Jamdea : I'm writing a Zootopia a fanfic and you're reading it. I'm sorry to announce that we're way past the point of 'becoming' furries. But yeah, anthropomorphization has to have some strange results on mammals. I mean there aren't a lot of hairless mammals, so humans are pretty strange by mammal's standards.
As for Mickey Mouse, all sentient mammals in his universe were gloves. My theory is that they don't actually have hands, and instead developped a cybernetic implant technology and use it to create hand to replace their paws. They then hide them under gloves because of the scarring.
It's my computer, I don't use safe search and don't block websites. As for the government tracking my actions... Well, given my research history (drugs, weapons, racism, psychology...) I'm pretty sure I have at least a pair of eyes on me. (it was all for my writing, I swear...)
Yeah, I prefer the fanfics where the writer assumes the Hopps estate houses the extended family, it usually makes more sense. I'm trying to picture both Bonnie's shape and her bra in the '270 kits version' and all I get are horrific flashbacks from Shin Sekai Yori (An anime which isn't pornographic in any way, but contains a pretty interesting representation of anthropomophic naked molerats).

Robert Escher : Yeah, moms deserve to be spoiled a bit.

Foxlover91 : Well, I wasn't going to start something really dramatic during the epilogue. At this point, I'm mostly tying up loose ends. Speaking of which...

Chapter 4 : Old Wounds

Friday the 8th of April 2024

He was in front of the door, trying to decide if he should ring that bell or not. He had driven more than 300 kilometers to do it and he still hesitated.

He heard a sigh coming from behind him and saw an arm activate the doorbell in his stead.

"I didn't know you could be so indecisive." Said a female voice.

Nick repressed a chuckle. "Given that most of what you knew about me was a lie, it's not that surprising, Scarlet." Years later, and with most of his inner demons slain, his dark humour was still intact. "Sorry."

"It's okay Nick."

The bunny at his side squeezed his paw. "I told her to be ready for your bad jokes. Your humour always gets that way when you're stres-"

The door opened, showing white furred vixen which looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Nick recognized her almost immediately.

"Hello ? What can I do for you ?" She asked.

She had left the chain on the door. Though Old Reynard was a relatively safe place, it seemed she was of the prudent kind.

"Sorry to bother you, my name is Nick Wilde and this is Judy Hopps-" As he was making the presentation he saw the arctic vixen squint her eyes. "We're not here on ZPD business, and we'd be out of our jurisdiction anyway. We just want to talk."

"This is not a good time."

"I doubt there ever will be a good time." Chimed in the doe.

The vixen glared at the bunny for a couple of seconds. She was surprised to see a total absence of fear in her eyes. With a groan, she closed the door and they heard the tingling of the chain on the other side. A couple of seconds later, it opened again.

"Come in."

She led them in the living room. Two foxes were sitting on a couch, both of them were holding glasses of wine. In front of them, the coffee table was covered with snack, and different beverage. Mostly alcohol. Nick recognized the two foxes instantly too. Though he was younger than Nick, Osman already a some grey strand in his fur. On his part, Lucas only seemed to have gained some weight. They stared at the newcomers as they came in, and their eyes widened in surprised when they recognized Nick and Judy.

"Relax, we're not here to arrest you." Smiled Nick.

"That's good to know." Answered Osman. It seemed his humour was intact too. "Who are you ?" He asked Scarlet.

"My name is Scarlet. I'm-"

"Mike's sister." Cut Lucas. "I would say nice to meet you, but..."

An awkward silence fell on the room.

Nick broke it by clearing his throat. "Since we're already uncomfortable, I might as well say it now." He saw the other mammals gazes turn to him. "We kind of already met... Though my fur was grey at the time."

The two foxes on the couch stared at him, their jaws dropping in slow motion.

The vase which was sitting on a nearby table suddenly flew across the room to crash against a wall. They all turned their head to look at the vixen which had now her back turned to them and was resting her paws on said table.

"I did not expect that." Stated Nick.

They saw her shoulder tremble slightly. "I hope it was fun to you." There was anger but also sadness in her tone.

"I can't say it was."

She suddenly spun around and went straight to the coffee table, pouring herself a large glass of whisky and downing half of it before turning back to the fox. "You played us from the beginning to the end."

"Yeah."

"Was it worth it ?"

"It saved the city. I'm sorry for… If there had been a way to do it without manipulating or hurting anyone, I wouldn't have done what I did. But it was the surest and fastest way to get to Lycus. I think it was worth it."

The white furred vixen gave a dark chuckle. "Yeah it was worth it." She downed the rest of her drink while an awkward silence fell again. "Sorry about the outburst. It's just… I'm pissed. I'm pissed at you, though it's unfair because you only did what you had to. I'm pissed at myself because of what I did, and what I made them do." She pointed at Osman and Lucas.

"Skye. You know us, we did what we did only because we wanted to. You didn't make us do anything." Osman was wearing a sad smile. "If anything, I'm sorry for what happened to Mike. I think he was the only one of use that was somewhat innocent."

"He's the one that should have lived." Added Lucas, raising his glass.

The silence that followed that last sentence was deafening.

"We're commemorating Lycus' fall and Mike's death." Explained Skye, while she took glasses out of a cupboard. "You're welcome to join." She poured three glass of wine gave one to each new guest, ending with Scarlet. "I'm sorry for your brother. Really. We all screwed pretty bad with him and even if we tried to apologize-"

Scarlet put a paw on Skye's shoulder. "I know. He told me."

They all sat down around the coffee table, taking chair from dinner table so no one would have to sit on the floor.

"You know, it's funny..." Began Scarlet. "Because, he really told me a lot about you all. I must admit, after the whole 'treason' business, I couldn't understand how he could still want to be around you..." The three foxes were staring a their glasses. "But I think, in a sense, he had found where he could fit in. You know, it was something he could never really do. Even with all that happened, he considered you all his friends. So at least, it wasn't all bad. Wasn't it ?"

Lucas had to wipe a tear while Osman dam had completely broken down. He kept staring at his glass though. "You know what the hardest thing was ?" He spoke.

"Until the end, I thought we were the good guys. The rebels. The ones that were going to change the world. Until I saw the news about Bellwether at Big's mansion, I thought… I know it sounds childish, but realising we were the bad guys, the ones that needed to be stopped… We fucked up. And we didn't stay to fix things. We just left."

"You're okay, Os." Said Lucas, putting a paw in his shoulder.

"Mammals died because of us ! And we got away with it !"

"You were played. It doesn't excuse everything you did, but Bellwether was a great manipulator." Said Judy. "She fooled everyone, twice. I know how it is to be played by her."

"Yeah, but mammals didn't die because of you." Stated Skye. "Guess we'll just have to live with that."

Judy took a sip from her drink. "You know, I never hated any of you. I was pissed, I was angry, but you were kids. Stupid, maybe, but you were actually trying to make a difference. Even if your methods were more than questionable, I mean, I almost lost a leg because of them, at least you were doing something. That's more than most."

"That's a way to see it." There was a bit of irony in Skye's tone, but it was mostly self-aimed.

"I could argue about your motivations. I could ask if you were aiming for revenge or justice… But five years later, to me at least, it doesn't really matter anymore."

"It matters to us." Grimly answered Lucas. "For me it was both."

"Same here." Said Osman.

"There is no point trying to deny it." Stated Skye.

It seemed that meeting would be a string of awkward silence. This time, it was Judy who broke it.

The bunny gave a little huff. "I wanted to know what kind of mammals you were. I met most of the others that worked for Lycus. Almost all of them regretted their actions, but they were all going to jail for at least a couple years, so it was hard to tell if it was because of the punishment or because of their conscience. I know you did some horrible things, but the fact that you truly regret it… It's not meaningless. I can't talk for the citizen of Zootopia, but I forgive you."

The three foxes were looking at her with surprised expressions.

Nick smiled "On my part, I know myself enough to believe I'd have acted the same way you did if I had been your age, so… I can't say I'm putting myself in the same basket, but I get where you all come from."

Scarlet had kept her arms crossed. "I know a thing or two about grudge. I know it's not healthy to keep one. And my brother's death isn't something I can get over easily. But you mattered to him, and it seems he mattered to you. I'll leave for you to decide if you deserve forgiveness or not."

"Might take a couple of decade." Snorted Osman.

The silence that followed was slightly less awkward than the previous ones.

"On an unrelated note, I'd like to know how you got here." Said Nick. "And how things are for you now."

The arctic fox relaxed a bit on the sofa. "Well, when you called Mr Big to let us leave, we didn't really know where we would end up..."

End of April 2019

"Where are they taking us ?" Asked Osman with worry in his voice. The orange-brownish fox was sitting next to Lucas, which was looking through the tinted glass.

"Wherever it is, I'm sure it would have been better to get arrested." Worried the small bat-eared fox.

In front of them, Skye didn't feel more at ease, but she trusted Frank wouldn't have send us to their deaths. "I'm sure we're going to be okay. Frank knows Mr Big."

"That doesn't reassure me. He seemed to know a lot of stuff." Remarked Osman. "You think he knew about Bellwether ?"

The three of them had seen the news about the lamb's death, and her involvement in Lycus' case. Realising they had been manipulated had been a shock to them, and Skye hoped that they would be able to put that behind them.

"I don't think so. I just hope that wherever he is now, he's okay."

"It sucks for Mike." said Lucas. He was still looking through the window, but was now wearing a sad expression. "We've been assholes to him, and he ended up dying like that. We couldn't even properly apologize."

"They were my decisions. Both times. Even the one that got him killed. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"Well I do." Sighed the small fox. "If I had tried to hack into Lycus files, if I had just been a little more nosy, I could have found out the truth sooner. I could have put an end to this."

The arctic wanted to retort something but it was of no use. Time would heal, there was nothing she could say now that would really help the two other foxes.

The car they were in suddenly stopped and a large polar bear opened the door for them. "Get off." They obeyed, finding themselves in a remote parking lot at the edge of the city. In it was single old and worn red car. The bear threw them a set of keys as well as a little bag. "I don't get why Mr Big is willing to got to those lengths for you, so you better be grateful. There are a thousand buck and the car papers to your name. Take it all and leave. Farewell." And just like that, the bear got back into the car he had just left and rode away.

Skye quickly opened the bag and found the money. She looked at the car papers. They were under 'Skye Winters'. "Why did they use my real name ? We're going to get caught."

Lucas was already on his phone. "No necessarily." They entered the car and Skye turned the engine on. The vehicle coughed like a cancer patient in terminal phase, but started anyway. "Zootopia is technically a self-contained country, even if very open, and for whatever reason, we're not high-priority wanted mammal. We weren't even mentioned on the news."

"Feels insulting." Remarked Osman.

"Shut it, jackass. What does that mean Lucas ?"

"Means there are a few roads out of the city we can bet won't be monitored. Drive, I'll guide us."

...

The first week in Old Reynard had been easier for them than anticipated. It was strange to not be singled out for being foxes in a city that was less than four hundred miles from Zootopia. Then again, there was speciesism, it simply wasn't directed toward them.

They had found a motel easily enough, and the clerk had been kind enough to not ask for a deposit. But they had to find jobs, and as newcomers with no network, it wasn't an easy task. At least Lucas had been able to negotiate two rent-free weeks by repairing the computer at the reception desk.

The bad news was, the car had broke down. Their last trip at the grocery store had been a one way trip, and the piece of rusted metal was sitting at the parking lot in waiting. It was something they needed to sort out. The car could draw attention, it could get checked by the authorities, and though they were away from Zootopia, it could still be dangerous. The foxes didn't know where the car papers had been registered. So that day, the arctic fox had been to a garage to get it towed away. It would put a dent in their saving but they didn't have much of a choice.

The arctic fox was waiting near the car when the towing truck arrived.

"H'lo miss. 'That the car you need taken 'way ?" The truck driver was a dark brown fox with a gut and a smiling face.

"Yes. Thanks for coming this quick."

"No problem. 'Want it repaired or thrown away ?"

The female fox reflected on it a for a few seconds. "I honestly don't have the money to get it repaired."

"Tell you what. I bring it back to my place and I take a look. For free. If it's an easy repair, you just pay me back if or whenever you can. Deal ?"

"It's generous of you." She said shaking his paw.

They got in the truck and they drove away. "I ain't that generous. I have a thing for old cars, and you obviously have no money. Since you wouldn't get it repaired to begin with, repairing it doesn't lose me any money. And if it doesn't work, I'll disassemble it for spare parts." He shrugged. "Never seen you before, you new in the city ?"

"It shows that much ?"

"Zootopian accent." He simply answered. "It got heated there a few weeks ago. Know anything about that ?"

"Not more than the news say. But it sucked a bit for us foxes, so it's why we left."

"Yeah, I can get that. You getting by ?"

"We still have some money left, but without a job, it's running thin."

"Hm."

The garage was a short distance from the parking lot. He pulled over and they pushed the old car into the large garage. Three other car sat there, some of them had their engine on chains, others had the only their hood open.

"Any idea what caused the problem ?"

The white fox shrugged. "It's not the purge valve, not the fuel tank. The electric wiring seemed fine, at least the ones that went from the casing. I couldn't take apart the cylinders, but they could be manually be moved smoothly, so I guess it's not that either."

The brown fox lifted a brow. "You know your stuff."

"Just a bit." She had learnt a lot with Nick while they repaired the vans.

He gave her an inquisitive look, and motioned her toward a car. "What's wrong with this one ?"

She looked at it and the time she had spent repairing the vans came back to her mind. "Injection pump's busted."

With an appreciative smile he pushed her toward the second car. "That one ?"

The engine was out of the hood, she looked at it for a few seconds. She couldn't really guess like that. "Can I ?"

"Go ahead."

She prodded it a bit, trying to get the cylinders to move. It seemed they were slightly stuck. She tested one after the other. They did move a bit. "That arm's busted.

There is rust stuck here. That's not supposed to be possible, or there would be rust on other parts. I don't know what caused it though."

"Me neither. And that one ?" He said, pointing at the last car. The hood was closed, she could not find any clue on what was wrong. She opened the hood but at first glance there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Well there was. The engine came from another brand of car. "Technical check ?"

"Not far. You ever worked as a mechanic ?"

"More or less."

"You wanna ?"

The arctic fox stared at the brown fox for a couple of seconds. "Is that a job offer ?"

"Yeah. I mean, I think you're not completely qualified, but you don't seem half-stupid. Which is more than I can ask at the moment. I was employing two brothers, but they had to leave the city a few days ago. So I'm hiring. Want the job ? I must warn you, I'll be on your back as long as I don't consider you qualified enough to work unsupervised."

"Consider me on board." They shook their paws again. "I didn't catch your name."

"Casey Bushtail. Miss Winters, was it ?"

"Just Skye."

From then on, things had gone a lot better. Casey hired another fox. And given Skye's experience in management, she quickly got that role.

On his end, Lucas found a job in IT in a printing company. It wasn't the most interesting thing he had ever done, but it paid the bills, and was in his range of skills.

Osman ended up as a waiter in a restaurant. He was used to find easy jobs that didn't require lots of skill aside from social ones, and he was actually liking it.

They had found a new place, cheap enough, in an old building near the center of the city. At first they had thought it was a scam, but as it turned out, the renting prices in Zootopia were a lot higher than in Old Reynard. That, and the internet in that place stuttered, which regularly got Lucas to rage at his computer screen.

Friday the 8thof April 2024

"And it's been pretty much more of the same for the past five years."

"You got it pretty good." Smiled Nick. "I'm glad it turned out okay for you. But you left something out. How did you and Sean get separated ?"

Skye had a satisfied smile. "I think he hated being confined. Mr Big had all kinds of cells, ours was some sort of underground suite, with a bathroom, a TV, and everything. He lost his temper over something-"

"He thought I was trying to poison him when I brought him his plate." Intervened Lucas.

"Yeah, that. And he just took his knife and tried stabbing him. I punched him and dislocated his jaw. And broke his arm when he tried again. The bears took him away. I don't know what happened to him then."

"He tried to find me… Well, Frank. He did, and left with a souvenir." He showed his paw, which pulled a few gasps from his audience. "Then he… Let's just say the official version was that he committed suicide. Don't look at me like that, I had nothing to do with it."

"I'm glad he won't be a problem anymore." Said Osman. "He was a complete nutcase."

…

"Do you want to stay for dinner ?" Asked Skye.

"Not really. It already felt like imposing, and it's not like I could take more of the awkward silences. I kind of came to apologize about manipulating you. It was something that was on the back of my mind for way too long. I'm glad you took it well." Smiled Nick.

"It's a hard pill to swallow, but as I said, and as much as I feel dumb for not seeing through you, I think you did what had to be done." Answered Skye. "I have a question though. How did you know where to find us today ?"

"I used my old connections." He answered, avoiding to give a more complete answer. The vixen nodded. She understood that there were somethings he had to keep to himself.

He got up and was imitated by everyone else.

"As for me, I simply wanted to be sure we hadn't left dangerous mammals go free. I trust Nick's judgment, but he too can be wrong." She winked at her fox. "But I think he was right to let you all go." Stated Judy.

"That's nice to hear." Smiled Osman.

…

In the car, riding toward Zootopia, Nick turned toward Scarlet which was sitting on the backseat. "You okay ? You didn't say much."

"Yeah. It's strange but I feel better. I don't really know why I wanted to come, but I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to meet them."

"I owed you that."

"No, you didn't." She turned to look out the car window. "But I might actually be able to move on, now."