Ok, thanks to comments by a few reviewers I have found some motivation for this chapter. I knew I was going to upset or confuse a few people with that last chapter, and putting Nick's thoughts in was an 'iffy' thing to do because he does not see the world the way we do and what he is thinking isn't the same as what we understand it as. What is going on may seem weird, especially if you don't know anything about animals in regards to their instincts and behaviors. Then again, I'm a freaky weirdo with 'Tics', so you can decide. He is extremely intelligent and sentient, on a level we really don't understand (Yet). Hopefully this chapter might clear some of that up a little bit for some readers and I am grateful for the reviews because like I said, they make me think and look at my own work a little differently and improve my writing. Maybe this will give everyone a little bit of a peek inside a wild Nick/fox's actions and mind…. Sleep finally found me so I'm gonna go catch some Z's.

Happy reading to all the Gods….

Inspiration: Hozier; Like Real People Do

Disclaimer; I do not own Zootopia or its characters.

Under Earth 11

Jack leaned against a downed tree stump with one side of his lip twitching as he kept switching his eyes back and forth between Milo and the wolves. Them, along with several rabbit bucks and an irritated doe were wrestling with a tent and Jack shook his head as Milo's ears tilted back. "Why in the name of all the Gods did you get that thing?" Jack asked as he watched the others trying to set up a large tent that looked big enough to fit a small army in.

Milo scratched the back of his neck "It's all they had Sir, I guess camping for farm folk isn't a solitary affair and in Bunny Borough a small family isn't so small. The store clerk said it was the smallest one they had in stock and anyone wanting something else would have to go into the city to get a smaller one. I figured it was better than nothing and I knew you were going to be out for a while. Look, it's not that bad, at least the wolves will fit in there with everyone else now too." Jack narrowed his eyes before he huffed. "I heard back from Agnis too Sir."

The buck groaned as he leaned against a tree behind him clutching his chest. "Just tell me something that isn't going to make me want to rip my ears off again." When Milo cinched his cheeks into his eyes Jack deadpanned him before motioning him closer and ushering him to keep his voice down. "Spit it out, might as well get the bullet bit already."

Milo chewed his lip for a moment before glancing back at the little group and lowering his voice as he leaned closer to Jack. "There's a red net over Zootopia Sir."

Jack looked at him with all the seriousness of a president giving a speech stating they were going to war on live television as he shook his head. "That's…not all Sir." Milo said glancing back to their little entourage again as Jack lifted his brows and both ears. "The Professor that went to the Hopps house, he wasn't the professor. Transfer papers were already set and he's probably been moved, but Professor Aldrigsteit retired six months ago after a mild stroke and was placed in a nursing home less than two months ago after he was hit with another one that left him almost catatonic." Milo watched as Jack's ears stiffened, his face went completely flat and he tipped his head to one side gritting his teeth.

"Tell me he didn't call anyone Milo."

Jack ground his jaw together as Milo let his eyes drift the ground. "They had to let him make one phone call Sir, it is the law."

"That doesn't change it Milo, we're about to have some nasty company. We need to find Piberius before they do. They may be fool headed, but they are driven, intent and skilled. I'd rather be in the company of that primitive putz than those moronic self righteous pres-"

"Mr. Savage?" Amber called and Jack bit his tongue as he set his ears on her. "I need to check on your ribs and the space we inserted the needle to remove the air from your chest." Amber sighed as Jack gave her a dirty look. "It's just observation Mr. Savage. I won't be poking or prodding you anymore than necessary." He rolled his eyes as he undid his shirt and pulled the velcro from the brace around his ribs. Jack hummed and cinched his jaw as she ran her fingers along his ribs. Amber let her ears drop as the buck kept a tight face and curled lip. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" she pulled away watching Jack refasten the velcro and button his shirt back up as Milo turned his head looking around into the trees as Jack scowled at her.

"Yes I do."

"Too bad, since I literally saved your life I'm going to ask anyway," she replied with a smirk as he frowned. "How did you get the stripes all over your body? They aren't natural. I've studied just about every kind of illness there is and I've never seen scar tissue that changes fur color or lets fur continue to grow."

"It's a classified case Ms. Hopps. I've been injured on many of them."

"I think tortured would be a better word with how they are positioned on your body Mr. Savage. It looks like someone smacked you in the back of the head with whatever it was leaving that big blotch there and ran their claws through your fur with it…..at…." Amber took a step back as Jack dropped his head and looked at her with a tilted face colder than Tundra Towns ice generators could produce. The buck hadn't moved a single feature on his face but it was as hard as if someone had carved it in stone looking at her through eyes filled with warning and contempt. "I'm s-sorry, I won't bring it up again." She mumbled as she rushed away from the buck and cat sitting next to him.

"Sir," Milo asked with concern.

Jack slid his eyes over to the cat lowering his brow. "Don't Milo… Ever. Get on the band wave radio. If they are coming we are going to need help. Get the blue team." Milo tipped his ears back before nodding and slipping away as Jack tried to get his focus back. It wasn't until they had set up a camp fire and were pulling food out that Jack rejoined the group and took a seat next to Milo again. Wolford and Snarlov were curling their brows after pulling out several packages of fresh fish.

"Why did you get fish? I mean I know we hadn't planned on coming, but why not Bug protein or foul of some kind? Even Snake and lizard venison would have been easier to carry than this stuff." Snarlov complained as he held up a bag of fish.

Milo looked at Jack as if asking permission and the buck nodded motioning to the wolves and curious rabbits. "Piberius won't eat any kind of meat but fish."

"Why not?" Several of them asked in unison and Jack shrugged.

"He thinks bugs, snakes and lizards are dirty, something like," Jack twisted his lip looking around as he shook his head. "The best way I could describe it is that he believes birds are like gods because they can fly, and snakes and lizards are like demons because the birds kill and eat them and the bugs. But spirits would probably be a better word for it. One represents good spirits and the other represents bad spirits. Fish are clean because they live and move in water."

Wolford scoffed "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Jack asked. "You believe in God right Wolford? Snarlov? Can you see him?" Both wolves lifted their brows as Jack set himself into a dead face. "Do you know if he's a wolf, or is he a cat of some kind? Maybe he's a rabbit, or a she? Does he have white fur or red fur? Does he have fur at all? Maybe he's not even a mammal. He believes what he can see, you believe because you have faith. There really isn't much of a difference is there? Is it any harder to understand than the fact that there are still foxes alive?"

Randal and Steven gave each other a glance as Juno leaned into Amber. "This is a loaded conversation that has a good possibility of exploding. There are a few things no one should talk about if not in the company of good friends. Change the subject or they might come to blows any minute sis."

"How did he heal so fast after he was injured?" Amber asked drawing everyone's attention to her and away from the current possible firestorm building between the wolves and the pin striped rabbit. Amber scowled as she frowned "Judy said he was licking the wound."

Both wolves and all the rabbits looked back at Jack as he shrugged. "Beats me. His mouth is cleaner than ours though. So is the rest of him for that matter. He doesn't eat the kinds of food we do, no chemicals used to grow anything, no preservatives, and no contaminants."

"How can you know so much about him and not know how that works?" Amber asked.

Jack lifted a brow before narrowing his eyes. "What? You think just because I work for the government that I am going to just hand him over to some lab coats so they can rip him apart to see how he ticks? He's a primitive putz, but torture is torture Ms. Hopps, no matter how much good someone says the reason for it being done is."

Amber let her ears drop into a cringe as Juno leaned into her again. "Good going sis. I think you hit a nerve on that one. Out of one pot and into another."

"I didn't mean it that way Mr. Savage. I just assumed you knew him better that's all."

"Yes, well you probably shouldn't assume anything Ms. Hopps, at least not in this situation."

"Speaking of assuming and situations Agent Savage, I think we have a little free time and you need to do some explaining about this." Snarlov reached into his pocket pulling out the necklace and walking in front of the buck letting it dangle in front of him. Jack looked to Milo for a moment before curling his fingers around the little piece of stone and looking it over before he sighed.

"How close were one of you two to being chosen as the next alpha?" Jack asked looking up at Snarlov. The smaller wolf turned to Wolford before stepping back over the fire and taking his seat again.

"He is supposed to retire next year." Snarlov answered as Wolford cocked his head to one side. "Why?"

"Because there is more going on here than you know, and I need to know exactly how much you know about how things are run in your pack. Without Tyler I can't tell you much of anything about what is going on if you aren't going to be able to understand or accept it and I already know you don't know everything because of what I have already had to tell you."

Both wolves shook their heads fighting not to bear their teeth as their ears flicked back whole glaring at the buck. "He shouldn't have had that, it is forbidden, what else do we need to know Savage?" Wolford growled. Amber and her brothers had taken a firm seat keeping their eyes ticking back and forth between the ongoing conversation as Jack shook his head letting his ears fall half mast before returning his gaze to the wolves.

"Did you get in contact with them Milo?" Jack asked as he kept his eyes trained on the two wolves. The cat shifted on his makeshift seat grunting as Jack finally looked at him.

"It will take them at least twenty four hours to get here Sir. They're out on an Op right now."

Jack returned his attention to both wolves with a stone face again. "You're about to get a crash course in the way the world works behind the curtains whether you're ready or not. We are about to have some uninvited company and they won't care if we are here or not. They won't care about Judy Hopps, Addie Hopps or the sheriff. We will all just be in their way and if my team doesn't get here before they do there's a good chance they might burn this forest down just to catch that fox."

"I thought you said you weren't getting the Zia involved with this." Wolford scowled. "Why now and what's the deal with the fox?"

"I didn't say they were ZIA, I said they were my team." Jack held the necklace up again. "Because it is forbidden for more than the one reason you believe…"

After a heated conversation and denials of disbelief turning to rage Amber shot from the ground. "YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT SAVAGE!" Wolford growled as Snarlov shook his head. Both wolves were in his face and Juno, Randal and Steven were sitting slack jawed as Amber stood between them trying to keep the wolves from getting any closer to the buck as she held a paw on his chest. The pin striped rabbit just sat there dead faced as Milo kept his eyes off the situation.

"Look, whether you believe it or not it doesn't change the fact that Judy and Addie are still out there with Nick and they are still being chased by a savage mammal alright? If that guy called those other mammals we need to work together to get to them first. The rest of it you can sort out later-after everyone is safe again. Right now everybody just needs to get some sleep and cool down."

Wolford looked down at Amber as Snarlov kept an irate growl going as he looked Jack over shaking his head. "Fine, but this isn't over yet."

Jack tipped his head before Wolford and Snarlov stormed into the tent leaving the rabbits alone with Milo. "Are you serious?" Juno asked as Randal and Steven set their ears on the two ZIA agents. Jack just nodded with the same solemn face before he got up and made himself comfortable under a tree with a sleeping bag Milo had brought for him. Amber sat back beside them as she sighed. "Leave it alone, we don't need to get involved in that, we just need to get our brother and sister back." Randal and Steven looked to Juno who simply agreed before they all found somewhere comfortable to sleep.

The next morning after eating a quick breakfast, packing up the supplies and tent and cleaning up the site they left again following the same trail. An hour later both wolves were going in circles, not due to the path they were following, but due to something they had both noticed and couldn't make sense of. "What is it?" Jack asked and received no answer other than dirty looks." Jack rolled his eyes and motioned to Amber, the tan doe stepping between them with her paws on her hips stopping them in their tracks as her foot thumped the ground.

"I'm not old enough to be your mother, so don't make me sound like one by telling you both to act your age! We have to work together whether you like it or not, whether you like him or not, whether you believe what he said or not. I'm not going to be a go between for the silent treatment! Talk to him!" Wolford and Snarlov both yelped as she snatched a chunk of the fur on their chests pulling them to her level. "Talk to him- that is my family out there!" Juno, Randal and Steven were silently snickering as both wolves stood back up rubbing their chest before she stomped off.

"Damn, I think all the Hopps does are like that," Snarlov said as he cringed still rubbing the spot she had yanked the fur on his chest.

"I HEARD THAT!"

Wolford sighed as he turned to Jack. "It's the sheep," Jack gave him an expectant look as him and Snarlov exchanged a glance. "He's not a camper or someone out in the woods doing whatever they do out here. He's following them."

"Following them?"

"Yeah," Snarlov tilted his head. "His tracks are staying along the path. That's not all. He's also wearing the same kind of scent neutralizer we found where we lost the trail on the fox, or he's been around someone who was using it a lot."

Amber and her brothers lifted their ears looking back and forth between them as Jack groaned and leaned into his stick rubbing his temple. "Well bite me in the ass, that's just grand…"

Doug was not a happy camper. Spending the night in the woods was about the worst kind of hell he could have imagined and waking up finding cockle burs and spurs stuck in all his wool didn't help. It had taken him hours to pick them all out as he kept walking the trail, frustration mounting regarding how far the fox could have gotten because he should have caught up to them by now and there was still no sign of them. He was sure when he got back to Zootopia he was going to ring his brothers scrawny neck if Dawn hadn't already killed him. At this point he thought that might be a real possibility if she found out how long he had taken to get back into town and hadn't got anything done yet. "I just gotta find that fox or she'll end up with me in her sights too…"

Nick woke up trembling and disoriented. His body felt different and head ached worse than it had. Opening his eyes was a slow process that had him squinting and grunting before he managed to pull himself off the ground. He had never felt this way before. Tired, exhausted and weak with limbs that felt like they weighed too much and were hard to move. Everything else was going to have to wait. The only reason he could feel this bad was the one thing he knew he needed more than anything else as he scented the air and caught the smell of running water. After staggering for what felt like forever he finally found the stream he had been searching for, diving into it as he lapped up the water and let it pull away the aches from his body. He shook himself as he sat back up, noticing his fur was the way it had always been and the sight of the odd colors he had noticed earlier were gone.

The silver sheen that had been on his tail was gone, his claws had flattened back out and the water had rinsed away any lingering scent he had on him from wrestling with the cat and sweating. He laid back letting it keep cooling the aches before almost rolling his eyes and standing, knowing he had to get back to work so he could get back to Carrots and the little buck he had left with her. After jumping around several boulders set in the stream he was grinning as he spotted a little dip where several large catfish were dug into the sand. It was the perfect time of year to catch them as he plunged in and waited for them to attack his paws. After twenty minutes he had several large fish he was struggling to wrestle back over the stream before he made his way back to the cat he had left. She was still sleeping so he tossed one of the fish in before sitting and gutting the ones he had burying the waste before he ate them raw. He still wasn't entirely sure what all had happened. He remembered it, he just didn't understand it. At the moment he didn't care. He had a full belly, was cooled by the water and warm under the sun shining through the trees as he took another glance at the cat and left her returning to the path that led back to Carrots and her little brother….

Darkness, warmth a musty smell and a chill. Judy woke with her nose twitching at the scent. She hissed and tried to clutch her leg before turning her head as Addie curled around her neck again. She would have been panicked if she weren't in so much pain she could barley move. She didn't know where she was, how she had gotten there or why her little brother was with her in what appeared to be a dark tunnel. The pack on her back had been torn open at the top and she barely managed to get a bottle of water before struggling to get it open. Addie sat up blinking as she tried to hold it for a drink and dropped it. The small buck picked it up helping her before she caught her breath coughing and trying to see where they were again. Addie didn't seem concerned but the only thing she could see was the light coming from the top of whatever they were in. A tree? She fought to keep her eyes open as Addie curled into her neck again and feebly wrapped an arm around him. The aching through all her muscles and shivering set off alarms when she pulled back the memory of what had happened before Nick had jumped in front of her.

I got scratched by a big cat. Please don't let me die here with Addie alone in thi- Judy lifted heavy lids as she heard something crawling and scratching at the tree. A dark figure appeared in the opening and she whimpered as it descended until she caught the sight of orange fur. She tried to scoot away from Nick as he tilted his head and let his eyes go wide. She was sweating and shivering and afraid. Nick looked her over and Addie jumped at him again, the doe whining as she reached for her little brother, not sure what she thought about the fox after what she had seen him do. Nick sat Addie down ushering him back to Judy as he took hold of her leg. He ripped the jeans up to her knee and Addie was holding one of her ears as him and Nick kept making noises at each other. Judy cringed as Nick leaned closer sniffing her leg and pulled Addie closer as Nick licked her leg. Don't eat me! Not in front of….

The doe had tried to pull away from him and he yanked her leg back with a look of annoyance she read easily enough as he curled his lip over one tooth…. (QUIT IT!). Judy and Nick were both a little baffled by what happened next. Judy stopped squirming and went limp after he licked the wound the second time. Pain fled and she was overcome with a warm sensation as every muscle relaxed and her eyes grew heavy as Addie curled around her neck again. Nick lifted a brow as she giggled several times before she was old cold. The fox looked up frowning as a boom of thunder shot through the air, huffing as he picked her up throwing her over his shoulder before he latched onto Addie by the scruff of the neck. He had to get her somewhere she was going to be warm and where he could keep an eye on the cat. That only left one option as he crawled out of the tree trying to manage her, the bag and a small kit in his mouth.

After getting out of the tree Nick sat the little bunny down and wrapped his tail around him carrying the giggling boy back to where he had left the cat and he started digging. The fox was annoyed on more than one occasion as Addie kept trying to look over the edge of the little ravine where the cougar was now swishing her tail around licking her paws. He ended up just keeping the child lifted from the ground wrapped in his tail as Judy kept opening her eyes furrowing her brow watching him. How can he dig like that? Rabbits can't even dig like that? Why is he digging? When she tried to sit up to get a better look he had disappeared under the earth and was still throwing dirt out when she heard sheriff Catmull growling and managed to move herself over to see down to where she was. "Stacy?" Judy cringed when she saw the fish that had been nearly devoured but was shaking her head watching her friend.

There were silver strands of something stuck in her fur at different places that looked like needles and the cat wasn't acting normally for herself or a savage mammal. She was just- there, laying on the ground with her tail swishing back and forth as she licked her paw and ran it over her face like she was giving herself a bath. "Stacy?" she asked again with teary eyes as the cat looked up at her. The feline stood up coming over to where Judy was as her lips trembled and the cat actually tried to lean up on the bank looking back at her curiously. Judy reached for her losing her grip and started slipping only to be caught by the back of her shirt by a chittering and aggravated fox who lifted her off the ground. She's crying. Stacy is crying. "Nick stop! Put me back down… I-" the sight of Addie wrapped in his tail had her stall along with the heat of pain racing through her leg and up her thigh. Another sense of panic set in as the fox started dragging her into a hole in the ground while she continued to wrestle with him. I don't want to be buried alive!

Addie crawled around her neck after Nick had drug her in and she clutched her brother as she watched him cover the entrance with a large piece of fallen timber or bark, making any escape impossible for her or her brother. "Jack –Jack." Addie purred as Judy tried to see into any of the darkness. Did Addie meet Jack? He was in the kitchen with all of us .Nick is waiting for Jack? This is a borough- a den? Judy was sniffling as Addie curled around her and squeaked when she felt Nick lift her and curl around behind her in a way that left him licking her leg again. The same comfortable warmth settled into her skin and she fought not to giggle again from the sensation, resting her head into Nicks neck as he ran his muzzle over the top of her head rumbling. She found herself falling into his fur and another kind of warmth as he wrapped around her and Addie in a tight ball of fluff as his tail covered their heads in the darkness.