AN: I hope this chapter's decent, I haven't worked on this story in forever. Enjoy!

~WP

"So he's alright then?" Mom asks, putting a paw on my shoulder and squeezing it in- well, I can't quite read her face right at the moment, which surprises me, because I can always- always- read her.

"Yes, he is," Doctor Badger says as we sit in her office a few hours later. "I've run some tests on him, and aside from the headache, I don't see any signs of a concussion, and that would be at worst, anyway. How're you holding up, Nick?"

"Tired and sore, mostly," I grumble. "Just tired and sore, and well, what else is new?"

"Plenty," Judy says from her spot next to me. "There's been a lot of revelations going around, and well, one of them kinda landed us here."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," I mumble, rubbing the back of my head. It feels like there's going to be quite a lump on the back of my head where I hit it, but that'll heal.

"Are we good to go?" I ask, wanting to change the subject, like Judy said, there's been a lot of revelations flying around, especially that particular one…

"Yes, I think you are, Mister Hopps," Doctor Badger says as we get up and leave her office, taking some papers off of her desk with her. "Would you all meet me out front?" she says, waving a hand at the front desk.

It's weird being in a hospital this small, the whole thing being only one story, and considering that this is West Bunnyburrow General, well, it seems a bit small, but maybe the rest of the hospital is underground, like a warren? Eh, I don't know, what I do know is that I'm hopefully okay, but the hospital bills aren't going to be, that's for sure. No idea how we're going to pay for those…

As we head out to the main lobby, I notice something- it's nearly dead silent in here, no beeps of monitors, no alarm bells ringing, nothing. That doesn't seem right, and if this is a hospital, then where have all the noises gone?

"Doctor Badger?" I ask, deciding to sate my curiosity now. "Why is is so quiet it here? I mean, this is the only hospital for the southwestern part of the Burrows, so where is everyone?"

"That's a great question, and you'll have to ask the sheep," Doctor Badger grumbles. "It's always the sheep, I'm telling you, they're behind everything. The moon landing? Faked by sheep! Cownedy's assassination? Sheep hit, I swear, it's true!"

"Seriously?" I ask, incredulous. "You're going to make my head hurt again…"

"Well, it's true, I swear!" she says, the mane of white fur atop her head bobbing up and down as she nods her head frantically.

"Let's leave that topic for a second, okay, and change it to another, Doctor, the question I just asked," I say, trying to not feel any more stressed than I already am. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Look, Nick," she says, "I know you think I'm nuts, but let's be serious, okay? It is the sheep. Bellwether's in charge of Zootopia, you know that, of course, and, well, even though Bunnyburrow isn't part of Zootopia proper, it's our nation's capital city, so we have to answer to it, and well, there's a reason why I'm here. Bellwether thought I was nuts, she's probably right, but she also holds the purse strings, and well, let's just also add in that technically, I can't eve leave this building without a collar, and technically, you should have to wear one while you're here, as per federal law. That's another reason why I can't leave, because I know that somebody- some sheep- would come after me as soon as I left. It's a Cudspiracy, I swear!"

"Oh-kay, then," I say. "Missus Wilde, Mister Wilde, do you believe her?"

"Okay, it's time for the honesty I promised," Mister Wilde says. "I didn't want to get into politics, but after my father's death, I did. I can tell you want to know more, but wait. My family owned a tailor's shop, right in the center of Zootopia. You might know where the building is, or rather, was, if you've ever seen a map of the city proper- right where the Banyan Street Metro Station is now; it was torn down years ago when Bellwether came to power.

"Anyways, I was a young reynard when Bellwether came to power, and well, for a while, life was fine. There weren't any laws that started to crack down on predators just yet, but that was soon to come. In the meantime, we were starving, and it just so happened that my mate and wife here, she was pregnant. It wasn't going to be good, that would have been for sure, so when the baby was born, well, I'm ashamed to say it, but we left him- you, Nick- in an alleyway, because what orphanage would take you in, right?

"Who would want a fox? At least, in that city, nobody would, so we gave you up, and well, we were starving, we couldn't afford to feed all of us."

"So then why did you take me in?" Judy asks, one ear bent as if in question. "If you couldn't afford a fox kit, why take a bunny kit in?"

"By that time, both of us had found jobs, and granted, they were scat, but at least they paid. Garbage worker, janitor, whatever would pay, and it was a steady stream of income. We went back to the local orphanage, who, if Karma had been gracious, hopefully would have found him and maybe, just maybe have taken him in. They hadn't even seen you, so we had no idea where you had gone, but now there was this hole in our hearts, and so, after two months of fruitless looking, we went to that orphanage one last time, looking for you once again. No luck, but there was this beautiful little rabbit kit, who, as luck would have it, had just been given up for adoption a month or so ago.

"What could we do? The city was getting worse by the hour, and well, it wasn't smart thinking on our part, I have to say."

"What do you mean by that?" Judy says, flinching. "Are you saying that you regret taking me in?"

"No, no, nononono, that's not it at all, Judy," Mister Wilde says, we love you, you're our daughter, I just meant financially-wise. Rabbits cost less, that's all I'm trying to say, and it just means that there was only a few zoolars left each month instead of losing money. That's it, I promise!"

"Really? You're not covering anything up? That seems a bit fishy, if you're asking me, no offense to any fish."

"I don't think that they're going to care, Judy, and yes, we're being honest, no, we're not covering anything up."

"If we're not covering anything up, then, what, exactly, did you two do? Why did you keep me inside almost all the time? I mean, I only just recently found out about the collar scat, so what. The. Flock? Huh? What's going on here?"

"Here, let me see if I can explain," Doctor Badger says. "I was the tech who discovered the link between Night Howlers, as they're known, and this so-called savagery. Now, I went to come forward with it, but I was told that someone else had already made the same discovery as I had, and I was told that Bellwether had already been informed. Now, being just a tech, what right did I have to question that authority, right? None.

"So anyways," she continues, "Bellwether got wind of my work, and she offered to buy my silence, and if you don't know what that means, well, take a wild guess. If your guess was 'there'd be one less honey badger in the world,' you'd be right. I was given a choice, either be given the rank of Doctor and be shipped out here, or die. It was an easy choice, to say the least. Now, it just so happens that I had met your parents before, Judy, and well, even when they were younger, they fought for pred-prey equality, despite Bellwether trying to shut them up. They had just gotten out of jail for their role in a protest to that effect, actually, when they adopted you, just about- what was it, Marian, three months earlier?"

"Sounds about right," Mrs. Wilde says. "Don't you think that this is enough revelations for one day? I mean, look at the poor kit, he looks like he's had enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, I can't argue with that," I say. "I really do want to know more, but it's almost dinnertime, and I haven't eaten anything all day, so can I come over some time in about a week or so to ask you some more questions?"

"Not a problem," Doctor Badger says. "Just make sure that you're not followed by any sheep, okay?"

"Okay, Doc," I say, smiling and getting up to leave, Mom and the Wildes staying behind to finish up some paperwork, but as I head out towards the lobby, I hear loud voices, and as I get closer, they grow in volume and intensity, until, when I'm out in the lobby, I can see what it is, and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.

It's protesters, and I have no flocking idea why they're out there, other than maybe to protest some of the hospital's practices? I don't know, but then I catch sight of the signs they're holding and the looks some of them are directing my way as they catch sight of me, and they start jeering.

"Get out of here, fox," one of them snarls.

"Get lost, predator, get out of the Burrows."

"Even evil checks their locks," says another, "just to make sure that they're safe from your kind."

"Mangy vulpine. Where's my gun? I'll take care of the red devil." This from a little old rabbit with wire-rim glasses who's half bent over a cane, and well, he doesn't look like he could do me any harm, but I'm not willing to test that theory. Instead, I turn tail and run, barricading myself back into the room before anyone else has a chance to react, and then, seconds later, I hear glass break, and the voices start to pour in, and well, what in the flocking hell did I do to deserve this?

I have no idea, but I'm about to find out, that is, if I'm not skinned alive first.

Well, scat. Now what? I'm trapped, aren't I, and for what, being a fox?

Yeah, it doesn't look good, but then I have an idea. I fling open the door, just as the horde is about to reach it, which stops them dead in their tracks.

"Hi," I say, giving them a nervous wave, trying to stuff my nerves down my throat. "My name's Nick Hopps, and yeah, I'm a fox, but seriously, people, I didn't do anything wrong, so please, leave me and my family alone, and listen to me, okay?"

That gets their attention, now just to figure out what I'm going to say.