Judy's POV.

….

I knew the world would go to hell the moment FruFru died, oh it was on a downward spiral long before that believe me, but the moment Mr. Big's beloved daughter was crushed under a giant donut for a bag of onions was the final push. From then on, the most powerful yet most honorable and sensible mafia boss suddenly had no reason to play nice anymore. He blamed one of the other two mafias for her death and the growing tension between those three factions is now leading to a full blown war in the underworld. Neither the Rainforest mafia nor the Sahara one took credit for the murder but it was only a matter of time until Mr. Big got to the bottom of this, sadly by the time that happens there is going to be a lot of bloodshed form criminals and civilians alike.

Forty eight hours ago I was at the epicenter of the Zootopia's criminal underground, the fancy restaurant named The Hidden Garden, where the wealthiest and most powerful citizens met and plotted next to the main players of the mob. As a waitress I was so unimportant nobody gave me a side glance, but I knew everything that was happening on this city whether it was above ground or far below.

It's a shame, I kinda liked working there, the bosses were nice and efficient and tips were good. Even when that restaurant was the place where my hopes and dreams died a slow painful death.

When I was a kit I dreamed of making the world a better place, I even wanted to be a cop, as ridiculous as it may sound. My family, my friends and neighbors kept telling me it was impossible but my stubborn little head refused to give up, I even went as far as to train in combat and read every police manual I came across because if I was going to be the first bunny cop I better be the best one. That stupid fantasy wasn't properly crushed until they flat out refused my application; mammals of my size and specially of my species weren't allowed to even enlist regardless of how much I train or how much I tried.

But did that stopped my resolve? Nooo.

As I said I was too stubborn and stupid to give up, I figured that if the laws didn't allow me to apply then I would change the law, so instead I went to law school so one day I could stand in court for another dreamer little mammal that wasn't allowed to follow his or her dreams. Lawyers don't have the best reputation when it comes to morals, but mammals forget that it's because of court cases that civil liberties were granted. For example, If it wasn't for Growl versus Fleesen predators would still use shock collars.

So I gave up on being a cop but not in making the world a better place, my family supported me this time because they thought a courtroom was a lot safer than patrolling on the Zootopia's streets. I was a straight A student on my way to become the valedictorian of my class, because if I was going to be a lawyer I better be the best one.

Then the fire broke out in Bunnyburrow and my future went down the drain, my college fund was used to build up the farm but that wasn't enough so my parents ended up trapped under a loan shark. I got a job at the restaurant with the hopes of earning enough money to help my family and go back to college, because my idiot dreams refused to go away. But the loan shark did what nobody in Bunnyburrow or Zootopia for that matter managed to do, he broke me down.

The payments got bigger and bigger, all members of my family worked their paws to the bone to pay him back, until one day I realized things would never get better, that all I could ever aspire to was to survive day by day in a menial job for the rest of my pathetic and deluded life. It's funny how dreams can wither away, at first they are still there, inches from your grasp, taunting you to just try a little harder as if it took just one little push so you can reach them. Then as you keep struggling those dreams inch further from you a little more every day, until they are so far from your reach you can't even glimpse them anymore. One faithful day you look at yourself in the mirror and realize those dreams were only that, dreams, no different from the childhood fantasies and toys you buried in a box someday and never glanced back.

I understood that every bunny that told me I was way over my head, that I wasn't any better than them, that all my hard work would lead to nothing were right. I am, and would always be, a dumb bunny.

But life wasn't over with me, no it had a final blow, yesterday morning I got a desperate call from my parents telling me that if they didn't pay Hogward seven thousand eight hundred and twenty dollars by the next day he would take away their farm. I remember running to the ladies bathroom and crying so hard my bosses had to drag me out because I was upsetting the customers. I did not have that money and I could never get it in such little time. All my family's sacrifice, all my shattered dreams, all of it was for naught.

Manchas was an angel though, he made me a carrot martini and lent a sympathetic ear to my plight, it felt so good to talk to another mammal. I have been so lonely since I got to this city.

I still remember the first time I came here, marbled by the beautiful tall buildings and believing that anyone could be anything in here, heading to the Zootopia University to become a lawyer and make the world a better place. But that is only a slogan for the naïve; this city will chew you out and spit your bones into a deserted dark alley if you don't tread carefully. And this isn't a fantasy movie when you sing a little song and suddenly all your dreams come true, and there is no prince charming ready to save you before you are pushed into the abyss.

Manchas told me that the only way to win that much money in one day was to work on the Down Low, and even then dancing on a pole wouldn't be enough, I would have to go all the way.

My soul wanted to run away and never come back, to go back home with my tail between my legs and sell carrots at the side of the road, to tell everyone in Bunnyburrow that they were right and I was wrong and that the worst day in a farm was heaven compared to the best one in the city. But my head was quick to remind me that there was no home to come back to anymore.

-"I don't think I could do that, even if my life depended on it"- I told him contemplating the idea of just running away and staring anew somewhere else, far from this cursed city.

-"It is not an easy choice Judy, and I rather tell you the ugly truth from the beginning that tricking you into something you are not ready to deal with"- Manchas' honesty was as considerate as it was brutal.

He gave me another drink and I downed it in one gulp, what was the point in fighting back? What did I have to lose? I was one of the thousand does plaguing the city looking for a way to survive, all my delusions of grandeur had done nothing but putting me on a tall fake pedestal so when I fall the blow lands harder. I am just another dumb bunny; I shouldn't be above selling my body to save my family's livelihood. The one thought that gave me solace was the fact that maybe, one day, one of my brothers or sisters could follow their dreams and actually reach them for once. That would not happen if they end up on the street.

I asked for another drink and told Manchas I would do it.

I actually liked dancing, I took ballet and jazz lessons when I was a kit and even liked the stage. When I was nine I even put a little show about my dreams of becoming a cop living in Zootopia, but when my school teacher said I had potential to be under the spotlight I doubted this is what she had in mind. Whatever I did on the pole must had worked because the patrons were applauding like crazy and there were a lot of bills scattered on the floor, oh well if I am gonna be a stripper I better be the best one.

The dance was only a small part of my job now, the pole was just advertising for the real business that developed in the dark rooms of the down low, I had barely left the stage when a large polar bear complimented my performance and took me to my first client.

I will never forget that night, last night. I was almost naked waiting for my first client and only the watchful gaze of the bear stopped me from running away in tears and covering my shame with the first piece of clothing I could find, then nightmare of nightmares, a fox stepped inside.

I feared foxes ever since I was a little kit, it's not just the fact that our species has a very violent history together, there's also the fact that a fox had bullied me through all my school years and made my life hell during class. I could still hear his insults in my nightmares from time to time.

Before I knew it we were alone, I almost wished he would maul me so I wouldn't have to suffer a shame like this anymore, but I knew those times were over and this awfulness would not end so easily. I walked towards him like a lemming walks towards a cliff. This is it; this is rock bottom, I was ready to be defiled by a creature I have always feared.

The funny thing about hitting rock bottom though, is that the only way to go from there is up. He wasn't the predator I expected him to be, he was respectful and kind. He actually cared about my problems and had no issue confiding in me with his own. It was so wonderful to meet someone that didn't look down on me, in his eyes I wasn't just a plain dumb bunny, I was an attractive female and he even looked at me like I was a goddess. If anything the way he saw me made me feel pretty and special, I felt a warm tingle through my fur and wondered if it could be love.

No! I was a prostitute; love was not possible in that line of work, no male would ever love a female who is a stack of dollars away to give herself to anyone willing to pay. I killed the sliver of hope rising in my heart with an axe and asked the fox to take me so we could end this exchange as soon as possible. After all males that are not interested in hurting you and treat you nice are an exception more than a rule, so if I had one I thought I better make the most of it. Besides, I never told my bosses I was a virgin, and since everyone thought bunnies were slutty by default they never suspected that. If I had told them they might have sold me for millions to the highest bidder and for what I heard those girls never came back, some rumors claim that they were married to their captors while others say they were enslaved, I rather not risk it. Nick, the fox, was my first. I remember the times when I fantasized about my first time to be special, in my situation this was as special as I would ever get.

He terrified me at first, his paws were rough against my fur and when his jaws bit my neck I thought he would break it. He was gentle at first but before I knew it he was defiling me like a wild animal and thrust himself so deep I feared he might split me in half.

There I was, laying in the filthy floor with a predator inside of me, growling into my neck and banging me like I was his prey. His pace got harder, deeper and faster. He expressed his full dominance over me and all I could do was moan in response like a bitch in heat. I was right at the bottom of the black abyss from hell now, and I loved every second of it. He made me feel things I never hoped to feel in my lonely pathetic life, a fire the burns from your loins and then spreads through your heart and your mind is then flooded by white blinding light. The claws that scraped on my skin no longer brought fear or pain, they brought shivers of lust. The sharp long fangs never pierced my skin, they just pressed at the right places to fill me with such euphoria I thought for a moment I might faint. The act between us had been raw, sweet, filthy and at the same time perfect. It was the best night in my life.

My plan had backfired; having sex with him didn't kill any chance at our relationship. Instead we basked in the afterglow for who knows how long, talking about everything we went through and finding the type of solace only despair can provide. By the time he left my heart was beating exited at the thought of seeing him again.

When he called me the next morning I giggled like a schoolgirl and I blushed so hard my whole face burned. He made me happy even when at the time I was looking forward a horrible night with Mayor Lionheart, what kind of sick mind asks sex from a creature five times smaller than him? I could barely handle Nick as it is and he is much smaller than a lion.

When I found out he had basically enslaved himself so I could be free from the club and Hogward I barely managed not to cry from happiness. I remember the elation I felt when I got to hug him again, when my paws roamed through his course fur and his arms made me feel safe for the first time in ages.

And in minutes all went wrong, I was staring at a picture of Hogward and Nick was behind me, ready to face four polar bears and Mr. Big only to spare me from the crime I was supposed to commit. I could see it in the way his deep green eyes frantically looked around the room checking for exits while his fur stood on end and his sharp claws extended ready for a fight, he could seem like a formidable predator to a small prey like me, but to the polar bears around us he would be just a snack.

I had fantasized with the loan shark's death for so long but I never pictured myself as the one that would kill him, that was just not me. But It wasn't revenge for the way he made my family suffer the reason I chose to do it, nor was the fact that an order for his death was already issued and if I didn't do it another assassin would, It was the certainty that the dumb fox behind me was willing to get himself killed just to get me out of there. I had already quit all of my dreams and my ideals, was sparring a lowlife like Hogward a few more minutes to live worth Nick's death? No it definitely wasn't.

I grabbed a gun and told him I was doing it for my family, which was quite true. Because no matter how wrong and despicable my life turned out, I figured my battered soul was a cheap price to pay for my family's happiness. And above all, my fox's life. An overprotective fervor invaded me; life had taken too much from me already, but no more. I took my dreams, my family's piece of mind and my home; it will not take the one I love.

Now Hogward's blood and brain matter decorate the white walls in his office like a piece of abstract art, the gun smokes in my hand and I can feel the heat coming from it muzzle. Behind me Nick stands, ready to support me in case I break down, but all I feel is the loss of hope.

I stumble like a zombie into his arms; my skin feels cold and demands the heat coming from his red fur. He leads me into the limo and I collapse in the fake leather seat, his large paws caress my face as the emptiness swallows me.

I wake up with the feel of his arms wrapped around me and his lips placing butterfly kisses on my forehead, little by little I blink away the fog in my eyes as I come back to the world of the living.

The three of us Nick, Michael and I enter the large manor in Tundratown, I guess this is our home from now on. Right before we get into his office I recognize Manchas sitting in a chair, he looks terrible his clothes are shredded and tattered; several claw marks stained in red cover his large body.

-"Manchas what happened to you?"- I ask rushing to his side

-"H-hello miss Judy, I don't really know. It happened this morning, one moment I was driving Mr. Otterton home and the next… he attacked me"- He is clutching an ice bag over his right eye.

-"Otterton? He did this to you?"- Nick is as shocked as I was, we both know Emmit, and he is the sweetest otter we had ever met. Sure he works for the mafia but only as an MC he never got into the underworld business; he is in fact the most typical family mammal in all Zootopia. He actually was very kind to all the strippers and wouldn't spend more than five minutes without talking about his wife and showing pictures of his kids.

The poor terrified panther shakes in fear –"It wasn't him, I mean he was not himself! His eyes were empty and he growled like a savage! He was on all fours, scratching me with his claws, he almost ripped out my eye!"- He removes the ice bag from his face and we see large deep marks right over his eye, the area is swollen but I can still see that his eyeball is intact, I'm glad he won't have an impaired eyesight after this.

-"What happened next? I mean, where is he?"- I ask fearing the answer.

-"I don't know, after he attacked me he escaped into the Rainforest and I haven't seen him since. I should have come to Mr. Big sooner but I crashed my car in the fight and by the time I came to my senses the police had come, they took me to the hospital and didn't let me go until I gave them the whole statement."- He rolls his only good eye –"They didn't believe me"-

I hear growling behind me, it comes from Nick, he's clearly angry at the way the police quickly dismisses the claims of large poor predators, especially if they are even remotely associated with Mr. Big. Nick had told me that he lost count of how many times the cops had brushed him off when he was growing up and awful things were happening in his neighborhood, the only way for them to pay any attention was after you bribed them. I am almost glad my dream of becoming a cop got crushed, I might be a criminal but at least I am honest about it, I don't run around pretending to uphold the law while breaking it when no one's looking.

The door to Mr. Big's office opens and Raymond calls all of us inside.

The first thing I see is a large ram in a yellow jumpsuit suspended by his collar by Koslov, one of the largest polar bears at the arctic shrew's rule. Below the ram lies an open trapdoor that leads to the icy water. The three of us bow our heads in respect; we all know this is going to get ugly.

-"First of all, we welcome our new members, Judy I am glad you are now part of the family"- Mr. Big spreads his arms and reaches out to me, careful to dodge the ram wriggling in Koslov's huge paw I mimic the act of placing one kiss on his right and left cheek. -"Now we have a matter to discuss, everyone say hello to Mr. Doug"- he said pointing at the ram, then he signaled Yuri to start talking.

-"I asked around for this Doug, I found a ram called Jesse who told me where he usually works, I asked him very nicely"- Yuri says with a half smile "asking nicely" is mafia slang for brutal torture -"When I went there I found him in an abandoned train with a secret lab inside filled with blue flowers"- He shows us his tablet and I gasp in shock, I have seen those flowers before.

-"Midnicampum Holicithias, they are a type C plant, very toxic. My family used to plant them around our fields to scare the plagues away"- I recite the school books I read and memorized as a kit, as someone living in the country learning about plants was a huge subject matter. I take the tablet from Yuri's paw and swipe looking at the photos; I recognize the bulbs that lie in a corner huddled inside a gym bag. –"Those are NOT onions"- I say showing the picture to Nick –"Those are bulbs for growing the flowers"-

-"I am glad that you know about this plants Judy, because our friend Doug has refused to speak since we got him here, and flowers are not the only thing found in there"- Mr Big says feigning sadness and nodding his head at Yuri who continues talking –"In that abandoned train there were a lot of pictures stuck in a blackboard, this was one of them"- He shows us a picture of Otterton.

-"You caused the attack!"- Nick says enraged, I place my paw over his calming him down.

-"There were thirteen more pictures in that blackboard"- Yuri says gravely.

-"What did you do to Emmit? Where did you take him?"- I say angrily at the ram, he merely spits at my face but I dodge it at the last second, bunnies like me have quick reflexes.

-"Mr. Doug, allow me to remind you it is bad manners not to respond to a lady's question"- Mr. Big says calmly, looking at his paws in a disinterested way.

-"You will get no answers from me"- He spat.

-"My poor ram, we have not started to ask questions yet"- The shrew says calmly at first but then he growls at Koslov –"Ice him!"-

Koslov doesn't throw the ram into the ice; he merely lowers him softly until only his hooves are in contact with the freezing water, after a few seconds the ram begins to scream. Water that cold can easily cause enough hypothermia to kill the live tissue of his legs, too much time in there and his hooves would have to be amputated or they could fall off on their own.

The spectacle makes me gag, my ears droop behind my back and I instinctively reach into Nick to find comfort. He hugs me tight as I bury myself deeper into his chest, his paws caress my ears as I shake in fear as the screams get louder and more desperate, but my fox's thick fur and warm body bring me comfort and take some of my anguish away. The scent of his skin intoxicates me as I recall our passionate throws from last night; I bow myself to feel him inside me again as soon as our new lifestyle allows it. His paw rests below my chin and lifts my face up so my eyes can meet his; the concern he shows for me melts what's left of my heart. –"I'm sure the guys won't mind I you sit this one up. In this case there is no shame in quitting."-

-"Yes, yes there is"- I tell him squaring my shoulders, I have sold my soul to the criminal underworld already, there is no point in going soft right now. Poor Mr. Otterton is missing, he might be dead, and if we want to find out what happened to him that god dammed ram has to speak.

-"I don't know where they are!"- Doug screams crying like a lamb. Koslov raises him up and places his now blue-black hooves next to the fireplace, were flames lick dry wood below the painting of good old grandma. Sobbing he continues –"I was ordered to shoot those mammals with the concentrated serum, but right after I did it they disappeared! I really don't know why it happened because those mammals disappearing was not part of the plan!-

-"Who is your boss?"- Mr. Big's tone is as cold as the freezing water underneath.

The ram shakes his head; Koslov grabs him again and dips half his body into the water.

-"He contacts me t-through text mes-ssages f-rom different cell-ph-phones every time! He s-sends me the pictures by mail and p-p-pays me sending m-money directly into my account I ne- never saw the guy or talked t-to him."- His teeth clatter from the vicious cold, after he's done speaking he cries harder, he spilled all the valuable information he had and he knows we have no use for him anymore.

Koslov looks at his boss expecting orders, with a dismissive paw the shrew tells him –"Make it quick"-

With the paw that isn't holding the interrogation victim, Koslov retrieves his gun from his holster on his hips and shoots the ram in the head. There is no need for a cleanup since all the blood will be washed away by the cold water, the corpse sinks below the ice, another mammal popsicle under the Tundratown surface. The trapdoor closes and an ordinary rug is placed above it, all is hidden away so easily, it's like nothing happened in here.

-"Very well my comrades, we have someone paying to shoot poison at what seems to be random mammals and those mammals are in turn missing but according to our friend here"- The boss, my boss, says pointing at the closed trapdoor –"Their disappearance has nothing to do with this secret plotter we just found out existed"- He scratches his chin pensively then sighs exhausted.-"Yuri, Kevin and Raymond. You will find out who was behind Doug's hits, and bring me his head. Nick and Judy, you will search for Otterton and bring his captor to me, dead or alive it is your choice. Michael you will take care of Manchas, if somebody from the other mobs want to hurt our employees we cannot allow them to succeed again, take care of our poor fellow here and keep him safe. Remember my children; our family always looks out for each other."- His somber mood suddenly enlightens and he smiles brightly –"But first things first! We have new members in our family! Everyone welcome Nick and Judy our newest and most promising assassins!"-

Out of the sudden Nick and I were lifted in the air, riding over the shoulders of the large polar bears. It's funny how the mafia works, one moment you are outside the circle and are easily disposed below a trap door and the next moment you are surrounded by brothers who would die, and gladly kill, for you if the situation would call for it.

When I was a kit I yearned for the camaraderie mammals in the force share, I dreamed of battling crime with my brothers and sisters in blue, only to realize as an adult that the force did not want me because of something so shallow as my size and species. Yet the mafia had no problem seeing below those things, believing a bunny and a fox could be as effective at their job as a polar bear. Somehow the happy celebration around us brings a smile to my lips. As terrible as it may seem this might be the force I belong in, an organization much more powerful than the police that controls the chaos of crime instead of burying it in the underworld and making profit of it like the authorities do. After all, I killed an evil loan shark today, Nick killed Fru Fru's killer and Koslov murdered a hit mammal. If that isn't making the world a better place I don't know what it is.

I laugh as the group of bears sing songs in Russian and we sit over their shoulders like celebrated heroes on a parade, my laughter is contagious and Nick smiles beside me. After a very long time I feel hopeful and exited towards the future, I reach out to my fox and he squeezes my hand, together we'll be unstoppable.

I lean towards Nick and give him a hard passionate kiss, feeling as if the world that beat me down for so long finally lay below my feet.

If I am going to be an assassin I better be the best one.