Judy wondered since when she became accustomed to gluing herself to the news. Maybe it was because after that one day when there's something big in town and she wasn't aware of it. Or maybe because of what she heard that evening after talking with Dawn about her past. And the news that followed until yesterday were plenty shocking.

First, doctors at the hospital where the savage mammals were quarantined agreed to a notion she herself believed, down to the letter. The resemblance between what little Gideon said to her and what the doctor spoke was so uncanny.

Then, yesterday news spoke of Mayor Douglas Bellwether having a talk with Deputy ZPD Chief Thomas Higgins about removing the predators from the force in response to the savage mammal cases, following another case of a predator cop going savage. And a few prey mammals threw a demonstration in agreement to Mayor's stance, in which a few of them ended up arrested for attacking predator officers.

"Good day, Zootopia, and welcome to ZNN Prime Time Noon. I am Peter Moosebridge."

Looked like the news has started.

"Deputy Chief Thomas Higgins has supported Mayor Douglas Bellwether's proposal to have predator officers in ZPD removed in response to the savage mammals cases-"

So there will be fewer or even no more predators in the force, huh, Judy thought. She then reminisced about her wish to become a cop, and it hit her; Now that the number of cops in ZPD is dwindling, maybe she should give herself another try to go through the academy.

"-Due to the number of police officers suspended this way, Mayor Bellwether had hired a team of auxiliary police forces to support ZPD-"

Judy groaned. There goes my dream, she cringed. She continued washing the dishes as the news rambled on about the auxiliary prey forces to support ZPD. But then she thought to herself; Just because right now ZPD's personnel shortage had been plugged didn't quite mean they'd just shut her out from the academy like the last time.

"-Following the suspension of all predators from ZPD, Zootopia Police Academy had decided to also dismiss all current predator cadets on account that they will not be eligible to work at ZPD upon graduation. In light of this, ZPA has reopened its admission for all interested prey mammals to join the academy to fill in the posts left vacant by permanent police officers who were removed-"

That was the exact motivation that Judy wanted. She promptly sped up; If she could clock out within thirty minutes, she might have enough time to rummage her apartment for everything she needed to apply to to academy again.

"-Mayor Bellwether had also laid off all predator staff from City Hall, which included Deputy Mayor Leodore Lionheart. It is understood that Mr. Lionheart had not been at his office since two days ago, the same day when he was called by Deputy Chief Thomas Higgins for questioning about Cliffside Asylum-"

Judy bolted off with a renewed determination in her heart.

Judy couldn't feel the fiery spirit she had when she headed to ZPA to submit her application to the academy.

When she finally got to submit her application, the rhino staff gave her a funny look, and she ended up blathering for who knew how long just to convince that despite her size, she was a capable mammal and she really, really wanted to be a police officer. After all, she fought off a bear once, and besides there was a small predator in the force. The giggles she heard from a few other hopeful applicants wasn't helping the mood.

The rhino staff accepted her application and said that Judy would know the preliminary result within three days, but for some reason Judy worried that the rhino would probably toss the forms into a recycling bin. Hopefully not.

"Excuse me, miss bunny."

Judy jumped upon hearing that loud voice, and she found that a female polar bear was standing behind her. Then Judy also realized that she was right in front of the door that the polar bear was about to go through.

"Ah ha, my bad."

Judy reflexively kicked the door open to get out. It was good that it was a manual door that could swing either way; She practically rammed it on her way in earlier.

"Impressive."

Judy raised her eyebrows upon hearing the polar bear's praise as the large mammal made her way out behind her. Then Judy realized: This polar bear was likely among the expelled cadets. As Judy studied the bear's expression, she suddenly came to think about the predators. They likely would have spent some fortune to get in, just like how she had wasted so much money to try to enroll.

Judy wondered how she should feel. On one paw, the predators were more fortunate that they had been admitted to the academy, unlike her who had been repeatedly rejected. On the other paw, thanks to the current climate of predator scare, these predators had been denied the chance to complete their training to become real cops.

For some reason Judy harked back to Finnick. She snickered. Well, maybe he would indeed help these expelled predators to get some job somewhere, just like what he had done to her, however indirectly.

"Is there something funny, cottontail?"

Judy realized that she snickered perhaps too loudly for the polar bear to hear. Especially since they're still indoors.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend-"

Judy decided to throw an apology, but her smile vanished when she saw the bear's face. It didn't look like she was angry. Her expression, which was about the same as the one she wore when Judy first saw her, hinted more exasperation or melancholy.

"-I mean, uh, I, uh, kinda feel sorry that you, erm, got expelled."

Yikes, Judy, are you sure about saying that?

"So you basically jumped at the chance to enroll the moment you heard the preds were," the bear's sharp inhalation was rather devoid of wrath, "dismissed?"

"Uh, actually, I guess you didn't know, but this is my third time trying to apply to the academy."

To Judy's surprise, the bear's expression turned into something akin to wonder.

"Persistent, aren't you?" the bear then chuckled dryly while opening the door to the outside, "Interesting. I never knew there's a bunny who has tried to enroll here multiple times."

The bear then slightly hunched towards Judy as they kept walking. And for some reason Judy didn't find a reason to jump back or bolt off pronto.

"You look pretty strong, I say. Not many little furballs can kick open that door so easily like that."

Judy became curious as to why merely opening a door was worthy of admiration.

"A real shame they don't admit you. You'd have made a good cop."

"Ah, thank you," Judy replied. It's rare for anyone to say she'd make a good cop.

"'Sides, it would've been good to have more mammals your size in town," the bear sighed, "The last time we had a little furball was a fox who graduated not too long ago."

"Fox?" Judy yelped, then covered her mouth upon realizing she might have been too loud.

"Oh, you know him?"

As she fidgeted, Judy nodded.

"I see," the bear smiled as if reminiscing, "Crazy fox, that Nicholas. The first small mammal to become a cop in, I dunno, years? I don't even remember the last time there was a small cop before him. But you really should see how determined he was wanting to become a cop."

"Uh, wait a second," Judy realized something amiss in the bear's words, "are you actually a cadet?"

The bear let out a guffaw, a cheerless one.

"I'm Friedkin, the academy instructor."

Friedkin held out a paw, though she retracted it promptly. Seeing that, Judy held out hers, and the bear nodded and shook paws.

"Sorry, I didn't know you're a staff at ZPA."

"Well, I was, anyway."

"Ah..."

"Don't think too much about it, bunny," Friedkin wistfully replied, "With what's happening right now, it's a surprise someone hasn't lynched me for talking to a bunny like you. And what's your name, by the way?"

"Oh," Judy reflexively held out her paw again, but before she realized it, Friedkin shook her paw again, "Judy Hopps."

The two eventually reached the gate. Judy stopped upon realizing that Friedkin was going the opposite direction from her. As the bear waved goodbye, Judy chose to follow, much to the bear's amusement.

"What are you doing?" Friedkin asked.

"Um, I dunno, just looking for someone to chat with?"

Friedkin bellowed a laughter amid Judy's giggling, though that laughter abated quickly.

"Are you crazy, huh, Hopps? Talking to a... pred whom everyone just assume can go crazy at any time?" Friedkin then turned towards Judy, "What can you do if that happens?"

"Oh, er, fend you off until the cops come to help?"

"Wow. Aren't you confident."

"Crazy, I know. But I did that once-"

Judy then realized she might have been blabbering too much, and decided to end with a nervous chortle.

"Why do you want to be a cop anyway?"

Judy froze upon hearing that question.

"Well... uh, because... I believe I can?"

"Sounds like you have another reason."

"Uh, haha-"

"Get away from her, you idiot!"

Judy and Friedkin turned to see the source of that yelling, a hog who came running towards the two and tried to yank Judy away.

"Hey!" Judy swatted the hog away.

"Are you crazy, bunny? Walking with a chomper like this, you wanna get eaten?!"

Judy was at a loss of words, while Friedkin sighed and walked away. After the bear was out of view, Judy looked at the hog with a look of half an annoyance.

"What? I'm just trying to help!" the hog protested, "What if that bear goes savage right on your face?"

"Oh, dear, you don't know whom you're talking to."

Judy snidely remarked as she turned around and left.

"Huh- Who do you think you are, little furball?"

Why is that hog the one screaming on top of his lungs when I'm the one face-to-face with a chomper? Judy rolled her eyes. But the moment she thought about Friedkin again, she pondered.

Back then with Helga, the bear was completely amicable when they first ran into each other, and the big mammal even offered an apology after a near-accident. And yet she was capable of turning mindlessly crazy not long after. It would seem that the theory about innate killer instinct in predators' DNA was real. Which meant she practically had gambled her life by talking with Friedkin for long minutes like that.

Judy then scoffed. She managed to save herself from a berserk bear cop. A savage Friedkin shouldn't be a problem.

Judy realized she had never paid full attention to the atmosphere of the city on most days. Only now she felt something was wrong with the city, namely, the scant presence of predators. Whenever she saw one, it was either a predator police officer who was unwelcome by anyone they interacted with, or a lone or small group of predators away from the bustles of the city.

The savage predator scare was slowly engulfing the city, it seemed.

Judy sighed. She already had one major thing in her mind, she'd rather not ponder too much about a problem that didn't quite affect her personally. She had resolved to do one thing once she got to her apartment.

"Hello, Judy, darling."

"Hiiiii, mom," Judy tried to sound cheerful as she masked a mild exasperation after pacing around waiting for almost a dozen rings before her parents picked up her call, "How're you today?"

"Oh, great! Just kinda busy the entire day," then Bonnie yelled to some other bunnies about a few things, "Our usual guests are here since morning."

"Those city sheep, you mean?"

"Yup. Stu's talking to them right now," Bonnie continued amid giggles, "They just bought some stuffs wholesale. I was worried for a second there they might clean up our food storage."

Judy guffawed.

"Kinda miss you, darling, I gotta tell you."

"I know, mom, sorry."

"You know why? One of the sheep is bringing his daughter along again," there was a pause, "Every time I see that tiny sheep, I'm always reminded of you."

"Aww."

"Such an adorable little daughter, she is, but so timid. I thought of telling your siblings to play with her since this is the first time she's in Burrows the entire day, but she's so awkward. I wonder if sheep with glasses are like that. I mean, you friend Sharla was extrovert, and she ain't wearing one."

"I don't think so, mom. I have a bespectacled sheep friend and she's not exactly a shut-in," Judy argued.

"Oh, you also have a sheep friend?"

"Yep."

"How cute. No matter Burrows or city, we have sheep in our circle."

The two laughed it out. Bonnie then appeared to be talking to someone else.

"Oh, hey, Stu, you're still busy? ... Oh, ok, Judy's on the phone ... Okay. So your dad's probably going to call you again later, those sheep's quite a work."

"I see."

"So, anyway, darling, why are you calling?"

"Oh, that," Judy realized she had digressed way off, "I tried applying to the police academy again today."

"Eh, I thought the admission period was over?"

"They reopened it due to some... uh, emergency situation."

"I see."

Judy wondered if her parents actually read the news. She decided not to probe further for now.

"Well, best of luck for you, darling. Would be great to see a Hopps cop."

"Thanks, mom."

Judy then spent some more time trading stories with her mom before they called it a day in all senses of the words.