(A/N) Woohoo! Uploaded before 2030!

For once, I don't actually have a whole lot to say. This chapter was really fun to write and although I've still been having some anxiety off and on, my life hasn't had any major upheavals, so...maybe I'll be posting Chapter 13 before too long? XD

I do want to take another moment to thank everyone who posted reviews on Chapter 11; that definitely improved my mood, which also gave me the energy I needed to write this chapter! :) You guys are all seriously great and it means a lot to me that you continue reading and enjoying this story. So again, thank you.

Alright, so the end of the last chapter was kinda...sad. :( It ended very uncertainly, so now it's time to deal with all the aftermath from Judy and Samantha's argument. Will things turn out well for them...or get worse?

Thanks to Zephyr Fyrian for proofreading again, now on to the chapter!


Weeks went by without a word from either Samantha or June. The two sisters continued to sit, either by themselves, or occasionally with Judy's brother James.

Nick, meanwhile, continued to sit with Judy, Sharla, and their other friends every day. At first, it was a little weird getting used to Samantha and June's absence, but after some time it began to feel normal. A regular routine began setting in, and any thoughts of reconciliation with Samantha were pushed to the back of everyone's heads.

And then came the day that no one was expecting.

It started out like any regular morning. It was mid-March and still cold outside, the skies currently gray and cloudy. It wasn't raining, but it looked like a downpour could start any minute.

As Nick started to get dressed for school, the only thought on his mind was how bored he was going to be at school today. After the initial fear of being mistreated at school had passed, the days started to blur together in a dull, gray haze. While he enjoyed seeing Judy and the others at school every day, he spent most of his time in a boring classroom, just waiting for the bell to ring. To make things worse, today was Monday, which meant the high from a fun weekend was still fresh, and thus the prospect of going back to school was more dreadful than it would be once the routine had set in again.

Nick considered Judy for a moment as he stepped out of his room and headed down the hallway. Unlike Nick, Judy seemed to enjoy school. Either that, or she was really good at hiding it, and he was pretty sure the latter wasn't the case.

"Actually, come to think of it," Nick realized, "it isn't just school that Judy enjoys; she always seems so happy about just…everything. Even when she's upset, she takes it so well. She doesn't give up, she fights her way through everything life throws at her, and leaves everyone else stunned at her optimistic attitude. I don't think she even realizes how much of an effect she has on everyone around her…"

Nick's internal ramblings about his friend were interrupted when Brendan suddenly burst out of his room and came running down the hall. Nick chuckled, shaking his head. Brendan still seemed to get excited about school on a regular basis.

"Good morning, Nick," May said, washing dishes in the kitchen. "Don't you want to take your coat? It's pretty cold outside, and it might rain later today."

"I don't need a coat," Nick replied, rolling his eyes. "It's almost spring, anyway. I'll be fine."

"Alright, if you say so," May said, sounding unconvinced. "Brendan, you have your coat, right?"

"Yep!" Brendan confirmed.

Nick sat down at the table and ate breakfast quickly, already trying to mentally prepare himself for the hours of boredom that were about to set in. It was yet another dull, gray Monday, and the only thing to look forward to was lunch time.

After finishing breakfast, Nick headed to the door and stepped outside. As soon as he exited the house, he was hit with a wave of cold, moist air, but he refused to go back to get his coat at this point. Having resigned himself to facing the cold, he walked out onto the porch and down the driveway, Brendan following behind him enthusiastically.

"Here we go again," Nick thought.


Nick stepped off the bus and started walking towards the school, his mind already distracted. The gray clouds overhead were already getting darker, and for a brief moment Nick thought he felt a raindrop or two. Still, he was too busy dreading the long, monotonous day that was soon to come to pay much attention to the weather. He kept his head down as he walked, no longer out of fear but out of sheer lack of interest.

Nick was almost to the front door of the school when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. At first, he paid it no mind and continued forward, but then his curiosity won out and he stopped to look. To his horror, he saw that, over past the edge of the parking lot, three bunnies seemed to be ganging up on another one. Taken aback, Nick hurried over to the trees to get a better look at the situation, realizing that the lone bunny getting picked on was none other than Clara's friend, Mark.

"Stop!" Mark pleaded, as one of the other bunnies pushed him down, into the mud. "Why are you—?"

"You know why!" one of the other bunnies said, his familiar voice causing Nick to stop right at the edge of the parking lot. "You're a traitor to your species, making friends with that fox!"

"W-what?" Mark stammered, trying to pick himself back up only to be knocked back down by another one of the mean bunnies. "Y-you mean Nick Wilde—?"

"Don't say his name," one of the mean bunnies warned harshly.

Taking a deep breath, Nick made his decision quickly. Running straight towards the group of bunnies, he wiped his expression of any emotions other than rage, letting out a snarl to announce his presence. Startled, the other bunnies whirled around to face him, their faces showing a mix of hatred and…fear.

"They're really afraid of me," Nick realized, taking a moment to breathe in the painfully obvious scent. "Alright, alright, now don't screw this up, Nick."

Nick slowly began stepping forward; his heart was pounding from nerves, but he wouldn't dare to let these bunnies see that. He had already done that once, and he did not plan on ever repeating that experience again. Nor did he plan on letting these jerks harm one of his friends. They had officially gone too far.

"You remember me, don't you?" Nick said, smirking as if to seem confident, though internally he was still pretty nervous.

"You—you—" one of the rabbits started, pointing at Nick while glancing nervously around at his companions. "You're the fox from the—"

Nick snarled again, causing the rabbit to jump. Glancing at Mark, Nick saw that he looked just as terrified as the others. Wanting to reassure the shy bunny, Nick winked at him. Seeming to get the message, Mark nodded very subtly, ensuring the others wouldn't notice.

With Mark reassured, Nick returned his attention to the other rabbits. One of them—the one who seemed to be the leader of their little group—was now standing firmly with his arms folded, glaring at Nick.

"Don't mess with us again, fox," he warned.

"Or?" Nick challenged, getting so close to the rabbit that he started to back away. "Are you gonna try to muzzle me again? Go ahead; I'd like to see you try."

Nick growled again, this time with his mouth open to show off his fangs. It felt so freeing, displaying his sharp predator teeth as openly as this, not having to feel ashamed or embarrassed by them. For a moment, he actually believed the confidence he was trying to project, completely forgetting the rabbits outnumbered him. After all, he was a predator, and he was not going to let these prey muzzle him…not this time.

"Come too close and I'll bite you," Nick thought, glaring intently at the rabbit in the lead.

"Alright, fox, you win this time!" the rabbit said, backing off. "B-but you'd better not try to eat us, or we'll muzzle you again!"

With that, he turned and ran around Nick and back towards the parking lot, the other two rabbits following directly behind him. Nick took a moment to make sure they were gone, then rushed over to Mark and knelt down beside him, holding out his paw.

"Are you ok?" he asked the rabbit, who suddenly looked frightened again. "Hey, it's alright; I'm not going to bite you or anything. I was just trying to scare them off so they'd leave you alone."

Shaking slightly, Mark held out his paw and took Nick's, letting Nick help him up out of the mud. It was just then that Nick noticed the raindrops; looking up at the sky, he saw it was getting darker by the minute. Any moment now, it would be pouring.

"We should probably get inside, don't you think?" Nick said.

"Um…yeah," Mark agreed.

And so, with no hesitation, the two kits hurried back towards the school, feeling the raindrops become more frequent and noticeable with every step. There was no one else by the door anymore, so Nick guessed everyone else must have already gone inside.

"Um…hey, Nick?" Mark said quietly, right as they reached the door.

"Yeah?" Nick replied.

"I just…thanks for…what you did back there," Mark said. "I don't even know who those bunnies were…"

"They're, um…old acquaintances of mine," Nick laughed.

Mark smiled a little, seemingly amused.

"Yeah…seemed like you knew them," he said. "And also…well, I know a lot of the mammals here are scared of predators… I'm just…well, I'm nervous with everyone…or at least that's what Clara says…it's not anything to do with you…"

"Really, it's fine," Nick assured him. "I'm used to prey being scared of me; it's not—"

"But I'm not, though!" Mark insisted. "Seriously, you can ask Clara…I was terrified of her when we first met and she's not a predator."

"So…you're saying my fangs don't bother you?" Nick asked.

"No, not at all; they're actually really fascinating," Mark replied. "It's…talking…that bothers me."

"Well, then," Nick chuckled, "no need to talk if you don't want to. Let's go inside now, ok?"

Mark nodded, and together the two kits stepped into the school and out of the pouring rain. They would have a lot to tell the others at lunch today.


As soon as Nick stepped into the cafeteria beside Judy, Sharla and Clara came running up to them, a group of twenty or so other prey kids following behind them. A little startled, Nick glanced at Judy, who just shrugged.

"Nick!" Sharla said, stopping in front of him. "Is it true you stood up to those bullies? Mark—well, Clara told me that Mark said you stood up for him before school today."

"Yeah, that's what Mark said," Clara confirmed. "Apparently our fox was a real hero this morning."

Nick was stunned, unable to even comprehend what was happening before his eyes to put words together. A whole group of rabbits, squirrels, sheep, and other prey mammals were looking at him—a predator—and it wasn't with fear. It was…admiration?

Then he glanced at Judy, who looked even more dumbstruck than he felt…and a little irritated too. Nick realized he hadn't told her about what had happened that morning yet, though in his defense he had planned to tell her soon anyway.

"Nick, did that happen?" Judy asked. "You didn't say anything about—"

"Yeah, it's true," Nick confirmed, earning several enthusiastic smiles from the crowd. "They were the same bunnies from the Scouts…"

"What?!" Judy exclaimed. "And they were picking on Mark, too?! That's it—"

"Judy, it's fine…" Mark said, stepping out from the crowd he had been hiding in. "I don't think they're going to bother us anymore…"

"Well, it's about time!" Sharla laughed. "I mean, if I was a predator, I would have scared them off a long time ago."

Nick felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, as he recalled how confident he had felt about showing off his fangs earlier. He certainly didn't feel like that now; in fact, he hesitated to talk now as the idea of having his sharp teeth on display was at least moderately uncomfortable.

"Why should I be nervous about that now?" he thought to himself. "They're all really impressed! Sharla doesn't care that you're a predator; neither does Mark, and definitely not Judy!"

"But…why did I like it so much? It was so satisfying, seeing those jerks terrified of me… Did I take things too far? What if they really thought I was going to eat them…?"

"Oh, shut up," he replied internally. "You weren't going to eat them; you're not insane. You finally got to enjoy being a predator for once, instead of being ashamed and trying to hide your fangs from everyone you see. Stop trying to compromise yourself just to make everyone else comfortable."

Taking a deep breath, Nick tried to calm himself and find that unwavering confidence he had displayed earlier that morning. He was a fox; there was nothing to gain from pretending he wasn't. The others had never been more accepting of that than they were right now, and there was no guarantee it was going to last. So, with that in mind, Nick decided he was going to make the most of this moment while it lasted. He knew he wouldn't forgive himself if he let one second of this go to waste.

"Yeah," Nick chuckled, trying to relax. "I think I'd be scared of you if you were a predator, Sharla."

Sharla giggled.

"Well, that's nice of you to say, Nick," she said, "but I was mostly joking. I don't think I'd be very good at being scary… I'd probably just scare myself if I tried."

That earned several laughs from the others, including Nick. Already, he could feel his nerves starting to relax as he settled into being himself.

"Hey, Nick," Clara spoke up, "did you really…you know, growl at them? What's that like? I've never actually heard anyone do that before…"

"You want me to demonstrate?" Nick asked.

"Um…yes!" Clara said, a little nervously.

"Alright, but you guys might want to step back," Nick said, chuckling. "As you might have heard, my snarl is known to frighten even the most hardened of mammals."

Most of the group laughed, but some of them actually backed away nervously. Nick took another deep breath, though this time it was mainly just for dramatic effect. Briefly throwing away all of his fear of being a predator, he let out a snarl far more ferocious than he had intended, unapologetically displaying his sharp fangs.

Several of the others flinched, some even stepping back a little more, though to Nick's relief they didn't seem afraid. They actually looked…impressed. Somehow, in standing up for Mark, Nick's predator traits had gone from terrifying to almost heroic in the eyes of his peers. He didn't know how long it would last, so he committed to enjoying it as long as he could.

"That was…cool," a male deer remarked.

"Impressive, Nick!" Judy applauded, startling him when she punched his arm.

"Lame!" called a voice from across the room.

"Shut up, James!" a female voice retorted. "If you're not scared of him, then why don't you get up here and face him?"

"Wait…" Nick thought, "but that voice belongs to…"

"June?" Judy said.

Nervously, the light brown bunny stepped forward and approached Judy. Nick scanned the crowd for her older sister, Samantha, but she was unsurprisingly nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry about what my sister said…" June said. "Do you think…can I sit with you guys again today?"

"Of course!" Judy exclaimed. "Come on, everyone, let's go eat."

She led the way through the line, Nick following behind her. Before long, they were seated at a table with several of their friends, including June, as well as several of the other enthusiastic kids from the crowd. It was a strange feeling, suddenly being so adored by the other students, but he definitely liked it. Until now, he had never really felt comfortable to just be himself, not having to worry about accidentally frightening anyone.

But now, at least for this one day, he didn't have to hide anymore. He was a fox—a predator—and today that seemed to be a good thing.


By the time school was over and Nick was walking back towards the bus, the rain had ended and the sky was starting to clear up. He glanced over to the side, where he had stood up for Mark earlier. It was so strange, thinking how far he had come since first moving here. Seeing those jerk bunnies from the Scouts meeting again…it was like coming full circle. Back then, he had been too afraid to even try to fight back when the rabbits muzzled him, and today he had managed to scare them off by doing nothing other than faking confidence.

"Well, and that snarl probably helped too; I doubt it would have sounded that good last year…" he thought.

"Nick, wait up!" a familiar voice called from behind him.

Nick spun around, and sure enough, Judy was running towards him. Without stopping, she ran straight up to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Chuckling to himself, Nick hugged her as well.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked, laughing.

"You were so brave today, Nick!" Judy said cheerily. "What you did was amazing… And I'm glad everyone else got to see the real you today…"

"Yeah…" Nick agreed. "So…you really don't mind it at all? I mean…me being a predator and embracing it and all that?"

"No, why would I mind that?" Judy replied, pulling away. "Nick, if you weren't a fox, you probably couldn't have stood up to all those bunnies by yourself."

"That's not true; you definitely would have done the same thing," Nick laughed.

"Well—ok, I guess you do have a point there," Judy admitted, "but even if I had stood up to them, I couldn't have scared them off like you did. I would have tried my best, but still…I'm not a predator. I'm glad you were there. And it's not just me, either; everyone else is saying the same thing."

"It did feel good…not having to hide today," Nick agreed.

"You mean…hiding your fangs?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, but it's not just that," Nick explained. "It's like I always have to be extra calm here…but back home in Zootopia when I was around other predators, it wasn't like that. I guess predators are just a lot rougher than prey are… Here, I'm always worried that any little thing I do could frighten someone. Does that make sense?"

"I get it," Judy said. "I'm sorry it's that way for you…you shouldn't have to hide who you are just because we bunnies are too sensitive."

"But I don't want to scare anyone," Nick replied. "If my fangs make prey nervous—"

Judy quickly slapped a paw over Nick's snout.

"Then they can look the other way," she said flatly. "No one should have to hide who they are for someone else's sake."

"I guess you're right," Nick sighed. "It's just hard… Sometimes I feel like I'm threatening everyone just by being here, the way they react to me."

"I know," Judy said, putting a paw on his shoulder. "But whenever you feel like that…just remember today. You protect us…you're not a threat."

"Thank you," Nick replied. There was a brief moment of silence before he added, "Well, I guess we should probably get going now, huh?"

"Right!" Judy agreed. "See you tomorrow, Nick!"

Both of them quickly hurried off to the bus, each feeling unusually cheery. Things were starting to look up.


As the weeks went by and winter faded into spring, the events of that day slowly began to fade, too. For a few weeks or so, Nick's defending of Mark was all anyone seemed to talk about, but it wasn't long before other events took its place and Nick's constant attention from the other students started to lessen.

But regardless, Nick's actions had changed the way the other students looked at him, even long after his days of being the school's hero had passed. There could be no denying now that Nick was a good kit, not a danger or a threat to anyone. He wasn't here to try and eat innocent bunnies; he was just…like everyone else.

Of course, some mammals' preconceived notions about predators were more easily overcome than others.

"He scared some bunnies who just so happened to be picking on Mark; so what?"

"You know he would have gone after Mark if he wasn't distracted with the other three!"

"Sure, he stood up for Mark, but that doesn't mean he isn't still dangerous…"

Still, as Judy sat in the cafeteria, looking around at the other students on the last day of school, she couldn't help but wish they all had the privilege of knowing Nick as well as she did. It had only been a year since she had met him, but in that year, her perception of predators had changed a lot. She had learned so much, and she wished everyone around her could see what she saw. She wished they could see how remarkable predators could be; how their strengths, as frightening as they were, could be positive…even amazing at times.

Yet, as Judy finished her lunch and got up to leave the table—her friends having already finished and left—she felt that the year had been an overall success. She had befriended a fox, she had learned to let go of her innate fear of predators, and together, she and Nick had symbolically repaired the rift between their two species by reenacting the Trust Ritual. Yes, Judy was only one bunny kit in a very small town, but she liked to think she was making the world a better place one small step at a time.

But still, there was one last thing that had to happen before this school year could come to a close.

"Um…Judy?" said a voice from behind.

Turning around, Judy saw that the voice belonged to none other than Samantha, someone she hadn't spoken to in over two months. Seeing her again now, remembering the argument, Judy really didn't want to hear whatever she had to say. Nevertheless, she decided to at least hear her out.

"What is it, Sam?" Judy sighed.

"Look, I just wanted to say…" Samantha started, sounding unsure. "I…I get what you said about Nick. I've been thinking about it, and…well, I was…I was wrong."

She clenched her eyes shut while saying that last part, wincing as if it was physically painful.

"See, my parents always told us that predators were dangerous," she explained. "But…I've been thinking about it and I realized how careful Nick always is… I don't think he would hurt you. So…I'm…I'm sorry. But I…I can't…"

At this point she shut her eyes again, but this time she seemed to be trying to hold back tears. Judy felt a little regretful at how she had lashed out at Samantha when they'd last spoken; it hadn't occurred to her that the bunny was just repeating what her parents had told her. Taking a few calming breaths, Judy placed a paw on her friend's shoulder.

"It's ok," she said softly. "You can tell me."

"I'm still scared of predators, Judy…" Samantha replied quietly. "And I…I know Nick isn't dangerous and he wouldn't hurt you, or any of us, but…I…I can't…I can't stop myself from being afraid…so I hope you'll forgive me if I keep my distance…"

Judy sighed. Her first thought was to immediately start trying to explain to Samantha how she didn't have to be afraid of Nick, and he would never hurt her, and if she just gave him a chance she would get over her fear and everything would be perfect…

But that wasn't going to happen. As much as Judy wanted every bunny to be like her, able to be best friends with predators and not feel afraid of them, she knew that would be too good to be true. She thought back to when she had first met Nick, and how he had been so kind to her and helped her even though she was still afraid of him.

Sometimes, Judy realized, she would have to accept mammals where they were. If Nick hadn't done it for her, she might never have gotten over her fear.

"And maybe Samantha will come around too, eventually…" Judy thought hopefully. "But I can't try to force it, or I'll end up pushing her away."

So with a heavy heart, Judy simply replied, "I understand."

Samantha wiped the tears from her eyes and stood silently for a moment, trying to regain her composure.

"Thank you," she finally said. "I…well—"

"Samantha!" called an unfamiliar female voice from across the room. "Are you coming?"

"Oh, sorry, Judy, I have to go!" Samantha replied, hurrying away. "I'll see you in the fall!"

And that was that. The rest of the day went by in a blur, an incoherent jumble of events Judy's mind could barely process after her talk with Samantha. She felt emotionally exhausted, thinking back on all the ups and downs throughout the year and wondering what would happen in the fall. She wondered if Nick would start to feel comfortable fully being himself, if Samantha would overcome her fear of predators, if James would ever stop being a brat…

But today wasn't the day she would get those questions answered, nor was tomorrow or the next day. So for the time being, she decided she would try to relax and enjoy the summer, and not worry about the future. There was a lot to look forward to, and she wasn't about to miss any of it.

After all, she and Nick were both ten years old now. What would the next year hold for the two of them?


(A/N) Sweet cheese and crackers, it seems like Samantha can't even make an appearance anymore without bursting into tears!

In all seriousness, though, I'm really excited for future chapters. I'm likely going to try and increase the pace for a while since the story is going to span several years, and every year doesn't need to be twelve freaking chapters! But we'll just have to wait and see.

That's all for today. See you all again soon! (not literally, but you know what i mean)