A/N: Hey everyone!

Here is the next installment of AOZ! Yay! Took a while to get it out, but I hope you all enjoy it!

Before that, though, I want to give a big THANK YOU to DrekkDeina, CAPTAINPRICE79, DrummerMax64, and Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for taking time to give this story a chance. I knew it wouldn't be popular going in, so thank you!^^

Also, I set up an atreon that starts with a P (goodness, that's annoying) . Is it okay for me to mention that here? If not, I'll take it down later, but I wanted to let you guys know, because I know a lot of you have made it known that you want to support me. If you want the link, it's on my DA account in my Journal.

Now, onward!

~Star


Since the ambush on Ymir's Guard, a few arrests had been made by the Mammal Infiltration and Termination Unit and the Military Police Brigade of individuals that had a connection to the leak, but were not the source themselves. With the mammal still at large, tensions increased further and fights and arguments broke out between the various departments as paws were pointed.

Two days after the ambush, a meeting was held between the king, his Royal Advisors, and the commanders of each department. Many claws were pointed at the MilitaryPolice Brigade by the other departments, but were turned down by the advisors. In turn, they pointed out that it could have been the immigrants their country held, the few predators and prey mammals within Eldia that did not have the feral traits known specifically to their race.

This was turned down immediately by Commander Jack Savage, who reminded everyone present that no immigrants had been arrested so far into the investigation—though they weren't ruled out entirely—and that only the commanders, the royal advisors, and the king himself knew of the location of the Transferring Chamber, therefore, the leak was someone in that very room.

~o.8.o~

"How dare you accuse one of us of such treason!" A male brown bear dressed in noble clothing roared at Commander Savage.

The buck merely raised a brow at the bear. "I speak only the truth, Advisor Amberson. To react so violently, one would think I've accused you personally of such an act."

Flustered, Advisor Noel Amberson reared back from the buck, fear flitting across his face.

Once again, the king and four commanders found themselves in the War Room, alongside the six Royal Advisors of his majesty. Leodore Lionhart VII sat at the head of the table. On his right were Commander Savage, Commander Frost, Commander Bogo, and Commander Spottedtale. To his left sat Advisor Noel Amberson; Advisor Demetri Wolfgang, a black wolf; Advisor Cassandra Wolferson, a grey she-wolf; Advisor Zeke Paw, a fossa; Advisor Manuel Rawrson, a maned wolf; and Advisor Claudia Spots, a female cheetah.

"Enough." King Lionhart VII growled, his savage eyes glaring at the mammals before him. "This meeting has dissolved into a meaningless debacle, while we should be trying to root out the leak." The large feline sighed, the weight of the situation revealing its effect on him briefly. "Has there been any progress in finding who the new Attack Titan is?"

Bogo shook his head grimly. "We have combed through the ranks, but the symptoms of natural Titan Shifters are subtler than that of chosen Titan Shifters. For all we know, it could be anyone in this room, or an Eldian in Marley's grasps…"

The king was silent as he took this in, as were the other mammals in the room. After a moment, he stood up. "This meeting is adjourned until tomorrow. Perhaps time spent away from one another, and some good food, will help us look at the situation with new eyes. A word with you, Commander Savage." His eyes met the buck's, who nodded.

The two mammals waited as the room slowly cleared out, no one happy with the outcome. After a few moments, the doors closed, and then it was just the rabbit and the lion.

Wordlessly, the lion made his way to the large windows in the room, his gaze looking out to the horizon. A view of the magnificence that was the Royal Sector of Wall Vulpus greeted his gaze. Jack joined the lion without a word, his savage eyes taking in the view as well.

"What did you observe in today's meeting?" The lion eventually asked, his deep voice breaking the silence.

Jack answered without taking his gaze off the populace below. "Three, four possible suspects."

Leodore sighed warily, his eyes closing. "Find the traitor. By any means necessary; but be discreet. Those are your orders."

The rabbit buck straightened out his posture as he saluted his king; his right fist curled slightly to the right as he placed it over his heart, with his left fist curled to the left as he placed it against his lower back. "Yes, your Majesty."

"We leave it in your paws." The king said as Commander Savage made his way out of the War Room.

~o.8.o~

In a secluded corner of the Royal Library of Zootopia, Judy Hopps sat at a desk made for her height, surrounded by stacks of books at least three times bigger than her. The gray bunny had arrived at the public library at eight in the morning, when the establishment had opened, trying in vain to gleam some type of clue from the records. It was now nearing two in the afternoon, and she was no closer to discovering how to control wild Titans than the day before.

'Of course, it was naïve to think they'd leave such knowledge out in the open.' The bunny chastised herself. 'But where else could it be?'

Frustrated, the doe pulled at her ears as she let out a silent groan, before allowing her head to lower towards the desk with a soft thud. It was at that moment that her stomach let itself be known, complaining about its lack of sustenance with an audible growl. Turning her head to the side, she rested her temple against the wood of the desk as she gazed unseeingly at the shelf before her.

It was more than just her current situation that was bothering her. For the past two days, Judy had felt off. She felt itchy, her fur prickling at odd times for no reason; and she was tired despite having slept through the nights in a dead sleep. There could only be two reason she could think of for this: her first heat cycle was going to be coming soon, or she was getting sick. Neither of which were appealing. 'Actually, I rather be sick.' She thought glumly.

Her stomach complained again, and the doe sighed. "Maybe a break will help matters."

With food in mind, Judy left for the exit, leaving the books in their place; she wouldn't be long, after all. Letting the librarian known that she'd be back on her way out, she exited the Royal Library. Once outside, she was again struck by the grandeur of the Royal Sector. Shaking her head to focus, she headed for the East Gate, the destination in mind a café within Wall Feline. While there were many shops around her, there was no way she could afford them with her income. Fortunately, the Royal Library was fairly close to the Eastern Gates, and it was only a ten-minute walk before she reached the Marketplace.

Scanning the area as she walked, a flash of red caught her attention, and she paused, turning her head in that direction. There, amongst the crowd, was the fox from yesterday. Slightly entranced, she watched the handsome tod make his way through the crowds confidently. Now that she was able to get a better look at him, he seemed younger than she had originally thought, late teens or early twenties the oldest. A part of her noted that he would only be a few years older than her fifteen years. With a sharp intake of breath, Judy realized that she was staring. Embarrassed, the doe was about to avert her eyes when she noticed something off in the way the fox moved.

"What…?" She muttered to herself as she narrowed her eyes in concentration. Her previous embarrassment forgotten, the doe watched the fox without reserve, slowly hedging closer to him so as not to lose him in the crowd. She paid particular attention to his arms, specifically, his paws.

With eyes straight ahead, an easy smile on his face, the red fox slipped his paw into the pocket of a clearly noble mountain lion and withdrew his silver clasped billfold, with the feline none the wiser.

Gasping in shock, her face quickly settled into an expression of righteous fury. 'He's not going to get away with this!'

The charming red fox tod calmly and confidently made his way to a secluded alley, his smile only growing as he once again made a successful run. Leaning against the alley wall, the young tod brought out his latest 'donation', and with a lick of a finger, began to count his winnings. He had a second to register rapid paws heading his way before a strong, female voice sounded at him.

"You're under arrest!"

Ears perked and a finger pressed against his tongue mid lick, the fox nearly panicked until he saw the rabbit from yesterday at the mouth of the alley. Drawing his tongue back into his maw, the fox gave her his best charming smile as he placed the money in his pocket. "Hello, sweetheart. Feeling better today?"

Ignoring the blush that statement sent up her ears, Judy glared at him. "Don't try to sweet talk me, fox! You are under arrest!"

He didn't react the way she expected him to. Instead of becoming fearful, he turned to his side so his shoulder was resting against the wall and he was facing the rabbit, an amused expression on his face. "One would call that profiling, little cutie."

"Don't call me cute!" Judy said sternly as she marched up to the fox, savage amethyst meeting savage emeralds. Raising a paw up to him, she poked his chest indignantly. "And don't act so innocent; you just pickpocketed that noble!"

"It's not like I took his life savings." The fox didn't bother to deny it as he then pushed himself off the wall and leaned in closer, getting into her personal space. She did her best to control the blush that worsened as a result. "A mammal like that-what I took was pocket change. He won't miss it, believe me." He winked at her, and then stood to his full height. "Besides, you can't arrest me; you don't have the authority to do so."

Fuming, Judy stomped her foot. "Yes, I do!"

Amused emeralds took her in as the fox walked around her, only to gaze at her back. "Only the Military Police have the authority to arrest citizens, sweetheart, and the black and white wings on your back say that you're a part of the Scout's Regiment. So, no, you don't."

"I can take you to them," she insisted, irked that the tod was right.

"Sure you can." The fox agreed, throwing her off-balance a bit. "But who's to say I can't...persuade them to look the other way? After all, Mr. Noble gave me a rather generous 'donation', and the MP do like their 'bonuses'. Besides, with that ambush just a few days ago, they have more important things to worry about than a pickpocket." His grin became absolutely smug. "I'll be released with a slap on the wrist, and you'll look like an attention-seeking bunny. Isn't that right, Ms. Hopps?"

"H-how…?" The doe asked, nose twitching.

The tod casually shoved his paws into the pockets of his trousers as he once again invaded Judy's personal space. His eyes were half-lidded as he spoke, his tone smooth and confident. "I know everything about everyone within these walls. You're Judy Hopps; the first rabbit in the Scout's Regiment, the cousin of Commander Savage, and you'll be turning sixteen soon." Satisfied with her shocked expression, the tod made to exit the alley. "You may have friends in high places, but so do I. Have a good day, Carrots."

It was the use of that utterly ridiculous word as a pet name that snapped Judy out of her shock, and the doe quickly bounded her way in front of the tod, stopping him in his tracks. She glared up at him. "Where do you think you're going, fox?"

"The name's Irus, Carrots," the fox said in an annoyingly patient tone that bordered on mocking, "and I was just about to go take a stroll down the street, as I was doing before you so rudely interrupted me. And you should go back to what you were doing before, as well."

"The library!" The doe burst out unintentionally, having completely forgotten about her research.

'And that's my cue…' Irus thought with a smug smile as he made to slip by the rabbit Scout. A firm tug on the tail of his coat brought him to a an internal sigh, he turned to find the cloth in the paws of Judy.

"Stop right there, fox." She made a point of not using his name, since Irus wasn't returning the favor. "You're coming with me. We'll stop by the library briefly, and then I'm taking you to the MP."

"Well, at least I'll get to see a show." Irus said with a patronizing smile. "It's always entertaining to watch mammals make fools of themselves."

This resulted in an infuriated rabbit dragging a smug fox through the Eastern Gate and towards the Royal Library. Resigned to the fact that he would not be able to easily escape, and not feeling up to wasting energy, Irus allowed Judy to drag him along.

'This is bound to be amusing.' He thought cynically.

Entering the library with her soon-to-be-prisoner, she waved off the curious looks of the librarian deer doe, and quickly led the fox to her stack of books.

Irus rose a brow at the stacks. "Those are some large books for such a little bunny."

"Shut it." Judy snapped, and then picked up a book with a bit of effort; there was no way she'd be able to continue her research with the fox in her custody. Sighing internally at the lost time, she turned to glare at the vulpine. "Stay."

He gave her a mocking salute, and watched as the doe went to put the book back to where it was. Idly curious as to what she'd been trying to look up, Irus picked up a book and glanced at the title. "The Tales of Ymir" stared back at him, and his head cocked to the side with curiosity. Setting that book down and grabbing another, he found that each book the bunny Scout had gathered had something to do with Ymir. Spotting her notebook that she had left behind, he picked it up as well, and felt shock strike him to his core.

When Judy came back to where her books were, she was surprised to see the fox still there, half expecting him to have booked it by then—especially with the way she had treated him. She could admit to herself that she had overstepped her boundaries, but she couldn't help but feel slighted by the fox. Which was ridiculous; she didn't even know him. Just because she found him attractive, that gave her no—

"Why are you looking for ways to control wild Titans?" The calm voice of the tod brought her out of her thoughts, making her notice for the first time that Irus was holding her notebook.

She made to protest, but lost her voice when Irus turned his gaze to her. There was none of the playfulness that had annoyed her earlier. His gaze was serious as he took her in. "T-that's none of your business!" She stuttered, cursing herself for her jumbled nerves as she made to grab the notebook from him.

"Well, whatever it is, you won't find it here." Irus said slyly, and internally smirked as her ears popped up in interest. He smelled a hustle here. "Fortunately for you, I know where you might be able to find it. Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to tell you."

Judy turned her gaze away from Irus to hide her disappointment, ears drooping, and biting her lip as she brought her notebook to her chest. 'I need that information, or Lord Otterton and the rest will be…' Prior to the ambush, the whole force was informed that they would not be going on a rescue mission for their captives immediately, much to the horror of many. And Judy was particularly close to Lord and Lady Otterton, who had frequented their farm when she was a kit for the flowers they grew. The more time they wasted… 'It's been two days already…' Judy closed her eyes and sighed, unaware of the grin on Irus' face.

"If I don't take you to the MP…" Judy began hesitantly, unable to look at the fox as she spoke, "will you tell me where I can find the information I'm looking for?"

'Bingo.' "Hm…" Irus pretended to think about it, and smirked at the bunny who finally opened her eyes and shot him an odd look that was a combination of glaring and pleading. "Toss in a cart of blueberries, and I'll show you where it is. I'll even help."

"A cart?!" Judy protested. "That's a whole month's worth of income!"

"Take it or leave it." The fox grinned.

Fuming, she grumbled her agreement reluctantly.

"Wonderful!" Irus clapped his paws, ignoring the indignant squawk from the librarian about them being silent. "Let's get these books put away, and then I'll show you to the information you seek."

~o.8.o~

"Absolutely fascinating." A female voice sounded in the darkness.

She growled at the voice, her hackles raising. She didn't understand it. Only knew that it was danger. Her struggles against her bonds increased as her panic grew.

"Remove the blindfold." The same voice said.

She hissed at it, and yowled in rage as she felt enemy paws suddenly on her. She began to thrash about, trying her best to free herself from the mammals holding her down. A pained whimper left her sharply as something hit her shoulder with force. As the pain paralyzed her, she slumped to the ground as the blindfold was removed.

The light that met her eyes was not harsh as she panted on the hard ground beneath her. Looking around in a daze, her blurry vision took in the forms of sheep in weird coverings. Scenting the air, she found that they were not her brethren, and hissed at them in warning.

"Bring in the other one." That female voice said again, and she turned her head in its direction. There, a white wooled ewe stood in coverings of blue, purples, and green. Her gaze was cold as she stared through the weird clear thing perched on her stubby snout.

She growled at the ewe.

A loud noise caused her to turn her head sharply, her nose taking in the new scents of the mammals entering the chamber she was in.

Another enemy.

Another enemy.

Ano…

She started to whimper as she scented her brethren, her eyes zeroing on the male otter in torn coverings that had just walked in. Desperately, she started to mewl for help. The otter's eyes widened when he saw her.

"Madam Swiftpaw! What have you done to her?!" The otter shouted at the ewe as he struggled against his own bonds, only to be hit in the back of his head by one of the rams behind him.

The ewe met the eyes of the rams holding the otter, and waved a paw.

The otter cried out as one of the rams behind him grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulling his head back. The other ram carefully dug into a reptilian leather bag attached to his waist with gloves of the same leather, pulling out a hoof-full of vibrant blue petals. He then forced the otter's mouth open amidst his struggles and shoved them into his maw.

"M-mmgh…!" The otter gasp as he tried to spit the petals out of his mouth, a few of them making it down his throat as he swallowed reflexively. The rams released him as he did this, allowing him to fall to his knees and hunch over as tremors began to wrack his body. With drool leaking from his maw, he forced his head up to glare at the ewe. "W-why are yo—" A gasp followed by a growl forced its way out, leaving his sentence unfinished as he lost his sanity.

Her majesty, Queen Dawn Bellewether of Marley, watched with cold interest as the otter noble they captured a few days earlier turned into a savage. A few feet away from him, the older female lynx they had turned earlier continued to mewl pathetically. The ewe couldn't recall what her title had been, but it didn't matter at the moment.

"You see how they instantly recognize each other as brethren?" Dawn said to a black wool ram beside her; Jesse Ramson III, one of her advisors.

"Yes, my queen." He said as he watched the savage otter hiss menacingly at all of them until its gaze landed on the lynx. Its entire demeanor changed and it struggled to reach her, and then tried to shield the female from their gaze. It was instinctive of males to protect females, regardless if they were their mates or not, after all.

"While the effects of the petals are temporary for all mammals, the Eldians are the only ones able to recognize each other in that savage state. All other races see no reason, and find no allies." The queen said as she continued to observe the mammals. "Imagine the power I would have, with an army of savages that did not attack each other? If we cannot find a way to control the wild Titans, I want to put effort into this venue." A sinister grin spread across her face.

"Soon, Eldia will be mine. Then the world will follow."

~o.8.o~

"Afraid of being alone with a fox?"

The question came after a full body shudder ripped its way through Judy's body just as the pair had entered a secluded part of the palace. She thought she'd hid it from the tod, but apparently not. She glared at Irus. "Of course not! It's just cold in here." She tried to play it off.

"Right." Irus snorted. "In the middle of summer."

Her glare intensified, but she let it slide as she took in their surroundings, her paw coming up to scratch at the fur of her neck absently. "Where are we, anyways?"

They were in a study of some sort, deep within the palace. When she had questioned where they were going prior, Irus had shushed her, before he led her down corridors that she knew of, but had never ventured herself.

"The King's Study." Irus said casually as he fiddled with one of the large books on the lowest shelf of the bookcase opposite the door.

"What?!" Judy nearly shouted in shock, turning sharply to gaze at the fox.

Irus turned to her just as quickly, a finger pressed against his lips as he hissed at her. "Shhhh! Carrots, are you trying to get us caught?"

"This is trespassing!" The doe countered back in a slight panic, though her voice had lowered down to a whisper.

At that, the tod stood up with a confident smirk on his maw. "Only if we get caught." He then turned back to the bookcase, and used quite a bit of force to pull a large black book from the case. It moved oddly, as if the base of the spine was anchored down. With an audible click, the book remained halfway sticking out as the entire bookshelf began to groan. Then, as Irus moved out of the way, it slowly opened up at one corner, revealing a hidden passageway.

Judy stared at the hidden door for a moment, her shock evident by her slack-jawed reaction.

Irus chuckled as he tapped a digit against her chin, causing her maw to shut with a click of her teeth. "Come on, Carrots. Time waits for no one." The fox said as he made his way to the entrance, his tail swaying smugly behind him.

Mesmerized, it was only when the black, bushy end of Irus' tail disappeared down the passage, did Judy snap out of her shock. Flustered, she rushed to follow the fox. Almost immediately, the door closed behind her, darkness washing over her as she let out an instinctive gasp.

"Irus?"

The sound of metal clanking, a metallic clicking noise, and a fuse igniting tickled her ears as a spark flashed before her. A single flame appeared in the palm of the fox's paw, the source a lighter he was currently holding. The small flame cast shadows of sharp contrast against the face of the fox, dancing across his fur, and causing his eyes to shine brightly.

"Scared?" Irus grinned at the rabbit doe.

Giving herself a mental shake, Judy scoffed. "Please. I face wild Titans. The dark doesn't scare me."

"Right." The tod drawled, and then bopped a pawpad against her twitching nose. "And your cute little nose is twitching because your happy."

Judy slapped his paw away indignantly, and then glared at him as she tried to stop her nose from moving. "Don't call me cute!"

"I didn't." Irus chuckled as he turned towards the brick wall of the passage, lighter in paw, revealing unlit torches. Reaching out for one that was at his height, he finished without looking at her. "I called your nose cute. There's a difference."

Not wanting to argue with the clearly insane fox—which made her doubt her decision to go through with this even more—Judy decided to ask a different question. "How do you know about this place, anyways?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Irus chastised as he lit the torch in his paw, putting his lighter away as he turned to face his unlikely companion. He smirked at her. "That wasn't part of the deal."

Crossing her arms and tapping her foot furiously against the cobbled floor of the passage, Judy glared at the fox. "Then do your part of it, before I decide it's more convenient to just hand you over to the MP, instead of going through all of this nonsense."

"You're the boss." Irus smirked, before turning and, torch in paw, led the way down the dark passageway.

As they walked, Judy took in what little surroundings she could with the light provided. Granted, she had better night vision than your average prey because of her Eldian heritage, but she still had difficulty seeing things properly. What she could see told her that the passage was old, cobwebs showing that it was hardly used. Nearly forgotten.

Refocusing her eyes on the back of the fox before her, she took in the clothing that suggested a wealthy upbring, yet the wear and tear she hadn't noticed before implied a life of labor. Judy felt her curiosity further piqued. 'Who are you, Irus?'

Unable to tell the passage of time, Judy wasn't sure how long the two mammals walked. It could have been five minutes or an entire hour, all in silence. Right when the doe thought she'd go insane, they arrived at another door.

This door, unlike the rest of the passage, seemed to be in pristine condition. It was well maintained, and did not have any signs of wear. Likely, it had been recently replaced, which only gave Judy more questions than answers. Her ears fell down her back when she saw the modern, reinforced lock on the wooden door. "It's locked."

"What an astute observation, Carrots!" Irus mocked as he reached into the collar of his shirt, hidden from the bunny's gaze. "Fear not, for I will tear down this obstacle for you!" He said as he pulled something from his shirt. It was a key.

For a brief moment, the tod gazed at the tapered brass in his paw, the key itself attached to a simple black cord that was looped around his neck, and hidden by his fur. The flickering light of the torch in his paw reflected off the metal, pulling him into a trance as memories flooded his mind for an infinite second.

The sound of paws shuffling impatiently against cobbled ground brought him out of his reverie, and Irus gave himself a mental shake, before he inserted the key into the lock. With practiced paws, he deftly unlocked the door, opened it with a flick of his wrist, and held it open for the doe with a smug expression on his face.

Judy would have kicked him in the shin, if she weren't so focused on the room the tod had revealed. An ear tilted in the direction of Irus as he allowed the door to close, and followed the tod as he shuffled around the room. He paused every now and then, lighting another torch that was stationed in the room. With each lit torch, more was revealed.

It was another study, but smaller than that of the king's from before-as if it were made for mammals their size—but no less opulent. Expensive tapestries depicting battles between mammals and Titans hung on the walls. There was one in the center of the room, easily the largest, right behind the single desk, that was a dark crimson. Embroidered into it was a large flame-colored fox with nine tails on all fours.

Gaze locked on the tapestry, Judy spoke softly. "Where are we?"

"That's not important." Irus said quickly, causing Judy to frown.

'He's hiding something.' She thought as she turned to face the tod, a retort on her lips. He continued without looking at her.

"What is important, is getting that information you want." Irus said, pulling out a book from the bookshelf. Glancing at the title, a pleased smile lifted his face, before he presented the front of the book to her. "And it looks like I picked the right book to start with."

"Eldian Physiology and Titans" stared back at Judy.

For the next few hours, the pair poured over book after book after book, and an odd sort of camaraderie settled upon them. The annoyance the doe had felt for the tod earlier waned as the two shared what they discovered through the old tomes, the silence no longer uncomfortable. In turn, the tod felt she was more than who he assumed her to be, and therefore lessened the barbs he sent her way, turning it into a game between the two as Judy learned to give as good as she got.

As time passed, Judy found herself learning many new things that were not taught in the schools of Zootopia. For instance, the first city of Eldia was Zootopia. That was common knowledge to everyone in the country. What wasn't common, was how it was formed. The watering hole where it all started, where a few brave groups of prey sought out solace with a few odd, pacifist groups of predators from other prey and predator oppressors. How the peace they forged against a common enemy brought forth to them the presence of a mammal they had never seen before. The upper half was of that of an eagle, feline ears perched on its crown, its large wings on display on its back, and sharp eyes full of intelligence-something unheard of, as birds were not sentient beings. The lower half of the strange mammal resembled that of a lion, with a few feathers in the coat, and the end of the tail tapering off into a plume of long tail feathers, rather than a tuft of fur common to lions.

A griffin.

The griffin introduced herself as Ymir, the Original Titan. She told them how their coming together despite their differences, their very nature to be against one another cast aside, intrigued her. Impressed her. As a reward for their efforts, she claimed them as her people, making them a part of her, and she a part of them. This was why, despite their diversity, all predators of Eldia are more savage looking in appearance, and all prey of Eldia have sharper claws and fangs; all sharing the savage eyes of Ymir.

"Huh." Judy murmured to herself. 'I wonder why they don't teach this in school.' Indeed, for it answered many questions the doe had fleetingly entertained throughout her youth, but had never had a strong desire for the answers to them.

Something she was only now finding a bit odd, considering her nature.

The sudden slamming of a book spooked Judy out of her thoughts, and she turned to the fox who was sharing the space with her.

"I call for a break." Irus stated as he stood up from his seat, his fur standing on end and poofing out as he stretched his limbs. A small whine escaped him as he did so.

Judy wanted to protest, but her stomach spoke for her, once again reminding her that she hadn't eaten before running into the mysterious tod. "I suppose we can break for something to eat." She conceded with a sigh.

"Don't act so reluctant there, Carrots." Irus teased as he put his books back on their respective shelves. She noted that the action seemed natural to the tod, as if he were doing it by memory. The fox tossed a smirk at her as he glanced at her stomach. "I heard that tiger you've got trapped in there."

With a role of her eyes to hide her amusement, for the fox had grown on her in their hours spent researching, the two made their way out of the hidden study. With great care, they sneaked passed guards and Military Police personnel alike as they headed to the palace doors.

Right as they were passing the Advisor's Hall, Irus suddenly pulled her into a small closet near one of the offices.

"Wha—" She began to protest, but a paw over her maw, and an arm wrapping firmly around her waist silenced her as her back was pulled flush against the tod's chest. Embarrassed, she nearly missed the muffled conversation happening on the other side of the wall they were currently pressed against. As Irus listened for the guards he had spotted moments before, Judy turned her ears to the conversation happening behind them.

Small and cowardly most of her species may be, a rabbit's hearing was one of the best out there, something that was constantly overlooked in the construction of establishments where secrecy was of the utmost importance. So while the fox behind her would only hear muffled sounds, Judy was able to make out every word spoken by one of the Royal Advisors, and it made her stiffen in shock, gaining a curious glance from Irus.

After deeming the threat of discovery to be gone, the tod led them out of the closet as quietly as they could.

"You okay?" Irus whispered to Judy. At her stiff nod, the tod shrugged, figuring it was because of their impromptu embrace in the closet. The two then continued their escape of the palace. Once outside, Judy's eyes widened for what felt like the nth time that day.

"It's night?!"

Irus chuckled at her reaction. "What did you expect, Fluff? You dragged me into this a little after two in the afternoon, and we were in there," he jerked a thumb back at the palace as he began to lead them away from it, "for at least four hours." Pulling out a pocket watch from his trousers, the fox glanced at the time. "It's now seven in the evening. Of course, it's dark."

"I didn't realize how much time has passed…" Judy mumbled, not as bothered by the fox's sass as she would have been earlier that day. Another shudder ran through her body, her fur standing on end.

Irus glanced at the doe with concern. He had noticed that the rabbit Scout had been experiencing moderate twitches and shudders throughout their time in the study, and at first he had thought she'd been uncomfortable being alone with him. While Eldian prey were closer socially and physically with predators, they still held vestigial instincts of fear against them. His nose, however, told him that hadn't been the case. "You alright, Fluff?"

"I'm fine. Where are we going, anyways?" Judy asked quickly to change the subject.

Shrugging to himself, the fox decided to let it go. 'It's no concern of mine.' He thought, even as the worry remained. "There's this establishment run by prey around the corner…" He trailed off as Judy shook her head in the negative.

"There's no way I can afford anything in the Royal Sector." The bunny explained.

Irus smirked. "Fear not, Carrots. After all, I received a hefty 'donation' earlier today."

"That money was s—" Judy began to protest, but was silenced by the fox digit suddenly pressed against her lips, her eyes wide as the fox leaned into her personal space once more.

His eyes were smug, his tone charming. "Don't think too hard on it, sweetheart, you may just hurt yourself." He then casually removed his paw, satisfied with Judy's speechlessness. "You think you can manage that?"

Flustered, the doe floundered for words for a bit, before finally huffing as she crossed her arms and looked away. Lowering her ears to hide her blush, she muttered, "Whatever."

Taking that as another victory, the tod led the rabbit to the restaurant he had mentioned before. It was a quaint little place, modest by noble standards. To Judy, it would be the nicest place she'd ever dined.

The hostess, a white-tailed deer doe, smiled at them in greeting. "Welcome to Dainty Pastures. My name is Daphny. How may I assist you this fine evening?"

"Table for two." Nick said to the hostess.

"This way, please." Daphny said as she grabbed two menus before leading the two through the restaurant. As they walked, Judy noticed that there weren't too many patrons there that evening.

'It's still rather early.' Judy thought as they stopped at a table. 'That can change.'

"Here we are." The hostess gestured to the table. It was made for mammals of their height, with a single white table cloth thrown neatly over it. The customary plates and cutlery were in place for two mammals, and right in the middle was a lit candle.

"Robert will be your server this evening." Daphny said once they were seated, placing their menus before them. Taking out a notepad and pencil, and focused on them. "May I get your drink requests before I leave?"

"I'll have the blueberry wine." Irus said as he glanced at his menu briefly. He then cocked a brow at Judy.

"Carrot juice will do nicely, thank you." Judy said with a smile. She ignored how her drink selection stretched a grin across Irus' muzzle.

After the deer left with their order, Judy focused on the mysterious tod before her. "Blueberry wine?"

"I have a penchant for the berry." Irus said without shame, a gleaming spark in his eyes as he spoke of his favorite treat. "And since my eighteenth birthday, I've found that blueberry wine is far more superior to the traditional grape wine."

'At least eighteen, then.' Judy thought absently. "Is that why you included such a ridiculous amount of them in our...deal?"

Irus scoffed. "There is no such thing as too many blueberries, Carrots."

Amused, Judy held her tongue as a male hare in a waiter's uniform befitting such a place, arrived at their table, their drinks in paw.

"My name is Robert, and I'll be your server this evening." He said as he placed their drinks down. In a mimic of Daphny, he pulled out a notepad and pencil. "Are we ready to order?" After quickly skimming the menu—the fact that they did not showcase the prices alarmed her greatly—the pair placed their orders, and were once again left to themselves.

As Irus took a sip of his wine, Judy took this moment to take another look around the restaurant. The lighting was dim, even with all the glowing crystals and candles lighting the place, creating a soothing atmosphere. There were candles on each table as well, and flowers placed strategically about the place and filling it with a pleasant fragrance. It all created a very romantic environment.

It was then that it struck Judy how this could be perceived by others, causing a blush to warm her ears. Glancing at the tod, she felt her blush deepen as she found his eyes on her, his gaze intense.

The silence was broken by the arrival of their food—a roasted mushroom dish for Irus, and a tulip and arugula salad for Judy. As the doe focused on her food, she was highly aware of the tod's gaze on her. Unable to take it anymore, she snapped her eyes to his, and pointed her fork at him. "What?"

"Hm?" Irus hummed around a mouthful of his dish, feigning ignorance.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" She nearly hissed, her embarrassment causing her hears to pressed further against her back.

"I can admire a cutie when I see one." The fox said charmingly.

"Don't call me cute!"

"But it's true." Irus countered softly, something in his gaze changing; becoming softer. It made her nose twitch. "I know what it means when other rabbits use the term, and that is the way I mean it."

Eyes wide, Judy stared at Irus in disbelief as his words settled upon her. 'He thinks I'm cute…?' The brief flash of mischief in savage emeralds made her paws curl into fists. "Nice try, fox. I know you are only jesting me."

"Perhaps." The tod conceded with a smirk. "That does not mean it is untrue." Before she could dissolve into flustered sputters, Irus continued. "So, why are you looking for a way to control wild Titans?" He spoke in a low tone, his voice only for her ears.

More than a little off-balanced and her defenses lowered, the question washed away all embarrassment, bring forth the seriousness of her situation once more. Sighing, the doe set down her utensils as she averted her gaze to her food.

When she didn't automatically refuse him, Irus' ears perked with interest as he waited patiently to see how this conversation would go.

After a moment of internal debate, Judy met his gaze. "Lord Otterton...he's a family friend, and the king has decided not to go rescue him. Not immediately."

"Why?" Irus asked, his brow frowning in shock. "Our forces have always been successful."

Judy nodded in agreement solemnly. "However, with the Attacker Titan lost…"

"What?" The fox gasped, his eyes alarmed. As a result, Judy gasped in her own alarm, her paws flying to cover her maw. "The Attacker Titan—"

"You mustn't tell anyone!" The doe hissed as she leaned across the table, her face dangerously close to the tod's. "You weren't supposed to know!" She herself wasn't supposed to know, being new to the forces. However, when they had been trapped in that closet earlier, the conversation Judy had overheard from the Advisor's office had revealed to her the true gravity of their situation.

"How do you know?" Irus questioned, his gaze doubtful.

Judy licked her lips. "When we were in that closet earlier…there was a conversation going on in the adjacent office." She flicked an ear purposely to bring his attention to them. "Rabbits have really good hearing."

After a moment, Irus seemed to accept her explanation. Leaning forward, he asked with hushed urgency, "How did this happen?" Neither noticed that their noses were nearly touching, their conversation seeming to be one of passion to onlookers.

Biting her lip in hesitance, Judy decided the damage was already done; a little more knowledge wouldn't hurt the tod. "In the ambush, Captain Marcus Wolferson died in combat...the transfer was not successful. At this time, we don't know who the new Attacker Titan is."

Eyes far away as he took in all this new information, along with all the implication it came with, Irus felt himself come to a decision. He had thought this doe to be just another attention-seeking dreamer, another mammal wanting to make a name for themselves. He was obviously wrong. When his savage eyes met savage amethyst, he was serious as he spoke. "No more jesting, Hopps. We'll find out how to control the wild Titans."

As young Judy Hopps gazed into the determined eyes of her unlikely companion, she couldn't help but be grateful for a comrade in this endeavor. She also couldn't help but wonder who Irus really was once more, and vowed to herself that she would find out.

~o.8.o~

With the hour being late, the new comrades departed after agreeing to meet up the next day by the Eastern Gates of Wall Vulpus. A new understanding had formed between rabbit and fox, both seeking the truth for different reasons. Determined for answers, they seemed unstoppable.

Unbeknownst to them, the answers they sought would be more than they would expect, putting all they once knew into question...

~o.8.o~

And that's a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed it!^^

As always, thanks for reading and leave a review if your able to! I love reading them, and they motivate me!

Now, I'm off to work on Embrace It...mostly lol Until next time!

~Star