Four

Nick was in a foul mood by the time he returned to the station that night. He had found nothing. No leads, no possible suspects—besides the Corsacs, who seemed determined to make themselves look as guilty as possible. Had no one taught them anything? If you were going to break the law, there were certain rules you had to follow, including avoiding security cameras and not announcing your plans to your intended target. As a fox and as a con artist—former con artist—Nick found their incompetence insulting.

He dodged around a tiger officer, Tony, who was standing in the middle of the room for no discernible reason that Nick could see, biting back a sarcastic comment about daydreaming in inappropriate places, and almost smacked into yet another officer, Furson, who was also frozen to the spot, staring off towards the front desk.

"What is going on here? Have you all turned into sloths or what?" quipped Nick, but his levity died when he noticed how quiet it was.

Usually the lobby was one of the livelier sections of the ZPD, with constant chatter echoing off the vaulted ceiling and animals rushing every which way. But now there was only silence smothered by tension. More than half a dozen animals stood scattered around the room, as if they had all been on their way to somewhere and suddenly just… stopped.

A few heads turned toward him, and the concern he saw on their faces when they realized it was him had Nick's hackles rising. If there was any look he hated more than disgust, it was pity.

"What? What is it?"

He followed the sightline of the other animals. All eyes were trained on the reception desk, specifically Clawhauser, who was looking panicked and holding his radio receiver in both paws.

Nick was just about to demand for a third time that someone better tell him what was going on when there was a crackle of static, and then a voice— "Be-being pursu'… need backup…"

Nick's heart froze inside his chest. That was Judy. Her words were slow and slightly slurred, like the time she had gotten tipsy after work and tried to impersonate Flash, but there was nothing funny about it this time.

"Officer Hopps?" Clawhauser was twisting dials, his nose pressed so close to the speaker that his whiskers were bent. "Judy? Come in, Judy—"

Nick didn't remember moving. The next thing he knew, he was leaping onto the desk, claws scratching the laminate as he found purchase. "What's going on? What is happening to Judy? Where is she?"

Clawhauser shook his head, flinching when a dial he was fiddling with gave a blast of static. "I-I don't know. She said she was shot with a tranquilizer dart somewhere over on Pack Street. Don't you live around there? I can't get her to answer when I—Judy!"

Judy was being attacked outside of Nick's apartment? But why? And by who? Who in Zootopia would want to attack Judy?

"She's not answering," said Clawhauser, mashing buttons. "Why isn't she answering? It says her walkie's still transmitting—"

"Mo'l…" Her voice was quiet, no more than a whisper. Some weak scrabbling noises and then, "Le'go…"

The line went silent.

"Officer Hopps? Judy?"

"Who was working with her? Call them," ordered Nick.

"She was off the clock. There wasn't anyone... Judy? Come in, Judy." But no matter what buttons Clawhauser pressed or how loud he cranked the volume, there was only silence.

The cheetah slumped in his seat. "Dead."

He meant the walkie's signal, but Nick's stomach still plummeted and he forgot how to breath.

This couldn't be happening. Judy was messing with him, playing a joke to punish him for leaving her. Any second now her voice would pop back up, strong and triumphant, and Nick would yell at her and she would yell back and then they would make up and everything would be fine.

By unspoken command, the animals in the room stirred back to life. Everyone felt like they were on fast forward now. Orders were barked, officers ran to get partners, someone loped off to find Chief Bogo. Clawhauser rallied with much sniffling and began calling other officers who might be in the area.

And still Judy didn't appear, smiling, with a shouted, "Gotcha!"

As if she was even capable of playing a prank so cruel.

Nick pulled out his phone and stared at it.

That's right. He had turned it off.

He turned it back on, and when it still didn't ring, he dialed, the pads of his paws feeling numb.

There was no answer. Judy had never not answered his call before.

It's okay. She's just angry. Another minute and then

Nick squeezed his phone until his paw shook. No. Denial wouldn't save Judy. He had to be stronger than this, pull himself together and—

"Francine and McHorn should be on their way back from Tundratown," Clawhauser was saying. "I'm going to radio them and see if they'll be able to—Officer Wilde? Nick, wait!"

But Nick didn't wait. He lunged from the counter, hit the ground on a roll and raced for the exit, dodging the paws that reached out to stop him. He had to get over there, had to get to Judy before—

Too late. You're too late. She's already—

No.

If only he had answered his phone today. If only he had apologized. But he hadn't, and for what? To prove a point? Because he was frustrated? Hurt? Scared? Judy was his partner. No matter what, he should have been there for her. He should have had her back. If he'd had, she would've been safe. Now she was caught, hurt, or worse—

No. Not that. Not Judy.

Their squad car was parked in its usual spot in the ZPD garage. Judy must have used it sometime during the day, because her scent was all over the upholstery, mixed with the smell of air freshener and some type of lettuce wrap she must've had for lunch.

Nick had to take a moment to block it all out: Her scent, the thought of her eating in here all alone, trying to call him, wondering, worried…

Tires squealed as he peeled out of the garage, siren blasting.

His walkie crackled. It was Clawhauser. "Officer Wilde, you need to come back to the station. Chief Bogo's been contacted. He's calling every available officer in for an emergency meeting."

Nick shook his head before he realized Clawhauser couldn't see him. "I'm not available."

"At least wait until I can get you backup. Francine and McHorn said they can be there in ten minutes—"

"I'll be there in five."

"You can't be rash about this. You don't even know what's going on, or who's out there—"

Nick fought the urge to snarl. "Judy's out there!"

"Nick…"

He turned the walkie off. Let them write him up for it later. After he had found his partner.

Pack Street was empty when he arrived. Nick leapt from the squad car, not bothering to turn off the engine. The headlights cut through the shadows of the street, but they didn't reveal anything helpful. There was no sign of anyone. No mystery kidnappers waiting to attack. No fallen bunnies waiting to be rescued.

Several sheets of paper were scattered over the apartment steps. Nick drew closer, half-afraid of what he might find. A ransom note? But no, they were pages from a police file. Judy must have brought them with her.

Checking again to make sure there was no one around, Nick stooped to read what he could without disturbing the area—the crime scene. The papers were out of order and overlapping, but he managed to pick out three names: Carol Hopson, Peter Hopson, and Robin Swift. Two bunnies and a fox. He had never heard of any of them.

You would have if you had answered Judy's call.

A second squad car raced up, brakes screeching. Officer Francine and Officer McHorn burst out.

"I've got the fox!" shouted Francine, running for Nick and putting herself between him and the rest of the street while Officer McHorn charged off to make a sweep of the area.

"You good there, Wilde?" asked Francine.

No. The answer was no. Between the guilt eating at his insides like ravenous mice and the fear of what could be happening to his partner at this very second, Nick was so far from good that he didn't know where to begin.

But that wasn't what Francine was asking him and Nick knew it, so he forced a nod, rose, and stepped out from behind her. Francine stopped him with her trunk. "Hang on. McHorn hasn't given us the all clear yet."

Nick pushed her away. "It's fine. And anyway, I was told that it was rude to use an elephant as cover."

Instead of letting him go, Francine shoved back. Nick blinked up at her, startled. She glared down at him. "Well I'm not an elephant; I'm a police officer, same as you. And if you want to find your partner you had better start acting like it, Wilde. because this reckless behavior of yours is only going to get you killed, and then who's going to find Hopps?"

"I…"

"Clear." McHorn stomped back over to them. "No one around. There's a broken walkie down the street a ways. We'll have to get forensics over here to check it out, along with those papers." He gestured to Judy's spilled files.

Francine pointed her trunk up at the apartment building. "Almost every window on this side would've had a perfect view of what happened. Maybe a tenant saw something. I'll have someone come do some questioning."

"I'll go call it in, then."

"Sounds good." Francine looked at the fox. "You heard Hopp's call. Did she mention anything that we could use? Anything at all?"

Nick shook his head. He still didn't understand why this had happened in the first place. Had it been the Corsacs? But they had been so inept so far he couldn't imagine them getting the drop on Judy besides maybe through sheer, dumb luck. Plus, they had only been on the case for a day. Could word have gotten back to the foxes so quickly?

Maybe it was someone else not even related to the case. It had happened outside of his apartment. Was whoever took Judy trying to get to him? Nick couldn't say he had many friends, but he knew even fewer animals who might want to take this kind of revenge on him. There was no one besides Mr. Big who would even…

Renewed terror gripped him. This type of kidnapping was exactly Mr. Big's style, and Judy never had been as wary of him as she should be. If Kevin or Raymond drove up, they might very well have gotten off a shot before Judy thought to suspect anything. And then all Mr. Big had to do was wait for Nick to come running.

Nick couldn't think of what he might've done to get on Mr. Big's bad side. He hadn't seen him since officially joining the ZPD. Judy had spoken with his daughter Fru-Fru a few times, but other than that…

Still, it was a possibility he couldn't overlook. If that shrew was responsible for taking Judy…

Nick ducked under Francine's trunk and ran for the squad car. "I've got to go."

"What? Where? Don't you want to wait for forensics?"

"You wait," said Nick, diving into the driver's seat. "Let me know if they find anything."

He doubted they would.

"But where are you going?"

"Tundratown." Nick had his own questioning to do.


Judy woke to the sound of arguing.

"And I am telling you that we are not paying." The voice was clear and ringing, and pierced right through the heart of the headache pounding through Judy's skull.

Judy twitched and tried to turn away from the noise, wanting more than anything to go back to sleep. But her legs and arms were strapped down and her muscles protested the attempted movement with warning twinges of pain.

She relaxed and let her head droop.

"Look, I did my job," a second voice said, this one sounding like the speaker had swallowed a bunch of gravel and gotten it stuck in their throat. "Why are you being so picky about this?"

"Picky? We told you to bring the fox. Instead you kidnapped the ZPD's precious bunny cop. They are never going to let this go now."

"Don't talk like that, Mary," said a third voice, and Judy was relieved that at least this one didn't make her head feel like it was going to split open. It was smooth and deep, and sounded as exhausted as Judy felt. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry."

"Listen to your brother, fox," said the gravely voice. "Now tell her to pay me so I can get out of here. Fox dens give me the creeps."

Someone growled. Judy imagined Nick, lips pulled back into a snarl as he prepared to attack... But—no, that had been an act. And Nick wasn't here. Was he? No. He was... somewhere. She couldn't remember exactly where. If only she could focus properly. It felt like someone had filled her head with wool, stuffing and stuffing until she was full to bursting and couldn't think past it.

"Don't get tetchy with me, fox. I did as you asked. I went to the apartment. This was who was at the apartment."

"And if it had been a mail hound, would you have taken them? I thought you said your eyesight wouldn't be a problem."

There was a hiss. "It's not."

"Then how could you think a bunny was the same as a fox?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault."

"It's completely your fault! We showed you the picture—" There was the sound of rustling. "Look. Right here. This was who we wanted you to get, see? Fox, not bunny. Fox."

"The scent on the card was hers. Can I help it if she smells kinda like…"

Judy's nose twitched. She did not smell.

If only she could go back to sleep, she could get away from these too-loud voices and the nausea that was growing with each painful throb of her head.

Unfortunately, even if her body wanted to tap out, her mind was clearing, albeit slowly, making connections and worrying itself back into proper awareness. There was even a voice that sounded an awful lot like Nick when he was upset, telling her that she needed to get up and do something. Move. Quickly.

Now, Carrots!

"M'wake," slurred Judy, forcing her head up and her eyes open.

Five pairs of eyes stared back at her. They were kind of blurry.

Judy blinked a few times, struggling to focus on them. The four Corsac foxes and her kidnapper—a mole, imagine that—all standing there in front of her.

Well this is convenient, thought Judy. Now if only she could get herself untied and summon up some energy, she might actually be able to make some arrests tonight. Was it still night?

She looked around for a window—or at least, as much as she could without moving her head—but even from what little she could make out she knew she wouldn't find one.

She was in a medium-sized room made up of a dirt floor, dirt walls, and a dirt ceiling, with tunnels leading off in every direction. It was not unlike the burrows she and her siblings use to dig as kids when they wanted a hideout.

Underground then, definitely no windows. And judging by the dank air and slightly muddy consistency of the earth, somewhere near the Rainforest District.

That was… not good.

There wasn't much in the room in way of furniture. A couple of cots against one corner and crate that smelled like vegetables gone to rot. A small wood table with four duffel bags piled on top of it. Judy was tied to the only chair.

Marian looked towards her brothers. "Oh no, she's awake. Now what do we do?"

Reynard shrugged, looking almost bored. Todd hovered behind him, shoulders tucked up around his ears, as if he could shrink away into invisibility if he just tried hard enough. Craven was the only one who seemed to be seriously considering the question.

"I could drug her again," suggested the mole.

"Could we do that?" asked Todd, voice high and hopeful.

"No, we can't," snapped Marian, turning to the mole. "That dosage was enough to bring down a fully grown fox, and you used it on a tiny little bunny. You're lucky it didn't kill her."

"Hey, I'm not that little," said Judy. When everyone looked her way, she decided this was as good a place as any to jump into the conversation. "But I would appreciate it if you didn't drug me again. I'd much rather talk, what do you say?"

She tried to give them her best smile, the one that said she was a helpful, friendly cop, not scary at all. Being a bunny, that was usually all it took. But her head felt like mashed carrot and she had to clench of her teeth against a particularly violent wave of nausea.

Judging by their expressions, it ruined the effect a bit.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell her?" asked Todd.

"She's a bunny and a cop," said Reynard. "She couldn't be a worse animal to talk to."

"Don't be silly," said Judy. "I'm the perfect animal to talk to. You wanted Nick because he's a police officer and a fox, am I right? You knew he'd be sympathetic. Well, you're probably not aware of this, but Nick and I are partners. And more importantly, best friends."

Reynard snorted. "If you think we're that gullible…"

"It's the truth. You can even look it up. Ah... do you get phone service down here? I know in Bunnyburrow it was nearly impossible to get anything reliable, but I wouldn't be surprised if even underground Zootopia had..." She trailed off. They were staring again. Judy cleared her throat. "Sorry. Not important. But it's true that Nick and I are close. I'm the one who convinced him to join the ZPD in the first place. He even mentioned it in an interview he gave Musk Rat magazine."

"See? the bunny's lending an ear," said the mole. "Sounds like a happy ending to me. Now can I have my money?"

Marian silenced him with a glare. She looked down at the card in her hand and it took Judy a second to recognize it as one of Nick's business cards. It was pretty beat up, with multiple crease marks and a red stain near his phone number. Marian toyed with a ragged edge as she debated.

Craven stepped forward. Judy noticed that he favored his right leg.

"I don't think it can hurt us at this point to tell her, Mary," he said.

When Marian still looked torn, Judy chimed in with an eager, "Yes, please, explain it to me." and nodded encouragingly, immediately regretting the action when her vision whited out for a moment and her stomach rolled.

"Well, I guess..." said Marian, "It started after Carol's funeral…"

"Your godmother, right?" said Judy. "I'm so sorry to hear about her passing, by the way. She sounded like an amazing bunny."

"Thank you, we—" Marian cocked her head. "How did you know she was our godmother?"

"Well when I went by your restaurant earlier there were these two bunnies who—"

"You went to our restaurant? Why?"

"As part of my investiga—ah… that is…"

"Investigation? You're investigating us?" Alarm sent the fox's voice up a pitch, and Judy winced. Nick's panicked voice was back in her head. What are you saying, Carrots? Don't tell them that! Fix it. Fix it now!

The mole, who had been inching his way over to the stack of bags, rolled his eyes with a muttered, "For the love of roots and pebbles."

"I told you that pompous bunny would go to the ZPD," said Reynard. "It was only a matter of time."

"It's not like that!" said Judy. "I want to help you. Really! I wasn't lying. If you would just explain—"

"Explain?" cried Marian. "As if you would believe us. Some dirty foxes, against the word of a rich bunny? Ha!"

Judy looked over at Craven, but even he was eyeing her with doubt now. "Trust me. Please. You already have me here. Give me a shot."

"Or, I could give her a different kind of shot and we can try this again," offered the mole, holding up the dart gun.

Marian looked ill at that. Todd whined; Reynard put a paw on his shoulder.

Underneath all the nausea and pain, Judy felt the first real licks of fear. Despite her words to the contrary, she didn't like her odds of surviving another dose of the drug, especially when the first one was still wreaking such havoc on her system.

"I don't…" stammered Marian, looking at her brothers. Craven was scowling at the mole, but he wasn't saying no either.

"If I might propose a third option?"

Todd gave a startled yip; Judy jerked in her seat. A raccoon had appeared from one of the tunnels. She hadn't even heard him creep in.

"Hello, all." The raccoon smiled at them, delicate paws folded politely in front of him. "Mind if I join you?"


At least Judy getting herself chosen as godmother for Mr. Big's granddaughter had one perk. When Nick showed up outside the front gate of Mr. Big's estate, the shrew's henchman Raymond appeared to escort him across the grounds. Escort, not carry by the scruff of the neck.

Even though it was almost three in the morning, Raymond led him around back to a private lanai that was styled like something out of a poster for a vacation package that was at least 40 degrees south of Tundratown's intended latitude.

Cream-colored stone textured like sand made up the floor and wall columns. Reinforced windows soared overhead, giving a perfect view of the frozen night—black, bleak, and beautiful.

Palms doted the room in giant planters, decorated with twinkling firefly lights. Since it had to be below freezing, Nick wasn't sure how they were keeping the trees alive.

A polar bear-sized pool chilled to perfect arctic temperature stretched from one side of the enclosure to the other, lit from below with soft blue and green lights and tiled with a mosaic of a school of fish.

Next to the pool sat a white marble table, on top of which was an exact copy of the lanai in perfect miniature, complete with pool and impossibly tiny lights. Mr. Big lounged there on a cushion chaise, in full formal suit and tie.

"Strange time to be working on your tan," said Nick by way of greeting.

Mr. Big waved a tiny paw at the full white orb above them. "I like the moonlight. It soothes me."

"Your milkman didn't happen to be a wolf by any chance, did he?"

A long-suffering sigh. "What brings you here tonight, Nick?"

"I'm looking for Judy."

"She should be with you, should she not?"

"She should be, but she isn't. Where is she?"

"I haven't the faintest."

"Don't joke."

"On the contrary, the only one who can't seem to stop making jokes here is you."

Nick slammed a paw down onto the marble table, hard enough to make all the tiny furniture rattle and the pool water slosh. Raymond, who had been standing watch behind Nick, grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled him away.

"I thought the three of us had an agreement," snapped Nick. "If that's changed we deserve a warning before you make a move on us! So release Judy, wherever you're keeping her, and then we can discuss this."

Mr. Big raised one bushy eyebrow. "I do not like this tone of yours, Nicky. You used to show more respect."

"Release her please."

The shrew and fox stared at each other. From the pool came a click and then a hum as some pump or other turned on. It sent ripples through the water and made the fish seem to undulate in unison, giving the illusion of life. Nick fought the urge to fidget or drop his eyes. If Mr. Big ordered his henchman to throw Nick into the pool, the fox knew it would be just as effective as an icing.

Finally, the shrew relaxed back in his seat. "Officer Hopps is not here. This is the truth."

"You… really don't have her?" asked Nick.

"As you said, we have an arrangement. And I wold never hurt my granddaughter's godmother. Not unless it was absolutely unavoidable."

Nick wanted to feel relief at that. But if anything, he felt even more scared now. Judy might be safe from Mr. Big's tiny yet powerful clutches, but it only meant that she was still out there somewhere. And Nick was officially out of leads. He couldn't afford to hit another dead end. Now with this.

Mr. Big tugged at the cuffs of his suit. "Now that we have that straightened out, why don't you tell me what has happened."

Raymond released Nick, but kept one mighty paw on the fox's shoulder, just in case. Nick swallowed. "Judy was kidnapped."

"So I have gathered. What do you know about the kidnapping?"

"It was outside of my apartment. And they used a tranquilizer dart."

"This is all you know?" Mr. Big made an unimpressed noise. Nick thought back. But there was really nothing else except… but Judy had been so far gone by then, he couldn't be sure. He said it anyway.

"At one point she said... it sounded kind of like mo'l..."

"You think it was a mole that took her?"

"Maybe. Do you know any that might fit the bill?"

"Hmm…" Mr. Big tapped a tiny claw against his vested belly. "I might. There's a secret network of animals for hire. They do small jobs mostly, unless you have enough dough to make the risk of more worthwhile."

"And you know of a mole involved in this?"

"Don't look at me like that, Nick. It's not from personal history, trust me. I never outsource. Things tend to get… messy, that way. Best to keep work in the family, yes?"

Mr. Big waved to a shadowed area of the lanai. Koslov appeared like a ghost dressed in black. Nick shivered. He hadn't even scented the polar bear's presence.

The giant bear came to stand by his master's side. Mr. Big whispered something to him and Koslov slipped away, as silently as he'd come.

"So are you going to tell me where can I find this mole?" asked Nick.

"No."

When Nick opened his mouth to argue, Mr. Big silenced him with a raised paw. "You think your old ties are just going to open up to you because you ask? You're a cop now, Nick."

"You've been pretty forthcoming."

"I'm an understanding sort. I was proud of you for joining the ZPD, Nicholas. You reminded me of a young arctic shrew who just wanted to open up a tuxedo shop and make his grandmama proud. Did you get the flowers I sent?"

Nick shuffled his feet. "I did, yes. Thank you. And I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I can't just wait around. I need to be out there—"

"Even if you go and find a contact willing to talk to you, you were never the type to work with animals that far underground. They would be of no help to you."

"I could find someone," muttered Nick. Probably.

Mr. Big ignored that. "Give me twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours?" Nick shook his head. "No. I can't wait that long. Anything could happen to Judy by then."

"Patience, Nicky. Twenty-four hours, and I will have your mole."

"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Mr. Big resettled in his lounge chair. "You're a cop, aren't you? Be a cop."

"I keep hearing that," grumbled Nick. "But I'm starting to wonder what it actually means."

The shrew smiled. "You're clever fox. I'm sure you'll figure it out."


"So. Who would like to make introductions?"

At the sound of the raccoon's voice, the mole looked up from where he had been poking around the duffel bags, nose sniffing at the air. "Ray? Is that you?"

The raccoon beamed. "Mo! My number one burrow demon! What's happening?"

"Do you two… work together?" asked Judy. She glanced over at the Corsacs, but they also looked confused by this development.

"You could say that," said Mo, shuffling over to his friend and holding out a paw for the raccoon to shake. "But what are you doing here, Ray? If you've come to help me catch the fox—"

"Bunny," Marian and Judy corrected simultaneously.

"—Then I'm afraid the job's already been completed."

Marian huffed.

"Actually, I've been following you," said Ray. "I didn't want to interfere until you had completed your mission. It was the least I could do."

"Oh? Well that's kind of you, I guess..." said Mo. "But… why did you need to follow me in the first place?" He glanced over at Judy. "You're not here to steal my catch, are you? We have rules about that."

"I know, my friend, do not fret," reassured Ray. "But you are right in that my client hired me with a somewhat similar interest in mind…" He nodded toward the Corsacs. Judy didn't think the mole noticed such a tiny movement, but he seemed to put the pieces together anyway with help from Marian, who started to growl.

"You were hired to kidnap my clients?"

"So it seems. Small world, right?"

"Wait, just—wait a second," said Judy, as Reynard stepped in front of Todd and started nudging him towards the nearest tunnel. "Nobody is kidnapping anyone. Ah, else. This is all getting out of hand."

"I agree," said Mo. "And while I can't say I remember ever hearing about a specific rule for this, it doesn't seem the done thing now, does it?"

"I agree it's unprecedented," said Ray. "But I was offered a killing for them. I couldn't turn it down."

"But they haven't even paid me yet!"

"If it's any consolation, I will be sure to search their pockets once I have them."

Marian and Craven starting backing up. Realizing that talking wasn't going to work, Judy began struggling in earnest with her bindings. Every jerk sent a throb of pain through her skull.

"I appreciate the offer," said Mo. "I guess that's all I can really ask for." To the Corsacs, he said, "You'll probably want to start running now."

The foxes turned and fled. Ray slapped Mo on the shoulder with a cheerful, "Call you later, buddy!" and took off after them.

"What are you doing?" Judy shouted at Mo. "You can't just let him do this. Go after him! Stop him!"

The mole sniffed. "I'm not going to mess up Ray's job. That would be rude."

"Then untie me, at least!"

"And ruin all my hard work? It wasn't easy getting you here, you know. And what if the foxes escape and come back for you?"

"You think they will?"

Mo thought about it. "No. But still, it's the principle of the thing."

Selecting a duffel bag from off the table as if it were a party favor, the mole slung the bit of luggage over his shoulder and waved to the empty space to Judy's right. "Bye-bye, bunny. It was nice working with you."

"You didn't work with—wait!" But he disappeared down another tunnel, leaving Judy alone.

Yips and snarls echoed back to Judy. The Corsacs hadn't gotten far.

Bracing herself, Judy threw her body to the left, then the to right. Left, right. Her brain felt like it was sloshing around her skull, each impact stunning in how much it hurt. She breathed in through her teeth and kept going.

The chair skidded, wobbled, rocked, lifted onto two legs, and then, finally, tipped sideways onto the ground. Judy's head knocked against muddy dirt with a wet whap, and the jolt was all it took for Judy to finally lose the battle with her stomach.

She groaned and tried to roll away, but couldn't. Frankly, passing out would have come as a welcomed relief right then.

If only.

Another sharp yelp came from the tunnel. Judy struggled to pull herself together. The Corsacs needed her.

The ropes tying her to the chair had shifted in the fall. It gave Judy enough slack that she could, after several seconds of wiggling and three tufts of fur, slip free.

She staggered to her feet, hissing when the muscles in her legs seized up in a spectacular pair of cramps. She hobbled into the tunnel after the foxes, using the wall for support. She was still dizzy and off-balance, and her stomach gurgled in a way that said another revolt was imminent if she didn't take care.

Luckily, she didn't have very far to go. Up ahead, two figures struggled in the darkness. It looked like Craven had stayed behind, blocking Ray from further pursuit, and the raccoon was not happy about it.

Ray lunged, claws slashing. Craven caught him full in the chest and was knocked back. Together they smashed against the wall, rolling to the ground in a muddy tangle. They looked evenly matched. Craven had more weight behind him, but he was injured and the raccoon skilled.

Judy stepped forward. She needed to break up this fight. Now. But instead of mud, her foot splashed down into water.

Judy hopped back, startled. She squinted through the darkness at the tunnel floor, which, upon closer inspection, looked flooded by several inches of water.

Rainforest District…

Judy looked back up at the two scuffling animals, alarmed. Craven had managed to pin Ray against the wall, and the raccoon was scrabbling at the mud, trying to find enough purchase to throw the fox off. Water ran in muddy rivulets around him, faster and harder the more he twisted and clawed.

"Stop! You have to stop!" said Judy, her voice reverberating through the tunnel. Craven looked over at the sound of her shout, and that was all the opening Ray needed to squirm free and pounce.

Craven's injured leg gave way and he collapsed against the wall with a grunt. Water sprayed. It hit Ray full in the face, knocking him back, and Craven followed after as the tunnel wall burst.

Water rushed in with roar.

Judy had just enough time to take one last breath before the water engulfed her and she was swept away into blackness.