Somewhere in the raging ruins of Downtown Zootopia, Keranian and Zootopian soldiers were piling up behind the barbed wire entrenchments as mortar shells continued on raining their positions for 2 hours straight. Their moans and painful screams echoes the skies as the explosions and the rain drown their agonized sounds. In the tents and redoubts behind the entrenchments, officers and soldiers did their stressful tasks like any other. Treating the wounding, repairing weaponry or equipment, discussing military plans, assessing the bodies of countless dead, writing diaries or letters stained with blood and dirt, getting some sleep, eating their sparse rations and for those who had chronic shell shock weep.

The war within Zootopia occurred when elements of the Splenish colonial garrison mounted an uprising months ago in the urban districts against Spleriia Splero and to anyone who served with him. Their objectives were to quash the Emperor's colonial control of the city and to capture the rest of Zootopia so that the rebels could establish as a territory of a future anti-Keranian and anti-Zootopian republican state that they were planning. Their atrocities were unbearable for both furry and non-furry communities from around the world as the rebels were massacring prisoners who were suspected to be pro-Keranian, pro-Zootopian or both.

In response, Emperor Splero Spleriia Kerano himself officially declared that a state of war against the rebel militants had finally existed and like what the world would think of, retaliated back with everything that he got from his very own iron fist. Though the Zootopians were having second thoughts about his actions and they might think that Splero would use the opportunity to expand his colonialist control, the Splenish Emperor made a promise that when this very war ended, he would officially cede the entire colony back to its rightful owner so that a such event in the future would not going to be repeated again. He also made a promise that he would pull out every Keranian military soldiers from the colony so that the entire place can now be rebuilt back as a Zootopian territory once again. With these promised compensations that he personally made to the public, many Zootopians agreed to fight with him for that very promises that they wanted to achieve for so long.

Though the enemies were outnumbered by three sides to one, the rebels were frustratingly resilient and they still remained in the ruins of Downtown Zootopia. A stalemate sets in while the horrors of war rages on.

...

Inside a military tent of a camp near the ZPD Headquarters, Matthew Matehero was busy in writing a letter with a ballpoint pen and a piece of paper crumbled and stained with dirt and blood streaks. The young Keranian soldier was being drafted into Splenish service 4 months earlier and he was part of the so-called Kerai-Furrai Elites. They were hardened soldiers trained extensively for the harshest kinds of urban and guerrilla style warfare. Most of them were armed with the same weaponry used by Spleriia's forces back in mainland Splena but they wore helmets and body armor. In a nutshell, they were like German Stormtroopers of World War One.

As he continued on writing, the sound of artillery fire and soldiers screaming interrupted him. He finished off writing when a male Akita dressed with a green neckerchief on fur neck entered inside.

'Heya, Matehero.'

'Heya, Kyle. What's up?'

'Nothing. I just wanted to be in here. I don't want to hear the sound of the artillery firing away outside again.'

'I understand your dislike there, man. I'm sorry to hear about it.'

Kyle sighed and he patted Matehero's shoulder.

'Meh. It's war, dude. Nothing would change it.'

'I know. We're facing it time and time again the hard way.'

'Indeed.'

The Akita husky then sat down beside him and removed his boots. As he removed it, painful blisters were on the tips of his foot paws.

'Ugh.'

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing. I guess I'm having some trench foot or something.'

'Would you like for me to take you to dressing station?'

'No thanks. I already got there earlier.'

'A hot foot bath you need, I guess?'

'I think so.'

Matehero stood up.

'I'll boil you some water, then.'

'Thanks.'

The male human prepared a kettle of water while the male Akita husky prepared some bandages and a steel helmet. After boiling for a few minutes, Matehero boiled some water and he poured it on Kyle's helmet. After that, the canine slowly dipped his foot paws on the helmet full of hot water. The sensation makes him sigh in relief.

'Ah! That's feels good.'

'Say, Kyle?'

'Hmm?'

'Since your paws were blistering, where did you go to?'

'In the battlefield.'

Matehero stuttered.

'A-Again?'

'What can I do else than that? That's was the order of the officers.'

'Did you and the others saw something out there?'

'Not much. Just more ruins, cratered streets and more dead bodies elsewhere.'

'Ugh. Now that's stressful.'

'Stressful and boring nonetheless.'

Kyle washed his foot paws thoroughly on the hot water that was on his helmet. He removed his feet away and wraps it with some bandages before donning his boots again. The canine then took his helmet and discharged the dirty water on the ground outside. Matehero looked at him.

'Feeling a bit better on your foot paws?'

Kyle nodded.

'Thanks for boiling me some water there.'

'It's a pleasure, Brother.'

A male deer wearing a military uniform and a General's cap entered inside.

'Attention!'

Both Matehero and Kyle stood side by side and they saluted back.

'Reporting in for duty, General Bucksfield!'

'At ease, guys. I have a mission to debrief for the both of you. This is straight from the top so listen carefully.'

Bucksfield then opened a folder and gave a few confidential papers to both the human and the canine.

'The Kerai-Zootopian Command had authorized me to infiltrate a known position held by the rebel forces at grounds of the City Hall. 4 hours earlier, Leo Lionheart and Chief Bogo of the ZPD were being evacuated from there alongside with some remaining ZPD survivors who fought back the enemy presence in that region. Our objective was to take back City Hall and eliminate every rebel forces present in that section.'

'Sir, did Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps were among them?'

'No. They were in a different ZPD unit.'

'Oh. What a relief there!'

Bucksfield cleared his throat.

'Anyway, moving on.'

He then pointed something that were on the papers.

'I already debated the plan in this directive order. The plan for creating a solid entrenchment near the City Hall was now approved by the Kerai-Zootopian Command. Once the positions within the area were being held to our hands for good, this would pave the way for a much more secured route for the supply links and a vital staging point for an all-out offensive against the remaining pockets of rebel forces.'

Matehero looked at the General.

'How many enemy forces we would be facing with there?'

'If my intelligence reports from yesterday was correct and all, you'll be expecting a force consisted of more than two hundred to three hundred rebel militants.'

The human sighed tensely while the Akita whistled in awe.

'Alright. We'll take it. At least this war would end more earlier if that place would be brought back under control.'

Bucksfield nodded.

'It will. Just stock up on everything you and your partner might needed for the defense there.'

Kyle raises his paw.

'Wait, Sir. Do we also expect some reinforcements once we get there?'

'Yes, Kyle. Emperor Spleriia had already commanded Acheron Fokkusu to lead a few infantry divisions and some tanks to aid you and the other units stationed there.'

'Alright, then.'

Matehero clapped his hands.

'Okay, General Bucksfield. We're going there right now.'

The male deer nodded in agreement.

'Very well. Pack your supplies now, guys. We'll send you both there in about an hour. Good Luck.'

Both the human and the Akita saluted to the General.

...

Exactly an hour after being debriefed about the proposed plan, Matehero and Kyle as well with other Keranian and Zootopian troops were now preparing for their transit into the hot zone. While the soldiers were boarding onto M113 APCs, the male Keranian was chambering his old Hanyang 88 rifle.

'Hey, dude!'

'What?'

'Climb aboard or else you'll be left behind!'

'Hang on, Kyle.'

Quickly, Matehero climbed aboard the APC and he sat beside the Akita. The canine noticed the rusted rifle that the human soldier was holding.

'Whoa there. That's a very rusty rifle.'

'I know, right?'

'I can't believe that you still use that thing until today.'

Matehero looked at Kyle in a bit of perplex.

'What do you mean?'

'To be honest with you, most of all Zootopian military soldiers were armed with M16A4s, MP5s, MK14 EBRs and so far and so fourth. You Keranians often use that ancient rifle from like the 1890s or something.'

Matehero chuckled.

'I know but not all of them were with these rifles. Others were armed MP18s, other weapons from World War One and even some matchlock muskets.'

Kyle sputtered.

'M-Matchlocks?!'

'Yeah.'

'Damn! That's outrageous. I don't those weapons would be any effect in this sense of modern warfare.'

'I suppose so. That's why Spleriia was sometimes criticized by this disadvantageous fact.'

'I'm not having any prejudices or anything about it but I agree with you.'

'Yep. Thanks.'

As the last soldiers boarded into the APCs, whistles sounded off from outside. General Bucksfield then walked towards them and yelled.

'Gentlemen, stay strong for combat in the next minute! Battle on for Splena and Zootopia!'

After that, the APCs closed the hatches. Shortly, the vehicles full of soldiers started to move towards to the expected battlefield that were just minutes away.