Yup, finally back with another Zootopia fic. Because of my busy life and the fact that I'm a Paw Patrol fanfic writer first and foremost means I won't be updating this as often as those, but I'll do my best to make it work. Anyway, this one is a lot darker so just be forewarned.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia

Even though lions were supposed to be used the heat of Sahara Square, Mr. Jonathan Plains was not one of those lions. He supposed it has to do with the fact that his firm had reassigned him to their division in Tundratown years ago and he was now slowly becoming more used to the cold then the heat. Of course, despite the hot weather, he was always up and ready for the day along with his family. His wife was already making eggs and chicken sausages while his teenage daughter was still in her room, yapping with her friends on whatever the latest Tweeter news was.

He shook his head with amusement as he came down the stairs in his home. In his teenage days, when it was summer, he and his friends took the chance to head over to the beach for some fun in the sun. Not sit around watching TV and use the computer. Modern technology is spoiling our children, thought Mr. Plains as he arrived at the table.

"Morning, dear," greeted his lioness wife who poured him a good helping of eggs and kissed his cheek. "The Emerson's called asking if we want to join them for that play that's been out at the theater for the past month."

"Death of a Salesdog? Sure, I enjoy the classics," answered Mr. Plains as he began to dig into his wife's eggs. As he ate, he noticed that there was an empty plate next to him that was reserved for his younger son. "Dear, where is Josh? You know he never misses out on your sausages."

"I've called him three times, but he never answered," said his wife, shrugging as she did the dishes.

Concerned, he got up and walked back to the stairs. Unlike his daughter, Mr. Plains son was always a punctual kind of lion who liked to get things done on time. He was a chip off the old block as his colleagues would say. Opening the door to his son's room, he expected to find him in bed or watching TV for the news, but to his shock there was nobody inside. He checked his closet and even the bathroom, but not even a single fur of his son.

Doing his best not to panic, he walked over to his daughter's room and knocked on the door before opening it. His daughter looked up from her laptop and raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed she was being interrupted. "What?"

"Did your brother come home from his sleepover with the Jefferson's last night?" asked Mr. Plains, praying that his daughter was actually aware of her surroundings that night instead of focusing all her attention on Furbook.

"I don't know. It's not my job to watch over the twerp," growled his daughter before focusing back on her screen.

Although he wanted to say that as the older sibling it was her duty, he refrained from doing so and rushed downstairs. "Jill, did Josh come home from his sleepover last night?"

"Yes, Mr. Jefferson called me and said he dropped off our son a block from our house. I went to bed thinking he would be home a few minutes later," said his wife. "Is… is he in his room?"

"No, I just checked. Did you hear him last night? Are you sure?" asked Mr. Plains, grabbing his wife's shoulders. Now the panic was setting in that every parent had when they didn't know where their child was. He began to fight off all the images of his son lost or hurt so that he could keep his cool. Zootopia may have been the place where anybody could be anything, but it was still dangerous.

"All I heard was some noise in the alley next door, but I figured it was the night trash people," answered his wife, who was slowly turning white. "Should we call the police?"

Mr. Plains didn't answer because he was already running out of the house to check his street. It was mostly a lions and tigers' street though a few other animals lived in the area too. As he came to the alley, he heard something that made his blood turn to ice.

Sobbing.

He had recognized that whimper the first time his son tried to ride a bike and fell, hurting his knee. It was at that moment that Mr. Plains fell into his instincts of being a lion father, and let out a roar to let others know one of the pride had been hurt. He knocked over the trash cans as he ran as fast as he could towards the sound of the crying.

When he arrived, he found his son, but upon doing so he nearly fell over in horror. His brain shut down to the point where all he could see was the image in front of him. His son. His twelve-year-old son was naked, handcuffed, and covered in bruises and cuts. A small puddle of his son's urine was underneath him while his back was covered in black spray paint that spelled one word.

"Savage."

But that was not the worst of it.

The worst was when his son slowly turned to him, shame and fear in his eyes… and a muzzle around his bleeding mouth.

Ever since her first great adventure in the city known as Zootopia, Officer Judy Hopps had learned a great deal of things that was necessary as a police officer. First, never be late for anything unless you wanted Parking Meter Duty. Two, paperwork was the worst thing you would ever had to deal with but it was better to get it over with then let it sit in your desk and build up. Third, last one in always got the donuts. And finally, never go anywhere without your partner.

For Judy, her partner had to be one of the most annoying ones on the face of the planet. "Nick will you just pick already!" shouted Judy as she glanced at the clock. They only had ten more minutes to get to work or else Chief Bogo was going to chew them out for it… again!

"Patience, Carrots." Nick replied as he shook his finger while his tail swished back and forth. "Such important decisions cannot be rushed."

"Nick, it's coffee. You only get two types anyway so just choose one!" shouted Judy, rubbing her temples. She could already see the amusement on the faces of the other patrons of Stagbucks. They were regulars here and it was a bit annoying that they were the opening entertainment to their day.

"Alright, Carrots. I'll take a Grande cappuccino with roasted Porto Ratico beans. Extra milk," ordered Nick.

"Coming right up," said the cat cashier as she punched it in her register.

Judy sighed with relief as Nick soon got his coffee and the two rushed to their car. Well, more accurate it was Nick's beat up old car. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the keys, Judy would have left him a long time ago. Okay, she really wouldn't, but she was always frustrated that he did this to her. Unlike her, he didn't mind working in parking because it was a chance to be lazy.

That didn't mean Nick was always lazy. He was in fact, just as good as a detective as Judy. In the two and a half years they had worked together, they had quickly become one of the top officers in not just the precinct but also of Zootopia in general. They had solved more crimes together then most rookies do in five years and they were starting to get noticed more and more because of it. Of course the real reward was that she was living her dream and helping animals alongside her best friend in the world.

"You know, Carrots," said Nick as he sipped on his coffee. "You need to relax. It's Friday after all, we got the weekend after this and I for one plan to take advantage of it."

"I know, but you know how much I hate being late, Nick," said Judy with a small smile. She knew her partner never really went out of his way to "antagonize" her. It was just part of his charm.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Parking duty isn't going to be ours. It's going to Emeril and Daniels," stated Nick as if it was a fact.

"How do you know that?" asked Judy, raising an eyebrow as they stopped at a stop light.

"Emeril and Daniels were caught making out," said Nick with a wide smile.

"So? Police regulations are okay with partners dating," said Judy.

"Yeah, but making out and getting halfway naked on the Chief's desk?" asked Nick, doing his best to hold his laughter upon seeing the red blush on Judy's face. "I swear if it wasn't for the fact that we were patrolling, I would have recorded the whole blowout when Bogo walked in."

"How did you hear about this?" asked Judy.

"Clawhauser," answered Nick and Judy's curiosity was easily put to rest. That cheetah had to be the most gossiping cat that Judy had ever met. "Anyway, so I figured even if we are a bit late, the Chief is still going to be so pissed off at those two that we're going to be in the clear for once."

"Fine, but if we do end up late I pick the movie for this weekend," said Judy, smirking.

"As long as it's not a Tale of Two Bunnies… again, I'm perfectly fine with that."

They didn't arrive late; in fact, they were two minutes early upon punching in. Ben Clawhauser was right there, eating his fifth box of donuts when his two friends showed up and we waved at them. "Hey, guys! You'll never guess what just happened!" shouted the cheetah with excitement.

"Let me guess, they decided to lower the cost of the snack machines by twenty-five cents?" joked Nick, which earned him an elbow from Judy.

"Nope! Wrong! Although that would be just as thrilling," said Ben. "My sister is having another baby! A girl actually!"

"Aw, that's so cute, Clawhauser," said Judy with a wide smile.

"This is her fourth one, right?" asked Nick as he shook the cheetah's paw.

"Yup! Jen has never been so excited except for when Brittney was born. Or when Jack was. Or when Oliva was too. Oh who am I kidding, she was excited for all of them. Oh, you will help me plan for the baby shower won't you?!" he begged while giving them the puppy eyes.

"Sure, if there isn't anything on TV," said Nick, again with another elbow to the stomach. "I mean, yes we will."

"Great! Oh, I better let you guys get into the bullpen. See ya! Talk later!" said Ben as the two nodded and walked away.

"You think he's going to convince his sister to name the kid after Gazelle like last time?" asked Nick.

"Just as much as I think she's going to tell him she will when he starts going to a gym," said Judy, remembering the expression on Ben's face when she did so.

The two chatted with a few of their co-workers in the bullpen before taking their seats. Chief Bogo soon entered and all chatter stopped before he stood inform of his podium. "Okay, I know its Friday and all, but we got work to do and I don't want any lazy paws out there. First off, I'm getting a new desk for… reasons…" He muttered and glared at the two blushing wolves in the back while a few of the other officers grinned the pair. "Second," his expression turned grim, "we have a possible 428."

The entire atmosphere in the room turned cold in a split second. A few officers growled and showed their fangs. Even Judy and Nick were narrowing their eyes. A 428 meant a possible child abuse or molestation.

Chief Bogo nodded to a ram in uniform who turned off the lights. A picture came up showing a twelve-year-old lion wearing a baseball uniform for his school's team. "This is Josh Plains, age twelve. This morning his family found him naked in an alley next to their home. He was beaten badly with bruises all over him while stripped to nothing. He was also handcuffed and… well, he was found with a muzzle on his face."

Judy heard Nick gasp and she quickly grabbed his paw with her own. She looked at him with worry as he stared at the next picture with eyes full of fright. A muzzle. One that was covered in blood that had to be Josh's. Judy could already see the flashbacks in Nick's eyes of when he was just about the same age where a bunch of prey kids forced a muzzle on him when all he wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts. Judy was the first one he ever told that story to. Not even Finnick, his longtime partner in crime, had known about the story. It was one of Nick's darkest moments in life, and the day he gave up on being anything but a criminal fox.

She squeezed his paw, to let him know that she was there for him. He broke away from the images and stared into her violet and caring eyes. He softened a little and nodded in thanks before the Chief continued. "Currently, he's being treated at Pride Rock's General Hospital. We don't know if he was sexually abused, but we can rule this a hate crime."

"How so, sir?" asked one officer.

Chief Bogo then pulled up another clip. This one making Judy gasp with horror and sent a tear dripping down her cheek. On the back of the young lion's body was a single word in black spray pain. "Savage."

"This case is now the top problem we have to deal with. I want to know who wishes to-"

"I want this case, Chief!"

Everyone in the room turned in surprise towards Nick as he stood up with the most serious look anybody had ever seen from him. He looked ready to hunt somebody down and spill blood doing so. It was the most determined expression Judy had ever seen from him. "Sir, I… I need this case. Please."

Chief Bogo raised his eyebrow. "I'm surprised, Wilde. Normally, Hopps is the one whose begging for the cases. However, I can see the fire in your eyes and I'm granting it to you and Hopps. Jordon and Pond? You two are also on this case. Head out and do what you can."

Judy and Nick saluted along with a male lion and female elephant. The four walked out as Jordon, the lion who had a very red mane and scar over his right lip smirked at Nick. "So Wilde, what's got you so focused on this case."

Nick, not resorting a sarcastic comeback for once, said, "It's personal alright."

"Okay, so we need to check out the crime scene while also questioning the victim and his family. Which do you guys want?" asked Judy, wanting to get to work straight away. The thought that the monster who did this to that poor lion cub was still free with every second passing my made her want to find him or her as soon as possible and throw the book at them. Hard.

"I'm a lion so it might be easier to talk to one of their own for them. No offence, Hopps, but you're a prey type and chances are prey did this. So they might not be eager to talk to you," replied Jordon.

Judy nodded. As much as she would like to comfort the poor cub and reassure the family that she would solve the case, the fact that any prey, even a bunny, was suspect to this wouldn't make things easier. However, before she could agree, Nick suddenly asked, "Mind if I go with you? Pond and Carrots can check out the scene while I help with the questioning."

"Are you sure?" asked Pond in surprise. Judy was just as surprised as well. Never once had Nick requested a different partner.

"Yeah, you okay with that, Judy?" asked Nick to his bunny friend.

Now Judy knew he was serious. He only ever used her real name when he was. Nodding, Judy answered, "It's fine. I wanna check out the scene anyway."

"Okay, we'll report when we finish. Meet you in garage, Nick," said Jordon as he and Pond took off.

Now that they were alone, Judy placed a paw on her friend's arm and asked, "Are you okay with this, Nick?"

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Honestly, I just want to go home. But the fact that a cub is going through the same crap I went through only worse? No, I have to be part of this case, Judy. I need to let that cub know everything is going to be okay."

Before Judy knew it, she was hugging him much to his surprise as he blushed. "Okay, but if you need me, call me. Remember, Nick. I'm always there for you."

"Yeah, I know," he replied with a smile before slowly pushing her off. "Now enough of the hugs, it's not mainly for a police officer."

He turned away to go join Jordon when Judy called out, "Nick!" he turned around as she nodded to him with a determined look on her face. "We'll find who did this, Nick. I promise."

Nick nodded back and said, "Yeah, and whoever it that animal is will wish we put a muzzle on them."