Zootopia, a place where predators and prey are able to coexist without any tensions or fear; a grand city where anyone can be anything; or at least that's what they tell you. The reality is much, much different than what you may or may not expect. No, this isn't a city where predator and prey just hold hands and sing kumbaya, it's a city where predator and prey are constantly at each other's throats. And when prey dominates the city populace 9 to 1, serious problems arise.
You see, prey have always had a natural fear of predators since the dawn of time. It's just in their DNA one could say. But the problem is that fear eventually turns to anger, and anger eventually leads to hate.
This level of hatred can vary from species to species, and because of all of the existing predator stereotypes, the ones who seem to get the bulk of this hate are those of the canid kind. I for one am a russet colored fox.
My name is John Wilde. I am a 19-year-old fox male living off the streets of Zootopia.
My parents weren't the best in the bunch. My father was a bum and couldn't even be called a proper father. He was a lazy slouch who did absolutely nothing for our family. My mother, she dealt with drugs in order to make money for us, and we lived in a shithole apartment for a while. At least until everything came crashing down on us.
The complex(if you could even call it that) was burned to the ground by prey rioting on our side of Happytown. A demonstration of fear and hate never before seen in the city. We lost everything. Our belongings, our home, and any shred of pride that could have existed between us. Soon after that, our lives dwindled into practically nothing.
We could hardly do anything to support ourselves. It was tough. Eventually, my father drank himself to death, and only a week later, my mother disappeared from a drug deal she was making. I must have been about 14 at the time.
Life was even more difficult for me after that. But even through all of this, I found a way to thrive. I found a way to survive.
Making quick hussles here and there helped me learn how to make a quick buck. It was through this that I soon began to meet more kids that I could trust. I started to gain some genuine friends.
We became a family. Helping each other out when help was needed. Supporting each other through a city that doesn't even want us.
Life has been going on like this for 5 years now. I've hit many low points throughout all if this, but I always pull through. Everything feels routine and easy now.
But things won't be able to stay like this forever. It's around this time that the real struggle, one that will define what this city will become, between predator and prey begins.
Everything is about to change.