Chapter 2

They rarely make love nowadays but they do have sex though, quite often in fact. You see lovemaking is a process more than an action, one that requires two bodies to unite, perhaps not in perfect harmony because that would be unrealistic, but in a mutual understanding to give and receive pleasure as well to express care and concern to both parties. That unfortunately takes patience, energy and time. Neither Nick nor Judy had that lately.

Running an empire is hard, criminal or not, and doing so while being inexperienced is even worse. There are comrades to handle, enemies to destroy and mammals to help every single day, there are times were the new responsibilities of their position utterly suffocate them. It wasn't as bad when Mr. Big was around, he was more than willing to offer advice or help whenever the couple had trouble in their turf, but the shrew got sick four months ago and dyed three days ago. Tomorrow will be his funeral, for the mammals of the family he will be greatly missed.

Sex on the other hand is merely an act, one that triggers endorphins and gives a quick safe high, among its many benefits there's the ability to relieve stress. When Nick has a bad day he lunges like a savage beast over her tiny wife's body and has her pinned below him in seconds, she stays passive when that happens, playing the part of the fucktoy. More often than not she finds pleasure in the act, being treated like an object has a power-struggle aspect about it that she finds kinky and hot. There is a primal need in her that gets somewhat quenched when her fur rubs roughly on their plush carpet as he pounds her from behind over and over again, his large hard red shaft plunging into her depths in a careless greedy way while his cruel paws tug on her long ears without mercy. He is selfish when he fucks her like that, sometimes that adds fuel to the fire but sometimes his selfishness can leave her unsatisfied.

Now when Judy has a bad day things get even more intense, she will viciously grab her husband by his tie and throw him in their large bed, she would then proceed to ride him at a speed only a bunny could achieve. She can be selfish as well, not caring if the fox feels comfortable with her frantic pace, not bothering to let him knot before she starts all over again, she plays with his body like it was her own punching bag taking hit after hit without a complaint. There is an unmistakable brutality in the way her round buttocks bounce over the fox's hips and there are times when Nick thinks the fuzzy dynamo above him will kill him from a heart attack, her angry excess energy scares him sometimes, but then he remembers that there are much worse ways to die so he chooses to follow her through the end.

But this time it will be different, they are breaking that habit, and tonight they will make love even if that means they have to let the Savannah burn in its own sins for one god damned night. Tonight the fox's large paws roam the soft fur of the bunny by his side, finally able to explore her crevices without the careless rush that had haunted him before, his snout gently nibbles at her neck, his nose finally able to appreciate and savor her sweet smell. Judy's padless paws take their time combing through his thick coarse fur, soft tiny claws gently scrape the skin underneath the red coat, her buck teeth dig themselves gently on his shoulder earning a low growl from him.

He enters her slowly this time, his tail lashes a little in his happiness and she snatches the tip in a possessive grasp, she knows how sensitive the appendage is so gently she rolls the tip between her thumb and forefinger, his husky moan is her only reward. The horizontal dance is fluid and coordinated, like the waves of the ocean. It is a perfect pace between the frenzy of their usual sexual vents and the slow and sometimes clumsy hesitation they had when they first met. He relishes in the feel of silk like softness on his engorged member, her soft yet strong muscles twitch and clench over his length, the slick moistness welcomes him over and over again.

It's wonderful and special, the way a relationship between two mammals in love should be, he shivers a little in ecstasy when she moans at the contact of his knot within her tight responsive depths, finally the climax crushes over them and now they find themselves sated and stuck.

For him the afterglow is even more meaningful that the sexual act, the knot is for foxes a physical bond with their mates, a clear sign of affection with great significance. Judy hadn't let him knot lately and even after he managed to do it she wouldn't stop to properly snuggle with him, she had been merely riding over his hard length all over again.

This is even more important now as he is nearly entering in heat, because of civilization his state has nothing to do with seasons anymore like it did in ages past, now it is triggered by an emotional connection. Females still endure cycles of fertility but male canids in general only enter in heat when they find a mate they love so they can breed. It takes a very long exposure to the pheromones of his chosen partner for the state to be awaken but once it does a tod will not get rid of it until kits are born. As a fox unable to get his bunny wife pregnant he has no idea of what to do about it.

So when dawn is approaching and the phone rings he still feels very annoyed, one night he asked, only one night to himself and his wife. Why is that so difficult? Carefully as to not awakening his mate he reaches the infernal device and turns it off, as in response now its Judy's phone that rings. Of course it would, both of them are bosses of the same turf, if they can't reach him they'll call her.

Groggily the bunny grabs her cellphone, her droopy ears cover her face, only her left eye peeks through them and she stares at the screen. The caller is Samantha, her older sister and currently her second in command. At least twenty of her siblings have joined the mafia, most of them started from scratch since nepotism isn't acceptable for the Tundratown family, but at the same time Judy needed someone she could trust as her second in command and for propriety's sake it was best if that was a female. Nick was pretty territorial when it came to her, any mammal that spends so much time with Judy had to be both reliable and not a possible threat for the couple's relationship, no male mobster would be able to stay so close to her without having an aggressive fox on his back.

Of all the members of her family Samantha was the best option, she was smart and brave, she also had an uncanny resemblance to Judy and while the younger doe never thought about that Nick believed that her looks could be useful in future jobs since she could be used as a decoy. She was a member of what the family called "The second wave", the first wave is the hiring spree Mr. Big indulged in when the mob wars were just starting, that is when a lot of aggressive and mostly male mammals entered the mafia. But when the dust cleared and the wars were over there was suddenly a need for mammals with more brains and less homicidal tendencies, creatures with leveled heads who could help managing the empire instead of just launching themselves into battle. So a second hiring spree took place, this one led by Nick and Judy, and many females along with tempered males begun to work for the Savannah family. It is because of that second wave that this turf was much more cohesive and effective than it counterparts.

-"Hello?"- The sleepy bunny croaks from her place near her red fox blanket.

-"Hi Judes, look I know it's a bad time but something came up, one of our guys got poisoned or something he's pretty sick"- Samantha says calmly in spite of her anxiety.

-"Who is it Sam? Who got sick?"- Judy says blinking the sleep from her eyes, the bad news manage to awaken her.

-"Clint Porkton"- Her sister responds, not knowing if the boss even heard about him.

The younger bunny remembers the guy, he's a pig that worked as a bouncer in one of their clubs, and sometimes they called him when they needed extra muscle. He might not be technically a fully fledged mafia member but he had been very kind and helpful with them in the past, Judy has a soft spot for him.

-"All right Sam just take him to the main manor and have the doctors take a look at him, I'll go visit him after Mr. Big's funeral."- She was about to hang up when Sam tells her

-"No boss you don't get it, he was treated first at the manor but what he has is so strange they just took him to Cliffside, I'm sending you a video so you can see what I'm talking about"-

Nick overhears the conversation and he notices Sam sounds terrified, if the usually collected bunny is this worried then this issue must be serious. He turns his own phone on and calls his own second in command, a wolf named Lobato.

-"Oh my god Nick, look"- When the fox sees the video he knows things are seriously wrong.

…

When they enter the infirmary at Cliffside they are greeted by a badger in a lab coat, Dr Helen O. Nye had worked with Lionheart during the beginning of what would later be called the anti-pred conspiracy, but when the family took over the former asylum in a haze of bullets and violence she was "gently coaxed" into working for the mafia.

In the middle of the room there is a gurney with a large muscular pig strapped into it, his skin has turned yellow and his muzzle seems to have been permanently contorted into a disturbing smile, the sounds that erupt from his lips sound like sardonic laughter but are in fact screams chocked out through lack of air. His bloodshot eyes seem ready to pop out of their sockets, all his muscles twitch and tense in a disturbing cadence.

-"All right doc, would you mind explaining us what's going on with our fella here?"- Nick tells the badger grumpily, the daily stress and frustration seem to be getting to him lately.

-"For what we know he has been abusing a new drug and this might be the result of an overdose, we haven't been able to identify all of it components but a preliminary result shows traces of cocaine, tetanus toxin and M. Holicithias extract."- The tired badger says disturbed, this is as frustrating as the fourteen mammals she had to treat almost a year ago.

-"Are you sure he wasn't just poisoned? Why would anyone want to put those toxins inside their bodies?"- Judy asks puzzled, cocaine sure it was a regular narcotic, but the other two just made no sense.

-"It's called Russian Roulette"- Lobato says walking respectfully towards them –"I've been talking to the guys from the lower platforms and they say it's supposed to make you much more powerful than you could ever hope for. Some say you could gain superpowers by using it like increased hearing, speed or supermammal strength. But they call it Russian Roulette because while most get away with using it, some get poisoned like our guy here, the worst part is that according to what they say this isn't exactly an OD, you could use this stuff once in a small doses and end up like this or you can use it for years in bulk and become a murder machine."-

Nick shakes his head, the "lower platforms" is a term used for low class criminals who make deals with the mafias but don't necessarily belong to any family. For years he was one of them, satisfied to slither away in the streets selling pawpsicles, he doesn't miss many aspects of his previous life but he envies his past self for being able to live a basically careless life with almost no responsibility.

-"How long has this drug been on our streets?"- Nick says angry, this kind of chemical could do a lot of harm on their turf.

-"This is the first mammal to be poisoned in the Savannah, and even yet I'm pretty sure he got it from another district, I don't think it has reached our turf yet. But the nocturnal district has been selling it for three months now"- Sam says helpfully while giving a wary eye to the wolf beside her. The bunny and the wolf never got along, he thinks she is using her status as a Hopps to raise the ranks and she thinks he is too violent and a mindless thug to have such a prominent place.

-"Is Kristoff in on it?"- Judy said outraged, drug trade is not something that this mafia forbid but they sure don't facilitate it either, now a chemical this dangerous should have been nipped in the bud not encouraged.

-"Not really, but he hasn't done much to stop it either, he seems to be more preoccupied on other things"- Lobato said frowning

The current leaders of the Savannah turf know better than to start feuds with other mob bosses, but they can't let their territory to become contaminated because one of them wasn't able to contain the issue properly.

-"So how do we treat this?"- Judy says worried for the tortured pig behind them, it seems the illusion of a smile is caused by the constant contractions in the muscles of his face.

Nick raises an eyebrow while both Sam and Lobato bow their heads, the older bunny gently places her paw over Judy's and tells her the truth in a gentle voice, she sounds like a heartbroken mother explaining her kits there is no Santa Claws.

-"According to our sources from the Nocturnal district family there is no cure, once you are in this state you stay like this until you die, you cannot sleep or eat in fact there is no way to even numb the pain"-

-"I'm afraid that last part is true, we have given him every tranquilizer drug in existence and he hasn't come out of it, we can't even put a feeding tube or iv in him because the muscle contraction makes it impossible"- Dr. Nye says frustrated, she hated giving up on her patients but keeping this pig alive is actually the cruelest thing to do.

-"So he is gonna stay there and suffer until he dies?"- Judy says outraged, how can all of them stay quiet while that poor pig is suffering?

-"Making him feel better is not possible right now ma'am"- The badger seems torn as well.

Judy is not happy about what she has to do, but as horrible as it may seem it is actually the kindest thing to do in a situation like this. Ears droop behind her back as she grabs her gun and comes near the sick pig, her soft paw gently rubs his forehead.

-"Hey Clint, do you remember me? I'm here to help you, can you close your eyes buddy?"- Her voice is sweet and comforting.

The broken mammal seems to shake his head, there is a pleading anguish in his eyes, and the horrible smile on his muzzle seems to widen making him look like he is doing a maniacal laugh.

-"It's all right, I know you feel bad but don't worry, you won't feel pain much longer"-

The pig seems to have a grateful expression on his now yellow face; Judy places one paw over his permanently open eyes while the other one place the muzzle of her gun over his chest, one gunshot roars over the infirmary and the pig is now finally at peace.

…

Sunrise has come, the heads of the Savannah family and their seconds in command found themselves having breakfast on the Gilded Truffle, the idea is to make a contingency plan to stop this drug to enter their territory. It is frustrating that they won't be able to meddle in the Nocturnal turf without disrespecting Kristoff, so they can't just barge in and remove the Russian Roulette drug from the city entirely. Perhaps even harder than managing you own empire is to sit back and hope the other bosses don't screw up and even worse, not let their fuck ups taint your carefully guarded realm.

Nick has to admit that in spite of their mutual hatred both Sam and Lobato do work well together, they managed to contain a possible threat and find the source of the issue. The wolf seems a little nervous while stealing glances at his boss, eventually the fox rolls his eyes and asks him annoyed

-"What is it Lobato? If there's something you want to discuss with us just say it"-

-"Boss, have you thought about who will lead the Savannah after you both leave?"- The wolf is the highest example of submission, his head bows and tilts to the side exposing his grey fuzzy neck.

Nick and Judy stare at each other puzzled –"What do you mean by leave?"- Judy asks carefully. "Is he actually asking us to name a successor in case we die?" The bunny thinks somber, in all fairness given how the Tundratown crumbles after the demise of its most beloved patriarch that is actually a good idea.

-"After you leave to Tundratown to become the main bosses"- Sam tells them in a matter of fact tone, as if them being named the next heads of the entire family is a given fact.

Awestruck both fox and bunny stare at their comrades in astonishment, and then they laugh their tails off at such a ridiculous idea.

-"Could you picture us Carrots? Sitting on the main desk and managing ALL the turfs in Zootopia?"- He was panting between breaths clutching his stomach as laughter bubbled from him.

-"We can barely manage the Savannah! I haven't had a decent night of sleep in three months! And you want us to rule the entire city?!"- There was a hint of hysterics in her laughter, she crackled so hard a few stray tears formed right below her eyes.

-"Say babe, how long would we last in that place? Two, maybe three months?"- Nick asked his wife through chuckles

-"Months?! We would be killed by the polar bears before we even come close to the office, and if they don't I would blow my own head off within the first week, I have been pulling my fur ever since I became a boss and we deal with only a fifth of the city"- Judy said mimicking the act of pulling an imaginary gun and aiming it to her head while snickering.

Finally their laughing fit subsides and both bosses wipe their eyes –"Thank you guys I really needed that"- Nick says in good humor. Both look at their comrades and frown at the dead serious glare they give them.-"You are not being serious about that right?"- He asks lifting his eyebrows in confusion

-"You were the ones that negotiated a truth with the police, you are the ones that secured the Savannah and took out the other families. Face it guys if it weren't for you the Tundratwon mafia would have never expanded outside of its turf"- Lobato said adamant.

-"No, we were only following orders; it was Mr Big the one that plotted everything we only did what he told us. And while Judy did kill Ke'elan, it was Raymond the one that took over the Rainforest by murdering Furia, he was in fact very gracious to let me participate instead of just mauling me in my sleep for meddling outside of our specific territory. That's what you guys seem to forget, the other bosses can eat us whole in less than a minute if they want to, they are much more experienced than us and had been around the family for years now."- Nick told them worried, this kind of "trash talk" between his subordinates could put them at risk from the other bosses, if any of them want to prove they are the true leaders both him and Judy could end up dead.

-"Nick is right, after Big's funeral the new boss will be named and whoever he is we will obey him."- Judy gave her subordinates a hard glare, Sam was reminded at her own mother back at the burrows when she scolded her kits.

-"Well we won't. Of all the turfs the Savannah is the only one that runs smoothly, the only crime in the district is the one we approve and control, the other turfs have a lot of small gangs wreaking havoc and killing innocent citizens left and right. All the other bosses are screwing up one way or another, if they become the main boss the entire family will fall, and we cannot let that happen."- The wolf implored, he genuinely believed the future of his family was at stake.

-"Besides you complain about how hard you work here, but I know you Judes, if the new patriarch tells you to do something against your values you would not bow down at his will. Do you honestly think those other guys will be as noble as Big? What will happen when say, Kristoff gets elected, and tells you to let this Russian Roulette take over your turf?"- Sam cocked her head and gave her little sister a sly grin, she always knew how to pull her strings.

-"And what do you suggest we do if they don't want us to be leaders? Should we just declare war and attack them? Because that would make us the Savannah against the Sahara, Tundratown, Nocturnal and Rainforest families. One against four, those are NOT good odds"- Nick retorted exasperated at the way this conversation was heading, just mentioning all of this was considered high treason in the mobster's code, Mr. Big would have been ashamed of all of them.

-"Actually that would be two against three"- The wolf said with a confident half smile.

-"More like two and a half over two and a half. Those seem like fair odds if you ask me, and who knows we might get even a better advantage if we work our influences right"- The older doe quipped with her sly grin still in place.

-"Care to elaborate Sam?"- Judy asker her dumbstruck, fear was tingling at the base of her spine, she had the eerie feeling that a storm of drama was heading their way and she was probably not able to handle it.

-"The Nocturnal district has had enough with their current boss, he has made things worse over there, now the crime instead of being organized is turning into a battle between the family and the hundred small gangs that run the turf. They want someone strong enough to wipe out the gangs so innocent mammals can stop dying in the crossfire, and we all know Kristoff is not strong enough for that. They are waiting for you orders bosses, one word from each of you and they will kill him like the Rainforest did with Furia"- The wolf spoke vehemently, like a passionate warrior longing to hear a battlecry.

-"There's also the fact that half of the Sahara family don't think Kevin is strong enough to lead him, they know you, Judy."- Sam said pointing at her blushing sister –"were the one that killed Samir and think it is only fair that you take over his turf. I don't think they have much of a problem with Kevin but for them this is a matter of honor, they believe only the murderer of their previous leader is fit to rule over them, they see their boss as a coward who profited from the actions of others"-

-"Half the city is in your paws boss, ma'am."- Lobato said respectfully bowing at both -"give the order and we will fight to the death so you can be the true rulers of the city. Remember that when someone laughs at the thought, you included."-

….

It was after the funeral of the former patriarch that Yuri called the minor bosses to discuss who would be the next main leader of the family. If Nick and Judy were worried about who would be elected before now they were terrified, two polar bears and an elk where in a bloody fight over who was the most fit for the position, the smaller mammals were spared from the awfulness because they said they weren't interested in occupying the post.

It had started as a mere argument of course, each and everyone had expressed their opinions, the only thing everyone agreed on was that the fox and the bunny were too inexperienced to run the entire family. But less than an hour later the three remaining bosses escalated their claims until they were literally clawing at each other's fur trying to probe they were the strongest.

A horrible though crossed the sly fox's head. What if Sam and Lobato are right? What if these guys are bad leaders and ruin the family? What if they see us as a threat and try to get rid of us?

A chill traveled his spine when he realized that Kevin might have an unfinished business with Judy, without realizing it her impetuous actions have had a negative effect over Kevin's rule and the polar bear might be tempted to assert his authority by harming her. He knew he and his wife would not be effective leaders, but he did wanted to have a saying on who would sit in the main office, he wanted to make sure the next patriarch would be fair an honorable.

He smiled as a cunning plan reached his devious mind. –"I have an idea"- The fox told Yuri knowing the large bear would make sure to shut the other bosses up so he could speak, the gigantic mammal roared so loud he made the furniture vibrate with its force, the room was silent after that. –"What if instead of fighting each other you guys put yourselves up for a challenge? The one that accomplishes the goal becomes the patriarch."-

-"And what challenge would that be?"- Raymond asked suspiciously, Wilde was honorable but he was as sly as foxes come.

-"Well there is a new drug called Russian Roulette making a disaster on the streets, now usually when a new narcotic shows up it can be contained but you can never get rid of it entirely, once it arrives it remains forever. But what if we actually manage to get the streets clean from it? THAT would be an impressive feat don't you think? Whoever manages to do that deserves to be the new patriarch"- The fox used the same tone for the mobsters as he and Finnick used for selling pawpsicles, submissive and charming.

-"And if you manage to do that?"- Kevin asked –"We all believe you and Judy aren't experienced enough for the position but you are more than capable of bringing this drug down, you are young but we don't doubt your skill"-

-"If we were the ones to manage that then we will choose the leader, and he will be the one that sits in the office"- Judy caught up with her husband's trick and played along.

The newlyweds held each other tight and saw a twin sparkle in their mate's eyes, they would make sure to bring the mammals behind this drug down and once they did, they would make sure the new patriarch was the leader this city deserved.