A/N

Hello everyone. This is proving to be quite popular, much to my pleasure as the author. I love hearing how much y'all enjoy this dalliance of my muse.

Of course, I do not own Zootopia, and can therefore make no claims to Zootopia or its characters. I only make claim to my own OC's included herein as needed. Though I think I could do more with it than Disney is at the moment. So many awesome ideas that they could use, and they're sitting on their asses.

I blame Bear678 for this.

Anyway, on with the show.

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Wilde Cardz - Savage Territory - Chapter 15

Three weeks earlier.

Judy pulled the batteries from the recorder and placed them in the locker with the recorder itself. Sealing it, she easily lifted the hundred pound box and placed it beneath the fake stone before closing that and setting the locking mechanism. "There we go…" She looked out towards the city. "I know you are out there somewhere, Nick. Can't believe it has been months since I last saw you. I miss you so much…" Shaking herself, she wiped away a tear and turned towards the collapsed bridge. "Time to leave my mark and head to the burrow. I've done what I can here in the city. I need to see how the family is doing. I've waited too long as it is. I just hope you understand."

With a quick run, Judy easily leaps across the gap to where the weapon cache was located. Opening the cache she removes her bag, then re-sealed it. She then commenced to mark it more than liberally. Moving to the other side, she looked at the section of bridge going deeper into the Rainforest that was still hanging on. Knowing she needed to keep it safe for Nick, she reared back and punched down into the concrete.

Working her way along, she was able to smash it off and isolate the cache. Only someone like her, able to leap the gap, or willing to climb the tree, would be able to gain access. Smiling at her handiwork, Judy marked up the cache just a little bit more. Looking back towards the city, Judy sighed. "Oh Nick... I need you to find me. Or so help me, once I have made sure my family is safe, I will hunt you down and shave your tail."

With another leap, she quickly made her way into the Rain forest, bag of weapons over her back. Twenty minutes later, she landed at the entrance to the group she had helped form and protect, scaring the squirrels on guard.

Stumbling backwards and landing on his tail, holding a wolf sized knife as a sword. "GAH! Judy! Don't do that?"

With a laugh, Judy walked past. "Eddy, I'm a rabbit. I don't climb, so what do you expect me to do? Especially as I don't need to call the elevator."

"Whatever. Still freaks me out what you are capable of. Every other mammal with powers only has one, a few have two, you have so many I wonder if you even know. And where did you learn to fight the way you have taught us?"

"Ancient Bunny Secrets, Eddy. Maybe someday you'll figure it out."

A caracal stepped out of the door to one of the nearby buildings. "Hopps. I see you are back from whatever personal mission you were on. So, is it true that you will be leaving us?"

Judy nodded. "It is, Herald. It is. I have waited too long. I need to go home and make sure my family is safe. Then I will come back, because if Nick hasn't found me, I need to hunt him down and locate him, one way or the other. I swear, if that fox isn't affected by all this and hasn't looked for me, I will shave his tail!"

Herald nodded sadly. "So you are just back to organize you things then?"

"That's right. I'm not abandoning you completely, but I have done all I can. I just hope that Nick finds you, and then me, sooner than later. You have the message for him?"

With a sigh, Herald nodded again. "I do. But truly, Judy. Are you sure? Given your condition?"

Judy shook her head. "Herald. I have waited far too long. Nick will be able to find me, I know it. I just can't wait any more, and it almost wouldn't surprise me if he were waiting for me instead of me waiting for him."

"Red fox. Eyes like burning emeralds, and a hint of violets to his scent. I know who Nick Wilde is. I knew him before he became a cop, and you know that all too well."

"That was before, and now… You and many like you who lived on the wrong side of the law have been given the chance to take those skills and redeem yourself. Something I have to say you have done exquisitely. I just fear that others like yourself will not be quite as magnanimous in their motivations, seeking to make their own kingdoms and such, at the detriment of others."

Herald chuckled darkly. "As we well know, that is not a fear, so much as a sure thing. You freed that one group near Otterdamn, but didn't let them know who you were."

"They were oppressed by those like me. Those with abilities. They were not going to be able to see me as anything but another possible oppressor, not a liberator. Besides, I have no interest in ruling or leading."

"Yet you do it so well."

Judy nodded. "I blame Nick for that. Anyway, I need to organize and pack. I'll be sure to say goodbye before I go."

Herald called after her. "Be sure you do, and you better stop by the school. The kids need to know their favorite bunny is leaving."

Judy waved behind her and then with a crouch, leaped upwards nearly a hundred meters, swinging herself over a railing to land lightly on the walkway. Stepping inside her small apartment, she tossed the bag on the bed and dropped into her chair. Looking out her window next to the chair, she gave a large, tired sigh. "Gods… Am I doing the right thing? Where are you, Nick? I need you so much. I know you are still alive. I can feel that much from our old link, but you are too far away to tell more than that. Just don't give in, my love. You haven't lost me. Just find me, but I need to check on my family and make sure they are safe, because I know you can and will survive this. I have faith in you."

After a moment, and with another deep sigh, she got up, dumped out the bag she had taken from the cache and began organizing her weapons, equipment, clothes, and other supplies. She knew she would still need to stop by the garden and kitchen for food to at least get her out of the city and she wouldn't be leaving until the next morning. There were just too many things that she needed to finish up, too many mammals to say goodbye to. Though one thing she knew, she would be doing it early, and not via the main entry gate. She still had a few secrets, and her very sharp, and very retractable claws were one of those. Flexing them, she gave a grin. "Nick is going to love these the next time I give him a belly rub."

After two hours, she was satisfied with packing, a hiking back-pack she had scrounged from the remains of a DikDik's Sporting Goods. She wasn't sure why it had been ignored, not that she was complaining. It came with a water purifier, sealed storage for food, half gallon water bladder, solar panel and charging ports for phones and electronics, attachments for other things, which she used to hang things like her MP7, a collapsible multi-tool that included a trenching blade and spear, and fishing gear. It would have cost her nearly three grand if she had bought it, so she figured those that raided the store probably thought it was just an overpriced designer pack. Again, she wasn't going to complain. There were five of them, she had two, one for her, one she was leaving for Nick, and the other three she gave to the community.

She then left her room and headed to the common area. It was mostly smaller mammals living here, though they had grown and now had a dozen wolves, as well as a few jaguars, and other jungle cats. She was glad her family raised chickens, she was able to teach them how to do just that to help keep the predators of their community fed. Still, she knew that they were also hunting savages as well since they just did not have enough room to have a chicken farm large enough to feed them all off just that. She didn't like it, but she understood it.

Arriving, she found the evening meal in full swing and got in line. Loading up her plate, she looked at the thin sliced and spiced meat and sighed as she added a small piece to her plate. It was best not to think about what animal it may have come from, though it was clearly not chicken. Shaking the disturbing thoughts off, she knew that the predators, and others like her, needed the protein.

Taking her seat at the main table. She was considered a leader in the community, she ate in silence, just listening to the din of conversation around her. Talk of a successful hatching that, so long as they all survived, would nearly double their number of chickens. Another table talking about the work they were doing to expand to another tree which had lots of room on it, and how they just needed to get a bridge built. She smiled at all this. That conversation, the hope of the mammals there, and just the community as a whole was what helped her keep going without Nick.

She felt, heard, and smelled her brother approach behind her. "Hi Herald."

Herald chuckled. "Couldn't sneak up on you before all this, even harder now. What's wrong? Your ears are drooping. You feeling okay?"

Judy nodded with a dry laugh. "Yeah, I feel fine, all things considered. No, I am just considering an announcement that I need to make."

"What announcement?"

With a tired sigh, Judy pushed her plate back. She had finished, and still needed to raid the food stores for Jerky and some other things to help get her through. Standing, she stepped over to the raised dais where a microphone was. Turning it on, she turned to the assembled mammals. "Hey everyone, can I get your attention?"

Silence greeted her as every eye and ear turned to her. Smiling at that, Judy chuckled. "Thanks. It isn't so serious, but I need to let you all know. I am going to be going on an extended expedition. It is long past time that I make my way home, and make sure my family is alright, and then I need to find my husband. One way or another." A lot of grumbling and voices rose up at that. Judy held up her paw for quiet. "Please. I am not abandoning you forever, I just need to make sure that my family… Herald and my families, are okay and safe. Given my abilities, it is a trip I can make in relative safety, despite the distance.

Also, we were farmers and most of you I am sure knew our products. HFF produce and HFF meats. Yes, HFF stood for Hopps Family Farms, and we were the largest chicken producer in the Tri-burrows. We had contracts with dozens of fisheries to source the fish and other seafood we also sold."

Someone from the back. "Wait?! You're telling me that a bunch of rabbits raised some of the best chicken on the shelves?"

Judy laughed as did Herald. "We did at that. The reason is lost in time, but my family raised chickens and sold them to predators from long before the Great Pact. Some of our family historians believe that it was a defense mechanism. If we had chickens to sell, predators were less likely to go after us directly."

Another voice from the crowd. "Makes sense."

Judy nodded and continued. "That said, I do not know how long I will be gone. My biggest hope is that Nick will find his way here and then you can point him to me if he is not already heading that way. If my family is safe, and still keeping the chickens, or can start it back up again, and we can get the rail line working again, then that could solve a lot of our food issues, for both predator and prey, being that we were also the largest farm in the Tri-Burrows."

A small caracal kitten stepped forward. "So you are not going forever, Miss Judy?"

Smiling, Judy picked up the kitten. "No, David. I am not going to be gone forever. It may be awhile before I get back, but I will come back."

David looked up at her and then hugged around her neck tightly. "Can't I come with you?"

A sadder smile taking over her face, Judy sighed. "I'm sorry, David. You can't come with me. It isn't safe, and I would only feel comfortable taking someone with abilities like me. You are not old enough yet, but if we can get the railway working again, and my family starts shipping food into the city again, then I will make sure to take you on a trip to see the farm. Okay?"

Still holding onto her. "Okay…" A quiet sniff heard from David.

Herald stepped up and took David from Judy. "Come on, David. You still need to finish your dinner." Setting him back on his paws.

Looking up at Judy, his eyes watery. "Okay." He then followed Herald back to the kids table.

With another sigh, Judy looked back over the collected mammals. "So, as I was saying. This is not meant to be a permanent thing and I will be back as soon as I can be."

A jaguar from one of the nearer tables stood up. "When are you leaving?"

"Early morning. It's going to take about an hour to get to the rail line, and I plan on following it out of the city. I want to be well on my way by the time the sun is fully up. Better to avoid most savages, given that the rail line is raised for most of the trip through the city."

With that, Judy turned off the mic and hung it up. Stepping down, she was quickly pulled towards one table and then another with questions about the trip, what she hoped to find, if she really thought they could get the rail line working again, along with a myriad of other questions. It wasn't until late that she managed to get to the stores and withdraw the food that she was going to take with her.

Landing on her level, she found Herald waiting for her outside her apartment, leaning against the wall. "Herald?"

Herald sighed and stood up. "Jude… I really wish I could go with you, but I am needed here. I'd say you were too, but you have worked very hard to make sure that you are not. I would almost suspect that you were planning this?"

Judy shrugged and entered her rooms, beckoning him to follow. "Maybe a little bit. It was more of the mentality that I can't always be here. I might be out on a hunt or scrounge when something happens, and the mammals here need to be able to deal with it themselves. I just hate leaving David and the other kits."

Herald nodded. "Yeah. They all look up to you, but you know David sees you as his mother now, right?"

Judy looked away and out her window, her ears drooping. "I know. You are so good with the kits, Herald. For someone who before all this was one of the most specist members of the family, I am forever amazed by your care for all the kits."

Herald shrugged with a sad chuckle. "I guess I just needed the apocalypse to grow up. It is still shocking that it was prey that did this. Misguided, delusional, prey, who believed much as I did. Hell, I was here for a rally that I think was hosted by those very nutters, and it was a predator that saved me. A fox, even."

Judy nodded with a smile. "Yep, and now look at you."

Herald laughed. "Yeah, now look at me. I'm basically married to that very same fox, just like my insane cop sister, and I couldn't be happier. So, you are going to come back, right? I want to know that the family is alright too."

"Yes, I will be back. I am just going to go make sure they're alright, help them out for a few months if needed. My strength and other abilities will surely come in handy. Then I will come back. I have to find Nick, so if he doesn't find me there, or isn't waiting for me, I have to return for that reason. Plus, as you say, I can't abandon David."

"And your condition? What about that?"

Judy shrugged. "What about it? I'm not going to let it stop me, and the burrow might be the better place for me for those first few months."

Herald nodded. "Okay. Get some rest then. You have a long journey ahead of you. I just hope your fox is still himself."

Judy looked away, her ears falling again. "So do I, Hearld... So do I."

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The next morning, Judy was up well before the sun. She rechecked her bags in the dark, as she no longer needed light to see by. This fact brought thoughts of Nick to her mind and knowing what great night vision he had, and just how much he loved her. How he would make sure that the lights were on when he clearly didn't need them. Wiping a tear from her eyes, she put her pack on and exited her apartment.

Outside her room she found a dozen mammals. Looking them over, all she could do was chuckle and sigh. "Hi guys. Here to escort me?"

Renato Manchas smiled warmly at Judy. "You really planned to leave without saying goodbye?"

"I said goodbye last night. I let it be known that I would be heading out very early this morning."

Renato nodded and shook his head. "And probably not from the main entrance either. You wanted to avoid the tears I'm sure. Well, that is why we are here. You have to give me a hug before you go or I simply cannot let you leave."

Judy laughed. "Oh Renato, I will be back. I promise."

Another mammal nodded, a water deer. "Yes, and probably not for at least a year, given everything."

Judy sighed. "Elli! I have no intention of staying away that long. With any luck, it'll only be a few weeks. Long enough to get out there, make sure things are good, and then get back. With any luck, I'll even be able to talk to you before then, assuming I can get the radio in the police station working. It was able to reach all the way here to Zootopia."

Ed, Elli's wolf mate, nodded. "Yes, and that was because of repeaters that no longer have power."

"Yes, but many of those were supposed to have been replaced with solar powered ones. There should also be solar powered ones in the station, so as I make my way back, I should be able to set those up and recreate the connection. Then again, I know where they are, all along the rail line, and it may just be that they need a swift kick. The Tri-burrows was one of the first places those were used because you can't always get power out to where you needed one to make sure coverage was in place."

Renato smiled. "Okay Judy. But you must promise us to be careful. Especially once they get here."

Judy smiled. "I will. I promise you all, that. Now I need to go, so come in here and get your hug, you big kitten." Renato kneeled down with a grin and Judy pulled him into a hug. "Make sure you keep an eye on David for me. I will be back as soon as I can. I still have to find Nick."

After some additional teary goodbye's, Judy leapt over the railing to the large branch her apartment rested on, and with a quick run, leapt again, seeming to almost fly off into the rain forest.

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Landing on a platform nearly three hundred meters from where she left, Judy turned and looked back. She could see her friends watching, knowing that they could not see her at that distance. With another sigh, she wiped a tear from her eye. She had a long trip ahead of her and needed to get to it.

Extending her claws, she quickly climbed up the tree trunk to a much higher level, well above most of the other trees in the area. This being one of the tallest in the rain forest. From those top branches she was able to look out towards her destination and could see the train tracks as they crossed the bay. With her new eyesight, she was able to examine it and see that it was intact, and had a small group of mammals on one of the supports.

Shrugging and wondering what that was about, she found the branch she needed, and with a quick sprint along it, leapt again, nearly clearing the rain forest and landing on the roof of the last station. Hopping down, she walked over to the tracks and looked down them with a smile, which quickly turned into a frown as she heard someone behind her.

Without turning, Judy unsnapped the latch on her lethal. "Can I help you? If you consider this station your territory, I'm happy to leave you to it, I'm just hopping down to the tracks and following them."

A deep, growled voice came from behind her. "Sorry, little rabbit, but you jumped into the wrong place. I'm hungry, so I'm going to eat you."

With a sad sigh, Judy turned to face a large tiger. "Listen, kitten. You really don't want to do this."

"Don't worry, my claws are sharp. You won't feel a thing."

Judy noted the claw marks in the steel structure and figured this tiger had abilities. "Look. Let me go and I won't have to put you down." She then heard the sound of several other mammals shifting around her. "Oh, come on. I literally just started out, and already got to deal with mammals like you? Look. I'm Judy Hopps, perhaps you remember? I'm armed, and will not hesitate to defend myself."

Several of the mammals around her chuckled, while the tiger simply grinned wickedly as he spoke. "And what will a little bunny do to us?"

With that he swiped out at Judy, claws fully extended. Judy stepped into the swipe, punching his wrist which shattered, then spun into him and gave him a palm strike to the chest. The force of the strike knocked him back twenty feet, smashing into the building. The sound of his bones breaking echoing through the area.

Pulling her lethal, she then put a round into the leg of the wolf leaping at her from the opposite platform. This robbed him of his momentum, and resulted in his head clipping the edge of the platform she stood on. A sickening crunch could be heard as his body slumped down onto the tracks.

The rest of the mammals had frozen in place as Judy put her lethal away. "So… As I was saying. I am Judy Hopps, or more accurately Judy WildeHopps. I am not some defenseless bunny, and unless more of you wish to lose your lives, I suggest you back off and allow me to go about my business." Turning slowly, she gave a withering gaze to all those around her, specifically pinning those hidden in the shadows that were it not for her new eyesight, would have been invisible to her."

A large black bear stepped forward. "Officer WildeHopps. You survived? We were at the mercy and whim of Officer Ghrrlt. We are the remains of the local precinct and a few nearby local stations. His claws could rend steel, and he was stronger than any of us. As the senior officer. What are your orders?"

Judy chuckled. "I thought I recognized you, Officer Herthson. I'm hardly a senior officer at this point. But if you want to do something, then you should lean back into your oath as officers, just as I did. You have training that most civilians do not. You should be helping to create safe havens for other mammals, prey and predator, together. It was prey extremists that did this, but that doesn't mean all prey are guilty, or do you think that I had something to do with it?"

Officer Herthson backed up a step. "No. No. Not at all. They were crazies just like those Natural Law nutters. But what do we eat?"

Judy frowned. "That is part of the problem. The community I came from has decided to, on a limited basis, allow for the hunting of savage mammals to help feed the predators in the group. There is a small group, made up equally of predators and prey that perform the hunt, and no one is ever allowed to know what mammal the meat came from. Those that are in the group that does the hunting that cycle are given priority to the chickens we had started raising."

Herthson nodded. "Smart. Looking over the others. This is a good start. This is what I will do. Who is with me?"

Most of the mammals stepped forward, many less than well fed. A black furred wolf stepped forward. So long as we are sure that they are savages, I see no issues with this idea. Though I do also like the idea of raising some chickens, so that those that do the hunting do not have to concern themselves with who it is that they might be eating. These were once intelligent mammals like we were. We do this only to survive. When we have enough chickens, then we can stop, then we should stop."

Herthson grunted. "Agreed."

There was some grumbling but everything shook out that most of the group decided to at least give that a chance. There were a lot of wild chickens, it was just a matter of capturing them. Judy gave them pointers on both how to catch them, how to keep them, and what to feed them to keep them healthy. Knowledge that required she again explain that HFF meats was in fact Hopps Family Farms.

About 2 hours later, Judy was on her way again, with the sun only just starting to lighten the sky. Picking up her pace to a light jog, that would put a cheetah to shame, she chewed up the miles. As she was on the other track to the mammals she had seen, she passed them by faster than they could react.

She laughed as she ran, hearing their shouts. She was glad to bypass them. They were clearly trying to force mammals to pay a toll. Not something she wanted to deal with after the station.

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After an hour, Judy slowed to a walk as she approached the first town on the tracks. This was where the Academy was, or used to be. As she approached, she saw vehicles blocking various roads, essentially walling off the town. This gave her hope that there were survivors here.

Once she got close to the obvious front door, a voice called down from the roof of one of the buildings. "Halt! Identify yourself and business?"

Judy smiled up at the mammal, finding a rat peeking over the wall, she laughed. "Judy WildeHopps. I am only passing through. Just here to see who from the Academy made it through, before moving on. If I'm here more than a day, it is because I found friends."

There was a sudden commotion behind the gate, which was made from two of the academy buses. One of them pulling back and a large polar bear sow forced her way out. Seeing Judy, tears started to run down her muzzle as she rushed forward. "Judy! Oh my gods! You're alive!" Scooping Judy up into what to any other mammal would be a crushing hug.

Judy let the hug go on for several moments before speaking. "Hi Ursula! I'm happy to see you too. Might let me down though. I think the others are a bit freaked out."

With a watery laugh, she put Judy down. "Sorry Fluff butt. I haven't heard anything from the city. The last I heard before three quarters of the staff and students went crazy, was a call I was on with Adrian. He said something about a terrorist attack using a virus?"

Judy nodded. " Yeah, that's about the size of it. You haven't seen Nick, have you?"

Shaking her head and wiping away the tears. " I have not. But I am sure he is fine. If there are two mammals that could survive the apocalypse, it is you two. Come inside. Let's talk."

After a few glares from Ursula, Judy was allowed inside, as long as she checked her weapons. Something that made both Ursula and Judy laugh, to frowns from the head guard, a large wolf. "What's so funny?"

Ursula shook her head, still chuckling. "Simple. Judy and her husband are probably two of the most dangerous mammals on the planet, bar none. You joined us after Judy and Nick went through. This is Judy WildeHopps. Valedictorian of her class. One of two mammals to ever knock out Harrelson in the sparring ring, and former vigilante."

Judy chuckled nervously. "You knew about that?"

"Not while you were attending, but after the NightHowler incident, Adrian called with questions about you. Still not sure where you learned to fight."

Judy shrugged. "I am the last student of the Cheth assassin family. Maria, my college roommate, and the Crimson Gazelle, also known as Gazelle, was my teacher and only survivor of the Cheth. To answer the next question. Nick was the only ranked survivor of the Helketta."

Ursula looked down at Judy's smug grin and groaned. "That explains so much. Explains your abilities to take down mega-fauna far too easily." Looking to the guard. "Nick and Judy had lots of complaints about use of force by elephants and rhinos. Nothing funnier than a bull elephant cringing in fear from a fox and rabbit."

The guard laughed. "That's absurd."

With a wicked grin, Ursula pointed. "Judy. Look who else is here."

Judy laughed. "No… It can't be. Robert? This is too good."

The elephant was walking their way, clearly engrossed in looking beyond the wall he was taller than. Ursula spoke up. "Hey, Robert. We have a visitor. Why don't you say hello."

Looking down, Robert smiled. "Oh? Who would that…" Seeing Judy smiling up at him with a wave, he froze.

"Hi, Robert. Long time, no see. Keeping yourself out of trouble?"

Taking a step back, Robert visibly paled. "No. No, no, no, no, no. You can't be here." Looking around wildly. "Where's the fox? … Nevermind." Turning, he yelled over his shoulder. "I'm taking a break." Then all but ran in the opposite direction.

With a laugh, Judy yelled after him. "Come on, Robert. It isn't that bad." Looking up at Ursula. "That felt good. Now. I'd love to catch up, and am ravenous. Though I will also want to head out in the morning. Still got a lot of miles to go. I'm heading to the farm to check on the family. Then I need to go on a fox hunt."

Nodding, Ursula led the way into the town. "I assume you still eat meat?"

"Absolutely."

After finding several other instructors, and students, and regaling them of the state of the city. Judy finally found sleep late that night on Ursula's couch. A few tears escaped her eyes as sleep finally claimed her. "Where are you, Nick? I need to find you, but I gotta make sure the family is safe too. The kits need to know you too. I can't do this alone for much longer."

The next morning Judy was on her way, promising to stop by on the way back. Pacing herself, she jogged along the tracks, chewing up the miles, and far too fast for any of the savages she passed to take any action against her, let alone be any sort of threat.