Well, I'm pretty sure I have a problem now. A good kind of problem, anyway. Less than 48 hours after penning my first ever fanfiction, and I've been bitten by the writing bug once more. And within a couple hours, and one stream of inspiration later, I had another Zootopia story, this one much longer and more serious, pretty much all planned out. I honestly can't explain it, but who am I to complain?

As the story is a re-imagining of the movie's climactic events, quite a bit of this first chapter is just my rendition of the film's final scenes. I've tried to spice it up, and things get much more interesting near the end, but just a heads-up. The narrative really opens up in later chapters, I promise.

As ever, reviews and related feedback are thankfully received.

Last time I checked, I still don't own Zootopia. Working on it.

"...how did you know where to find us?"

ZPD Officer Judy Hopps, and her conman-turned-associate Nick Wilde, stood illuminated in the skylight of the Zootopia Natural History Museum. In one paw, she maintained a firm grasp on the evidence proving that the recent cases of predators going savage in the city weren't due to biology, as she'd wrongfully assumed: a briefcase containing a dart gun and several capsules filled with concentrated Night Howler serum; a flower which caused severe psychotropic effects in mammals.

"I'll go ahead and take that case."

Directly opposite the pair stood Dawn Bellwether, former lackey of Mayor Leodore Lionheart and currently acting as interim leader of the city following his arrest. During her time in Zootopia, Officer Hopps had grown quite close to Bellwether, consulting her for help with following up on an important lead.

But something about the ewe's sudden arrival at the museum, despite there being absolutely no reason for her to be there, didn't sit quite right with Judy.

And then it clicked.

Her abuse at the hands of Lionheart. Her hasty text to city hall ensuring Judy would be put on the Otterton case. The fact that she curiously had access to the files of every traffic camera in Zootopia, even though she didn't work for the ZPD. Perhaps most damningly, the snipers responsible for turning the predators feral being rams. And now she turns up at a closed museum for seemingly no occasion other than to intercept them.

She was the culprit.

Almost reflexively, Judy shifted the briefcase out of Bellwether's reach. In an instant, the true danger of the situation dawned on her. Motioning for Nick to back up, she tried her level best to keep her sudden simultaneous feelings of shock, betrayal and realisation from becoming apparent in her expression. If she could just buy enough time to get to Bogo...

"Y'know, I think Nick and I will..." she gulped, "take this evidence to the ZPD."

The pair wheeled around, only to find the exit blocked by a muscle-bound ram, not unlike those they had found at the Night Howler lab. If they needed any more confirmation that Bellwether was in on the whole thing, there it was.

Nick seemed to have caught on too. He looked Judy dead in the eyes. "Run."

Without a moment's hesitation, the two broke into a desperate sprint, scrambling behind a curtain leading to a dark storage area. Clearly sensing that her façade had been seen through, Bellwether dropped the cheery demeanour and signalled to her henchmen.

"Get them."

With two vicious rams in hot pursuit, Nick and Judy weaved through the various old displays cluttering the room; a task made slightly simpler for Nick by his excellent nightvision. One of the few aspects of being a fox he was consistently thankful for.

Easily spying the protruding tusk of a downed mammoth skeleton, Nick leapt gracefully over the potentially lethal obstacle. Judy, however, was not so lucky. Before the fox had a chance to warn her, she smacked straight into the exhibit, tripping and catching her leg on the tusk, slicing the top layer of skin clean off. Searing hot pain shot up her calf as she balled up into a foetal position, gasping in agony.

"Carrots!" Crushingly aware of the bodyguards drawing ever nearer, Nick hurried over to his partner's side and helped her to her feet, half-dragging and half-carrying her behind a pillar. "C'mon, I got you."

On any other occasion, Judy would have protested against the pejorative nickname 'Carrots', but she had to admit it had grown on her; and besides, it hardly seemed the time to split hairs. She allowed herself to be ferried around the corner and stretched out her leg for Nick to examine. Blood oozed from the cut. The damage, though not irreparable, was enough to ground her for the time being.

"Blueberry?"

What? She looked up, and through her pain-fuelled haze, saw Nick offering her some of her family's homegrown fruit from a handkerchief. Bless him. He's trying to keep me calm.

"Ugh, pass." If he wanted to joke, she wasn't going to let him get one over on her, even when her body felt like it was on fire.

Bellwether's collected, but now definitely more unstable, voice echoed down the hall. "We're on the same team, Judy!" Uh-oh. Thinking fast, she thrust the briefcase into Nick's arms.

"Take the case. Get it to Bogo."

Nick shook his head. "I'm not leaving you behind, that's not happening."

Judy pointed at her leg, which was now bandaged in Nick's handkerchief. "I can't walk."

"Underestimated, underappreciated. Aren't you sick of it?" The voice was closer for sure this time.

"OK, well, we'll think of something..." Nick scanned the area, searching for anything that could buy them some more time. His eyes came to rest on a disused bunny mannequin holding a spear. "That's it!" he whispered to himself, a clear note of self-satisfaction in his tone.

Dusting off the figure, he positioned it so that it cast a shadow against the far wall of the room, then hoisted Judy halfway onto his shoulder. "Get up here. That's it. Now, how do we get outta this place?"

Judy pointed weakly in the direction of the exit. "Over there." As they made to leave, she spied the handful of blueberries scattered on the floor and was struck with an ingenious idea. One that just might save their lives.

"Nick, wait. The blueberries – "

"We don't have time, Carrots. We gotta hustle."

"No, seriously. What if we switched out the- "

Bellwether's voice rang loudly and clearly in their ears. "We'll be unstoppable!"

That did it. Nick broke into a run, Judy in tow, leaving the by-now rotting fruit untouched on the ground.

"Sorry, sweetheart. You know I'd listen to you if we weren't being chased by a bunch of homicidal maniacs. Kinda puts a damper on your social skills."

"Sure." Judy tried laboriously to keep up with her partner, who had her by the hand, but she was unable to shake the feeling that he'd just committed a grave mistake.

En route to the exit, Judy's slender form bashed into a pile of steel pipes, knocking one loose and sending it crashing to the ground. Nick's ears flattened as he winced, knowing their cover was blown.

"What are you doing?!"

"It's not my fault. You try running with a mangled limb."

Naturally, Bellwether had heard the noise. She whipped around and yelled to the rams. "Over there!"

Not even realising they were being chased again, Nick focused all his effort on reaching daylight. They were metres from the exit. So close. So... close...

"Aagh!" Judy finally gave way and stumbled forward. Against his better judgment, the fox stopped for a second to make sure she was OK. Damn, he was getting soft.

And that tiny opening was all the guards needed to make their move.

Wham. Propelled by the driving force of a 200-pound slab of mutton, Judy and Nick sailed through the air and landed, hard, in a crumpled heap inside one of the museum's savannah exhibits. Even with all the tension and terror of the situation, Judy couldn't help but note the ironic symbolism of this setting.

Badly bruised, the pair separated, and fell to the floor as Bellwether, having retrieved the Night Howler case after seeing it knocked from Judy's hands, tottered up to the edge of the pit and surveyed her prey with a condescending smirk.

"Heh. Bunny should've just stayed on the carrot farm, huh?" Judy glared through the pain. The rough landing had done her injury no favours. "It really is too bad. I did like you."

Judy scoffed. Yeah, sure. In the same way a leopard likes a wounded gazelle.

Defiantly, she rose and looked the ewe straight in the face. "What are you going to do, kill me?" That's a rhetorical question. Please don't kill me.

"Oh! Heh. No, of course not. No."

Judy's eyes widened as Bellwether raised the dart gun. Something had told her this was going to happen.

"He is."

"NO!" Too late. Before Judy could leap in front of her friend, the villain had fired off a round, hitting Nick square in the neck and forcefully injecting potent Night Howler serum into his bloodstream. Instantaneously, the fox gasped, gagged and collapsed onto the ground.

Dammit, why didn't he listen to me? "Nick, no. Don't do this. Fight it."

Bellwether chuckled, circling the rim of the pit. "Oh, but he can't help it, can he? Since preds are just biologically predisposed to be savages."

Judy, now in a genuine panic, began grasping Nick's shoulders and shaking him. "Nick, listen to me. Don't give into it. You aren't a savage. Not now. Not when we're so close. Are you-"

"Back off." Nick flipped over, and began writhing and thrashing around. Judy was horrified to see that the usual charming, sardonic glint in his eyes was fading fast, being replaced by rapidly dilating pupils.

"What?"

"Get away from me!" Nick cowered behind one of the exhibit's fake rocks. "I'm not letting your stubbornness get you killed."

"Nick, I won't leave here without you."

"Exactly my point. This – agh! – I don't know what the heck's gonna happen when this stuff takes hold, Carrots. Promise me you'll run."

"I-"

"Promise me."

"No."

Bellwether observed the proceedings with great interest.

"I – gah! - you need to get out of here."

"What, and leave the evidence in Mayor Bellwether's hooves? Let her get off the hook?"

She glanced up and saw the ewe phoning the ZPD, evidently planning to frame Nick for her impending doom.

Nick had seconds left of consciousness. "That doesn't matter! You saw what happened with Manchas."

Judy bent down and pressed her muzzle to his, looking deep into his unnaturally blackened irises. "Then I guess I'm up for round two."

She thought she could detect the slightest hint of sadness in the fox's eyes as they glazed over and closed one last time. In an almost pitifully weak, throaty voice, Nick stammered: "I... I'm sorry... Judy."

Deafening silence.

Then a bloodcurdling growl pierced the air.

The eyes that opened next were no longer Nicholas Wilde's. They burned with predatory rage and feral aggression, reflecting Judy's stoic, but clearly terrified face in their glassy, unfeeling depths.

Down on all fours and heckles raised, the creature possessing Nick's body bared its teeth and rounded on Judy. She stumbled backwards into the artificial grass, her leg hurting worse than ever.

Having finished her deceptive phone call, Bellwether turned her attention back to the scene. "Gosh. Think of the headlines. 'Hero Cop Killed by Savage Fox'."

Appalled that she had the gall to continue discussing politics after robbing her friend of his God-given sentience, Judy refused to rise to it, and instead called the ewe out.

"So that's it. Prey fears predator and you stay in power?"

"Pretty much."

"It won't work." Judy was bluffing now, and she knew it, but she needed something to divert her attention from the horror unfolding before her. Betrayed by two of her friends in a single evening. And one of them didn't even know he was doing it.

"Fear always works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

The monster pushed its snout up in Judy's face, who was backed up against the wall. As its torso parted the grass, she searched desperately for any glimmer of her former ally in its eyes. "Oh, Nick..."

Bellwether hummed in satisfaction. "Bye-bye, bunny."

The monster lunged. Judy kicked.

Several months of training at the ZPD Police Academy had toned her thighs to the point where a forceful smack from her feet could inflict serious damage, even when injured. Subconsciously noting the similarities between this escape and her traumatic encounter with Gideon Grey as a kid, she began crawling across the pit floor as the monster, yelping in pain at the attack, shook its head vigorously, clearly disoriented. It soon re-established its lock on her scent, tracking the enticing aroma of the bloody gash on her leg.

"Nick, please. It's me. Judy. Officer Hopps. Carrots."

Bellwether sneered. "What, you think this is some kind of clichéd fairytale where you can talk him down with a heartfelt speech and everyone lives happily ever after? Welcome to the real world, Judy. It's a cruel place."

The beast slashed at Judy, who instinctively held up an arm to shield her face, earning her a laceration on her elbow. Groaning in agony and briefly looking down at the wound, her eyes watered when she saw just how deep the incision was. Three distinct claw marks. Two limbs down. Nick was truly gone.

"Dog eat dog, Judy. Or in this case, fox eat rabbit. Quite a relevant metaphor, don't you think?"

The savage monster didn't let up, hacking away at the horrified bunny, who dodged each blow to the best of her ability. Her resolve was fading, but things clearly weren't moving fast enough for Bellwether, who rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with you, you dumb mutt? It's a cute little rabbit. Kill her. Or am I gonna have to bop you with another round of rage juice?" She picked up the dart gun.

"Don't you dare!" Judy shrieked. This actually halted the fox for a moment. "The overdose would kill him. That stuff is toxic."

"Great. Both thorns plucked effortlessly from my side in one fell swoop. Can't ask for much more than that, can ya?"

"You're a psychopath."

"I'm a politician. We all are, Judy."

Rearing its head, the beast slammed down one muscular paw and pinned Judy to the ground by the neck, as if sensing that if it didn't hurry up and finish her off it'd be getting shot again.

Judy closed her eyes, allowing her life to flash before them.

She thought of all the innocent citizens of Zootopia who would go on living under the oppressive, segregationist rule of Bellwether, all because she failed in her duty.

Of Clawhauser, Bogo and all the others at the ZPD who would (hopefully) mourn her demise.

Of Nick, the most loyal friend she'd ever had, converted into a snarling demon and murderer.

Perhaps most of all, she thought of her family. Her happy-go-lucky parents and 300 siblings, hundreds of miles away right now, who were unaware their daughter, whom they warned and begged not to pursue her dreams, was about to be killed. By a fox. When they found out (assuming they ever found out) they'd spend the rest of their lives telling everyone who would listen that they were right. For all the wrong reasons.

So this is what it's come to.

She felt its hot, rapid breath heaving against her fur. She smelled Nick's familiar scent mingled with a foul, more primal aroma. She knew its jaws were inches from her neck. Speckles of drool splashed onto the matted fur of her ears.

So this is how I die.

And then everything became a blur.

Through the thick, fuzzy sensation ringing in her ears, she could make out the distant sound of sirens.

A frustrated shout.

A fiendish snarl.

Confused, Judy opened her eyes, and found herself looking directly into the savage maw of the monster. The last thing she knew was a bizarre prickling, burning sensation in her other thigh, before a blinding flash of teeth made everything go black.

Well, that's quite the development. I wasn't sure how graphic/emotional to make Nick's attack, but I figure I've gotten it down OK.

I'm not promising anything, but since I've already got the narrative route for this bad boy all planned out, I'll try and update daily. With that in mind, let's just say there are hints to pivotal later events hidden throughout this chapter, so when the fic is finished come back here to see all the clever foreshadowing I put in. Such diabolical genius!

Anyway, thanks for reading. Catch you next chapter.