The bobcat walked through the forest, whistling to himself. The trees blocked off most of the light from the moon, making the forest floor too dark for most animals to see; Ron wasn't most animals.
He playfully hopped over the protruding roots, feeling like a kitten again. He smiled as memories started flooding his mind. Memories of his parents, memories of his friends. His smile grew sad; he had forgotten the great life he had lived.
Before Hunter.
His thoughts turned to two years ago when he was studying botany at UZ, the University of Zootopia. He had been a great student; he studied hard and was constantly rewarded because of it. In fact, he had gotten so advanced in his class that his professor had recommended that Ron study under a professional florist and botanist. His professor's recommendation was a snow leopard by the name of Alex Hunt.
The moment Ron had walked into "Domestically Exotic: Hunt's Flowers for Every Occasion!" he felt uneasy, as if the very shop wasn't supposed to exist. But when Mr. Hunt had appeared from his office to greet him, Ron's doubts had been locked away.
Mr. Hunt had been, at first, very fun to be around; he always had some little game for Ron to test his intellect. Ron remembered the day he and Mr. Hunt had made the displays that now stood in the shop. Mr. Hunt had seemed like a completely different leopard then.
Soon after Ron had begun his apprenticeship with Mr. Hunt, animals began going savage. It had been all over the news: prey getting mauled by predators, huge riots of panicked animals, police trying to hold the crumbling city together. He had begun to feel nervous any time he walked through the streets, but Mr. Hunt had seemed unnaturally calm.
That was when he learned the truth behind Mr. Hunt.
He hadn't stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to, he hadn't eavesdropped on some whispered conversation. Mr. Hunt himself had introduced the bobcat to his hidden laboratory. Ron had been stupefied at how easy it was to unlock the hidden passageway: three rings of the bell on the desk.
"Ron," the leopard had said, his usual Cockney accent replaced with a sinister, more eloquent English accent. "I think it's about time I taught you about Mendicampum Holicifius."
Since then, Hunter had taught Ron everything there was to know about the Night Howlers. At first, Ron had been fascinated by these flowers. Their chemical composition, the effects the flower had on animals, their uses to farmers as a natural pesticide. Ron hadn't been able to stop thinking about how, if used correctly, Mendicampum Holicifius could be used to gain a better understanding of animals before the evolution.
But, when Hunter had revealed his serum to Ron, the flowers suddenly weren't so fascinating. Ron had discovered how Bellwether had used little pellets filled with the Night Howler serum to send animals in their savage frenzy; Hunter liked to inject the serum directly into the animal. Ron had been relieved that Hunter never experimented on other animals; at least, not while Ron was around.
A year had gone by. Bellwether was in jail, two cops were being praised for saving the city, and Hunter was planning his revenge. At this time, Ron had given up trying to understand the leopard and just played along. He donned his indifferent, rebel attitude and carried out some of Hunter's dirty work; scouting out targets while avoiding the authorities was a common task. At first, Ron obeyed to make sure Hunter didn't kill him – there were times Ron was certain the leopard wanted to. But after a while, Ron had begun to enjoy the tasks to a certain extent, adding thrill-seeker to his fake identity.
Ron then remembered the time that Hunter had left for a week on some business. The bobcat hadn't been able to fight the temptation to try some Night Howler experiments he had been thinking about. He had spent most of the week trying different formulas with the Mendicampum Holicifius. He diluted the flowers' chemical compounds and added different chemicals to get different effects; anywhere from extreme bouts of lust to long episodes of hibernation.
Ever since the day Hunter returned from his business trip, the leopard had mixed feelings towards the bobcat. Hunter had been impressed with Ron's creativity; the bobcat had created dozens of different serums with simple chemicals and Night Howlers alone! On the other paw, Hunter had been pissed; his entire collection of full-grown Mendicampum Holicifius was now gone, replaced with ultimately useless serums. That day, Ron had earned Hunter's respect as a colleague but had lost his trust as an apprentice.
For the next few months, Hunter and Ron had worked to make up for the lost Night Howlers. To keep the authorities off of their tails, they had stolen Mendicampum Holicifius seeds; if they stole the flowers outright, the city would grow suspicious and be prepared well before the first animal went savage. They had also destroyed any file, label, or display case that carried the words "Night Howler" on them, allowing the two predators more time before the authorities caught on to their plans.
Both Ron and Hunter had been aware of one flaw in their plan, however: the Night Howlers needed time to grow. Hunter had worked tirelessly, concocting different growth hormones that would shorten the wait. Eventually, Ron had been the one robbing the stores while Hunter had stayed in his lab. The leopard would rarely come out, even to eat. Being away from Hunter had loosened the hold he had on Ron, giving the bobcat time to really think about the current situation.
As Hunter came closer to his goals, Ron had decided it was time for the leopard to stop. Animals would get severely hurt, including himself. He had begun to confront Hunter, but each conversation had ended the same way: Hunter declaring that he would have his revenge. Eventually, Ron had given up and decided to let the police handle Hunter. But first, they would need to be tipped off.
Hunter had tasked Ron with injecting the new serum into a vixen by the name of Vivian Rose. This had given Ron the perfect opportunity to give the police something to work with. Instead of injecting the serum into the vixen, which would have given the forensics team the extra task of distinguishing between blood and serum, Ron had broken the syringe and doused Vivian with the deadly contents. His reward was a news report the next day revealing that the doctors had discovered a Night Howler serum on the savage vixen; the police were now on the case.
Ron smirked to himself. Hunter would finally be put in prison, and he could finally go about living a normal life; he could study botany again, he could hang out with his old friends again, he could see his parents again.
The bobcat was so excited about his future endeavors that he failed to notice the savage fox running straight for him.
The uniformed fox pounced on the unsuspecting bobcat, a hungry snarl in its throat. The feline gave a shocked yelp, his eyes wide with fear as he focused on the fox. The orange predator growled, the sound loud and guttural. Saliva fell from its maw, landing on the bobcat's fur as the fox inched its muzzle closer.
Suddenly, the wind blew through the trees, hitting the fox full in the face. It carried the scent the fox had been following; such a delicious scent that made the fox's stomach growl. The small predator lifted its head, sniffing the air to pinpoint the scent. The wind blew more of the scent into the fox's snout, giving an exact direction.
Completely ignoring the frightened bobcat, the fox took off deeper into the forest, fallen leaves crunching under its paws. The wind whipped through the fox's ears as the predator ran through the forest, effectively cooling it off. The fox had only one thing on its mind: the source of the scent. As it ran, saliva flicked from its muzzle and its growling grew louder. Adrenaline coursed through the fox's veins, fueling its energy and hunger.
The branches moved in the wind, the light that filtered through dancing on the forest floor. The fox paid no attention to them, its eyes focusing on any roots that tried to trip it. As the fox went on, the scent grew stronger. The fox maneuvered through the trees, turning when the scent turned. The wonderful smell seemed to call to the fox, drawing it closer.
The more the fox ran, the stronger the pain in its stomach became; this only succeeded in fueling the fox to get to the source of the scent faster. Picking up its pace, the fox began to trip on small roots and foliage. After a few falls, the fox and its odd coverings were coated with dirt and leaves.
Finally, the fox came to a clearing. The canopy of leaves filtered little light on the small area, but the fox's night vision clearly revealed the source of the scent.
A bunny.
The fox growled, too hungry to care about stealth. If the fox was lucky, the bunny would be too frightened to run. Said bunny had now become aware of the fox, her eyes turning towards it. There was something strange about her eyes, but the fox did not care; it needed to satiate its hunger.
The bunny made an odd sound, her voice tickling the fox's ears. If it wasn't so hungry, the fox would've wanted to stop and continue listening to her noises. Slowly, the bunny backed away from the fox, an object in her paw. The fox ignored it; the object was of no consequence yet.
The bunny made the sound again, the pitch slightly higher; it was similar to a whimper. The fox stalked closer, its teeth bared and a low growl emitting from its throat. The bunny glanced at the object in its paw, seemingly considering whether or not to use it. The fox glanced at the object, and then back at the bunny. The mammal noticed, a hurt look in her eyes. Hesitantly, she threw the object into the forest; the fox paused to watch it fly through the air and then turned back to the bunny.
Again, the bunny made the sound, but it sounded sharper, as if she were trying to communicate with the fox. The fox simply ignored her, stepping closer to his prey. Saliva continued to drool from the fox's maw as the thought of satisfying its agonizing hunger controlled its movement. Suddenly and without warning, the fox pounced on the bunny with frightening speed.
Judy saw the attack coming from a mile away.
She quickly rolled to her right, using the momentum to get to her feet. Now that she had thrown away the Fox Repellent, she had little defense against the savage fox. She quickly bolted into the forest, leaving the surprised predator behind.
She didn't want to hurt the fox, but the fox wanted to hurt her. This was a problem. As she ran, Judy tried to think of any way she could bring the fox to its senses. She gasped as a root caught her foot, bringing her to the ground. With fear-induced reflexes, she caught herself and cartwheeled over the roots, landing as if she had taken gymnastics all her life. Taking a quick moment to congratulate herself, Judy continued through the trees.
Her ears perked to the sound of a loud snarl behind her; the fox was getting close. She ducked to her right, rolling to catch the momentum of the sudden turn. Using her powerful legs, she leaped forward from the roll, putting more distance between her and the fox. She landed roughly as small foliage caught her off-balance. Judy ran forward, waving her arms to keep her balance in hopes to not fall on her face. Unfortunately, a particularly nasty root decided to stand in her way, sending her to the ground with a soft thud.
Wiping the dirt and leaves from her face, Judy glanced behind her for any sign of the fox. An orange and navy streak zoomed past the tree Judy had turned at, giving the bunny reason to smirk at her victory. The smirk quickly evaporated, however, as the fox immediately turned back around and began chasing her again. Picking herself up, Judy ran. She kept on running, occasionally tripping on roots and foliage.
Her heart was pounding from both physical exhaustion and emotional trauma. Her lungs screamed for respite, her muscles began to burn. Her heart ached for the fox, her mind tried to comprehend the situation.
Judy slid under a fallen tree, her paw holding her weight. As she cleared the tree, she turned and jumped to the right. She knew she couldn't outrun the fox on two legs, so she continued on four.
The wind whipped through her ears, but she didn't relish the feeling. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she didn't enjoy it. Her muscles screamed at her, and she wanted to stop. Judy feared very little; she always knew she could outrun anything or anyone who tried to stop her. But this time, she was truly terrified. Never before had anything kept chasing her, no matter how far behind it was. And it would never stop.
Judy's breathing became erratic and short, but the growl that resonated behind her didn't falter. Judy clumsily hopped over large roots and foliage that crossed her path, leaves crunching under her paws as she ran. She dared not glance back for fear of missing a root or protrusion in the ground that would end the chase.
The light from the moon danced on the ground as the branches above swayed in the wind, playing tricks on Judy. She jumped much too soon, thinking that a large root was closer that it actually was. Her knee hit the wood, a wave of pain surging through the bunny as she cried out. She hit the ground violently, rolling in the leaves and dirt before coming to a stop.
She heard the snarl and knew it was too late. The fox had caught her.
Hunter's ears perked as he heard Judy's cry. She was surprisingly close, but it didn't change anything; he would easily find them no matter how far into the forest they were. He loaded his weapon, relishing the rush of excitement coursing through his body. He always loved the thrill of the hunt.
"HUNTER!"
The leopard stepped out of the van, his eyes scanning for the bobcat. He finally saw Ron and noticed the dark look in his hazel eyes.
"I thought you said you were going to wait to release him!" Ron complained, pointing an accusing finger at the leopard. "He nearly killed me!"
Hunter rolled his eyes, uninterested in this conversation. "You never gave me a specific amount of time to wait," Hunter said dismissively. "And he didn't kill you now, did he?"
Ron scoffed. "Only because he caught Judy's scent!" His fake identity came crashing down; Ron had tolerated enough of Hunter's games. "This needs to stop now, Hunter!"
"We've been over this, Ron," Hunter said as he began brandishing a large Bowie knife. "Not when I'm so close! Those two cops will tear each other apart, revealing to the world that relationships between predator and prey can never last!"
Ron's eyes flicked to the large knife in Hunter's paws. Realization dawned on the bobcat, and he felt every muscle tense as his mind tried to decide between the fight or flight response. "Y-you're crazy!" he stuttered as he took a few steps back, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from the snow leopard as possible.
The look in Hunter's eyes sent chills down Ron's spine, as if the larger feline was daring the bobcat to run. "No, Ron," Hunter contended, his voice low, "I'm not crazy. It's this city that's crazy! They believe that predator and prey can truly live in harmony; that they can do more than just coexist. So I'm taking it upon myself to reveal the truth."
Ron shook his head as his paw snuck into the pocket of his jeans. He still continued to back away, his pace steadily increasing. "Yeah, well, you have fun with all that." In the meantime, I'm gonna get the police here to stop this madness, he thought. The bobcat turned on his heel and booked it for the forest, making sure to duck behind trees and bushes to throw Hunter off.
The snow leopard smiled cruelly as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. He pocketed the knife and retrieved his hunting rifle. Everything about the gun felt natural to Hunter; it was like an extension of his very being. Drawing a deep breath, the snow leopard caught Ron's scent among those of the forest. He also caught the sweet aroma of fear, and his grin widened.
She was scared, and it was drawing him right to her.
Hunter pushed off of the van and began his silent trek into the forest. Ron would be his first target, as the bobcat was most likely going to call the police. Another rush of excitement sent a shudder down the leopard's spine as he planned out how he would kill his ex-assistant. Then, Hunter would be rewarded with the sight of a fox standing over the mangled corpse of a rabbit, just like nature had intended.
Oh, what a hunt this would be!
The fox stood above the bunny, its muzzle so close to her neck; it could practically taste her! Saliva drooled from its maw, falling onto the bunny below. Fear filled the bunny's eyes and kept her from fleeing.
She made the noise again, but the fox ignored it; the predator's hunger was excruciating. The fox inhaled deeply through its snout, her scent nearly driving it wild. Slowly, the fox opened its maw, revealing sharp fangs glistening with saliva.
Suddenly, Nick attacked, his teeth closing around Judy's neck.