Ah… the shower. One of the rare places of peace and tranquility in the Walker-Hopps household. A place where you can be alone (sometimes) and simply think. That's what Li-Han Walker was enjoying: five minutes of peace and tranq- "Hurry up! We're gonna be late!" Startled, Li jumps and slips in the tub. After a not-so-graceful leap in the air, he ends up face first on the tiled floor. "Li? Are you okay honey?" The unsure voice of Amalia breaks the silence from the other side of the door. "I think. Just let me check if I haven't lost a tooth… Nope, they're all here. Yay!" Li gets up and takes a towel which he promptly ties around his waist. "Okay… but still! Hurry or we're gonna be late!" He unlocks the door. "Okay, okay. I'm coming out." Li opens the door and finds himself in front of a very stressed bunny. She nibbles on one of her claws and her foot taps in a blur. He places a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't worry, we still have plenty of time, just let me get dressed and I'll be down in a sec, okay?" Amalia sighs and relaxes. "Okay." Li gives her a small smile and goes up the stairs.

Half an hour later, they both arrive to Savannah Central Park, where the festival is held. As they walk towards their meeting point, Li is reading the program. "Tonight's the new hopes category. Explains why I have never heard the name of even one of these guys. Let's see… Alex Boyé? Rilès? Fallen Soldiers? Wonder who they are…" "Less rambling and more walking Li, we're almost here." Amalia scans the crowd in search of Judy and Nick. When she does find them, she runs toward the pair. "Amy! Wait up- and she's gone again…" Li sighs and runs towards his bunny, secretly cursing whoever gave them such a hyperactive habit.

Five minutes later, our little group is walking towards the scene all the while chatting and laughing. When they arrive in the front of the stage, all the lights go out. "GOOD EVENING ZOOTOPIA!" Suddenly, all the projectors are set ablaze and reveal two of Zootopia's most famous singers: Gazelle and Canine West. "How are you all doing tonight?" The crowd cheers. "Awesome! Tonight we are going to introduce singers that come from all over the world. Artists, young and old, who have worked their tails off for this night. Are you ready to hear them?" The crowd cheers even more. "In this case, let me present you the first of tonight's acts. He comes to us from France with a mastery of the rhymes that rivals the greatest. He's dynamic, he's ready and his name is Rilès! Give him a warm welcome!" At these words, Gazelle and Canine exit the stage and a fennec fox comes out with a mic in his hand. "Wow, thank you for having me here Zootopia. The song I'm gonna sing is for the ones who thought I couldn't make it. This is Brothers." The music starts over the speakers, Rilès takes a deep breath and starts singing.

I came in this game like a motherfuckin' rat

Like I was starving for things I never thought I could have

I gave you all I got!

Now you talk behind my back?

I ain't a time-philanthropist anymore

What ?

He shrugs as if not understanding what he just said. Behind him, backup dancers enter the stage.

You came to me like a little child

I brought you up, fed you and gave you all of my time

I taught you all I learned, lended you what I earned

Without me nah you ain't even a piece of shit, you turd

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand I'm no longer

Numb and my time ain't free

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand "fuck your eager"

Yeah you been too greedy

You don't know shit about how to start the game

Not the same level, struggle, sacrifices, pain

Ayo! Ain't no questioning about who is the best

You better not test

I am Gatsby, you're the guest. YES

He dances alongside the song, rhythmic movements reminiscing of the capoeira.

Wanna snatch my dreams

Imma be your worst nightmare, yeah

Don't play with fire

Holy water's in my hands

And I don't care if you do, you don't

Distinguish what I'm saying

Many meanings in my texts but I swear this shit no fiction

I wrote these lines cuz it releaved a big part of my pain

It will never be the same, ni**a I will still be yelling!

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand I'm no longer

Numb and my time ain't free

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand "fuck your eager"

Yeah you been too greedy

BROTHERS

ENEMIES

NO LONGER

BELIEVE

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand I'm no longer

Numb and my time ain't free

Yesterday we were brothers

Oh now we're enemies!

Understand "fuck your eager"

Yeah you been too greedy

Yyyéé!

He puts the mic away as if it was on fire. The crowd remains silent for a moment and then breaks into crazed cheers. Li has Amalia on his shoulders and they're both jumping up and down. "THANK YOU ZOOTOPIA AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!" With this said, Rilès goes backstage under the crowd's cheers. Gazelle gets on the scene. "Thank you Rilès for giving us this magnificent first act. The second one you're about to discovers is filled with a spirit coming directly from Africa. Where he comes from, he is called the Gentle Giant: Alex Boyé Ladies and Gentlemammals!" She exits agin the stage as a massive Lion enters the scene. He is accompanied by a chorus of different animals: gnus, gazelles, cheetahs and other savannah animals. "Thank you Zootopia for having us here. The song we're about to sing is one of prayer and of thought… this is Baba Yetu, our father." They all get in choir formation and slowly start singing.

Baba yetu, yetu uliye

Mbinguni yetu, yetu amina!

Baba yetu yetu uliye

M jina lako e litukuzwe.

Utupe leo chakula chetu

Tunachohitaji, utusamehe

Makosa yetu, hey!

Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe

Waliotukosea usitutie

Katika majaribu, lakini

Utuokoe, na yule, muovu e milele!

Ufalme wako ufike utakalo

Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni.

(Amina)

When the last note is sung, the public is again silent. Then, one person starts clapping. He is alone for a time but soon, every member of the crowd joins him and they all start cheering together. Alex bows and goes again backstage. Canine gets on scene. "Wow. Just, wow. I think we can thank Alex for this magnificent performance that, I hope, shakes us to the bottom of our hearts. Now, for the third and last act of tonight's performance, we have a special kind of group. These guy aren't youngsters like Rilès or giants like Alex, but they are filled with a fire that will set Zootopia ablaze. However, they would like to say a few words before starting." While Canine talked, three people have entered the stage and placed themselves beside him. The first one is a white and grey wolf in a red checkered shirt and a black open waistcoat. The second one is a female rabbit sitting in a wheelchair. The fur on the top of her head is dyed blue. She wears a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top with an image of a helmet on top of a rifle planted into the earth with the words "Fallen Soldiers" written. The last one is a stag wearing tactical trousers, combat boots and a black and red t-shirt with red sleeve tattoos.

The wolf takes the mic and starts speaking. "Good evening Zootopia. As you might have guessed from the gigantic sign behind us, our name is Fallen Soldiers. Now, what I'm gonna tell you tonight isn't some kind of sob story. What I'm gonna tell you is the truth. We all are veterans, the three of us. I fought during the Viêt-Paw war and was wounded. A grenade blast on my back." He passes the mic to the rabbit. "I was discharged about three years ago. It was during my second tour in Irak, I was patrolling on the city's perimeter when I was targeted by an enemy sniper. Thankfully, I lived, but he got my legs." She then passes the mic to the stag. "I too am I veteran from Viêt-Paw. I was a medic, however, when the conflict ended, I decided that I couldn't come back to the hospital field. So I met Alex and Lina, and this band happened." While the band members were speaking, Li was in a state of total shock. "Li? Are you okay?" He shakes his head. "That guy, the wolf, I know him… We were friends during the conflict… I thought he was dead…" Amalia takes his paw. "Do you think you'll be able to speak to him?" He squeezes her paw. "We'll have to see after the concert." As they were speaking, the band members had each gotten to their respective places: Lina behind the drums, Alex strapped a guitar on his front and went towards the mic and Richard, the stag, strapped a bass guitar. They each waited for Lina's signal. She put her drumsticks in the air.

"One,"

"Two,"

"One, two, three, four"

Don't change a goddamn thing, hold your head up high

When the hard times come, we have the strength to defy

Believe in yourself, let the arrow leave the bow

Honor is among us, honor is all we know

They bang their heads at the song's rhythm, seemingly in a trance. Richard takes a breath and sings the next couplet.

The night has come and we no longer see

Better days around the corner, for you and me

Receive the horizon dawn's golden glow

Honor is among us, honor is all we know

Lina's arms are but a blur from the speed of her movements. The same goes for Richard and Alex's hands. They go faster and faster.

It takes courage to make it in this land

So don't forget, but forgive every man

And prosperity's river, it will forever flow

Honor is among us, honor is all we know

Honor is among us, honor is all we know

As the last note rings into the air, the crowd goes bonkers with cheers. The three onstage let out a collective sigh and Alex takes the mic one more time. "THANK YOU ZOOTOPIA AND GOOD NIGHT!" With that said, they all head backstage.

About ten minutes later, most people have gone home. However, Li, Amalia, Nick and Judy are still here, waiting for the artists to exit. "Are you sure that they'll let us in?" Li shuffles on his feet. "Well, I don't think that they'll let us IN, but I hope that we'll be able to catch Alex." He sees a security guard going inside the artist's lodge. "Excuse me?" He turns. "Could you please tell Alex from Fallen Soldiers that a buddy from Beijing is here to see him? He'll understand." The guard, a leopard, shrugs and nods before entering. A few minutes later, they hear hurried footsteps before Alex opens the door and runs to Li. He takes him by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes. "How did we use to call the medic's chopper? The one who came to bring us back to HQ." Li, taken aback by the sudden question, thinks for a bit before his face lits up. "We used to call her Angela, like the nurse back in Fort Jackson." Alex's serious expression disappears and he brings Li in for a hug. "God man, I thought you had gone off the grid after what happened on TV!" They separate and Li shuffles nervously on his feet. "Well, I kinda did. I traveled to China and stayed there for about seven years. But what about you? Last I knew, we were getting ambushed in the middle of the Viêt-Paw jungle and you looked very… not alive." Alex's gaze hardens and he scratches the back of his shoulder. "I came close to it. Thankfully, the gooks who ambushed us thought I was dead and left me here. After about ten minutes, a ZA patrol arrived to the site and found me, they brought me back to base camp and from here a chopper transported what was left of me to a hospital where I was treated. The doctors told me that I was very lucky, if the shrapnels had come a half inch to the right or left, I would never have walked again."

Nick, sensing the uneasiness growing, speaks up. "Well, from the way you were banging your head onstage, I was afraid that you'll end with brain damage!" The four other mammals present give him a blank look. Judy face palms. "Nick, for Pete's sake! This is NOT the moment for you to open your maw!" Alex looks intently at Nick. "Wait a minute… I know you. You're officer Wilde." He looks at Judy. "And you're officer Hopps." The two concerned look at each other and back at Alex. "Yes?" "No, it's just, I didn't know that you guys were into punk rock." "Oh, well, hum… Try everything, right?" Silence permeates the air. "Well, I got an idea, how about we go out tonight, I know a place not too far away" Lina and Alex shake their heads. "Sorry guys, we're beat. We've been rehearsing non-stop for weeks now and I really, really, really want a good night's sleep." Alex shrugs. "Okay, see you guys later!" Richard pushes Lina's wheelchair towards a van with the group's insignia on it. Alex shakes his head and chuckles. "Those two…" He turns to Li. "How about that drink?"

Minutes later, the five of them are seated in a booth inside the Rocketman, a bar in Savannah Central. They all joked and shared anecdotes like they had always been friend and Li, for the first time in months, seemed to have forgotten about the darkness plaguing his dreams. He laughed and drank like he hadn't done so in years.

A figure in the back of the room was watching them. A tiger, dressed in a suit with overcoat and a fedora covering his eyes. A waitress gave him a glass of whiskey and left. He took his glass and raised it towards Li's table. As he did so, his fedora raised slightly to uncover a pair of golden eyes. "And so the Vigilante lives again… surrounded by friends and family." He takes a sip from his drink, his eyes are more somber. "For he will need them more now than ever"

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"For he will need them when the darkness comes."

Okay, so how are we gonna do that? You talk? I talk? I talk? Good.

I know that I said that I would try to update more often, but the tool I used to write (an IPad) had been taken from me during the summer and when I got it back, all the work I had previously done had been wiped out. Completely.

So I was a bit discouraged and then school started and stuff piled up.

Thankfully, the previous work in this chapter was on my phone, so I was able to finish it up and post at approximately 01:38 London time (that's now).

So, I will be perfectly honest. I don't know how often I'm going to update this story.

I WILL try and write as often as possible but I also have a side project which needs attention and a sh*tton of schoolwork coming right my way.

So, until next time, take care and please don't hurt me...

Peace,

Dragon