"Was that seriously your whole plan?" Jason asked, tightening the bandage on Jack's ear. The maned wolf had followed the crew to the lodging provided for them and introduced himself as Jason Ankou before getting to work on Jack's injured ear. The end of his ear had been anesthetized, the ruined flesh was trimmed away, capillaries were cauterized, and now the previously ragged wound ended in a clean, even line wrapped in clean linen bandages.

"Well, yeah. To be fair we weren't really given much intel. How were we supposed to know he had turned into some kind of kingpin? And your plan didn't look much different!" Jack said, wincing as the bandage was pulled tight.

"Actually, my plan was for my inside man to seed some chaos with his light show, letting me quietly take out Underhill in his office. You all are the ones that turned it into a clusterfuck." He said curtly, closing up his medical kit. "In any case, there's no point arguing now. Get some rest, we'll talk more in the morning."

He rose quickly and padded out the door, leaving them in the small, but clean bunk room that had been provided for them after they had given Doctor Morales a quick explanation of what they were doing here. Their luggage had been brought in with them, but they couldn't help notice their gear bag was still conspicuously missing.

"Well, he was certainly a charmer." Charlie said drily, sitting up on her cot.

"At least he was nice enough to patch up Jack. How's the ear buddy?" Tice called over.

"I've had worse. The guy at least knows how to patch a gunshot wound." Jack grumbled. "The real question is whether or not we can trust these guys."

"I mean, they didn't kill us on sight, and I suppose a little suspicion is warranted. What do you know about them?" Judy asked.

"I know enough to be nervous." Jack said. "The ZIA has never officially classified them as more than a civilian militia, but the Pawnamanian government has them pegged as terrorists. Not that the Pawnamanian military is any better, with how corrupt they've become. One thing is for sure, these guys are seriously dangerous."

"Don't they fight the cartels though?" Judy asked nervously.

"Yes, but it's not just them. They've crossed the police, the military, anyone who deals with the cartels, and their methods are brutal. They definitely believe in fighting fire with Fire."

"Isn't that exactly what were doing? I mean, we came her with a bag of guns and ammo, not a warrant and a prosecution lawyer." Wolfard asked. This caused Jack to pause, seemingly lost for words. "I think we should work with them, or at least hear them out. It's sounding like this Panthera asshole has his own personal army now. Maybe we need one of our own."

A chill seemed to settle as everyone considered this. They were all prepared to take this as far as they needed, to do whatever it took to bring down Black

Knight, but tying their fate in with a relatively unknown, but notably violent paramilitary group was enough to make everyone nervous.

"I think we need to get some sleep. We'll worry about this more in the morning." Skye said, jumping up to switch off the light. Everyone mumbled their agreement, settling in for a fitful night's sleep.

XXXXXXXX

When morning broke and Jason came to get them, Judy was surprised to find that the village around them was just that; a village. If it wasn't for the fact that every other mammal she saw was armed, she could be fooled into thinking this was a perfectly normal little village. As their escort walked them to breakfast, she saw citizens waking up to feed their chickens, merchants and craftsmen setting up their shops and farmers heading out the woods, presumably to tend their crops. She had assumed this would be more of a military camp.

Breakfast was served at the head of a long line by an elderly female ox, who gave out a kind word to everyone as she scooped out servings of some kind of hot oats, served with fried plantains. Judy was further surprised to find it wasn't just the militia getting breakfast. As they entered a large open area littered with tables, she saw families, some with small children with them.

"You look shocked." Jason said simply as he slid in across from her. Apparently Jason had decided to stick around them. Whether that was by someone's order or choice was unclear.

"I'm sorry?" Judy asked, confused.

"I can tell how you're looking around. You expected something more militant. That's not what the autodefensas are about." He sipped his coffee, turning his attention back to his breakfast.

"Well what are they about?" Nick asked tentatively, thinking about Jack's warning from last night. Jason signed and laid down his spoon, folding his paws in front of him.

"Look, I won't beat around the bush. Yes, we are a militia, a paramilitary group, an army, whatever you want to call it. But at the end of the day, all we care about is the people of Pawnama. Those families? They were probably all forced out of their own villages, chased off by the cartels who demanded they either trade growing coffee for drugs, or die. The autodefensas fight to stop that, but when we can't, we at least help them try to survive, and pick up the pieces. And when we can, we get vengeance for the ones who made the choice to die for wanting to live their lives on their terms. And personally, I won't apologize for that, and no one else here will either."

He finished his rant and tucked back into his oats, leaning everyone mildly stunned.

"You're very passionate about that." Skye stated without judgement. "Do you mind if I ask how you got to this point? You don't sound like a local."

"I'm not." Jason answered around a mouthful of plantain. "I'm Zootopian, like you. I was going to be a doctor, I had just finished medical school, but I took a year off for a humanitarian program here in Pawnama. I was helping out in the villages around here, giving kids their shots and the like. Then one day some Cartelos rolled into town and told the farmers to tear up their sugar plantation and start growing their dope. The village elders refused. So, they killed the village elders, along with anyone who put up a fight, burned the fields and said they'd be back in a week, and that the fields better be ready for planting. I treated the burns, the cuts from the machetes as well as I could. And then a week later, they came back." He gives them a dry, mirthless grin. "Doctor Morales was one step ahead though. The autodefensas rolled in an hour before the cartel. Manuel found me and said, 'Are you the Doctor' I told him I was, and he passed me a rifle and asked if I knew how to shoot as well as I could stitch. I didn't, but I learned that day. That was the last time the cartel came to that village, and I haven't left Pawnama since. And that's what the autodefensas stand for."

He let the silence hang in their air, eyeing each of them in turn, before starting back in on his food.

"Come on, eat up. I don't want to keep the Doctor waiting."

They dutifully finished their meal in silence, dropping their bowls in a slop sink as they followed Jason back to the meeting hall from the night before. This time, the place was packed with tables and chairs, with maps and pieces of paper scattered about. Mammals were wandering around, seemingly reading reports or writing their own. As they found a seat among the chaos, Morales entered from a side room. Judy's stomach turned as she saw that he was wiping fresh blood off of his paw.

"Good news my friends! Mr. Underhill has been quite talkative this morning." He said with a wide smile. He noticed everyone staring at his bloody paw and waved it off with a chuckle. "Don't worry, it's not what it seems. We were having a polite conversation, when I offered him some water. I raised the cup to his lips and he decided to bite my paw. So, I broke his nose." He laughed loudly at the startled expressions his explanation got. "A fair trade, no? Either way, it was worth it. We have everything now!"

He swung a chair around and sat on it backwards, facing them.

"Mr. Underhill, the conniving little beast that he is, knew more than his masters even accounted for. He managed to wheedle the location of their stronghold out of some of the low level enforcers. And since he knows, we now know!"

"What will happen to him now?" Judy cut in. The jaguar's smile faded, and he eyed her carefully.

"Now, he will face Pawnamanian justice. The people's justice."

"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" She cried. "That's not justice. He's a criminal but he deserves a trial!"

The doctor's eyes narrowed, a sour look on his face.

"Young lady, you do not understand. That mammal is not a criminal, he is a monster. My people did not hunt him because he was a drug dealer, we did not even know of this Black Knight or his involvement with him. We hunted him because he is a savage who dealt in drugs, guns, and mammals. Young ones, girls and boys, taken from our villages and sold off to god knows where. A trial in Pawnama, or even in Zootopia for that matter, would never bring him the justice he deserves. It Is ours to handle. We will not speak of this again." He finished with a warning look. Judy withered under his gaze, taking only a small comfort from Nick's paw finding its way into hers. She remembered what Jack said last night, and she found she agreed with him. No matter what Jason said, these mammals were dangerous.

Once the Doctor was sure that there was no more argument to be had, he continued on.

"Now that we have a location, my best scouts have been sent out. They will recon the area, identify the defenses and report here to me, and once we make a plan, we will strike."

"Strike? You mean to execute a direct attack on the stronghold? You have the assets for that kind of operation?" Charlie asked, rapid fire. Judy could already see the officer's mind kicking in, calculating strategy.

"Yes, we do, and yes we most certainly plan to attack. We've known for months that someone had united the cartels, and it has been a nightmare. Alone, fighting eachother as much as us, the gangs were an infection in our country. United under one ruler, they are a deadly cancer. We must strike fast and cut the head off the snake."

Charlie nodded, agreeing with the doctor's assessment.

"Sir, with your permission, I would like to assist in the planning. I was an infantry officer, I can be of use."

"You will be welcome to assist. As a matter of fact, I have decided that when the time comes, if you so choose, you all will be allowed to participate in this endeavor."

"But sir!" Jason burst in, and was quickly silenced by a raised paw.

"Quiet Jason. I know you are angry your mission didn't go as planned, but without these mammals interrupting, we never would have gotten this chance. And I can sense they may be here for reasons beyond their duty. This is personal in a way, yes?" He said, turning back to the crew.

"Yes." Wolfard and Jack confirmed simultaneously.

"But sir, We have one request. There is one mammal that we absolutely need to capture." Skye said, digging into her pocket for the picture. She passed the photo of Major Panthera to the Doctor, who eyed it with disgust before giving her a glare.

"I have already explained to you how we will handle these mammals. I was sure that I was clear."

"You were, sir." Charlie cut in. "And I promise you, this mammal will get the fate he deserves. He is a traitor who condoned the killing of his own men and the rape and murder of innocent civilians. The only place he will be going is the firing squad, I can promise that."

Judy was a little shocked at the venom in her words, more so because she knew it was not an act. Morales considered her carefully, narrowing his eyes before he nodded.

"Very well. If it can be done, this mammal will be turned over to you, to deal with properly. This will be your payment for providing us with our chance."

Charlie nodded, sealing the deal.

"Well, I think our business for the day is concluded. I think we are safely on the same side now. Jason, have their weapons returned to their lodgings. And please, feel free to explore this village while you are here, the villagers will be happy to have guests from so far away.

Miss Granger, I will call for you once my scouts return."

Everyone filed out of the room, and back out into the village. This time, Jason didn't accompany them. Apparently they had been declared trustworthy enough to not have a shadow while in the village.

Everyone did their best to follow the doctor's orders and spent most of the morning and early afternoon wandering around the village, watching life go on around them. Watching the workers in the distant coffee fields was actually strangely comforting to Judy. It reminded her of her extended family working their own fields back on the Hopps family farm.

Nick also found himself quickly at ease, haggling in the small market place for different goods and Knick knacks. Judy was shocked at first at how distinctly bad he was at haggling until her heart swelled when she realized he was doing it on purpose. Supporting a tiny village with ample ZIA funds seemed like a suitably noble cause to her, especially when a young otter nearly teared up holding the 500 pesos nick had paid for a bag of chili dusted fried crickets. Judy found her own lunch at a stall manned by a peccary selling bowls of rice topped with spices and steamed jungle tubers. The food was all delicious, but too soon they found themselves back in their lodging with nothing left to do but wait.

As early afternoon turned to late afternoon, Jason suddenly made an appearance.

"Granger, the scouts are back. Doctor Morales is ready for you."

She quickly gathered whatever intel she deemed important, including the dossiers of the seven remaining operatives, and headed to the meeting hall, leaving the rest to wait anxiously with nothing to do but hypothesize on strategy.

It was nearly midnight when Charlie dragged herself back into the bunk room, barely making it to her cot before she was assailed with questions. She waved them all down, finally getting a chance to talk over her eager friends.

"Guys, easy! I'll tell you what I know. First of all, Tice, remember the fort you described that Black Knight took from Alvaro?" Tice nodded. "Well that's where we're headed. Underhill confirmed that they took it over, and even provided us the coordinates. But I've seen the pictures and this place..." She shook her head slowly. "It's going to be bad. It sounds like they've only reinforced the place. There's only one main gate to go in and out, and it's reinforced steel. There's guard towers, gun emplacements, the works. And from what Morales is saying, this isn't going to be a little firefight. This is going to be a full fledged battle."

"Well, what's the plan?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Honestly Jack, I'm exhausted. Morales says it'll take almost all of tomorrow to get everything in place, then he'll brief everyone. The attack will kick as soon as we get the right conditions for it. That's all I really want to get into now, can I please get some rest?"

After seeing the sorry state she was in, everyone backed off, including Jack after some light chiding from Skye. As it seemed like this was as much as they would get tonight, everyone turned in for yet another restless night of sleep.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning when they awoke, the camp had a different feel to it. The sound woke them up early, as the sun was just barely rising. The place was a flurry of action, but not the type of rural buzz They had seen yesterday. Today the field hands and merchants were busy piling crates into the back of waiting pick up trucks, and mammals armed with rifles and machetes were arriving by the truck load. As they grabbed breakfast, they found the seats nearly all filled with mammals with rifles slung across their backs. And sitting at the center of it all, seemingly without a care in the world, was Doctor Morales. He sat calmly in a wooden chair out front of the meeting hall, sipping coffee and smoking a pipe while Jason talked to him animatedly. Judy watched him hurry off to yell orders to another truck pulling up, and an idea struck her.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up with you, okay?"

Her friends shrugged it off, pairing off to find their own places to eat. Charlie beat her to the meeting hall, heading inside, while Skye and Nick headed back to the bunk house. Everyone else wandered off, trying to find somewhere to grab a seat. Judy on the other hand, beat a path straight for Morales.

"Good morning Doctor, do you mind if I eat with you?" She asked politely.

"Of course!" He replied, seemingly genuinely pleased to have company. He gestured to an empty chair next to him and Judy hopped up, balancing her bowl in her lap. She studied the jaguar for a moment before trying to start the conversation.

"Sir, if you don't mind me saying this, you seem awfully calm in the middle of all this." He smiled, puffing on his pipe before he answered.

"Yes, well, when a mammal spends so long at war, scenes like this start to develop their own strange level of comfort. The times in between make me anxious, but this feels like progress."

"How long have you been at war?" She asked. He took another long drag off his pipe before tapping it out on the arm of the chair and leaning forward onto his knees.

"I suppose it must have been since...1982? I was a boy then, barely twelve. A mammal came to my family's farm, a jackal wearing a red star on his shoulder. He said that the people's army needed soldiers if the communist's were ever going to rid themselves of the rebels in the jungle. He said my older brother and father were to report for orders. My father told him we were not communists, that they would not serve." He pauses for a moment. "The jackal shot him in the doorway. Then he told my mother the army would still have its soldiers, and passed my father's orders to me. Me and my brother left that night. He went off to the front lines, and I started as a helper in a field hospital, hence my little nickname. We did became soldiers that week, but not for the communists."

"What happened to your mother?" Judy asked softly.

"I do not know. When me and my brother returned, our farm was burnt to the ground. We never saw her again."

"Oh my god...that's awful. And you've been at war since then?"

"Yes, in one way or another. After years of fighting the people's party, your government decided to step in. Apparently the Mammalian Sovereign didn't like that the bears out in the kremlin owned her neighbor to the south. Your ZIA came, and pulled enough strings behind the scenes that soon enough the Reds fell and Pawnama had a new free and democratic government." His face darkens. "The problems came after they left. The new government was democracy at gunpoint. Life was sweet, as long as you put the correct name on the ballot. And once power was taken, it was abused. Taxes were so high, and produce was so cheap, farmers couldn't get by! They started to riot, and the government cracked down. Quickly, us who had fought the Reds, paid with our blood, were branded rebels and terrorists. Again, we fought to protect our people."

He pauses and takes a sip of coffee.

"Then it quieted down once they found a market."

"The cartels." Judy supplied, getting a nod.

"Why bother beating peasants and stealing their produce when you could simply control them through fear? The cartels were their money making tool and their enforcement, and all the while, they took none of the blame. And still, we fight. It is an endless cycle." He sighs. "The only thing that gives me hope is that there will always be mammals who fight for what is right." He says, staring off in the distance. Judy follows his gaze and sees Jason helping some elderly civilians into a truck that just offloaded some militia.

"How long has Jason been with you?" Judy asked, switching the topic. Morales smiled proudly.

"Jason has been my good right paw for nearly five years. I found him in a village that had been savaged by the cartels. He was nearly dead on his feet, working almost a week straight to keep mammals alive. But when I handed him my rifle, and told him how he could make a difference, he was electric. A force of nature, that boy."

"He certainly is passionate." Judy said. Morales nodded. Seeming apprehensive, he spoke softly.

"He...lost someone, in that village. A mate, I'm sure. No mammal fights as hard as one who has lost something so precious. He rarely speaks of it...you will keep that between us, yes?"

"Yes of course." Judy said sincerely, looking at Jason in a new light as he directed a deer in their direction. The deer bounded over, quickly climbing the steps to the meeting hall.

"SeƱor Morales-" he began before he pitched forward onto Judy. She flinched as something hot and wet hit her face, a second before she heard a resounding crack. Before she could process what had happened, the deer was pushed off of her and a strong set of paws grabbed her. She was basically thrown through the door of the meeting hall before Morales charged in after her, slamming the door. He threw himself down as a hole splintered in the door next to him, again a split second before a now muffled crack. Another heart beat later and a desperate, muffled cry rose up all throughout the camp.

"SNIPER!"

XXXXXXXX

Skye knew what was happening before anyone began to scream. Before the second shot even rang out she had already tackled Nick to the ground, scattering both of their breakfasts.

"Get away from the windows!" She cried, holding him down.

"What the hell?" Nick yelled before hearing the alarm spreading through the camp. "A sniper? Where?"

Skye left him puzzled on the floor as she crept to the wall next to the open window, hazarding a peek out. Some mammals were already smart enough to take cover, but others were still scrambling crazily. She flinched as another shot rang out and a mule deer dropped in the street. Suddenly her heart swelled as she saw a familiar set of partially bandaged ears sticking out from behind a car.

"Jack!" She called out over the noise.

"Skye?" He called back, sounding desperate. "Where are you?"

"I'm safe! Jack, you need to calm these mammals and get them behind cover!" Another shot rang out as an otter bolted across the street, barely making it halfway. "Now! I'll handle the shooter!"

"On it! I've got Tice and Wolfard with me!"

Skye crawled away from the window back to where Nick was laying next to a cot, with the sound of the boys trying to get the rest of the village behind cover.

"Nick, get the gear bag!" She whispered, crawling towards the back of the bunk room. She reached up from the ground and eased open a window that led out the back, into the dense jungle behind the village. Nick crawled up next to her, dragging the bag behind him.

"What are you going to do?" He asked as she dragged the bag closer to her, starting to pull items out from it.

"I'm going to take him out." Skye said simply, pulling out her rifle and a roll of green mottled cling wrap. She started to wrap the material around the stock and barrel of her weapon, camouflaging it.

"Skye that is insanely dangerous!" He hissed.

"I'm aware Nick! But I'm the only one here trained to do this. I'm not going to sit here and let him pick us off all day." She barked, ripping the tape. She reached back into the bag and pulled out a roll of green fabric, which she quickly unrolled into a set of garments. Nick choked as she awkwardly tore off her shirt and pants before wiggling into the strange looking garments.

"Skye, what the hell is that?" Nick asked. Skye suddenly looked for all the world like some kind of swamp creature. The shirt and pants she donned were loose fitting and covered in what looked like some kind of synthetic moss and mesh netting.

"It's camouflage." She said before pulling a matching hood over her head, leaving barely a hint of fur around her eyes exposed. She reached back and scrabbled with her tail, fumbling with a long loose piece of fabric before letting out a huff.

"Nick help me with my tail." She said, her voice muffled with the hood.

"What?" Nick asked, his eyes bugging out.

"Nick! Stop being such a prude and put my god damn tail in the bag!" She hissed. Nick awkwardly complied, putting her tail gingerly inside the flap of fabric and securing it with Velcro flaps and cinches. Once it was secured, Skye quickly fed a magazine into her rifle and grabbed a water bottle from under a cot.

"Stay here, and stay away from the windows. Wait for me to call the all clear."

Faster than Nick could respond she threw herself out the open window and tumbled onto the jungle floor. She lay completely motionless, waiting for a shot to ring out. When it didn't, she got to work.

She quickly cleared a small patch of ground until she had clear earth. She dumped the water bottle on it and stirred, mixing up a patch of mud, grabbing clumps of it. She closed her eyes and worked the mud into the exposed fur around her eyes until it was completely covered, then striped some onto her suit. She then set about gathering some of the foliage off the jungle floor, sticking clumps of it into the mesh on her suit. She hated to rush this, this process usually took hours, but as another shot rang out, she knew she didn't have time for that.

Once she was at least somewhat happy with her suit, she dropped to ground.. Behind the bunkhouse, the jungle floor rose up in a somewhat steep incline. She grabbed the sling of her rifle in one paw and took a deep breath before starting her slow, painful ascent up the slope.

Here goes nothing, she thought.

XXXXXXXX

Judy laid on the ground, nearly in shock as her brain processed the past five seconds. One moment she had been having a nice conversation and the next-

Oh my god.

Her brain short circuited as she finally came to terms with what had happened. The hot, wet substance that was still matted in her fur was blood. She retched as she realized she could taste it, she was trying to blink it out of her eyes, it was everywhere!

She pitched forward, pawing furiously at her face as she started to hyperventilate. Through the tears forming her eyes, she barely registered that that wasn't helping as the blood just smeared onto her paws. She couldn't even begin to calm herself and she could feel herself teetering on the edge of a full break down, before she felt a pair of paws grab her by the shoulders.

"Calm down, Miss Hopps, calm down!" A strong voice said. "Charlie! Grab her!" The voice commanded. Suddenly she felt another set of arms wrap around her from behind, holding her arms against her sides. She instinctively struggled against them until she heard a familiar, calming voice in her ear.

"Shhh, easy Judy, calm down. Easy, easy." Charlie whispered as soothingly as she could. It somewhat worked as Judy screwed her eyes shut and at least tried to control her panicked breathing. She jumped as she felt more liquid splash her, but this time it was a cool, gentle stream. She fought down the panic slowly until she could open her eyes.

She found Doctor Morales sitting in front of her, pouring a bottle of water over her head and wiping at her fur with a scrap of cloth.

"There we go, easy Judy, you're all good." Charlie said, slowly releasing her. Judy reached up and took the bottle and cloth from the Doctor with shaking paws. She first took a swig off the bottle, spitting the taste of blood out of her mouth. She then set about wiping the blood out of her fur and eyes until she was satisfied that she got the most of it. She took a shaky, cleansing breath before looking around at the other two mammals.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"There is a sharpshooter, somewhere. Sent to kill me, I'm sure." Morales said. "Do not worry, I'm sure my own marksmen will take care of him."

"Or ours will." Charlie said, already assuming what Skye would be doing at this very moment.

XXXXXXXX

Skye halted her slow progress, casting a look over shoulder. This was it. She had reached the highest point of the hill where the rooftops still blocked out the distant tree tops. Any higher than here and she would be skylined. She took another deep breath as she mentally sealed parts of herself away. She was an emotional mammal, she knew that. But right now, emotions would get her killed. She took deep slow breaths until she was in the mindset of a slow, cold-blooded, calculating machine. She turned ever so slightly and started to work her way across the hillside.

She set her sights on a downed tree, about fifty feet ahead of her and began to crawl. Her pace was maddeningly slow, barely covering a foot in a minute. She nearly jumped out of her skin every time another shot rang out, but managed to control her reaction. Finally, after nearly an hour she reached her goal, concealing herself in the brush of the top of the fallen tree. Slowly, ever so slowly, she brought her rifle up and set the stock into her shoulder.

She was right to pick this spot. She had a perfect angle to see over and between the lower buildings of the village into the trees beyond. She mentally calculated the angle the other shooter would need to hit targets inside the village and figured he must be near the tree tops. But from here, she could see nearly two hundred yards of tree line. Now, the game began.

She kept both eyes open, and scanned the tree line slowly. She couldn't see anything obvious on her first look, so she sighted in, completing her scan again. Still, nothing. Obviously the other shooter was skilled enough to conceal himself. Suddenly a flash of movement caught her eye.

No! Not there you idiot! She practically screamed inside her head, as a militia sharpshooter crept onto a rooftop in the village below her. The vantage point would give him excellent lines of sight, but also wouldn't give him a shred of concealment. She forced herself to watch the tree line instead of him as he popped up over the edge of the building.

Within moments, she saw him slump forward, the shot ringing out a second later. She quickly did the mental calculations in her head. Assuming he was using standard velocity ammunition, he was likely about a mile away. That was not good. Any shooter who could hit running targets at a mile like he had most likely outclassed her by a long shot. This meant she would likely only get one chance.

She didn't manage to catch his position when he fired on the militia sniper. Another bad sign. He was clearly methodical and experienced. She kept scanning the tree line, breathing softly.

As the hours ticked by and the sun crept higher into the sky, she had to fight to keep from panting. She was glad she couldn't sweat, as at least her vision stayed clear. She fought against the maddening sensation of flies, landing on the exposed skin near the corners of her eyes. Any movement would likely give her away.

The village below her had settled into a nearly deathly silence. The only occasional noise was a young child crying and sometimes the grief filled sobbing of a victim's loved ones. Suddenly, a solitary cry rose up in the village. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw a mammal charging across the street. He clambered into the back of a technical and chambered the machinegun mounted there. He let loose with a long burst, firing wildly into the tree line. A brave gesture, but a useless one. A round tore through him and he slumped down into the bed of the truck.

But when he dropped, Skye saw them. Birds. Not a flock of them, just three birds that darted up out of the canopy. It was the first lucky break she managed to catch.

Slowly, painfully slowly, she inched her scope towards the spot. It wasn't confirmation, but it was an indicator. After nearly a minute, she had her sights on the spot the birds had left. She scanned carefully, looking at every inch, every centimeter of the jungle until-

There. A flash. A tiny mistake on his part. His scope must have budged the tiniest inch when he pulled his bolt, and now it had given him away. She could barely, barely see the outline of him. He was huddled on a branch against the trunk of a jungle tree, camouflaged just like her to blend in with the canopy. She immediately clamped down on her body's adrenaline response. The thrill of finding your target could spike your heart rate, the jitters throwing off your aim. She breathed, slowing her heart rate, until she heard it thunder in her ears, once a second. Now, she had him.

She began to run the math in her head. Her initial guess was correct, putting him at about a mile out. Five clicks up. However, she was elevated slighty, maybe 30 meters over him, aiding bullet drop. Make that four. She watched the wind in the foliage around him, clocking it around three miles an hour, East. Three clicks left. But at this range, the Coriolis force could kick in. Four clicks? She kicked herself for second guessing. Her paw moved, slower than a snail's pace, to the windage and elevation dials on her scope.

Tick-tick-tick...tick. Four up.

Tick-tick...Tick...tick. Four left.

She sighted in, center mass. She wished she could flip out her bipod as her reticule wavered ever so slightly on her target. Shit in one hand, wish in the other, see which fills faster, came the voice of her instructor, echoing in her mind. She blinked away the distraction and focused. She focused on her breathing, timing it with the thundering of her heart. In, thump-thump, out, thump-thump. She gradually increased the pressure on her trigger, easing it back. In, thump-thump, out, thump-thump. She felt the ever-so-slight resistance in her finger, the hammer just millimeters away from releasing. In, thump-thump, out, thump-thump...

She gave the tiniest last bit of pressure and her rifle barked, sending the round down range. She slowly took in a breath and focused on her target, squinting through the slight haze of smoke. Her heart hammered. She couldn't tell if she hit. His silhouette was still there, hunched against the trunk. She was a half a moment away from frantically chambering another round when the shape in her scope pitched sideways, tumbling out of the tree top.

Relief so strong she could almost cry flooded through her. She stayed put, waiting for another shot, a partner somewhere in the tree line, but nothing ever came. After nearly ten minutes of waiting she barked out a laugh, letting her head drop to the jungle floor. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, stretching her stiff joints and muscles. She pulled of her hood and cupped her paw around her mouth.

"All clear!" She called out into the town below.

XXXXXXXX

Eleven bodies were laid out in the meeting hall. Ten were respectfully covered by sheets, laid out on long tables. Seven militia, three civilians. The eleventh, a wolf that had been identified as a Black Knight operative named Longbow by Tice, was dumped unceremoniously on a separate table by angry autodefensas. The hall was crowded with all of the Morales's captains and lieutenants, with Judy and her friends standing awkwardly to the back. Standing vigil at the head of the table was Morales himself, and The jaguar was seething with rage.

"This ends tonight." He said quietly. He suddenly pounded a fist on the table, eyeing his officers fiercely. "No more deaths by their hands! Jason! Call in the rest of our reserves. I need all of our mammals and material ready to move at midnight. Call in all our contacts and favors. All the preparations must be ready!" Jason nodded silently and hustled out of the meeting hall. Morales checked his watch before scanning the room.

"Everyone, we have less than twelve hours to prepare. For this to succeed, everyone will need to play their parts."

With that, he launched into explaining his plan. And with every new phase of it, Judy felt more and more sick to her stomach. She cast a sidelong look at Nick, who was looking straight back at her.

As the brief ended, mammals spilled out into the village, setting about preparing. Judy hustled ahead and stepped in front of Charlie, stopping her in her tracks.

"You knew." She said quietly, a tinge Of hurt in her voice. Nick hovered over her shoulder, his face a carefully maintained mask.

"Knew what?" Charlie asked, before cracking under Judy's glare. "Okay, yes I knew, Judy. But this was the best way! Keeping you and Nick together would only hinder the plan. You would be useless in his part of the plan, you can't handle a weapon with enough range, and he wouldn't be physically able to go with you. If you want to help, this is the only way."

"That whole plan is insane, Skye!" Judy cried out. "I can't let Nick go into that alone!"

"He won't be alone! I'll be watching his back, so will Skye, Tice and Wolfard. And she'll have Jack." She said with a pointed look at Nick. "Judy, this is bigger than us now. Fights like this, you don't get to pick and choose how you come at it. You find your role, do your job and trust the mammals to the left and right of you. You need to trust me, to trust all of us, both of you."

She pushed past Judy, hurrying off to the bunkhouse. Judy slapped her hands against her thighs in frustration. She knew Skye had a point. She could trust all her friends to watch Nick's back, and she could count on Jack to watch her's. But she wasn't sure she could bear the thought of being away from Nick during all the chaos, having no idea if he was okay or not. She looked up at him for some kind of guidance. He looked back at her, an anxious, but resigned look in his eyes.

"She's right Judy. We have to see this through to the end, and if this is the only way through, then so be it."

"But Nick..." Judy pleaded.

"Unless you want to sit this one out. We can, and that will be fine, seriously."

Judy sighed. She knew she could. They had taken it this far and now it could just be out of their paws, handed off to someone else to take care of. But the thought of her friends having to be the ones to take care of it while she cooled her heels in the rear settled it.

"No, we can't. We have to do this."

Nick nodded, reaching out and wrapping her in a hug. He released her only when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He found Wolfard and Jack standing awkwardly behind him.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, really. But there's a lot we need to go over." He said to Nick. "Me and Tice needed to teach you some basic tactics, some stuff that will keep you ali-" he stopped, eyeing Judy. "Uhhh, keep your safe."

"We need to talk too Judy. I've met with the guys Morales is linking us up with, I want to go over the finer points of our plan."

They both nodded. There were so many moving parts to this plan, and so much danger involved that they would surely need everything to go perfect if they wanted to make it through. Nick leaned down and gave Judy a quick kiss, pulling back to follow after Wolfard.

"Find me before everything goes down!" He called back, giving Judy a wink and a forced smile. She forced one back before being led away by Jack for her crash course on infiltration.

XXXXXXXX

The truck jolted again, nearly throwing Nick out of his seat. He tried to shrug off the distraction as he struggled to run through all the information Tice and Wolfard had taught him; a combined eight years of combat experience and basic infantry tactics was a lot to process in a day. He lifted his head as the truck rumbled to a stop.

"Come on, were on foot from here." Tice said, nudging him. Nick shuffled to his feet and hopped down out of the covered truck. As the head lights of their convoy popped off, Nick could barely see, even with his night vision. He saw hundreds of dark silhouettes disembarking from a line of trucks, whispering as they moved into groups. The lack of scent around this many mammals was disorienting, but that was good. The vats of homemade musk mask the autodefensas used was doing its job. If they were going to keep the element of surprise, they would have to cover the remaining miles to the stronghold as quietly as possible, and the scent of hundreds of oncoming mammals would've given them away.

The group began to move away from the truck, but nick was still rooted to the spot. He swung his head from side to side, squinting through the dark. He braced as he finally saw a small shadow charging him.

Judy slammed into him, wrapping him in a hug that probably would've made it hard to breathe, had it not been for his kevlar vest. He hugged her back fiercely, disappointed that he couldn't breathe in her scent.

"Wilde, come on! We're moving!" Wolfard whispered urgently. Judy leaned back and kissed him deeply before shoving him in the direction of the departing militia.

"Go! Be careful, and remember I love you!" She whispered, back pedaling to catch up with Jack and a group of small mammals heading off in a different direction.

"I love you too." Nick said back, jogging to catch up with Wolfard. He took a breath and steeled himself. He was determined, no matter what, he would see Judy at the end of this.