Chapter 1: City Streets

You gingerly wove your way through the bustling city streets. The sun was bright and made your fur pleasantly warm as you wandered around the center of Zootopia. Shielding your eyes with a slender paw, your mismatched eyes squinted at the crowd you found yourself in. The mass of bodies around you made you feel as if you were suffocating. You couldn't turn without nearly bumping into someone else. A green eye and a purple eye gleamed as you realized that you were exactly where you wanted to be. A sly grin formed on your fluffy face as you quickly began to walk forward.

Quick paw steps allowed you to make it to the very center of the mass of animals. You slowed your gait until you were merely going at a brisk walk. It was a walk that was expected in the busy city you lived in. Breathing in deeply, you placed a sweet smile on your face and let your eyes wander. The buildings were amazing. They stretched to the sky and seemed to get lost in the clouds. When you looked at them you felt small and powerless. Shivering, you let your eyes focus on something else. The sidewalk was well maintained and had very little damage. It seemed that everything was well maintained in Zootopia.

"Umf!" You let out a soft muffle as you walked right into a tall antelope. Raising your glittering eyes, you gave a small wave. "Sorry about that."

"Watch where you are going!" He yelled right in your masked face.

"I really am sorry. Here let me help you." You tried to clean the dust off of his red polo shirt. Desperately, your black paws moved across his torso.

"I don't need your help! Get your paws off of me!" He grabbed your small paws in his large hooves and roughly pushed you away, causing you to land on your large tail.

"Ouch." You winced as you stroked your fluffy and aching tail. You noticed with a small frown that he had succeeded in getting your outfit dustier than he was. Muttering more apologies, you began to pat down your bright yellow shirt. It was a blouse adorned with light pink cherry blossoms and one of the few shirts you actually liked. Grimacing, you noticed that your paws only smeared the dirt.

"Clean yourself up you dirty raccoon!" The antelope huffed as he quickly walked away.

Your eyes flashed for a moment before regaining their lost look. "Sorry." You mumbled as you walked away from him as quickly as you could. 'Sorry you are such a sap.'

You grinned devilishly as you tossed the wallet in the air before catching it in one paw. Licking your muzzle with anticipation, you quickly opened it to see how much you had scored. It was not much, just a couple of bucks. Groaning, you snatched the dollars and tossed the wallet on the ground. The jerk of an antelope could find it later.

"Maybe he can fill it with a real score for me." You said in your silky voice. It was hard to hide the natural suave and confidence that your voice contained. When tricking saps like him you had to try hard to make sure you sounded meek and sorry. Most times it was worth it when something big came your way. This time however, it was not. "That was a waste."

Continuing your walk, your quick eyes scanned the crowd. Your short, wavy hair bounced as you transitioned into a carefree gait. It was jet black and shimmered in the sunlight, occasionally it caught the eye of a passerby but you made sure to lose them in the crowd. The last thing you wanted was to attract attention. You smirked at the fact that you were trying to blend into a crowd. If your two different eye colors and eye catching outfit was not enough, your ringed tail and mask certainly caused animals to go on edge.

You had always been called a thief when you were a young cub. It had always bothered you when animals would judge you before they even knew your name. You would sniff and force the tears back into your eyes as you endured insult after insult. It was important to make sure you never showed them that they got to you. That was what your mom had always told you when you would come home from school crying about what your classmates had said. Eventually, you were able to stop the tears and plaster a fake smile on your face. It was usually to please your mom.

As the years passed however, you began to realize that maybe it was not a bad thing. At least you no longer had to wonder what you would be when you grew up. The other animals were always changing their minds and worrying about what their future held. One day they would be a doctor, then the next they would decide to be a teacher instead. But you always knew. You never changed your mind and you never worried. When you realized that the world had already decided how your life would play out… it was actually kind of liberating. After all, if there was only one thing you could be, you must be naturally good at it. Otherwise so many of your kind would not engage in that activity.

You gave a small smile as you scanned the animals around you. You certainly did have a knack for your job. Everyday brought a decent amount of money in and you almost never had a run in with the police. Swishing your tail with anticipation, your bright eyes flashed as you noticed a sheep bending over trying to collect the scattered contents of his wallet. It was almost too easy. Sauntering over, you bent down and scooped up the assorted coins, bills, and cards. Giving him a smile, you placed them in his hooves. He gazed at you suspiciously and began to count the money right in front of you.

Trying hard to keep your disgust from showing, you waited for him to reassure himself that nothing was missing. Grunting, as if he was upset that you had not stolen anything, he shoved the money into his wallet and began to walk away. Slightly brushing against him as you passed, your mouth formed a hard line. It wouldn't have killed him to say thank you.

'I guess he'll just have to thank me with this.' You thought as you felt the wad of cash grasped firmly in your paw. No one ever expected a thief to steal after they were spotted.

"What now?" You said softly in your silky voice. Half-lidded eyes scanned the crowd through long eyelashes. You turned your body around to give yourself a better view of the crowd around you. Slender and small, you seemed almost catlike in appearance. Moving with grace and fluidity commonly found in felines, your unmistakable markings were the only things that reassured animals that you were indeed, a raccoon.

"Bingo." You whispered as you saw a fluffy tail disappear behind a building. It was a tail that you would recognize anywhere. The one animal that was judged as harshly as you were. Foxes were some of your favorite victims. It made you feel proud to be able to outwit something that others assumed was as sly as you. Your mind instantly assumed that the fox's pockets were lined with cash earned in unconventional ways.

'Time to have some fun.' You thought with a chuckle before following the tail.