EDITED BY: DrummerMax64

Chapter Fourteen - Perspective

Edward frowned. He didn't want to leave the farm. If it weren't for his story, he'd be happy sitting down with his family for dinner. Unfortunately, after obtaining further information from the interviews around the town, Edward felt it vital to make his way back to Zootopia and relay the information to Charles and Anders. It was Thursday, May 26th. If they successfully met their deadline before Saturday and as long as his math was correct, by six o'clock they had a grand total of thirty hours to create a hit-story.

As it stood, this hypothesis—that Nighthowlers, otherwise known officially as Midnicampum Holicithias, were the source of savage predators in Zootopia—had proven to be plausible. Furthermore, one of his many questions lingered: How were predators getting their paws on such a vicious plant?

During the interviews, Edward came up with a few theories.

The first was that these mammals had unknowingly stumbled upon these plants and suffered the effects soon after making contact with them. It didn't take more than two seconds for him realize how ludicrous his deduction was. Emmitt Otterton turned when he was in the backseat of a moving vehicle, a limo owned by Mr. Big himself. How would Emmitt have had access to the plant at that point?

His second and third guesses had consisted of mammals either not being privy to how dangerous Nighthowlers were and giving the flower to the afflicted predators or willingly handling the Nighthowlers themselves. Again, he considered the kind and caring nature of Mr. Otterton, which he knew thanks to the information provided by Lucile Otterton at their interview and the professions of the other predators. According to that list, a little less than half of the twenty-four mammals listed on Anders' email were florists, a quarter of them were reporters, and the rest were considered to be random. Every florist and botanist in the city stocking Midnicampum Holicithias knew what the flower was. This theory was a crapshoot at best. His third theory was in the realm of plausibility, which was that 'mammals make mistakes.' Then again, there was one major hole in that logic.

When he interviewed Alabaster and Stewart Hopps, they explained that one of their family members, Uncle Terry and Gary Snow specifically, had managed to eat a Nighthowler whole. In each case, both had begun convulsing where they stood and were acting erratically, almost like their bodies were seizing, before finally turning aggressive and reverting back to their primal ways. Gary and Terry were immediately rushed to the hospital, where they spent a few hours getting the effects of the flower out of their system.

He had two sources stating how long the Nighthowlers effects lasted. Not only that, if Nighthowlers were indeed the cause, he had proof that savagery wasn't as one-sided as everyone in the city presumed. Prey was just as capable of turning savage.

So how was it that mammals like Emmitt were still affected? Why were so many florists and reporters among those who turned? Why predators? How were they getting their paws on Midnicampum Holicithias?

Edward thought it over while he paced silently around his old bedroom, just like he would when he was younger. The movement helped him think, especially when it came to big projects for school—work felt no different.

Minutes seemed to pass him by with each and every step he took. He considered everything he'd accumulated up to this point, the evidence, the interviews, all of the research he'd done. Then, something else came into focus. His eyes grew wide. His fourth theory.

Someone… he thought, slower and more carefully than a sloth, then came to his conclusion. Someone is intentionally using Nighthowlers to… to target predators and turn them savage.

A breath caught in his throat. A paw covered his mouth.

"Oh god," came his painful whisper.

He couldn't stop shaking. Forget about his anxiety, it was complete fear that had taken over. What would become of him if he pursued this further? Reporters were among the targeted on Anders' list. His only guess now was that they had gotten too close to the truth, and as a result, they were punished for their insolence. How convenient that he had no choice but to continue on for the sake of his job.

Should he bring Charles and Anders into this? Anders could get off scot-free, his job wasn't on the line. Charles and Edward, on the other hand, were the ones at stake. Perhaps he and Charles could go it alone? If they could back up his new hypothesis with more evidence, their findings could not only prove useful to the ZPD, but to Zootopia's citizens as well. They could save countless lives. Prey and predator alike.

"...No," Edward concluded aloud.

They wouldn't get anywhere without Anders' technical skills. They needed him. Furthermore, Charles and Anders would have to be brought into the loop. No matter the risks, Edward needed them. They had to know what lay ahead of them, know the gravity of the situation.

Edward shut his bedroom door and sat down on his bed. Even if his door was half open, the last thing he wanted was for anyone to pick up on the conversation. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and stared blankly at the unlit screen for a moment, then quickly made his call. It abrasively rang in his ear while he waited until Charles finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Charles."

"Edward! How's the trip to the Burrows treating you?"

"Great, actually. It turns out that Dad is trying to be a lot nicer now, so that's a plus."

"That's fantastic to hear."

"Yeah," Edward mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's definitely a big change."

"I bet it is. So, what's up? Find any new information about our lead?"

"Y-yes. I was hoping that I could talk to you and Anders about it later tonight. Could you bring him over to your place after he gets off of work? I'm taking the next train out at six. We need to talk this over right away."

"Is it that urgent?

"Yes," Edward quickly affirmed. A tear welled up in his eye. "I'm scared, Charlie. Something isn't right about this."

"Just calm down, Ed. It's okay. I'll get Anders over here right away and we can talk about this when you get back, okay?"

The wolf finally released the pent-up breath in his lungs and wiped his eyes. He was still shaking. "Okay."

"I'll get Anders over here. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

Edward immediately went to work packing up what little he had into his knapsack, then contacted Sami with the business card he left for the wolf earlier that morning. Despite Edward's nervousness, Sami happily agreed to drive, no questions asked.

Once he was ready and packed, Edward headed downstairs where he was met with two smiling pups in the living room. Mary was reading a children's book, while Theodor happily watched cartoons on the TV. Edward could hear the water running and dishes clattering in the kitchen, assuming it to be Lavender. Sitting in the dining room, Alabaster silently read the newspaper in his paws like the stereotypical grandfather he was, glasses and all. The paper was the Bunnyburrow Beacon, which highlighted some of the happenings around town, including the upcoming 121st annual Carrot Days Festival.

But that wasn't enough to distract him from his son who had just waltzed into the room. He tilted the newspaper to greet him with a half smile.

"Hello, kiddo."

"H-hey, dad."

"Why the… long face…" His smile faded, eyes catching the strap around Edward's shoulder. "You're leaving?" He stood up from his seat.

The dishes stopped clattering.

"Yeah…" Edward sighed. He pushed his fear away to put on his best take at stoic expression. "I've got to report to my co-workers who are helping me with the story. They need the info that I have. Trust me, it's not by choice. I wish I could stay longer."

"Why not stay? Can't you… page them or whatever?"

"I could email them," Edward correctively shrugged, "but my deadline is tomorrow. My job is kind of riding on this story, and I'd rather not risk any of the details slipping through the cracks by mammals getting nosy at the office. I have to go."

Alabaster stood there for a moment in silence, his blank expression unreadable. He then smiled and put a paw on Edward's shoulder.

"I guess it can't be helped." Both father and son perked their ears at the sound of a car, which prompted them to move to the foyer. The clattering of dishes continued once again while the eldest wolf announced to the pups of Edward's departure.

"Come say goodbye to your uncle, you two."

Both of them made sure to voice their disappointment as they trudged slowly over to the front door. Edward crouched down to their level. Mary went first.

"Do you have to go?"

"I've got some work I need to do." She began to tear up and let out a sniffle, prompting Edward to try and backpedal as best he could. "Don't worry, Mary. I'll be gone only for a little bit." Seeing that his words were ineffective as her tears soaked into his purple flannel shirt, he came up with something that even he needed—a glimmer of hope. "Tell you what, I'll even bring Auntie Sharla with me next time. I know she would like to see you again."

"R-really?" She pulled away, looking at him while she wiped away a tear from her fur.

"Really."

"Promise?" Theodor whimpered. He was on the verge of tears, obviously trying his best to suppress them.

Edward put on the brightest grin he could. The last thing he wanted was to upset his niece and nephew. It was as his father said, this was a crucial time in their lives. Making a good impression on them was paramount. He only wished he could do more.

Edward brought both pups close, hugging them tightly, putting all of his emotional weight into the embrace. "I promise."

Satisfied, both Mary and Theodor slowly broke the hug, Edward ruffling the tops of their heads before standing back up.

Edward motioned towards the door to meet his father. The elder wolf wore a solemn smile on his muzzle, his paw outstretched and prepared for a pawshake. "It was nice seeing you again, son."

The silver wolf stared at his father's paw for a moment, then back at him. Edward smiled, ignoring the paw, and wrapped his arms around his father's torso. Needless to say, Alabaster was shocked at the gesture, but once Alabaster settled into the hug and finally wrapped his arms around his son, Edward could tell that he appreciated it.

"It was nice seeing you too, Dad." Edward smiled.

They broke from their hug, Alabaster making no attempt to hide his glossy eyes from view, which warmed Edward's heart. It all but confirmed that the hateful dictator he'd known since childhood had vanished without a trace. Alabaster was quite emotional in fact, just like Edward.

Edward quickly made his way out the door where he was greeted by Sami Hopps. He was leaning coolly against the side of his car with his head down, invested into whatever he was doing on his phone. This didn't last long, however, because by the time Mary, Theodor, and Alabaster followed Edward outside and stood on the porch, the rabbit had his head held high with a blank expression under his aviator sunglasses.

The elder wolf swooned over the rabbit's vehicle with a whistle while Edward tossed his bag in the back seat.

"Sami, was it? Nice car," Alabaster grinned. "Let me guess, Herd Edge?"

Edward rolled his eyes. His father was a car junkie. When Edward was younger, all he did was hang out with his mother or invest his time into either a good book or his homework. Though, it didn't stop Alabaster from showing his son the car once or twice when Gary was too busy with other tasks around the farm. His father's truck had originally been sitting in the back shed for years, being neglected and underused while the family van got all the attention, and Edward knew because their truck hadn't moved from its spot since the eighth grade. Even their old tractor that they used only a pawful of times a season was used more than the truck. But, Edward assumed that in the time he was away, Alabaster had fixed it up. It was how Edward got to his interviews earlier, after all.

"What else would I be driving?" Sami slyly chortled. "Their cars are the best."

"Damn right." Alabaster pointed to the minivan parked alongside the field across from the house. "I've got a Wildstar over there. My… my wife insisted that we get a van for our kids when they were still small. Use it for my daughter's grand-pups now. My real pride and joy is in the back. H-150, circa 1986.

It was Sami's turn to whistle. "Now that's a beauty. Although, if I'm right, that year's model was a bit of a gas guzzler."

"It was. You really seem to know your cars, youngster."

Sami moved towards the driver's side door. "I'm twenty-five, sir. I wouldn't call myself young per se. I was one of the first litters of my family, but, compared to someone like you or my dad, I wouldn't call myself old either. Although, speaking of old, I'm more of a 50's guy for the H-150 line myself."

"Now that's taste."

"So I've been told," Sami grinned, taking off his sunglasses, stuffing them into the neck of his shirt before stepping out from his side of the car and to the elder wolf. "If you ever need any help with your truck, I recommend taking it to BB Automotive. I might even be able to give you a few discounts since I'm one of the managers there. And if you can't make it to the store," he pulled out a business card from his wallet, then handed it to Alabaster, "just give me a call and I'll be over in a flash."

Alabaster looked at the card, then gave a grin to the rabbit, "Thank you, Sami."

"Not a problem, Mr. Snow."

Alabaster turned his head away from the rabbit, who had quickly made his way back to the driver's side door. He looked at Edward and waved. "Take care, son. Don't hesitate on stopping by again. Our door will be open."

"Bye, Uncle Eddy!" yelped Mary, who seemed to be in better spirits.

"Bye!" Theodor yelled.

Edward waved back. "I'll be back before you know it, guys."

Both rabbit and wolf piled into the car and hastily took off to Bunnyburrow Train Station. As the vehicle pulled out of the driveway and down the road, Edward glanced behind through the rear window to see his old home and family members begin to shrink from view. Before today, Edward would have considered it strange to leave the house while wishing he had more time to visit. Now he was on the brink of tears.

Edward saw the taller figure on the porch shoo the young pups inside the house and noticed one of the curtains flutter in the first story near where the kitchen was. Had Lavender been watching them the entire time?

Unable to come up with a solid answer, Edward resigned himself with a sigh, deciding that it would be best to stop staring out the back window like a pup and sit properly. It wasn't his car after all.

A handful of minutes passed in silence while Edward tried taking in the sights of the countryside. He was trying his best not to think too much about getting back to the city and what was to come after he arrived.

"So that was your father?" Sami asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes."

"Seems a lot friendlier then I imagined him to be."

The wolf tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Sami shrugged, "you were super nervous about meeting your family when I picked you up. From what I know about wolf families, I heard that they're pretty anal about pack mentality. So when you said you were the runt of the litter, I figured that your family had pretty much ousted you."

"More or less," the wolf shrugged.

It was Sami's turn to be confused, Edward noticing the rabbit raise a brow and tilt his head through the rear-view mirror. He didn't want to explain… again. It felt redundant. But, then again, it might take his mind off of the story. Even if it was for just a moment.

"To put it simply... a pack is the culmination of a group or a family of mammals. Normally, a pack is made up of wolves, but there are many exceptions that vary from one pack to another. Each is led by an alpha male and an alpha female who are both in charge of the general safety of their packmates and the group's survival. The beta in a pack is essentially the second in command and takes the lead role if anything were to happen to the alpha. Lastly, there's the omega. The omega is the lowest rank one could be given in the pack. They are the least cared for, the most bullied, and used to ease tensions among the rest of the wolves. Eventually, if it becomes too much, the omega could up and leave the pack on its own.

"I was the last born of my litter. Compared to my brother Gary and my sister Lavender, I was the weakest in terms of physical strength and raw aptitude, and it seemed that Mother Nature didn't want to stop there. Because of a genetic condition, I couldn't… or rather can't howl, and my stunted growth makes it so I'm about five or six inches shorter than my brother and sister."

"I'm sorry," Sami spoke apologetically.

"It's alright, Sam. There's nothing that can be done about it. It's just the way I am," Edward shrugged. "Although it makes our gatherings for lunar and solar eclipses kind of awkward. At least I get to appreciate the beauty of the moon a lot better."

"Did it impact your speech at all? The howling, I mean."

"For the most part, no, but making that hard 'o-oo—" Edward began cracking up at his stuttering. "Obviously it's still there, but I just don't think about it as much. Not as much as I used to anyways… But, believe me, it was worse when I was a pup."

"Was… living as both the runt and the omega hard in your family?"

"Well... yes," Edward sighed heavy. "Because of my conditions, I was belittled at home by my brother and my father, both for slightly different reasons. While my brother targeted my insecurities, my father sought to further exclude me by telling me how weak I was, and how disappointed in me he'd become. School only became worse when Gary told the bullies about my whole howling defect, then even more hell came when I started dating in high school."

"What the fuck…" Sami spoke under his breath in disbelief. "Was your entire family against you?"

"No, actually," the corners of Edward's mouth raised. "My Aunt Veranda helped me through some of it. My mom, however… She was what got me through. She was my hero."

"Was?"

Edward scratched the back of his neck, a frown taking the place of his smile. The silence cut the air between them like a knife through butter. With a mouthed 'oh,' the rabbit quickly understood.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, she lived a wonderful life." Edward tried his best to force a convincing smile. "She pushed me to follow my heart and what I wanted. That's how I met my wife... Sharla, and landed the job that I have—"

"Wait," Sami interrupted, "you mean, Sharla? You don't mean Sharla Mcdewgell, do you?"

"The very one."

"Wow. She used to hang out with Judy at our place when they were kids. She doing well?"

"Yeah. She's working at MASA right now as an engineer. She gets to build and draw up rockets all day."

The rabbit happily huffed. "Time really does fly."

"Yeah," Edward repeated low, trying to take in the sights once more while his mind replayed old memories. He could just catch the beginnings of town when Sami brought him back to their conversation.

"So your mom really was an inspiration, wasn't she?"

"She was," Edward nodded. "It was like she could do everything. She was kind, courteous, and one of the strongest mammals I've ever met. Not the physical kind, but mentally, she could tackle anything. She was even offered a job by Chef Gordon Ramsay."

"No shit?"

"She did."

"What happened?"

"She chose us," Edward explained. "Taking the job meant that she would have to move all the way to Paris, which meant that my brother, my sister, and I had to go with them. We were very young at the time, and she wasn't keen on letting my father's dream of running a farm fall to ruin, so she gave the job up. From what I've been told, Ramsay respected her decision."

"She cared for your father? After everything he put you through?"

"They were soulmates… eh, his words, not mine. Before we were born, they did everything together. She helped him buy the farm. She helped him kickstart his dream. She helped him get through the death of his father, my grandfather. When she passed, he—like me—just lost it. He took it way worse. While he was doing his best to keep himself afloat, he realized how bad he'd become and decided to make amends with me. He's honestly not that bad once you get to know him."

"What about your sister and your brother?"

My brother… well, he doesn't come around much anymore. Communication with him has been minimal at best. I know my sister is a little better than my brother, but I'm hoping that she'll come around soon."

"At least her kits seem nice."

"That's my mom's magic for you."

"They knew your mother too? When did she pass?"

"Two weeks ago. Her funeral was last Sunday."

Sami looked astonished at Edward's lack of hesitation. "If my mom died I'd be held up in my room for months on end. How the fuck are you so… nonchalant about it?"

The wolf's ears fell to the back of his head. "I'm glad that my acting isn't too bad. Trust me, I know that I'm far from okay. I just… can't cry anymore." Saying those words clearly shook him up, the crack in his voice evident to both occupants in the car. He continued, "I… I want to be strong like her. She wouldn't want me to sit and mope. She would want me to be happy."

"Are… are you doing o—"

"I'm fine, Sam," Edward answered quickly. He didn't even fully register that he had cut Sami off at first and was convinced that the rabbit had pegged him as rude. Edward just didn't want to look weak anymore. He tried to put on a convincing smile as he ended with, "Trust me, you don't have to worry about me."

Without another word, Edward went back to looking out the window of the car, which greeted him with the familiar sights of downtown Bunnyburrow. Edward wasn't sure how much time had passed, and if he were being honest, he didn't care all that much. He appreciated the company of his rabbit driver, having another friend would do him some good, and as long as they were making good time, he didn't want to question it. But, for now, he basked in the calming silence…

"...?!"

The car jerked to the right towards the sidewalk, causing Edward to momentarily fear for his life, their vehicle stopping right in front of a string of shops. It took Edward a moment to find his bearings, his eyes darting around to the windows and the signs. They were close to the central plaza and the market. Though…

"Why'd we stop?" he whispered to himself.

"I've got some things to pick up," Samuel answered matter-of-factly. "You should come with. It should only take a second—don't take that literally, please." The rabbit turned the key inside the ignition and removed it, the entire ring of keys jingling around until they made it inside his back pocket. Edward caught a smug expression on Sami's snout as he continued, "You can stay in the car if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's been quite the scorcher with the summer season right around the corner. Would hate to leave you in a car with an all-black interior."

The brown-furred rabbit put on his sunglasses and opened the door, hopping out of the vehicle with an audible 'thud.' Edward considered staying inside the comfort of the back of the car for a moment, but eventually conceded and followed his Zuber driver with a low head and an averted gaze to the building in front of them. He barely registered the shopkeeper's bell that chimed above him.

It didn't take long for him to eye up the place—more specifically, the cakes and pastries sitting in the display case in front of him. Edward was clearly in a bakery. It had this rustic, modern look to it that rivaled Snarlbucks. It used varying combinations of dark woods along the walls, floors, and furniture that contrasted with the light and colorful foods sitting comfortably on display under the warm lighting scattered sparsely around the room. Off to the far right corner near the entrance to the back of the bakery were tables, booths, and chairs for mammals if they cared to dine in. The entire place felt refreshing, warm, and inviting. If he wasn't in such a rush to get back to the city, Edward would have considered having a cupcake or two.

"Heyo," Sami announced loudly, cupping his paws towards the kitchen door.

"Hey Sami," came a thick accent. "Gimme two seconds 'nd I-I'll be there in a jiffy."

Edward took the time to take another look around, noticing a few more details that he'd missed the first time. Apart from the pictures of Bunnyburrow that hung proudly along the walls, he noticed the sign that proudly displayed the logo of the Hopps' farm, insinuating some sort of partnership. Edward assumed Sami was here to collect something from the owner.

Two seconds later, a body pushed the door to the kitchen open, holding a pair of pies in both paws.

"You got here right on time. Me and Travis were 'bout to close up shop. Just got these pies right off the—"

Edward froze when their gazes finally connected. The baker mimicked the wolf, the corners of his mouth dropping when a look of shocked recollection rushed onto his muzzle.

"Ed?" the fox asked.

"Hey, Gideon."

o o o

"So let me get this straight," the pig across from Edward spoke in between bites of delicious red velvet cake. "These… flowers… are what's causing predators to go savage, and on top of that, someone is willingly and intentionally targeting them in the city?"

Edward nodded, still trying desperately to hide that his body was shaking.

After the visit to the bakery and the train ride back home to Zootopia, the wolf felt his anxiety grow worse and worse. He thought that he'd successfully pushed the story to the back of his mind. How wrong he was. He'd prevented the inevitable, sure, but now that he was physically present, mentally he felt as if he was in shambles. He felt so weak…

So… weak.

"Don't forget about the list," Charles added, setting his now clear plate onto the coffee table. Edward forced his attention back to the conversation. "Florists and reporters are the two most common among affected predators. If what Edward is saying is true, then we've got an even bigger problem on our paws."

"I made the list, Charles. I can't forget that easily." Anders pinched the bridge of his snout, sighed, then crossed his arms. "This… this sounds crazy. No, this is crazy. There's no way that this tiny little flower is the source."

"Anders," Edward firmly spoke, immediately drawing both mammals' attention to him, then sputtered when the confidence drained from his face. "I-I know for a fact Midnicampum Holicithias is the key. I've got two accounts from my sources that classify both a wolf and, get this, a rabbit, becoming adversely affected when they came into contact with the plant. Or rather, the inner shell of its seed."

"W-what?" Anders and Charles gasped.

"Is this real?" Charles questioned, the prey animal beside him choking on some of the cake he was eating before.

"As real as it can be. Two interviews confirmed that a rabbit had attacked another when it had digested the flower whole, and the wolf I described is my brother, done in by the same circumstance."

There was a moment of deafening silence between the three mammals. Edward figured this would happen. He just dropped the biggest bombshell in history. Neither of them spoke for a solid minute, but Charles was the one to go first.

"You guys realize how big this is right?" Silence followed. The tiger continued. "If this whole… Nighthowler plant is the cause, and someone is really behind predators going savage… we just stumbled upon something diabolical. What's worse is that we're putting ourselves in the crosshairs." Silence again. Charles got up and slowly paced around the room. "Think about it. The list you made, Anders, is about a quarter full of reporters and one-half florists. I don't know about you, but with what Ed said, I think that's too much a coincidence. Ed, do you know if the plant is kept within the city? Did you get anything on that?"

"It's usually kept in seed form at some florist shops."

"There's the florist connection. So now all we need to know is why there are so many reporters—"

"I… might have the answer to that one," Anders interrupted. "You guys should know that—" he paused, looking downcast as he revealed what came next, "that Kristy was writing about Nighthowlers before she turned."

"Wait a minute," Edward said. "Kristy? You mean Kristy Blanc?"

Anders nodded. The wolf's ears flattened. "We talked it over today after she was fired and before… she turned. She was investigating the recent robberies in Happytown. Apparently, there were some florists in the area whose shops got broken into and barely anything being done about it. According to Kristy, the Nighthowler seeds were the only items stolen, and that whoever stole them weren't just some common street thugs looking for a quick buck. Even the police who have been investigating for months haven't found any leads."

"So, let's recap," Charles doubled back. "Whoever this is, going around stealing Midnicampum Holicithias from flower stores around the city, is somehow using the plant to turn mammals savage, specifically preds."

Edward and Anders nodded their heads in approval.

"Why would they need to steal if…" Charles's face lit up, snapping at the light bulb going off in his head.

"What if… now, this is off the cuff, so bear with me… if these guys are stealing, maybe they attempted to acquire it legally and failed. Then when they couldn't work some deal out with the florists, the thieves resorted to turning the store owner savage and stealing the goods. Or maybe they're just sealing it outright, who knows? But, then there's the aftermath: reporters swarming in to cover the most current news, who unknowingly stumble upon this information and get overzealous in an attempt to uncover whatever this is. Then they get too close to the answer and get caught."

Although Edward was still frightened by this, he was happy that Charles had come to the same conclusion he had, confirming that the wolf wasn't crazy after all. But, Charles wasn't finished yet.

"At this point, I'd even consider that whoever's doing this has ties that go all the way to the police. You said it yourself, Anders, if several other reporters uncovered this exact story, and the thieves are connected to the cops, who's to say that some evidence got 'lost' in booking?"

"T-that's ludicrous!" Anders stammered. "There's no way the cops could let something as big as this slip through the cracks."

"You and I both know that's bullshit, Andy. We just ran a story about that cop in the Tundratown precinct who assisted a wannabe mobster in trying to dispose of some evidence, which you looked over by the way, so you can't deny that it's a possibility. We've seen enough cop movies to know better. Besides, there's no way these mammals are that good. You're an editor, and you of all mammals should know that we writers are far from perfect. These guys are bound to slip up."

"No, you misunderstand, what I meant is… most of the mammals in the ZPD are predators. How on earth could they in good conscience let this happen? This is straight chemical warfare."

The tiger simply shrugged. "This is just me thinking aloud. The cops could be clean, these robbers could be good, and for all we know, it's just somemammal trying to make some money. We're still animals, Andy. Who's to say that this isn't possible?"

"If… if what you said about the robberies is true, then what about the mammals running stores that are prey? The prey reporters? What about them?"

"Maybe they aren't the curious type? And even if they are—or were—who's to say that they didn't face the wrath of whoever these mammals are? The afflicted predators aren't the only missing mammals out there, you know. There are millions of mammals living in Zootopia, mammals from all walks of life. Even with the other precincts, the ZPD can't possibly keep track of them all.

"The way I see it, it's logical. Plus, it doesn't take that much to put the pieces together. Any farmer, florist, or mammal who's smart enough could see that something's up."

"So now what?" Edward weakly said.

"As cheesy as it sounds, I think we should find out whoever is doing this and bring what we have to the Chief of Police, which will hopefully bring this menace to justice."

"But, they're targeting reporters," Anders challenged. "What makes you think that they won't find out what we're doing and… and—?"

"We play it safe."

"...How?" Edward whimpered.

"We keep it close to the chest. Any information shared between us stays between us. No one else can know."

"What… what about the story?" Edward asked. "Our story? Horn wants something before Saturday. What you're considering could take weeks. We could lose our jobs, Charlie. We could… end up savage ourselves."

Charles looked at the wolf with a heartbreaking stare. The tiger let out a sigh, "I know. I guess… I just want to help. If we really want to bring whoever this is to justice and save the predators in the city, I think we should do something. For me, I don't think there's any other option—we'll have to abandon our story."

Hearing that nearly made the wolf's heart stop.

"I know it's hard to hear that after everything we've been through, but you have to think about the consequences, the bigger picture. It's just like that Gazelle story you wrote. If we take this story right now with everything we have and run it, we'll lose. Sure, we put the limelight on both the problem and the mammal running the whole show, which will allow the cops to get to work on getting Nighthowlers out of the city, but doing so would put ourselves at risk. One story won't stop them from targeting us. All this story would be is a scare tactic meant to deter them from whatever they're doing, and I doubt they'll stop afterward. I wouldn't be surprised if something were to happen to us after it's posted.

"Personally, I can't just sit around and do nothing. Despite the risk, we could save lives, and that's more than enough reason for me. However, I don't think I can do this without you guys."

Edward couldn't fathom the situation he found themselves in. It didn't feel real. All this talk about conspiracies, dirty cops, the danger of going savage, it felt like fiction. It didn't sit well with Edward. In fact, he was starting to have second thoughts. Charles was the one who put their whole situation into perspective. Sure, they could save thousands of innocent lives, but at what cost? Their own sanity? Their own safety? Their very lives?

"Looks like we all have a decision to make," Charles said. "Don't we?"