here. Some customers don't like to be filmed."

"What kind of customer wouldn't want to be filmed buying flowers?"

Lance looked away, his ear twitching a bit. Octavia walked in just in time to rescue him. "We're very supportive of same-sex and cross-species couples, but they're not all out about it. I wish they could be. I wish everyone had a chance to be with the ones they love without judgement. But we're not there yet so we have to be practical. So there aren't any pictures, I'm afraid."

The answer sounded plausible to Judy, but she couldn't be sure it was complete. "Then I guess if I find that ram, I'll have to send Lance a picture to identify him." The nervous cheetah had slipped away during the speech, and Judy let him go. She was sure he wasn't any threat, just stressed after losing a friend and being interrogated.

"If WE find that ram," Octavia countered, "I'm going with you. I know Emmitt better than anyone else, and I want to be there. I want to bring him home."

"It might be dangerous," Judy warned, "you don't have combat training like I do."

"Then I'll just have to trust you to keep us safe. I'll stay out of the way. I'm slippery." Octavia held her paws together and shot Judy a pleading look, "Please, Judy, let me do this. Let me bring my Emmitt home."

Judy nodded. "Okay. We'll go together." She noticed a zip-tie hanging from the stem of her sunflower, and held it up. "Do you have more of these? If we find whoever took your husband, we might need to tie them up until the ZPD can get there, and I don't have my cuffs anymore." Zip-ties wouldn't hold very large mammals, but they'd be better than nothing.

"We've got plenty." Octavia skittered off, and returned a few minutes later with a pawful of assorted zip-ties and a spool of red ribbon. "Not sure about a ram, but this is sturdy enough to tie up an otter," she said with a wink and a grin.

Through a mouthful of seeds, Judy mumbled, "I don't want to know how you know that."

"Too late!" replied the still-grinning otter. "We can leave whenever you're ready, I've got you a water bottle in the truck. Judy, I can't thank you enough, I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders." Octavia joyfully clapped her little paws together. "We're bringing him home!"

The truck was roomy and climate-controlled. The seats and controls were adjustable enough for an otter, or a cheetah, or perhaps even a squirrel to drive it. Octavia drove with the ease of years of practice. Judy watched the city streets roll by, enjoying her meal and explaining her findings. The address for the delivery was in an apartment complex not far from the Palm Hotel. It had a facade that looked like adobe, but inside it was just standard boring box-like rooms. Bigger rooms than Judy's apartment, to her annoyance.

Judy panted a bit from the heat of Sahara Square. The building was air-conditioned, but the temperature was set for the comfort of species native to the sweltering desert, so it was little help for anyone else. Judy checked the delivery address again. The numbers matched. This was where Emmitt made his last delivery. She made a shushing gesture at Octavia, who was creeping along behind her, unbuttoning her sweater to cool off. If Emmitt was being held here, alerting his captors could be dangerous. Judy bent down to the floor, putting her ear near the crack in the door. The air seeping through the crack was colder than the rest. This apartment must have guests used to cooler temperatures.
Through the crack, Judy heard a muffled feminine voice. The owner of the voice sounded out of breath, and she could only pick up a few words. Something about a fierce predator. Gasping. A word that might have been "eat" or "meat".
A second voice, gruffer but still feminine, and not out of breath, replied in a low growl, not low enough to avoid Judy’s sensitive ears. “Shut up, someone will hear you!”
It sounded like someone was in danger. Though she was no longer a ZPD officer, Judy couldn’t just stand by and let a crime happen. She jumped up and knocked on the door, hoping to distract the perpetrator long enough to give the victim a chance.
“We don’t want any!” the second voice growled in annoyance.
“Open this door or I will break it down!” Judy yelled. She didn’t know how she would do that yet, but there was probably a tire iron back in the truck.
There were some annoyed growls and moans, then something intelligible from the first voice. “Okay, okay, just a rutting minute!”
Judy shooed Mrs. Otterton further from the doorway, hopped back, and braced herself, prepared to strike or dodge at a moment’s notice.
The door opened. Behind it was a tawny brown doe with big ears, a light grey muzzle contrasting with dark fur around her eyes, wearing a bathrobe from the Palm Hotel. She smelled of sex. She stood about six feet tall, much of it her slender sandy-toned legs, and Judy stepped back again to see her better. She stamped her hoof, looked around, then finally looked down and glared at the bunny, her nostrils flaring. “What do you want?” She was louder now, but this was clearly the first voice Judy had heard. “We've got more Bunny Scout cookies than we need, the A/C is working just fine, we haven't called for dinner yet. So why is a dumb bunny like you wasting our time and threatening to vandalize my apartment?" She pressed a clenched hoof against the doorframe. "Give me one good reason I shouldn’t call the ZPD on you for harassment!”
A shorter white-furred she-wolf wrapped in a towel slipped up beside the doe and nuzzled her neck. “Have I told you lately you’re cute when you’re angry?” The towel wiggled, threatening to fall off with every wag of her tail. Judy realized this was the second voice, and exactly what the ‘fierce predator’ had been doing. The wolf looked down at Judy with a toothy grin. Recognition dawned in her eyes. “Hey, are you Judy Hopps? The first bunny cop? I read about you being accepted to the academy! I'd say you're out of uniform, but so am I." Her voice seemed more amused than annoyed.
“What, does the ZPD have nothing better to do than harass innocent couples?” the doe grumbled.
“No need to be jealous, love, you know how I feel about strong girls with big ears." She ran a claw along one of those ears, and the doe shivered. "And you know you're the only doe for me. She must have thought I was actually eating you! Not in the fun way.” The wolf chuckled and bent closer to Judy. “I thought a bunny would know about this. You see, when a bitch and a doe like each other very very much...”
“I know how sex works!” Judy's ears were blushing a bright crimson, but they’d fallen back behind her head so it wan’t obvious.
Octavia came closer, looked at the scene, and started giggling uncontrollably. “Sorry, Judy, sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying.”
Judy looked down at her paws in shame. “You must be Dana and Elizabeth. Sorry to interrupt you. I’m looking for Emmitt Otterton. He disappeared almost two weeks ago. His last phone call was to this apartment. I thought the order was some kind of trick to lure him here. Clearly I was wrong.”
Dana’s anger faded to mere annoyance. “Well, I don’t know any Emmitt Otterton, and I’m certainly not involved in any disappearances.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Wait, was he that sweet otter who brought those flowers?”
Mrs. Otterton looked up with pleading eyes, stifling her giggles. “Yes, that’s my Emmitt! Please, do you have any idea what happened to him?”
Dana wrapped a hoof around her mate and pulled her close. Now they were both smiling. “Well, he delivered some beautiful and delicious flowers that Lizzie here sent me. He was friendly and polite, seemed proud of his work. Looked a little hot, so he probably went somewhere to cool off once he left. Wish I had more to tell you.”
Lizzie looked down. “I might have another idea that can help. My brother and his boyfriend work for the mayor. Lionheart’s been busy lately, but I’ll give Gary a call and tell him to look out for any info. If he gets anything, I'll call your shop. When you find your mate, and I’m sure you will, tell him I’d like to send MY mate some more flowers.”
"He'll be happy to know he helped bring a loving couple together. Bless you both. Your next order is on the house.”
"Thanks for your time," Judy said, "sorry we ruined your day."
Dana held Lizzie close, "if my mate went missing, I'd want her found as soon as possible. Besides, this was my fault for moaning I was being eaten."
Lizzie turned Dana's head and kissed her. "No apologies, my darling deer, that was fun! It'll take a lot more than that to ruin a day with you."
Judy waved and walked away. As she left, she heard more kisses, I-love-yous, and a "shut the door before we get arrested for public indecency!" They clearly still thought she was a cop, but they'd made that assumption on their own, so she had no reason to feel guilty. Just plenty of reasons to be embarrassed.

Judy pressed one paw to her temple as they walked back to the truck. The first stop had been a humiliating dead end. In contrast, Octavia was smiling and humming. "Such a lovely couple, aren't they? Oh, I need to make a note to pick up red herring next time I go to the fish market!"

Judy chuckled. "Red herring, I like that actually. The joke, not the fish of course. I was wrong about the order, but the theory is still sound. Someone took your husband, they must just have done it later."

"I believe in you, Judy. It might take a while, but I trust that you'll find a way. If finding Emmitt was going to be easy, he would be home already."

"It's good to know someone believes in me. So where to next? The Mystic Springs Oasis? Do you know your way around?"

"Emmitt and I have been members for years. It's a lovely place."

Chapter Text

Judy wasn't sure what to expect when she'd read the name "Mystic Spring Oasis". Some kind of spa? City mammals trying too hard to get in touch with nature? She wasn't expecting the high, ornate walls, but the architecture seemed fitting somehow. Octavia knew the place and could easily catch up, so Judy bounded ahead, parted the beaded curtain, and stepped into the reception area. The place was dimly lit with candles in wall sconces, with mystical-sounding music playing, and at the desk a shirtless yak with a beaded necklace sat meditating, surrounded by flies who buzzed along with him. It took Judy a few tries to get his attention.

"I'm gonna hit the pause button right there," the yak said, sounding like he was stoned, "cuz we're all good on bunny Scout cookies."

"Uh, no," Judy replied, rolling her eyes at being mistaken for a Bunny Scout for the second time in a day. The yak's flagrant disregard for laws on public intoxication also irritated her, but that was not her job anymore. "I'm looking for Emmitt Otterton. His wife said the two of them were members here?" She offered him the Ottertons' family picture.

The yak sneezed, chuckled, and gave back the picture. "Yeah, old Emmitt! Haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. But, hey, you should talk to his yoga instructor. I'd be happy to take you back."

As the yak rose and walked to open the big blue double doors, Judy started out thanking him, until she saw that the necklace was the only thing he was wearing. "Ohh! You are naked!" She turned away in disgust, only to see Octavia Otterton catching up to her, carrying her clothes in a neatly-folded pile. "Why, why are you both naked?"

"Oh, we're a naturalist club," the stoned yak replied cheerfully, showing no shame at all.

"Yax, sweetie," Octavia said, "the word is 'naturist', not 'naturalist'." She sighed and frowned, "and as much as I'd like a dip in the Pleasure Pool, I'm afraid we're wasting your time."

"Time is an illusion," Yax intoned, "so's lunchtime, but at least it's a tasty one."

Judy held her paws at the sides of her head and tried not to look too closely at the naked yak and otter. "Why didn't you tell me this was a place where mammals go around without clothes!"

"I guess I'm just so used to it it slipped my mind," Octavia replied. "Don't expect Nangi to remember anything, we've been going here for six years and she can't even remember my species much less my name. Sorry if this is making you uncomfortable."

"Wait, your husband takes nude yoga classes without you?"

"Of course, Judy. We tried taking the class together but it was hard to focus on the yoga."

Judy shuddered, "I don't mean to insult you, all this may seem normal to you, but it is NOT normal for bunnies."

"Oh, but I've seen bunnies here. Greg and his mate won the Pants-Off Dance-Off last year!"

"I did not need to know that," Judy groaned. She took several deep breaths, and Yax watched her, breathing in his own rhythm, gesturing with his hooves to encourage her to follow. To her surprise, it was actually calming. "Okay, this Nangi is your yoga instructor? Then she must have seen something. Or someone must have. This is our only lead, we can't give up now."

Yax opened the doors wide. "Nangi's just on the other side of the Pleasure Pool."

Judy looked through nervously, seeing several nude mammals of assorted species, both predator and prey, all relaxed and exposed. Her ears were hidden behind her head, her eyes wide even though she didn't want to see any of this. She covered her mouth even as it fell open. There were pigs wallowing in mud, bears scratching themselves against trees, a giant elephant trumpeting to the sky, a giraffe just standing there letting it all hang out. But she stood her ground. She had braved scorching sandstorms, frigid ice, rickety bridges and filthy toilets to get to the city, and she wouldn't let this, this, whatever this was, stop her now. In the time she stood frozen, Octavia had slipped away and left her pile of clothes behind. Now she, too, wore a beaded necklace, with a tiny locker key attached.

"Are you ready, Judy?" Octavia asked, reaching out a comforting paw.

Judy nodded, and followed the naked yak, trying to keep her eyes to herself. She ignored his speech about the 'naturalist' life, and walked close to the shore of the pool. She especially tried to avoid the gaze of an oryx and a kudu, who she very much hoped were not her next-door neighbors. Octavia leapt right into the water and swam around languidly, floating on her back with a peaceful expression and a gentle purr. All the regulars seemed at ease in a way that baffled Judy.

True to Yax's word, on the opposite side of the pool was a nude elephant, her skin decorated with henna, sitting with her legs spread wide in the air. Behind her were several other mammals in the same position. "As you can see, Nangi's an elephant, so she'll totally remember everything. Hey, Nangi, these dudes have some questions about Emmitt the otter."

"Who?" Nangi asked.

"My husband," Octavia answered with a roll of her eyes. "We've only been coming to your classes for six years!"

Judy held up the picture, hiding her eyes behind it.

"I have no memory of this beaver," Nangi replied, sounding annoyed and changing to a bent-over position, waving her backside right in Judy's face.

"I told you so," Octavia muttered.

"He's an otter, actually," Judy said sadly. Octavia was right. The elephant didn't remember anything. But Yax kept on asking about all the many details she didn't remember. He described Emmitt's outfit down to the knot on his tie, even though he'd probably only seen it for a minute before the clothes came off. The elephant knew nothing, but the yak remembered everything, except the fact that he remembered it. Judy smiled as she wrote down a full description of the car that took Emmitt away, including a diagnosis of an engine problem. The only way this could be better was if they had a plate. "You didn't happen to catch the license plate number, did you?"

"Oh, for sure! It was 2-9-T-H-D-0-3."

"29THD03," Judy repeated, "Wow, this is a lot of great info, thank you." She skipped off, away from the naked mammals.

"We have a plate!" Judy jumped and cheered. "A car took him, and we'll know exactly which one as soon as we...run...the...plate." The exuberance slowly drained out of her voice. "I can't run a plate. Even if I was still a cop I STILL couldn't run a plate, they never put me in the system! Maybe I could send it to Clawhauser? Or wander around parking lots and hope we get lucky?" She stopped and turned to Octavia. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. We'll figure something out."

Octavia's muzzle was curled in a snarl. She waved around a clenched paw. "That bastard! He lied to me!"

"Who?" Judy asked, a little surprised to see the kindly and still completely nude otter so enraged. "What did he lie about?"

"That little wad of scat! He said we were family! You don't lie to family!"

"If you think Emmitt's hiding something, we need to find him so we can sort it out." Judy followed her into the locker room and looked away as she dressed, still muttering insults and still refusing to explain who or what she was talking about. Once she was fully dressed, Judy gripped her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Please, just tell me what you're talking about! What did Emmitt do to make you so mad?"

Octavia tilted her head and looked at Judy like she was speaking nonsense. "Emmitt didn't do anything, Judy. He's the victim in all this. I'm talking about Mr. Big."

Now it was Judy's turn to cock her head and make a shocked face. "You mean the crime lord of TundraTown? That Mr. Big? What does he have to do with this?"

"He owns the Tundra Town Limo Service, and I remember the 'THD' from the plates."

"You've seen a crime lord's car often enough to know the license plate number? I've heard rumors about him, but the police don't even know for sure what species he is. Why would a FLORIST have that much information on him?"

"He buys a lot of funeral arrangements," Octavia replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "not as many as you'd expect given his line of work, but far more than the average mammal."

"He buys a lot of funeral arrangements," Judy echoed in a dejected tone, "did you ever think about why that might be?"

"Of course I did!" Octavia growled, "and if he doesn't tell me what he's done with Emmitt I'm going to make sure the ZPD gets his full order history, with a note to check for suspected mob hits around the same times."

Judy held her paws to her temples and rubbed. This was giving her a headache. "Wait, that's why you don't have security cameras, you're the florist for a mob boss." She thumped her foot and looked down at the otter, shaking her head sadly. "How can you expect me to help you if you won't tell me the whole truth?"

"I asked him if he knew anything when Emmitt disappeared, and he said he didn't see him. Turns out he's a filthy liar!" Octavia sighed and looked up with a shameful frown. "I am sorry I kept it from you, Judy, but if I'd told you about him earlier, you would have been so focused on that angle you might have missed something more important."

"Being involved with organized crime is kind of a big deal!" She saw Octavia's point, if she'd been honest about the involvement of a mob boss from the beginning, Judy would have demanded the investigation start there. And she would have been absolutely right to do so, since he clearly did know something.

"I really am sorry," Octavia said sadly, frowning down at the floor, "I wasted your whole day. I understand if you don't want to help me anymore. I'll still pay you for your time."

Judy looked down and placed her paw on Octavia's shoulder. They hadn't discussed the matter of payment. Judy wasn't in this for the money. She had decided to look for Mr. Otterton because it was the right thing to do. Because someone had to do it, and the ZPD clearly wasn't interested. It had of course occurred to her that finding a missing mammal on her own, without access to police resources, would be an accomplishment she could use to advertise her skills as a private investigator, or perhaps even to get her old job back. But those thoughts weren't what she considered important. She was focused on helping someone in need, not on what she could gain by doing so. Now that organized crime was involved, she knew things would be more dangerous, and she also knew she couldn't leave Mrs. Otterton to face that danger alone. "I still want to help you. But we need to be smart about this. We can't just charge in and confront him on his own turf, that would be crazy!" She pulled out her notebook and pen, and turned to a new page. "Tell me anything you can about Mr. Big. What species is he, what kind of security does he have, any relatives, any weaknesses, anything that might give us an edge." In the back of her mind, she was already thinking of how valuable this information could be after the job was done. She could probably use it to force her way back into Precinct One, if that was still what she really wanted. She was no longer sure of that.

"He's an arctic shrew," Octavia answered with a chuckle, "I'm not sure if he calls himself 'Mr. Big' for the irony, or because someone used to mock him for his size. His guards are mostly polar bears. I don't know anything about their weapons. The big one, Koslov, usually carries him around. He's a widower, with one daughter, Fru-Fru, who's getting married later tonight. I do hope we don't ruin her wedding, she's been through enough with the donut incident."

"Donut incident?" Judy asked.

"Don't laugh! Unsecured signage is a real danger for small mammals. She was nearly killed earlier today when a metal donut fell off a building," against her own advice, Octavia let out a giggle, "she posted about it online with the hashtag #CarbsWillKillYou."

Judy smiled. "I think I have an idea. Have you delivered all the wedding flowers yet?"

Chapter Text

Loading the flowers into the truck was no trouble at all for Judy. Lance was relieved that someone else was dealing with the Big order. Octavia closed the shop and made sure her pups had a sitter. By the time they left, the sun was beginning to set. The canopy of the Rainforest District blocked most of the sunlight, until they drove past the Tundratown border. Judy had seen Tundratown on her way into the city, but it looked completely different with the light of the sunset reflecting off the snow. There was so much to see in Zootopia, and Judy had barely begun.

The polar bears guarding the entrance to the Big compound stopped the truck for inspection, as expected, but not for long. The Family knew and trusted the Ottertons, and Greg's borrowed apron made Judy look like just another employee from their shop.

Judy unloaded the flowers, and set them up as Octavia and the bears directed. One final, tiny bouquet remained, and Octavia led Judy to a door guarded by more bears. "Hi, we'd like to get a final approval on the bridal bouquet while there's still time. Is Fru-Fru in?"

The bear looked down suspiciously. Judy played the part of a meek little florist, not meeting his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he opened the door and waved them through. How much trouble could a bunny possibly cause, after all?

Once again, Judy was barging in on an underdressed mammal. This one was wearing a white slip with the edge of some lacy white lingerie peeking out, sitting in a comfortable chair and chatting on her phone. Her beautiful white wedding dress hung 8nearby. She was the same shrew Judy had rescued earlier, with the same big hairdo and the same unforgettable voice. "Naughty, naughty, you know you're not allowed to see me in my wedding dress...okay, technically I'm not in my dress yet...save it for the honeymoon, loverboy, I gotta go, someone's here."

"Taaavie!" the little shrew called out, hopping up in the chair and waving her paws, "so good to have you here! Lovely job on the flowers. How are you doing on finding your hubby?"

"That's why we're here, actually," Judy said.

Fru-Fru's eyes fell on Judy, and she blinked in surprise. "You! You're the one who saved my life! Oh, this is the best present ever, you have to join us for the wedding!"

"I'll see if I can," Judy said with a smile, "name's Judy." She looked over at the wedding dress, "love your dress."

"Thank you! So what do you need?"

"There's a witness that says Emmitt Otterton was last seen in one of your father's limos."

"He told me he didn't know anything, but he must have been lying," Octavia said, "We need your help to get the truth."

"But Daddy never would have stolen sweet old Emmitt from his mate and pups! Family's everything to us."

"I don't want to believe he'd hurt my Emmitt," Octavia said, wringing her paws, "but he must know something. This is the only lead we have, Fru."

Fru-Fru shook her head. "No, Daddy wouldn't do that. There must be a mistake." She walked to her dress. "And as soon as I'm dressed we're going to get to the bottom of it."

It took some time and a little help to get the wedding dress on. Fru called Koslov, the Family's Consigliere, and demanded an audience with her father. The wedding was scheduled in the wee hours of the morning when the nocturnal shrews felt most alive. Tradition made certain demands of a mafia leader on the day of his daughter's wedding, but he was a father above all, and the needs of his only child were more important.

Soon enough, the door shook, and opened. In stepped a bear in a black suit and golden chains, with a stoic expression, his paws held tightly together before him. While polar bears are a large species to begin with, this bear was a giant even by bear standards. Without a word, he found an open space and bent down, his back creaking, as he opened his paws and carefully set something down. It was a tiny chair, with golden accents like a throne, holding an equally tiny black-furred shrew, already dressed for his daughter's wedding, with a red flower on his suit. He beamed at her, placing his right paw over his heart. "My child," he began, "you are a vision of beauty, but daddy has important business to conduct."

Fru-Fru smiled and curtsied, "Thank you, Daddy." She turned and nodded to Judy. "May I present to you the bunny who saved my life, Judy..."

"Hopps," Judy finished, "Judy Hopps."

Mr. Big stared at Judy. "This bunny?" Fru nodded. "Then my family owes you a great debt of gratitude, Miss Hopps. To what do we owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"I'm looking for Emmitt Otterton," Judy replied, "his wife says you told her you didn't know anything, but we have a witness who saw him get into your car." Judy noticed a barely-perceptible twitch in the shrew's features, as if he was hiding something."

"My child," Mr. Big began.

Octavia cut him off, "Don't 'my child' me! I have two children of my own who haven't seen their father in over a week because of YOU!" Half-crying, half-snarling, she pushed toward him, only to be blocked by Koslov's huge paw scooping up Mr. Big, chair and all. "Where is he? What have you done with my Emmitt?"

"Please, you and your husband are like family. Surely you know I would never harm..."

"You liar! You said you didn't see him, but he was in YOUR CAR!"

"Daaddy, you said never lie to family! What happened?"

"Trust me, my child, you don't want to know."

"With all due respect," Judy asked, "how can you expect us to trust you when you started out with a lie?"

Mr. Big sighed, "Very well. I will tell you all I know." Judy readied her pen to take notes as Mr. Big looked down sadly at Octavia. "I did not lie to you. I did not see your husband on the day he disappeared. He called, asking to speak to me on a matter of some importance. But he never arrived."

Before entering the home of a known mob boss, Judy had gone over everything she remembered about organized crime in her mind, looking for anything she could use to her advantage. She'd already seen how he responded to someone who did a favor for his family, or questioned his alleged honor. She put aside the question of why Emmitt Otterton would go to a mob boss for help, and considered how the mob would view someone who had a trusted friend abducted from his own car, right under his muzzle. "Someone took him from you. He was taken while he was in your car, under your protection. If anyone finds out about that, it makes you look weak. The only way to protect your reputation is to find out who did it, and make them pay, before anyone else knows what happened. That's why you kept it secret, even from his wife and your own daughter!"

Mr. Big shook his head. "Meh. You have an active imagination, but this is not what happened. Otterton was not attacked on the way here. HE attacked. He went crazy. Ripped up the car, scared my driver half to death, and disappeared into the night."

"No," Octavia said, shaking her head, "not my Emmitt."

"That doesn't make any sense," Judy agreed, "Everyone I've spoken to, even your daughter, described him as sweet, and friendly, and generous. He grows flowers and does yoga. He's just a little otter, with no history of violence. Why would he attack anyone, let alone someone driving a car he was in? This doesn't add up."

"My child, we may be evolved, but deep down we are still animals."

Fru-Fru looked up at Octavia sadly, "Tavie, I'm sorry, but I think he might be telling the truth. Why would he make something like that up?" She had a point. The story made no sense, but there was nothing to be gained from making up something so bizarre. Even Mr. Big's reluctance to tell the story argued in favor of it being true. Octavia, having come to the same conclusion, was sobbing and sniffling, turning in on herself to avoid getting Fru-Fru's nice dress wet.

"If what you're saying is true," Judy said with a suspicious look up at the shrew, "where is he now?"

"I don't know," Mr. Big admitted. "Talk to Manchas, the driver of the car. Only he can tell you more. He's in the Rainforest District. I'll make arrangements to get you there after the wedding."

Judy moved over to Octavia, bending down and offering her a shoulder to cry on. "Thank you for the invitation, but I'm afraid we'll have to decline. Just give me the address, and I'll drive the truck there."

"Judy," Fru-Fru said, "if there's anything that can cheer her up, a wedding will help. The Ottertons love seeing happy couples. She told me it's her favorite part of the business."

Judy took a moment to consider this. She was easily strong enough to carry the distraught otter to the truck and buckle her in, but doing so might cause more harm than good. Her world had been turned upside down again, and the image of her beloved husband shattered. She needed some time, some comfort. A few hours at a wedding might provide that. After all this time, a little more wouldn't hurt. "Okay, but I have nothing to wear."

Growing up with hundreds of siblings, many of whom married in their teens or early twenties as was common for bunnies, Judy had seen her share of weddings. She was used to the general themes. Guests gathered together, dressed in their finest clothes, to share memories of the couple, eating and drinking and dancing together in celebration. Some of them cried, especially Judy's father. So the wedding she found herself in was a familiar experience. The dance table was far to small for her to join in, and the food too full of insects for her taste, so she stayed back and watched, trying to comfort Octavia. True to Fru-Fru's word, Octavia found a few smiles watching the happy couple. The bride was radiant in her dress, the groom joyful if understandably frightened of his new father-in-law. Both of them were clearly in love. Judy smiled down on them, and accepted only one tiny glass of fine wine when they drank a toast to her heroic rescue. It felt good to be appreciated, and to know that she had helped make this possible, but rescuing Fru-Fru was the kind of thing she hoped any good mammal would have done. She had only been doing her job, protecting a fellow mammal.

One thing seemed off about the whole affair, but Judy couldn't put a claw on exactly what it was at first. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, even the tearful otter at her side. As the wedding went on, she looked around and thought, seeking the source of her unease, until she finally realized what made this wedding so different. She was the only herbivore here. A table of dancing shrews, guarded by bears, with an otter as a welcome but unexpected guest left the bunny as the only one who wasn't a predator. She her fox repellent in her pocket, pressing against her leg, a little ashamed that she was still carrying it. There was no need for a weapon here. Even if she was surrounded by predators, many of whom were criminals, this was a happy event.

By the time the reception started winding down, Octavia was calm enough to drive. She still sniffled occasionally, but the smile on her face was genuine. They bid Fru-Fru a fond farewell, wishing her a happy honeymoon, and in turn she wished them luck finding Emmitt.

"If Emmitt really did attack someone," Judy began, "then it was a first offense. The courts are lenient on first-time offenders. You can get him help. It doesn't have to ruin his life forever. But the only way we can help him is to find him."

"Yes, we have to find him," Octavia agreed, "it's more important now than ever. I have to help him make things right. I have to let him know that he doesn't have to hide from me."

"You think he's in hiding, ashamed of what he did?"

"Why else wouldn't he come home?"

Chapter Text

Judy hopped out of the truck and waited for Octavia to join her. She pulled aside the vines on the wall and rang the doorbell. It sounded with a tinkling of chimes. "Mr. Manchas?" Judy called out, "we just wanna know what happened to Emmitt Otterton."

The door opened, just a crack, with a chain holding it in place. "You should be asking, what happened to me!" The voice came from a melanistic jaguar, his left eye open and green, his right shut and marked with small scratches all around, just the size that would be made by an otter's claws. His voice was understandably angry.

Octavia looked up at him, trembling. "Mr. Manchas, Sir, I am so sorry. I don't know why my Emmitt would do that to you, but we'll pay any medical expenses you need. We, we just need to know where he went, so we can find him and make this right."

The jaguar looked down at her, seeing how lonely and frightened she was. His voice softened. "Mrs. Otterton, you did not do this. You are not to blame for your husband's actions."

Judy already had her pad and pen ready. "We were told he went crazy, tore up the car, attacked you, and ran into the night. Is that accurate?"

Manchas nodded. "He was an animal. Down on all fours. He was a savage! There was no warning. He just kept yelling about the Night Howlers. Over and over. The Night Howlers!"

Octavia shivered. Her eyes darted around, as if she was searching the canopy for something terrifying. In a trembling voice she asked, "Were the windows open?"

"Yes, I opened them when we left Sahara Square, what difference does that make?"

Judy turned to Octavia, ears perking up to listen for any danger. "Do you know who the Night Howlers are?"

Octavia's scanning of the trees got even more frantic. "We have to get inside NOW! Close all the windows and get under cover." She scurried through the crack of the door slipping right over the jaguar's paw.

Judy and Manchas looked at her, then at each other, confused. They shared a shrug and got the door open. "Okay, we're inside. Now, who are the Night Howlers?"

Octavia pointed toward an open window, trembling. "Close that first, but don't stand in front of it."

Mr. Manchas sighed and walked to the side of the window, pushing it down with one paw to humor her. "Now tell me what these Night Howlers did to make your husband tear at my eye!" he growled.

"Yes, who are the Night Howlers?"

Octavia shook her head. "The Night Howlers aren't a who, they're a poisonous flower," she scratched her head and closed her eyes, dredging up words from faint memories, "the poison causes...a temporary dissociative state...I don't remember all the symptoms, but there's something about impaired higher brain functions, violent behavior, adrenalin rush and memory loss. At least that's what I remember from the Poisonous Plant Pawbook."

Judy took several seconds to puzzle that out. It sounded like the side effects of several street drugs. "So if Emmitt had been exposed to Night Howlers, he might attack someone for no reason. And he'd have an adrenaline rush, so he'd be stronger than usual. But he wouldn't be thinking straight, so he could easily get lost."

Mr. Manchas blinked his one good eye and pointed at the injured one. "A flower did this?"

"He was trying to warn you, but he couldn't think straight." She started crying. "He didn't want to hurt you, but he couldn't stop himself. He would wake up without any memory of what he did, just blood on his paws."

"And this poison would have the same effect on any predator?" Judy asked.

"No, not just predators, even prey, even non-mammals. It drives birds and reptiles crazy, even messes up navigation for insects. That's why it's used for pest control. You grew up on a farm, you might have heard of it as midnicampum holicithias."

Judy tapped her foot faster and faster as the clues came together in her mind. A ram trying to pull something shady under an assumed name. A weasel stealing flower bulbs. Emmitt's habit of getting ideas after yoga. Calling Mr. Big to discuss an important matter. Fourteen different missing mammals, all predators. "Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy muttered, "this just got a lot bigger than your husband."

"I am completely lost," Manchas said, "what is happening here?"

Judy went back through her notes. "A while before he disappeared, Emmitt had a run-in with a ram trying to buy something restricted without ID. It must have been Night Howlers! Emmitt is a florist, he would have known what the poison does, and he put things together the day he disappeared. He called Mr. Big, and you picked him up. Someone must have decided he knew too much. But why would he go to Mr. Big? Why not just call the police?"

"How many mammals do you know who can hit a target the size of an otter through the open window of a moving vehicle?" Manchas asked. Judy picked up the air of suspicion in his voice.

"None," Judy replied, "at least none that I'm sure of. But someone with sharpshooter training could probably pull it off." Her eyes went wide and her nose twitched at the implications. "Sweet baby carrots, it could be a rogue police sniper! And not a cadet, that's advanced training, it would have to be someone with experience. And this ram didn't like predators, so there's a prey mammal out there somewhere with sniper skills, a grudge, and a bagful of Night Howler bulbs, possibly with access to police records. Mr. Manchas, did you hear anything just before Emmitt started screaming?"

"The wind was too loud to hear anything. And call me Renato, please, this is no time for formality."

Judy's foot was tapping again, "so it wasn't a gunpowder weapon, half the district would have heard that. It couldn't have been an arrow or dart, someone would have found it. They must have used a compressed-air weapon, like a paintball gun. Most mammals couldn't hear one, and the ammo is biodegradable."

"It wasn't Emmitt's fault," Octavia muttered, "He was trying to stop them. But why wouldn't he come home?"

"If he came home," Judy answered, "they could follow him, and you and your family would become targets too. If he's still free, he's in hiding to protect you. If not, they might be forcing him to grow the plants for them or something." She knew it was possible, even likely, that the terrorists who had attacked Emmitt would have simply killed him while he was unable to defend himself, but it wouldn't help to bring that up now. "How long does the poison last?"

Octavia shook her head. "I honestly don't know. It would vary based on dose and mass and metabolism. Even if I knew all the variables I don't think I could figure it out in my head, and we don't know how high a dose he got."

"So a police sniper used a poisonous plant to silence a florist?" Renato asked, "Why go to so much trouble for one target?"

Judy sighed, "there isn't just one target. The ZPD has fourteen missing mammal cases active. All of them predators, all different species, from locations all over the city. There might even be more at other precincts. Emmitt was only one of them. Whoever this is, they've struck over a dozen innocent predators, and used the distraction to make them disappear. It sounds like they're testing the poison and preparing for something bigger. We studied serial killer tactics in the Academy, this is how killers who use poison operate. But that doesn't explain why the chief didn't want to look for Emmitt."

"Perhaps because he knew all too well what happened to him," Renato said, "If the ZPD is involved, it could go all the way to the top. The chief you speak of, he is a prey mammal, yes?"

"He's a buffalo. Fired me for offering to help find Emmitt. He seemed like a jerk, but he didn't seem to have anything against predators in particular. But I didn't get to know him much."

"Do you have any more leads, Judy?" Octavia asked.

"We should go to the police," Judy began, hanging her head and pulling on her ear, "but we can't trust them all, and if we tip off one of the terrorists the others could escape. Or worse, they might do an all-out assault, and who knows how much damage that would cause. I do have one lead, but I'll need to come up with a plan to use it. I think I see why Emmitt went to Mr. Big. He's got resources, and his organization is full of predators who would be the targets of these attacks. He'd want to protect his family."

"Yes," Renato replied with a nod, "Mr. Big takes care of his family. He's paying my medical bills already. A threat like this, he would pull out all the stops to neutralize it." The jaguar smoothed his shirt and waved a paw around the place. "I welcome you both into my home. What do you need?"

Judy yawned, her long day starting to catch up with her. "We'll need prepaid cell phones, bought with cash so they can't be traced, plus a safe place to drop the old ones. And a car that doesn't have one of the victim's names painted on the side. Not a limo either, that draws too much attention. Some cash, small unmarked bills." She cringed thinking how much she already sounded like a criminal.

"Burner phones, cash, and a nondescript car?" Renato asked with a chuckle. "That should take the boss all of ten seconds."

"There's a safe in the truck," Octavia added, "for cash payments and tips. Haven't cleaned it out since before Emmitt disappeared, so there's probably a few hundred bucks. We can clear out the money, put the phones in there so nobody can detect them, and leave the truck somewhere Lance can pick it up tomorrow."

"That's a pretty good start," Judy said, "nothing suspicious about the delivery cheetah driving a delivery truck, and a metal safe should block signals. If they've left you alone for this long, they probably won't come after us tonight, but as soon as we make a move against them they'll be looking for us."

"We should brief the boss," Renato said, "if I know him, he will be worrying over his daughter leaving for her honeymoon tonight," he sighed, "and now we pile more worries on him, but at least Fru is safely away."

As Renato powered up his computer for a secure video chat, Judy took a look around the place. The lighting was dim, mostly through the window, now supplemented by the glow of the monitor. From outside, the jaguar's home had looked like it was carved into a tree, and that appearance continued inside. There were branches weaving through the place, even a staircase molded out of them. Mail and dishes were piling up, but that was to be expected from someone living alone, healing from a painful injury. Judy saw claw marks on nearly everything, which she knew was a common issue for cats. Overall, the place seemed open, small but still larger than her tiny apartment. She heard claws clacking over the keyboard, and finally a familiar voice. "Hello again, Judith Laverne Hopps, Valedictorian of the Police Academy." It was Mr. Big, and he did not sound happy. "Did you think I would not look into someone so close to my daughter, Miss Hopps?"

Judy looked to the screen. The shrew's face looked huge, and his voice was amplified by the speakers. As distasteful as it was working with criminals, she needed any help she could get. She couldn't afford to have a feud with a mob boss, especially a feud she would lose badly. "Sir, I meant you no disrespect. I didn't mention my connection to the ZPD because I knew you wouldn't take it well. I'm no longer a police officer."

"What were you trying to pull with my child? Set up some fake accident and rescue her so you can use her to infiltrate my organization?"

"No," Judy insisted, shaking her head, "no, I just saw her in trouble and I protected her. I had no idea who she was. I was doing my job, protecting a citizen, like any good mammal would."

Mr. Big smiled. "I think I'm starting to like you, Miss Hopps. You are innocent. Naive. Too sincere and kind for your own good. You will be a good influence on my daughter, when she gets back from her honeymoon."

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about," Judy said. "We found out what happened to Mr. Otterton. He was poisoned with a toxic flower. And I think there are thirteen other predators who've been targeted with the same poison."

"And what do you wish me to do with this information?"

"I'm not sure. But the poison sends a target into a violent rage. That's why Otterton attacked Manchas. I think whoever did this is testing, planning for bigger attacks. And if they can do this to any mammal, no one is safe. Especially not your daughter." She looked straight into the webcam to meet Mr. Big's eyes. "I know family is everything to you. This is a threat to your family, to every family in this city. You know I graduated top of my class at the Academy, so I have the skills to investigate this. But I can't do it alone. I need resources. And if something happens to me, I need someone to know what's happening and find a way to stop it." Mr. Big was far from her first choice, but she had to work with what she had.

"Can you put an end to this? Can you keep my family safe?" She saw real fear and worry in the shrew's eyes.

Judy took a deep breath. She hadn't even finished two days on the job before being fired. She had no access to traffic cameras or police records. She didn't know who she could trust, and was so desperate for help she'd turned to organized crime. To be fully honest with herself, she wasn't sure if she could pull this off. But someone had to do it. "I can try," she said. She'd spent her whole life trying, and she wasn't going to give up now.

"Then anything I have is at your disposal. Find those who would harm my family, and put an end to them. There are some within the ZPD who are loyal to me, if that would help you."

"With all due respect," Judy began, "I don't think I could trust them." That was true enough, but she also had other reasons to avoid any cops loyal to Mr. Big. If she knew who they were, she would have to choose between keeping their secret and being a party to corruption, or betraying those who had helped her. Her conscience didn't like either option.

"Their loyalty is divided, so you think they may be turned again? I see your concern. Very well, I will keep them out of this. What else can I do for you, on the day of my daughter's wedding?" There was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"You could check on your drug-smuggling operations, see if anyone's trying to use them to smuggle Night Howlers."

Mr. Big shook his head. "My child, I do not have 'drug-smuggling operations'." He said those words with disgust. "I do not dirty my paws with such things."

Judy made a confused face. "I was told you controlled the Tundra Town drug trade."

Behind her, Renato laughed, then tried to cover it with a cough. "Judy, there is no Tundra Town drug trade. Anyone caught dealing hard drugs in the Tundra," he trailed off.

Mr. Big finished his thought, "such mammals have a tendency to suffer, shall we say, unfortunate accidents."

Judy understood. He controlled the drug trade by killing the dealers. It was a terrible thing to do, but she could understand it. Did the ZPD allow Mr. Big to get away with this because they secretly approved of killing drug dealers, or did they just run out of leads because of corrupt cops disposing of evidence? Neither option sat well with Judy. The price of help from Mr. Big might be too high. If he found anyone involved in this conspiracy, he might kill them for threatening his family, without considering how doing so would make it harder to find the others and stop them. She'd have to keep him contained to prevent that, but it did give her an idea.

The only things Judy asked of Mr. Big were transportation and communication, as she'd mentioned to Renato earlier. She didn't want to owe the mob any more than necessary, and she was used to improvising, so the bare necessities would do for now. With nothing better to do tonight, she settled on Renato's large, comfortable, slightly claw-damaged couch and tried to get some sleep. She knew that she would need her wits about her tomorrow to get to the bottom of this.

After her exhausting time in the Academy, it was easy for Judy to get to sleep, but it didn't last. Every time she tried to sleep, the dreams came. In each, a memory replayed, and suddenly changed with the puff of a shot, the roar of a savage predator, and the screams of the victims. The weasel from yesterday dropping his bag, scurrying around knocking down buildings and leaving a trail of dead and traumatized rodents in his wake. Officer Fangmeyer attacking Rhinowitz and being wrestled to the floor of the bullpen. Clawhauser charging into the wall with terrifying speed, dragging Judy across the lobby of Precinct One. Mayor Lionheart losing it at graduation, while Judy rallied the cadets to protect civilians. Each dream had her waking up panting. If anything, she was less rested than she'd started out.

The last dream was the worst. She was nine years old again, at the Carrot Days festival. She confronted Gideon Grey for stealing her friends' tickets, and kicked him hard, right in the muzzle. As he was reeling from that, she heard a faint sound, and something else hit him, from behind. The big bully fox writhed and snarled in pain, then rose to all fours, turning toward her. He pounced, and she dodged, but not enough. She felt his teeth sink into her shoulder, and whimpered, frantically kicking to knock him loose. They rolled, and he let her go, only to charge into her friend Sharla. Sharla was just a little, frightened lamb, bleating in terror, with a crazed predator charging for her. Her own desire to make the world a better place by protecting the innocent was fresh and strong in Judy's mind. She had to stop this. If she could just knock him out, everyone would be safe until the grown-ups could come and help. One good thump on the head should do it. She went for the mallet from the Whack-A-Carrot game, and held it in her right paw, her own blood seeping down her left from the bite in her shoulder. She raised her weapon, and struck. With a sickening crunch, it connected, and Gideon stopped moving. Judy woke up with tears in her eyes.

She panted and stared at her shaking paws. It had felt so real. As an adult, with first-aid training, she knew how dangerous even a minor head injury could be, but in the dream she'd reacted like an unprepared, desperate child who'd seen too many cartoon characters harmlessly knocked out with oversized hammers. The shock of ending an innocent life, even if he was a bully, and only a dream, shook her to her core. She knew that it was sometimes necessary for a police officer to take a life for the greater good, but it should never be easy. Killing should always be a last resort. She gave up on sleeping tonight, she was too shaken from the dream. How much worse would it be for someone who woke up with the taste of another mammal's real blood in their mouth, and no memory of how it got there? She had to find a way to stop this.

Chapter Text

Their new car was a Zubaru Forester, several years old, with faded green paint and no significant dents. It would get them where they needed to go, without attracting attention, and the seats were adjustable so any of them could drive it. Renato insisted his eye was good enough for the job, and it made him feel useful. He drove them around downtown while Judy looked for a familiar painted van.

"So what's the plan?" Octavia asked, "Is there any way I can help? I want to do something useful."

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have any idea what's going on. You're helping plenty. But how good are you at acting? We'll need a distraction at the precinct."

Octavia smiled, "not bad, I suppose. Emmitt and I are really into roleplaying." Judy cringed. She already knew far too much about the Ottertons' sex lives. "I'll just think of it like I'm keeping the palace guards occupied while the party rogue loots the treasury." Judy felt relived that it wasn't that kind of roleplaying, but Octavia frowned, "we, aren't planning to loot the treasury, are we?"

"No, no," Judy insisted, shaking her head, "I'm going to get someone to sneak in and get some info from a prisoner. No stealing." The plan she'd come up with in the middle of the night sounded a bit crazy when she said it out loud, but they needed this lead. And there was the van. "Stop here, Renato, this alley."

"I hope you know what you are doing, Judy," Renato said as he pulled over.

Judy steeled herself. She had her notebook, her pen, the picture of the Otterton family, and something else hidden deep in her pocket that she hoped she wouldn't need. This was a longshot, but she was sure it was her best option. Working with the mob, however reluctantly, had given her some ideas. She needed information, and she couldn't go in herself. She needed someone who could sneak around and trick other mammals, and she knew a fox who fit that description perfectly. She walked up to the van, and knocked on the back door.

The door burst open, and the little brown fox, half-dressed in his elephant costume, holding a wooden baseball club showed his muzzle. He tried to look menacing, but the sudden distraction caused him to trip over his own paws. Judy helped him up, a bit startled by how deep his voice was as he rattled off a string of curses, some of which she'd never heard before.

"Oh, look, it's Officer Toot-Toot!" Nick announced in that exuberantly smug voice of his. "And out of uniform!"

"Bet you'd prefer her even more out of uniform, huhtête de noeud?" the little fox replied. He looked her up and down, taking in her jeans and the wrinkled shirt she'd tried to sleep in. "Did you lose your job already?"

Judy scowled. "Yes, I got fired. I never got the chance to be a real cop, I'm unemployed and angry just like you predicted. Does that make you happy? Does it make you feel good to see someone else's life fall apart?"

"Yes, yes it does," Nick answered with a grin.

"Oh, poor bunny lost her badge?" his little friend added. He looked down at his own clothing, and saw the 'Junior Detective' sticker she'd put there. "Here, you can have mine." He peeled the fake badge off his costume, and pressed it onto Judy's shirt with a deep laugh.

"Thanks," Judy said, slightly sarcastic, a little irritated, but at the same time surprised how good it felt to have a badge again, even a fake one. "I'm looking for Emmitt Otterton. He's a florist who disappeared eleven days ago. Here's his picture, with his family." She showed the two foxes the otter family picture. "His wife hired me to find him, because the ZPD wasn't interested."

"You got fired, and you're already doing police work on your own time?" Nick asked, "I think I misjudged you, Carrots. You're more stubborn than I thought."

Judy seethed internally, but kept her anger in check. She wanted to wipe that smug grin off his muzzle, but she would give him a chance to help out of the goodness of his heart, if he had any of that. "I need help following a lead. Can you spare some time?"

"Sorry, Carrots, time is money."

"Please, this is important. I'm sure your ten dollars worth of pawpsicles can wait." She pressed the record button on her carrot pen. This was the moment of truth.

"I make two hundred bucks a day, Fluff. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, since I was twelve. Hop along, we're done here."

Judy smiled. She was going to enjoy this. "Hmm, $200 a day, 365 days a year, since you were twelve, that's two decades, so times 20, which is one million four hundred sixty thousand dollars. I think." She chuckled at the slowly dawning shock in the fox's green eyes. "I mean, I am just a dumb bunny, but we are good at multiplying. Now, how much of that did you pay in sales and income taxes?" His tail was stiff, no longer waving around taunting her, and the look on his face answered her question. "I'm betting zero! Lying on a tax form is a felony. Five years jail time."

Nick folded his paws across his chest and tried to regain some control of the situation. "It's my word against yours, and you can't arrest me anyway. Or did you forget that's a fake badge?"

"Actually, it's your word against yours." Judy pressed the playback button on her pen, and Nick's voice rang out. "And I don't need to arrest you. All I need to do is get this to the right mammal to trigger an audit. I know a cat who can do just that, but I'd much prefer to find that poor missing otter and bring him back to his family." Now Judy's ears were standing up in triumph as she wore a sultry, smug expression of her own. "You tricked me!" Nick said in a strange tone of anger mixed with grudging respect. "No, It's called a hustle, sweetheart," Judy replied, throwing his own words back in his face.

The van reverberated with a deep, rumbling laugh from the tiny tan fox. "Oh, that's a good one, bun-bun! I haven't seen Nick take a beating like that since the rug debacle!" He shook his head and turned to Nick. "Hope the tax mammals don't eat you alive, old buddy. If you end up in prison, give me a call, I'll send you a cake with a file in it!" The little fox pulled off his elephant suit and closed the door behind him, still laughing.

Nick glared at the doors, then sighed and rolled his eyes, resigned to his fate. "Okay, Carrots, you've got me. What do you want?"

Judy pulled up the picture she'd saved from her old phone, of her first and only arrest. "Do you recognize this weasel?"

"Yes, yes I do. That's Duke Weaselton, aka The Duke Of Bootleg. Hates it when you call him 'Wesselton', so..."

"Of course you call him Wesselton," Judy interjected.

"Of course! He sells fake DVDs, picks pockets, does some burglary for hire. Tried shaking down rodents but wasn't good at it. He's a small-time crook, and I can tell you exactly where to find him. Just give me the pen." He held out his paw, waiting.

Judy held out the pen, watching Nick's paw reach for it, then yanked it away at the last second. "He won't be there. He's been arrested. I need some info from him, and he's now in the holding cells at Precinct One. Where I can't go, because the wolves would smell me in a second."

Nick chuckled. "You want me to break him out? Yesterday you were a cop, now you're trying to break a criminal out of jail?"

"No, he can rot in there for all I care. I just need to know who hired him for a burglary."

"And you think I can tell you that because...?"

"I need a shifty lowlife to sneak into the precinct and ask him." Judy shot the fox a smug smile. "And when I thought 'shifty lowlife', your name was the first to come to mind. You get in there, get the info, bring it back to me, and the pen's yours."

"Even if I could do that, which I'm not saying I can, what makes you think Duke will tell me anything?"

"He stole a bag full of flower bulbs. They're called Night Howlers, or midnicampum holicithias. Then he ran away when I tried to arrest him. And while he was doing that, he nearly got an innocent bystander killed. It turns out that bystander was the daughter of a notorious crime lord. They call him..."

"Mr. Big," Nick interrupted. Judy was only a little surprised that this criminal fox had dealings with the mob. "Duke went after Mr. Big's daughter? Little Fru-Fru?" It might be an act, but it sounded like he was actually concerned for her. Or possibly for Duke. "And he's still alive?"

"Yes. And he'll stay alive as long as Mr. Big doesn't find out whose fault it is that his daughter was nearly crushed. For now, you and me are the only ones who know what really happened. The Big family thinks it was all an accident. If Duke wants that secret to remain a secret, he'll tell us who he sold those Night Howlers to, and where to find them. Are you keeping up with me? Or should I explain again?"

"So," Nick began, "you want me to sneak into Precinct One, find a prisoner, and blackmail him, using a threat of retaliation from the mob, in order to find out who hired him to steal some flowers? And in exchange for this, you'll conspire with me to destroy evidence of tax evasion? Is that about right?" The smug grin was slipping back into his expression, "or should I explain again?"

"Yes," Judy replied, sighing and giving her ear a tug, "that's about right." The plan sounded even more ridiculous when he said it out loud. She just hoped it was crazy enough to work.

"Are you SURE you wanted to be a cop? Because it seems like you're better at committing crimes than stopping them."

"Just come with me so we can get this over with," Judy muttered, scowling. He knocked on the van door, and came back with a wad of folded fabric. She lead him back to the car. Octavia climbed out and waved. "Nick Wilde, this is Octavia Otterton. Her husband is the one we're looking for. She's going to distract Desk Sergeant Clawhauser while you go in, find Weaselton, and get the information."

"Oh, you're the florist's wife?" Nick asked, looking down with an ingratiating smile, holding out his paw. "I'm sure you're his most beautiful and precious flower."

Octavia giggled and shook his paw gently. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Wilde, I'm very happily married."

"Please, Flower Girl, call me Nick."

"Oh, Flower Girl! I like that!" The otter turned to Judy and grinned. "We'll have fun storming the castle, Judy. See you soon."

"So, how do you know this fox?" Renato asked.

"He's some crooked hustler named Nick Wilde," Judy replied with a scowl, "He ripped me off my first day here."

The jaguar grinned and nodded, "Ah, Zorro's kin, they do have that reputation."

"Who?"

"A legend, of a fox who fought corrupt leaders to protect the common mammals. He would use sly tricks to confuse his enemies, and mock them by slashing a 'Z' for 'Zorro' into their clothes with his sword. He was a criminal, of course, but sometimes a criminal is just what you need, especially when law enforcement cannot be trusted."

"Why are all fox heroes criminals?" Judy asked in a disgusted tone. "How can a species expect to get any respect when their whole culture glorifies crime like that?"

"So, you rabbits have no trickster heroes?"

"That's different!" Judy insisted.

"How, exactly, is it different?"

Judy was silent for a moment, mentally comparing rabbit stories to the one fox tale everyone knew, that of Robin Hood. Both involved tricking much larger and stronger mammals to evade capture. Both featured beautiful mates who seemed to fade into the background. Both had a surprising amount of cross-dressing. She sighed. "Maybe it isn't different after all."

Renato looked up and down the street, leaning on the steering wheel. "We should probably move, I hear the meter maids here are aggressive lately."

Judy looked down and hid her face, "I might know a thing or two about that. I think we'll be fine, but we shouldn't draw more attention than necessary."

They circled the block to a new parking space. Judy hopped out to feed the meter, and saw Octavia waddling along, carrying something awkward-sized and red. "The rogue is in place!" she called out, "and I managed to loot the treasury without even meaning to!" Octavia gave Judy a folder. The front read "MISSING MAMMAL REPORT." On the tab was written OTTERTON. "I feel a bit bad, Ben said he shouldn't be giving me this, but he wanted to help, so how could I turn him down?"

Judy snatched the case file, hoping it contained some new lead that could help her find both Emmitt and the terrorists who attacked him. But all she found inside was a photograph and a single sheet of paper. "This is it?" She lifted the page, and found nothing underneath. "This can't be all!" There wasn't even anything on the other side of the page. No leads, no witnesses, no interviews with his employees, no notes on his finances, no mention of Mr. Big or the Oasis. The whole file on the disappearance of Emmitt Otterton, all the ZPD had collected in a week, and she could maybe use it for a paper airplane. Judy had thought the ZPD had given up the search, but this meant they'd never even bothered to start it.

Octavia stared at the picture. "They could have gotten a better picture. But he's dressed exactly how Yax said. He looks so distinguished in his tie." She frowned as she looked up at the text. "The file seems a bit thin. Is there anything here you can use?"

Judy had to squint to make out Emmitt's clothing. The file seemed useless. She shook her head sadly. "They've had what, eight, nine days, and this was all they found?"

"Wait a minute," Renato said, "it was eleven days ago that we took that drive."

"Police procedure," Judy explained, "unless there's evidence of foul play or a child involved, the ZPD doesn't start investigating missing mammals until they've been missing for 48 hours. It's to avoid wasting resources looking for someone who isn't really missing. So if Octavia reported it as soon as possible..."

"Oh, I was waiting outside at dawn!"

"That gives them at least eight full days to investigate, and THIS is all they found? Octavia, I'm sorry, but it seems like they didn't even bother."

"No need to apologize, Judy. You're here, and you've found out more in a day than they did in over a week! At this rate my Emmitt will be home in time for dinner."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Judy said. She was sincere in her gratitude, but not certain she deserved it. She looked down at her shiny but fake badge, and wondered if the real one had truly meant any more. Clawhauser had treated the lonely desperate otter with kindness, but no one else at the ZPD had found the time to even look for her husband. Bogo either didn't care about the plight of an otter in need, or worse yet was involved in a terrorist plot against the city himself. Judy didn't want to believe that the police could be that corrupt, but even the best-case scenario wasn't good.

Octavia pulled Judy out of her thoughts with a question. "How did you meet that friendly fox? He didn't sound like he was from Bunnyburrow."

"The friendliness is an act, he makes his living by hustling innocent mammals into buying things for him and reselling them for a profit. He's only being nice until he can get something from you."

"She is still irritated because he scammed her out of some cash a few days ago," Renato clarified.

"Oh," Octavia said sadly, "he seemed like a fine young tod."

"No offense, but you took the word of a mafia boss when he said he didn't have anything to do with Emmitt's disappearance. I understand wanting to see the good in other mammals, but there's a limit."

"Well, no offense, Judy," Octavia countered, "but I was mostly right about the mafia boss. He really didn't have anything to do with Emmitt's disappearance." She had a point there. "So how did you get Nick to help us? He wouldn't say."

In answer, Judy pulled out her carrot pen, and played back Nick's confession. "I make two hundred bucks a day, Fluff. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, since I was twelve."

"He forgot to pay his taxes!" Renato exclaimed. "What a rookie mistake."

"Oh, just like Al Capony!" Octavia whipped out her new burner phone and ran some calculations, "Wow, the interest alone! No wonder Nick's willing to do whatever you want to keep that recording away from the ZPD."

"Going to the ZPD is not an option for us now," Renato said, "but it will work so long as he does not know that."

"Actually, I don't need the ZPD for this. There's a jaguar I was in drama club with as a kit who decided he wanted to hunt tax exemptions for a living."

Renato laughed, wincing as the movement of his muzzle stretched the injured muscles near his eye. "You have him by the barbs!"

Octavia shook her head, "foxes don't have barbs, Renato. And whatever we have him by, it feels wrong to ask for his help without telling him what's really going on. He doesn't know what he's going in for. He could be risking his life without knowing it."

"And because he doesn't know, if he gets caught he can't tell anyone we know about the terror plot. They might arrest him, but they've got no reason to kill him or turn him savage." She'd come up with the excuse on the spot, and it made enough sense, but there was something hollow in it. Judy's own words echoed back in her mind. 'How can you expect me to help you if you won't tell me the whole truth?'

Judy had put enough money in the meter for an hour, and she spent most of it trying to keep the conversation away from embarrassing subjects while impatiently waiting for Nick. She knew she could turn him in, but doing so wouldn't help her get the information she needed. Terrorism was far more important than tax evasion. Lives were at stake, and he was wasting her time. But he didn't know lives were at stake, because she hadn't told him. So she couldn't entirely blame him.

When Nick finally returned, Judy almost didn't recognize him. He was dressed in a gray jumpsuit, like a janitor or maintenance uniform. His loud shirt and tie were completely hidden, and the disguise would make him blend into any building with a maintenance staff. In spite of herself, she smiled at his cleverness. He'd picked the perfect look to slip past the police unnoticed, by looking like he belonged there. He'd clearly done something like this before. He pulled open the front of the suit, revealing his bright green shirt and garish tie, breaking the disguise. He knocked on the door. Judy opened it, holding out the pen temptingly. "Hi, Carrots, hi, Flower Girl!" Nick said cheerfully. "Sorry I took so long, had to fix the coffee machine to keep up my cover." He looked to Renato, and for an instant seemed frightened of the larger predator with the gruesome-looking injury. He hid his emotions with an exaggerated salute, "nice to meet you, Captain!"

"What did you find out from Weaselton?" Judy asked excitedly, tapping her foot.

"Sorry, Fluff, the Duke has left the building."

"He wasn't there? You checked all the cells?"

"No, no he was not there, not in any of the cells."

"You liar!" Judy scowled, "he has to be there!"

Chapter Text

"I didn't expect you to believe me," Nick sighed, "who believes a fox, right?"

"That is NOT what I said! This has nothing to do with you being a fox. I arrested him for reckless endangerment, grand theft auto, vandalism and assaulting an officer! He destroyed two cars by using them as roller skates! He nearly killed someone! There's no way they'd let him go, so you must be lying!"

Nick blinked and pulled his head back in surprise. "Weaselton did all that? Yeah, that sounds like he should be in jail. But he wasn't." He pulled out his cell phone. "I can prove it, but I need to recharge. This old thing keeps running out of juice."

After a minute of fumbling with cords, Judy saw that his phone was a similar model to her new burner, and plugged it in. The screen lit up, showing a picture of an empty cell, with the 'PLAY' arrow in the middle. She started the video. The cell on the screen was the largest in the precinct, with bars she could easily fit through. The image moved, jerky and unbalanced, obviously filming while Nick walked. The next cell was the same size, and had a shirtless elephant, snoring next to a puddle of vomit, sleeping off a bender. A giraffe hanging her head. An angry-looking hippopotamus with a gang symbol scarred into his skin. The cells and their occupants got smaller as the video continued. Many were empty at the moment. Three gnu in adjacent cells argued about whose fault it was they got caught. A puma looked up and insisted "he said he was eighteen!" An antelope just sat there with what was probably blood on his horns. A capybara in inappropriately tight silk underwear cried. A porcupine couple grumbled about public indecency laws. Judy strained her eyes as the cells approached mustelid size, but she saw no weasels, only an ashamed-looking skunk and a stoic badger holding his nose. In the rodent section someone was singing "I will kill you all. Nothin' you can do about it." That turned out to be a gray squirrel of all species. Near him were a jerboa bouncing off the cage walls, a trio of rats gnawing on the bars, and two white mice, one with an oversized head and annoyed look, the other taller and thinner, babbling nonsense words. Weaselton wasn't there.

"Maybe they had him in interrogation?" Judy asked doubtfully.

Nick shook his head. "I know the guy. We're not close, but I can recognize his scent. He wasn't in any of those cells unless he was hiding under the elephant puke."

"I'm sorry. You were telling the truth," Judy said in a weak, flat tone, "he really wasn't there. They let him go." Or maybe something even worse. "The ZPD is in on it. It's the only explanation. It has to be a dirty cop."

"In on what, Carrots?" Nick asked, looking confused at the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"Octavia," Judy sighed, "tell him about the Night Howlers."

"The flowers Weaselton stole? What makes them so important?" Nick asked.

"They're poisonous," Octavia answered. "The poison impairs higher brain functions, causes aggression and memory loss."

"I was driving Mr. Otterton when he was shot with that poison," Renato added, indicating the injuries on his face. "He went savage and attacked me. That is what happened to my eye."

"A teensy otter did that?" Nick asked, looking about as frightened as when he was caught confessing to tax evasion.

"He didn't mean to," Octavia said, sniffling, "the poison, he wasn't himself."

"There was a sheep who went to the shop trying to buy them, and Emmitt wouldn't sell, so they used the poison to shut him up." Judy added, "a big-horned sheep with black wool and suspenders who didn't like predators."

"This poisonous flower," Nick began, "turned your itty-bitty husband in his sweater-vest and glasses into a mindless, violent beast that did that to a jaguar?" Everyone nodded. "Are, are you kidding me?" Nick asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion, his ears pinned back. "You must be pulling my tail, Carrots." He chuckled and wagged his tail weakly, looking around for something he clearly didn't find. "Okay, you got me, ha ha, very funny. There was no real mirth in his voice. After half a minute or so, he turned back to Judy, looking even more frightened. "Carrots, please tell me Peter Grunt and Suzanne Sunbear are going to pop out and tell me I'm on Candid Camera."

Judy shook her head. "I don't even know who those two are."

Nick's eyes were wide and pleading. "So this isn't some kind of sick joke?"

Judy shook her head again, looking down at Nick's paws. "I wish it was."

"There's a flower that can turn any predator into a mindless violent beast," Nick began.

"Not any predator," Octavia corrected, "any mammal. Pretty sure it works on birds and reptiles too, but who could tell?"

"Oh, that just makes it so much better!" Nick's voice dripped with sarcasm. "So there's a flower that can turn any mammal into a mindless violent beast, and it's being used as a weapon? By terrorist sheep with anti-pred views?"

"Yes," Judy answered.

"And the only ones who know about this are a bunny who got fired on her second day as a cop, an otter florist, a jaguar chauffeur with one good eye, and yours truly?"

"Mr. Big knows too," Octavia countered, "and I think Judy got fired because someone in the ZPD was afraid of her knowing too much, she seems to know what she's doing."

Nick held his head in his paws, "yes, thank you, Flower Girl, knowing that such a noble mammal as the crime lord of Tundra Town is on our side against corrupt police is so very reassuring."

"Thank you, I try." Octavia replied. It wasn't clear if she'd missed the sarcasm or pretended to miss it in hopes of cutting the tension a bit. "Maurice doesn't like being called 'The Gangster of Love', but he really is quite friendly when you get to know him."

"Mr. Big's real name is Maurice?" Judy asked, "No, never mind, that's not important."

"There's someone out there with a weapon like that, and the only thing we know about them is that they don't like predators and there's a police officer on their payroll?"

"No," Judy answered, "we didn't know for sure the ZPD was in on it until just now."

"Glad to be of service," Nick muttered, rolling his eyes, "wait, you said Weaselton stole those flowers? He's a jerk, but not a terrorist."

"I don't think he knew what they were being used for. They were using him."

"Lots of that going around," Nick said with an accusatory scowl.

Judy sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick. We needed the information. At least I'm telling you now."

"And Weaselton is still your only lead?"

"Provided he is still alive," Renato said, "he may have outlived his usefulness."

"I don't think so," Nick muttered, "if they get rid of him, they need to find someone else to steal for them. There are better crooks than Duke, but they're more expensive and smart enough to start asking inconvenient questions."

"So they probably just let him loose so he could keep stealing for them," Judy replied, perking up a bit, "and you said you knew where to find him?"

Nick knew exactly which street corner Duke was standing on, selling bootleg DVDs. He stood on a box, behind a flimsy folding table, with a big red sign on the poorly-maintained wall behind him that read 'Duke's OFFICIALLY LICENSED Movies' in three different fonts that didn't go together. Nick, Judy, and Octavia walked up. "Oh, look, Meowana!" Octavia said, "Randi has really been looking forward to that one!"

"I have a niece who made me promise to bring her to the big city to see it the week it comes out," Judy replied, "I would have expected you to be Floatzen fans."

"Wrangled was the better princess movie, honestly. It is nice to see a mustelid in a heroic role, and I hope Floatzen 2 is even better than the original. But I have a feeling Meowana will blow them both out of the water."

"Well, you ladies are in luck!" Weaselton announced, putting on his salesweasel voice, pressing his paw to the exposed fur on his chest. "I got yer mustelid hero right here! We've got a BOGO special." Octavia snorted remembering how Chief Bogo had treated her. "You can get one for your pups, and you can get one for your niece!"

Judy looked Duke straight in the muzzle. "We're not here about the bootleg DVDs, Wesselton."

"Hey, that's Weaselton," the weasel angrily corrected her, "Duke Weaselton. And you got no evidence that I knew these movies was bootleg."

Nick and Judy exchanged a head shake and eye roll. Could he really be that dumb? Yeah, he could. Duke slowly realized exactly what he'd just said, and who he'd said it to. "I, uh, just remembered I have an important appointment, somewhere else." He turned to flee, and found Renato waiting there to snatch him up in his big black paws.

"Hello," the jaguar said to the weasel with an amused look turned menacing by his injured eye, "do you have any of the old Zorro serials? I have a friend who might like to see them."

"Really, Flopsy?" Duke asked as Renato set him down, gently but firmly, "you're really bringin two officers undercover to hassle a legitimate businessmammal? You got nuthin better to do?" He pointed at Nick, "hey, if you're gonna arrest someone, why not him? He's a lot more crooked than me!"

"I'm sure they would if they could," Nick replied, with all the smug smoothness back in his voice, "but there won't be any arrests here today, as long as you tell us what we need to know."

"How did you get out of jail?" Judy asked, "And who did you sell those Night Howlers to?"

"I ain't talkin, and there's nothing you can do to make me."

"Perhaps I know someone who could make you talk?" Renato asked with a menacing hiss in his voice.

"Why, yes, yes you do!" Nick announced playfully, "Duke, I'm sure you're familiar with Mr. Big?" Duke nodded, and Nick pointed at Renato. "This is his driver."

"What's that to me, Wilde? You're the one who pissed the Big guy off with that skunk-butt rug."

"Skunk-butt rug?" Judy muttered. She shook her head, it wasn't important. "Duke, you remember our chase? You remember the donut you kicked off the building at me?" Duke nodded, and Octavia blinked, suddenly realizing what dirt Judy had on him. "Well, you missed, and that donut nearly hit someone else. Mr. Big's daughter."

Duke's eyes darted around, looking for an escape but finding none. His face contorted in terror. "I didn't know she was even there! I was aiming at you! You're a cop, Big won't believe a word you say anyhow."

"Hmm," Renato began, "who will he believe? His driver, his florist, and the bunny who saved his daughter's life? Or some crooked little thief who nearly got her killed?"

Duke twitched. "Today is your lucky day, Duke," Nick announced, "the only mammals who know what you did are standing right here. And we'll keep it a secret long enough for the Big guy to cool down and leave you above freezing, IF you'll just answer Officer Fluff's questions."

"What questions?" Duke asked, sighing in resignation.

Judy had her pad and pen ready. "Who let you out of jail?"

"I dunno, some sheep cop. Sheep all look alike to me."

"Did he have black wool, big horns, and suspenders?"

"No, just a boring white sheep. Said I was free to go. And before you ask why, I don't ask questions like that, as long as I'm out I don't care how it happened."

So they had no lead on the corrupt cops other than that one of them was a sheep, and not the same sheep who had been seen at Otterton's. But that wasn't what they were here for anyway. "Who hired you to steal the Night Howlers?"

"A ram named Doug." Yet another sheep. "We got a drop spot underground. Just watch it. Doug is the opposite of friendly. He's unfriendly."

Now they had a location, and a description of the prime suspect (even if that description was the opposite of helpful). Judy returned to the car. She held out her carrot pen to Nick, who ignored it and opened the door for her. "Hop in, Carrots, we've got a flock of sheep to take down."

Judy leaped into the car and flopped into her seat joyfully, waiting for the fox to buckle in next to her. She realized that he'd done his part, he'd finished the task she'd set for him. He had found Weaselton, and helped get the information they needed. He could have taken the pen and ran at that point. She would have let him. A promise was a promise. But he was still there. He hadn't asked for the pen, hadn't even mentioned it since they told him about the Night Howlers. If he'd only been in this to save his own tail, he would have left already. But there he was, sitting right next to her, chatting with Renato about old movies, telling him about shortcuts and alleyways they could use to evade pursuit (most of which he already knew, after driving for the mob). Nick hadn't volunteered for this, but he was committed to it now. He cared enough to risk his life to protect others. Judy wondered why that realization surprised her, and why she felt so pleased to know the fox was on her side. She pushed such questions aside for now, she had a ram to catch. No, they had a ram to catch.

Chapter Text

The drop point for the Night Howlers that Weaselton mentioned was at the entrance to an abandoned subway station. At first glance, it looked empty. Renato parked at a spot where the entrance and street were visible, without making the Zubaru too obvious. Nick and Judy felt ready to get to the bottom of this.

"I'm coming with you!" Octavia announced.

"No, stay where it's safe," Judy replied, "we can handle this."

"But you said they might be forcing Emmitt to grow their plants! He could be in there right now! He needs me."

"And what will you do when you see him, Flower Girl?" Nick asked.

"Well, I'll run right to him and," her voice trailed off, "oh, I see."

"Yeah, you'd run straight to your husband and give away our position," Nick answered, "you're too close to this. You're more useful as a lookout. Text me if anyone comes close. Warning us is the best way you can help him."

Octavia nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Nick. Bless you for helping us."

Nick and Judy walked toward the subway entrance slowly and carefully. "That was clever," Judy said, "and kind. She won't get in the way, but she still feels like she's contributing."

"I do have my uses, Carrots." Nick pulled on the rusty worn grate blocking the subway entrance, widening the hole enough for Judy and himself to scurry in. The station was only dimly lit. Trains still passed through here, but none stopped except a single abandoned car that might not have moved in months or years. Judy approached it, her ears twitching, listening for any movement inside. Nick sniffed around. Both kept as quiet as possible.

"No movement inside," Judy whispered, "we're alone here."

"I smell lots of lanolin, none fresh. At least three rams use this place, but none of them are here now. The only mustelid who's been here in a while is Weaselton, and he stopped at the entrance." That meant Emmitt wasn't here.

"Your nose and my ears make a pretty good team."

Nick held up a claw and opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. "Nah, too easy."

They looked around the train car for the best entrance. The windows were black, even more so than they should have been in the dim light of the station. All except for one, which was propped slightly open by some cables. "They must be stealing the subway power."

"Yeah, it's a common squatter's trick, which of course I have never used."

They climbed through the window and dropped to the floor of the car. The lights above were bright and hot, shifted toward the violet end of the spectrum. Beneath the grow lamps were metal trays full of soil with water pipes below, growing rows of blue flowers. Judy pulled out her phone and started filming. "Night Howlers. This is where they're growing them."

"Looks like Doug's cornered the market," Nick said, "how many mammals could this turn savage?"

"No idea," Judy admitted, "it depends on how much they concentrate it." She turned her camera to a collection of tubes and burners. "This looks like a still." She traced the pipe to a large metal bin with a lid that looked like a pressure cooker. "They must feed the Night Howlers in here, and distill the poison."

"And that looks like a map," Nick said, pointing to a section of the car with a table and chair. "It's the old city subway map, with pictures..."

"Pictures of the victims," Judy finished his sentence. "Emmitt's in the middle up there. The others must be the other missing predators, but I didn't see their pictures long enough to recognize them."

Nick's shirt rustled. His phone was vibrating. "Text from Flower Girl. Incoming ram. We should get out of here."

"No, we should hide and watch him so we can get more evidence."

Nick and Judy huddled underneath the growing Night Howlers. Doug entered through the car's rear door. He was a white-wooled hornless ram. Nothing about him stood out that much, but somehow he looked familiar in a way Judy couldn't quite put a claw on. He was carrying a metal case in one hoof and a plastic bag in the other. He set both down on the table. The bag turned out to contain his lunch, which he ate loudly. Judy stretched her muscles as they waited, and she noticed that Nick did much the same. Luckily Doug's loud eating covered the sounds of their movements, and sheep are not known for their hearing anyway. After an uncomfortable wait that made Judy alternately disgusted and hungry, Doug's phone started ringing, and Judy began filming again.

"You got Doug here." the ram said as he answered. His voice showed no particular emotion. "So the bunny plan is a bust?" Nick nudged Judy and shot her a quizzical look, to which she just shrugged. She had no idea what 'the bunny plan' might be. "That's too bad. What's our next option?" There was a pause as he listened to a voice Judy couldn't hear. "Outback Island? That's pretty isolated, with the one bridge." Whatever he said next was likely to be important. She reached for the carrot pen in her back pocket, and pressed 'RECORD'. "Oh, good idea, Lionfart will never get there in time." Judy had a good idea who 'Lionfart' was, but why would he be mixed up in all this? "I'll set it up tonight and buzz you when it's done." He'd just talked about ruining someone's life with less emotion than a normal mammal might devote to a lunch order. "Come on, I can tell pred from prey, even with those marsupial freaks."

Doug slipped on a gas mask and pulled out several of the Night Howler flowers, which he placed in the metal bin. Just as Judy had expected, the blue fluid from the flowers flowed into the still, and a deeper, more concentrated blue flowed out. Doug used the output from the still to fill a paintball pellet. He opened the metal case and brought out his weapon. It looked custom-made or at least heavily-modified, perhaps by Doug himself. He popped the ammo chamber open and dropped in a pellet, then pulled to ready it for firing and put the weapon back in the case, where Judy's eye caught some screw-on barrel extensions. They now had him on video conspiring to poison some innocent Outback Island predator, and preparing his weapon to do the dirty deed. He held the gun case tightly in his right hoof as he strolled toward the door.

Nick made a shushing gesture and slipped behind Doug, reaching into his pocket. He grinned as he pulled out the phone. Judy smiled back. That would not only be valuable evidence in finding Doug's boss, it would keep him from calling for help. As Doug opened the door, Judy moved out from under the plants and got a running start. With a single kick to the ram's back, she sent him sprawling to the tracks below, his weapon clattering to the floor just out of reach. Judy leaped onto his back and began binding his hooves with the zip-ties and ribbon Octavia had given her. She didn't know how long they would hold, but it was better than nothing. Nick joined her a minute later, grabbing the gun case and putting it aside before reinforcing Doug's bindings with a roll of duct tape.

Judy glared down at the bound ram and set her phone to record his confession. "Okay, Doug, start talking. Who's calling the shots? What's the bunny plan?"

"As if you don't already know," Doug replied with a sneer. He swiveled his head to look at Nick, whose expression was confused. "Yeah, fox, she's been playin you this whole time."

"No, Nick, that's not true," Judy said, shaking her head.

"We recruited her while she was still in the Academy. Guess she decided it would be better for her career to take us down and leave her name out of it. When she doesn't have any use for you, she'll probably turn you savage and blame me."

"No, Nick, he's lying. He's making this up." But the lie was too close to the truth for comfort. She had blackmailed Nick and tricked him to get his cooperation, while keeping the true danger secret. She had thought of this case as an opportunity to prove herself. She had seen Nick as a criminal just for his species, and brandished fox repellent around him, even if he hadn't seen it. She would never have knowingly worked with terrorists, but Nick didn't know her well enough to be sure of that.

"I see what's happening here," Nick said with a sigh and a disappointed shake of his head. His ears and tail drooped.

"No, you don't," Judy insisted, "he's trying to turn us against each other so he can buy time to escape!"

Nick continued as if he hadn't heard her, not even meeting her eyes. "You thought you could hustle a fox, did you? Thought you could get away with lying about your part in this whole sick business? Your kind has never gotten along with predators, and you don't even bother hiding it. You huddle together with your kin, shoving everyone else out, passing down stories of how horrible we are that you're all too dumb to question. And you think everyone else is as stupid and set in their ways as you are."

"No, Nick," Judy pleaded. Everything he said sounded like the worst of Bunnyburrow, told from the perspective of an outsider. Hordes of bunnies, all picking up the same prejudiced attitudes from the same ancestors. A place where even a doe who thought she had left those fears behind could still carry them in her pocket. "We're not all that backward, we can learn."

Nick shot her a toothy grin. "I wasn't talking to you, Hopps." Her eyes went wide. "You really don't remember me, do you, Doug? Maybe you're the one who should watch where you're going." Now Judy remembered where she'd seen Doug before. Her first day on the job, he'd nearly run Nick over. And she had blamed Nick for the accident, and followed him, just because he was a fox. She was both relieved and ashamed. "You might have had a chance if you had any idea who you were talking to. Thought you could get us fighting, then find a way to get this," with a flourish he pulled out Doug's stolen phone, "and warn your boss? That is not happening, we're already way ahead of you. Like I said, that's your problem. You think everyone else is like you. A herd animal who believes whatever load of scat you're fed."

"You knew he was lying all along."

"Of course I did, Hopps. Sly fox, remember?" He grinned again. "Now, Doug old buddy, how does Lionfart fit in all this?"

"I'm not tellin' you a thing, you crooked stinking little fox," Doug spat.

"About what I expected. I guess we'll just have to leave you here to rot while we look for them."

"You wouldn't dare," Doug said, wriggling and shaking his head. Judy couldn't be sure what he'd dare, but she was willing to see where his plan went.

"You don't know me that well. Whereas I, on the other paw, know everybody." Nick looked down at Doug with a smile that could only be called 'predatory'. "I think I even know what the 'bunny plan' is. Picture this: a naive, determined young bunny hops into the ZPD while they're sitting on their tails NOT looking for all those missing preds you poisoned, and you think you can use her to catch old Lionfart in the act and force the most powerful predator in the city to resign in disgrace." The ram tried to avoid reacting, but his expression betrayed him. Nick flashed a claw as he continued, "only, whoopsie, she's far too principled to join your little flock of doom." He raised another claw, "double whoopsie, she got fired, and all your plans went up in smoke along with her dream of being a cop." Judy glared at him, but he just shot up a third claw and kept talking, "and whoopsie number threesie, she started her own investigation, and instead of going after Lionheart, she went after you!" The fox shook his head, looking down at the defeated ram, "you really should've known better. You tried to hustle an unpredictable bunny, and she turned around and did something you never expected," he placed his paw over his heart and sighed, "I know what that feels like. So, Doug, am I right or am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" That smug look of his was stronger than ever. Only this time, it was on Judy's side. She hadn't quite kept up with what Lionheart was up to, but Nick obviously had the right idea, judging from Doug's reaction. He shoved the sheep, rolling his rotund woolly body down the tracks a bit, and taped his hooves to each other and the rail. "That should hold you until we can tie you up properly."

Nick and Judy headed back into the lab. Nick went straight for the propane tank hooked to the burner for the still, turned it off and took the hose. Judy grabbed a glove much too big for her and bagged up all but the smallest of the Night Howlers as evidence. "Okay, Slick, what is Lionheart up to and how did you figure it out?"

Nick ducked under a table to disconnect some extension cords as he spoke. "How would you react if you saw some predator suddenly going savage, without knowing why?"

Judy flinched, but Nick didn't see it. The question was too close to both Gideon's attack from her childhood and her dream about it last night. "I'd try to disable him somehow, protect anyone in danger, and call for medical help."

"Yeah, that sounds like what you would do, Carrots, but what would the average rabbit do?"

Ugh, back to 'Carrots' already? "Probably run away screaming," Judy admitted. Her foot started tapping. "I see, a savage predator would be terrifying, it would cause a panic. If it happened once it would be the top story on ZNN for days. It's happened fourteen times, so why haven't we heard about it?" She knew the answer already.

"Lionheart's covering it up," Nick finished her thought, "to prevent the city from going into a panic and kicking him out of office."

"Because if predators are going savage, who's going to trust a mayor who's a lion? That's why Doug was talking about him getting there in time! He must have some way to find the victims and capture them before they get on the news. But how?"

Nick looked down at her with that smug smile that she was starting to get used to. "I could make you figure it out yourself, just to watch you squirm." Judy glared at him. "But I won't. Traffic cams. There are cameras all over the city, every major intersection and transit station. Except the abandoned ones, of course."

"And the mayor and his staff would have access to them just like the police do! He could scramble a team whenever there's an attack. He wouldn't know what was causing it, but he could see the effects and respond." Her ears twitched and she blinked as she thought that through. "But, wait, why doesn't he know what's causing it? Even if Emmitt lost his memory of the day he was shot he'd be able to figure out it was the Night Howlers as soon as he recovered." As she pondered this, she removed some parts from the still and wrapped them up with the Night Howler residue still inside.

"I see you're a clever bunny after all. You're right, they would have figured it out by now just from talking to Otterton. Unless Doug did something to the poison so it's not wearing off. That would mean all the victims are still savage."

"But if they're still savage, at least they're still alive, and someone's keeping them safe," Judy sighed with relief. Just because it wasn't wearing off didn't mean there wasn't an antidote. "Lionheart's probably experimenting to find the antidote. If we can find him and tell him what's causing this, all the victims can be cured."

"And that is exactly what we're going to do," said Nick with a triumphant smile as he tossed a bundle of assorted tubes and cables to Judy. "This stuff should hold him for a while." Judy smiled back. They had the gun, the ammo, and the raw materials necessary to make more. The lab was inoperable, but still recognizable enough to use as evidence. Doug wouldn't be going anywhere, and no one could use his equipment to hurt any more innocent mammals.

Doug struggled feebly as Nick and Judy shoved him around. The zip-ties were getting uncomfortably tight, and his hooves were still bound together and useless. They'd put something over his head so he couldn't see, and kept moving his body in ways that didn't sit well with his full stomach. At one point they even picked him up, he had no idea how. "Watch that third rail, Hopps, I don't want to be smelling burned mutton all week." Doug landed roughly, the back of his head hit metal, and he felt something being wrapped around his shoulders.

"What are you two doing?" Doug asked, trying to conceal his nervousness but not succeeding.

"What do you think we're doing?" replied Nick in a mocking tone.

"But you can't do that!" Doug bleated, "you can't! A cop can't just tie someone to a railroad track!"

"Did you forget I'm not a cop anymore?" Judy sneered. "And since I got fired because of a case involving an otter you shot, exactly whose fault is it that I'm not a cop anymore?" She sounded angry enough to do something that would end very badly for Doug. "I'd rather not derail a train today, so maybe we could work out something less messy if you just tell us where Lionheart is holding the victims."

"You're just trying to scare me."

"It's working, isn't it?" Nick remarked in a tone much too casual for the situation.

"Look, you're after Otterton, just let me go and I'll tell you where you can find the antidote."

"False bottom in the gun case," Nick replied.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Sly fox, clever bunny, dumb sheep. You've got nothing to offer us unless you tell us where Lionfart is keeping the victims. Or maybe the name of your boss."

Judy was standing next to Nick, on the platform looking down at Doug. The sheep was bound to the tracks and covered with a tarp. She whispered in Nick's ear "if he has an antidote, maybe that would be worth it."

"It's a trick, Carrots," Nick whispered back, "I'm sure he's got something in case he accidentally shoots a prey mammal, but I don't think it's an antidote."

"You think it's poison?" Judy asked, also suspecting that Doug was the type to dispose of his mistakes rather than fixing them.

Nick nodded. Doug squirmed. "Hey, don't struggle too much, we used your extension cords and you don't want to knock those into that electrified rail!"

"You need me!" Doug bleated, "how can you get any info from me if I'm dead?"

Nick held up his paw in a 'stop' gesture. He and Judy stayed silent for most of a minute, while Doug grew increasingly worried in the darkness.

"You didn't leave, did you?" He pleaded, "you can't just leave me here." They kept quiet for a little longer, letting him think they'd abandoned him to his fate.

Judy's ears twitched as she heard a faint sound. "Hey, Nick, do you hear that?"

"Do I hear a train coming? No, no I do not. But then I don't have ears big enough to pick up TV channels, so I'll trust your judgment, Hopps. Not much time left, Doug. Better tell us where they are before it's too late.

"You're bluffing." The tracks began to vibrate. "No, you're not bluffing, you're rutting insane!"

"I think we have just enough time to get you out of there before you get crushed. So tell us where Lionheart is keeping them.

"Cliffside!" Doug screamed, feeling his bonds shake with the rails, "He's holding them at Cliffside!"

"Where's that?" Judy yelled, trying to make herself heard over the rising noise.

Doug was in a blind panic. He couldn't see, he couldn't move, he couldn't think. All he could hear was the ever-rising rumble of the train bearing down on him, and his own voice desperately bleating "Cliffside!" The train came closer and closer until...

It passed by some distance over Doug's head. The ringing in his ears deafened him. He kept babbling for a minute or two as he slowly realized that they had tied him to the train tracks after all, but not the ones that had a train running on them. He had been behind his own lab the whole time, never in any real danger. "You tricked me!"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's called," Judy began, then gestured to Nick.

"A hustle, sweetheart," Nick finished, "but I don't think he can hear us. We should get back to the others."

"Just a minute," said Judy. The temporarily-deafened sheep was still lying there, tied to the defunct tracks, hidden under a tarp, bleating angrily. Judy took Nick's duct tape, pulled back the tarp, and placed a piece across Doug's mouth horizontally. Then she reinforced it with two vertical pieces from just below his eyes down to his chin.

Nick climbed down to join her. "An 'H' for 'Hopps'? Didn't expect you to be a Zorro fan."

"Never heard of him before today," she replied cheerfully, "but I'm starting to see the appeal of taunting and trickey." She made it onto the platform they'd entered from in two quick hops. Nick followed, admiring her skill, and accepted her offered paw when he needed to climb back up. Despite being so much smaller than he was, she was able to lift his weight easily. "Any idea where 'Cliffside' is?"

"Canyonlands, probably. Lots of cliffs there, plenty of places to hide something you don't want found."

"Which you've never had to do, I'm sure?" Judy remarked playfully.

"Not in Canyonlands, at least," replied Nick with a smile and a spring in his step that seemed more genuine somehow. Judy hopped along with him as they crossed the empty space of the abandoned station, carrying enough evidence to put Doug away for life, and a few tantalizing clues that could tear the conspiracy wide open.

Chapter Text

Nick and Judy were climbing the long stairwell back to the street, loaded with evidence as Judy thought out loud "So, since you smelled three rams, and conspiracies get more complicated the more criminals are involved, we should have about two more sheep to find? The one from the shop and the cop who let Weaselton go?"

"I'd say at least three, Carrots," Nick called up after her, "whoever Doug was talking to called in the hit by phone. Why do that if they visit regularly? Fur-to-fur meetings are harder to monitor."

A good point. Judy shifted the bag of Night Howlers and still parts to her other paw and nodded. "Three then. And the mastermind probably isn't the guy who tried to buy contraband from a florist with no backup plan." They knew the means by which the crime had been committed, and how the perpetrators made their own opportunity, but motive was a bit hazy. "Nick," Judy asked, "Do you think Assistant Mayor Bellwether could be involved in this? If Lionheart loses his job, she's next in line, so she has a lot to gain. She didn't seem like the type to get mixed up in something like this when I met her at my graduation, but maybe I'm not as good a judge of character as I thought." She sighed, stopped, and turned to Nick, who was several steps below her even with his longer legs, carrying the case with the Night Howler gun in one paw. "I was wrong about you. I'm sorry I called you a shifty lowlife. You're smart, and good, and I couldn't have done this without you."

Nick scampered to the step just below Judy, putting them eye-to-eye. "Well, this time that really is high praise. I accept your apology, and I'm sorry for what I said back there that sounded like I was insulting rabbits. I thought Doug might give something up if he thought he was winning." He reached out a paw to shake. Judy once again proved to be much stronger than she looked. "As for Bellwether, it's possible, but I don't think Lionheart would pick a running mate with enough ambition to be a threat to him. To pred-haters, anything that replaces a cat with a sheep would be a bonus, even if the sheep isn't one of them."

"True, but I feel like this is about more than just blind hatred, they must have some way to profit from this."

"They don't need a politician to take advantage here. Someone in a civil service job can have a lot of influence, without nearly as much scrutiny as an elected official. Someone like, say, the chief of police?" Nick finished with a smile.

Judy shook her head. "No, it couldn't be Chief Bogo." Nick looked back at her skeptically. "No, really, it can't be him, he's the one who fired me, and that messed up their plans, so if he were with them he wouldn't have done it. He's a jerk, he didn't care about the Ottertons, but he's not a terrorist."

"Huh, good point," Nick remarked with a nod as they continued up the stairs. "It could still be a someone in a similar position. Maybe even an official's secretary manipulating the boss with bad info. Like Wormtongue from Lord Of The Ringtails."

"I never saw those movies," Judy admitted, "it takes a long time for a movie to get to the dinky little theater in Bunnyburrow, and the place gets pretty crowded. That's why my niece Cotton is so eager to see Meowana in the big city when it comes out, getting to kits movies in the Burrows is a hassle."

"I can imagine. The books are better anyway." Nick pulled aside the grate, bowing theatrically as Judy slipped through, then followed her less gracefully. "If there's a politician involved in this, I'd be looking for a legislator."

Judy scanned the street for unwanted company, then nodded in agreement. "They'd be in position to pass anti-predator laws as soon as they got an excuse."

"Like, say, an epidemic of savage predators?" Nick said with a pained smile. "It doesn't have to be a sheep, but seems likely. There are two sheep on the Council, Matilda Merino from Outback Island, and Eugene Woolworth from the Meadowlands."

Judy pulled out her carrot pen and played the snippet of Doug's conversation she'd recorded, including the bit about 'marsupial freaks'. "No one from Outback Island would stand for that, but if Meadowlands is anything like Bunnyburrow that sort of prejudice might be common there."

"My thoughts exactly," Nick replied, showing no sign he'd even noticed where the recording was coming from, "see, you are a clever bunny." He looked down at the gun case and frowned. "We probably shouldn't tell Flower Girl about the 'antidote'. If she tries that out and it does what I think it will, she'd never forgive herself."

"I'll just show her the recordings and explain what we've figured out. I," she looked down shamefully, "didn't actually record the part where we tied Doug to the train tracks, I thought we'd incriminated ourselves enough already."

When they were in sight of the car, Octavia jumped out and scurried to them. "Are you okay? What did you find? Is Emmitt down there? Did you kill that horrible sheep who started all this?"

"You might want to sit down for this, Flower Girl," Nick suggested, "it's a lot to take in."

In the car, Judy hopped onto the dash, while Nick and Octavia took up the passenger seat, leaving the gun case and other evidence on the floor. "What did you do with the sheep?" Renato asked.

"I hope it was painful," Octavia muttered, then slapped her paws over her muzzle. "Sorry, this just makes me so angry."

"Anger is a natural reaction when someone hurts you," Renato said, reaching out a paw, "I should know."

"Don't worry too much," Nick said, "We just gave him the scare of his life and left him tied up with pieces of his own drug lab. He'll live long enough to regret all this."

Judy cleared her throat. "We found the lab where they're refining the Night Howlers. Whatever they did with them, I'm sorry, Octavia, but the poison's not wearing off. Emmitt and the others would all still be savage."

"But that means they're still alive," Nick added, "which is good news."

"From what we heard, we think Mayor Lionheart is holding the victims somewhere to prevent a panic and look for a cure. Doug said the place was called 'Cliffside'. Does that mean anything to either of you?"

"Cliffside Drive in Canyonlands," Renato answered, "but so many places are named after the street, it could be any of them."

"I'll show you the video, maybe something will jog your memory?" Judy offered.

Nick climbed to the backseat. "Since I've already seen this live, I've got an idea to check up on while you watch that. Can I borrow some paper and a pen?"

Judy offered some pages torn from her notepad, and the carrot pen, but Octavia pushed her paw away and gave Nick a different pen. "Good try, Nick, but I'm not letting you get away that easy. He's a clever one, Judy, watch out." All the while the otter wore a playful grin.

Judy half-heartedly chuckled along as Nick shook his head and made a fake defeated face. She propped her phone up on the center of the dash. "I've got two videos, one of the lab and one of Doug getting a phone call on the next hit. Then a recording of the interrogation. If anything gives you any ideas, let me know. We'll have to find a way to back these up and pass them on in case anything goes wrong."

Meanwhile, Nick had fished a tiny business card out of his pocket and made a phone call. "Hello, Mister Fontina?" Nick said in an obviously fake, high-pitched, nasal voice. "I'm Mortimer, from the City Passcode Inspection Department." Judy knew there was no such department, it was an obvious scam and not even a good one. She glared at Nick, but he just continued. "We're doing a random check on passcodes for the Rodentian Data Net, and if you'll help us out we can put you in a drawing for a free dinner at Misty's On The Vine...yes, all expenses paid...yes, that's correct...was that a p as in peanut or a b as in butter?...thank you very much, Sir, this will be a big help." Nick ended the call, chuckled, and shook his head. "How does anyone fall for that?" he asked in his normal voice.

"What kind of hustle are you pulling, Nick?" Judy asked, angrily tapping her paw. "We've got more important things to do than scam rodents."

"Carrots, how much do you think a phone with that kind of power," he pointed at the burner phone playing the video from Doug's lab, "would cost in mouse size?"

Judy cocked her head and thought a moment. "I don't know, three, four hundred dollars? It's not anything special."

"Try three or four thousand," Nick replied, "and even then it would be warm to the touch and barely hold a charge."

"Okay, so miniaturization is harder than I thought, what does that have to do with anything?"

Nick smiled, "to get around that problem, rodent smartphones aren't really smart. They offload the data storage and processing to a network of computers throughout the city, mostly under Little Rodentia."

Realization dawned in Judy's eyes. "And to do that they need high-speed wireless data connections all over the city. But those are designed for rodent equipment, how does having an access code help us?"

"Because a phone or tablet sized for a larger mammal, with better resolution and a top-end pair of earbuds, could be a whole entertainment center for a mouse, so there's a market to connect big phones to the rodent network."

Judy smiled and clapped her paws. "So we can take those videos and send them anywhere we want, from anywhere in the city. We could pass them to the police, the media, anyone. We could expose the whole plot without leaving the car! But it's still stealing," she added with less enthusiasm.

Nick waved a claw. His smile was triumphant, and his tail was wagging. "No, stealing requires that the victim actually lose something. These accounts are unlimited, so it won't cost the guy a cent. As soon as those two are done, I'll switch your phone into rodent mode and send the data to a friend of mine. She'll love it!"

"And who is this 'friend'?" Judy asked skeptically.

"She calls herself 'Honey'. She's a badger who's been talking my ears off for years about sheep plotting world domination." He chuckled. "Maybe she's not so crazy after all. Anyway, she'll tell us about any strange things happening that involve sheep. The problem is telling the difference between the made-up nonsense and the stuff that just sounds like made-up nonsense."

After seeing all the video, Renato and Octavia came away with an even lower opinion of Doug, if that were possible, but no useful ideas. Judy passed her phone to Nick, and he uploaded the data and passed a link to Honey. Without any further leads, they had nothing left they could do until Honey replied.

"There's something I'd like to talk to Nick about alone," Judy asked. "Can the two of you give us a few minutes?"

Nick scribbled something on a sheet of paper. "There's a little place a few blocks from here that has delicious blueberry pie." He licked his lips, and Judy felt her stomach growl. "They've also got veggies with fresh-made dips, and I've heard good things about the fried oysters. And from those sounds I'm hearing, I'm not the only one here who's hungry. What do you want, Carrots?"

"Fresh veggies and blueberry pie sound great!"

Nick finished writing and offered the paper to Renato. "Show this to Hugo, he's an old friend of mine, he'll give you a nice discount."

As soon as the others had left, Judy turned to Nick, her ears drooping and eyes downcast. "There's something I want to give you," she said nervously, reaching into her pocket.

Nick held up a paw in a stop gesture. "You don't need to give me the pen, Fluff. This isn't about that anymore. Besides, I noticed you accidentally erased my confession."

"It wasn't an accident." Judy sighed, "I'm a coward. I convinced myself that if I recorded over it with Doug's conversation, I wouldn't really be destroying evidence. But I was just making excuses. I'm just a dumb, scared, silly, cute little bunny."

"Well, you got the cute part right," Nick replied, "and 'silly' applies to duct-taping your initials on a criminal. But you're brave and smart enough to take down terrorists, that's saying a lot." He looked down at her paw, still in her pocket. "So, what were you going to give me, if not the pen?"

She pulled the fox repellent out of her pocket. At first it stayed hidden behind her paw. She turned it upside-down and backwards, so it couldn't be accidentally fired, and if it were it would hit her instead of Nick. "This," she said as she offered it to him, "I'm ashamed I have this. I don't want it anymore."

Nick took the canister and turned it over in his paw. "Fox-Away," he read, "I'm flattered that you think I'm handsome enough to need this, but it's Finnick who needs to beat the vixens off with a stick." There was no mirth in his expression, no emotion at all.

"Nick, can you be serious for a minute?"

A low growl crept into Nick's voice. He stared straight at Judy with eyes narrowing and lips curling in a snarl. "Are you sure you want to hear my serious opinion of you carrying this?" He held it with the tips of his claws, like it was something disgusting, which it was. "How would you feel about a product made specifically to get rid of rabbits?" Judy looked down shamefully. "Honestly, I'm not even mad. I stopped being mad about this stuff over a decade ago. What's the point? At least you had the decency to hide it today."

So he had seen it before. He knew she was carrying it, and it had happened so many times he was used to it. Judy's heart sank at the thought. "I'm sorry, Nick. My Dad gave it to me when I moved here. He tried to give me a fox taser, I took the repellent to shut him up." She meant it as an explanation, but it sounded like an excuse. "I should have thrown it away. But I didn't. That's my fault. I was ignorant, and insensitive, and small-minded, and wrong."

"Why are you telling me this now? Why give me this?"

"I think to really explain it, I need to tell you a story." She leaned back into the seat and took a deep breath before she began. "I was nine years old. It was the Carrot Days Festival in Bunnyburrow, and I was doing a play."

"Wait a minute, Bunnyburrow has a multi-day festival honoring carrots?" Nick asked, barely holding back laughter.

"It's a farming community! Harvest celebrations are a big deal!" Judy shook her head, "okay, I guess it does sound a bit ridiculous."

Nick grinned at her, "Oh, after we're finished with this, they'll have a new reason to celebrate Carrots!"

In spite of herself, Judy laughed. "Okay, Pawpsicle Fox, let's get back to the story. I put on a play with some friends, about how things had changed since the old days. How prey used to be scared of predators, and predators had an uncontrollable urge to," her voice trailed off and she facepawed, "and I just realized how terrible that sounds."

"In your defense, you were nine. I did some dumb things when I was nine too." Nick kept his normal expression, but there was a flash of sadness in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to know better now," Judy said bitterly, "but I've still got a lot to learn. Anyway, the play skipped to modern days and the great city of Zootopia, where anyone can be anything." That phrase drew a bitter, sarcastic snort from the bunny. "The jaguar who'd just been chasing me said he'd rather hunt for tax exemptions."

"So you weren't just bluffing when you said you knew someone in the tax business?"

"Nope, haven't heard from him in years though. Sharla's still trying to be an astronaut, and you can guess what I wanted to be when I grew up."

"Wow, Hopps, you've been working to be a cop since you were nine years old, and they threw you out in two days? That must really hurt."

"That's not even the part I wanted to tell you about. Gideon Grey, the big bully at school, was mocking me from the audience. After the play, he stole some festival tickets from my friends, and I demanded he return them."

"While still wearing your police costume?" Nick smiled, "I can picture it now." He imitated a childish voice. "Thtop in the name of the waw!"

"Yeah, I played the cop, I confronted the thief. I kicked him pretty hard, right in the muzzle. But he was a fox, he was bigger than me, and he had claws. Big, sharp claws. Predator claws." Her voice wavered as she flashed back. "He slashed at my cheek and held me down. Said to remember this moment if I ever think I could be anything more than a stupid carrot-farming dumb bunny. The scars are faded but they're still there, under the fur. And I have never forgotten that moment. But I did get the tickets back."

"Wow," Nick said, his voice low and weak, "no wonder you're afraid of foxes."

"Yes, I am afraid of foxes," Judy confessed, holding her head in her paws, "I tried to convince myself I was over it, but I'm not. My parents are afraid of predators, and so am I. Especially foxes." She slowly turned her head and looked up at Nick, seeing the hurt in his eyes again through her own tears. "But not you. You're different." She saw him twitch and realized her mistake. "No, that's not right. What makes you different is that I actually got to know you. I can see you as an individual, not just as a fox. Maybe if I'd gotten to know more foxes, I would have learned there's nothing to fear."

"Well, if you knew more foxes, you would have known Finnick and I aren't even the same species, so you never would've fallen for the Jumbo Pop hustle and we wouldn't be having this adventure." He tilted his head and nodded. "Huh, maybe it's for the best this way."

"Well, among bunnies, questioning someone's parentage just isn't done. I would have assumed your little friend was adopted and treated him like I would any kit."

"Huh, I wouldn't have expected that. Foxes don't always handle adoptions well. Abandoning a kit is one of the worst things a fox can do," he sighed and shook his head, "which doesn't always mean the kit who's left behind is treated well by other foxes."

Judy placed her paw on Nick's. "Did your parents, leave you? Is that why you're hustling for a living?"

"No," Nick replied with another shake of his head, "well, not on purpose. We lost Dad to cancer, and our money went with him. Mom did everything she could to give me a good, honest life, but I guess foxes just aren't allowed to have nice things."

"I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't know."

"Hey, you gave me a story," Nick said in the saddest tone she'd heard from him yet, "so I owe you a story."

"No, Nick, you don't owe me anything."

"Never let it be said that Nick Wilde doesn't pay his debts. Especially not around the tax mammals!" His laugh was forced and empty. And as promised, he told her his story. About a nine-year-old fox who wanted nothing more than to be part of a pack, and his loving mother who saved and sacrificed to make that happen. The other scouts had offered him that sense of belonging he craved, then muzzled him and hurt him for no other reason than because he was a fox. They threw him out in the street, crying and wondering what he'd done wrong, when he was the only one there who had been honest about his intentions. The whole thing was heartbreaking and sick. Where did a bunch of cubs even find a muzzle in that size?

So many things about Nick suddenly made sense. The smugness was a mask, the nicknames kept him from getting too close to anyone else, turning everything into a joke helped disguise his real feelings. These were defense mechanisms for someone who had been deeply hurt and never fully healed. Even insulting Judy on her first day had a new meaning. He'd been trying to tear apart her idealism, because he had been idealistic himself once, and it brought him nothing but pain. In his own twisted way, he'd tried to help her. Even after she'd insulted him by carrying fox repellent. Judy focused her ears on his every word while hurt and horror built in the back of her mind at what had turned an innocent, friendly cub into a lonely, cynical hustler.

"I learned two things that day. One: never let them see that they get to you. And two: if the world's only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else."

Judy reached for Nick's paw. "You are so much more than that." He tried to pull away, but she gripped tighter. "You are. You're the only one who took that oath seriously. You're brave and loyal enough to stick with us through all this. You've been so helpful, I couldn't do this without you. You are trustworthy, I trust you. And if a dumb fox-hating bunny like me trusts you, that means something."

"Do you really mean that?"

"You're the kindest and most honest fox I know."

"I'm the only for you know," Nick replied with a chuckle. "Maybe we can fix that once we're done fixing the city."

Judy smiled, her ears finally perking up. "I'd like that. So, that little friend of yours, you said his name was Finnick?"

"Not his real name, but if I told you his real name he'd bite my face off. He can be a jerk, but he's not that bad. He seems to like you."

"I wasn't expecting him to have that deep a voice, or be bilingual. And he was talking like you're the one who likes me."

"Oh, he's not into bunnies. Or vixens. He likes his ladies small with sharp teeth. And they seem to think he's a good listener, I can't imagine why." He grinned and twitched his ears.

"I notice you didn't say whether or not you're into bunnies," Judy said with a teasing wink. "I hope you aren't in this just for a glimpse of my tail." Wait, was she actually flirting with a fox? They did have a lot in common, but already?

"It's more that I'm not not into bunnies," Nick sighed. "Finn likes to tease me for my sex life, or lack of one. It's hard for me to find someone I can really be myself with."

"I know what you mean. Bucks always thought I was strange for wanting to be a cop. Except for the ones who were only interested because of the novelty, and that can be worse. It's okay to take your time, Nick. There are worse things than being single." Maybe it wasn't time for flirting yet, but friendly teasing and comfort could work.

"Like being unemployed, stuck in a rental car with a hungry fox, chasing terrorists with no leads?" Nick quipped.

"Nick, I know you would never eat me!" Judy replied with a roll of her eyes and more fear in her tone than she liked.

Nick licked his lips, showing off his long tongue. "How sure are you about that?"

He was clearly joking, but the joke was too close to her fears for comfort, especially after her dream of a savage Gideon. Judy recoiled, putting up her paw, "stop right there. I'm still working on my fear of foxes, and that terrible pickup line is not helping." She shook her head and sighed. "You should only say things like that to, someone who likes the thought of being eaten." Her voice trailed off as a thought came to mind. "Someone who likes the thought of being eaten." She smiled up at Nick. "You might have just given me a new lead!"

Chapter Text

Judy flipped back to her notes on Emmitt Otterton's last delivery. Her fear melted away with the excitement of following a new lead. "Found it! Got Lizzie's cell number from the order." She explained to Nick, smiling and speaking quickly in her eagerness to share her discovery. "Emmitt's last delivery was to a deer in Sahara Square, ordered by a wolf named Elizabeth Conroy. I assumed it was a ruse to abduct him, so I investigated, but it turned out they're just," she paused with an embarrassed look, "a very loving and loud couple."

Nick looked down at Judy, his head dipping more than necessary to meet her eyes. "Sorry I went too far there, Hopps. Didn't mean to scare you."

Judy turned to him and waved her paw. "Stop that. We both went too far. You use teasing to hide your real feelings, and after what you've been through I understand why. Just try to take it easy in the future, and it'll be fine." She lowered her own eyes. "And if I say anything hurtful, try to cut me some slack too. I'm still learning. "

"I thought you were a cop, not a shrink."

"Psych 101 was a prerequisite for some of my criminology classes. Dealing with victims of crimes is kind of an important part of police work."

"Huh, didn't think of that. So, truce?" He held out his paw to shake, then pulled it back. "Maybe you don't want me touching you right now, I'd understand."

Judy reached out and shook his paw. "A shake is fine. Truce. We keep things friendly, try not to bring up any bad memories, and if we make any mistakes we'll give each other the benefit of the doubt." She smiled up at her first fox friend, tilting her head back waiting for his answer.

"Agreed," Nick replied with a nod, his tail beginning a slow wag. "But friendly means we get to tease each other about embarrassing things. Did you walk in on a lesbian interspecies couple in flagrante delicto? With an otter mom in tow?"

"I did not walk in on them," Judy said, her muzzle scrunching up in annoyance, "I heard a muffled moaning voice saying a fierce predator was going to eat her, from an apartment that I suspected was being used in a crime, and I threatened to break the door down."

"With what?" Nick laughed.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead," Judy replied, trying to hold back laughter of her own, "if I wasn't looking for a missing mammal, I probably would have realized what she meant. Octavia laughed and," Judy could no longer hold back her laughter, "she made a note to buy red herring at the fish market! Like interrupting a couple during sex is just a normal part of a florist's day!"

Nick let out a final barking laugh and brought his tone back to normal. "So, how do the two lovebirds help us find Lionfart and the victims?"

Judy sighed, "you should really stop calling him that before we meet him."

"I promise I will not call him Lionfart when we meet," Nick said, holding up his right paw and grinning, "Scout's Honor!"

Judy rolled her eyes. As if that meant anything after what Nick went through with the scouts. "Anyway, after we explained, Lizzie was eager for us to find Mr. Otterton so she could order more flowers for her mate. I think she felt for Octavia, being separated from someone she loves. She said her brother and his boyfriend work for the mayor."

"And the mayor travels with wolf bodyguards, so this brother is probably one of those, which means he's probably guarding the victims."

"Exactly!" Judy exclaimed, "We get in touch with her brother, convince him to lead us to Lionheart, who'll want to know what we know about what's turning predators savage. That way, we'll find Emmitt and the other victims, and give the mayor the information he needs stop the attacks and find a cure."

"So after lunch, next stop Sahara Square?"

"No need, I've got all the order info written down, including her number, I can just call."

Lizzie answered the phone on the second ring. "Hello?" she sighed, "this had better not be another telemarketer."

"Hi, Lizzie," Judy said excitedly, "this is Judy Hopps."

"What game are you playing, Bunny?" the wolf replied, instantly alert, a low growl in her voice."

"I'm, not," Judy replied, confused, "I'm not playing any game."

"I called that flower shop three times! They had no idea where to find you OR Mrs. Otterton! I even called the police and the cat I spoke to sounded like he just lost a friend. He said there is no Officer Hopps here, and no one is working the Otterton case! So again, what game are you playing, Bunny?" Her growling intensified, "Did you kill the real Judy Hopps and steal her identity? Or what? Give me one good reason I shouldn't call the cops on you right now!"

"Miss Conroy," Judy began.

"It's DOCTOR, actually," Lizzie snarled.

"Doctor Conroy," Judy corrected herself, "I promise you I did not kill anyone or steal anyone's identity." Technically, it had been Nick who stole someone's identity, and they'd only threatened Duke and Doug with death. "Please hear me out. I am the real Judy Hopps. Chief Bogo fired me for agreeing to take Mrs. Otterton's case against his wishes."

"They fired you for trying to help someone?" Lizzie growled. "But helping mammals in need is what the cops are supposed to do! So you got fired for doing your job. That's unbelievable!"

"I know," Judy said sadly, "but it's true."

Lizzie's voice slowly returned to normal as she spoke. "That cat I spoke to saw the Chief fire someone unjustly, and knew there was an otter out there missing with no one looking for him. Of course he sounded like he just lost a comrade, that's exactly what happened. And I just falsely accused you again. I'm sorry, Officer Hopps."

"I'm not an Officer anymore."

"You didn't smell like you were lying, just embarrassed and confused, but you didn't actually SAY you were an officer, I just assumed. I apologize for overreacting. Betrayal is a big deal for me."

"I've got a friend who feels the same way," Judy remarked with a sigh and a glance at Nick. "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry I lead you on like that."

"So, since you're calling me, I'm guessing you haven't found Mr. Otterton yet, and you're hoping I have some useful info?"

"Are you somewhere private? The situation is really complicated."

"I'm in the break room, but anyone could just walk in. Hang on." Judy heard paws padding across a tile floor, the creaking of a door opening and closing, the metallic thunk of a lock, and a TV in the background with the voice of a game show host. "There, I'm in an examining room, door locked, and some noise to keep anyone from hearing us. What's happening?" Her tone was curious and eager. "How do I help those two lovely otters get back together?"

"Doctor Conroy," Judy began.

"You can call me Lizzie," Lizzie interrupted, "I'm a dentist, actually, I only insist on being called Doctor when I'm annoyed at being disrespected. Even my patients hardly call me doctor, but of course they aren't really in a position to speak much."

"There's a poisonous plant called midnicampum holicithias."

"Just a moment, looking that up." Judy could hear the wolf's claws tapping the keyboard, "I have access to a database of poisons and drugs and their interactions. Very useful information when dealing with infections and allergies. Let's see," Lizzie muttered, "temporary dissociative state, memory loss, impairment of higher brain functions, adrenaline," she gasped, "uncontrolled aggressive behavior? Did Mr. Otterton eat some of this? Why would a florist do something that stupid and dangerous?"

"Someone's using it as a weapon," Judy answered, "They refined it to make the effect permanent, and put it into a pellet like a paintball gun. They're targeting predators to make you look like dangerous savages. We're not sure what the endgame is, but it's clearly anti-predator. Mr. Otterton figured it out, and they turned him savage to shut him up."

In a trembling, weak tone, Lizzie asked, "So, if someone poisoned me with this weapon, I might, I might attack..." her voice trailed off.

Judy knew exactly what she was afraid of. "You don't have to worry about that now. The sniper who was making the attacks is currently tied up, and his drug lab is in pieces." There was a deep sigh of relief from the other end of the line. "But I need to find the victims, and I believe Mayor Lionheart is hiding them to prevent a panic. Somewhere called 'Cliffside'."

"You want Gary," Lizzie realized, "can you make sure he's safe? My brother is good, he wants to protect others, that's why he took this job. If he's caught in anything illegal, it wasn't his idea. Or Larry's either."

Judy paused and thought for a moment. "If he was coerced into helping with the cover-up, he should get off without jail time. And if he'll help put an end to the cover-up, he might qualify for whistleblower protection. I can't promise much, but I'll try."

"Okay, that's all I can ask for. Here's why I was trying to call you earlier. I spoke to Gary, and asked him if he could convince his boss to spare some resources for the Otterton case. He asked if I said Otterton, then he got real quiet for a bit. He said if something happens or he suddenly disappears, I should just take my mate and leave the city, go someplace far away and not look for him. It scared me that he'd just say something like that out of the blue, obviously something to do with Otterton has him frightened. And he said I especially shouldn't go near the abandoned asylum on the outskirts of the Meadowlands."

"Abandoned asylum?" Judy repeated.

"It must be where the victims are being kept. He didn't even notice he let that slip. He's been very distracted lately, and now I know why. I haven't seen him muzzle-to-muzzle in a couple weeks, like he's avoiding me."

"That sounds like a solid lead," Judy said, writing it down in her notepad with a flourish. "Thank you. Now, how do we recognize your brother when we see him?"

"Strong family resemblance," Lizzie replied, "pure white coat like me, you'll know him when you see him. Or hear him, he has a tendency to howl at the drop of a hat, we both do. Dana thinks it's cu--adorable. He'll probably be working with his boyfriend, Larry Randolph. He's got sort of stormy grey fur, blue eyes, more serious. Should I call and let them know you're coming?"

Judy considered it. It would be good to have allies on the inside, but the guards' job was to keep everyone out, and there was no guarantee they'd listen, even to a family member. "No, don't call. If they know we're coming we might not be able to get through at all. Just the information will be a really big help."

"If you're going to try sneaking past them, you should know they have sensitive noses, so they'll probably know when you get near. If they catch you, tell Gary you know me, he might be more willing to listen then."

"Thanks again for the help. I promise you, I won't let any more innocent predators be hurt like this. You and your family will be safe."

"Thank you, I know you've got a lot on your mind but it's nice to know someone cares." She turned the TV off and unlocked the door. "If there's nothing else I can do for you, I need to get back to my lunch break." Lizzie let out a contented sigh, "Dana made me lunch, and I've been looking forward to it all day. I can smell salmon in there, do you know how big a deal it is that she's even trying to cook fish for me?" Her voice was almost as perky and playful as it had been back in the apartment.

"I, hadn't thought of that," Judy said slowly, "I'm not used to predator-prey relationships, but I hope everything works out well for you."

"I hope this case works out for you, Judy. If there's any way I can help, don't hesitate to ask."

"If I need my teeth filed, I know who to call," Judy ended the call cheerfully, "thanks and goodbye." She immediately turned to Nick. "Lionheart's bodyguards are at an abandoned asylum in the Meadowlands, they've been there for two weeks or so, which is about how long ago the first of the missing mammals disappeared. We still don't have an address," she remarked with a shake of her head, "but how many abandoned asylums can there be?"

Nick was looking down at his phone. "I got a long rambling email from Honey. The ram we've got tied up is named Doug Ramses, and she says he studied chemical engineering at ZU and is a known associate of Illumibaati operative Bellwether. Of course they're both from Meadowlands, and she's a politician who specializes in getting out the sheep vote, so it would be more suspicious if they hadn't been seen together. Honey also promised to send the footage to ZNN if I don't stay in touch with her. So, hey, if we get killed out there, she'll carry on for us!" He tried to fake a grin, but his ears twitched back just long enough to expose his poor joke as another attempt to hide his emotions.

"Nick, if you're scared, I understand if you want to leave."

"What, me, scared?" Nick threw back his head with a fake laugh. "What do I have to be scared of? Just an unknown number of deranged sheep with a bioweapon! I'm sure we can take them down, no problem."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. But if all goes well, we won't have to fight anymore, just get the info to the proper authorities and they'll handle the rest. Did Honey say anything about Cliffside?"

Nick blinked and shook his head, "oh, I forgot to mention that, it wasn't in the recordings. I'll pass that on." As he typed out his message, he asked, "so, what's the plan when we find the place?"

"I think our best bet is to sneak past the guards and find a scientist working on the cure. The security guards will be focused on security, but the scientists will be thinking about solutions, so they'll be willing to listen to us. And we've got a fox who could sell refrigerators in Tundra Town."

"That's actually not that hard, climate control works both ways. But how do we sneak past them?" Nick asked. He chuckled and shook his head. "Wow, imagine that, a fox asking a bunny for advice on sneaking around!" His eyes caught on something outside the car, and he started sniffing the air, "never mind, we can all figure it out after lunch. We'll need plenty of fuel to pull this off."

Judy followed his gaze, and saw Renato approaching with a large paper bag, walking slowly so Octavia could keep up on her much shorter legs.

Chapter Text

Judy looked out the window to see Renato carrying a large paper bag, with Octavia strolling along beside him. He opened the door and began passing out the food, leaving dessert on the dash for later. He had a seasoned salmon fillet, with a bowl of clam chowder for Octavia, and a shared plate of fried oysters. Judy and Nick had a veggie platter to share, and they immediately dug in. Renato shot them both a playful wink, asking "So, did you two have a good time while we were gone?"

Octavia scampered over the seat, rolling her eyes at Renato as she went. "There's no way they did that in this little time."

"Well, she is a bunny." Judy's ears twitched angrily, but she realized she couldn't object too much after her own assumptions about Nick, so she showed her annoyance by crunching loudly on a carrot. Which she belatedly realized was not the best way to avoid bunny stereotypes.

The otter looked disapprovingly up at the jaguar. "Now that is an ignorant thing to say. Besides, he's a fox, foxes take a lot longer than that."

"Flower Girl, how do you know so much about fox anatomy?" Nick asked.

"From Tying The Knot," she answered. Judy noticed Nick jerk his head back and blink in surprise, but had no idea why. "No, it's a book, about mating customs," Octavia continued. "The head editor's a fox, so they had some fun with the title. It's a lot more lively than most sociological treatises, and so useful in the floral business. It helps to know things like traditional anniversary gifts, who throws the bouquet at a wedding, or eats it, or throws it then eats it. Of course nothing is set in stone with matters of the heart, but even those who've moved past old traditions often like to play with them."

"Huh, I might like to borrow that book sometime," Nick said. "So, how was Hugo?"

"Your friend Hugo was too busy to say much," Renato answered, "but his assistant was a lot of fun."

"I think the term is sous-chef," Octavia said, savoring a spoonful of clam chowder, "Alyssa's a treat. Friendly, confident, runs the kitchen well. I should bring Emmitt there once all this is sorted out. And she had a message for someone named Finnick. Said to tell him she finally forgives him for the rug incident, since it got her a great new job and a big upgrade in the boyfriend department. She really emphasized the word 'big'."

"Yeah, she was a bit sore when she found out we used her fur for a rug without giving her a cut," Nick sighed, "and then we had to fold up the whole operation after Mr. Big, so Hugo took his share from the weaving and took over a run-down restaurant. I'm not sure if a raccoon is that big an upgrade from a fox, but she always liked tweaking Finnick. One of the things we had in common. Glad to hear they're doing well."

"Wait, little Toot-toot dated a skunk?" Judy asked. "Isn't it hard to deal with the smell?"

Every eye in the car gave her a disapproving look. "Judy," Octavia asked, "have you ever spent any time around skunks? They're usually very careful about hygiene. Most skunks are lovely mammals, they work hard at keeping their spray under control. And don't get nearly enough credit for it."

"I'm sorry," Judy said,"I wasn't thinking. That's what Nick and I were talking about. I realized I have some fear of predators, foxes especially, and it's been clouding my judgment. I'm working on it. So if I say anything dumb like that, let me know, and I'll try to be better. And while I'm confessing, I'm not blackmailing Nick anymore, I haven't been since we left Weaselton. I shouldn't have treated you like that, Nick."

"Admitting you have a problem," Renato said kindly, "is the first step to fixing it. You have done nothing to hurt me, you seem to be a good rabbit."

"I was afraid of that since Greg mentioned the fox repellent," Octavia said with a frown. Nick showed off the offending item. "But the fact that you rushed in to help me and Emmitt, anyone who does that can't be all bad. Old habits are hard to break, Judy, but I still believe in you."

"Thanks," Judy said, smiling again. "I've got another lead. I called Lizzie, her brother works for the mayor, and he's guarding the victims at an abandoned asylum in the meadowlands. Either of you know where that might be?"

Nick looked down at his phone, "Honey sent me a message while we were eating. It has coordinates for Cliffside Asylum. She says she's going to," he made air quotes with his claws, "sharpen her shears and meet us there later."

"Sharpen her shears?" Judy asked, "The sheep-obsessed conspiracy nut is going to meet us with sharpened shears?" Nick nodded and shrugged. "Sweet cheese and crackers," she muttered.

"If we have another lead," Renato asked, "why are we taking the time for lunch?"

"I want us well-fed and ready if something goes wrong. I burn a lot of energy and have a tiny stomach, plus I don't think any of us slept well last night." Judy eagerly accepted a slice of blueberry pie. The scent reminded her of home. She heard Nick inhaling the same scent with just as much relish. But she noticed something else. "Nick, you didn't touch the oysters. There's still some of them left."

"Well, that's because I'm a vegetarian."

"Good for you, Nick, it's a healthy diet," Judy replied with a smile.

"No," Nick said, "it's healthy for you," he pulled a bottle out of his pocket, "and for me if I'm very careful," he popped something from the bottle into his mouth and waved to the front of the car, "but for those two, there couldn't be a less healthy diet. Foxes are omnivores, we can live on meat and plants, but we need more protein than you do. Cats can't even digest most plant matter, and I'm not sure about otters but I've never seen a weasel eat a salad."

"Carnivore here," Octavia agreed, "but if it works for you, enjoy."

Nick pulled something from his bottle and offered it to Judy. It was round, squishy, and dark blue. "These are gummy vitamins, with a big dose of taurine. Might give you that pick-me-up you need."

"Taurine, that's the stuff in energy drinks?" Judy asked as she began to chew. "Blueberry flavor?" she added with a smirk. She could barely taste the berry under the chemicals, but Nick was trying to do something nice for her, so she accepted the gesture gratefully. And she was starting to feel a bit more energetic already.

"Is it blueberry? Yes, yes it is," Nick smirked back, "Been my favorite flavor since I was a kit. Captain, Flower Girl, want one?" Octavia waved no.

"I will take one," Renato replied, holding out his paw. "Taurine is an essential nutrient, but most mammals make their own. I thought only cats could not."

"Some foxes can, some can't, and there's no way to know which I am without risking blindness or a genetic test that costs too much and leaves a paper trail I don't want. So I take it just to be safe."

"So, why, Nick?" Judy asked, "why are you a vegetarian if you aren't sure you can live on just veggies?"

"It's something I picked up from my dad," Nick answered, a wistful look in his eyes. "He was a tailor, had a nice little shop that he worked his tail off to build. He did great work," Nick sniffled and looked down at the loud-colored tie hanging loosely from his neck, "the cancer took him when I was six, but this tie is still holding together. But not everyone trusted him. Foxes have a certain reputation. He found out that prey would be more willing to trust a predator who ate like them. Seeing sharp teeth sinking into flesh just made them uneasy. So he found some steady customers over all-veggie business lunches. When he was around, the menu at home was always veggie-heavy. He brought home a little good fish for me, because I was growing and needed the protein, he didn't force his diet on us. He always said it should be my choice." His ears, his voice, his entire head fell, "and then we lost him, we lost everything, and we didn't have any choices anymore. We lived on Bugga-Burga that Mom brought home after working late, or leftovers from shady places she waited tables. We didn't have the money or the time to eat the good stuff, mom had to make sacrifices to make sure I got fed at all. And when I finally hustled my way back up to where I could afford to eat what I wanted, I found that what I wanted was to eat like Dad did." He licked his lips and smirked, "I cheat sometimes, I am a fox, and sushi's mostly rice anyway. But after spending all those years living on bad meat, I don't really miss it." He looked around at all the eyes on him. "I can't believe I told you all that."

Judy reached out to hold Nick's paw. She felt his pulse, and was surprised to find his heart beat nearly the same speed as her own. He had been through so much, he needed comfort. "Nick, it's okay, we're all friends here. At least I think we are. It's one of those times where you get to know each other fast."

"Sometimes, when you've been badly hurt," Octavia began, "You build walls around yourself. It's like slowing your heart to keep from drowning. You can't really live like that, but for a while it keeps things from getting worse. You pretend you're okay, but you're holding everything in. Sometimes all it takes is one mammal you can really trust, and the floodgates open. But if you open up like that and get betrayed again, you can end up worse off than you started."

Judy hung her head. It sounded like Octavia was speaking from recent experience, and the one who'd offered her hope only to tear it away had been Judy herself. "I'm sorry, Octavia, I wish I could have started looking for Emmitt right away, without hurting you like that."

"All is forgiven, Judy, you've done so much. Bless you. And you too, Nick. Whatever else you might have done, you stayed to help us when you could have left. That alone is enough to make you a good mammal in my book." Octavia turned to Renato, "and the same to you, Renato, you put your anger and pain aside to help us solve all this."

"To be honest, revenge is a factor," Renato said, "your husband and I are both victims of the same crime, and punishing the ones who hurt us is tempting."

"I don't think anyone can blame you for that, Renato," Judy said, "it felt good to kick that jerk of a sheep."

"Are we sure he is trapped down there?" Renato asked.

"We used zip ties, ribbon, duct tape and electrical cables, layered on top of each other," Nick answered. "If he struggles too much, the ties will tighten and cut into him. He doesn't have claws to cut through anything, his mouth is taped shut so he can't call for help, and he's covered up so no one can see him from a passing train. He's as helpless as a zebra trying to play the piano."

"And he'd just gotten off the phone with his boss, who gave him a target for tonight. So we have at least until sunset before anyone comes looking for him."

"Judy," Renato asked, "did you say something about a black sheep with suspenders when we were questioning that weasel?"

"Yeah, why?" Judy replied, turning her head to look out to the street. She suspected she knew what he was talking about already. "Oh, celery sticks," she muttered as she saw two rams approaching, carrying a heavy-looking container between them. The first fit the description Lance had given for the ram who'd tried to buy Night Howlers illegally; big, dark-wooled, horns spiralling upward, with red suspenders and a white t-shirt. The other was shorter, with dingy off-white wool, an eyepatch, and a nasty expression. "Okay, change of plans. We need to stop them from freeing Doug or warning the others."

"I'll pick their pockets and take their phones," Nick volunteered, "and their wallets too, they can't charge without their credit cards."

Judy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Do we have any better weapons than Nick's terrible jokes?"

"Oh, Carrots, you wound me," Nick replied with an exaggerated hurt expression and a paw over his heart.

Renato held up his paw and extended his claws. "I have these. For the rest, you should check the back."

Judy climbed over the backseat and found a coil of rope, on top of a bag of salt. The rope was thick and sturdy, perhaps strong enough to tow the vehicle out of a hole. There was a large, heavy hammer, sized for a bear, which would be useful for hammering in climbing equipment to scale an ice wall in TundraTown. But it could easily be used for other purposes entirely. She remembered all too clearly where they had gotten their transportation. Nothing was obviously illegal, but many items could be used as improvised and deniable weapons. That was what she needed now, but it was all too big for her to use. It gave her the idea to look at the spare tire. She hefted the jack handle in her paw, it was hollow but heavy enough to make a useful weapon, while still being light enough for her to use. And under a thick blanket she hid the most horrible weapon of all, Doug's Night Howler gun. "Let them move along a bit, we'll hit them from behind. Adjust the seat and steering column so Octavia can drive. If we need a getaway, we'll need it in a hurry. Renato, you take the one with the eyepatch after Nick gets their phones and any weapons. I'll deal with the big one."

"Judy," Renato said, "I mean no disrespect, but you may be overestimating your strength."

"It's more a symmetry thing," Nick said, putting a paw over his eye.

"I fought a rhino at the academy, and won," Judy announced, "I can do this."

"A rhinocerous?" Renato asked. Judy nodded. "You fought a rhinocerous? How?"

"I used the ropes on the sparring ring to launch myself so he hit himself in the head."

"Clever bunny," Nick said. The others nodded in agreement.

"We can do this," Judy said, reassuring herself as much as her comrades.

Nick crept toward the rams silently, pleased to finally be using his years of dishonest experience for a good cause. He pulled out a wallet, a phone, another phone, and a pocketknife before signalling to the others. He moved back, grinning and pocketing the items. Judy's training and her soft paws, and Renato's experience as an ambush predator in a job that faded into the background made it easy for them to get close unheard. Judy sized up the enemy, looking for weaknesses, while Renato bared his claws and pounced. The shorter, one-eyed sheep fell to the ground with a surprised bleat, and the container they were carrying tipped and landed with a sound of sloshing liquid and glass clanking together. The other ram immediately turned to his fallen comrade. Renato roared in pain as a hoof connected with his side.

"We have you surrounded!" Judy yelled. The big sheep turned to face her, sparing Renato another kick. "If you surrender, we won't hurt you. We have a sniper on the roof." She smiled as he looked up for the sniper that wasn't there, and hit him between the legs with the metal rod she'd brought from the car.

Nick winced. "Way to fight dirty, Hopps!" His tone conveyed a mix of grudging respect and sympathetic pain.

"At my size you have to fight dirty sometimes," Judy replied, delivering a flurry of punches to all the ram's stomachs as he doubled over in pain. "I told you to surrender!"

The other ram had wiggled out from under Renato, and was muttering curses. He reached for the knife in his pocket, but didn't find it, so he grabbed a glass bottle instead. As soon as Judy saw that, she knew her tactics had to change. One opponent was disabled for now, but Renato looked injured, and even an improvised weapon could be dangerous. "Nick, watch this guy!" she ordered as she hopped over to the other ram.

"You're gonna pay for that, fishbreath," he said as he advanced toward Renato, waving the bottle menacingly. Judy aimed a kick at the back of his knee. It wasn't enough to make him fall, but he was off balance long enough for her to jump and strike his wrist, forcing him to drop the bottle, which shattered with a crash and a smell of alcohol. Now the ground was littered with shards of glass, which Judy realized were more dangerous to her paws than to a hard pair of hooves. She took a leap onto his back and grabbed onto his neck. Her paws tapped along his neck, feeling for his carotid arteries through the wool.

The ram bleated, cursed, thrashed around, and tried to knock her off, but she managed to hold onto his neck, even if her grip slipped off the spots she needed. The world around Judy swirled as her opponent wobbled, crushing bits of broken glass under his hooves. She saw with horror that the other ram was starting to get up, and Nick was all alone. On the next spin, she saw him pulling something from his pocket. Then heard him and the ram both screaming in pain. Next she saw Nick with one paw over his eyes, wandering aimlessly closer to a wall, and the ram blindly homing in on the noise he was making. Finally, Judy's paws found the right spots at the same time, and she held for just a few seconds. The one-eyed ram fainted and fell over, and she leapt off, charging toward Nick. By then, his back was practically to the wall, and the big black ram was down on all fours, snorting in rage, preparing to charge blindly at the fox. "Nick, watch out!" Judy yelled, but it was too late. The ram charged.

And Nick danced to the side in one smooth, graceful motion, leaving him to slam right into the wall. In the moment of confusion, Nick pulled a knife from his pocket, and pressed it against the ram's neck. "I wouldn't try getting up again, if I were you," Nick said, putting his trademark smirk back on. "Of course, if I were you, I'd be a lot dumber, and not nearly as handsome."

Behind her, Judy heard another voice. "Sometimes, the claws slip." She turned to see Renato pressing the one-eyed ram against the concrete, paw against his throat. The fight was over.

Judy fetched the rope and ran to Nick. "So you faked that whole thing?" she asked as she tied up the ram.

"Did I fake it all? No, no I did not," Nick replied with a wheeze. "That fox repellent is nasty stuff. But I only got hit with a little, he took most of it." He blinked, shook his head, and pulled out a red handkerchief to wipe his eyes. "Still stings a bit."

Judy bound the other ram and took a look at Renato's chest. He hissed at her touch, but insisted he was fine. His breathing suggested otherwise, but there was little she could do about it at the moment. She looked at the container the two rams had been carrying. High-proof alcohol, distilled water, potting soil and plant food. Clearly supplies for the Night Howler lab.

"According to his ID," Nick began, "this big lug has the ironic name of Woolter White. And his ironically less-blind buddy was carrying what I'm pretty sure is the key to the subway. What say we shove them down there and tie Doug up a bit tighter before we head off to meet Lionfart?"

The dragged Woolter and Jesse down the stairs, tying them to different parts of the rail so they couldn't help each other escape. Judy taped their snouts shut and moved on, listening for incoming trains before untying Doug.

Nick roughly tore the tape off Doug's snout, cut through his restraints, and gave the knife to Renato, who stared at the ram in menacing silence. "We got your buddies," Nick said smugly, "It's only a matter of time before someone turns on you, so you might as well tell us what else you know. We're going after your boss next."

"You'll never find her!" Doug spat. He looked Judy in the eyes, nostrils flaring in rage. "She'll get away, and go after your family in Bunny Burrow! Imagine all those helpless little rabbits waiting to be slaughtered because their big sister betrayed her kind for these filthy bug-eating fleabags!" Judy shivered at the thought.

"Don't worry, Hopps, he's just trying to get inside your head. So, the boss of all this is a she, is that about right? That'll narrow down the search by half." Doug's strange rectangular eyes went wide as he realized he'd revealed more information. "See, you're helping plenty!" Nick looked over to Judy, her ears droopy, still looking frightened. "We'll get her, Carrots, trust me. There's no way they'll get to your family."

"No, he has a point, Nick," Judy replied sadly. "Night Howlers are used in farming, to keep bugs off of crops. They're all around the fields on most of the farms out there. Including my family's farm. They're not going after my family, the Burrows are full of ammo. And the bunnies are already afraid of predators." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put on a determined look. "But we will stop them." She looked Doug in the eye and sneered. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

Renato approached, went down on one knee, and pressed the knife against Doug's neck. "I could kill you right here, right now," he snarled. "No one would miss you. But where would the fun be in that?" The jaguar grinned, putting the knife away and flexing his claws. "Instead, I will leave you alone to stew in your humiliation. You think you are superior to us, but you have been brought down by a little fox and a bunny. There is no escape for you. When you get to prison, even the prey-supremacist gangs will want nothing to do with you. You are an embarrassment and a failure. A disgrace to your species and your disgusting cause. Seeing you brought low like this is all the revenge I need." He picked up the ram with a pained grunt, and tossed him up to the opposite platform, where Judy taped his snout shut and Nick bound him to a railing.

When they returned to the car, Octavia waved happily. "Judy! I think I know where this place is. We catered a goat wedding a few years ago, by the cliffs in the Meadowlands. I saw this big condemned building on the way in. I think I can get us there pretty quickly. Isn't that great? Renato, you can take a break from driving."

"About that," Judy began nervously.

"You need me to stay here and stand guard, is that right?" Renato interrupted her. "So that there are no other unpleasant surprises?"

"Exactly," Judy replied, "that would be a big help. But if you don't feel well after that kick..."

"I will be fine, Judy." She privately doubted that, but it wasn't worth arguing about.

"It was nice working with you!" Octavia said, "don't be a stranger." She passed out three business cards. "I wrote our home address on the back for you. Feel free to visit after this is all over. You're all welcome to use the pool. Sorry again about the eye."

"That's," Nick said, blinking at the card in his paw, his tail starting to wag gently, "that's very nice of you, Flower Girl."

Renato squinted his eyes and smiled, "I would love that, Mrs. Otterton. I look forward to seeing you again under more pleasant circumstances. Good luck, and thank you for your help, Judy, Nick."

"Thank you," Judy replied. "Thank you all."

Chapter Text

They parked a few blocks away from the road with the CONDEMNED sign. As Nick had mentioned, there were cameras at every major intersection, so staying out of sight the last few hundred yards to the asylum might keep anyone from noticing they were coming. Cutting through a maintenance tunnel along the way helped too. Nick packed some of the Night Howler ammo in his pill bottle, and Judy brought one of the flowers in a plastic bag. The rest they left in the back of the car. Judy sent Renato a message with the location so someone would know to do something if things went horribly wrong.

"Octavia, please stay here where it's safe," Judy asked, looking down at the otter. "We're going to sneak past a bunch of wolves..."

"And my husband is in there, so I am going with you and that is final," Octavia replied, waving her tiny little webbed claw. "Besides, I snuck past Clawhauser, how much harder can this be?" Judy liked Clawhauser too much to give the obvious response to that.

"Flower Girl, I didn't want to say this, but mustelids have a certain odor," Nick added with a sigh, "We're dealing with wolves, they may not be the sharpest tools in the shed but they've got even better noses than mine."

"Yes, yes, I know," Octavia replied, "I don't care, I'm still going, and we're wasting time." She looked up at Judy, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please, Judy, he's in there, I'm sure of it. I need to go to him, hold him. I need to be able to tell our children that he's coming home."

The argument was pointless. There was nothing Judy or Nick could do to convince Octavia not to go now that she knew where her husband was being kept. Short of tying her up and leaving her in the car, but that was too dangerous for a different reason. With a heavy sigh, Judy relented, "Okay, stay close to Nick. Nick, stay behind me, and let me know when you can smell them."

"Can do, Carrots," Nick whispered, just loud enough for her to make out his words. "As hard as it is to believe, I know a thing or two about sneaking around."

They walked quietly at a normal speed until Nick made an unusually loud sniff. Judy turned to look at him. He made a series of paw signals that she couldn't make any sense out of, but she knew that he'd smelled the wolves. With that in mind, she slowed and tried to be as silent as possible. The others followed her lead. They crept along beside the main road without seeing or hearing anyone else until the security checkpoint came in sight. The wolf watching it was tall, slender, and white, with pointy ears, in jeans and a trenchcoat. From this distance he could have been mistaken for his sister. The wind on Judy's ears told her that luck was on their side; it was blowing toward them, which would keep their scent hidden.

They approached as closely as Judy felt was safe. By then she could see Gary's brown eyes clearly, and the gray-furred wolf behind him with a turtleneck under his trenchcoat. She held up her paw and started her best imitation of a wolf howl. Gary joined in, and his boyfriend warned him not to start a howl, which provoked an argument about who started it. Before they could get too far with that question, Judy howled again, louder this time, and Nick backed her up. That was enough to get the two wolves howling at full volume, and that spread the howl to every wolf around.

Judy started running. Nick scooped up Octavia and ran after her. The wolves were howling at the top of their lungs, their muzzles turned to the sky, in no position to see who or what had caused the uproar. They made it inside without being seen, and all took a moment to breathe.

"That was exciting, and clever," Octavia said, "see, we made it in just fine."

"You're not the one who had to carry someone," Nick replied.

"Oh, you have very gentle paws, thank you for the ride."

"We need to keep going," Judy said, pressing on to the next door. The building looked old, but not abandoned. The equipment looked modern and new, but the walls seemed an afterthought. Soon, they found a series of cells with polycarbonate doors and state-of-the-art electronic locks slapped on ancient poorly-furnished rooms. A tiger lunged at them, stopped by running into the transparent barrier hard enough to shake it. Octavia let out a strangled shriek, and Nick gasped in fright. Judy kept her emotions hidden, but her heart was racing. The tiger was on all fours, leaping at them with all claws extended. It was snarling, its eyes glowing in a disturbing way, with no sign of intelligence, its clothes tattered and torn. Judy knew this was a fellow mammal, with a home, a job, probably a worried family somewhere, but it didn't feel like a mammal, it felt like some giant mindless violent thing that could and would eat her alive if it got half a chance. Knowing that this poor tiger was only acting this way because of the poison didn't make it any less terrifying, it made it worse. Doug had chosen to do this to a fellow mammal, fourteen times, and he'd shown no remorse for it. As frightening as the caged tiger was, the monsters who'd made this happen were far, far worse. She turned to her friends. "Nick, Octavia, are you okay? The barrier should hold, and if the victims are here, there must be a doctor close by." Her eyes darted around. "Octavia, where are you?" Judy heard more roars and crashes, and turned to find the source of the sound.

The otter had scampered down the hall, and was looking into each cell in turn, sniffing the air as she went. Some cells she passed by with a quick glance, a couple she left trembling after another savage mammal charged at her and struck a wall. By the time Judy and Nick had caught up to her, she had found what she was looking for. "Emmitt, I'm here!" she called out joyfully. "It's okay, we're together again. Everything's going to be alright." Emmitt Otterton was in the cell, slowly shuffling closer on all fours. "Yes, come here, my love!" He looked disheveled, the clothes he had been wearing for nearly two weeks torn and dirty. His broken glasses lay on the floor. But he was alive. Judy's efforts to reunite the two hadn't been in vain. "I've found you, Emmitt, and everything's going to be better now."

But, of course, it wasn't. Emmitt shook, snarled, and leapt at the wall, his claws scrabbling on the barrier. "No," Octavia whimpered. "No, that's not, it isn't, he can't be. It's not supposed to be like this. No, that's not my Emmitt!" She wailed, tears flowing down her fur, "please, please come back. I love you. I need you."

A voice came down the hall. "What is all this racket? Who's riling up the patients?"

"Doctor, maybe you should stay back, there might be danger."

Judy turned to the new voices. It was the wolves they'd snuck past at the entrance, and a badger in a white labcoat. She nervously waved. "Hi, I'm Judy Hopps. I've got some important things to tell you, Doctor."

"This is the fox that started the howl!" the grey wolf said, pointing accusingly at Nick.

"Did I start the howl?" Nick replied, "no, no I did not. That would be the bunny over there."

The wolves turned to look at her with tilted heads. Judy sighed and looked down. "Yes, I started the howl, but it was only so I could get in here and see the doctors."

"Doctors, plural?" the badger asked, then laughed and shook her head. "No, we've only got the one doctor here." She offered her paw to Judy to shake. "Madge Honeybadger, PhD, biochemistry. Was doing some promising research until Lionheart threatened to pull my funding unless I helped him with this secret project. You can just call me Madge, I'm getting a bit tired of being called 'Doctor'."

"Judy Hopps, first rabbit on the ZPD, until Chief Bogo fired me for volunteering to find a missing otter. Which we just did." She pointed to Emmitt's cell. Not the joyful reunion she'd hoped for.

Madge pressed her paw to her temple, "oh, no, this is Otterton's wife? I wish she didn't have to see her husband like this."

"Yes, this is Octavia Otterton," Judy answered. "She's the one who figured out what's causing this. There's a group of sheep using a poisonous flower to turn predators savage."

"Sheep?" Madge asked. "You sound like my crazy sister."

"Is her name Honey, by any chance?" Nick asked.

"Her name is Wendy. She uses 'Honey' as a handle among the lowlifes who feed her delusions." She looked Nick up and down with disdain. "Which would make you Nick Wilde, right?" Nick nodded. Madge pointed to the wolves. "The grey one's Larry, the white one's Gary, they guard the place. They reported a perimeter breach, which would be you three. But that's not important now, you said you knew what was causing," she waved a paw to indicate the cages full of over a dozen savage predators, "all this?"

Judy nodded and pulled a plastic bag with a single blue flower from her pocket. "This flower is called midnicampum holicithias. It's poisonous, and the poison has been refined and altered to turn innocent predators into," she looked around at the imprisoned victims, "into that. I have video of the lab, and three of the rams responsible are tied up there under guard. Nick has their cell phones, a sample of the refined poison, and we've got more evidence in our car. We don't know who started this, but we know the head of it all is still out there. She is a female herbivore, most likely a sheep. She doesn't know we're onto her, but she'll figure out something is up when the next attack doesn't happen tonight."

Madge carefully took the bagged flower from Judy. She turned it over in her paws, examining it from every angle. "You have more of these? I'll need samples to test. If i can isolate the active ingredient, that's the first step to finding an antidote." She turned around sharply and beckoned, "come to the lab, I need to get started."

Judy looked back at Octavia, sobbing outside her husband's cell. "We can't just leave her."

Larry turned to Gary. "Keep an eye on her. She needs someone gentle and kind to keep her safe."

Gary grinned at his mate and wagged his tail, "aww, thanks Larry-berry! You can count on me."

"Larry-berry?" Nick asked playfully, "that's almost as good as Lionfart."

Larry-berry facepawed. "How many times have I told you not to call me that in public?"

"Hold the lovers' quarrel for later, Larry-berry," Madge said in a deadpan tone, "we need to get started on this so we can report to Lionfart."

Judy patted Octavia on the shoulder. "We'll do whatever we can to get him back. I promise."

The lab was cluttered, packed with an assortment of mismatched equipment. Some Judy recognized from her forensics classes, some was ancient and in poor repair, some completely outside her experience. Madge busied herself preparing slides and samples of the poison. "So, what do you know about this stuff?" she asked.

"Honestly, not much," Judy admitted. "Octavia is the one who had experience with the flower. She runs a flower shop with her husband, and thinks he was targeted because he figured out Night Howlers were being used." She pulled out Doug's phone and set it down. "This is the phone the sniper got his orders on, what can you do with it?"

Madge looked at the phone disdainfully. "I could probably beat your high score in Flappy Bat. Beyond that, not much. Just because I'm a scientist doesn't mean I know everything, that was Lionfart's mistake. Luckily my expertise is in chemicals."

"Speaking of chemicals," Nick added, "We also have something else, from a false bottom in the gun case. It's supposed to be an antidote, but I wouldn't trust the guy who labeled it as far as I could throw him."

Testing indicated that the "antidote" was in fact a deadly poison. They'd been right about Doug wanting to dispose of his mistakes. Madge flitted around the lab, setting up tests while the machinery ran. When the structure of the active ingredient in the weapon came up on screen, she stared and tilted her head. "I've seen this before. Just fragments, but this looks like what we found in the first blood samples from Barksdale. This is confirmation." She turned to Judy, "you've solved it. This is what they were dosed with. It must have crossed the blood-brain barrier and stayed there, that's why we could only find it in the first blood samples." She threw up her paws and shook her head. "And here I was thinking it was something biological, I just missed what branch of biology."

"So, can you find a cure?" Judy asked.

"Not alone," Madge replied, "I'll need help, equipment, specialists. I need to speak to someone who's actually dealt with this poison before, in the natural form."

"You could call Doctor Blanc in Bunny Burrow. Half the farms in the area use Night Howlers for pest control. My parents always warned us to stay away, but if anyone was less careful someone would have eaten those flowers, and they would call Dr. Blanc to deal with any injuries."

Larry's radio cracked to life. "All units, be advised, we have had a perimeter breach. Again." The voice was lupine, gruff and annoyed. "Intruder is a badger in camouflage, with some sort of oversized electric razor. Apprehended without injury." The voice on the radio sighed and added under her breath. "But I don't know how I'll explain this patch of bare hide to my husband. Anyway, be on the lookout, after the howl incident this is the second breach in an hour. Over and out."

Madge sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's my sister all right. Have her brought here."

Larry spoke into the radio, "Doctor Honeybadger has had a bit of a breakthrough. We have confirmation of what is causing mammals to go savage, and that it is not contagious. Repeat: not contagious. We have reason to believe the intruder could help in developing a cure. Please have her brought to the lab. Over and out."

"Wait, how can Honey help find a cure?" Judy asked.

"That was just something I said to get Colleen to bring her here without wringing her neck."

"She can't help find a cure," Madge explained, "but she knows enough about hacking she might be able to track that phone you brought. That might put a stop to this whole thing."

Larry, Madge, Judy, and Nick stepped out into the hallway to greet the newcomers. A tall, slender blonde-furred wolf approached, dressed much like Larry, holding an agitated badger in one paw and a strange-looking homemade electric shaver in the other. Pinkish, inflamed hide showed through the jagged line up the left side of her neck where she'd been sheared. "I'm keeping this stupid thing," Colleen grumbled, "I don't trust you with it."

The family resemblance between the two badgers was obvious. Their facial markings and the lengths of their tails matched up closely. But where Madge was plump and poised in her white coat, Honey was thinner, twitchy and animated, dressed in patchy camouflage "I told you! I told you about the sheep, didn't I Madge!? You said I was nuts but I told you!" She waved her paws about, gesticulating wildly as she spoke.

Madge sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Wendy, you told me. You've been telling me for years that the sheep are behind EVERYTHING! Eventually, you had to find a REAL sheep conspiracy by sheer blind dumb luck."

"Bu-but!" Honey sputtered.

"Wendy, you blamed the sheep for everything from the ozone hole to airplane exhaust to cancelling that space western TV show you liked to the weather in Sahara Square!"

"It's supposed to be cold at night in the desert, it's not natural!"

"Of course it isn't natural, the whole point of the climate wall is to create artificial environments. The waste heat from TundraTown has to go somewhere, it's basic thermodynamics!" With a heavy sigh, she shook her head and streched her paws out. "Come here, sis, it's been a while. I know it's a stressful time, but it's good to see you."

Honey rushed forward and slammed into Madge, who braced herself and held tight. "It's good to see you too. Did Nick tell you everything?"

"Even better," Nick said with a grin, "I brought her a sample. She's already found proof that Doug's poison is what's been causing this." He held up Doug's phone. "Now we need you to break into this, and find out who's calling the shots so we can bring them down." Honey rubbed her paws together joyfully, gave Madge one last squeeze, and rushed to the lab with Nick.

"What is going on here?" Colleen growled, "and what does that little lunatic have to do with it?"

"No," Madge said firmly, gripping Colleen's leg hard enough to leave claw marks on her pants. "I'm the only one who gets to call her crazy."

To defuse the situation, Judy began explaining. "I've been looking for Emmitt Otterton, who you're holding here. During the investigation, his wife realized that he was given a dose of poison derived from a flower to silence him. As florists, they're in a unique position to recognize the effect of a toxic flower. The mammals that went savage were deliberately targeted by a sniper, a sheep."

"That's why only predators have gone savage," Colleen interrupted, "we're being attacked on purpose by prey supremacists."

"That seems to be accurate, yes," Judy replied, "Doctor Honeybadger has already started testing the poison."

"I've confirmed it's the same stuff I saw fragments of in Barksdale's blood. Beyond that I've got a lot of work to do."

"And the," Colleen began, but thought carefully of her words as Madge glared up at her, "the doctor's sister? What does she have to do with anything?"

"She's a friend of Nick's, she gave us some information about the sheep involved."

Madge shook her head, "Take that with a grain of salt. She suffers from paranoid delusions, thinks sheep are involved in all kinds of ridiculous conspiracies. She's really not a bad mammal. The fact that she uses a silly, harmless weapon like those shears suggests to me that she doesn't truly want to hurt anyone. She lost someone she loved in a freak accident, went off her meds, and her mind tried to make sense of it with this nonsense." She looked down at the floor sadly, "I'm sorry she attacked you like that, but..."

"No need to apologize," Colleen replied, "I've had some friends with mental health issues. Knowing what this place used to be, it puts me on edge. I'm not sure if I'm imagining the smell of blood or, what that means."

"Oh, I hear you," Madge replied. "Just working here gives me the creeps, and I've got a clean bill of mental health! I don't even like the thought of her in a place like this. But now that we've got her here, the important thing is to keep her focused so we can fix this."

"I'm sure we're all a bit on edge," Judy said. "Can you really smell..." She trailed off. Cliffside was an old asylum, it might have been out of use since before she'd been born. If a wolf's nose was really that good, it was both fascinating and a little creepy.

Colleen ignored the question about the smell. "So, this means that the predators going savage are victims of terrorism, not a disease or anything contagious?" She visibly relaxed at Judy's nod, "which means we don't have to be afraid of catching it? And you said you'd already caught the sniper? That's a load off my mind."

"That's right, but we're still not done," Judy replied, "We need to find the leader of all this, she'll be expecting another attack tonight. If she realizes we're onto her, she'll run and try this again somewhere else. Who knows how many more innocent mammals could be hurt?"

Colleen nodded. "What can I do to help?"

"Inform Mayor Lionheart," Judy answered immediately. "And see if there's anything you can do to help Mrs. Otterton. The rest of the evidence is in our car, she has the keys."

Judy and Madge returned to the lab to find Honey scrawling something on a desk calendar. She swiveled around in the chair and waved to them. "Hi! Okay, the phones are clearly burners, prepaid with cash, not much chance of tracing them. But there aren't many numbers that have been calling them, I'm trying to map it out now." Her words tumbled out quickly, she was obviously excited by the project.

Madge took a look at the calendar, covered with notes of times in multicolored pen. "This means something," she said, rummaging through drawers for a different color and paging through a notebook. In a minute she'd added fourteen notes in pencil, each in between two of Honey's markings. "There, these are the times we picked up the patients. They're all within twelve hours after a red call, and twenty minutes before or after a green. So what are red and green?"

"Green is an outgoing call lasting at most a few seconds from Doug Ramses to a number belonging to an old numeric pager. Red is a call TO Ramses from a phone on a government switchboard. The blacks are calls between the three phones, and the blues are everything else, probably wrong numbers."

"So when he said he'd buzz her, he meant it literally?" Judy asked, "any way you can trace those further?"

Honey shook her head, "I'm afraid not. There are too many government phone systems to hack them all at once, and if anyone catches on they'll know someone's on their tail." She noticed Larry's odd look, and let out a nervous laugh, "of-of course, I wouldn't try to illegally access government phone records! I-I've never done such a thing! What kind of nutcase do you think I am?"

Under her breath, Madge muttered "Please don't answer that."

"You know," Nick spoke up, "the kind of mammal who would do something like this, they'd have to really get off on inflicting pain."

"A sadist," Judy nodded in agreement. She'd learned a bit about profiling at the Academy, but Nick's hustling experience made him a natural at it. "And sadists like to watch their victims suffer. So whoever's doing this must have access to the traffic cameras." Her foot started tapping. "That points to the ZPD, and we already know there's a dirty cop there. Every incoming call to the ZPD is recorded, to catch threats and ransom demands. I never got my own phone there, so I don't know if outgoing calls are recorded, but they're definitely logged. So all we need is someone we can trust at the ZPD to check the records!"

Nick shook his head. "If every incoming call is recorded, they'll be onto us the instant we call in. We need another way to get in touch."

"It might not even be the ZPD," Larry said, "We have access to the traffic cams in City Hall, to make security arrangements for the Mayor's public appearances. And the Transit Authority must do something with them too."

"The ZPD is still our best lead. We need someone on the inside we can trust, and a way to contact them without using official channels."

Behind them, the door creaked. Gary had tried and failed to open it silently. "Hi," he said with an embarassed wave, "Colleen and I found Mrs. Otterton a bed and a blanket that smelled like her husband. How are things going here?"

"We've identified the active ingredient, and I'm gathering data on it," Madge said, "When Lionfart gets here, I'll tell him the only way to fix this is to come clean with our findings and devote everything to finding a cure. It's the only thing that can justify falsely imprisoning all these mammals and keeping such a dangerous secret."

"Sheep in the government have been conspiring to terrorize and discredit predators, and I have proof!" Honey exclaimed, holding Doug's phone in her paw.

"That's, that's very nice," Gary said skeptically. "Is that all?"

"No," Judy said, "we need an unofficial way to get in touch with someone trustworthy in the ZPD so we can find out who's calling the shots and shut them down before they realize anyone's after them."

Gary smiled down at Judy, his tail starting to wag. "Do you know Ben Clawhauser?"

"Clawhauser? The desk sergeant? He was the first officer I met on my first day. Seems like a good guy, and there's no way a predator would be involved in this."

"He runs a Gazelle fanpage on Muzzlebook, called 'Angel With Horns'."

"And if we send a message to that page, he'll get it on his cell, which isn't part of the ZPD network so it won't be recorded."

"So, where should I tell him to meet us?" Nick asked, his claws clacking over the screen of his phone. The rabbit and two wolves turned to stare at him. "I'm sending him a message under an alias, that there's a potential threat to Gazelle and we need a fan we can trust to keep her safe."

"But that's a lie," Larry said.

"No," Judy countered, "targeting a celebrity who dances on stage with four big predators is exactly the kind of thing they'd do! Nick, there's a Panthera Bread just down the street from Precinct One. It's public, so we can meet there without too much suspicion, and Clawhauser loves pastries so much he's sure to know the place." She hopped into the air, excitedly pumping her fists. "We're almost there!"

Nick and Judy climbed into the backseat of a black SUV with thick tinted windows and government plates, with Larry and Gary in the front seats. "Do you have any spare gear for us?" Judy asked.

"The weapons and equipment are mostly in our size," Larry replied, "but there should be two or three radios in the charging cradle in the back that you can work with."

As the vehicle got moving, Judy pulled out her phone and texted Renato. She owed him an update, and she had a favor to ask, though she couldn't be too blatant about it on a phone likely to be taken as evidence.

[Made it here safe. Everything OK there?]

[Everything is fine]

[Emmitt still savage. Octavia resting. Nick and I are going to find whoever started this]

[Make them pay]

[Renato, there's a certain mammal we know who has a grudge against Nick, could you ask about...]

[I understand. Will ask him to let it go as a favor to you.]

[Thanks Renato]

Judy nudged Nick and quietly showed him her phone. He blinked, then smiled as he realized what it meant. "Thank you so much for your help, Nick," Judy said, "I couldn't have done this without you. But you don't have to stay if this gets dangerous. Larry and Gary and I chose to risk our lives to protect the city. You didn't. I'm grateful, but..."

"Trying to grab all the glory for yourself, huh Carrots?" Nick said with a wink and a smirk. "If you think I'm giving this up now, then you really are a dumb bunny."

Judy chuckled. "This is what you've wanted your whole life, isn't it?" He didn't need to say anything, the look in his eyes answered her question. He was working as part of a pack, trying to make the world a better place. "I'm glad I could make that happen for you." The loss of her dream job didn't sting as much now, because it hadn't stopped her from doing what she'd wanted all her life.

"And I'm glad I could help Zootopia's best bunny cop make the biggest arrest of her career."

"Nick, I'm the only bunny cop, and I don't have a career anymore."

"All the more reason to go out with a bang, Hopps!"

Chapter Text

Judy scanned the patrons of the bakery as they entered. A tired-looking caribou carrying out so many bags he had to hang two from his antlers. A ferret in a dark suit quietly enjoying a cricket flatbread. A group of assorted rodents sharing a large peanut butter cookie. A red-furred squirrel gazing longingly into the eyes of a confused but happy aardvark. And at one of the largest tables, an elephant in a loose floral-print dress, giant sunglasses, and earbuds eating a bagel with enough cream cheese to frost several carrot cakes. There were no obvious signs of danger, but Judy was still uneasy. Nick found a seat where they could watch customers picking up their orders without being seen from the entrance, and they waited for Clawhauser.

Gary offered to pick up some drinks so they didn't look suspicious just sitting there. "Black coffee for Larry and Nick, green tea for Judy, and iced mocha for me, because I like my coffee like I like my mate: cool and a bit dangerous." Larry let a small grin show for a second before he took his first sip.

Judy let the steam from the tea wash over her, and sipped it happily. "So, Larry, Gary, any particular reason you were so eager to help us out on this?"

"It's our turn," Gary answered, "we're on the list to pick up the next savage mammal, and the best way to do that is to make sure there aren't any more."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually," Larry agreed. "I'm glad we won't have another pickup to make. Might have been a wolf next time. Colleen and Jeff needed a mental health day after they brought in Barksdale." He shuddered, "seeing your own species like that, it's about the creepiest thing in the world."

The table went silent for a few minutes. Seeing another mammal like that was frightening enough, but to watch it happen to a member of your own species, and wonder if you could be next must be so much worse.

"Want me to read your tea leaves, Carrots?" Nick asked.

"Is that another of your scams? Besides, this is bagged tea."

"One of my scams? No, no it is not. It's a trick I picked up from a fortune-telling pig. And just from here I can already tell you're about to meet a large mammal in uniform with a sweet tooth."

Judy kept her eyes on her tea, until she heard a box landing on the table. A familiar voice said, "Mr. Lapsa, I brought your scones." Judy looked up to meet Clawhauser's widening eyes. "Judy?" he said in shock "Gary? Larry? What are you doing here? What do you know about the threat to Gazelle?"

Judy turned to glare at Nick, "You told him to buy you scones?" To Clawhauser, she said, "Gazelle isn't in any immediate danger. I'm sorry for misleading you, but we needed to get you here fast because we need a cop we can trust to help stop something even worse."

"Have you ever seen an enraged emu, Ben?" Gary asked.

Clawhauser looked confused for a few seconds, then nodded, "Yeah, yeah, those are scary, tasty but scary. What, what does that mean?"

"Lashing out at any target without thought," Larry continued, "just mindless savage rage. Imagine a tiger acting like that. Or a bear. Or a wolf. Or a cheetah. We've seen it."

"No," Clawhauser said, shaking his head, "if that happened, someone would have heard about," his voice trailed off, and he gasped, "the missing mammals! That's what happened to them!"

"They were poisoned," Judy added, "shot by a sheep sniper using poison pellets refined from a toxic flower. Emmitt Otterton was targeted because he recognized the effects, and his wife told me."

"And Gazelle's the next target," Clawhauser said in shock and horror, "they're gonna hit the Stripers so they'll kill her on stage! We have to stop them."

"No, the next target is someone on Outback Island," Judy corrected, "but we don't need to worry about that."

"Yes we do! That's someone who needs help!"

"No, Sprinkles," Nick said, "the reason we don't need to worry is that the sniper is, a bit tied up at the moment. We need you to help us find the one calling the shots."

"You already found the missing mammals AND caught the sniper?" Clawhauser asked. "We've been trying to solve this for two weeks, and you did it this fast?"

"Nick and I caught the sniper, and his backup, with a little help from some friends. We took his phone, and found out the call he got telling him to attack on Outback Island was made from a government phone. We know there's a dirty cop involved, and all incoming phone calls to the ZPD are recorded. We need someone who can access the records and find out who made that call, so we can bring them to justice."

"Nick and Judy gave us a pretty good reason why whoever's doing this must have access to the traffic cams," Gary said, "and that means the ZPD, City Hall, or the Transit Authority. Even if you can only eliminate one of those, it'll narrow things down."

Judy heard heavy, muffled steps behind her, followed by an unfamiliar voice. "Oh, Transit farms out their call records to the ZPD, they mostly need them for accidents or threats and we investigate those anyway." She turned to look, and saw the elephant putting her glasses in her purse. Inside the purse, Judy noticed the gleam of a well-polished ZPD badge. The elephant waved her trunk at Judy. "Officer Francine Pennington. I had high hopes for you, Hopps. Wish things had worked out better."

"What are you doing here?" Nick asked.

"Mr. Lapsa," Francine began, "which we both know is not your real name, you reported a threat to the safety of a public figure, and told Officer Clawhauser not to involve anyone else at the ZPD. So of course he brought backup!" She rolled her huge eyes. "Frankly, you're lucky we didn't have the TUSK unit waiting for you." Nick just stared. Judy suppressed a chuckle. "I remember you. Nick Wilde. Jerry Jumbeaux called in a complaint about you and your fennec friend a few years ago. Since you weren't technically breaking any laws, I told him I didn't want to hear about him harassing any more foxes. So I know who you are, and I know what you're into, and the only reason I'm not carrying you to the station is that you brought Hopps and two of the Mayor's security team. If half of what you've been saying is true, we've got a huge problem here." She smiled, and added in a playful self-deprecating tone, "and I know a bit about huge problems."

"It's all true," Judy said nervously, "we saw the lab, these guys have been holding the victims for Lionheart to avoid a panic."

"Judy," Larry whispered, "didn't you say the ringleader was a female herbivore?"

Francine took a heavy step back. She shook her head, tossed her purse onto the table, and put her arms and trunk up. The change in her tone was complete and immediate. She was clearly hurt by the suggestion. "You can't believe I would do something like that? Then again you don't know me, do you? I assure you, I would never..."

"Francine's fine, Judy," Clawhauser insisted, "she'd never do something like this."

"She's right to be suspicious, I guess," Francine whispered, looking down at her feet. "What can I do to help?"

"What can we do to help?" Clawhauser corrected her.

Judy turned to a blank page in her pad and tore off a few sheets. "Clawhauser, you work dispatch, so you handle phone calls all the time. The sniper's number is (805)555-0127." Francine's lips moved as she silently repeated the number to herself, and Clawhauser typed it into his phone. "If you can find out who in the ZPD called that number, we'll know who the dirty cop is and be able to round up the rest of the terrorists. As for you, Francine, if Clawhauser trusts you, I will too. Get your uniform and some backup." She passed the pen and pad to Nick. "Nick, directions to the subway station. That's where the sniper and the other two rams are. Arrest them, maybe you can get some info out of them on the rest of the gang. There's a jaguar there, he's our friend, he might need some medical attention." She took the pad back from Nick, and shoved it over to Francine. "These are all my notes on the case so far. Show them to some other cops you trust, see if there's any clue I missed."

"I'll get Fangmeyer," Francine said, scanning the paper. "She's one of Precinct One's top interrogators, and she owes me one for carrying her home when she got drunk at my birthday party. She's sharp, and not just her claws." She offered the notebook to Clawhauser. "I know that station, you take the notes, Ben."

"Thanks. You're pretty sharp yourself, Francine," Clawhauser said.

Judy sighed with relief. Someone believed her. This case was back in the paws of a real officer. That hurt a little, but solving the case mattered more than her feelings. "I'll leave this in your paws, Ben. It's good to have backup I can trust. We'll be here when you need a statement." She saluted Clawhauser as he turned to leave, and he returned the salute with a toothy grin.

"So, we're done?" Gary asked, "That's all?"

"Unless something else comes up," Larry replied. "This is a police matter, and we're not actually cops. The best way we can help is to give them information, and we've already done that."

Nick turned to Judy, his tail wagging gently. "Disappointed, Carrots?"

"No," Judy answered, a bit too quickly and loudly to sound sincere, "I'm not disappointed," she sighed, "okay, maybe I AM just a little disappointed. I mean, it's great that we helped solve the case, but I was kinda hoping to be there for the home stretch. But there's nothing left to do now." She reached for the box of scones, pulled one out, and passed the rest to Nick. As she expected, they were blueberry. "Nick, why did you have to trick Clawhauser into buying you pastries? It's not like you're short on money, you don't even pay for your own jumbo-pops."

"Well," Nick began, "I told you how blueberries are my favorite fruit?" Judy nodded. "Fresh fruit isn't the easiest thing to get your paws on when you're the son of a broke single mother working crappy dead-end jobs."

"I didn't think of that," Judy said, "we could just go out to the fields and pick berries any time they were in season, or make jam for the winter." Growing up, she hadn't thought of money much at all, the family had plenty to eat and somehow they all got by. She hadn't considered how many mammals in the city lacked the advantages she took for granted.

"Oh, I need to visit your farm!" Nick said with a grin. "So I started supplementing my diet by some questionable means. I made a game of it, to see what I could get away with. I thought stealing a pawful from a fruit stand right in front of a cop was as bold as I could get, but tricking Sprinkles into bringing them to me was the icing on the scone."

"What exactly do you do for a living, Wilde?" Larry asked.

"Whatever I can," Nick replied through a mouthful of crumbs, "whatever I can."

They spent the next half hour or so making small talk. It turned out that Gary had an uncle with an emu farm, so he and Judy had some experiences in common. Nick was full of stories to tell with just enough plausible deniability. Judy and the wolves had been through similar obstacle courses, and Nick was once on the track team, so there was a surprising amount for them to talk about. The discussion ended when Nick's phone beeped. "Sprinkles is in a panic. No records found on that number at all. He even checked on Weaselton and found no arrest paperwork."

"So if there's no record of any calls to Doug, that means..." Larry began.

"It can't be the ZPD or ZTA, so that leaves City Hall!" Judy exclaimed.

"We've spent lots of time in City Hall, should be easy to search," Gary suggested, turning to his partner. "Pincer maneuver?"

Larry nodded. "Good plan, and good timing. It's nearing sunset. The day shift will be heading home, and the night shift won't start for a while. That leaves security, janitorial, and the suspects. Nick, tell Ben to get back here with some recording equipment. We're going to finish this after all. Are you two up for it?"

"Pretty much born ready," Nick said with a grin, typing up his reply.

"I'm in!" Judy announced with a triumphant leap.

The wolves had no trouble getting through the security gate at the City Hall parking garage. They parked near the middle floor of the building. Larry took the lead, since he knew the building best. "Ben, stay in the car. Listen in, record everything, and arrange for some backup."

Clawhauser saluted, "I called in Grizzoli and Frost. It's their off-day, no one will notice they're coming until they're already here."

"Gary, you take the north stairwell, start from the top floor and work your way down. I'll take the south, and head for the comm center to check the call records." Larry turned to Judy and Nick, "you two take the elevator to the bottom floor and work up. If you see anything suspicious, call in. If we don't find anything by the time we meet, we'll come up with a new plan then. Everyone clear?"

Gary and Judy nodded silently. Nick said, "read you loud and clear, Larry-berry." Larry rolled his eyes.

"We should do a radio check, make sure we're all on the same frequency and everything works through the elevator," Judy suggested.

"Good idea," Gary replied. He pressed the button on his radio. "Mic check!" His words echoed through the parking garage, mixed with feedback from the other radios.

"So Hopps and I should split up once we hit the bottom?" Nick asked, "or else we won't be able to hear anything but static."

"That's the plan, Slick," Judy replied as she hopped toward the elevator. "Good luck, everyone!"

As the door closed, Judy and Nick's radios came alive. "Ben, can you read us? Over." Gary asked. "I read you, Over," Clawhauser replied. "And we read you, Ben, Over."

"Hey, wanna hear a joke?" Nick asked.

"Nick, this is not the time."

"What do you call a three-humped camel?"

Judy shook her head, "Nick, you need to say 'Over'."

"Oh, yeah, what do you call a three-humped camel? Over." There was no answer.

Judy looked at Nick's radio. "Nick, you hit the lock-on switch! Don't do that, you'll tie up the line and no one can reply."

She flipped the switch off, and suddenly Larry's voice came through. "Wilde, that radio is not a toy, Over." He was followed by Gary "So, what do you call a three-humped camel? Over."

"Pregnant." Nick said, "Over." Again, no one answered, unless Judy's eye-roll counted. "And we're at the bottom now, Over."

"We read you, Wilde, keep the chatter to a minimum, Over."

"Nick," Judy asked, "are you joking around because you're nervous?"

"Where would you get an idea like that, Carrots?"

"That's not a no." Judy smiled and shook her head. "I know it's hard for you, but there's no shame in showing how you really feel. My dad cries all the time."

"Would this be the same dad who bought you a fox taser? Or are bunny familes more complicated than I thought?"

"Okay, bad example," Judy sighed. "I just meant you can be honest with me, and it's okay to be nervous. I'm nervous too. It's natural to worry with something this terrible going on, but we have a chance to make a difference. I'm glad you're here."

As they stepped out of the elevator, Nick turned to Judy and saluted, with a smile that seemed at least somewhat genuine. Nick went left, Judy went right. The basement was dimly-lit, so she readied her flashlight. Nick didn't pull his out, must be that fox night vision. She began systematically checking every room she came to. She found closets full of junk with no obvious relevance, boxes of old files awaiting shredding, and a dirty restroom that brought back unpleasant memories from the academy. The first thing that seemed off was the janitor's closet, left unlocked with a full mop bucket just sitting there. "Janitor's closet here is abandoned, are you seeing anything similar where you are? Over."

"Negative, Over," Gary replied. "Cleaning supplies are stowed here," Larry added, "but the trash cans aren't emptied. Do you think they sent the staff home to avoid witnesses? Over."

"Exactly," Judy replied. "But that doesn't tell us who it was unless we ask the janitors. Over."

"It could be one of the janitors," Nick added, "you'd be surprised what someone can get away with in a maintenance uniform. Over."

The radio went silent again. There was nothing more to do with that bit of information. After a few more minutes of fruitless searching, Larry's voice came through. "I've got the call records open, and there's nothing to Doug. At all. Ever. In fact there are no call records at all for about an hour, including the time of that phone call. Over."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Judy exclaimed, "over."

"So let me get this straight," Nick began, "not one mammal in the whole building made a single call to order lunch or make plans or tell anyone they'd be late getting back or anything? For an hour around noon? Over." When he put it that way, it sounded suspicious.

"My thoughts exactly, Slick," Larry replied, "so I did some more digging. They didn't erase the logs, they never existed in the first place. Someone turned off the call logging, made it look like the equipment crashed and went into maintenance mode. Not many mammals here with the authority to do that. Over."

"Get out of there," Judy said, "lock the door and leave everything the way it is, forensics may be able to find out who did it. Over."

"Affirmative," Larry said, "but first I should mention that it was in maintenance mode when I got here, so whoever's messed with it is in the building and planning another call. Over."

"We were kinda expecting that," Judy replied. "Over."

Judy went back to creeping along in the nearly-dark basement, trying to keep her flashlight use to a minimum to preserve what little night vision she had, when she noticed one room suddenly getting darker. It was the boiler room. The place was cluttered with file boxes. No one was inside, and the computer monitor seemed to be off, but she flicked the pointer anyway, and it came back to life, followed by the desk light. The machine was locked, and the user ID was a meaningless string of numbers, but whoever was using this room that could only charitably be called an "office" clearly hadn't been gone long. On the phone was a sticky note. Doug: (805)555-0127. This was what they were looking for. The calls planning the attacks had been made from this very room. Judy reached down for her radio to call it in, when she heard the click-clack of tiny hooves on tile.

It wouldn't do to have the mastermind behind the attacks see her radio and know she was being monitored, so Judy shifted it to the back of her belt and locked it in transmit mode as she pivoted on her paw to face the door. In walked a tiny little sheep with a big pair of glasses and a fluffy poof of wool on top of her head. She suddenly blinked in surprise, and Judy did the same. "Ah-Assistant Mayor Bellwether!" Judy said, "what are you doing here?" The clues fell together in Judy's mind. A ewe with access to records and equipment at the highest levels, whose image was carefully crafted to deflect suspicion by looking meek and helpless. She had a base of operations inside City Hall, and enough authority to manipulate security to her advantage. Lionheart had clearly pushed all the work he could onto her, which gave her even more opportunities to undermine him without him noticing, while encouraging her hatred of predators at the same time. Judy started hatching a plan. "In the boiler room? This can't really be your office! Can it? A place like this is completely unworthy of a mammal of your stature. I-I mean your station." A little flattery could draw some answers out of her, or at least keep her off balance. But her height was probably a sore spot.

"Judy?" Bellwether asked. "Judy Hopps? Oh, I'm so sorry I couldn't get there in time to help you!" With what Judy now knew, that slip was all but an admission of guilt.

Judy shook her head. "You don't need to apologize to me." No, she needed to apologize to the entire city. "You're the whole reason I'm here!" Bellwether had no idea how accurate that statement was. "I know the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was your work, and Lionheart stole all the credit. Thank you for the opportunity." She sighed, "maybe I'm just not cut out for police work. Or maybe..." Judy glanced side-to-side, taking in the poorly-made 'World's Greatest Assistant Mayor' mug, and twitched her ears in nervousness that was only partially feigned. "Maaaaybe I shouldn't say this, but..."

"Oh, go ahead, go ahead, you can trust me," Bellwether said.

Judy turned her head down toward the floor, with as shameful a look as she could pull off, but she felt triumphant. Was this how Nick felt when he hustled someone? She wiped off the smirk that was creeping onto her face and looked back up. "I know it's not politically correct," she began. Bellwether's hint of a smile showed that Judy had her like berries in a basket. "But I think Bogo's showing some favoritism toward the predators in the ZPD. There's no way the place is that full of preds if officers are being judged by merit."

Bellwether nodded. "I think you're right, Judy. We outnumber predators ten to one, so there's no reason for them to dominate the ZPD like that." She'd let her mask slip, and was talking to Judy like an old friend. "You know, it's so refreshing to find someone else who sees preds the way they really are. All the wolves around here, I can barely do my job with all their howling and slobbering."

Judy found it troubling how easily she'd slipped into this role. "Ugh, wolves! Only use I've ever had for wolves is as stepping stones climbing the ice wall."

Bellwether smiled and clapped, "oh, yes, I peeked in on your Academy training, that was an inspired solution, and so much fun to watch. Wish I could do something like that to Lionfart, he treats me like a glorified secretary."

Judy faked a guffaw, "Lionfart, that's a good one!" She preferred Nick's delivery. "You deserve much better than that, Dawn." Holding back her disgust, Judy reached out a paw to the sheep. Establishing a rapport with the suspect was a vital interrogation tactic, and she felt like she was doing well so far.

"Feels good to be appreciated," Bellwether beamed back, taking Judy's paw in her hoof.

"Exactly!" Judy exclaimed, drawing on her anger to fuel her acting. "And that fat cat at the front desk, he's a disgrace! He called me cute do you have any idea how offensive it is to call a bunny cute?" Bellwether nodded. "And he was practically drooling over me, with that donut stuck in his third chin. There's no way someone like that deserves that job! Bogo's betraying his own kind, I know it!"

"You think they're," Bellwether whispered, with a revolted yet salacious expression that finished the thought for her.

Judy faked a shudder of disgust, "eww, I don't even want to think about that! That's disgusting. If only there were some way to get rid of that useless slimeball."

"There might be," Bellwether said with a conspiratorial wink. "Let me show you something." She sat down at the computer, and unlocked it with a few taps of her hooves. The interface for the city's traffic cameras came up. A few commands later, a video began playing, showing a slender, fit female cheetah in workout clothes, jogging through the park at night. "Watch this."

"That park isn't far from here," Judy narrated for her comrades listening on the radio. From outside, she heard the faint echo of her own voice, which stopped abruptly. Someone was here to back her up, probably Nick. "This is eight days ago." She tried to seem confused, "how are you planning to use this..." Then the cheetah on screen suddenly jerked in pain, fell to all fours, and started snarling and clawing at a tree. "Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy muttered, belatedly jumping back to look more frightened. Knowing what was coming took some of the scare out of the scene, but made her more angry at Bellwether for making it happen. "Grandpa always says 'foxes are red because they're made by the Devil'." She chuckled at her impression of the backwards old buck, sadly remembering how little her family had done to stop him from saying such things around the children. "We always thought he was a bit off his rocker, but maybe there's something to the whole 'demonic pred' thing."

"Keep watching," Bellwether said, staring at the screen intently and making sounds that were disturbingly close to pleasure.

The video sped up. Judy kept watching, and soon a black vehicle approached, with two familiar-looking wolves, who caught the cheetah with a net gun and tossed her in the back. They drove away. "Who? Where? How many times has this happened?"

"Over a dozen so far!" Bellwether announced, "Could be more any minute now. Lionfart is keeping the whole thing a secret so he can keep his job."

"And if he loses his job, you'd be next in line! But I don't think the mayor can just fire the police chief on a whim, you'd need justification."

"That's where you come in," Bellwether said, rubbing her hooves together excitedly and shooting Judy a disturbing smile. "All I need is someone to investigate, find a few clues, make it look authentic. Then you expose Lionheart, reveal what preds are really like for everyone to see, and I can appoint someone to run the ZPD who sees things our way." She waved her hooves about for emphasis. "Think of the headlines! Hero Bunny Exposes Savage Conspiracy!"

"I would LOVE to see that headline," Judy replied, hopping joyfully, thinking of the same headline in a much better context. "But who do we get to replace Bogo?"

"Officers Shearan and Lambert are loyal to the cause, they'll make sure you get your job back. And I even have someone in the prosecuting attorney's office to cover the trials for us!"

That was the last clue they needed, the identities of the dirty cops assisting Bellwether's plot. "So, Bogo knows about all this, and didn't do anything about it?"

"No, he's completely in the dark, Lionfart has been running interference. But if we tell everyone he's involved, who will believe him? And what's his defense, that he's just incompetent?"

Judy saw an opportunity, and she took it. "You'd do that? For me?" She pressed the record button on the carrot pen in her pocket. "You'd frame Chief Bogo and replace him just to get me my job back?"

"Of course I would, Judy," Bellwether replied with a deceptively sweet tone, "us little guys gotta stick together!"

Judy stopped her recording. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. "Little guys like the otter you had poisoned? Or the fox your goons almost killed? Little guys like the weasel you were going to use and throw away? Little guys like the hundreds of mice who could have lost their homes or their lives because Weaselton was stealing Night Howlers for you?" Judy scowled and shook her head. "No, you don't care about the little guy, you only care about yourself. You liar!"

"Judy, what?" Bellwether asked, shocked and confused.

Judy shoved her chair toward the wall and pulled out a zip-tie. "Dawn Bellwether, you are under arrest!"

"What?! What do you mean, Judy? I thought we were friends?"

"Can I take a crack at this?" Nick asked as he strutted into the room. Then he stopped and shook his head, "no, I shouldn't steal your thunder, Hopps, especially not for your first arrest."

"Technically, it's my second," Judy corrected him. She bound Bellwether's right hoof to the arm of her chair. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to obstruct justice, attempt to bribe an officer of the law, oh, there are too many crimes to list! You have the right to remain silent," she said triumphantly as she bound Bellwether's other hoof to the chair. "Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law."

"You can't prove anything! It's my word against yours!"

Judy grinned and pulled out the pen, waving it teasingly in the air. "Actually," She played back Bellwether's agreement to frame the Chief Of Police, enough of a crime in itself to get her removed from office, "it's your word against yours. It's called a hustle sweetheart!" She put the pen back in her pocket and continued, "you have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you by the court." She grinned in Bellwether's face, showing off her teeth. "Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"This, this is entrapment!" Bellwether whimpered.

"Now, you see, that is not what an innocent mammal would say, and I know from experience," Nick replied, squeezing the puff of wool on top of her head, "wow, so fluffy, what conditioner do you use?"

"And it doesn't even matter if that recording is admissible, because we've got something better. Clawhauser, how's that backup coming? Over."

As soon as she flipped the switch on her radio, it sprang back to life with Gary's voice. "I have officers Grizzoli and Frost, we're en route to your location now. Over."

Larry replied next. "I'm taking a forensics tech to the comm room, but that may be moot at this point. Over."

"We know exactly who Doug is, why you've been calling him, and that you've been tampering with security equipment to cover it up. So you can add terrorism to that long list of charges. We know why you targeted Otterton, that's witness tampering. And Clawhauser has been recording everything, with the full permission of one of the parties to the conversation which means it's all legal." At this, Bellwether's eyes went wide and she trembled. "It's over for you and your flock." Judy reached down for her radio again. "Clawhauser, I hope you know I didn't mean any of what I said about you. Over."

"S-standard interrogation technique," Clawhauser sniffled, "It's okay, Judy. Over."

"Hey, Sprinkles, any news from the big gal? Over." Nick asked.

"Yeah, yeah, Francine sent me a text. Doug wouldn't talk, but the others gave up officer Shearan, and some guy in the prosecutor's office named Lanaro. They kept their muzzles zipped tight on the leader, but we found that out ourselves. Over."

Gary held the door open for a snow leopard and polar bear in uniform. Judy shoved the rolling chair with the bound, shivering, terrified sheep toward them. Judy saluted them and turned her prisoner over to the three predators.

As they left, Nick slowly clapped. "Way to hustle, Hopps. You did it. You are one sly bunny."

"No, WE did it," Judy replied, "I couldn't have pulled this off alone. I never would have gotten here without your help."

"This hustle was all you, Carrots. You catch on quick."

"That's what worries me, actually," Judy said with a sad shake of her head. "How easy it was to slip into that character."

"Take it from a guy who hustles for a living, it takes a lot longer for the mask to become a part of you."

"Yeah, I guess so. You've been pretending to be a shifty, untrustworthy fox all these years, but the real you so much more complicated. I'm glad I got a chance to see that." She made sure her radio was off, and looked down the hallway for any sign of the others. "This probably isn't the best time to ask, but you don't have any outstanding warrants, do you?"

"No, no I do not," Nick replied, tilting his head with his ears pinned back, "why?"

"Because the ZPD will want to debrief us, and I'd rather not get you arrested."

"I'm more a fan of boxers myself," Nick quipped. Judy tried not to laugh, and failed.

Chapter Text

As soon as Judy and Nick got to the precinct, they were put in separate rooms to give their official statements. It seemed every officer on duty, and some that weren't, had question after question for them, all asked over and over. Judy left Nick's tax issues out of her report and tried to stick to the facts. Judging by how annoyed the interrogators looked, Nick was probably playing with them. But the story they got from the fox matched the one from the rabbit well enough to satisfy everyone, eventually. By then, the precinct was crawling with reporters. Clawhauser kept them entertained.

Francine stood before Judy in the Precinct One lobby, holding a hanger in her trunk. Next to the elephant, the blue dress uniform looked like doll clothes, but Judy knew it would fit her perfectly, just like it had the day Dawn Bellwether put on her badge. A once-fond memory, now tainted by the knowledge of what atrocities Bellwether had been plotting even then. "All right, Judy," the elephant spoke cheerfully, "let's get you to the locker room so Maura can do your makeup for your big appearance!" Chief Bogo stood next to her, his head angled to hide his expression somewhat.

Judy knew what that uniform meant. She had a chance to represent the ZPD on TV, not merely as a token bunny but the hero who solved an impossible case and saved the city. Of course Chief Bogo would give her her job back after this, if she was kept off the force after this everyone would think the Chief was an incompetent fool. But he wanted to do it without admitting his mistake. He wanted it swept under the rug. She could have her dream job back, but at the cost of her integrity. She knew she didn't want it at that price. "No," she said, barely above a whisper, her ears flopping as she slowly, sadly shook her head.

"What did you say, Hopps?" Chief Bogo asked, "I don't think I heard you."

"I believe what she said was noooooo!" Nick answered, drawing the last word out for emphasis, smirking at the big buffalo. "No, she will not be playing dress-up for you."

Bogo's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he glared down at the fox who had just mocked him in his own station, "Who are you to talk to me like that?"

"He's a citizen of Zootopia," Judy replied, glaring back, "one of the mammals you and I swore to serve and protect. But you haven't been doing much serving or protecting lately, have you?"

"And he's got a point," Francine added. "Chief, did you really think Hopps would let this slide without so much as an apology?"

"She's implying I don't care about this city!" Bogo bellowed, "she has absolutely no idea what I've sacrificed..."

"Of course she doesn't!" Francine interrupted him, "she's known you for all of two days, and you spent that whining about putting tickets on parked cars and firing her for helping an otter in need!" She hung Judy's tiny uniform from her belt and prodded at Bogo's chest with her trunk. "If she has a bad impression of you, whose fault is that? What reason have you given her to trust you? She's spent the whole day running herself ragged solving a case YOU thought was beneath your notice, risking her life fighting off a criminal conspiracy that was hiding right under your snout!"

"She's working with a known con artist!"

"First, innocent until proven guilty, he's never been convicted of anything, I checked. And second, would she have needed to do that if YOU had respected the Valedictorian of the Academy enough to give her proper resources and backup?"

Bogo snorted like he was about to breathe fire, then let out a heavy sigh. "You're right," he admitted, "you're absolutely right, Francine. This is on me. If I can't keep the trust of my officers and the public honestly, then I don't deserve it." He bent down on one knee in front of Judy and Nick.

"Now, this is flattering, but you're really not my type, and I don't think you're hers either," Nick joked.

"Shut your tiny mouth now!" Bogo bellowed as the frightened fox scrambled back and Judy tried to hold back her laughter. "Officer Hopps," Bogo began in as calm and friendly a voice as he could, "I am sorry. I've clearly misjudged you and treated you in a manner unbecoming our profession. You are a competent investigator, and while your methods could use some work you have performed admirably under extremely difficult conditions. I was distracted and under a lot of pressure, so I didn't realize until now what a valuable asset you are to the ZPD. I would be honored to have you back on the force."

"Don't 'Officer Hopps' me, Chief Bogo, not when you are the reason I'm not an officer anymore. You fired me. You fired me for trying to help someone in need. Sir, I know I wasn't what you were hoping for, or what you were expecting. I know I'm not perfect, but I was trying to do my job. I was trying to reunite a missing mammal with his family. And you wouldn't let me. The problem isn't just the fact that you fired me, it's how and why you did it. If you understand that firing me was a mistake, and you want to correct that mistake..."

"I do, Hopps, I do."

"Then I will take that into consideration. Later. Today, I am not an officer, I do not work for you, and I will not be taking any orders from you. If you want to fix what you did wrong, then first you'll have to face the consequences." She frowned and looked down at her paws. "We all make mistakes. We all have things in our pasts that we wish hadn't happened. I know what it's like to do something stupid, and want to make the past go away. But life isn't some cartoon musical where you can just sing a little song and magically make the clock reverse." She smiled back up at the chief defiantly, mocking his similarly dismissive statement to her after the Weaselton arrest. He rolled his eyes and groaned as she continued. "We all have to live with what we've done. Change takes work, and part of that work is admitting the problem and owning it. I'm not going to lie for you, Sir. I'm not going to tell the press I did this on your orders. I'm not going to put on a uniform you took away from me and parade around on stage for a photo-op. I'm going to tell them the truth. About Bellwether, and about you. If you can't handle that, you should have thought of that earlier."

"As much as it pains me," Bogo said, getting back to his feet, "I can understand how you feel about this. We can discuss this again later, once we're both a little calmer." He turned to Francine. "Take that uniform back to storage and get ready for the press. Relieve Clawhauser, then introduce Hopps."

Francine nodded and saluted, "Sir, with all due respect, I'd prefer to cede my time to Officer Fangmeyer. This was a conspiracy targeting predators, so the intended victims should have as much opportunity to speak as possible. And Fangmeyer's help was vital in interrogating Ramses and the other goons."

"At this point I don't care what you do," Bogo grumbled, "have Higgins dance in a tutu if you feel like it. I've got two EX-officers to fire and hundreds of cases that need review now. Just bring Fangmeyer to my office once you're done, I need both of you to head up an anti-corruption taskforce."

Judy and Nick stood off to the side, watching Fangmeyer address the media. Her voice was strong and clear, and she answered the questions with precision and poise. But the reporters were starting to get antsy. Fangmeyer was giving them good information for their reports, but wasn't as entertaining or approachable as Clawhauser.

In front of Judy was Francine's makeup mirror, big enough to see herself fully in. She fidgeted and fussed with her fur, trying to hide her exhaustion and make herself at least somewhat presentable. "I'm so nervous," Judy said, tapping her foot and biting her lip. "What if I say something stupid?"

"Okay, Press Conference 101," Nick began with a smug grin, "you wanna look smart, answer their question with your own question, then answer that question. And don't worry about messing up, I'll be right up there with you."

"Thanks, Nick. My family will freak out when they see me on TV, especially standing side by side with a fox. No offense, of course."

"How about side by side with a friend?" Nick asked, affecting an accent Judy didn't recognize.

"I don't know what you're quoting, but it sounds good." Judy smiled up at Nick and stepped away from the mirror. "Are you ready?"

"Am I ready? Yes, yes I am," Nick replied with a grin.

On stage, Fangmeyer was making a signal with her claws, and Judy heard a sound behind her. "Oh. Em. Goodness!" Clawhauser said, "you look so c...confident. Fangmeyer's almost ready to introduce you."

Judy smiled up at Clawhauser. "Thanks for everything, Ben. Looks like you've been doing a great job with the press."

"Awww, thanks."

"Yeah, Sprinkles, you could have a career in showbiz one of these days. Might even get to meet Gazelle."

They heard the cheetah's happy purrs as they walked up to the stage. Judy made a single graceful hop to the podium, and Nick followed, scrambling to climb until she reached down and pulled him up with a smile. The cameras flashed, blinding them both, and a torrent of questions filled their ears. "Officer Hopps. Officer Hopps! Officer Hopps? Who is that fox?"

Judy turned and nodded to Nick. "I'd like to introduce Nick Wilde. He's been a valuable asset on this case. And before we begin, I should clarify, I am no longer an officer. Chief Bogo fired me." A chorus of 'why?', 'on what grounds?' and 'what an idiot' rang out. "Officially," Judy continued, "I was fired nearly two days ago, for 'insubordination,' because I agreed to help an otter find her missing husband against Chief Bogo's wishes. I continued this investigation without authorization or official help from the ZPD."

"Are you saying the ZPD doesn't care enough to investigate crimes against predators?" asked a grizzly cub reporter.

"Or small mammals?" added a squirrel.

"Or aquatic mammals?" asked a beaver.

"Did I say that? No, no I did not. I can't presume to speak for the ZPD or Chief Bogo, I can only be honest with you about what I've seen. There are ZPD officers who have shown great concern for the Ottertons, but Chief Bogo is not one of them."

"So your firing had nothing to do with the...incident in Little Rodentia?" the squirrel asked.

Judy cringed inwardly at that little reminder, but kept her composure. "No, it did not. According to Chief Bogo, it was entirely due to taking the Otterton case."

"How is Mr. Otterton's disappearance connected to the scandal you uncovered with Assistant Mayor Bellwether?" a cougar asked.

"Now that is a very good question," Nick answered. Judy felt his paw reaching into her pocket, pulling out the Otterton family picture. "Emmitt Otterton is, by all accounts, a sweet, friendly guy with a lovely wife and two adorable pups. Look at 'em right there. Mr. Otterton is also a florist. As the poison Smellwether used against the predators came from..."

Judy elbowed Nick and took over. "The poison Bellwether used was derived from a toxic flower, which Mr. Otterton was in a position to recognize. He was targeted to silence him. Once his wife spoke to a witness, she was able to recognize the symptoms as well. That's how I found out about the whole plot."

"So," an antelope asked, "would it be accurate to say that it was your decision to investigate Mr. Otterton's disappearance that led you to expose this conspiracy?"

"Yes, yes that is accurate," Judy answered.

"What can you tell us about the other victims?" asked a pig from ZNN.

"I shouldn't give out their names until next-of-kin are notified, but I saw a tiger and a cheetah, heard about a wolf, and of course there's Mr. Otterton. There was also a plan to hit an unspecified predator on Outback Island, but we put a stop to that. It looks like the victims were chosen from a variety of species and districts in an effort to suggest that all predators have the potential to 'go savage'. Even though in reality they were all poisoned through no fault of their own."

"Will there be any more attacks?" a zebra off to Nick's right asked.

"Should we expect more attacks? No, no we should not," Nick answered with a smile. "Thanks to Hopps here, all the sheep involved in the plot are now in police custody, and the equipment they used to make their poison is in pieces."

"As flattering as that is, I can't take all the credit. I had a lot of help." Judy turned to Nick and smiled.

A horse a few rows back asked, "what's the prognosis for the victims?"

"Is there a cure? Not yet, but they're working on it." Judy said. "A biochemistry researcher named Doctor Honeybadger has already started studying that possibility."

"And she's called in specialists from hundreds of miles away to assist," Nick added. "If there's a cure, they'll find it."

A somewhat dopey-looking gnu was the next to speak. "Has this Dr. Honeybadger reached out to the Maynes Lab? Dr. Maynes has been doing some groundbreaking work on neuronal drug toxicity."

Judy and Nick stared at the gnu, heads tilting. "I-I was not aware of that," Judy answered, "if I speak to her again, I'll be sure to bring it up."

Off to the side, Clawhauser was making paw signals that Judy couldn't make out. "Okay," Nick said, "we've got time for just a few more questions, so how about...you?" He pointed into the audience seemingly at random.

His claw was aimed straight at a sloth whose expression very slowly turned to one of excited surprise. The sloth slowly tapped a claw against his own chest and asked, "Me?"

Nick nodded, and Judy's ear twitched. The sloth began speaking again. "I have...
a question...
for...
Miss...
Hopps..."

"And I would be happy to answer it," Judy interrupted, but it made no difference to the sloth's agonizingly slow speech.

"You've...
achieved a...
remarkable...
amount...
in less...
than...
a week...
Miss...
Hopps...
How did...
you...
solve...
this...
case...
so...
quick...
ly?"

"Well," Judy began, speaking faster than strictly necessary, "I've been very lucky. I couldn't have done this alone. A lot of the credit goes to Nick, and Officer Clawhauser, agents Conroy and Randolph from Cliffside, Mr. Manchas, and the Honeybadgers. But I think the most important factor was Mrs. Otterton. She never gave up on finding her husband. She inspired me to take this case, and gave me the most important clue. Everything else followed from that."

"If any of you viewers would like to congratulate her," Nick added, pulling out Octavia's business card, "she runs Otterton's Flowers and Gifts in the Rainforest District."

"But she'll probably be very busy with her family the next few days."

"Thank...
you..."

"You're welcome," Judy said, glad to finally be finished."

"...very....
much...
Miss...
Hopps."

Clawhauser was raising a single claw. "I think we have time for one more question," Judy said, looking through the assembled reporters. She picked a lion near the back. "How about you, Sir?"

The lion squinted his eyes in thought for a few seconds. His voice was deep and easy to hear across the room. "If this is the last question, I'd better make it count. Miss Hopps, we've heard so many things from your colleagues. About the predators that were poisoned, how the attacks were covered up, how Assistant Mayor Bellwether planned to use that cover-up for her own ends. What Mayor Lionheart did is a clear violation of both the law and the rights of the victims. But punishing him for it would only add to the disruption that Bellwether's plot has already caused. How do you think the city of Zootopia should deal with this situation?"

Judy took a deep breath before she answered. "I'm not the one to make that decision. Bellwether is obviously a corrupt monster, and she needs to go. There's no place for prey-supermacists in any government. But Lionheart is more complicated. I can't say if Mayor Lionheart's actions were for the best, or if they ended up making things worse. I can't judge his intentions. The decision of who should lead this city, and how to hold those leaders accountable, should be made by the citizens and your elected representatives, based on all available evidence. This isn't my job, especially not now. The police have their place, but they can't make every decision. I think the most important lesson to learn from this whole situation is not to let fear control us." She turned to Nick and smiled. "As someone with much more experience in the city than me, do you have anything to add?"

Nick clapped his paws and wagged his tail. "Only that I trust this bunny here a lot more than any politician. Thank you for the opportunity to help make the world a better place." He turned to the audience and waved goodbye. "It's been a lovely evening, but we really must be going."

Judy let out a tired sigh as she and Nick finally left the precinct. "I thought that would never end. What were you thinking with that sloth?"

Nick shrugged, "hey, I knew a sloth on the track team once, you'd be surprised how fast they can be."

"The day has certainly been full of surprises."

"So, how about I get your number, so we can talk about all this later, after you've had some rest? You look like you're about to pass out."

Judy yawned, "I'm afraid it might be a while before I get my phone back, and they took the burner as evidence. But I wrote down your number, so I'll be in touch."

"Hey, since I still owe you that twenty bucks for the jumbo pop, how about I take you out to dinner tomorrow to pay you back?"

Judy smiled up and wiggled her ears. "Are you trying to ask me on a date?"

Nick's eyelids fluttered. "Oh, believe me, if I were asking you out, you'd know it." He flashed his tongue for just a second as he spoke.

"So that would be a no. Just as well, I don't date foxes who owe me money."

His ears dipped just a fraction. Judy almost laughed at how easy it was for her to see through him now. "So, hypothetically, if I didn't owe you money..." At that Judy did laugh, and Nick chuckled along. "You sly bunny, you caught me. So, would you?"

Judy sighed, "I honestly don't know. Please don't think I'm trying to brush you off, I've got a lot to figure out, I really don't know how I feel about this. It's been a long few days. I think I'll sleep most of tomorrow."

"Rain check?"

"More a tentative yes. I'd like to see you again, everything's just up in the air right now. "

"In that case I hope to see you tomorrow. Don't let the fame go to your head, Carrots!"

Nick walked away into the night, his tail wagging happily. Judy headed to her tiny little apartment and crashed on the bed, sleeping right through Bucky and Pronk's latest argument.